Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	lord_n	spirit_n	8,095	5	5.0560	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B30830	An epistle of love to Friends in the womens meetings in London, &c. to be read among them in the fear of God.	Townsend, Theophila.; Fox, George, 1624-1691. Testimony out of the Old Testament and New of the Lord sending his prophets to declare his judgments against the disobedience and pride of the Jews.	1680 (1680)	Wing T1987A	6,109	10

AN Epistle of Love TO Friends in the Womens Meetings in London c. To be read among them in the fear of God DEar Friends and Sisters in Christ Jesus to you is the salutation of my true and sincere Love in the ever blessed pure and precious truth of our God and to you is my Heart open in the tender love of our heavenly Father who hath reached unto us and lifted up the light of his countenance upon us and caused the ever blessed light of his everlasting day to shine among us and hath made known the riches of his grace unto us in order to fit and prepare us for his own work and service To you my wellbeloved in the Lord doth my Love and Life reach at this time to you that are given up to serve the Lord his Truth and People with chearfullness of Heart and readiness of mind according to the measure of his grace committed unto you and the breathings of my Soul unto the God of my Life is that he may entich you all with his heavenly Gifts and Graces that you may be strong in the power of his might and made able to perform the work and service of the Lord in the Church of Christ in this your day and serve up your Generation in faithfulness unto the end Oh! my tender Friends and well-beloved Sisters in the Lord having a sence of your great Loss in parting with one so dearly beloved of the Lord and well esteemed among his people Anne Whitehead who was a worthy Instrument and faithful Labourer in the Church of Christ one whom the Lord had furnished with his heavenly Wisdom and so filled with divine vertues that she was able and ready to be helpful in all concerns in the Church of Christ both Spiritual and Temporal this I was sensible of by that acquaintance I had with her She was indeed one of the Lords worthies who hath taken her unto himself and he was right worthy of her who had made her worthy of so blessed a work and honourable a service in the Church of Christ who blessed her labour and made i● effectual for good as is well known to you that have been Eye witnesses and conversant with her as by the many living testimonys from the faithful Brethren and Sisters is demonstrated and I had true unity with you in it and I was refreshed and my heart was truely tendered and broken before the Lord and I was affected with your care and diligence to leave it upon Record that her worthiness may not be forgotten nor her faithfulness be Buried in the Grave of Oblivion I say my heart was affected in the reading thereof and the desire of my Soul is that we that are left behind may walk in the same Path and that her past publick restimony that she bore among you may not be forgotten by you but that it may be had in remembrance for it was seasonable and needful viz. Against Pride and Vanity and superfluity in many of the younger sort that profess the Holy Truth which is a grief to the righteous to see how it abounds among such in the City of London and some other places My spirit have been long grieved and my Soul bowed down under the weight of it but considering how many worthy Instruments attended your Meetings and not doubting but the Lord hath put it into their hearts to testifie against it I was willing to be silent and bear the burthen and mourn in secret to see how Pride and Vanity notwithstanding hath taken place in many that profess the truth so the true desire of my Soul is that those concerned may lay it to heart and be bowed down and cast of that which causeth the weights and brings the heavy burthens upon the honest hearted and grieves the Holy spirit of the Lord which is the Sin that so easily besets to wit Pride and is so delightful to the young people that the Enemy hath captivated many and taken many in that Snare to the dishonour of God and his precious truth which they profess and that to the hurt of their own Souls therefore in bowels of tender Love I exhort you all whom it may concern to whom this may come in the City of London c. To incline your hearts to seek the Glory of God and the peace and welfare of your own Souls and the advancement of the Holy truth that you profess and are convinced of which the God of all our mercies hath made known unto you let your adorning be that comely ornament of a meek and quiet spirit like Holy women professing godliness with good works Oh! that I might prevail with you to follow the council of the Lord and his servants and mind the light of Christ in your own hearts and Consciences to be guided by it into plainness and humility of mind that you might not be evil examples to others round about you for the Eyes of many in the Nation are upon you and those that are inclined to take liberty in Pride and vanity and superfluity take strength by you and when such have been cautioned and admonished to plainness as becomes the truth they turn it upon us and say This is little to what Friends wear in London which is too true on some therefore I intreat you to deny your selves and take up the Cross and follow Christ Jesus