Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	heart_n	lord_n	word_n	14,837	5	4.3216	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66756	An improvement of imprisonment, disgrace, poverty, into real freedom, honest reputation, perdurable riches evidenced in a few crums & scraps lately found in a prisoners-basket at Newgate, and saved together, by a visitant of oppressed prisoners, for the refreshing of himself and those who are either in a worse prison or (who loathing the dainties of the flesh) hunger and thrist after righteousness / by George Wither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1661 (1661)	Wing W3163; ESTC R14994	55,794	128

any other she doth seem So worthy as she is in my esteem The rough hard shells in which rich Pearls do lie Shew not their Beauty to a strangers eye And Vertues when that they most perfect are Sometimes like faulty Actions may appear To lookers on who have not means to know How done nor to what end nor whence they flow And then especially when their Spectators Are Envious or their Foes or Vertue 's haters The mildest Medicine sore eyes diseases A sickly Stomack wholsom'st meat displeases And so the best and noblest Dispositions Are most dislik'd by men of base Conditions Because their Vertues if they neighbours are Do make their Vices greater to appear Her precions Balms have sometimes made me smart But I confesse the cause was on my part If she administred a bitter pill In love to make me well when I was Ill. And well she might sometimes occasion find To give me wholsome Physick of that kind By cautions and remembrances apply'd In season when my wit was foolifi'd For nothing purposely from her I hid That in my life I said or thought or did And that she might at full be privy to My whole Affairs and all I had to do No Letter unto me in absence came But leave I gave her to break ope the same Which freedom with such mutually bestown Made me to her and her to me so known That what the outside of my Actions be My Conscience hardly better knowes then she Small use of an Affection can be there Or proofs of Friendship where no failings are There 's hardly possibility of living With any one who never needs forgiving For he who in his Consort finds no blame When he fails will confounded be with shame By these Expressions which have shown in part My Passions I have somewhat eas'd my heart And though impertinent they seem to be To others they are pertinent to me In shewing me my weakness and from whom My helps in all extremities must come My Passion is the same but this makes way For Reason to command which did obey And this Divertisment a stop brings in To that which else might have destructive been Yet Instrumental though my Reason was Herein th' Efficient is Preventing Grace And therefore Him from whom this Mercy came I thus Petition to compleat the same My God! my heart thou hast now touched nearly And dost in that which I affect most dearly Begin to try my Faith That Faith of mine Which if a true Faith was a gift of thine It was by thee upon my Soul begot Into Temptation therefore lead me not Beyond my strength But LORD deliver me From Evil that I may not foiled be Thy onely Son to thee taught me to pray In words to this effect when any way I was opprest Compassion therefore take On me though not for mine LORD for his sake And me dismisse not in this sad Condition Without a kind reply to my Petition For as Lot said of Zoar LORD the boone I new request is but a little one And peradventure should my foes perceive Thou dost of every comfort him bereave Who hath desir'd to magnifie thy Name It might occasion give them to blaspheme Or make thy servants to begin to Fear That thou regard'st not how opprest they are That Helper which thou didst on me bestow And Whose assistance is much needed now Thou seem'st to call upon me to resign As one who must no longer now be mine Be not displeased LORD if I shall say Thou tak'st the comfort of my life away And that I do expect thou shouldst not leave me Quite comfortless if thou of her bereave me Why dost thou Dictate to my heart this Prayer If thou intend'st to leave me in despaire It cannot be thou move me shouldst to crave That which thou dost not purpose I should have I do depend on thee and hazarded Both her and all that in this world I had For thy Cause if my heart be not untrue Though therefore nothing is by merit due Vouchsafe if with thy will accord it may Her life with health and for a longer day That we with thankfulness in praises giving May shew thy Mercies forth among the living With Tokens of thy favour make us glad According to the Troubles we have had And make thy other servants hopeful be Of that Salvation which thou shew'st to me Make it appear unto this Generation That we have the same GOD the same Salvation In these our dayes that was in former times Aswell as such like Tyrrannies and Crimes Make it appear that thou hast love for us Aswell as heretofore for Lazarus That thou who didst hear Hagar for a Son And Hannah's Prayer when she beg'd for one Dost not despise my Prayer for the life Of my beloved and Afflicted Wife Or hast less pitty now then heretofore Thou hadst of other some who did deplore Their dead or dying Friends and when they mourn'd Had them into their bosoms back return'd Let it be known