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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	lord_n	sir_n	william_n	9,182	5	9.4998	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43666	Ravillac redivivus, being a narrative of the late tryal of Mr. James Mitchel, a conventicle-preacher, who was executed the 18th of January last, for an attempt which he made on the sacred person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews to which is annexed, an account of the tryal of that most wicked pharisee Major Thomas Weir, who was executed for adultery, incest and bestiality : in which are many observable passages, especially relating to the present affairs of church and state / in a letter from a Scottish to an English gentleman.	Mitchel, James, d. 1678, defendant.; Hickes, George, 1642-1715.; Weir, Thomas, 1600?-1670, defendant.	1678 (1678)	Wing H1860; ESTC R10945	57,651	80

next to do with me The second is the shooting that shot intended against the Bishop of St. Andrews whereby the Bishop of Orkney was hurt to which I answered My Lord Chancellor in private viz. That I looked upon him to be the main Instigator of all the Oppression and Bloodshed of my Brethren that followed thereupon and the continual pursuing after my own and My Lord Chancellor as it was credibly reported to us the truth of which your Lordship knows better than we that he keeped up His Majesties Letter inhibiting any more blood to be shed upon that account until the last Ten were Executed and I being a Souldier not having laid down Arms but being still upon my own Defence and having no other quarrel nor aim at any man but according to my own apprehension of him and that as I hope in sincerity without fixing either my self or any one upon the Covenant it self and as it may be understood by many thousand of the faithful besides the prosecuting of the ends of the same Covenant which was and is in that part the overthrow of Prelates and Prelacy and I being a declared Enemy to him upon that account and he to me in like manner so I never found my self obliged either by the Law of God or Nature to set a Centry at his door for his safety But as he was always ready to take his advantage of me as it now appeareth so I of him when opportunity offered Moreover we being in no terms of Capitulation but on the contrary I by his Instigation being excluded from all Grace and Favour thought it my duty to pursue him on all occasions Also My Lord Sir William Sharp making his Apology anent his unhandsome cheating way when he took me under a pretext to have spoken with me about some other matter I not knowing him until Five or Six of his Brothers and his own Servants were laying fast hold on me they being armed of purpose he desired that I would excuse him seeing what he had done was upon his Brothers account which excuse My Lord I easily admitted of seeing that he thought himself obliged to do what he did without Law or Order in the behalf of his Brother much more was I obliged to do what I did in behalf of many Brethren whose Oppression was so great and whose Blood he had caused shed in such abundance Moreover he insisting in his bloody Murders as witness the wounding of Mr. Bruce at his taking of his Emissaries some few days before that fell out concerning himself now if by any means in taking him away I could have put a stop to the then current Persecution Thus far I have truly resumed what past But this answer to the second part of the Indictment may be thought by some to be a step out of the ordinary way wherefore I shall offer these things following to your Consideration viz. That passage Deut. 13. 9. Where to me it is manifest That the Seducer or Inticer to Worship false Gods is to be put to death by the hands of those whom he seeketh to turn away from the Lord especially by the hand of the Witnesses whereof I am one as it appears Deut. 13. 9. which precept I humbly conceive to be Moral and not merely Judicial and that it is not at all Ceremonial or Levitical but as every Moral precept is Universal as to the extent of place so also as to the extent of time and persons upon which command Sir I do really think that Phinehas acted in taking away the Midianitish Whore and him whom she had seduced Numb 25. 6. Also that Elijah by vertue of that precept gave Commandment to the people to destroy Baals Priests contrary to the mind of the seducing Magistrate who was not only remiss and negligent in executing Justice but became a Protector and Defender of the Seducers Then and in that Case I suppose the Christians duty not to be very dark Moreover we see what the people of Israel did 2 Chron. 31. 1. They destroyed Idolatry not only in Judah where the King concurred but in Ephraim and Manas●eh where the King himself was an Idolater and surely what all the people were bound to do as their duty by the Law of God every one was bound to do it to the uttermost of their power and capacity And as it is Ezek. 13. 