the sincerity and integrity thereof I. THESE good thoughts of Mine O! Most merciful God I know are late Purposes in one drawing towards the end of his Days And Purposes of one affrighted with the near approach of Death who whilst he was at ease and liberty was wont most wretchedly to slight thy Calls and to abuse thy Grace But O! Father accept me tho I return late into thy service and have tarryed till it is the last hour of the day Accept me tho it is the Rod that has given Repentance and Affliction that has made me Wise. Be graciously pleased O! Good Lord with any thing and at any time that shall bring me back to thy Self And despise not my Repentance altho it is the Repentance of a Malefactor in agonies more than thou didst despise that of the Penitent Theif upon the Cross. But make me find that true Repentance is wellcome to thee at all times and that in this world it is never too late to grow Wise nor will ever be in vain to return with our whole heart to thy Service thro Jesus Christ our Lord Amen II. And Oh! Merciful God by the Power of thy Grace make my Repentance True and my Return intire that it may be acceptable in thy sight thro' the Blood of my dearest Lord. What good Purposes I have begun through Fear of this World carry me on to perfect by the considerations of the next world Improve my Horror of Pain into an Hatred of Sin and my Sorrow for the Dangers which I have brought upon my Self into a Godly sense of the dishonor which I have done to thee Oh! Cut me not off from my Sins till thou hast cured me of them and finish'd the Work of Grace upon my poor Soul That I may have all my Punishment in this Life but Peace with thee and Rest after Death in the Joys of Paradice for my dear Saviours sake who died to save Sinners yea to save such capital offenders as I am and as suffer'd with him when he hung upon the Cross between two Theeves Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES VI. For Respite and longer Time in this world and against the day of Tryal I. LOrd If it be thy good pleasure spare me a little longer and let me escape that untimely end which my Crimes have deserved I would fain live on some time to make proof of my good purposes and having abused so much time to contract evil Habits I should be most glad and thankful to have a little more to wear them off again Tho I have many worldly Reasons for this Respite yet O! Great and Righteous Judge I desire it not so much upon any other account as of Redeeming my former years of Vice and of growing more Perfect in thy service and of being better fitted than alas I am at present to appear before thy Judgment Seat Hear me O! Lord for thy mercys and thy Dear Son and my only Saviour Jesus Christs sake Amen II. Oh! Thou God of Patience and long-sufferance shew thy accustomed Forbearance unto thy wretched Servant Save me from that Pit of Destructions which I have Digged for my self and from the sentence of Death which I am horribly affraid to hear from the mouth of my earthly Judge But let this deliverance be brought about O! My God only by the wise Ordering of thy good Providence not by any Falshood of mine or other unlawful Arts. I fear Death O! Righteous God But that which makes me most affraid of it is because I have sinned And I Desire to fear sining more than dying O! Therefore gracious Father suffer me not to yeild to any new wickedness tho it be to save my Life Make me diligent in all innocent ways and means for my Preservation and direct me to the wisest But let me resort to none that is ill nor say or do any thing for my own Defence at my Tryal here which will rise up against me and be Matter of Accusation when I come to be tryed again at thy dreadful Bar. And the less care I may seem capable hereby to take of my self the more do thou care for me O! My God And when my Cause comes to be heard so order things by thy Mercy that there may not be a full evidence produced against me and that neither the Judge nor Jury may be disposed to stretch things to my Prejudice that so thy Servant may escape But if in thy Justice thou hast determined to cut me off untimely for this offence Thy Blessed and most Righteous Will be done But then gracious Lord perfect my Repentance before I go hence and for the voice and merits of thy dear Sons most precious Blood pardon my Sins I am more concerned for thy Favor than how to come off here I am content to suffer what thou pleasest in this world so thou wilt let me go off in thy Peace and admit me among the meanest of thy Servants in the world to come for our Lord Jesus-Christs sake Amen Our Father c. EJACULATIONS FOR THE PRISONER FOR CRIMES At his TRYAL LORD Hear the Cry of the Prisoners and Deliver thou those who are appointed unto death Amen Here the cry of my wants for Mercy not of my sins for Justice Amen Help me O! Lord for I have none but thee to look unto My defence lies not in my own Innocence but only in thy meer Mercy and tender Providence Amen EJACULATIONS After his TRYAL if Acquitted LORD thou redeemest me from the Grave and this Acquittal of me is as Life from the Dead Blessed yea for ever blessed be thy most endearing Mercy Amen Lord the Life which here thou hast given me I do most humbly and intirely give back and devote to thee Oh! Accept me and let me have nothing more to do with Sin and Vanity Amen Oh! Let me never forget this inestimable Mercy nor