and rests upon it and trusts unto it that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners Of whom she is chief Thou art willing that all should be saved Therefore thou art willing she should be saved also Thou hast put these words into her mouth and into our mouths for her That if Jesus Christ hath not merits enough to save her she and we also will be contented that she should be Damned for ever But Blessed be our God! The merits of our Saviour are Infinite Oh! Lord make application of them unto her poor Soul Oh! Take away for Christs sake all her sins Blot out her iniquities at a Cloud and her Transgressions as a thick Cloud Though her sins have abounded unto her Condemnation yet let thy grace much more infinitely more abound unto her justification Enter not into judgment with her Oh Lord Deliver her from blood guiltiness Oh God thou God of her salvation And her Tongue and our mouths shall sing aloud of Christs Righteousness and of thy Faithfulness Oh take away whatsoever may hinder the Communications of thy Love favor and salvation unto her Purge sin out of her Give a broken contrite and truly Peritent heart unto her She is Mourning for her sin and misery Oh wash her in the blood of the Lamb in that Fountain opined for sin and for Uncleannesses in the lavor of Regeneration Oh sanctifie and renew her by thy Holy Spirit Take away all the spots and blots of her sin Though she be defiled and deformed with innumerable and those the most abominable yet canst thou rense and cleanse her in a moment No unclean thing shall enter into thy Kingdom Without Holiness none can see the Lord. Now the Lord Sanctifie her throughout in her whole Soul Body and Spirit And though she hath been by the wiles of the Devil cheated of her life and is now to suffer Justly for her evil deeds give her to bear patiently the indignation of her God because she hath sinned against thee and to accept of the punishment of her iniquity Though she must burn in Temporal flames yet let her not burn in Everlasting flames Oh Let the streams of Christs blood quench out the flames of thy wrath Though she die in Earth Lord Save her from Hell Oh Give her Faith the Faith of Gods elect And the Lord strengthen her Faith Oh Confirm her hope Oh Give her to abound in hope through thy Holy Ghost given to her Oh Grant that Faith Hope and patience may have their perfect work in her Give in some token some pledge of thy good will unto her if it be thy good pleasure Oh revive support and comfort her drooping Spirits Though she be in the Valley and shaddow of death do not forsake her Oh do not forsake her Say unto her thou art her Salvation Tell her that after she hath suffered a little while she shall be with thy self in Heaven perfect with thee in Glory Say unto her as unto the Thief upon the Cross this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Oh keep off Satan from her He is never more busie â—han when thy poor Worms are weakest and least able to defend themselves from him Lord Jesu Fight for her against him Keep her pretious and immortal Soul from him Oh Be with her now in these her last agonies Give thy Holy Angels to wait upon her and in that very moment that her Soul shall go out of her Body let those Glorious Angels carry it into Abrahams bosome Into thy hands do we commend her Into thy hands doth she commit her Spirit Dear Jesu Save it For thou hast loved redeemed and died for it And now Lord though earth will loose a bloody Sinner yet let Heaven be augmented by one saint more O Look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness and Glory upon this numerous Assembly Oh let them not be idle Spectators of these dreadful Providences Oh That they may be Ordinances for this good for their Conversion and Reformation Oh That every Soul that is gazing here may smite upon his Breast and lament that Universal corruption which is in our nature and the woful effects of our sin Sin having once conceived bringeth forth death We have the root of the matter in us the very causes of those sins for which these Malefactors suffer had we the same temptations we might be Guilty of the like transgressions And were it not for the Cords and Curbs of thy Restraining Grace we should be in their Condition Blessed be God we are not 'T is thou only that hast made us to differ Oh That all Masters of Families Parents of Children would see that they in their own Persons and with their Families do serve the Lord Oh Let there be no ' Prayerless Families no uncatechized Children in this Place Look once more we pray thee with mercy upon this thy poor Creature She is very low very miserable yearn upon her with bowels of compassion and embrace her with arms of everlasting lave Be her God and her Guide unto death and her Saviour from everlasting death And all we beg in and for the sake of our dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who sits on the Right hand making intercession for her and for us Hear us for his sake and gratiously answer us and do abundantly for her and us beyond what we can ask or think To him with thy self Holy Father and Eternal Spirit be Everlasting Glory Dominion Praise and Thanksgiving Amen Prayer being ended I lifted up my hands over her and said Anne the Lord bless thee and keep thee The Lord make his Face to shine upon thee and be gracious to thee The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee and give thee Peace And if thy Repentance be true and thy peace made with God and our Prayers heard as I hope they all are death wont be terrible unto thee Now Farewel Life welcome Death God will send his Holy Angels in a Fiery Chariot to Convey thy Soul into Heaven THis poor wretch weeping and wringing me by the hand Sir saith she I am never able to requite you for all your labor of love care and pains about the Salvation of my pretious Soul but the Lord. will I hope The Lord reward you The Lord recompense you for all these kindnesses I thank you with all my Heart And as I was departing from her she helpake me Sir pray intreat for me that I may not be put to too much torture I answered her in broken words and tears for few there refrained That I would do my utmost endeavor to prevent it And turning my self to the Gentlemen in Authority Gentlemen the English temper abhors Cruelty show same Bowels to this poor Creature I need not intreat it there was such a Clowd of grief sitting upon all their Faces and so much tenderness and companion that they would have done their utmost to have hindred it Two went to the Maid and
