Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	appoint_v	place_n	time_n	1,168	5	4.4869	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57088	A return of prayer: or A faithful relation of some remarkable passages of providence concerning Thomas Sawdie a boy of twelve years of age, servant to John Roberts of Trebitian in the parish of Lawrack, and county of Cornwal. Who was possest with an unclean spirit, and through mercy by prayer and fasting, dispossest and delivered from the servitude and jaws of Satan. Attested by Mr. Toms, Mr. Lydston, Mr. Travers, and Mr. Nicholas Tyack eminent ministers of Christ, and other Christian friends and neighbours; whose names are annext to the ensuing relation.		1664 (1664)	Wing R1181A; ESTC R219821	10,956	18

A RETURN OF PRAYER OR A Faithful Relation OF Some Remarkable Passages of Providence concerning THOMAS SAWDIE a Boy of Twelve Years of Age Servant to JOHN ROBERTS of Trebitian in the Parish of Lawrack and County of Cornwal Who was possest with an Unclean Spirit and through mercy by Prayer and Fasting dispossest and delivered from the Servitude and Jaws of SATAN Attested by Mr. Toms Mr. Lydston Mr. Travers and Mr. Nicholas Tyack Eminent Ministers of Christ and other Christian Friends and Neighbours whose Names are annext to the ensuing Relation Mark 9.29 This kind can come forth by nothing but by Prayer and Fasting Acts 4.14 Beholding the man which was healed standing with them they could say nothing against it Printed in the Year MDCLXIV The PREY pluckt out of the Mouth of the LION OR An account of some passages of Providence concerning THOMAS SAWDIE c. ON the 29th of June 1663 there being a Fair then at Lawraek this Boy went to the Fair in the presence of his Mother and some others By the way he was very importunate with his Mother for money though he had some small pieces in his pocket given him by his Master to buy him a Fairing His Mother not being well stored did deny him The boy having seen many and bought some toyes in the Fair towards the Evening returned homewards in good season to manage some necessary imployments that were incumbent on him as his charge In a Field as he was on his way alone not far from his Masters house there met him the appearance of a Woman very gawdy all in white who asked him whether he wanted any money whether he would have any money reaching out money to him with her hand The Boy refused it On this the Spectrum or appearance vanished away rushing by him with some muttering discontented words which he did not understand and suddenly a great Black Dog with very great and fiery eyes stood before him on which he fel to the ground as dead but when he recovered and rose up he saw nothing After this he went home and followed his business but that night lying with his Fellow-servant he rested very unquietly and there appeared to him again the former Spectrum in the shape or likeness of a great black Dog which charged him that he should not discover any thing that he had seen and that he would come again to him the next night The second night when his Bed-fellow was asleep it came again and stood by his bed-side as before made him some tempting proffers and went off And the Boy confesseth that he was not then afraid though he heard the voice of a man out of the mouth of a Dog The third night it came as formerly as asked him whether he would have any money and the money tendred was eight pieces as great as pieces of Eight very specious which were given hm and received by him on this condition that he shouly come to it neer the Bakes-Park-Gate which was neer his Masters house on the Lords Day in the afternoon which is called the Ugly Day which was to be the Evening before the next Fair to be held at Lawrack's eight weeks distant from the former To which Fair he should be carryed and have all his desires Now the Boy was charged when he received the money into his hand and laid it on a Chest by him that the next day he should lay it up in the Chest and naile it fast and not make it known But the next morning the money was gone from the top of the Chest where he laid it However he was promised afterwards that he should have money enough if he would come into the Field called the Bakes-Park at the time and place appointed On this the Boy fell sick swelling in his stomack and belly and almost totally lost his appetite to meat In which manner he continued for a Fortnights space then the swelling struck up into his neck and throat most thinking that it was an impostume some that it was wormes but the apparition told the Boy that this was not sickness but it was only to deceive the people that they might not suspect any other thing by him This distemper increasing on him his Master sent to one Mr. Cary a Physician at Lyskerd who when he poured his Water into an Urinal said he could not discern any thing by the Water for that it was very full of black dust and as it were rags of Brown Paper and told those that brought it they should go home again and take his Water and put it into a cleaner Vessel which being done though the Vessel was clean enough before and brought to him again he found it even as at first and then he said it was bewitched However he sent him a Julep a Plaister and a Cordial of Alchermes with some other things But the Boy grew worse and worse and fell into several sorts of Fits 1. Like Epileptick Fits or of the Falling Sickness and in these he would continue for the