3. Where the Seducers Father and his Mother shall put him to death I take this to be meant of the Christian Magistrate But when he is withdrawn by the Seducer from the exercise of his Office and Duty and he 's become utterly remiss and negligent in putting the Seducer to death according to Gods express Law which is not to be expected of him for their be should do Justice upon himself but is become a Protector and Defender of the Idolater then I doubt not but it doth become the Duty of every Christian to the uttermost of his power and capacity to destroy and cut off both Idolatry and Idolaters Yea these presumtuously-murthering Prelates ought to be killed by the avenger of blood when he meeteth them by the express Law of God seeing the thing is manifestly true Numb 25. 21. and not have liberty to flee to such Cities of Refuge as the vain pretext of lawful Authority But they should be taken even from the Horns of such Altars and be put to death Moreover what is spoken of concerning Amalek upon the account that he design'd and resolved the extirpation of the Lords People and Truth who are his Throne upon which he puts forth his hand and because he took occasion against them Exod. 17. 15. Numb 24. 20. He endeavouring that God should not have a people to have served him according to his revealed will upon the Earth and if he could have effectuated his design they should not have lived who would not serve and worship him and his Idol Gods And for the better effectuating of this his design he took occasion against them when they were weary in coming out of Egypt Deut. 25. 17 18. And the reason there annexed is That he feared not God Now because I know Bishops both will and do say That what they did against those of the Lords people whom they murdered they did by Law and Authority but what I did was contrary to both Answer The King himself and all the Estates of the Land and every individual person therein both were and are obliged by the Oath of God upon them to have by force of Arms extirpted perjured Prelates and Prelacy and in doing thereof to have defended one another with their lives and fortunes the Covenants being engaged into upon these terms viz. After Supplications Remonstrations Protestations and all other lawful means have been used now for that effect as the last remedy we take up Arms upon which conditions the Nobility and all the representatives of the Nation according to the national and Solemn League and Covenant gave to our King both

there were two Pistols found about him in size and shape like that which the Primate saw him hold in his hand immediately after he had shot at his Grace and upon search they were also found to be charg'd with three bullets each Being apprehended by Sir William Sharp he was immediately brought to his Brother the Primate's Lodgings and though a great croud had pressed in after him yet his Grace knew him at first sight from all the rest such a deep impression the transient view he got of him after the shot had made upon him and going streight up to him without any hesitation he said unto him You Sir are the Man upon which the Wretch trembled and grew pale Not long after he was conven'd before the Privy Council and the Duke of Lauderdale his Majesty's High Commissioner then sitting in Council but he would confess nothing before them which made the Right Honourable Bord depute a Committee for his farther examination before which he freely confessed the fact and afterwards acknowledg'd and sign'd his Confession before the King 's High Commissioner sitting in Council with the Lord Halton the Treasurer Deputy the Earl of Rothes Lord Chancellour and some others of the Council subscrib'd as Witnesses and this Paper was brought at his Tryal against him as a judicial confession of his crime After this examination of him before His Majesty's High Commissioner sitting in Council which happen'd in February 1674. he was put upon his Tryal in the Criminal Court But after his Libel which your Law calls the Indictment was read he deny'd it and retracted the confession which he had freely made without any promise of pardon before the High Commissioner and the Council upon which Sir John Nisbet His Majesty's Advocate who notwithstanding his fair pretentions to the Church either loves or fears the Fanatical Faction too much seem'd very much surpriz'd and desisted immediately from his prosecution desiring the Judges to Adjourn the Court and from that time would never pursue the murderous Villain again although he was oblig'd by his Office to do it as well as by the Arch-Bishop who in Causa Sanguinis would not pursue him himself The Judges also at that time had no great Stomach to sit upon the Tryal of this bloody Saint So that the Privy Council