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A54823 Christ alone our life The great case of every man's life and death determin'd by the sentence of God, in 1 John 5.12. Opened and applied in a sermon preach'd in the Sessions-House at Northampton, Sept. 9th. 1690. to some prisoners the day before their execution: and now published with enlargements, for the further benefit and service of souls. With a narrative of the behaviour of the prisoners. By Edward Pierce, M.A. rector of Cottesbrook in Northampton-shire. Pierce, Edward, d. 1694. 1691 (1691) Wing P2161; ESTC R218929 83,820 193

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Christ alone our Life THE GREAT CASE Of Every Man's LIFE and DEATH Determin'd by the Sentence of God In 1 John 5.12 Opened and applied in a SERMON Preach'd in the Sessions-House at Northampton Sept. 9th 1690. to some Prisoners the Day before their Execution And now Published with Enlargements for the further Benefit and Service of Souls With a Narrative of the Behaviour of the Prisoners By EDWARD PIERCE M.A. Rector of Cottesbrook in Northamptonshire LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson and are to be Sold by Thomas Pasham Bookseller in Northampton 1691. To the Honourable Sir James Langham Kt and Baronet my most Honoured Patron Sir William Langham of Walgrave John Thornton of Brockhole Esq Grace and Eternal Life Most Honoured Sirs THE Reasons for the Honour and Service which I owe to every of your Persons are more than I shall declare or than you desire should be declared I should not have grac'd these few Sheets with your Names but that I hope to make some advantage of them for those that shall be in such unhappy Circumstances of the Prisoners who were the occasion of my preaching upon this Argument by proposing you as Examples to Gentlemen of Quality and Goodness who shall bear the Office of High-Sheriffs as you have done The first of you considering the Charge committed to you by the Law of the Bodies of Prisoners and the Power you had over the Prison judged it to be a great Duty to take care of their precious Souls as if they had been a part of your Houshold Having a large room in the Hearts of able good Ministers you made use of it and easily obtained their pains of Preaching Weekly in the Prison They were all Licensed Preachers and of Eminency in the Country beside the Reverend Dr. Ford then Minister in the Town But before your Year expired this Light in the dark place was put out by one who should rather have set up Light in it if you had not It could not be for not reading the Liturgy which all did nor for want of a Liturgy for the Goaler had got A.B. Laud's which was sent into Scotland and put that Kingdom into a Flame This Sir you so tenderly resented that had it not been so near the end of your Shrievalty you would have tried his Power in that House which was as your own for that year But then as about three years before and after it was the Policy of Rulers to countenance no more preaching than would consist with the Design then subtily covered but afterwards revealed Great care was taken that Zeal in Religion should not disturb the Quiet of the State and they were made use of to put out the Candles who were of all men most obliged to keep them burning in Conscience to God and Love to Souls There was then in the Goal a large Room next the great Parlour which look'd to the Street and a Pulpit in it with a Gallery above Stairs at one end of it as I remember and other Conveniences for the Prisoners and others tho then it was hard for any of the Town to get admittance except they were Friends or could make acquaintance in the House and there was Six Pound per Annum paid to a Preacher for preaching once a Month as I remember given by Sir Francis Nicholas and your old Acquaintance in Em. Col. And my sincere Religious Friend Mr. William Holms received it many years for Preaching there But since the dreadful Fire there is a very fair House built that stands in good Air open to the Fields on one side which make a pleasant prospect well contrived for all Offices and Vses but there is no Room proper nor fit for preaching I presume the Salary is paid but it is more than I know that there is as much as one Sermon in a year preached for it After the Fire the Goal was removed into a strait House and since that more good may have been done in the Prison than I can tell of by private Visits especially by the Excellent Dr. Conant who was much taken up in those private Exercises of his Ministry but the Office of Salvation as Martyr Latimer calleth the preaching of the Word hath been shut up there And I wish that some like to your self may open it again and others keep it open The Second of you in few years succeeded your Elder Brother and there being no extraordinary Goal in your Year there was no extraordinary pains to be taken especially remembring how that compassionate Act of your Brothers was check'd and controul'd and you must needs have undergone a Contest with the same Power which was so lately exerted against the ordinary great means of Salvation then in the same person whom you at a publick Table heard speak contemptibly of Preaching and therefore could not expect the favour of a Connivance from him But Sir be pleased to take a share in this little Present because of the Encouragement you have given me speaking very kindly of my Performances in this kind when you have heard first from others and then took a particular Account of them from my self The Third of you succeeded the Second the very next year if I am not much mistaken and when you saw your time revived the Exercise and set up most of the same Lights which had been taken down before in the same place to shew the involuntary Inhabitants of it a way to prevent and escape their greatest Dangers And you met with no Interruption It is happy when poor Prisoners fall under the Care and Custody of such Men as know that there are immortal sinful Souls in those Bodies of which they must give an account by their Place The greatest of their Miseries is That they are shut up from the publick Light and means of Salvation therefore mercy on their Souls is the greatest mercy that can be shewed unto them And when all Acts of Charity shall come in remembrance even this to the Souls of men upon which commonly least Cost is bestow'd will be found the greatest The Lord God of Grace put it into the Hearts of Gentlemen to be thus merciful to Souls in Bonds whether in Prison or out of Prison And Honoured Sirs whatsoever you have done or have procured the doing of in this excellent kind will turn to your best account The Objects of all other Charities are mortal Bodies but the Objects of this are immortal Souls and to help to ransom them from the power of Devils is a nobler Work than to ransom Slaves from Heathens whose greatest misery is that they are in the hands of the Enemies of Christ Yet tho outward Charities must by no means be neglected nor intermitted for there is a Charge to be laid upon rich Men to be rich in good works 1 Tim. 6.17 18. And upon all and every man 2 Cor. 8.7 Every man according as he hath purposed in his heart so let him give c. yea even he who laboureth with