space of seven or eight hours After this the swelling in his throat went off but that in his belly continued 2. Like Convulsion Fits and he had forty or fifty yea more in a day and in these he continued for a Fortnight or longer In which Fits he would tear off his hair from his head bite his own flesh or any others or whatever he could fasten on His Master and his Relations on this applyed themselves to divers persons for the cure of these Fits could find no remedy Hereupon an Uncle to the Boy who held an Estate wherein his life was of main concernment took him and carryed him to one Condy's of Stoke-Climsland in the said County who said that the Boy was overlookt He gave him a Plaister a Powder and a little Bag to hang about his neck and doubted not to cure him The second time his Relations went this Condy gave them only a Powder but did promise them most certainly to cure him The third time that they applyed themselves to this Condy they did most earnestly intreat him to shew them somewhat more what the distemper was seeing the Boy was so unruly and taken so strangely he charged them to watch him carefully and not to let him be out of their sight least he were taken away For that on their neglect so he would be and they should never find him but dead by some hedge or old wall He charged them to come to him again but they went no morre The very next day after this the Boy would have run away to the place appointed for meeting but was caught hold of and brought back again That night the Family being at Religious Duties both reading and praying he began to hollow like a Hunter to roar and whistle to make disturbance till his spirits were quite spent and so fell into a deep sleep from two hours in the night till seven next morning In which time they could not perceive

then the Minister felt at his Wrist a sudden vibration and quivering of the spirits within but no part moved outwardly So after full tryal this Minister kept on his hand till the duties of the day were concluded That which gave the first occasion and motive to this course was an observation made in the morning upon the Ministers first entring discourse with the Boy that his enmity to them was such as he would not endure any of their hands should touch his but declined it with much vehemence and if they caught hold of him unavoidably he fell in a dead fit but not so when others d d take him by the hand Which occasioned that expression of some afterwards that in this the Devil was out-witted though indeed there was a special Providence so ordering directing it at that time as is for good reason acknowledged by the most concerned in that particular Yet towards the close of that days work about a quarter of an hour before the end the Devil told the Boy as he fince affirms while he lay in his dead Fit that if he would look the other way and not in the Ministers face he should open his eyes and roar disturb them again notwithstanding the Ministers hand which held his which he began to do with mighty strugling his face being turned away directly from the Ministers even into the bosome of the man that held him on the other side of the Chair Mr. Teag the Minister did not perceive this at first his thoughts being otherwise exercised nor indeed when he looked up at the noise did he understand the meaning of it nor what more to do so that the Boy made a little disturbance but it so fell out that Mr. Teag raised himself a little somewhat higher on his knees and stretching over looked the Boy in the face and rebuked him whereupon he presently fell dead but within little that Mr. Teag the Minister was returned to his former posture and had with-drawn his head the Boy was up again beginning to hollow again aloud and again sunk dead on his looking over upon him But Mr. Teag the Minister did not remove to the other side of the Chair to look stedfastly and constantly in his face so that these changes in him were sundry times repeated in that short space till Prayer was ended When the duty was over and the day spent the Boy was not much altered yet was thought somewhat better in that he went up and down the House very quiet and walked forth into the entry and did not essay to run away But still the Ministers had no other language from him then before And he said their words were ugly words Only he uttered it more calmly and modestly as though he had been ashamed Thus they departed commending the Family and company to the Grace of God desiring the Lord to make some return to their prayers and to remember that poor creature in mercy c. leaving some charge concerning him that night As soon as they were gone the Boy desired to go to Bed where he no sooner was but he fell into a dead sleep as was thought and so lay till the next morning Three persons did watch by him that night who heard a noise as of horses running furiously into the Court the doors unlatched and unlockt so that they were in a very great fear The ne t morning the Boy rose somewhat early and told his Master he would go into the Field to the Harvest work whither he went but being come thither he fell into his roaring fits making a great noise so they bound him and laid him down and went a little distance from him to their work The Boy though his hands were bound behind him and his legs fastened together yet would leap upright upon his feet and move forward leaping and then fall down again move on his side towards the hedg This drew his Master