fail to make the best use of this remainder of Life which out of thine abundant Goodness thou hast now lent me Amen If Condemned LORD I meekly receive this Sentence as my just Punishment I have the due reward of my Deeds But as my Sin brings this untimely and shameful Death Oh! Let my true Repentance thro my dear Lord and Saviours Merits secure the forgiveness of my Sins and bring me to everlasting Life Amen PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES VII Prayers after Sentence of Condemnation or any time before Execution and at Execution only making the Changes as they are noted in the Margin O! Almighty and most righteous Judge to thee it belongeth to take vengeance and to me to suffer it I must clear thy justice and confess I have my deserts and have none but my Self to blame for this heavy Sentence But now O! Lord when the Sword of vengeance is unsheathed and is come to the stroke do thou stand by me and Comfort me Deal not with me as I have done with thee but tho I have
height of his sanctuary from Heaven did he behold the earth To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are appointed to death Psalm 102. 19 20. III. If our heart condemn us not God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things 1 Jo. 3. 20. The Law is not made for a Righteous man but for the Lawless and Disobedient for the Ungodly and for Sinners for Unholy and Prophane for Murderers of Fathers and Murderers of Mothers for Man-Slayers For Whore-mongers for them that Defile themselves with Mankind for Men-Stealers for Lyars for Perjured Persons and if there be any other Thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. Without are Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever Loveth and maketh a Lye Rev. 22. 15. Know ye not that the Unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Thieves nor Drunkards shall inherit the Kingdom of God Such were some of you But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. The Lord hath sent me to Proclaim Liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Isa. 61. 2. They that be whole have no need of the Physitian but the sick I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Mar. 2. 17. If the wicked restore the Pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely live he shall not die Ezek. 33. 15. Zacheus stood and said unto the Lord behold The half of my Goods I give to the Poor And if I have taken any thing from any Man by False Accusation I restore him fourfold Luk. 19. 8. Father I have Sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Luke 15. 18 19. God be merciful unto me a Sinner Luke 18. 13. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES I. A general Prayer for all Prisoners taken out of the Companion for the Persecuted pag. 135. O! Almighty and Everlasting God thou seest the Streights and Sorrows which I endure in this Place and how unable I am to help my self or to bring about my own Deliverance But the less Hope and Support I have in my self the more I look up unto thee and place my Trust in thy Mercy And when my own Care can avail the least let thine O! Thou blessed Helper of the Helpless appear the most for me Give me a Body O! My God fit to bear the Inconveniences of this close Place and Grace to be content therewith whilst I lye up here let me not want necessary Provisions nor repine at the meaness thereof Suit the Lowness of my Desires to the hardship of my Circumstances let the greatness of my Study and Care be to do Justice and shew temperance and selfdenials not to please my self or to gratify my own Carnal Ease and Appetites Whilst I am here kept a part from my former acquaintance Grant O! Lord that I may carefully retire into my self and call my own ways to remembrance And Oh! That I may amend whatsoever is amiss there and set all so streight with thee that I may delight to look into my own Heart and to search out my own Spirit Lord Now thou hast left me nothing else to do make me apply my self to the one thing necessary To grow in Holy Reverence and Devotion of Spirit in the Study of dealing justly and fairly with all who are any way Concerned with me in Humility and Mortified Affections in Patience and Contentedness Oh! Plant and fill my Soul with all Heavenly Virtues and make bright all the cloudy and dark parts thereof with the Rays of thy Divine Image And then O! My God I shall see something of thee as oft as I look into my self and learn to be pleased with my own Company though others are kept from me And in whatsoever want I am of other Comforts Grant O! Father of Mercies that both here and ever hereafter I may have the Comfort of thy Presence When all else are taken from me do not thou forsake me Though I dwell in a disconsolate Room let thy Spirit dwell with me Let thy Law at all times direct me and let the Sense of thy Love Comfort me And after thou hast graciously improved this Melancholy Restraint to wean me from vain and carnal delights to set my Soul free in thy good time O! My refuge and strength deliver me out of this Prison and set my Body too at liberty for my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake Amen And for the more Particular Necessities OF Imprison'd Criminals They may use these Prayers following A Particular Prayer FOR PRISONERS for CRIMES I. For deliverance from his Sins and Sorrows O! Blessed Lord who art