were forc'd to send him Prisoner to the Basse a Rock in the Forth where I wish all his Brethren were where he continued till the latter end of last December when the Privy Council sent for him to be try'd again About this time it was rumour'd about Town and Country that the Whigs for so we call Fanaticks design'd to take off both the Archbishops and some other Bishops by assassination and likewise vehement suspicions and presumptions were found that they had the like design on other eminent Persons who were most concern'd and resolv'd to see them reduc'd to order and obedience And therefore the Council thought it expedient to prevent such barbarous attempts and secure the Lives of His Majesty's faithful Ministers to bring Mr. Mitchel to publick Justice that the Remonstrator-Presbyterians of our Country might see what their Clements and Ravillacs were to expect Since the Duke of Lauderdale came last hither Sir John Nisbett resign'd his Charge and his Majesty put Sir George Machenzy a Learned and Worthy Gentleman into his place who in obedience to the order of the Privy Council pursu'd this common enemy of Mankind with a Courage and Zeal that became such a gallant Man and a good Christian although he foresaw he must for ever disoblige that implacapable party which hath sworn to extirpate Episcopacy here You may easily judge with what deliberation and caution this miscreants Process was made Seeing his Tryal was dependant four days for he was arraigned on Monday the seventh of January in the Morning and receiv'd not Sentence till the following Thursday at two in the Afternoon As the Privy Council were very just so were they exceeding merciful to this inhumane Man for at the instance of his Majesty's Advocate they commanded Sir George Lockhart one of the best Lawyers of this Nation to be of his Counsel and had he been the greatest Subject of the three Kingdoms his cause could not have been more strenuously defended nor his Process made with more care The first day was spent in reading the Libel and discussing some preparatory doubts necessary to be determin'd by an Interlocutory sentence before the Assize which you call the Jury could be impannell'd and the Witnesses sworn The doubts were three First whether that confession which the Pannel for so we call the Prisoner at the Bar made before the King 's High Commissioner and the Privy Council sitting in Council were Judicial or Extrajudicial The second was whether if this Confession should be made appear to upon hopes or promise of pardon it should not serve for the Pannels exculpation And the third was whether by a certain Act of Parliament made for the security of his Majesty's Privy Counsellers and Officers the attempted assassinage of the Primate who was and is a Privy Counseller were Capital or no All which preliminaries the Judges deliberated upon and debated among themselves on Tuesday and on Wednesday following pronounced their Interlocutory in the affirmative upon the several heads You may perceive by the terms wherein I am forc'd to couch the Narrative of his Tryal that we have much of the Civil Law Indeed it is the Common Law of our Country and takes place in all cases that cannot be determin'd by our Statute or Consuetudinary Laws I know very well you understand nothing of it but yet your Reason cannot but suggest unto you that an Interlocutory is opposite to a definitive sentence and that this is nothing but the final doom consisting in the condemnation or absolution of the Criminal So th' other is a decision of such incident and emergent matters of Law as intervene betwixt the beginning an end of the cause Lancelot instit juris Canon l. 3. Tit. 15. Paragr 1. But to return to my Narrative after the Interlocutory was pronounc'd the Jury was impannell'd and the Witnesses sworn some of whose depositions I shall set down as I heard them and I think I shall never forget them as long as I can remember my Name The Keeper of the Tolbooth's Son for so we call the Prison here depon'd that having ask'd the Pannel how he could do such a Barbarous Action in cold blood against a man that had never done him wrong he answer'd That it was not done in cold blood for the blood of the Saints was reeking yet at the Cross in Edinburgh By the Saints he meant the Rebells at Pentland-hills in 1666 one of which he himself had been and some Principals whereof that were taken in the Field had been Executed about two years before at the Cross in Edinburgh The Lord Bishop of Galloway whom no good Church-man here ought to mention without honour and respect

