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
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
shew Mercy That they may have patience with me till I can raise as much as I am able towards the discharge of their Debt and mercifully forgive the rest when I can raise no more Oh! That they may not be rigorous in exacting the Hundred Pence which I am not able to pay them because then thou declarest that thou likewise wilt exact the many thousand of Talents which they are as unable to pay thee And that thus by mutually shewing Mercy we may all be prepared to receive it at thy hands for thy dear Son our most blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT III. Prayers for an Heart to be Honest to his Creditors I. O! Almighty Lord who lovest Righteousness but hatest Iniquity let me not take up with a Prison as an Art of Defrauding nor chuse to rest thus uncomfortably confined in mine own Person to leave the guilt and curse of ill gotten Goods and of unpaid Debts to my Family Make me willing O! God to do justice to all who are any way concerned with me to the utmost of that worldly estate which I have to dispose of And ready to give every man what I owe him tho' I keep nothing to my self but am left thereby to live upon thy good Providence If want must be my share Oh! Let me want the Conveniences or even the necessaries of Life rather than the innocence thereof And grant good Lord that the place of my wanting may be here in this world where my wants will soon have an end not hereafter in the next world where they will know no end for Jesus Christ's sake Amen II. Enable me O! Blessed Lord if thou pleasest by thy good Providence and put me again into a Condition fully to discharge and clear my Accounts with all my Creditors Let none of them O! My God be losers in the end by me But bless me in my ways that I may have enough wherewithal to satisfy all their just Demands and give me an Heart to pay it out accordingly and that with thankfulness for their Forbearance and without unnecessary delays And dispose them to have patience with me till this can be done And suffer not me in the least to abuse that Patience but make me apply my self diligently to raise it for them as fast as I can and honestly to pay it to them as fast as I can raise it for them But if I am not able to pay them all that I owe them grant them the Heart to forgive me what I cannot pay And since what is thus given to me is given to the Poor look upon it O! Lord as lent to thee and be thou their pay-Master As they very charitably consider my Necessities do thou carefully prevent theirs And whatsoever they abate to me of my Scores do thou make up abundantly to them and theirs by thy good Providence And after they have forgiven me tho I am no longer answerable to them in Law yet make me ever sensible O! God that I still owe the same to them in Equity And give me always the heart to repay whatsoever they Acquit if ever thou shalt put me in a Capacity either by proper Payments or by grateful Offices so to do And by living always in this inward readiness and preparation of Mind to do them all exact justice tho' I can never fully clear my Debts yet by thy Grace I shall clear my Conscience and be fit not only for their Charity but also for thine eternal Mercy thro the merits and mediation of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT IV. A Thanksgiving for a Prisoner for Debt on his Release from Prison I. O! Father of Mercies and God of all Consolations the sighings of the Prisoners have come before thee and thou hast graciously heard my Prayer and set my feet at Liberty To thee O! Blessed Lord do I owe this comfortable Freedom which I have now obtained and to thy Boundless and undeserved Mercy will I ever thankfully ascribe it And Oh! That in all my Life and thro the whole course of my Conversation I may ever remember that I am thy Freeman O! That I may always adore and praise thy Goodness for my Deliverance and walk so humbly and thankfully and obediently towards thee as may shew that I am never unmindful that thou gracious God hast given me my Liberty and that I am ever to improve and spend it to thy Glory thro Jesus Christ my Lord Amen II. And Lord let me never lose those good Thoughts and Purposes nor forget those Vows which I made to thee when I was in Trouble Give me a mind suited in all things to my Circumstances and Grace to