Mad who does not make sure of this But you cannot make sure of 〈◊〉 if you do not Repent within the 〈◊〉 three or four hours that are now before you If any man propound an Hereafter unto himself to make sure of a Pardon in I would say unto him Thou Fool This Night thy Soul may be required of thee And let me add the words once used in a case of sudden and extream Hazzard save thy self to Night for To morrow thou mayest be Slain Counsil 3. Seek a pardon and seek it HOPEFULLY Despair not of it but that your sins which have been like Scarlet may yet become as Wool and that your sins which have been as Crimson may become like Snow To quicken this Hope in your Souls Consider the Boundless Mercy of the infinite God It may be that your sins have had most bloody Aggravations as being against much Light and much Love and against very solemn Vows unto the contrary Yet a Pardon is attainable if you slight it not What is Gods Design in our Pardon it is to magnifie His Grace and as the Apostle speaks that he may Commend His Love Well then then greater our Pardon is the greater will Gods Glory be Hence it was the plea of the Psalmist in Psal. 25. 11. O Lord Pardon my Iniquity for it is great What a FOR is that How strange an Argument is this The Despairing Soul thinks God will not Pardon my Iniquity FOR it is Great But if we really Turn to God the greatness of our sins will become no less than a plea for the Pardon of them For Great Sinners will give Great praises if they may tast of his pardoning mercy Be not then Discouraged from industrious endeavours hereabout but remember that when our Lord Jesus hath said in Ioh. 6 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out None of our Names are excepted there Remember also that there are some now Triumphing with God in Heaven that once were guilty of the very same Sins which We are now terrified withal Where is Abraham that once was an Idolater what became of Menasseh the Conjurer and of Magdalâ—n the Strumpet Is it not an Epitaph written by the Apostle upon the Grave of Rahab Rahab the Harlot perished not yea did not even some of those that Murder'd the Lord Jesus Christ Himself afterwards partake in the pardoning vertue of His Blood which with wicked Hands they had been shedding of see also 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11 And why may not YOV come to be pardoned as well as theâ— if you tread in their steps by a serious and sedulous making after it Perhaps you have been ready to Sin But it is an Attribute of God in Neh. 9. 17. He is ready to pardon Have you gone on a great while in Sin and grown old and gray and horribly Ripe in your Evil wayes yet hear that Charm in Ier. 3. 1. Thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet Return unto Me saith the Lord. In the primitive times there was one Victorius a very old Man converted unto Christianity the Church would not receive him for some time for thought they Old Sinners do not use thus to turn and Live But he evidenced the Reality of his Conversion so that they sang Hymns about it in the Christian Assemblies and it was every where proclaimed Victorius is become a Christian Victorius is become a Christian Even so may it come to be a shout over the oldest Sinner among you all That Old Wretch has got a Pardon after all Behold I have an Order to make an Offer of a Pardon within these Walls this Day and in the Name of the Eternal King I make it unto every Soul among the many hundreds of People here A Preface once Angrily made by Moses let me Chearfully and Ioyfully make thâ—â— Day Hear ye Rebels But that which I thus Preface is The glorious King â—f Heaven will receive every one of you to Mercy if you will now at last lay down your Arms. I am to assure you There is Hope in Israel concerning this thing Do not say with them in Eze. 7 3 11. Our Hope is lost No to all your other Sins I beseech you add not that of Despair which will be at least equal to the greatest of them which you have already perpetrated What a nefandous Blasphemy was that of Spira one of whose Roarings was My Sin is greater than the Mercy of God! That is the Cursed Language of Despair which let no man indulge Don't connt the Day of yet over with you Saiest thou I am afraid the Spirit of God has done striving with me nay if thou art afraid of it then it is not yet come to pass He may be striving in those very Fears Saist thou I fear I have committed the Vnpardonable sin If thou fear it then thou hast never Done it They that are conscienciously solicitous and suspicious about it are yet Clear from the great Transgression O then come to God at the Door Hope thus opened for you Counsel 4. Seek a Pardon and seek it BELIEVINGLY It is to be Enjoy'd by none but a Believing Soul To Excite this Faith Consider The proper and only Gospel-way to a pardon 'T is by Faith as we are minded in Rom. 5. 1. We are Iustify'd by Faith We must Request and Expect our Pardon to come swimming down unto us in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ alone and we must keep our Eye upon Him under that Notion in John 1. 29. The Lamb of God which takes away the Sin of the World We must look upon our Pardon as purchased and procured for us by the Death of our Lord Jesus Christ who in the Eternal Covenant of Redemption Engag'd unto His Father That He would make His own Soul an offering for the Sins of all His Chosen ones We are to take the Merits of the Lord Jesus Christ as they are profered unto us in the Tenders of the Gospel and lay the whole Stress of our Guilty Souls thereupon for ever It is said in 1 John 1. 