Ravillac Redivivus BEING A NARRATIVE Of the late TRYAL of M R. JAMES MITCHEL A Conventicle-Preacher Who was Executed the 18th of January last for an attempt which he made on the Sacred Person of the Archbishop of St. ANDREWS To which is Annexed An Account of the TRYAL of that most wicked Pharisee Major THOMAS WEIR who was Executed for Adultery Incest and Bestiality In which Are many Observable Passages especially relating to the present Affairs of Church and State In a Letter from a Scottish to an English Gentleman LONDON Printed by Henry Hills 1678. SIR I Received your Letter wherein you charge me with unkindness for having neglected to Write unto you for the last six moneths and you also tell me you cannot imagine what hath made me so silent all this while that others have sent their Correspondents in England so many Letters of Scottish News But what you seem to make an aggravation of my fault I must Retort upon you in my own Defence and tell you plainly that being a Person uncapable to Write certainties in State-matters and too honest to Write lyes I could not prevail with my self to follow the ill example of many of my Countrey-men whereof some maliciously Wrote their own Forgeries and some out of weakness their Jealousies and Fears and all pretending to understand not only what were but what would be the Intrigues of Halyrud-House fill'd their Muddiman-letters with their own Inventions instead of real Truth The Reports which these Instruments of Mischief sent to London rebounded as quickly hither again and considering how foolishly some and how maliciously others of their Stories were contriv'd I cannot but sigh for the unhappiness of my Countrey where these Coiners and Dispersers of false News like the false Prophets in the Kingdom of Israel are a National judgment and a grievous Plague both to Church and State Therefore let me prevail with you for the time to come to give as little credit to the flying Reports which are sent from our Country as I do to those which are sent from yours and that we may both grow wiser by other mens Follies and take surer measures in our future Correspondence give me leave to propose that we Write nothing hereafter but matters of Fact and consine our selves to relate such useful and worthy Contingencies as might become an Historian of his own Age. By observing this rule we shall keep our selves within the safe bounds of Prudence and Duty and profit one another by our mutual Correspendence without abusing the credulity of the Vulgar or injuring the Ministers of publick Affairs Wherefore that I may put my own advice into practise and be a good example to my own rule the Subject of this Letter shall be a faithful Narrative of the Tryal Condemnation and Execution of one of our Presbyterian Preachers who made an attempt on the Sacred Person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews in the moneth of July 1668. The Story is very comprehensive and will invite me to speak of many particular things and persons and it will be difficult for me to pass through it all without touching a little upon publick Affairs in doing of which I shall endeavour to perform the part of a faithful Historian in keeping to my rule of Writing nothing but matter of Fact I have already fix'd the beginning of this Story in the moneth of July 1668. But the execrable wretch resolved to do the Fact two years before he did it and languish'd all the time for want of an opportunity to execute his inhumane design At last having observ'd that the Lord Primate us'd always to go about this Town in his Coach he resolv'd to Pistol him in it and accordingly on Saturday of the foresaid moneth discharged a Pistol loaden with three Bullets at him which were intercepted by the arm of the Lord Bishop of Orkney who at the same instant was getting into his Graces Coach As soon as he had shot he walked fast away and as he crossed the Street the Primate got a view of his face He was not immediately pursued which gave him opportunity to escape into the House of one Ferguson an ejected Minister which being in an obscure place of the Town he had prepar'd for a retreat in case he could get safe thither There having disguised himself by putting on a Periwig and changing his Clothes he immediately went into the Street again and made as great a bussel as any in the throng to find out the Assassin who had shot at the Primate and as he hop'd had kill'd him in his Coach He was known by none in the crowd but by three of his Confederates who had come to Town on purpose to assist him in his bloody design Their Designations or Titles were Barscob Mandroget and Major Lermouth who had been Ring-leaders in the Rebellion at Pentland-Hills in the year 1668. The Assassin joyn'd himself with these three and after a Consultation what they should do for their further security they unanimously resolv'd to retire into the Garden of Sir Archibald Primrose the now Justice General or to speak in your Phrase the Lord Chief Justice who had for many years the misfortune to be esteem'd a favourer and encourager of the Fanatical Faction though it be hard to imagine how a man that hath