deny my self and to study to the utmost of my Ability to do justice to all my Creditors Never suffer me to forget their kindness in my Release nor to give them any just Cause to Repent of it Nor do thou ever forget it O! Merciful God but remember it always for their good Keep me thankfully Sensible of all the kindness of my Friends and Neighbours of all who did me any good Offices who shew'd me Countenance or supplyed my Necessity in the days of my Adversity Oh! Do thou make each of them that Requital which I ought to do and keep me always willing and ready to requite them after the best manner I can and when I am able to do no more to pray earnestly to thee that thou wouldest make up for me whatever returns of kindness I fall short in Remember also I humbly intreat thee O! Most merciful Father all those poor Prisoners who are still under their uncomfortable Restraints and in thy good Time do the same for them which in thy Mercy thou hast now done for me Oh! That having felt the same in my self I may ever have a most compassionate Sence and tender Feeling of their Afflictions and may joyfully embrace all opportunities of recommending them to the pity of others especially of those Persons from whose Charity they are to hope for their Release but above all O! Blessed God of Recommending them to thine everlasting Mercy which Grant that both they and I and all thy faithful People may ever earnestly Seek and succesfully Find for the sake of our only Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ AMEN FINIS THE CONTENTS OF THE Office for Prisoners for Crimes I. Directions for Prisoners for CRIMES Chap. I. HOW to Behave and Employ themselves after Commitment and before the Tryal page 1 Chap. II. How to Behave and Employ themselves in order to and at their Tryal p. 12 Chap. III. How to Behave and Employ themselves after Sentence of Gondemnation and at the Time of Execution p. 20 II. Special Directions for Prisoners for Debt p. 27 III. General Directions for Both. p. 33 Scriptures for Prisoners for Crimes p. 44 I. A general Prayer for all Prisoners taken out of the Companion for the Persecuted Particular Prayers for Prisoners for CRIMES I. For deliverance from their Sins and Sorrows p. 55 II. The Prisoners Confession of God's Justice in his sad Circumstances p. 57 III. His Profession of Repentance under the same p. 62 IV. Prayers for Learning Righteousness and Improvement of remaining Moments of Life p. 66 V. Prayers for Acceptance of Repentance tho late and for the sincerity and integrity thereof p. 70 VI. For Respite and longer Time in this world and against the day of Tryal p. 74 EJACULATIONS Ejaculations at his TRYAL p. 78 Ejaculations after his Tryal if Acquitted p. 79 If CONDEMNED p. 80 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 p. 81 Ejaculations for him at the time of Execution p. 86 VIII A Thanksgiving for deliverance out of Prison whither they had been justly committed for capital Crimes p. 87 Scriptures for Prisoners for Debt p. 93 Particular Prayers for Prisoners for DEBT I. The indebted Prisoners Prayers for clearing the Score of his Sins p. 98 II. A Prayer for Mercy from his Creditors p. 101 III. Prayers for an Heart to be Honest to his Creditors p. 103 IV. A Thanksgiving for a Prisoner for Debt on his Release from Prison p. 107 The End †Isa. 33. 14. 1 Tim. 5. 4 8. Mat. 6. 26. †To indemnify and content my Crediter when foâ— Debt * Or Crimes Psal. 55. 5. Psal. 38. 8. 10. Psal. uâ— 1. †Prov. 11. 6. †Job 4. 8. †Job 15. 16. * Here you may name the sin †Mat. 20. 9. Luk. 23 42 43. †At Execution instead of Sentence say and shameful Death †add this at execution ‡ now for when at execution †Luk. 23. 43. †who am now to for when I at execution †at execution say aâ—â— now †Luk 23. 46 †1. Tim. 1. 15. †Add these at execut †Luke 19. 10. * Luk. 24. 47. †Luk. 23. 43. * Ps. 130. 3. †This when the Debts are Contracted by our own Faults in Luxury or Mispence But if thro innocent Misfortune and mere Hand of Providence instead of brought not only c. say Deserved not only to be made a Prisoner for the same in this uncomfortable Place but to be committed among the lost Angels to Chains of everlasting Darkness till the Terrible Judgment of the great Day * In Case of 〈◊〉 contracted by meer Hand of Providence omit this within the Hooks †Mat. 18. 28 c. †Ps. 45. 7. Ps. 11. 7. †Prov. 19. 17. †Psal. 79. 11. †Heb. 4. 15.