them I also visited them again and renued my assaults and batteries against this strong hold of the Devil but she resists stands out against God and all his Counsels she resolves from first to last whatever parleys she hath with Heaven let the Lord humble himself never so much unto so base a Murderer she may treat with him but unless she can obtain her own Terms her own Articles and Conditions she will not surrender Sill she hideth her sin as Adam still concealeth she the secret of Hell as if she had been sworn Privy Counseller unto the Devil She will sooner bite out her Tongue and spit it out of her Mouth or seal up the door of her Lips than let the deposiâ—um Satan have vent and see the Sun So that I could sigh unto my self as that German Philip The old Satan is too hard for young Melancthon It was high time to leave her upon whom no good impressions could be wrought I then betook my self to the poor Penitent and asking her how she did How it went with her Soul She answers me Never was a poor Creature so cheated out of her life But I forgive the Nurse front my Heart And Sir Though my sins are many yet Gods mercies are more and if Christ bath not merits enough to save me I will be contented to be damned eternally And afterward inquiring of her into the grounds and reasons of this her confidence she told me she saw her sin she was unfeignedly sorry for it and not only that it was committed against her Mistresses and had ruined them and her self here but chiefly this grieved her that she had thereby dishonored God her Heavenly Father who had made her and Jesus Christ who had died for her and God the Holy Ghost who had sanctified her to become his Servant That however she would not despare of mercy For the Thief upon the Cross found mercy from our Saviour at the last hour and I Question not that he my Saviour hath mercy for me Reader I give thee her very words neither adding to them nor substracting from them and if they do do not melt thee in reading I must assure thee they did me in heating them Her Sisters being come to her weeping and crying she was desired to speak to them and urged because her time was short she answered My time is short indeed and I am drawing near unto Eternity but I hope in God to an Eternity of Happiness My great work now was to settle her Spirit and to corroborate her Soul against the horrors of her death and told her after many other discourses Anne thou art happier than many here for I hope before Twenty four hours be past thou wilt be in Heaven Hold fast thy hope and confidence in Gods mercy which shal have a good recompence of Reward No matter for thy punishment since thou hast a pardon Yea Sir saith she I believe and receive this true and faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief Having got a little silence and very little indeed it was the noise and tumult of the people ever and anon drowning my voice I prayed with these Malefactors and wished them a good Night But sleep they did not Every hour increaseth their fears The day of their Execution is now come and early in the morning I gave them another visit comforted and confirmed the poor Maid who desired me not to leave her at her sufferings and dealt again with the Nurse though to as little purpose as formerly and then sought God by Prayer in their behalf That duty finished Turning my discourse to the Maid Anne said I Thy time flies away thy end is very near take off thy heart wholly from the world Be dead unto thy Relations tell them the best service and kindness they can do thee is not to see thee but pray for thee and let all thy thoughts and desires be unto God to be at home with him long now to be in Heaven and Glory turn thy Face to the Wall since thou hast no private Room and power out thy Soul before the Lord and wait yea wait earnestly for his Salvation Do not fear the Fire God will carry thee thorough it it can only hurt thy Body it shall not singe thy Soul Though thy Flesh and thy Bones be consumed thou wilt have many Mourners and God I hope will gather thine Ashes and grant thee a Glorious Resurrection I want words to tell thee what the Joys of Heaven are but thou wilt see and feel and tast and injoy them very shortly I hope this day thou wilt be with the Lord and all his blessed Saints and glorious Angels in Paradise She said Amen Notwithstanding my ill success and many repulses hitherto yet I would not leave the Nurse I reasoned still with my self who knoweth but that Grace may be given and Satan may loose his hold fast and the Prey may be taken out of the Paws of the spoiler out of the jaws of the Devourer Satan hath fallen as a flash of lightning before the Ministry of Gods Holy word God hath him in a Chain and though she hath not listened to the voice of former admonitions it may be she shall now unto the last Addressing my self therefore once again unto her I told her Nurse this is the last conference that ever I will have with thee on Earth about thy Soul and nothing but my real sence of its worth and lothness that it should be lost for ever would ever have ingaged me to it That I got nothing but trouble grief and loss of time thus to wait upon her and not to be able to do good I knew indeed my reward was with the Lord and my work with my God but yet I demanded this poor satisfaction of her now at parting that she should not send me away with the sad thoughts of her damnation To which she very civilly replyed Sir I thank you for all your love to my Soul I believe that what you have done and spoken hath been in order to my Eternal good Well then I added shall you and I have a little private discourse together She agreed Desiring therefore the people to withdraw at a distance I askt her in her Ear whether she were Guilty or not Sir saith she I will tell you all I know Then stopt at length the repeats again I will tell you all I know And then stops Whereupon I told her Nurse the Devil is leaving thee God is coming in with mercy do not now at the last hour refuse it tell me what you know of this business and I assure thee upon the word of a Minister that without thy consent I will not disclose it Do not fear shame shame the Devil and give Glory to God Sir I confess I did put the Spider into the Cup and bad the Girl to squat it abroad but it was a Foolish and vain word