7. The Blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin Wherefore we must Renounce all Dependence upon any Righteousness of our own for our pardon Let us not place any Trust in any Good Works or in any Good Frames of our own as tho' they could render the Holy God propitious to us It is said in Job 9. 2 3. How should man be Iust with God If He will contend with him he cannot answer Him one of a thousand The Iews give this Exposition of it The pleas which men fetch from any Good thing in themselves for the pardon of their sins are so weak and so trifling and so foolish that the Great God would scorn to give an Answer to one among a Thousand of them Alas we must not so much as ascribe the Inclinations of God to Impute the Righteousness of Jesus Christ unto us â—nto any Humiliations and Reformatiâ—ns
you let not one more be lost You are Hearing for your last O let it be as for your Life Look out for a Pardon before it be too late and let not the Divels cheat you of a Never-dying Soul Every Drop of that innocent Blood in which you have imbrued your merciless Hands has a Tongue in it and it makes a fearful hideous Clamour in the Ears of the Great God saying Vengeance O Lord Vengeance on the cruel Murderer Methinks you should be concerned for a Saving Interest in that Blood that speaks better things Nothing but the Blood of the Lord Jesus will drown the voice of that horrible Cry This Blood speaks for A Pardon to them whom it belongs unto 〈◊〉 O do you now speak for a Title to that Blood I say again Before it be too late What shall I say that may stimulate the Christward motions of youâ— Fettered Soul I am to tell you First That your Slit is very Great The Sin for which you now stand Condemned is a sin of a deep bloody Dye Murder is the most Barbarous and Divelish among all the Crimes that are Iniquities to be punished by the Iudge Will a Wolf kill a Wolf no and the very Bears agree among themselves But shall a Man than be worse than a Wolf unto a Man If He that loves another fulfils the Law 't is easy to tell what he does that Murders another The most Wretched Pagans have observed of the Murderer That Vengeance will not suffer him to Live But your Murder is one hardly to be parallel'd in an Age 'T is said No Man if he have but the Heart of a MAN in him ever hated his own Flesh. What then are you that have Murdered yours Find a Name for yourself if you think it possible You have Murdered Her whom you should have Loved above all the world Her whom you should have Cherished with all the Kindness and Goodness of an Holy Conversation Her whom you should have been willing even your self to have Dy'd for the preservation of And with Her 't is said you have Murdered an Infant which never saw the Light This is your Sin And Doubtless they were not few or small Sins for which God left you unto This. You had long before been guilty of those Impious both Omissions and Commissions which gave the Divel at last a very entire Possession of you O Consider of them all aâ—d especially Trouble your own Soul for your Unbelief in Rejecting the Saviour of it You have sat long under the Gospel but you have Refused yea you have Crucify'd the blessed Redeemer who therein besought you to be Reconciled unto God How should the Remembrance of this be to you as the Wormwood and the Gall and cause your Soul to be Humbled in you I am to tell you Next That your Case is very sad Look round about and say Is there any Sorrow like your Sorrow Your House you have Troubled it and it is turned upside down by what you have done and what Anguish what Horrour have you fill'd the Hearts of your scattered Children with Your Name you have Blemish'd it it must Rot without a Grave-stone among Civil People you must hereafter be known by this Description The Man that Murdered his Wife Your Body it has undergone the pains of Chains and Gaols there is a little more pain reserved for it before it feed the Worms But above all your SOUL your Soul is brought into Dangers too affrighting to be patiently thought upon What is it that the Word of God pronounces upon the Murderer No Murderer has Eternal Life It says The Murderer shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God It says The Murderer shall have his portion in the Lake that burns with fire and Brimstone Surely Thy very Heart must be moved out of its place to hear of such an End as this which indeed will never have an End What think you of Changing your Fetters for the Chains of Darkness in the Dismal Vault below What think you of changing your Prison your Dungeon for the Outer Darkness in which there is gnashing of Teeth for eevermore Truly it becomes you to lay your self in the Dust and cry out Wo is unto me that I have Sinned I may tell you Thirdly That your TIME is very short You may not Entertain the least Thought of having your Life now prolonged in the world the very World will be defiled if you continue in it Were there a City of Refuge among us which you were fled into yet we ought to fetch you thence and see you made a Sacrifice The Great God has Required this coâ—cerning you Let him hasten to the Pit Let no man stay him and you must before this Day Sâ—'nnight be gone thither Whence you cannot Return As it was said unto a better man