gotten so great an Estate by the Kings Royal Bounty should have so much favour for the worst of His Subjects unless he hath lost all sense of Gratitude and Honour Certain it is that there are such Monsters of Disloyalty and Ingratitude in the World and as certain it is though he be not one of them that the credit he hath with that party encourag'd this Murnival of Rebels and Murderers to shelter themselves the following night within his Precincts rather than any other Man 's in this populous Town But the Morning approaching they thought it safer to quit the Town and the other three conducting Mr. James Mitchel for that 's the name of this abominable Man he made a final escape by their assistance and was never after seen in this Country till the latter end of 1673. In this Interval betwixt July 68. and the latter end of 73. he had rambled through Holland England and Ireland from whence he return'd to his Country resolv'd as it seems to assassin the Primate again Not long after his return he married and repair'd with his Wife to Edinburgh presuming that after more than five years absence he might live incognito here at least so long till he could find another opportunity to execute his bloody design In order to which he hir'd a Shop within a door or two of the Primate's Lodgings where his Wife pretended to sell Tobacco and Brandy and such like things But he had not long frequented there before he was discover'd and apprehended upon suspicion and when he was taken which was on the same day of the Week and in the same place where he had formerly stood to commit the fact

several Copies of his intended Speech whereof one was found in his Pocket and taken from him before he was carried out to Execution It is long and the former part containing nothing but Libellous reflections on the Privy Council the Justiciary Lords and the King's Advocate I shall content my self to send you a transcript of the latter I Acknowledge my particular and private sins have been such as have merited a worse Death unto me but I dye in the hope of the merits of Jesus Christ to be freed from those Eternal punishments due to me for sin Yet I am confident that God doth not plead with me in this place for my private and particular sins but that I am brought here that the Work of God might be made manifest and for the Tryal of Faith John 9. 3. 1 Pet. 1. 7. and that I may be a witness for his despised Truth and interest in this Land who am called to seal the same with my Blood And I wish heartily that this my poor Life may put an end to the persecution of the true Members of Christ in this Kingdom so much actuate by these perfidious Prelates and in opposition to whom and in testimony of the Cause of Christ I at this time willingly lay down my Life and bless my God that he hath thought me so much worthy to do the same for his Glory and Interest Finally concerning a Christian Duty in a singular extraordinary case and my particular Judgement concerning both Church and State it is evidently declar'd and manifested more fully elsewhere So farewel all Earthly enjoyments and welcome Father Son and Holy Spirit into whose hands I commend my spirit As to that particular Christian duty in an extraordinary case and his Judgement concerning Church and State manifested elsewhere he means a larger blasphemous Libel which he left behind him wherein he endeavours to justifie his fact It is very long but yet I beseech you to read it over and if you have not read Naphthali nor Jus Populi vindicatum which is a Reply to the Answer which the Bishop of Orkney whom this miscreant wounded made to Naphthali I am confident you must be surpriz'd with horrour and astonishmment to see such Un-christian Doctrines come from a Christian Pen. Yet the Primitive Churches never receiv'd the Apostolick Epistles with greater veneration than the Members of our Field-Congregations receive such discourses as this nor can any Church-man respect any ancient Ecclesiastical Writer half so much as they adore Naphthali which is written in the Defence of the Rebellion in 1666. and wherein this horrid mans attempt upon the Primate is commended for an Heroical Act and that cursed Book with Lex Rex Jus populi vindicatum and Mr. Rutherfords Letters are the Fathers and Counsels of our Fife and Western Whigs I have here subjoyned the Account of my self principles and foresaid practises as they were set down in a Letter to a Friend and another Declaration both written by me when first Conveened before the Lords Justices in the year 1674. The Coppy of my Letter Edinburgh Tolbuith February the 16th 1674. SIR ME who may justly call my self the least of all Saints and the chiefest of all Sinners hath Christ his Son our Lord called to be a Witness for his destroyed Truth and trampled on Interest by this Wicked Blasphemous and God-contemning Generation and against