his afterwalk spent much time alone mourning before his death and that day he died having no visible appearance thereof to those who looked on he was heard in his Chamber much Wrestling in Prayer and after long continuance those of the House were forced to break open the Door getting no answer after their long knocking and found him dead in the Room but upon his knees in a Prayer posture and the whole blood of his body which from every passage thereof had issued out swimming about the Floor It being visible how all these passages were opened for that effect a most astonishing instance declaring this to the world though he pardon the iniquity of his people Yet some sins he will not let pass without a visible mark of his anger but will take vengeance on their inventions I have given you the Story in its own Scottish Dialect 7. Carry this ever upon your hearts keep it in your minds that you have a Father and Master in Heaven and that dayly tributes of obedience and Thanksgiving must be yielded by you unto him That you are Gods Children and Gods Servants and you must Love Honor Reverence and Obey the Lord whose you are and that you ought to serve him principally in the first place and continually to the very last Remember you have pretious never dying Souls and these must be saved Do not for fear of any mans displeasure displease God and Damn your Souls If you once come to neglect God to turn your backs upon your known duties God will abandon you And if God leave you woe woe unto you My dear Youth acquaint your selves with the practice of secret Prayer Be at least once a day in private upon your knees before God Bear the Yoke of Christs Commandments it is a Golden Yoke his Yoke is easie his Burden light You have seen very lately a vast difference between the Service of God and of sin When Souls drudge for sin like a cursed Tyrant it makes them dig their untimely Graves Sin is neither profitable nor honorable nor comfortable It puts you upon the basest work and pays the worst wages What fruit have sinners had of sin but shame That Harvest which they reap from the Seed of sin is nothing else but an heap of grief and desperate sorrows 8. Receive warning and instruction from these dreadful providences Do not boast nor glory over these wretches You stand by Grace be not high minded but fear it is God withholds you from their sins and preserves you from their Judgments Our blessed and Famous Martyr Master Bradford never saw any Malefactor leading to Execution but he would smite upon his breast and say Here Within me is the root of that matter for which this man suffers You can all say the same Remember Lots Wise If God erect A Pillar of Salt in Plymouth if God Fire a Beacon upon Catdown as God hath done in the Execution of these unfortunate Creatures here is the use you must make of them to hear and fear and do no more any such wickedness They are become a Sign unto you God hath made them your Examples to the intent that you should not lust after evil things as they lusted They are a Warning-piece shot off in your Ears a Light-house presented to your Eyes that you might be kept from the paths of the Destroyer These things are happened and fallen out now in your days for Examples that you might take admonition upon whom the ends the last and worst days of the World are come The just Lord hath been in the midst of us he cannot do iniquity every morning doth he bring his judgments to light he faileth not Oh! be not as the unjust that know no shame When Gods judgments are come home so near unto us to our very Doors and Houses The Youth of Plymouth must learn righteousness If you will not be warned by others God will make you a warning unto others Dear youth remember that all Poysoners all Dogs that Bark at Religion and Godly Persons all Whoremongers and Murderers all wicked and unnatural Children all disobedient and undutiful Servants shall be driven out of Heaven by this Token by this Sign that Two of Plymouth were lately by a very shameful and cursed death driven out of the Earth II. Art thou a Superior A Master or Parent Friendly Reader Then suffer the word of Exhortation 1. STudy Christian Oeconomicks the Arts of well-ordering thy Family according to the Laws of Christ and put them into practice It was an excellent Order of our Church full of religious Prudence that those who Married should on their wedding day receive the Sacrament Teaching us this Lesson that none should enter upon Family charges before they did well understand the nature of Family duties Ah! how much is this neglected Persons get into a married life and yet them Families Servants and Children before they have any skill to govern themselves and neither skill nor will to govern s uch as are under them This is the true Source of all our mischiefs the Seminary and Root of our abounding Prophaneness and till there be a Reformation here in our respective Families in Masters and Parents I shall despair of ever meeting with it among Children or Servants If Children prove unnatural and Servants ungovernable Why did you not teach them better If you are ignorant of your duties do not complain that they neglect theirs If Poyson and Murder come into a Family it was because the fear of God was not there 2. My dear Plimouthians Give good Examples to those that are under you They are led more by Examples than Precepts They do not write after the best Copies but those that are nearest hand Oh! walk before God before your Children and Servants in a perfect way Read and Meditate upon the 101. Psalm There is a divine Platform of your whole duty What Children learn from their Parents Servants from their Masters that do they instil and teach also unto their Children and Servants The happiness or wretchedness the weal and woe of the next age depends upon the Education and Examples of this Make not posterity miserable nor your own Flesh and Blood your dearest parts your chiefest Goods to curse you when you are dead and gone for your cockering and indulgence to them Live all the Sermons you hear and be an Epistle of commendation of your Ministers to your Children Servants Families and the whole World Let none under your roofs have occasion to behold your miscarriages They are natural Apes imitating what is had not what is good Keep your selves from all sin and keep the sight of sin from all that belong unto you If Children and Servants instead of Praying hear Swearing and Cursing instead of the Bible and Catechisms bloody Oaths and Blaspheming instead of seeing Holiness and the shining beauties of Godliness shall be the Spectators of their Parents wickedness and uncleanness Atheism and Irreligion Mark it Sirs Mark what I
