Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	son_n	year_n	8,542	5	4.8430	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52614	The life of Mr. Thomas Firmin, late citizen of London written by one of his most intimate acquaintance ; with a sermon on Luke X. 36, 37 preach'd on the occasion of his death ; together with An account of his religion, and of the present state of the Unitarian controversy.	One of his most intimate acquaintance.; Nye, Stephen, 1648?-1719.	1698 (1698)	Wing N1508; ESTC R4561	35,362	90

of assistance than others and their condition being known sometimes we are able to assist them by our Counsel or our Interest much more effectually than by the Charity we do or can bestow upon them Before I pass to the next Scene of Mr. Firmin's Life I am obliged to take notice that by his first Wife he had a Son and a Daughter the former lived to man's estate but died a Batchelor about seven years before his Father The Mother of these two Children died while Mr. Firmin was occasionally at Cambridg managing there some affairs of his Trade her death was accompanied with this remarkable Circumstance Mr. Firmin dreamt at Cambridg that he saw his Wife breathing her last whereupon early in the morning he took Horse for London but on the way thither he met the Messenger who was sent to give him notice of her decease Another necessary Remark belonging to this part of his Life is that tho hitherto his wealth was no more than a competence considering his liberal humour and the multitude of his Acquaintance yet he was even then a most kind Brother Uncle and Kinsman Of which the Reader may take account in this following Transcript being the Copy of a Paper written by one of his nearest Relations and who hath lived with him above thirty years and was a great part of that time his Partner being a Person of great Sobriety Diligence Integrity and Prudence He had many Relations of several degrees who stood in need of his care and help to whom he was a very kind Brother Uncle and Kinsman besides the great pains he took to promote them as it lay in his way or power his loss by some of them for whom he advanced money and his disbursments for others of them amounted to very considerable sums a good part of which was not long after his first beginning in the World which was the greater prejudice to him because then his own circumstances required mony to carry on his Trade with ease and advantage Be sure he had then more occasion for his mony than when he was arrived to a very considerable Estate which he did not till about seventeen years before his death His Estate at about seventeen years before his decease was three times greater than when he died tho then considerable He might easily have increased it as much as he diminished it had he set his heart on Riches but those he never valued in comparison of doing good and I have often heard him say he would not die worth more than Five Thousand Pound Of his Liberalities to the Poor and the Deserving and the motives to them I may say enough hereafter But for his beneficence to his Kindred it proceeded not merely from the benignity of his Nature or natural Affection which however to cherish and improve is a great virtue but from his reverence to the Christian Religion For as he would frequently say that Passage of St. Paul to Timothy is to be read as it stands in the Margin of our Bibles He that provides not for his own KINDRED is worse than an Infidel so he was wont to give that Text as the reason of his Bounties to his Relations So far was he from that Deism of which some have been so over-forward to suspect him During the Imprisonment of Mr. Bidle at Scilly Mr. Firmin was setled in Lombardstreet where first Mr. Jacomb then Dr. Outram was Minister With these two being excellent Preachers and learned men he maintained a respectful and kind Friendship which was answered as affectionately and cordially on their parts Now also he grew into intimacy with Dr. Whichcot Dr. Worthington Dr. Wilkins Mr. Tillotson Dr. Wilkins was afterwards Bishop of Chester Mr. Tillotson for he was not yet made Doctor Archbishop of Canterbury but in their Dignity and to the very last Mr. Firmin had the same place and degree in their esteem and friendship that at any time formerly he had While Dr. Tillotson preached the Tuesdays Lecture at St. Lawrence so much frequented by all the Divines of the Town and by a great many Persons of Quality and Distinction when the Doctor was obliged to be at Canterbury where he was Dean or was out of Town either for diversion or health he generally left it to Mr. Firmin to provide Preachers for his Lecture and Mr. Firmin never failed to supply his place with some very eminent Preacher so that there never was any complaint on the account of Dr. Tillotson's absence And this Mr. Firmin could easily do for now there was hardly a Divine of Note whether in London or in the Country that frequented London but Mr. Firmin was come acquainted with him Which thing helped him much to serve the Interests of many hopeful young Preachers and Scholars Candidates for Lectures Schools Cures or Rectories for whom he would solicit with as much affection and diligence as other men do for their Sons or near Relations See here a Trader who knew no Latin or Greek no Logick or Philosophy compast about by an incredible number of learned Friends who differed so widely in opinion from him and were continually attacking him for his supposed Errors yet could they never remove him from the belief of the Vnity of God nor did their Importunities or his Resistance break off or so much as lessen the friendship between 'em certain arguments of the extraordinary wit and good address of our Friend Her late Majesty Queen Mary of most happy memory having heard much of Mr. Firmin's usefulness in all publick Designs especially those of Charity and that he was heterodox in the Articles of the Trinity the Divinity of our Saviour and the Satisfaction She spoke to Archbishop Tillotson and earnestly recommended it to him to set Mr. Firmin right in those weighty and necessary points The Archbishop answered that he had often endeavour'd it but Mr. Firmin having so early and long imbibed the Socinian Doctrine was not now capable of a contrary impression However his Grace published his Sermons formerly preached at St. Lawrence's concerning those Questions and sent Mr. Firmin one of the first Copies from the Press Mr. Firmin not convinced by his Grace's Reasonings or his Arguments from Holy Scripture caused a respectful Answer altho some have stretched one Expression too far entituled Considerations on the Explications and Defences of the Doctrine of the Trinity to be drawn up and publisht himself giving to his Grace a Copy of it I must not omit to do the Archbishop right against those who pretend that the Archbishop notwithstanding those Sermons was in his heart a Vnitarian For Mr. Firmin himself told me shortly after the Archbishop had publisht those Sermons that going to Lambeth and the Archbishop hapning to dine in private he sent for Mr. Firmin to him and said to this effect That the Calumnies of people had obliged him to publish his Sermons some time since preached at St. Laurence's against the Tenents of Socinus that he had