and all the people about him who brought him back to the place where they had left him And after they had dealt seriously with him a little while they returned to their work again leaving him bound but he began to make toward the hedg as before On which they all came about him again sate down with him And whereas no perswasion or means could bend his obstinacy through the whole course of these his extravagancies to make any mention of God or shew himself active and willing in any duty of Religion they now found upon their urging him that way though it had often been done before some passionate relent and meltings in him Then some that were by put him upon repeating the Lords Prayer as that which they judged most familiar to him Having rehearsed these words he began to make some noise and falling backwards cried out He is gone He is gone His Master asked what The Boy said the Devil that hath troubled me all this while Then he presently enquired for Mr. Teag the Ministers that had prayed for him the day before and would be carried to them This was observed to fall out about the same hour that the Ministers fell to work the day fore-going Then they took up the Boy and carried him into the House For he that just before could leap and do such strange feats of Activity now could not stand alone nor had strength to feed himself but was sed on a Womans knees as a child His spirits and voice were very low and his body exceeding sore all over As soon as he had recovered so much strength of nature as to be able to utter so many words with an audible voice which was about a week after He confessed not only what hath been already mentioned which he farther confirmed but moreover as followeth 1. That towards the end of the day of seeking God when Mr. Teag the last of the Ministers was drawing to a close he felt somewhat within him creeping up towards his Throat like a living creature striving as it seemed to him to force its passage out at his mouth which caused a great commotion in him and exceedingly afflicted him with torture in his body And he was farther told by that which so vexed him that he should be tormented yet worse if that black Rogue did not leave praying the sooner And he verily thought that if the duty had continued a while longer some strange effect had followed on the place and the Devil had then gone out of him This was about the time when he was bid turn away his face from Mr. Teag the Minister who held his hand as was mentioned before that he might make farther disturbance 2. That the night after the Ministers went away though he went to Bed and seemed asleep yet he was not asleep all that night but saw all the Chamber and all the World as he thought in a flame about him And once that night the Devil came to the top of the stairs and holding up his fist did grin at him threatning him that if he had him in his power he would tear him in a thousand pieces 3. That what went out of his Mouth in the Field next morning when he said he is gone he is gone was like a Rat and went into a Fire which did appear near the hedg of that Field in a Ditch towards which he was moving when left bound as before and that the fire did ascend into the Air and the Rat in it and he saw it pass over to Saint Germans Town two miles from thence 4. That this Field and that very part of it where the Fire appeared was the place appointed before for meeting The time then very neer approaching being on the Lords Day in the Afternoon next following which was termed in their contract the Ugly Day when and where he was to have received money enough and gone away with the Devil From whom God hath now graciously and mercifully delivered him After the noise of this stupendious Providence was somewhat over for much discourse there was about it Some said It was the Fanaticks work Others that 't was a Presbyterian Juggle but the more sober and wiser sort and those in power after narrow scrutiny did acknowledg themselves fully satisfied and openly confessed Digitus Dei est hic the Ministers met in the same place with the same company to return praise to God where the Boy was also present in his former soundness of mind and freedom from that power which had so cruelly infested him Yet was he still under much faintness and debility of spirits And there did he Ioyn in that Days service demeaning himself soberly and modestly affectionately acknowledging Gods mercy in his great deliverance seeing the very next Lords Day after was like to have proved so critical and fatal to him and applying himself to the Ministers gave them all great thanks for their great care and pains Since that he hath recovered bodily strength and liveliness and his Master keeps him to School The Lord power his Spirit on him and purge him that he may be a Vessel of Honor who hath been as a brand pluckt out of the Fire The Boy can go in the dark into the Chamber where he lay under this dreadfull Visitation and walk abroad without fear The truth of this is attested by Mr. Toms Mr. Lydston Mr. Travers Mr. Teag The Names of the persons besides the four Ministers who have attested these things and are ready to do it upon Oath if thereunto lawfully called John Roberts the Boy 's Master and Elizabeth his Wife Dorothy Sawdie his Mother Mrs. Jane Brooking and Mrs. Isabella her daughter Thomas Geffery Samuel Geffery and Zenobia his Wife Henry Palmer Constable Richard Roberts Josias Lee. Constance Record Christopher Earl FINIS