HELL OPEN'D OR The Infernal Sin of Murther Punished BEING A True Relation of the Poysoning of a whole Family in Plymouth whereof Two died in a short time For which horrid Fact the Malefactors were Condemned before the Lord Chief Justice North at Exceter the last Lent Assizes The one to be Burnt the other to be Hanged WITH An Account of the several Discourses and Religious means used by divers godly Ministers to bring them to Repentance Published for a warning to both Young and Old to flie Iniquity and exercise themselves in the practice of Godliness By J. Q. Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for Francis Eglesfield at the Sign of the Marygold in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1676. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death Prov. 14.27 A Man that doth violence to the Blood of any Person shall flee to the Pit let no Man stay him Prov. 28.17 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Psal 9.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the Gates of Heaven are the Dogs and the POYSONERS Rev. 22.15 And they became a Sign Numb 26.10 And Israel shall hear and fear and do no more such wickedness Deut. 13.11 To the Right Worshipful John Dell Major and to the Worshipful William Weeks William Jennings and John Martyn Justices of the Peace together with their Brethren the Magistrates of the Town of Plymouth And to my very Honored Friend John Harris of Manniton Esquire Sirs I Have real somewhere of an Hermite who being guided by an Angel unto two Cities saw the Gates of the first close shut and a Devil having the Keys thereof at his Girdle in a deep sleep and snorting From thence he is led unto the other which was fair and spacious and finds the Gates wide open innumerable Devils crouding and thronging in multitudes climbing over the walls and whole swarms of them in the Churches Streets Houses Shops walks and all other Avenues and places of concourse exceedingly employed busying and bestirring themselves to the utmost for the ruine of it and her Inhabitants At which wondring beyond measure the Angel told him yonder City is the worst of the Two ingulpht in all wickedness and irreligion so that Beelzebub hath no fear of loosing it and therefore there is but one Devil to guard it and his work so little that he sleeps But as for this wherein now we are here are many Souls fearing and serving God Religion is professed and Religious Worship countenanced and incouraged and the Holy Angels of God are watching over these precious Saints and their Habitations to preserve them This hath caused Hell to break loose and to endeavor by all means and arts imaginable their ruine and its destruction Sirs I think this be no unfitting Emblem of our Plymouth wherein I trust there are multitudes of Gods dear Servants as well as Sinners But I fear me multitude of Devils also that walk in Temples and Congregations in Streets and Houses in Chambers and Closets in Ships and Shops upon Keys and Exchange The over abounding of Sin among us and of late of that hainous and crying sin of Blood and Murther for which Two of the prime Actors and God knows whether there be any other have suffered condign punishment is too sad and clear an instance hereof When Hannibal was at the Gates of Rome it was more than time for the Consuls and Senate to look about them Woe Woe Unto the Inhabitants of the Earth saith an Angel from Heaven Because the Devil is come down among you having great wrath for his time is short He doth not appear in a visible shape at noon day but walks as his younger Son the Jesuite in all sorts of Masques and disguises in every habit and fashion and among Persons of every Trade Calling Quality and Condition Now Sirs God having constituted you the Angel-Guardians of our Plymouth and made you Gods unto it there is all reason you should be awake and do your utmost to prevent the Stratagems and attempts of Hell against it I know no other way or means that you have than by an exemplary Holiness in your lives than by walking with God in your respective Families and Callings than by a couragious zealous activity for God and Godliness and a vigorous suppression and impartial punishing of all Vice and Impiety Would you but continue your great respects and incouragements to your Reverend and Learned Ministers and joyn both Swords together Temporal and Spiritual I am confident the designs of Hell against you would be broken frustrated and rendered ineffectual Honored Sirs My hearts desire and Prayer for you is that you may do worthily in your Ephrata and Famously in your Bethlehem that you may glorifie God in your Station and that God may reflect rays and beams of Glory upon you For such as Honor him God will Honor them but they that despise him shall be lightly esteemed 1 Sam. 2.30 Sirs if you will suppress all prophaneness and by your Authority put out the Fire of uncleanness if you will stop the Mouth and Gag the Tongue of the Swearer that the Roaring of Oaths and Curses be not heard in our Streets if you will promote true practical Piety and persevere as you have begun in the conscientious discharge of your Magistratical Duty the God of blessings will bless your persons and Families and Plymouth shall never be a Sodom but Zion shall ever be a Jerusalem for Gospel-priviledges a Pillar and Ground of Truth rich and flourishing as Tyre for Trade and Traffick and as formerly so in after-times a Zoar for Divine safety and wonderful preservations That endeared affection I have for the Town of my Nativity where I first drew my breath and where I had my School-Education moveth me to speak and write so freely And your true goodness cannot but make a candid interpretation thereof May Plymouth her Magistrates and Government ever live before God! May this Famous Town be called Hephzibah and Beulah the Delight of God and Married unto God! Let her be called the Righteous the Holy City And may this be her name unto Posterity Jehovah Shamma The Lord is there So prayeth Right Honored Sirs From my Study in Plymouth April 7. 