Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	incline_v	mercy_n	minister_n	3,845	5	9.9369	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76061	A murderer punished and pardoned, or, A true relation of the wicked life, and shameful-happy death of Thomas Savage imprisoned, justly condemned, and twice executed at Ratcliff, for his bloody fact in killing his fellow-servant, on Wednesday, Octob. 28, 1668 / by us who were often with him in the time of his imprisonment in Newgate, at at his execution, Robert Franklin, Thomas Vincent, Thomas Doolitel, James Janeway, Hugh Baker ; to which is annexed a sermon preached at his funeral.	R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.; Janeway, James, 1636?-1674.; Franklin, Robert, 1630-1684.	1679 (1679)	Wing A997A; ESTC R42788	47,969	54

in that Duty which he performed with so much affection and earnest pleading with God that all the company were exceedingly melted and their hearts beyond ordinary measure warmed and raised that the room did ring with sighs and groans and there was such a mighty presence of the Spirit poured out upon him and on those that joyned with him that we do not remember the time when ever we had experience of the like In which Prayer after the confession of his sins he begged earnestly for pardon and for an interest in Christ saying O Lord wilt thou let me dye without a Christ Shall I leave this world before thou smilest upon my Soul Thou hast promised pardon and mercy and salvation to those that do repent and to those that do believe Lord I do repent and do believe if I know my own heart I do repent I do believe Lord I roll my self upon thy Son I cast my self at his foot for mercy Thou wouldst be just if thou dost damn me but thou hast pardoned others and it will be to the praise of thy free-grace to pardon me Lord shall those Prayers that have been made and all those Tears that have been shed for me and all those Instructions which have been given me be all in vain With many other Expressions in that Prayer which wonderfully affected the hearts of those that were with him that afterwards we looked upon one another wondring at the Grace of God towards him that one so wicked all his days so young being sixteen years old so lately acquainted with the ways of God should have such a Spirit of Prayer poured out upon him after this he prayed with more life and fervency than before and the nearer he came to his end the more we perceived God was ripening him for Glory After this we took our leave of him not knowing but that was the last day for the Cart stood below and the Coffin fetched down and some of the honourable Sheriffs of Londons men came into the Prison but the Sheriff of Middlesex having not notice to be ready his Execution was deferred till Wednesday following Reader Here take notice that the report that the reason why he was not Executed on Monday was because he was drunk is an abominable falshood for to our knowledge that were with him he did not eat nor drink that morning When we went up to him again we told him we perceived he was not to dye that day giving him caution not to think there was any pardon intended for him and one came from the Sheriff to acquaint him with the reason of the delay of his Execution When his Coffin was carried up to him again one asked what he thought and what were the workings of his heart when he saw his Coffin brought back he said he was much troubled and it daunted him to see it for he could willingly have dyed that day to go to Christ On Monday in the Afternoon he had an excessive pain in his Teeth as we judge occasioned by his leaving off his Cloaths and putting on some thin Apparel to dye in and that evening he expressed great willingness to dye and leave the World He said I see and feel so much excellency in Christ that he is so pure in Grace pure in Holiness pure in all things Lord I count it an Hell to be upon Earth I so long to be where I might enjoy thee and he spent some time in Prayer notwithstanding his pain with much affection wherein he said The pain of the Teeth was great but the pain of Hell was greater On Tuesday the day before he dyed after some time spent in prayer both by him and H. B. being full of joy he expressed himself thus O my dear Friend what a welcome shall I give you when you come to Heaven and say to you Come see come see this is the Glory that you told me of but all that you ever told me was nothing to what I have found O what a place is this O how shall we love one another then Sure it cannot be but Heaven must be a glorious place where God Christ and Angels be The night before he dyed a Minister came to Thomas Savage and after other serious discourse sor satisfaction of a Christian Friend that had seen him before he demanded of him what were now the grounds of his hopes of Salvation He made this reply God both in infinite mercy made me deeply sensible of great sins and not only of them but of the vileness of my heart and nature and God hath made me to abhor my self for my sins and I hope truly to repent of them for that which hath been the delight of my soul is now as bad as Hell and God hath given me to see that all my own Prayers and Tears and all the Prayers of all the good people that come to me are not able to save A Christ alone I throw my self at the feet of Christ for mercy and if I perish I will perish there I feel longings and breathings after Christ and love him more than my life I long to be with him and I would not be to live any longer this World is a little Hell because of sin I fear not death for I hope the sting of it is taken out for me This last night before his death he desired us to sit up with him in order to his better preparation for the great work he had to do the next day that we might wrestle with God on his behalf that when death approacheth so near unto him he might have some nearer accesses unto God into his Soul that when pale death stared him in the face he might see Gods smiling countenance which opportunity we readily embraced and spent the former part of the night in prayer till two of the Clock in the morning about which time he desired us to go down into the Lodge that he might have some part of the night for prayer and meditation alone and to discourse a while with his friend Mr. Baker to whom he most of all did open his very heart and spake more freely to than to any other whom for that reason we left with him and when we were gone down his Friend being with him who told us afterwards he fell into admiration and said What a Prodigy am I What a wonder of Mercy that God should encline the hearts of his Ministers to come and pray with me and pour out their souls in prayer thus for me For me a Murtherer for me a Drunkard for me so vile and sinful Well I cannot but love God and though I go to Hell yet I will love God for his goodness and graciousness to me already manifested in this world yea though I should be damned for my sin yet I could and would love God What would they venture to come and pray with me a Murtherer How did they know but I might have Murthered some of them Pray for me wrestle