the comforter of all sad and sin-sick Souls comfort me I humbly intreat thee in this height of my Fears and Sorrows But first convert me and then comfort me I am over-laden with Sins which overload me with Sorrows And do thou O God rid me of my Sins that I may get rid of my Sorrows Nay rid me of my Sins tho for my just Punishment in this World thou leavest me under my Sorrows Whatever befal my Body for just Punishment of my greivous Crime for which I am here in Custody let true Repentance set my Soul safe and secure it of thy everlasting Mercy for the Merits of thy dear Son and of my sweetest Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES II. The Prisoners Confession of God's Justice in his sad Circumstances I am come into this Prison O! Most Holy and Righteous Lord laden with Sins and Sorrows and am here shut up for the Curse and Shame of an untimely end which my Heinous Wickednesses have most justly deserved I am terribly affraid of my earthly Judge and of that heavy Sentence which my Crimes make me justly lyable to receive from him But infinitely more affraid of that far more heavy and eternal Doom which I am lyable to receive for the same at thy Righteous Bar. Now Fear and Trembling have seized upon me and an horrible Dread hath overwhelmed me Without is the prospect of Death and Disgrace and within is Guilt and Anguish My Spirit is broken within me and I am even at my wits end and my Heart faileth me And tho my Burden is Intollerable yet O! Almighty Lord I cannot say but it is infinitely just 'T is a most reasonable and righteous Return for my daring Provocations of thy justice And much more for my vile Abuses of thy Mercy and Patience I must needs acquit and justify thee and have none to accuse but mine own Self for all my present Fears and Misery I am taken O! just Lord in mine
basely and wretchedly forsaken thee all my Life yet leave me not I humbly intreat thee in my last Hour When the justice of man lays my Blood upon my own Head let thy Mercy O! Blessed Jesu lay thy Blood upon it too to expiate the guilt of mine Let that purge me from all my sins that altho I Dye Stained therewith here I may appear without spot before the Tribunal of my Heavenly Father Amen II. Sweet Jesu Thou disdainedst not to Cast an eye upon the Penitent Thief on the Cross. Oh! Despise not me when I suffer in like case as he did and I hope truly repent me of my sins and fix all my Hopes in thee under my distress as he did in his Thou once hungest upon a Tree thy self for the sins of others Oh! By the Blood of thy Cross Save me who stand justly condemned to suffer the same for mine own sins Save me O! Lord a great wretched but a penitent contrite Sinner In thy merits Do I trust Into thy merciful Hands do I commend my Spirit I Believe that thou O! Lamb of God art the Saviour of sinners Oh! Save me who am Chief among Sinners and rescue my trembling and departing Soul from eternal Misery I Freely and from my Heart forgive all mine Enemies Oh! Do thou in the abundant Riches of thy Mercy forgive me Accept of such recompence as I am able to make to those who have sufferd by me and make up the wrongs which I have done to any and which now I am no longer able to repair Supply all that to them and their Families by thy mercy which they have lost by my wickedness that they may neither be tempted nor burden'd by the loss nor I tormented by the punishment accruing thereby Give me strength O! Almighty and most merciful Lord under my last Agonies Help me to bear all patiently and to resign my self holy to thy Mercy Let the example of my Fall be a warning to others that the prevention of their Crimes may make some reparation for the greivous Scandal which I have given by mine And tho I tast thy Justice in my ignominious Death yet O! Gracious Father let me find the sweetness of thy mercy after it for my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christs sake Amen III. Lord save me for I flee unto thee for safety Save me or else I perish everlastingly Save me a wretched Sinner O! Jesu thou Saviour of Sinners I have been a lost Sinner but thou Camest to seek and save that which was lost And after all my woful and wretched course of Sins my own most deserved afflictions and thy most undeserved Grace I hope have brought me now at last to true Repentance and thou hast Order'd Repentance and remission of Sins to be Preach'd to all Sinners Oh! Save me a penitent Sinner and as thou didst with The Theif upon the Cross receive and comfort me in this may last Hour Amen Our Father c. EJACULATIONS For him at the time of Execution INTO thy Hands O! Lord I commend my Spirit Amen I return thee a Spirit alass loaded with Sins But wash'd I humbly hope with the tears and sorrows of true Repentance Lord graciously accept my Repentance and pardon my Sins for the Merits of that most Precious Blood which was shed to wash away the sins of all truly and penitent Sinners Amen PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES VIII A Thanksgiving for deliverance out of Prison whither they had been justly committed for capital Crimes I. O! Almighty Lord who art the blessed Author of all Life Happiness with a most thankful Heart I humbly adore and praise thy Mercy which hath now lent me my life anew and rescued me out of the jaws of Death My Sins had set a snare for my own Life and I had digged a pit for mine