own Naughtiness and am only left to lye down in that Bed of Guilt and Sorrow which I have been long a making for my self All my life I have been Sowing wickedness and am now brought to Reap the Fruit thereof I have Drunk up iniquity like Water and tho to my mad and distempered Fancy it seemed to yield a slight and short Pleasure while it slid along the Palate yet now I find it leaves an immoveable Bitterness and is nothing but Gall and Wormwood when it is got into the Belly I have Drunk it up with Greediness and fill'd up the measure of my sins till I perceive now alas That there is like to be no measure of my Sufferings and I am in danger to be swallowed up and utterly to sink under the Number and Weight of them Thus Oh thou Righteous Avenger of all ungodly and incorrigible wretches has thy Justice at last overtaken me And altho thy vengeance is oft times slow yet to my Grief and thy Glory I find 't is sure and when it comes insupportable I can in no wise bear my Load tho I have not the least exception against the Reasonableness and Justice of it Only my Hope is in thy Mercy which thou art wont to remember even when thou takest upon thee to shew Judgment And as thou art the Avenger of Sinners so remember Gracious Lord that thou art also the Saviour of them Oh save me the Chiefest and most wretched of Sinners And shew Favor unto me not according to my Deserts but according to thine own boundless Mercyes for our dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake Amen PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES III. His Profession of Repentance under the same I have sinned O Almighty Lord and sinned Grievously and have continued irreclaimable in the same for many years But now by the Alarm of mine own Dangers and by the Help of thy Grace I am made sensible of mine iniquities and am made truly sorry for my sins I sadly lament all the wicked wast of my time and strength and all my long and heinous Course of Ungodliness and abuse of thy Patience which has provoked thee to give me up to this great sin for which I am now most deservedly made a Prisoner and may be called to answer shortly with my Blood I am touched to the quick and sorely afflicted O! Righteous God with the Trouble and Sorrow which this Crime has brought upon my Self But more with the Offence which it has given thee and the greatest Care I have upon me is to have thee forgive me Lord I do from the bottom of my Heart repent of all my Sins but especially of this great One. I am greivously Troubled for what is past and am fully bent against falling any more into it for the Time to come and am ready to take shame to my self for the same I am vile in mine own eyes and am content to be so in the eyes of other Persons I am truly willing to make any submissions where I have given just Offence and as far as I am able to repair the wrong which I have done thereby And Oh! That thou wouldest ever keep me most ready to do this fully and faithfully and then direct me to do it prudently and in such sort as may not be more prejudicial than needs to my worldly safety Tho' thou lookest upon me therefore O! Almighty Lord as a Sinner yea as one of the greatest of Sinners Yet for Christ's sake look upon me as a penitent Sinner And tho' my sins are Great my dearest Saviour shed his Blood for the greatest Sins and thro the Merits of that Blood true Repentance is accepted by thee O! Merciful God from the greatest Sinners Oh! For his sake spare thy sinful but repenting Creature and tho' Justice be exacted of me for my crimes here yet admit me to some comfortable and well-grounded hopes of thy Mercy for the same hereafter thro' the Merits of my dearest Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES IV. Prayers for Learning Righteousness and Improvement of remaining Moments of Life I. THY Rod O! Blesseâ— Father which is lifted uâ— in justice to punish our Iniquâ—ties is used also by thy Gracâ— to cure them Oh! Let this my most deserved Affliction teach mâ— Wisdom Make my Goal my school wherein I may learn Righteousness and let my chains be preachers of Repentance Now I feel the smart and punishment thereof give me grace to be fully sensible of the wretchedness and folly of an ungodly and mispent Life Let me loath the Sin as well as the Sorrow and be duly affected with the injurie and dishonor which I have thereby done to thee as well as with the danger and distress which I have thereby brought upon my self that my contrition being truly for my sins against thee I may be duly qualified for thy most gracious Pardon of the same thro the Merits of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen II. And Help me O! Gracious God carefully to improve all my remaining moments and to employ all the time which I have now to Live in minding the true work and business of Life Habituate my heart to thy fear to humility and patience temperance and self-denials fasting and prayers Teach me to prize and set a great value upon all helps and opportunities of instruction and improvements in the way of Godliness To be desirous above all things of thy Grace and of the Company of good People whose discourse and carriage may affect my heart therewith and of their Prayers since I am most unworthy thro the multitude of my heinous offences to pray unto thee for my Self or to present unto thee any Petitions from my polluted Lips Let not my corrupt Lusts O! God run at Liberty whilst my body is under Guards and Custody And let me by no means resort to the company of desperate Sinners to keep off Remorse for my own Guilts nor seek to drown the agonies of my Mind in excess of Wine nor to divert them by vain Conversation But what space thou shalt graciously spare me Oh! That I may carefully employ and lay out with utmost diligence to make my peace with thee and to prepare for eternity Lord Help me to true Repentance that with all my Heart I may return unto thee Do thou help me now I call unto thee help me O! God of mercy for none else can help me Help thou me or I shall dye eternally Make my Repentance true and acceptable in thy sight that if I dye I may depart in thy Peace or if by thy Grace I be spared to live on still longer I may return from all my former Errors to a Life of Holiness and devote all the remainder of my Days to thy Glory thro our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES V. Prayers for Acceptance of Repentance tho late and for