to those who do begin To think thou art not that which thou hast been Because that this Age hath produc'd occasions To shew thy self in other dispensations Though to run back to Egypt we are ready As froward as Rebellious and as giddy As they whom thou broughtst thence though every way As false as faithless and as apt as they To set up golden Calves Though as were then There be among us here such wicked men As Jannes and as Jambres who resist Not Moses but a greater JESUS CHRIST And strive by their Inchantments how to bring Us back to bondage and seduce the King By cursed sorceries yet make it known That thou in Brittain dost a People own That as when Israel was from Pharoh saved That as thou wert with Moses and with David And with thy People who in thraldom were At Babel thou art present with us here LORD I beseech thee mind thou not the less My private suit although my zeal to this Diverts me from it for I le further yet Pursue that though thou me shouldst quite forget Apparant make it that some yet inherit A Portion of the self same pow'rful Spirit Which fill'd Elias and if need require That thou hast Prophets who can call down Fire Hail Thunder-bolts and other dreadful things Upon the Troops and Armies of those Kings Who Persecute thy Saints and Heaven constrain Either to let fall or withhold the Rain As to thy service it shall appertain For this though hardly yet believ'd of any Will shortly be made manifest to many And thy vouchsafeing this request of mine May make it to this Age perhaps a signe That thou as heretofore dost lend an ear At need to every private sufferer As well as unto Publick Grievances And that when ripen'd are Iniquities A greater Conquest will be got by Words Then ever was in any Age by Swords My Dear Redeemer if it may be thus Be pleas'd to Mediate this boon for us That suit for which this Prayer was

extremities befall For here 's a number yet within this place Who are of those in whom the Seeds of Grace So fructifie that GOD hath superseded For their sakes that for which his Justice pleaded And I have in my personal distresse So tasted of their Charitableness That thereby I enjoying health and life My self not seeking but thy peace in chief Expect that Justice only from thy hands Whereon thine honour and thy welfare stands Which neither is thy Riches or thy Power For these may come to nothing in one hour And if to them thou overmuch incline I will not change my poor estate for thine Among the Prodigies by many seen This year I might for one have numbred been If I should all Particulars relate Which do concern my Person and Estate But they must now Phanaticks counted be Who either do believe what they shall see Or dare take notice of those things that vary From GOD's proceed in courses ordinary And therefore I think fitting to conceal them Till that which is to follow doth reveal them To manifest without all Dubitation That God hath spoken to this Generation Mean while I 'le suffer for our Peace must now Not from our Actings but from suff'rings flow Yet whether I deserve respect or blame Know LONDON since I now thy Prisoner am That if I have not wherewith to subsist Thou art oblig'd to find me bread at least Whilst here I shall confinement undergo Though I had alwayes been thine open foe And that 't is Tyranny what ere they are To lay on any more they can bear Know likewise that if here I shall miscarry Through lack of what for life is necessary Thou thereby forfeitest as I conceive A better Charter then the King can give Because through want of Charity to foes Much more to Friends our part in Christ we lose What I have been to thee it hath been shown What thou to me art it will now be known And possibly another Creation Will heed that I am somewhat to this Nation Deserving better then that lie I should Within a Jail at seventy three years old For acting and designing nothing worse Then how to save them from a greater curse Look to your selves For whether bond or free I am I know my GOD will look to me And I and mine shall be both cloath'd and fed When they who slieghted us want Robes bread So believeth George Wither Another Meditation or Ballad as the World perhaps will call it composed by the same Prisoner since his Commitment to Newgate I. MY Soul since we are left alone In our Confinement here Where we disturbed are of none To God come draw we near For part of his three dreadful WOES Are now so carrying on That if to him we cling not close We may be quite undone II. Our selves let us examine so That though our foes condemn We may for what we did misdo Make now our Peace with him Lest when the world hath fully try'd How here we may be vext We greater miseries must abide Where she will throw us next III. SIN to full ripeness is not come nor malice to her heights And we e're they receive their Doom May look for more despights These which we have endured yet Have been sustain'd with ease But GOD it may he will permit Much harder things then these IV. 