own Soul Yea my ungodly ways had most heinously injured thee at the same time they threaten'd to destroy my self And yet neither my own madness in seeking misery nor the resentment of the greivous wrongs thereby done to thee could put by thy Love O! Father of Mercies and God of all Comforts from shewing mercy unto me I called out to thee and was holpen I put my Trust in thee and was not confounded I sought thee earnestly and thou wast found of me The snare is broken and I am delivered The Pit is cover'd and to the glory of thy free Mercy and tendeâ— Care of me I have happily escaped For which all praise anâ— thanks be ever ascribed to theâ— thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Ameâ— II. And Lord keep the memory of this surpassing Mercy always fresh upon my Spirit and let me ever be praising thee for the same with joyful Lips Never suffer me to forget the vows which I made in my distress but let my whole life be one acceptable Sacrifice to thee my Redeemer and make all my actions to shew forth thy Praise When I was in Trouble O! Blessed Lord it was not so much out of the love of Life as out of the love of innocence that I desire to be Respited Oh! Grant me Grace now to employ my Life as I then designed to do and to make good now what I did then pretend Fix me unalterable in all the ways of Godliness which I have begun Preserve me from Repeating any of my former wickednesses especially this Great one which was so like to bring down vengeance on my Head for all the Rest. Tho I am cleared thereof before men yet I know O! Righteous Lord that I shall ever stand Guilty of it before thee unless I shew true amendment of the same and make Restitution for all the wrongs done to any thereby in the best sort I can Oh! Keep me ever ready to do that fully whatever it cost me and carefully to slip no opportunities of doing the same And make me so watchful to spend all the remainder of my Days in all holy and Thankful obedience that I may not only have the Purposes and Promises of Repentance which alas was a great part of what I had to shew before but the Proofs thereof to produce and to comfort my heart withal on any new Alarm And then O! Gracious God when thou shalt bring me to fear Death a second Time thy blessed will be done and by thy Grace I shall be able and in condition to bid it welcome thro the merits of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen III. Once more Blessed yea for ever Blessed be thy Great and Glorious Name O! Almighty Father for bringing me into this Distress as well as for bringing me out of it I reverence thy Justice for bringing it upon me But at the same time I most thankfully own thy Mercy which when all other ways sailed would order this to reduce me to thy Self and to make me break off my wicked Courses And ever deal with me O! blessed Lord and Saviour in
Falsification of things against your own knowledge denying what you know to be True to save your Self or possitively Affirming what really you do not know or perhaps know to be otherwise Much less seek it in Mischeivous Lyes to cast your Faults on others and either bring Innocent Men under Suspicion and into Dangers or make other Guilty Persons Guilty of more than really they are For this is to give God fresh Provocations and back an old Sin by a new one and to forsake him when you stand in the greatest need of him which is the readiest way to forfeit both his Peace hereafter and his Preservation here and utterly to lose both Him and your Self too Trust your Life therefore in his Hands by keeping your Defence thereof within the Bounds of Truth and Justice This is a Great Tryal of your Faith But 't is a Tryal which you have wickedly brought your self into And under the same it is necessary for you thus to approve your Faith in his mercy and care of you You have no Faith in him left or none that he will accept of if you forsake him and his ways in this difficult case and fly to Sin to save your Self But if you can trust wholly to his Providence and not at all to evil ways and have Faith to contain your Self within your Duty under the hazard of your Life this noble Faith will be a mighty Endearment and of Great Account in his Eyes nothing ever recommending poor Sinners more to God than Faith doth when it keeps them innocent and obedient in such hard Tryals And therefore set your Self resolutely to act this Great and most concerning Part well and to approve your Faith in him when it is Tryed And look upon this trusting of your Self to him to be the wisest way of saving your Life as well as of preserving your Innocence For if you are Preserved at all as I say you must owe your Preservation above all things to his watchful Care and kind Providence And if you must receive your Life from his Hand seek to him for it and trust him with it and by no means leave him to seek out other unlawful Helps which will be like to Deceive you in this World and are certainly the way to Destroy you afterwards in that which is to come And when you have heard your Accusers and have been heard to make as wise a Defence as you could make for your Self with Truth and Justice lift up your Heart to God when you are taken from the Bar and humbly and devoutly Commit the Event of all to him And Pray that he will be pleased to Order it in Favour to you waiting with Patience and Resignation of Spirit to see how