for me Well I know God loves I am sure God loves me When he was in prayer some of us heard him say Now Lord I am coming to thee thou art mine and Christ is mine and what need I be afraid of Death Lord give me some sense and some sign of thy love that when my soul shall be separated from my body it may be received into glory Afterwards when he looked upon his Cloaths he had put on to dye in said What have I got on my dying-cloaths dying-cloaths did I say they are my living-cloaths the cloaths out of which I shall go into eternal glory they are the best cloaths that ever I put on About four of the Clock in the morning we went up to him again full of expectation what we would say to us and what we should hear from him and T. D. stood behind him and took his expressions as he spake them from his own mouth and first he told us I account it a great mercy that God hath shewed me the evil of sin before he cast me into Hell sin hath not only brought my body to the grave but my soul in danger of everlasting burning The Lord will have mercy on me I hope I am filled with joy I am no more afraid to die than to stand in this place the Lord make me thankful The Lord hath been working on my soul for it was not I that could pray nor refrain from company nor delight in any thing that is good I have cause to bless God that ever I was taken and this we have often heard him say for if I had escaped I had gone on in my sin and might have lost my soul for ever One asked him which he thought was worse hell or sin using some gesture of body said Hell is very dreadful but sin is worse then hell because sin brings mens souls to hell and sin is that which offendeth God One asked him what he thought of Heaven and he with a smiling countenance said Heaven it cannot be but heaven must be an excellent place for it is an holy place We spake to him concerning his Coffin that was by him whether it did not trouble and amaze him to have it in his sight he replyed with all my soul I coul go into my Coffin oh it is a comfortable place he spake it with joy I can comfortably dye I have found such a deal of joy and comfort that I would not for a world have been without it We enquired whether death did not affright him morning light will presently appear He answered Death indeed did trouble me but now not at all I long for day I am not daunted at death Dye it is nothing this life is nothing but to dye Eternally and to loose God and Christ and Heaven that is Death Hell-tormens is not so much as to be shut from the presence of God Alas who would not dye this death to go to Jesus Christ when my body is upon the Gibbet my soul shall be carried by Angels into Heaven My heart is so drawn out after God that I could leave this world to be with him This world is nothing those that have the pleasures of it have nothing I desire to dye because I long to be with Christ there I shall never sin more there is no sin but joy where I shall sing hallelujahs and praise to God We askt what he thought of the company of Gods people for he had now experience of company good and bad He said I had rather be here meaning the Hole in Newgate with bread and water with such company then to have the company of wicked persons with the greatest dainties It was wicked company that drew me away I account it the greatest mercy to have the prayers of Gods people for me had I had my deserts I had been now in Hell where I should have had no prayers no instructions God doth love me for he hath inclined the hearts of his people and Ministers to pray for me and their prayers have prevailed Being ask'd what promises he found to be his support against the guilt of sin now he was to dye he alledged these repeating the words himself Whosoever will let him come and drink of the waters of Life freely and He that confesseth and for saketh his sin shall find mercy and Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will Abundantly Pardon This word Abundantly Pardon did often refresh his soul I have sinned abundantly but God will pardon abundantly After these he mentioned another viz This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief and said I do relie and throw my self upon Jesus Christ I do believe there is merit enough in him and all sufficiency in him to save me it is nothing that I can do will save me He complained that it was the grief of his soul that he could love God no more and love Christ no more for his mercy toward him in giving him so much time and so many helps in sending so many Ministers to instruct him but added when several Ministers had been with me I threw of all and returned to sin and did as vainly as any I could not have repented and believed of my self it is the work of God He often said I fear not death it was nothing with him to die and go to Christ He often said that he had rather die immediately having an interest in Christ than to live a thousand years in this world in the enjoyment of all the pleasures of it without Christ And that he had found more pleasure and delight in the Ways of God since he came into Prison than ever he found in all the ways of sin He confessed his sins saying he first neglected and profaned the Sabbath and said this was the beginning of all his wickedness that on the Sabbath morning he studied what company to go into in what place of sin he might spend the Sabbath then to wicked Society then to Ale-houses then to Brothel-houses then to Murther then to Theft then to Newgate and yet at last he hoped to heaven He lamented saying I have striven to dishonour God and to run into sin oh that I should spend so much time in serving of the Devil and now have but a little moment of time to spend in the service of God and to the glory of God This discourse being ended we desired him now on his last morning before he went into Eternity to pray with us and he willingly consented and his prayer was as followeth being taken from his mouth by Thomas Doe-little that also took in writing his preceding discourse Verbatim The Prayer of Tho. Savage in Newgate with those that sat up with him the night before his Execution O Most merciful and ever

