Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	public_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	25	3	8.1480	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48398	The life and death of Mr. Vavasor Powell, that faithful minister and confessor of Jesus Christ wherein his eminient conversion, laborious successful ministry, excellent conversation, confession of faith, worthy sayings, choice experiences, various sufferings, and other remarkable passages in his life and at his death are faithfully recorded for publick benefit : with some elogies and epitaphs by his friends.	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.; Powell, Vavasor, 1617-1670.	1671 (1671)	Wing L2003; Wing B418_CANCELLED	114,187	204

deportment He was very humble and plain in his carriage prefering others before himself though far inferiour in Gifts and Grace to him and a most ready servant to do good to all both for Soul and Body He was very just in all his dealings and would rather receive wrong then offer injury to any and kept still a great jealousy over himself least he should do any thing unbecoming the Gospel He was very pittiful to all in distress whether Saints or sinners and especially in the case of sin which he would deeply lay to heart and weep bitterly in consideration of the weightiness of sin upon there Souls and greatly would he lament the scandalous offences in Professors which tended so much to the dishonou● of God greif of the Saints and ha●dening of sinners and indangering their own Souls He was very active in doing good and little time spent by him in idleness after great and tedious Journeys and pains in Preaching he would be as fresh to attend any work for God as if there had been no such thing it was his constant practice to be speaking of good to all he conversed with and to convert worldly discourse into spiritual things and when he apprehended any to discourse of the things of God in a common light Spirit he would endeavour to work them up to more seriousness and spirituallity Where ever he was at home or abroad he would be still furthering of good things and improve all oppertunities with whom so ever he conversed were it in his Journey or upon the Road to instil something for the good and benefit of their Souls wherein as a follower of his Master he was a lively pattern to the Saints and wherein God blessed him exceedingly He was to receive exhortation admonition and reproof being under all his excellencies great worth a man subject to passion infirmity which he would imbrace with all humble submission and acknowledge thankfulness and his Conscience was so tender that he would of himself both privately and publickly express his fears and jealousie of himself and would desire others to tell him his faults which he might not so well discern in himself He was a faithful and diligent observer of the out goings of God upon his Soul whereof he kept a dayly account and record taking notice both of the actings of grace and the stirrings of corruption and the assaults of sin and Satan or World made upon him It was his dayly practice to draw forth some instruction and advantage from every object and every thing that accrued viz. from Scriptures ordinances Gods dealings with him in every respect from conferrences with Saints or Sinners from any providence or accident whether prosperous or adverse from Creatures Heaven Earth Seasons from the graces and vertues as well as failings and infirmities of Saints and Professors A great observer of D●eams and what God might speak to himself or others by them for warning instruction or reproof He was very heavenly his Heart so set with diligence and intentness upon the things of God that when he was alone and none to discourse with he would many times be singing of Hymns in his house and elsewhere and often in his Bed assoon as he awaked in the morning being excellent at extempory Hymns which have been to the refreshing of many who have declared to have injoyed as much of God in joyning with him therein as in any other ordinance And his Soul did follow so hard after God that he hath been heard to pray very audibly and fervently in his sleep and yet knew it not vvhen he avvaked He vvas of an undanted courage for God no fear of suffering could turn him back in the vvork of the Lord he had such a fervent zeal for Christ and the Truth and such enmity to and hatred against that he regarded not the greatness of men in administring reproof to them vvhat danger so ever might accur to him thereby he used to say he feared the corruption of his Heart more then any sufferings he met vvith from men He vvith much compassion and feeling affection used to sympathize vvith the vveak and tempted making their condition his ovvn but vvould magnifie his office vvith great zeal by improving the authority Christ had given him to curb the insolent stubborn and rebellious He vvas one of a vvorthy publick Spirit zealous in and furthering of all things that might tend to promote the good of his Neighbour and Nation but especially the Saints and Sion in advancing the Name Interest Kingdome and Soveraignty of Jesus Christ and seting himself withal his might against Babilon that common publick Enemy of mankind He was very tender of the Consciences of others though differing in judgement from him and where he discerned sincerity and truth of Grace expressed much endeared affection to them as Brethren being a dear Lover and Promoter of love to Saints as Saints without relation to perticular perswasion or private opinion He was exceeding successful in the work of the ministry which was sealed to him by the conversion of many Souls confirmation consolation and edification of more both in England and Wales He was instrumental to the gathering of Churches to the healing and composing of many differences and breaches wherein he travelled much by Messengers Letters Conferrences and Journeys far and near It was his usual course in order to preserve and maintain life and love amongst the Churches he most neerly conversed with to put them upon the debating and resolving of several questions from time to time he handed to them which proved exceeding profitable to the increase of knowledge and to the ends proposed He was much in visiting from house to house taking a particular account both of inward and outward man inquiring after their family walks duties and deportments and in an especial manner did he with diligence attend the sick administring all things necessary for Body and Soul Exhorting Comforting and Praying with and for them He was exceeding zealous to keep the Communion clean and pure by keeping a diligent Watch puting forth early warning and reproof against the first appearances of envy and scandal and a faithful rejecting the hardened and impenitent Sinners in which Cases he used to be mighty powerful in the administring of that ordinance of excommunication shewing the terribleness thereof so that many hearts would tremble greatly thereat and yet be found also therein with great tenderness and heart meltings to the offenders themselves As he was Master of a Family he was wonderful careful to do the things that was just and equal and principally he did design to promote the power of godlidess amongst his Servants he used to tell them that they should at any time leave work to pray or read and when he sound them at any times in the Feilds reading or confering about the things of God he would bid them go on and continue in it and oh how few are they that prefer and promote the