1676. Your most humble and unfeigned Sevant in our Lord Jesus John Quicke THE PREFACE THe Devil is stiled by our blessed Saviour A Murderer from the beginning Having destroyed himself by his willful A postacy from God and being justly banished the Glories of the celestial Paradise for his Voluntary Rebellion he turned about him seeking how and in what manner he might be revenged on his Judg. And after all his rueful thoughts and consultations could find no expedient more likely to succeed and take than the working mischief on mankind Our first Parents a Compendium of both Worlds Sublunary and Aetherial the Crown of Gods Creation but a little lower than the Angels
of Sarge which were bought to be Dyed and severall pare of Stockings from several people which they never had again 11. He stole from Henry Jellings of Tregony One piece of Sarge who brought it to him to Dye and never had the return of it more 12. He stole from Robert Strong of Plymouth Three Yards of Sarge Two Yards of Cloth and Four pair of Stockings at another time Four Sticks of Brazil 13. He stole from William Weeks of Plymouth Seven Yards of Sarge 14. He stole from a Widow woman of Loo out of a Box that was in a Chamber wherein he lay Eight Shillings and Six pence 15. He stole from his Uncle John Codmore a Dun Nag 16. He stole out of John Temples House of Tamerton Eight Yards of Linnen and One pair of Stockings and at another time stole from him Fourteen Yards of Sarge Three Yards of Cloth and Eleven pair of Stockings 17. He stole from his Father Money out of his Pockets at several times and once Eighteen Shillings 18. He stole from Tryphena Channings of St. Stephens One Silver Thimble and Two Yards and half of Sarge and a mans Sarge Coat for which he broke a Window 19. He stole from John Walter of the said Parish a white Mare Bridle Saddle and Gambadoes 20. He broke an House in Pillington and stole from thence Five Silver Spoons One Silver Trimble and a Silver Whistle 21. He stole from Hugh Northam of Tamerton the Summ of Nine and thirty Pounds Fifteen Shillings and Ten Pence in Money and One Scarf Six Dozen and Four Silver Buttons Twenty Gold Buttons a shoulder Knot of Scarlet Ribband and Four small Knots of the same and some Silver Bobbin 22. He confest he sold his Wife to a Millar for Five pound on a Bill half to be paid on Easter Munday and the other half to be paid the Whitsun Munday after 23. He stole from Hatherly Moore Two Steers and fold them at Plymouth 24. He brake the House of John Trapling of Pillington and from thence stole meat drest 25. He went into Thomas Mallets House of Gerrance at the top of the Chimney and his Wife heard it so he went out and stole nothing 26. He was also tempted to break the House of Tryphena Channings if she had not changed her lodging Room from the Chamber to the under Room he had then intended to have stolen away her Box wherein her money lay 27. He stole a Goose at Lee in Pillington Parish 28. He was also riding in St. Blazy and saw Geese in the way he struck one and killed it and carried it away with him I certifie my offence that all the world may know the effects of sin and hereto I have set my hand the day above written And the Lord give me Repentance whilst it is time John Codmore REader this is a fair Catalogue A goodly Bedroll And a very sweet Penitent And that I do not wrong his memory give me leave to tell thee that of all this money which he last stole from Mr. Northam and it is credibly reported the Sum was double to what he confessed he never took any care to restore one Farthing nay ordered a considerable Summ of it I think Thirty Pound to be put out for his Child and gave order unto his wretched Brother in Law to go to Loo and in that Chamber where he lay last hanging to the Vallance of his Bed next to the Wall he shâ—uld find a Purse of Money which accordingly he fetcht but what is become of it is unknown However at the Execution of his wicked Sister we may chance to hear some farther tale and tidings thereof But for this fellow he hath a Twelve month since received his Doom and is gone unto his place and there we leave him And now let us return Reader from our Digression though I think we have not been much nor long out of our way Finding no good success in my labors with the Nurse I sent for the Maid to come unto me Who being shut into the Chamber with me I asked her what she did think would become of her pretious Soul that it was better worth than a World and it was a Thousand pitties that a Jewel of such inestimable worth and value should be lost for ever That now it was in a very dangerous â— state and ready to perish irrecoverably That as she had by her envy malice Instigation and Correspondence with the Devil Murdered her two Mistresses so she also had Murdered her own Soul and Body And that as they were dead and Buried so would she also shortly die a very horrible death and without wonderful mercy be swallowed up of everlasting wrath That the Fire which was to consume her in Plymouth would be very painful but the Fire of Hell in which she must live and lye for ever would be insupportable That her many and mighty sins had brought her to this woful condition And I added How will you get out of it Poor wretch She fell a trembling and weeping and desired my help and direction and she would labor to follow it Whereupon my Bowels yearning on her and mingling my tears with hers I told her I was heartily glad to hear such words drop from her mouth and