he will Dispose the Hearts of Judges and Juries to deal with you If you are Acquitted give him the Praise thereof and Receive it with utmost Devotion and Thankfulness But if you are brought in Guilty and Condemn'd humbly Submit your Self and own the Justice of your Sentence And give Glory to God by justifying his Providence which has recompenced your high Crimes with a deserved Vengeance and by justifying his lawful Ministers who bear the Sword in his Place and use it at any time upon such Criminals as you are confessing freely that 't is used now in your Case for the Punishment and Terror of evil-doers CHAP. III. How to Behave and Employ themselves after Sentence of Condemnation and at the Time of Execution AND after you have received Sentence set your Self to lose none of those precious moments of Time which are left you but to make the Wisest and Carefullest Use thereof which you can in preparing for Death You are to Discharge this Great and last Part of Dying but Once Oh! Therefore take care to do it well You can rectify or amend nothing after Oh! Then labour as much as in you lies to make all sure and set all straight before Finish all your intended Acts of Restitution and Repeat anew all your former Acts of Repentance and add Earnestness and Vigor to them and Perfect what is Defective therein and send them up to God in continual Strains and Breathings of Devotion either short and occasional Ejaculations or more set and solemn Prayers And to Consummate your Repentance and to Comfort up your Spirit with the Pledges of Gods Love and Peace take care before you dye to receive the Holy Communion after you have endeavoured the best you can to fit your Self for it and to Satisfy the Holy Man who Administers it to you of your Fitness for the same And if you can often have the Blessing of a Prudent and Pious Ministers Direction in that disconsolate time prize it highly and improve it diligently and take such further ways for the Securing of your Peace and Quieting of your Conscience as in his Discretion he shall Direct you to And when you are brought from Prison to Execution own the justice of your Sentence Profess your abhorence and true Repentance of the Crime which you Dye for and of all your other Sins Declare the Satisfaction you have made or would make were you able to all you have wronged Beg all Persons to forgive you who have suffered by you in any kind and all who have ever learnt any ill from your Acquaintance and Example Declare that you do from your Heart forgive all Persons and that you bear not the least ill will against any of your Prosecutors or the Judges and Juries who were concerned in bringing you to Justice And when you make this Protestation of Forgiveness and Good Will to them be sure nothing fall from you that may bring the Sincerity thereof into Question And therefore take Diligent Care not to shew uneasie Remembrance and Resentment of the Evils or Injuries which you have suffer'd but only of those which you your Self have done And to keep your last Breath from being an hurtful Blast upon any Persons and your Dying Words from casting out Darts and leaving a Sting in your Enemies Remembring that you are to leave the World and come to Execution not as a wild Beast fighting with your Foes and pushing and goreing but as a Lamb meekly submitting as your Blessed Saviour did tho he had no Real Guilt but was perfectly Innocent who suffered the worst things without aggravating them or being angry at them and on the Cross spake nothing of his bitter Enemies but to Excuse them and Pray for them And having thus testifyed your Godly Sorrow for your Sins desire all the By-standers to learn of you Repentance tho by no means to delay it so long as you have done and to be horribly afraid of the sad end of evil doers and of the Vengeance of God which is oft-times swift but when 't is most slow will be sure at last and utterly insupportable to all those who will not take care in time to appease him by amendment of Life Beg all that need it to take warning by your
punishment that your most just and lamentable Death may terrifie more from Continuing in their Sins than the Example of your Evil Life had lead into Sin Likewise if you can do Right to any Persons falsly accused or wrongfully suspected fail not to Do it the best you can before your Breath is stopt Profess also your Faith whereinto you were Baptized devoutly and audibly repeating the Apostle's Creed and declare the Religion wherein you Dye and lament the Dishonor which you have brought upon them by your wickedness and declare your earnest Desires to Do some Right to them now by your Repentance And when by all these ways you have expressed before them all how truly penitent you are for your Sins then humbly profess your lowly Hope in Gods free Mercy and most Gracious Promises who for the Death and Merits sake of our most Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ is ready to pardon even the Greatest Sinners such as you are upon their true Repentance After this beg the Prayers of all the Beholders and the Prayers of all Good People And then fall to your own Private Devotions praying earnestly for your self and for them Then Pray with the Minister who stands ready to perform this last Office of Charity for Dying Men and desire all present to help you by their affectionate and fervent concurrence therein