all their other perfidious Wickednesses Sir I say the confidence I have in your real Friendship and love to Christ his Truth People Interest and Cause hath incouraged me to write to you hoping that you will not misconstruct nor take advantage of my Infirmities and Weakness you have heard of my Indictment which I take up in these two particulars First as they term it Rebellion and Treason anent which I answered to my Lord Chancellor that it was no Rebellion but a Duty which every one was bound to have performed in joyning with that party And in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being the Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant which upon mature Deliberation I found nothing in them but a short compend of the Moral Law only obliging us to our Duty towards God and Men in their several Stations and I finding that our then banished Kings Interest lay wholly included therein viz. Both the Oath of Coronation Allegiance c. And they being the then tessera of all Loyalty And My Lord it was well known that then many were taking the Tender and forswearing Charles Stewarts Parliament and House of Lords I then subscribed them both The doing of which My Lord Chancellor would have stood me at no less rate if all 's well known then this my present adhering and prosecuting the ends thereof doth now And when I was questioned what then I called Rebellion I answered That it is Ezra 7. 26. And whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and of the King c. But being questioned by the Commissioner before the Council there anent I answered as I said to My Lord Chancellor before in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being then Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation he tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant where he stopped me saying I wade you are come here to give a Testimony and then being demanded what I called Rebellion if it was not Rebellion to oppose His Majesties Forces in the face to which I answered My Lord Commissioner if it please your Grace I humbly conceive that they should have been with us meaning that it was the Duty of those Forces to have joyned with us according to the national Covenant at which answer I perceived him to storm But says he I hear that you have been over Seas with whom did you Converse there Answer with my Merchant My Lord. But saith he with whom in particular with one John Michel a Cousin of mine saith he I have heard tell of him he is a Factor in Rotterdam to which I conceded But saith he did you not Converse with Mr. Levingston and such as he To which I answered My Lord Commissioner I Conversed with our banisht Ministers to which he replyed banisht Ministers banisht Traytors he will speak Treason at the very Bar. Then he answered himself saying but they would call the shooting at the Bishop an Heroick Act To which I answered That I never told them of any such thing Question But where did you see James Wallace last Answ Towards the borders of Germany some year ago Quest But what ailed you at my Lord St. Andrews here pointing at him with his finger Answ My Lord Commissioner the grievous oppression and horrid Bloodshed of my Brethren and the eager pursuit after my own Blood as it appeareth this day to your Grace and to all His Majesties Honourable Council after which he commanded to take me away that they might see what

to the pains and to the profit which none of the mixed multitude of Murmurers were admitted to because of their unbelief Numb 21. 17. And O Father of Mercy while I am tossed upon the turbulent Seas of manifold troubles grant that thy presence may be with me and that thy Everlasting arms may be underneath me to support me for sure I am Moses thy Servant had good reason to be importunate in this suit Exod. 32. 2. compared with 14. and 15. v. Chap. 34. 9. Seeing no less could furnish him with fresh supplyes in the work he was about O let thy presence be with me and then my Soul shall dig and sing and sing and dig through times of trouble into Eternal Rest where I shall be admitted to behold the Rock Christ out of whom floweth the pure Fountain and River of Life and Happiness which I may drink and not be damnified through the assaults of Satan or the invasions of sin or of a wicked world any more now according to thy promise Mat. 10. 19. Out of thy Fatherly Mercy grant present help supply and direction in this time of trouble seeing it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps Jer. 10. 23. and though it be a hard thing rightly to distinguish betwixt Sin and Duty yet thy Law thy Word and thy Truth which are quick and powerful dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and is a director of the thoughts and thy Law giveth light Psal 119. 105. Psal 32. 8. For thy Testimonies O Lord are sure making wise the simple Psal 19. 