Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	county_n	john_n	thomas_n	4,784	5	8.7131	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39910	A discourse concerning God's judgements resolving many weighty questions and cases relating to them. Preached (for the substance of it) at Old Swinford in Worcester-shire: and now publish'd to accompany the annexed narrative, concerning the man whose hands and legs lately rotted off: in the neighbouring parish of Kings-Swinford, in Staffordshire; penned by another author. / by Simon Ford ...	Ford, Simon, 1619?-1699.; Illingworth, James, d. 1693. A just narrative or account of the man whose hands and legs rotted off.	1678 (1678)	Wing F1484; ESTC R28411	53,261	98

others amongst men that love cursing do but once or twice in an Age meet with a sutable stroke of Divine severity and cursing come into the cursers bowels like water Psal 109.18 and as oyl into his bones a considerate Christian will take heed Ps 39.1 that he offend not thus with his tongue and by a solemn purpose as with a bridle keep his mouth from transgressing in that manner In a word when all the places of Execution in a Nation become Pulpits whence the miserable Malefactors from their own woful experience preach Recantation Sermons wherein they renounce the evil Principles they have lived by and warn all men of the dangerous consequences of licentious and debauched Courses and the same Doctrine be also as frequently preached from the death-beds of other sinners wherein the curses written in Gods book are verified in the eyes and ears of all men except they wilfully shut them both who but a desperately forlorn wretch will dare say in his heart I shall have peace Deut. 29.19 20. though I walk in the imagination of mine own heart i. e. gratifie my own sinful inclinations to satiety as one that adds drunkenness to thirst Against such an one surely if any such there be the anger of the Lord and his jealousie may well smoke yea and burn as he elsewhere threatens to the lowest Hell 32.22 the place appointed for them says the Verse following my Text that under such evident tokens to remember him by forget God Ps 9.17 And justly may God make them Examples themselves whom the Examples of others will not amend as being guilty of tempting his Justice beyond all possibility of forbearance by the ungrateful abusing of that Patience that should have led them to Repentance of daring presumption upon that lenity and goodness which only hath given them that merciful reprieve Ps 66.9 by which their forfeited souls are held in life of monstrous hardness and impenitency of heart whereby they treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 and the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God and lastly of prodigious madness and desperate foolhardiness when as notwithstanding the fearful Instances in all Ages by which God hath taught the world that none ever hardned himself against him Job 9.4 and prospered yet as if they would wrestle a fall or fight a duel with the Almighty they run upon him even on his neck Joh 1 15.25 26. and on the thick bosses of his bucklers Believe it sinner believe it for Truth it self hath spoken it though God spare thee a while Eccles 8.11 Neh. 9.17 and execute not sentence speedily against thy wicked works Rom. 9.22 though he be slow to anger and endure with much long-suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction 2 Pet. 3.9 as not being willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance yet will he not finally suffer his holy spirit to be vexed his patience to be trampled upon his word and its warnings to be despised and his Exemplary Executions to be entertained only as news without any farther effect but if the wicked turn not he will whet his Sword Psal 7 1●.13 he will bend his bow and make it ready and prepare for him the Instruments of death and when he hath stirred up all his wrath Psal 78.38 which yet in his great compassion he forbears he will wound the head of his Enemies Psal 68.21 and the hairy scalp of all such as go on still in their trespasses and either here or hereafter make them feel by experience who without feeling would not believe it what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10.31 From which doleful experience God keep us all for Jesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS A Just NARRATIVE OR ACCOUNT Of the Man whose Hands and Legs rotted off In the Parish of KINGS-SWINFORD IN STAFFORD-SHIRE Where he died June 21. 1677. Carefully Collected by JA. ILLINGWORTH B. D. An Eye and Ear-Witness of most of the material Passages in it LONDON Printed by A.C. for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Pauls 1678. To the Reverend S. FORD D. D. Rector of Old-Swinford in Worcestershire SIR BEing importuned by divers Gentlemen Ministers and others of our Neighbourhood to draw up a full Narrative and Account of that late sad Providence which hath filled the hearts and mouths of the Country round about us the same whereof is also spread into remote parts I was at last prevailed with to endeavour their satisfaction And the rather because of a general rumour in the Country that the man had declared several things to me of near concernment to himself which he concealed from all other Visitants That I might not therefore suffer such Reports to pass uncertain nor be wanting in that which was by some urged as my duty I did by travelling at several times above sixty miles in the parts adjacent enquire into divers particular circumstances which I was not before fully clear in and have now at last set all down in plain words sutable to such an account that the meanest concerned to know and make good use of the providence might at first reading clearly understand it Sir That I address this to you is that I may take an opportunity to make my hearty acknowledgments for your learned and useful Discourses in the Pulpit upon this occasion to the general satisfaction of your Hearers and I must in my own name and many of theirs intreat you would make the substance of them more publick from the Press that the Readers may learn not to be too censorious in things of this nature not yet to pass by so signal a Providence without that just Observation it deserves and due reverence toward that God who is known by the Judgments which he executeth as you have fully shewed us I hope Sir I invite you to nothing but what your own Judgment accounts worthy your labour and I am confident it will be no mean addition to your former elaborate services of God and his Church In which that you may be long continued for his Glory and the good of his People shall be the hearty Prayer of Reverend Sir Your most affectionate though unworthy Friend to honour and serve you J. ILLINGWORTH A just Narrative or Account of the Man whose Hands and Legs Rotted off in the Parish of Kings-Swinford in Staffordshire where he Died June 21. 1677. RIchard Duncalf of Godsal Parish not far from Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford dying many years since and his Wife also left behind them many Children and but slender provision for them One of their Sons John Duncalf bound himself an Apprentice to Thomas Gibbons of Kings-Swinford in the same County Wheelwright When he had served his Master two years and seven months or thereabouts he and his fellow Apprentice stealing