in the streight and narrow way that leads to Life and peace And you that are Elders in the Church and Mothers in Israel I intreat you watch over the younger for good and be good patterns and Holy examples to them and use all diligence to admonish and counsel with much tenderness in the wisdom and power of God and judge down Pride and vanity especially in your own Families and give no liberty to your Children to please them in any thing that is contrary to truth when they shall say to you such a one have a Chain of Gold why may not I or any other needless thing that may give occasion to the enemies of truth to point at it and say the Quakers are as ready to run into any new fashion as we and so cause the weak to stumble and turn the simple out of the way therefore my dear Friends and Sisters you that have a concern upon you for the Church and are Elders in the Family of God stand up in the power and Holy authority of God to find the Babilonish garment and the wedge of Gold that hinders Israels prosperity and put it out of the Camp away with the naked Necks and Backs the needless pinches and Ruffles the high dresses upon the Head and tiring the Hair wanton Eyes walking and mincing as they go and all superfluity that dishonours God and his truth least instead of a Girdle he send a Rent and instead of well-set Hair Baldness and instead of a Stomacher a girding of Sackcloth and burning instead of beauty except you repent therefore I intreat you receive

it in Love as a warning to you laying aside all superfluity and receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save you out of all those things which grieves the good Spirit of the Lord and build you up in that most holy Faith which purifies the Heart and gives Victory over the World These things have been a grief unto me and lay as a weight upon me for a long time and when I heard the testimony of our dear Sister which may be taken as the Dying words of so worthy an Instrument it I say was more to be observed and minded by those concerned And it arose in my Heart in the openings of Life now it is a seasonable time for me to ease my Spirit and clear my self to back or revive this the last publick testimony of our dear Sister that it may not be forgotten by any that are concerned so my dear Friends I have this to say to you ●●●t love the Lord above all and are given up in his service in the works of Piety and Charity you are the Chosen Vessels of the Lord who will be with you notwithstanding he hath removed and taken away such a faithful Labourer and fellow helper from among you yet the Lord is with you my tender Friends yea I say Israels God is among you and he will give you wisdom and strength as you wait upon him therefore be incouraged in the blessed work of the Lord unto which you are called and be bold and valiant for the truth to withstand all the false pretenders to love and unity and are in a dividing Spirit and secretly endeavouring to disturb the Churches peace And stand up in the strength of the Lord and in the power of his might against all such which would destroy your comly Order into which the Lord hath gathered you and bring all into Confusion as they are and as your Hearts are inclined to this good work the Lord who is rich in mercy and goodness he will fill your Qivers with pollished Arrows and cause your Bow to abide in strength and so furnish you with his heavenly vertues to inable you for his work and service that he calls you to that hard things will be made ●asie unto you Ye beloved of the Lord Gods power will surround you and his Salvation will be as Walls and Bulwarks about you and his pure Powerful presence will uphold you and preserve you unto the end Amen So to the grace of God I recommend you that is able to keep both you and me and all his Flock and Family every where in the unity of the Spirit which is the bond of true peace and in the Holy fellowship of the Gospel of peace where there is no seperation for we have large experience of his goodness and mercies and favours for our God hath done great things for us even beyond utterance what Tongue is able to declare his notable Acts and his wonderful doings ●●ong his faithful people Oh! who can but praise him and mag●●f ie his glorious name and return thanksgiving with Hallelujah … r all for he is worthy saith my Soul who am your Friend and … r in the Lord Jesus Christ and have thus far cleared my Con●●nce and eased my Spirit Theophila Townsend Bear with my plainness and homely expressi Charity make way for it for the truths sake A Testimony out of the Old Testament and New of the Lord sending his Prophets to declare his Judgments against the Disobedience and Pride of the Jews and how his Judgments were Fulfilled upon them that did not Repent and how the Apostle did admonish and Reprove such as went into Pride and the Fashions of the World THE Lord saith Because the Daughters of Sion are Haughty and walk with stretched forth Necks and wanton Eyes walking and Mincing as they go and making a Tinkling with their Feet therefore the Lord will smite with a Scab the Crown of the Head of the Daughters of Sion and the Lord will discover their Secret Parts in that Day the Lord will take away the Bravery of their Tinkling Ornament about their Feet and their Caules and their Round Tyres like the Moon the Chains Mark the Chains and the Bracelets and the Mufflers the Bonnets and the Ornaments of the