'T is but the Suburbs unto Hell whereto we now are sent And for the future none can tell What hereto us is meant To better men worse things befall Then seem to be our Meed And our Afflictions are but small To those which may succeed V. We have not that dark Dungeon seen Wherein is endless Night Nor in those Lowsie lodgings been Which ev'ry sence affright We feel not that which many lack Nor Bolts nor Gives we wear Fit things for Belly and for Back As yet supplyed are VI. With sickness we are not opprest In body or in mind No outward cares disturb our rest No Inward fears we find For all the suff'rings wherewith we As yet afflicted seem Are onely such as grievous be In other mens esteem VII But should I being old and poor Diseased grow within With Aches have my Limbes made sore Or with an Vlcer'd skin Be turn'd into the Common Jail To lie upon the ground And all those outward helpes quite fail Which I have lately found VIII Should this befall us where might then Our hope and courage be This happens oft to Righteous men And this may fall on me What but complaints and mournful cryes Would then be in this place Harts aking or still weeping eyes Scorns and despaire of Grace IX These will be then the best Reliefs That Flesh and Blood can see To cure or Mitigate their Griefs Where such Desertious be Yet be of nought my Soul afraid For by his Angels then Shall GOD's Assistance be convaid When thou art left of men X. They came unto the Rich mans doer At which the Lazar dy'd And him to rest Eternal bore To whom he Crums deny'd And when Elias had of bread The meanes deprived quite He by the Ravenous Fowls was Fed At Morning and at night XI Their GOD is mine and if in him My Trust I still repose He will to me be as to Them To save me from my Foes Or if of that depriv'd I am which fed me to this day I know he will supply the same As well another way XII The Earth is his with her increase And wasted were her store He hath within a Richer place Enough to send me more And till it comes That which doth starve Discomfort and destroy My life whilst useful shall preserve And more increase my Joy XIII The Plagues which others to Despair And to Blaspheming move Shall stir me up to Praise and Prayer And fill my heart with Love Yea that which on the Kings of Earth Will dreadful horrors bring Shall make me with Triumphant Mirth A HALLELVJAH Sing XIV The Purging Fire which them doth burn Who therein Raving lye Thy Drosse my Soul to Gold shall turn Thy Silver Purifie And when thy Fiery-tryal's past No loss will come to thee If thy works Fixt on CHRIST thou hast Though built of Straw they be XV. Resolves which I had not before These Musings do beget And though her Furnace seven times more The World henceforth shall heat My Soul return thou to thy Rest For GOD hath me assur'd That where I ten times more opprest It should be well endur'd XVI How blessed is that Heav'nly Place Where thou Oh CHRIST doth dwell If thou canst bring such Joy and Peace Into this Earthly Hell He with whom thou still present art What ere on him is laid If thee he loves with all his heart Needs no where be afraid Mewgate Sept. 3. 1661. A Return in Answer to some of them who sent to know how it fares with me in my Imprisonment GOD gave me Grace by Grace I did conceive A saving Faith by saving Faith I live My

express'd by me May be both acceptable unto thee And unto those who hear them not in vain Though to my private suff'rings they pertain For peradventure that which me oretakes Hath partly been permitted for their sakes That they by heeding what on them at length May fall might by my weakness gather strength For what is in it self a single Trouble By circumstances may be sometimes double My best Friends peradventure now will wonder How I am thus as with a clap of thunder Struck suddenly and my Foes with a scoff Will Jeer to see me so soon taken off From my late courage and high Resolution Whilst I was putting it in Execution When they shall know that but concerns my Wife Which breaks through all the comforts of my life And thus disorders me But when they hear me Ev'n some of them who at the first will Jeer me If they have any Manhood left in them Shall me of no such levity condemn As yet they may when all the circumstances I have declar'd to cure their ignorances For one of GOD's choice Prophets had a Tryal Not much unlike this of his self-denial When he as I do in his Generation Bore witness of their great abomination Which if ought more had little more effect Then I may at this present day expect He whilst GOD's work he follow'd to the heart Was pierced through his Wife with sorrows dart She as the holy Scripture testifies Was unto him as precious as his eyes The comfort of his life and far more dear As I believe then all things transcient were And peradventure he had grieved more Then yet I do had not the day before GOD both foretold her death and charg'd him too Not to bewail the Wife he loved so What this to me doth intimate I shall Forbear to tell now but if that befall Which I may fear it will have an effect Whose demonstration I shall not neglect If so long I survive as to declare That Sequell for which it will way prepare Mean while since hope hath taken race with sorrow For some few dayes that little time I le borrow To make it known how by a Pannick dread I am at present so distempered And in such sober Language will declare it Without Hyperboles that if men hear it With like sobriety it will perchance Their edifying in some kind advance When I had finished those Meditations Last mention'd which concern my dear'st Relations As to the world A messenger of sorrow That very day I looking