through Gods blessing she would never want it Then I told her Anne do you sit down in some secret place and review your life and look over all your ways and call your self to an account for all the sins that you can remember your self Guilty of and consider chiefly that your heart and nature are desperately wicked that there dwelleth in you nothing that is good and that you cannot do any thing that is good no not so much of your self as think a good thought much less to Convert and turn your self to God Then remember every one of the Ten Commandments and how that you have transgrest against them especially against the Sixth Thou shalt not kill and that for every one of these sins of yours even for the least you have deserved to burn in Hell Oh! Then how many Hells have you merited Besides consider all the mercies of God bestowed upon you as your Life Health Liberty Friends Food and to live in a Land where the Gospel is preached and the way to Heaven revealed and discovered and yet how unworthily have you abused them to the dishonor of the Lord that gave them But principally consider that all your sins have been committed against God the Father that Created you that gave you life and being against God the Son Christ Jesus who became man and died for you Anne said I this makes your sin exceeding sinful a very horrible sin that Christ Jesus to save you from sin and Hell died for you was crucified and accursed for you lost his heart blood for you and underwent the torments of Hell for you to keep and save you from them And yet by every sin that you have been Guilty of you
have Crucified Christ afresh you have stabbed him to the heart drawn fresh blood from him For not one of your sins can be pardoned without his blood and you have been very prodigal of it to spill and despise and trample it under Foot which is Hellish ingratitude Will you set home this meditation upon your Heart Finally consider that you have sinned against the Holy Spirit of God who sanctified you in Baptism unto his Service and that quite contrary to the end and intent of God in Baptizing you that you might repent and renounce sin you have wallowed in it all your daies and grieved the good Spirit of God and only gratified and served the Devil And having done this do you throw your self not upon your knees but flat upon your face upon the earth before God and think as if you were at the very mouth of Hell and ready to be cast headlong into the torments of it that are endless easeless and remediless and then with showrs of tears and with as much Shame and Grief as you can possibly confess all these sins unto God and beg of God to give you Repentance unto life to Weep Mourn and be confounded for them and never seave Praying Sighing and Groaning unto God in Prayer till he do make your hard heart wax soft within you and that you be chiefly abased and humbled that you have sinned against God who is your best Friend Saviour and alone Comforter Besides do this at night upon your Bed and be up early at this work and desire the Lord that your late Repentance may be a true Repentance Having promised me that she would take this course we came out unto the other Prisoners And speaking unto the Man condemned for coyning I told him and his Companion who stole a Mare but is since mercifully reprieved That God had said Thou shalt not Steal and as he that Murdered by Gods Law deserved everlasting death in Hell so by that same Law did he that stole that burning in Hell was a worse punishment than hanging upon a Gallows That it was a wickedness against the light of nature that they were guilty of That the very Heathen who knew not God punished it with as much severity as our Laws That they would not willingly have others so use them to take away their goods from them That every Man had a Right Title and Prerogative to the fruit of his own and honest Labors That it was a sin against the whole Land and Nation to invade the Prerogatives of the King such as coyning was being inseparable from the Crown and a most glorious Flower of it That he who would strike at the Royalties of the King would never stick nor boggle to make away the Life of the King which was such a piece of damnable impiety in it self and consequences that none but an incarnate Devil would be guilty of That they should do well to seek the pace of God in time and to wrestle mightily with him for Grace Repentance and Forgiveness that so they might not perish everlastingly Their time was short their work great it was no easie matter to get to Heaven That I had known many very holy mortified and godly Persons that had spent Threescore years in a Religious Life and close walking with God yet to be full of fears and doubts they should never get to Heaven And that they had much more cause to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling And in the upshot told them that if they would seriously and heartily embrace and follow these Counsels if they would to day whilst it is called to day hearken to the Voice of God and nor harden their Hearts there was hope for them in their latter end For their was forgiveness with God that he might he feared yea with the Lord there was mercy and plenteous Redemption Other Ministers coming in I bad them farewel for the present THe next morning about Eight of the Clock I visited them again and sound with them Mr. G. T. a worthy Minister of Exon who gave me an account of the unsuccesfulness of his Labors as to that wicked Woman the Nurse and then in a very pathetical and devout prayer most pertinent to their conditions with great meltings of his own heart and affections commended them unto the Lord. When he was gone I dealt again with the Nurse but no more privately as heretofore I urged her to repent of her horrid Murders to acknowledg them and take the shame of them to her self That she must do it God and Man Heaven and Earth required it from her mouth She still asks me Sir what will you have me confess an untruth unto you a matter of which I am not Guilty I told her that none believed her that it was a most improbable thing that those Persons who witnessed against her some of them being to my knowledg Persons fearing God hating a lie should ever