and tribulations inward and outward by Sin World Satan and the gracious supports under all Thirdly In his Narraritical dedication to the Ministry wherein his dexterous and eminent skill unwearied activity singular faithfulness and admirable success appeared beyond many Fourthly In the perils hazards jeopardies persecutions imprisonments that he underwent for the Gospel insomuch that it is conceived it may be as truly said of him as any since the primitive days what was said of the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 6.4 c. 11.26 c. You have some account of him not only in his heart-walk but in his House Church and Generation walk also First You have some discovery of his heart-walk out of some part of his Diary wherein you find his vigilant vigorous and steady watch not only to improve the motions of the spirit but to withstand the motions of sin and Satan his close and hard persuit after God by all ways means to keep the heart clean and the life holy to keep up grace in the act godliness in the power thereof observing daily his spiritual experiences both in his gettings losings Secondly You have some account also of him in his family-walk which so much be speaks the Christian wherein you find him as a man of knowledge filling up every Relation in the fear of God managing his affairs with discretion doing not only the things that were just and equal but singular also Designing with Joshua that he and his house might serve the Lord which he cared for in the first place witnessing therein a singular love and regard to all the souls under his roof A strict and zealous observer of the Sabbath a great lover of Hospitality administring with liberal heart and hand to all especially to the household of Faith insomuch that the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him causing the widows heart to sing for joy eyes to the blind feet to the lame a father to the poor and the cause he knew not he searched out Job 29.30 31. and so divising liberal things by liberal things he stood Thirdly You have some thing of him also in his Church-walk wherein he approved himself a workman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word to every one a portion giving bread in due season taking heed to himself and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him an Overseer to feed the Church of God which he purchased with his own blood taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind And having the word of God dwelling richly with him in all wisdom did teach and admonish in Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs A true lover and an affectionate promoter of peace and holiness a zealous and impartial withstander of sin errour and prophaness One that had dexterous skill to get into the hearts of sinners And one to whom the Lord had given the tongue of the Learned that knew how to speak a word in due season to him that was weary very compassionate and tender hearted full of true sympothy and fellow feeling under all weaknesses and temptations that attended any being experimentally able to administer consolation by the comfort wherewith he himself under many tryals had been supported and comforted by the Lord. Fourthly You have some account also how he behaved himself in his Generation-Walk wherein you will find he witnessed in a publick spirit much sincere love to his Country great faithfulness courage and activity to the Cause and Interest of Christ as it was stated for him against Antichrist and so covenanted for pleaded in his day And in the asserting and managing thereof it may be said of him that he bore in his Body the marks of our Lord Jesus and to which he was faithful from first to last even to death And not with so many that appeared so zealously cursing Merozat first for not helping the Lord against the mighty and soon after fell in with the mighty against the Lord Nor with so many Princes Elders and Father's contrary to former Covenants and Ingagements who made a Captain to go back again into Aegypt to the building again the things that they had pulled down and pulling down the things they had built But did in that day of tryal you 'll find as zealously and impartially withstand his Friends for Hypocrisy and Apostacy as others for Prophaness and Superstition foretelling and lamenting such steps as the certain foundation of ruine and confusion Neither did ●e see cause as an evil doer in reproach to Christ and his cause pleaded by him to beg and give thanks for pardon for serving of him Nor to deny forsake and forswear his Master and Crucified Cause but with courage and faithfulness you 'll find him ●earing of and rejoycing under the Cross owning and confessing him as well at Gibbet and in the Supulchre as when the Hosannahs were sung to him And so keeping the word of his patience serving his Generation according to the will of God he fell asleep dying in the assured Faith and Hope of the Resurrection of that Cause that he had so done and suffered for so lived and dyed in It is true under all the Worth and Excellency spoken of you 'll find him also a man of like passions with his Brethren and not without his infirmities having all this Heavenly Treasure in an Earthen Vessel and being a Son of Adam as well as a man of God that he might not be esteemed of more than was meet and that Christ alone might have the preheminency to be the great Example and to be imitated in all things the best of men being no otherwise to be followed than as they follow Christ because as saith the Apostle in many things we offend all The natural infirmity that he much groaned under and complained of was passion and rashness and which he would when overtaken with make haste out of and with due acknowledgements for his evil therein return speedily to a sweet frame and temper again It remains that since the pleasure of the Lord is thus manifested in the removing such a Father with many other such like eminent ones a late from us that the due improvement of such sad providences be endeavoured according to the ends before hinted whereby our holy Powels excellent Bridges worthy Blakes faithful Woods may yet though dead live and preach to us and may be a means to help forward the cry of doubling the spirit of the Elias's that are taken away upon the Elisha's remaining Mr. POWEL'S ACCOUNT OF HIS Conversion and Ministry Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of Mr. Vavasor Powel from his Conversion to his Death being the space of 30 years and upwards written with his own hand and found with the Confession of his Faith and other Memorable occurrences among his Papers TIll the twentieth Year of my age though I was trained up in learning from my Childhood