for next morrow My Wives arrival brought not newes alone That suddain sickness her had seiz'd upon But that she likewise in a Feaver lies With which are complicated Maladies Portending death and Death desired so That they about her can with much ado Preserve her life This newes as soon as told Laid instantly upon me such fast hold That er'e I could into my heart retire I seemed to be wholly set on fire And being for surprizal the more fit By what that day for better use was writ Instead of that which might have quencht the same I snatcht up oil and threw 't into the flame So frail I am not though made of such Mettle That I am sometime soft and sometime Britle As to be shaken meerly with a fear Of things which ev'ry day expected are But many sad concomitants attended This Message not till then so apprehended For at that instant every thing prest in Which might a doleful Tragedy begin With such confusion that what entred first I knew not neither which disturb'd me worst So that I nought could call to mind but that Which my Afflictions did more aggravate Imprisonment I felt not till that day Wherein I found that I was kept away Where I to her could no assistance give For whose sake I did most desire to live My Fancie represented to my sight In how disconsolate and sad a plight She there was left dispoil'd of all she had Excepting what might make her heart more sad With foes surrounded not one to befriend her Not servants in that weakness to attend her No good Physitian living there about Scarce any thing within doors or without For food or Physick for while she had health Her courage did supply her want of Wealth And all things else with help of what from Heaven Was by his providence in all wants given Who hath been my support By him alone She hath in many straits been carryed on And all oppressions with such courage bore As if she had been rich by being poor Which her despightful neighbours heeding well And that she far'd like trodden Camomel Words unto this effect were heard to speak Will not with all this loss her stout heart break GOD was and still her helper he will be But for all this what thanks is due to me What help am I who should a help hav● been When such extream Affliction she was in Dear BETTY how inhumanly opprest Art thou and oh how is my Soul distrest Now I here think upon thy high desart And how discomfortably left thou art If it might comfort thee would thou didst know Else not what tears out of mine eyes do flow For I from whom the worlds despights can strain Nor sighs nor tears from tears cannot restrain Woe 's me my Dear my life I would resign Might it accepted be to ransome thine And were at my dispose for cause am I Of that sad plight wherein thou now dost lie Since what the world hath done is nothing more Then thou hast alwayes look'd for heretofore Yet take it not unkindly for to thee No ill was meant in what was done by me He as I thought to whom my self I owe And who did thee and all I had bestow Requir'd the services that brought upon me That which to thy undoing hath undone me And he will either back again restore What 's lost or give us better things and more This knowing thou believ'st and dost confide In him hath much my Passion qualifi'd And makes me hopeful GOD will bring thee hither Or me to thee that we once more together May praise his Name and live till we can part Without the least distemp'rature of heart Whilst this hope lasts lest notice being taken That I with one small puff of wind am shaken Lest also this begets a fear in some That I may totally be overcome When the● perceive that he who hath profest So much hath with so little been opprest And lest they also may discourag'd be If I sinck under that which lies on me I will for that cause hence occasion take Aswell for their as for mine and her sake So plainly what befals me to expresse That no heart which hath any tenderness Beseeming men shall think a greater Tryal Of humane patience in a self-denial Can ever in the Flesh be undergone Then this which they suppose a slender one I have a just occasion too by that To render her that honour in the Gate Which is her due and whereto

no more here Affairs Divine and Civil interfere What hinders this but want of that true Love And meeknes which our knowledge might improve And whence flowes Discord but from intermedling With what concerns us not fooling and Fidling About those things impertinent which whether Their tendance be to this or that or neither 'T is not material so that may not be Infringed which to all ought to be free That Peace may be preserv'd men kept in awe From violating of the morall Law And GOD permitted to possesse alone The Conscience as on earth his Proper Throne For he from none will an account receive According to what other men believe Or shall command but answerable to What he commands us to believe and do According to the Light he shall afford By his assisting Spirit and his Word And therefore they who out of slavish Fear Of those who peaceably inclined are Force Innocents to any hard Condition Thereby to free themselves from their Suspition Which is incurable are Tyrannous And foes to GOD unto themselves and us In my late Tryal I have had a shake But it hath deeper driven in the stake And hath I hope vouchsafed by that FIT An earnest he so fast will