accuse her falsly They had no temptations to it she never having wronged nor offended them that as far as I knew the were as much her Friends as her Mistresses that there was neither profit nor advantage nor pleasure nor honor accrewing to them in taking away her life and they were too tender and made more Conscience than so to draw upon themselves the guilt of innocent Blood And finally I told her that she had * made swopt a Bargain with the Devil for secrecy to her own destruction that all would out at last as cunningly and closely as she did carry it before Men and Angels and said I you are one of the most bloody Women that ever came into this Goal you are guilty of Two Murthers upon your Mistresses guilty of a Third before God having drawn in this poor Girl like a Devil as you are to joyn with you to ruin them and her self also and though she suffered justly from Man yet her Blood would be required from your hands by God and then you must answer for the shortning of her days and that destruction she and you have brought upon her self so that she was drowned over and over in Blood-guiltiness And I did as verily believe she would be in Hell unless there were a very wonderful change wrought upon her as that old Murderer her Father the Devil was These words extorted tears from her but no confession and she prayed me to have better thoughts and hopes of her I told her I wish I had some grounds for them but I could have none till I saw her stony Heart rent and shivered to pieces and her Bones broken under the sence of her Hellish wickedness and she did not continue to reject the Counsels of God to her own destruction Upon this her Accusers that unthought of or unknown to me were at the Door being admitted conferred with her and I betook my self to the poor Penitent the Maid This is a sad too sad a Truth After condemnation crowds of vulgar Persons throng in upon
herself Now she being questioned about her offence owns every particular thereof it having been propounded to her in particulars Owneth that the Nurse bad her put it in Only denieth the Deposition of Scannels Wife professing that she cannot remember it Professeth her hearty and unfeigned sorrow for her sin not only because it had ruined her Mistresses and her self but principally and especially because it was an high dishonor to God Father Son and Spirit that it made her unworthy of his Favor and Blessing yet she professed her Faith and Hope of Salvation through the alone Merits of the Lord Jesus Into whose hands she now commended her self and desired to forgive all the World and that Bloody Woman the Nurse who had drawn her into destruction and added that she submitted patiently to her death because she had deserved it And said it was her wish that all others would take warning by her Example and taking this Relator by the hand Sir saith she will you not pray with me Did you not promise me yon would And craving it with Tears it was readily accorded Silence being commanded and every Person composed there was this following Prayer conceived and poured before the Lord in her behalf MOst Holy Lord God! The Righteous Judg of the whole World Just in all thy Ways and Holy in all Works The great and terrible God! a consuming Fire and everlasting burnings How can such sinful chaff and stubble as we are stand before thee We must needs in a Moment be reduced unto Ashes if thou hast not pitty on us But blessed be thy Name thou art a God of wonderful Love and Mercies Thou hast so loved the World as to give thine only begotten Son to the death for us that we believing in him should not perish but have everlasting life We are greater Sinners than the Apostate Angels and yet have greater Mercies afforded us though they are better capacited to serve God than our selves and never sinned against thee but once yet thou didst utterly reject them never gavest a Christ to them nor to die for them whereas thou hast bestowed him on us the most unworthy Persons Sons and Daughters of sinful Adam who have never ceased sinning against thee We are all Sinners by Nature and from our Youth upward We were conceived in sin and born in iniquity Our Infancy our Youth and riper years have been all spent in the drudgery of sin We have broken all the Commandments of our God in heart thought word and deed sinned against the Law and against the Gospel against all the means used by our God to reclaim and to reform us We have despised the best of Mercies and deserved the worst of Judgments yea to be burnt up with unquenchable flames as this poor wretched Malefactor is now ready to be with those that are temporal But hitherto thou hast spared and reprieved us and given us space for Repentance and waitest to be gracious to us and biddest us seek thee O our God whilest thou mayest be found and call upon thee whilest thou art near it forsake our ungodliness and to forego all our wickedness and thou wouldest abundantly pardon yea thou art so gracious as to bid and incourage us to Pray for others with promises of Audience and Acceptance This emboldens us to make our addresses to thee for this poor condemned Creature ready to be executed We confess for her and she doth acknowledg for her self Lord her great and grievous offences that she hath been a Rebel against thee all her days lived in sin neglected duty neglected getting the saving knowledg of God and acquaintance with thee that she hath not hearkened to the voice of God speaking from his holy Word unto her but listned readily unto the Temptations and Suggestion of the Devil a Murderer from the beginning and by whose enticements she hath embrewed her hands in Blood in the guilt of innocent Blood of her Relation and Superiors which crys to Heaven for vengeance against her Lord she cannot stand before the Justice of Men. Ah! how unable is she to subsist at the Bar of God Man hath justly contemned her and the Lord might justly damn her and that to all Eternity The wages of her sin is death death Temporal and Eternal But Lord though she is miserable thou art merciful though she is full of sins thou art full of pardons though she is helpless in her self yet in thee Lord is she not hopeless Blessed be God that hath opened a Door of hope