such Benefactors The Loss now remaining being 413 11 3. the value of the Goods then in hand and Debts standing out computed at 372 l. 3. s. 1. d. I find of the whole no more receiv'd than 279 0 1. which falling short 93 3 0. added to the former Loss of 413 11 3. makes 506 14 3. This whole Sum I find not any way made good but stands still as due to Mr. Firmin tho' never reckon'd by him as any part of his Estate Anno 1690. The Design was taken up by the Patentees of the Linen Manufacture who made the Poor and others whom they employed to work cheaper yet that was not sufficient to encourage them to continue the Manufacture The Patentees agreed with Mr. Firmin to give him 100 l. a Year to Oversee and Govern their Manufacture But seeing their Undertaking had not answer'd their or his Expectations he never received the promised Salary nor discounted it to 'em and if he had he would certainly have given it in Mony Linen and Coals among the Spinners Which I the rather adventure to say because when he drew some Prizes in one of Mr. Neal's Lotteries to the Value of 180 l. he reserved to himself only the Mony he had adventured The Mony gained he gave partly to some Relations and partly to the Poor But the poor Spinners being thus deserted Mr. Firmin returned to 'em again and managed that Trade as he was wont But so that he made it bear almost its own Charges But that their smaller Wages might be comfortable to them he was more Charitable to 'em in his distributions than in any former Years and begged for 'em of almost all Persons of Rank with whom he had intimacy or so much as Friendship He would also carry his Cloth to divers with whom he scarce had any Acquaintance telling 'em it was the Poor's Cloth which in conscience they ought to buy at the Price it could be afforded If the Buyers were very Wealthy they must also give some of the Cloth they had bought in Shirting and he would quickly send for the Mony that was due for the Cloth But without these Ways it had been impossible for him to imploy such a multitude of People who could not stay a minute for their Mony This continued to be his chief business and care to the day of his Death Saving that about Two Years since when the calling in the Clipped Mony occasioned such a Scarcity of Current Coin that it was hard with many Rich to get Mony enough to go to Market he was forced to dismiss some of his Spinners for mere want of Mony to pay ' em I heard his Partner and Kinsman Mr. James tell him He had taken about 700 l. out of their Cash already for the Spinners And that he should take out no more as yet Not that Mr. James was not always an Encourager and Promoter of the Work-House Charity for he never took any Interest-mony for his Share in that Stock but their whole common Trade going thro' the hands of Mr. James and being managed by him he was more sensible than Mr. Firmin that more ready Mony could not be spared to that use without great Disadvantage to their Trade Flax and Tow being Goods very combustible Mr. Firmin was always a little uneasy lest by some Accident the Work-house being in the keeping only of Servants should take fire And I remember the Boys in one of their licentious times of throwing Squibs flung one into the Work-house Cellar where the Tow and Flax was stowed but Providence did not permit it should do any hurt Before I dismiss this Work-house I must take notice that at his death our Friend told Dr. L. that he did not regret his Dying only he could have been willing had God so pleased to have continued two Months longer to put his Work-house and Spinners into another Method That Method is now settled by Mr. James and the poor Spinners imploy'd as formerly Concerning this Work-house and the Spinners Mr. Firmin would often say that To pay the Spinners to relieve 'em with Mony begged for 'em with Coals and Shirting was to him such a Pleasure as magnificent Buildings pleasant Walks well cultivated Orchards and Gardens the Jollity of Musick and Wine or the Charms of Love or Study are to others I am persuaded he said no more than the Truth for Mr. James who was his Apprentice Journey-man and Partner upwards of thirty Years gives this Account of his Uncle's Expence on this and other Charities Comparing and balancing his Expences and Losses with his Gains he might have left an Estate behind him of at least 20000 l. if he had not given and spent it in publick and private Charities Buildings and other good Works whereas now his Estate amounts to no more than a sixth part of that Sum. But it was his settled Resolution not to be Richer He told me but little before he died that were he now worth Forty Thousand Pounds he would die but very little richer than he then was I incline to think he would have died much Poorer For such a Sum would have engaged him in such vast Designs for his Province the Poor that probably he would have gone beyond the Expence he intended at first for them I have heard his Physician blame him sometimes that he did not allow himself competent time for his Dinner but hasten'd to Garraway's Coffee-House about his Affairs But those Affairs were seldom if ever his own he was to sollicit for the Poor or in the business of some Friend who wanted Mr. Firmin's Interest Or he was to meet on some design relating to the Publick Good In these matters his Friends that were not quick in their Dispatches had reason oftentimes to complain of him as not giving them sufficient time to dispatch Business with him For he was nimble above most Men in Apprehension in Speech Judgment Resolution and Action He was persuaded by some to make trial of the Woolen Manufacture because at this the Poor might make better Wages than at Linen-Work For this he took a House in Artillery-Lane But the Price of Wool advancing very much and the London-Spinsters being almost wholly unskilful at Drawing a Woolen-Thread after a considerable Loss by 'em and 29 Months trial he gave off the Project He labour'd with a particular Zeal and Activity in redeeming poor Debtors out of Prison not only as it was Charity to the Persons but out of regard to their in the mean time distressed and starved Families He would say The Release of one Man out of Prison is a Relief bestowed on his whole Family I have sure grounds to believe that it was himself of whom he spake in his Book of Proposals p. 83. I know one Man who in a few Years last past with the Charity of some Worthy Persons has delivered some Hundreds of poor People out of Prison who lay there either only for Jailors Fees or for very small Debts I have