settle it That all the Tempests which in future dayes The World the Flesh and Devil have pow'r to raise Shall more increase my courage and by mine Some other to the like Resolves incline GOD give us Grace with seriousness These things in time with what else may There is a way how that may yet be done Which hitherto is little thought upon And thereof in what is expressed here A Hint if well observed may appear A Hymn of Thanksgiving to Almighty GOD compos'd by this Prisoner for the gracious restoration of his Wives life and health who lying mortally sick as was supposed at 52. miles distance during his Imprisonment in a sad disconsolate condition and reputed to be dead about the space of an hour was miraculously restored To the Tune of the 148. Psalm I. HOw soon my gracious GOD Hast thou my Prayer heard How just how kind how Good Hast thou to me appear'd Blest be this Day For what did fright my heart last night Thou dost allay The Clouds that made this Morning sad Are blown away II. As when his moan to thee The good Centurian made Though I unworthy be Like favour I have had Vouchsaf'd to me Nay little less in my distress Receiv'd I have Then She whose Son and onely one Was near his grave III. At least I so much Grace Of thee this day have had As daign'd to Jairus was Whose Daughter thou foundst dead Upon her Bed For when my Wife depriv'd of life Had long time laine Thou heeding there our Prayers here Gav'st life again IV. Thus she who first was thine And so shall alwayes be Hath now been twice made mine And is enjoy'd by me For which to thee A double praise LORD all my dayes I ought to give Assist I pray this due to pay Whilst here I live V. And let all who now hear What thou for me hast done Help me thy praise declare For not to me alone Extends this boone This Act of Grace vouchsafed was That they thereby Might at their need know where to speed As well as I. VI. LORD I have nought to give For all thou hast bestown But what I did receive And was and is thine own Oh! now therefore This Sacrifice do not despise For I am poor Therewith I shall give self and all Who can give more A Penitential Hymn composed by occasion of a Dream the 19th of Octob. 1661. about Midnight I. MY GOD thou didst awake me This night out of a sad and fearful Dream That sensible did make me Of Sins which heretofore small Sins did seem And ere I perfect heed could take Whether I slept or was awake He that is watching ev'ry hour Whom he may mischief and devour Sought how he might thereby advantage make Rebuke him for my Dear Redeemer's sake II. Permit thou no Transgression Whereof I heretofore have guilty been Nor great nor small Omission Which I forgotten have or overseen Either through want of penitence Or of confessing my offence To rise against me great or small For LORD I do repent them all And likewise be it more or less Renounce all trust in my own Righteousness III. As Job complain'd such Visions To me seem'd represented this last night Of my falings and Omissions That sleeping they did much my heart affright Me thought a Spirit passed by Not to be seen with mortal eye And I was minded by a Voice That spake unto me without noise Of things preceding which then quite forgot So as I ought to do I heeded not IV. Oh God! most kind most holy Remember not the errours of my life Call not to minde my folly To add a new Affliction to my Grief World Flesh and Devil my foes are And much more then my strength can bear On me they have already cast Unless that thou compassion hast Oh! throw my sins out of thy sight therefore That they may not be seen or heard of more V. My Soul doth now abhor them Thine onely Son hath with his precious blood Made satisfaction for them Thou didst accept it I believe it good And therefore though they somtimes make My heart to tremble and to ake My Soul is confident they pard'ned are As if they ne're committed were Confirm it so that sleeping and awake Sweet rest in thee I may for ever take VI. Dear GOD of my Salvation Preserve me by thy Love and mighty Pow'r From perilous Temptation In Weal in Woe and at my dying hour Me let thy Gardian Angels keep When I do wake and while I sleep From shame without and fear within From evil thoughts and Actual Sin That Friends and Foes and every one may see No man in vain doth put their trust in thee A Requiem to the Soul I. MY Soul vex not thy self at those Who to all Godliness are Foes Although they make fair outward showes And spread and flourish like the Bay For deplorable is their case They as the scorched Summer Grasse Shall soon into oblivion passe And all their Beauty fade away II. I have been young and old am grown And many changes I have known Whereby it hath to me been shown Whereto their wicked courses tend With Honour I have seen them Crown'd With Pow'r and Riches to abound Whose Place no where can now be found For all their Pomp is at an end III. With shadows they themselves beguile And GOD doth at their folly smile With patience therefore wait a while And grudge them not their Portion here Destruction toward them is hasting Their Time is short and dayly wasting But thine will be for everlasting And Griefs as if they never were IV. Employ thy self in doing well And GOD with thee shall kindly deal Thou in the Land shalt safely dwell Well fed and clothed all thy dayes And