Then take a kind and decent Leave of all the Company and pray God to make them all the better by the Sadness of this Sight Thank them all heartily for their Pity and their Prayers and Desire the Continuance thereof to assist you in your last Agonies Then turn your self to take a fitting Farewell of your particular Friends or Relations if any are there present and after that commit your self to the Mercy of God through Jesus Christ and with continued and earnest Prayers and Ejaculations wait till the Executioner or Minister of Justice stops your Breath To remember all these Points at the Place of Execution may be thought hard for the Poor Prisoner But he may have this little Book in his Eye for his Remembrancer And however he may express himself on as many of them as he can think of and then satisfy his own mind that altho he has not done so much as he Desires yet he has done the best he could do Brief Directions FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT II. Special Directions for Prisoners for Debt WHEN you are made a Prisoner for Debt it first concerns you to consider how you came in Debt And if you are made Poor and Disabled from paying your Debts merely by the Hand of Providence you deserve Pity from all and Patience and Forgiveness from your Creditors They loose nothing by you that you have squander'd but only what God has taken away But if rigorous and unchristian Creditors will still be hard upon you you must do them all the Justice you can and when that is done bear the Rest with Resignation and conform your Will to the Will of God who calls you hereby to the Patience Religious Trust and Dependance of an hard Condition remembring all the while to your comfort that you have not sought this afflicted State to your self but may receive it as a State of Gods chusing for you who knows best what is fittest for us all and as a Visitation of his sending But if you can charge your self with any great wickedness and have highly offended God to bring these Losses and Impoverishment upon you as a Judgment or if you have run your self in Debt by riotous and luxurious Living by the Expensiveness of Riot Pride Gaming or by Idleness and Neglect of Business then you must humble your self and be heartily sorry for these Sins for which you suffer and bear the confinement you have brought upon your self patiently and set your self to learn Repentance thereby And for working this Repentance you may have recourse to the foregoing Directions about the same for the Prisoner for Crimes Chap. 1. But which way soever your Debt comes when you are their Prisoner be sure to deal candidly and openly with your Creditors If you cannot fully satisfy them lay your condition truly before them and shew your self disposed to do Right to all as far as you can Do not pretend ways of raising Money for them which are not true nor promise payments which you cannot perform 'T is your Duty to be sincere and plain with them and plain-dealing may mollifie and engage them but it will be your Sin and may double their Resentment if you abuse and delude their expectation And let them be first served out of your Estate so far as it will go unless in compassion to your needs they are willing to allow you some part of it But think not first of saving maintenance whether they will allow of it or no for your self or for your Family and then of letting them take what remains For your Duty is first to be just to all Men and not live your self nor maintain your Dependants upon other Mens Goods kept from them against their Wills which is to live upon with-holding Right and perverting Justice Much less think of forcing them to abatements and scanty compositions to reserve and raise a good Estate for your self or for your Heirs out of their Purses Nor chuse to endure the tediousness and hardships of a Jayl for your Life to supersede all Legal Remedy against your Heir for your Debts which he cannot be sued for a second time after you have dyed a Prisoner for them For this is paying very dear for doing wrong and denying Men their own and is certainly the way to carry off a very unrighteous and guilty Conscience with you and to leave the Curse of ill Reserved Goods and of unpaid Debts to your Heirs who survive you And seek not to Tricks or any dishonest Fetches and Misuse of the Law to set aside Debts or put them off and postpone them instead of paying them Nor spend any of your Money in defrauding or hindring your Creditors of their just Right which is all little enough it may be too little towards the honest Satisfaction of it And if by your Insolvency any of your Creditors are brought against their wills to abate Part rather than lose all look on that Part as respited not remitted and pay it afterwards if God enable you in the Sum it self or if you cannot do that be studious to make it up in Good Offices and Grateful Services and for the rest have Recourse to God by Prayers in their behalf And what after-Recompences you make them do the same with Good-Will chearfully and diligently and thank them heartily for their Patience and Kindness in being Content to want it so long as they have done when you do at last pay them the sum it self or when you cannot do that in accepting your services in lieu thereof And having first taken this upright care of your Creditors and of their Payments then look to your self and