me Sometimes he tempts me to delay telling me that it is time enough for me to think of Repentance when I am Condemned and that God is a merciful God and sometimes he tempted me to Despair telling me that it was impossible that so monstrous a sinner as I had been should be saved But blessed be God that he made me to think that these were but the Devils Temptations although I have been sadly hurried with them for some days but that which did most fill me with terror was the frequent fears of the Devil 's appearing personally to me which did so exceedingly trouble me in Prayer so that I could say nothing when I kneeled down but was fain to set the Candle down before me and durst not look one way nor other for fear I should see him and my thoughts have been so vain many times when you have been reading to me that I have scarce heard a word of what you said A Discourse betwixt H. B. and T. S. Prisoner in Newgate after some Friends went away dissatisfied fearing he had not a sense of his sin c. H. B. asking him how it was with him He replied It is the grief of my Soul that I should be no more affected I think I have the most rocky stony heart in the world if ever there was an heart of Iron I have one it is not fit to be called an heart To have others come and pray with me and instruct me and see how they are affected with my condition and yet I not at all affected with my own condition Oh it is the grief of my soul to see it so and yet as soon as Ministers and good people are gone and I walk about and consider oh it melts me and breaketh my heart in pieces to think I can mourn for sin and grieve for sin no more when Gods people are with me because it causeth them to think that I am not sensible of my sin though blessed be God I am in some measure sensible of the evil of my sins and it is the grief of my soul to think how I have dishonoured God and abused his Mercy and spurned against his Mercy and Patience After this they both spent some time in Prayer and H. B. asked him how it was with him now He said I find so much sweetness in prayer although I cannot find God loveth me that to think I am not Cursing and swearing as others are but be confessing my sin my very tears trickle down my Cheeks for joy sometimes I find my heart so dead and dull in duty that I know not what to say in Prayer at other times I find my heart so full and so much affected in Duty that I could wish I might never rise off my knees The night before the Sessions H. B. coming to him asked him if it was not terrible to him to think of appearing before the Barr of men he answered methinks when I consider seriously of it what a light poor thing mans Barr is in comparison of Gods Barr yet mans Barr is enough to daunt one to hear them say Take him Gaoler tye him up but to appear before Gods Barr who knoweth all the sins that ever I committed he saw all my secret sins and for God to say Take him Gaoler take him Devil shut him up in the Dungeon of Hell Oh! that is enough I believe to make the stoutest heart in the World to tremble for there is no recalling that sentence and I believe there are many go out of this Prison as I saw formerly three that went to be hanged and they were almost drunk and did sing all the way they went but oh their note was soon changed when they came to stand before Gods Barr. The morning before he went to the Sessions H. B. and the Prisoner spent some time in prayer the Prisoner in his prayer did earnestly beg of God that he would keep him from those temptations he might be exposed unto by bad company After this he was taken down to the Sessions house but was not called because the Jury of Middlesex did not sit that day At night H. B. came to him again and asking how it was with him he answered he found it no easie thing to be a true Christian I thought before I came to Prison that reading a Chapter now and then and saying the Lords Prayer and the Creed at night when I went to bed would have saved me though many times I was asleep before I had half done but now I find it no such easie thing to get to Heaven nay I find it the hardest thing in the World for my Prayers and Tears and Duties if I could fall upon my knees and never rise off from them while I live they would not save me for all this is but my duty but I now know there is merit enough in the blood of Christ to save me and he did earnestly beg of God in Prayer that God would wash his Soul in the blood of Christ and blot out all his sins out of the book of his remembrance and turn them behind his back though I as earnestly beg they might be all spread before my face that I might have a more humble and throughly broken heart for them Lord one drop of that blood is enough to wash away all my sins And so after some conference H. B. left him for that night who heard from one that was with him that night that he spent that time most in Prayer and Reading The second morning in the time of the Sessions Mr. Baker that was a careful friend for the good of his Soul went to the Sessions House where he found him well and in good Frame and continued with him for the space of two or three hours that morning after which time Mr. Baker was from him to hear the Tryal of the Person that was arraigned and afterward executed for the Fire upon the house burnt down in Mincing-Lane for the space of half an hour or thereabout in which time in company of other Prisoners he was much distempered with something that he had drank amongst them which did take from him his understanding that he was not his own man we judge that though this did cast a blemish upon the profession that he had made after he came to Newgate it was not a voluntary act but some surprisal or design of the other upon him partly because the quantity was far less than what at other times he could drink without any disturbance to his head A Friend also heard Hannah the Strumpet that enticed him to his former wickedness say Others have made you drunk to day but I will make you drunk to morrow But afterwards he was afraid to drink in their company but rather denied to take what was necessary for his refreshment The Prisoners were much against his accusing of that Harlot and did much perswade him to take something to chear his Spirits and when T. D. was