countenance more than formerly I laboured to convince him more fully of his condition and to persuade him to look up to the great Physician in whose hands are the issues of life and death c. He seemed to give diligent attention and earnestly desired me to pray with him after prayers when I was about to leave him for that time he desired I would not forget him in my prayers making it also his earnest request that I would come again when ever he should send for me which I promised I would at any hour day or night This was June 16. and on the 19. as his Keeper acknowledgeth he was in great anguish and trouble of mind crying out What shall I do to save my poor soul with many other expressions to the same purpose being very sick and fearing his approaching death But upon what account his Keeper would not send for me in whose hearing he so earnestly desired me to come to him he knows best and must answer it if it was his fault for private respects as is conjectured On June 21. in the morning I went again to visit him unsent for but found him unsensible and past any further advice I staid by him until almost noon He lay still with his eyes fixed as a dying man moved not at any thing we said to him but upon pouring into him a little drink with a spoon at several times he coughed a little and groaned and then lay as before When I saw there was no probability he would understand any thing I said I left him after prayer made for him with the company there present in the house and had notice brought me that he died about two hours after my departure from him Before I sum up the whole of this Narrative and account of his condition I judge it may be acceptable to the Reader to insert some short Observations communicated to me by an ingenious Gentleman our Neighbour who several times visited him in his affliction Take them therefore in his own words When I first saw this young man which was quickly after he was brought into Kings-Swinford he appeared to me to be of a vigorous state of body and of an healthy constitution saving the strange defect under which he laboured his hands and legs being then deprived of sense and motion I observed them and handled him They were from both wrists and knees blackish and dying and I took notice that about each wrist and knee there was as it were a Circle at the joynt that divided the sound from the dying parts and seemed like a ligature prohibiting any nourishment to pass those bounds so that the blood and spirits being wonderfully stopped in their circulation it must necessarily follow that the parts thus deprived of their wonted supply must wither and die as a leaf in Autumn which sad progress they made till both hands and legs from the wrists and knees became dead and dried black and hard like Mummy before they fell off at the joynts which they afterward did I also observed that at the first above each of the forementioned circles there brake out a sore at which the nourishing juyce designed by nature to have fed those parts emptied it self now in those sores corrupted in a quitture or sanies so horribly stinking that few of his Visitants could well endure the room without some strong smelling defensative But visiting him after those dead limbs were fallen from the body all but one hand which was almost severed I saw the joynts with the flesh look well and healthy They seemed to me free and untouch'd by the former mortification being quick and sensible that now the fellow complained upon the least touch thereof yet seeming to promise an easie cure for that ichorous stinking humor was gone the flesh was raw but sweet and here and there besmeared with a thick corrupt pus an encouraging sign say Artists that sores incline to healing But this poor creature wanting all help from Art or Medicine save what the application of the leaves of Mullein afforded which by his Keeper were used to defend the raw parts in some weeks there issued the like thin and stinking humor as before which soon put a period to his life So far my Friend As to the young man himself he was as he told me a few days before he died about twenty two years of age It was easie to observe he had been a strong young man naturally of a stubborn temper much hardened by evil courses yet he seemed sometimes to be affected with his condition the discourses made to him and prayers with him and I wish I might have had from him as clear an evidence of a comfortable change wrought in him as I would gladly have told the world I must in charity leave his final condition to God who thus afflicted and chastized him for the space of near about four months that he might be a signal spectacle to thousands of Gods displeasure against impiety The sum of all is this That a strong lusty young man as most in the County where he was born being unfaithful to God and his Master and giving himself to licentiousness and wickedness was brought to a morsel of bread and by doing evil and denying it with execrations had a sting and secret remorse in his conscience by which and want the fruit of his idleness and intemperance he grew faint and weak and his hands waxed feeble not being able to work designed to betake himself to his Friends but was stopped by the way forced to lie down under the hand of God that the Curse wherewith he had cursed himself might come upon him and so by the stupendious providence of God he was made a spectacle to the world of Divine severity many weeks that others might see and hear and fear and do no more wickedly And I wish God may have no reason to say to any as by the Apostle in another case * Acts 13.41 Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you FINIS SIR Being requested by Mr. Illingworth to give you an account of what I am able to say concerning John Duncalf I apprehend the best way is by a bare and brief Narrative of that discourse that passed between us whilst I was with him if there is any thing worth your cognizance you may make use of it as you please Our Discourse was as followeth May 1st 1677. Quest SPeaking to him of the deplorableness of his Condition and that sure there was a more than ordinary hand of Gods Providence in it arising from some evil actor actions of his Answ Answered yes 't was for his sins Quest When I told him that sin was generally the procuring Cause of every mans sufferings but under such remarkable and dreadful sufferings as these were there is usually one or more special sins to be inquired after as the