for her in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus who was delivered to the death for her sins and rose again from the dead that she might be justified Thy Free guift in Christ Jesus is Eternal Life Oh! How sweet is thy mercy Suffer us Blessed Father in all humility to plead with thee in her behalf Oh That thou wouldest be gracious to her she is thy Creature the work of thine hands do not destroy her She is the purchase of thy Sons blood Oh Let him not loose her Christ died for her Oh Let him not die in vain for her Therefore save her Her sins are many but thy mercies are infinitely more her sins are Bloody Crimson Scarlet and crying sins but the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sins Bloodshed by her cryeth down Vengeance on her But yet dear Lord Hear Oh hear the lowder outcries of thy Sons blood for her She is if ever any an object worthy of pitty not from any worth in her but because of her misery If God do not help her who will Who can Men and Angels cannot save her but Jesus Christ can He is able And Bessed be thy name sweet Jesu Thou art willing also even to the worst and utmost to save Thou art an Almighty and All sufficient Saviour thine arm is not shortened thy Grace is not exhausted Oh Magnifie thy Grace now even now upon her Thou hast said that the weary the heavy laden should come unto thee and thou wouldest give them rest And that such as come unto thee though the greatest sinners thou wouldest not cast out 'T is late indeed that she comes unto thee but not too late Truth Lord Late Repentance is seldom true but yet true Repentance is never too late Bitter late than never Thou hast given us one instance one example of the Thief on the Cross saved at the Eleventh at the last hour save one 't is but one that we should not presume and yet one that we should not despair Oh Lord she will not despair of thy mercy that were a greater sin than all the rest that she hath committed Now Lord though late she comes unto thee she throws her self at thy Feet and we thy poor Servants come unto thee and prostrate our selves at thy fleet for her Oh! Do not cast her out of thy sight Oh! Let her not be Damned but saved This is a true and faithful saying worthy of all acceptation most worthy of hers and she accepts of it
tell you without Miracles of mercy you and your Children and your Servants and your Houses shall be undone Eternally The curse of the Lord is it to the House of the Wicked but he blesseth the Habitation of the Just 3. My dear Townsmen Perform Family duties let them not grow out of use and fashion Whatever others do yet do you and your Families serve the Lord. Give God a Morning and Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving He hath throatned to pour out his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his Name Jer. 10. ult Prayerless Families are Paganish Families and Heathen Families are loathed by God Read the Scriptures daily in your Houses Catechize and Instruct in the doctrinals of Religion the Youth within your Gates Repeat and frequently discourse with them about the Word of God read and preached Sanctifie the Lords day Sing Psalms and the high-sounding Praises of God in your dwellings Examine the Proficiency of your Children and Servants in the grace and knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Give due and seasonable reprehension and correction and spare not the Rod unless you will spoil the Child Comfort and incourage them in well-doing Press them to private duties and give them time for Closet-prayer and do you endeavor to bring them to the publick Worship and Ordinances especially to the Sacraments Remember that they who serve God most will serve you best that a graceless Servant is a Devil in your Family which will ruin himself and you and yours also 4. Consider with your selves that you have the charge of Souls there is a great trust committed from Heaven unto Governours of Families The Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom hath no such Jewels nor Treasure in the Exchequer as you have in your Houses God hath made you the Guardians and Trustees of pretious Souls and as sure as you live shall you be responsible for them unto God Do your utmost that none miscarry under your hands Prefer the concerns of their Souls to those of your Bodies and be at as much care and pains that they may live in Heaven as you and yours to live on Earth You are their best and surest Friends if fast and faithful Friends unto their Souls To ruin a Soul is the Trick and Work of Devils it is an irreparable loss an everlasting evil Lost Goods may be recovered but if a Soul be once damned either by your sins of omission or commission it can never be recovered more The Lord deliver you from the Guilt of Soul-Murder 5. When you dispose your Children abroad in the World get them into Religious Families that they may drive a thriving trade Heaven-ward and obtain the Inheritance of Gods Saints his pretious promises It is not Riches nor Honors nor great dealings in the VVorld but Godliness that hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come 6. Are your Relations and Inferiors your Children and Servants wicked and irreligiâ—us do you become better Let not their sins be justy charged on your Souls Shortly VVhen death is in your Pot remember nothing but the Grace of God can preserve you Therefore value and prize it Did Servants do it Consider that it is just with God they should be Instruments of your destruction when your neglect of their Religious Education is a real cause of their Trangression They must go to Heaven as well as you and therefore should injoy liberties and opportunities for the solemn and publick Worship of God as well as your selves The Gallows and Stake the Fire and Halter preach unto Young and Old High and Low Parents and Children Masters and Servant this Doctrin That unless you do Repent you shall also perish Gods judgments upon others are warnings unto us It is an Oracle from Heaven That such who sin as others shall perish as others That if you do not repent the wrath of God which lighted upon others shall either here or hereafter infallibly and to all eternity light down upon you also FINIS