Legs and the Head-bonds and the Tablets and the Ear-rings the Rings and Nose-Jewels the Changable Suits of Apparel and the Mantles and the Wimples and the Crisping-pins the Glasses and the fine Linnen and the Hoods and the Veils and it shall come to pass that instead of Sweet Smell there shall be Stink and instead of a Girdle a Rent and instead of a wel-set Hair Baldness and instead of a Stomacher a girding of Sack-cloath and Burning instead of Beauty Thy Men shall fall by the Sword and thy Mighty in the War and her Gates shall Lament and Mourn and she being Desolate shall sit upon the Ground Isai 3.16 to the End And you may Read in 2. Kings 17. how that the Children of Israel were carried into Captivity into Assyria for the King of Assyria he Besieged Samaria and after three years Besieging he took it and carried away the ten Tribes Children of Israel into the Land of Assyria And Isaiah according to the Word of the Lord went to the Prophetess and she Conceived and bore a Son c. And the Lord said Before the Child should have the Knowledge to Cry My Father and my Mother the Riches of Damascus and the Spoil of Samaria shall be taken away by the King of Assyria Isai 8.3 4. Now here you may see what a Destruction came upon Samaria and the Jews because of their Rebellion and Disobedience and their Haughtiness and Pride as Isaiah cried against in Chap. 3. And then What became of all their Haughtiness and Pride and their Mincing and their Tinkling with their Feet and their Chains and Bracelets and Jewels and Round Attire with their Glasses and Hoods and Veils when they were driven away by Droves by the King of Assyria into Captivity into Assyria out of their own Land Houfes and Cities Then Isaiah's Prophecy was fulfilled upon those Haughty and Proud Jews and did not Nebuchadnezzer afterwards carry away the two Tribes and destroy Jerusalem because of their Disobedience Rebellion Haughtiness and Pride who would not regard the Lord nor his Prophets therefore the Lord suffered them to be led away Prisoners out of their own Houses Cities and Land into Babylon so stripp'd them of their Pride and caused them to be carried away into strange Countries so was not Jeremiah's Prophecy fulfilled upon them The Lord saith Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the Proud yea all that do Wickedly shall be as Stubble and the Day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of Host that it shall leave them neither Root nor Branch But unto them that fear my Name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his Wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as the Calves in the Stall Mal. 4.1 2. Therefore it is good for all to keep out of Pride and Wickedness in Humility lest they be Burnt up And the Apostle commanded that Women adorn themselves in modest Apparel with Shamefacedness and Sobriety not with Brodered Hair or Gold or Pearls or Costly Array but that which becometh Women professing Godliness with good Works 1 Tim. 2.9 10. And likewise Peter in his general Epistle saith to the Women whose Adorning Let it not be that outward Adorning of Platting the Hair and of wearing of Gold and of putting on of Apparel but let it be the hidden Man of the Heart in that which is not Corruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of a great price for after this manner in the Old time the Holy Women who trusted in God Adorned themselves being in Subjection unto their own Husbands 1. Pet. 3.3 4 5. Here you may see both the Prophets and Apostles declared against the Pride and Haughtiness of People both in the Old and New Testament And the Apostle John saith in his first General Epistle to the Church of Christ Love not the World neither the things that are in the World if any one love the World the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the World the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life is not of the Father but is of the World and the World Passeth away and the Lust thereof but he that doth the will of God abideth for Ever 1. John 2.2 15.16 17. Now here you may see an express Command to the true Christians the Church of Christ against the Love of the World and the Things of the World and the Lust of the Eye and the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life and they that love the World the love of the Father is not in them and how that the World passeth away and the Lust thereof and therefore love not the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and Pride of Life which is not of the Father And do not most or all Christendom say the Lords Prayer Our Father which art in Heaven Hollowed be thy Name c. and you that live in the Lust of the Flesh and the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of your Life which is not of the Father which is in Heaven but of the World that Passeth away and the Lust thereof And is it not said the Devil is the King of Pride and therefore do not do his Lusts but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever And therefore consider when you say Our Father which art in Heaven Hollowed be thy Name c. when you live in those things which are not of the Father which is in Heaven and daily Obey and love the Lust of your Eye the Lust of your Flesh and the Pride of your Life which is not of the Father but of the World And the Apostle John tells you He that loves the World the love of the Father is not in him G. F. THE END