7. For thou alone canst make all thy Dispensations prove profitable in order to the purging away of Sin even when they seem to be destructive Esa 27. 9. especially when thou intends them not for destruction but for tryal Deut. 8. 2 16. and for further Humiliation for thou O Lord hast led me for many years through a barren and wearisome Wilderness to the end that thou mayst work thy work of Mortification in me although if it had seemed good unto thee thou couldst have brought me into the Land of Promise and Rest a nearer way Exod. 13. 17. For thou by hardships many a time hides Pride from men and sealest up their instruction that thou may'st deliver his Soul from the Pit and that his life may see the light Job 33. 17. And although thou O Lord shouldst send me the back tract and tenor of my Life to seek my Souls comforts and incouragements from thence yet I have no cause to complain of hard dealing from thy hand seeing it is thy ordinary way with some of thy people Psal 42. 6. O God my Soul is cast down within me therefore will I remember thee from the Land of Jordan and from the Hill Hermon c. Yea the last time he brought me to the Banqueting-house and made love his Banner over me amongst the cold High-land Hills beside Kipper Nov. 1673. he remembred his former kindnesses towards me but withal he spoke it in mine Ear that there was a tempestuous storm to meet me in the Face which I behooved to go through with the strength of that Provision 1 Kings 19. 7. And now O my Soul seeing it is his ordinary way and method with thee to send a shower and a sunblink and again a sunblink and shower therefore keep thou silent to God and murmure not fret not be not disquieted be still and be content seeing all my Persecutors can do either by fraud or force can neither alter the Nature or kind of my sufferings on add so much as a degree thereto neither lengthen out the time of them for a moment Matthew 10. 29. Exodus 12. 41. All Pharoahs Power could not keep Israel one Night longer in Egypt therefore it is my duty to study with Paul Philippians 4. 11 12. Whatsoever State I am in therewith to be content and say Should the Earth be forsaken and the Rock be removed out of its place for me Job 18. 4. should God alter the course of his Providence for me in which there is such an efficacy as to carry all things to the proper and appointed end what an irresistable power and that I may be found in him not as having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith Phil. 3. 9. 10. and to resign up unto God my will and affections to be disposed as he pleaseth and to say with fear humility and reverence O Father not my Will but thine be done and whether I live or dye I may be the Lords that through his Mercy and Grace I may attain to his approbation viz. Well done good and faithful Servant who hath hitherto sent his Angel and shut the Lyons Mouth that they have not hurt me Dan. 6. 22. and who hath so shut the eyes of my Persecutors with a Sodomitish blindness that hitherto they could not find out the way how to break in upon me and I hope he will in due time bring me out of the fiery Furnace and shall not through his Grace suffer the smell thereof to be found upon me and if not yet I never held it to be my duty to worship this rotten and stinking Idol of Jealousie which these Nations have set up who have killed both the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and have persecuted us Thes 1. 15. For thou O Lord hast not abhorred nor despised my afflictions when I was afflicted neither hast thou hid thy Face from me but when I cryed unto thee thou heardest me Ps 22. 24. Now O Lord God thou hast made the Heaven and the Earth by thy great Power and stretched out Arm Jer. 32. 17. Bring thou me at length to a happy arrival within the Gates of the New Jerusalem where no unclean thing can come that my praise may be of thee in the great Congregation And although as Job saith 10. 17. That thou O Lord hast delivered me to the ungodly and hast turned me over into the hands of the wicked yet by this I know that thou O Lord favourest me because mine Enemies do not triumph over me when I stand in Judgement thou O Lord didst not condemn and if it pleaseth thee thou will not leave me in their hands Ps 41. 11. Ps 37. 33. But canst bring up my Life from the Pit of Corruption Jonah 2. 6. And seeing I have not preferred nor sought after mine own things but thy Honour and Glory the Good Liberty and Safety of thy Church and People although I may be now mis-constructed by many yet at length I hope thou Lord will make my Light break forth as the Morning and my Righteousness as the Noon-day and that Shame and Darkness shall cover all who are Adversaries to my Righteous cause For thou Lord art the Shield of my help and the Sword of my excellency and my Enemies shall be found Lyars Amen yea and Amen James Mitchel