than you Set thy House in order for thou shalt Dy and not Live Thus I would say to you that cannot possibly set your Desolate House in order any more Set thy Soul in order for thou shalt Dy before this Week expire Undone man where shalt thou be within a few Hours Tho' this Day Se'nnight you should Roar Lord Lord One Sabbath more or Lord Lord One Sermon more and one Season more it will be in vain for ever and ever And yet let me tell you Lastly That there is a May be of Mercy for you Tho' with Cain you have been a Murderer yet let not the out-cry of Cain be with you My sin is greater than can be forgiven You may be made a Manasseh for Blessedness as you have been such an one for Wickedness A Pardon is to be had if you slight it not and how should that melâ— your very Heart within you In an English Plantation that is not far from New-England a while ago there were two or three Menâ— Condemned to Dâ— as I have heard for Piracy After their Condemnation they broke Prison and fled into the Woods from whence after some weeks they returned of their own Accord and Surrendred themselves unto the Authority saying We got away only that we might have time to make our peace with God and get the pardon of our Sins assur'd unto us which thro' Grace we have done and now we tender our Lives to satisfie the Justice of the Law The Iudges were so pleased with this Ingenuity that first they bestow'd a Reprieve on them and then procur'd a Pardon for them For your part you are utterly for ever uncapable of a Pardon from the Hands of Men but were you in earnest about it you might yet get a Pardon from the Hands of God without flying any whither but unto the Horns of the Altar the Lord Jesus for it One which Died of Bleeding had that Expression about the Blood of the Lord Jesus One Blood kills me and another saves me Truly as the Blood of the person whom you have Murdered calls for your Death so the Blood of our dearest Jesus will
not be catched thou thinkest to hide thy self in Secret when as God in Heaven can see see thâ—e though thou hast hid it from Man And when thou goest to Thievery thy wickedness is discovered and thou arâ— found Guilty O Young Woman that is Married and Young Man look on 〈◊〉 here be sure in that Solemn Engagement you are obliged one to another Maâ—â—iage â—s an Ordinance of God have a care of â—reaking that Bond of Marriage-Vnion if the Husband provoke his Wife and cause a Difference he sins against God and so does she in such Carriage for shâ— is bound to be an Obedient Wife O you Parents that give your Children in Marriage remember what I have to say you must take notice when you give them in Marriage you give them freely to the Lord and free them from that Service Command you ought to have yet you ought to have a tender regard to them O thou that takest no care to lead thy life civilly and honestly and then Committest that Abominable Sin of Murder here is this Murderer look upon him and see how many are come with their eyes to behold this man that abhors himself before God that is the Sin that I abhor my self for and defire you take Example by me there are here a great many young people and O Lord that they may be thy Servants Have a care do not sin I will tell you that I wish I never had had the opportunity to do such a Murder if you say when a person has provoked you I will kill him 'T is a thousâ—nd to one but the next time you will do it Now I Commit my self into the Hands of Almighty God His Prayer O Lord our Good God thou art a Merciful God and a Gracious and Loving Father Alas that thou shouldest Nourish up Children that have 〈◊〉 against Thee O Lord I must confess thou gavest me opportunity to read thy Written Word Thou art also my Creaâ—or and Preserver but Lord I have not done according to the Offers of thy Grace thou hast not hid from me the opportunities of the Good Things and Liberties of thy House and Ordinances but I have waxed wanton under the Enjoyment of them I have given thee just cause to provoke thee to Anger and thou hast left me to Shame not only on my self but on my Relations O Lord God I do confess that I have sinned against thee and done all these Iniquities against thee and before thine eyes Lord I have sinned especially against thee pardon my Sins of Youth Lord pardon this bloody Sin I stand here Guilty of O Lord hide not thy face from me I humbly beg it of thee for there is no man 〈◊〉 Redeem his Brothers Soul but only the Blood of Jesus Christ must do it Let it be sufficient to satisfie for my poor Soul I hâ—â—e not done any thing that thou shouldest be pleased to shew me thy Love or that I should have any thing from thee but only Everlasting Misery I am unworthy to come to thee yet Lord for thy Mercies Sâ—â—e have pity on me Now I am coming 〈◊〉 Iudgment Lord let the Arms of thy Mercy Receive my Soul and let my sinâ— be Remitted Good Lord let not my sinâ— which Condemn me here in this world rise up to Condemn me in the World to come though they have Condemned me in this world shew mercy Lord when I come be fore thy Iudgment-Seat If my Soul be not humbled Lord humble it let my Petition be acceptable in Heaven thy Holy Mountain I am unworthy to come into thy Presence yet O let me come into thy Kingdom and deliver my Soul from Blood Guilâ—iness in the Blood of Jesus Christ O let my wounded Soul mourn for my sin that hath brought me here Sin brings Ruine to the poor Soul wo is unto me for mine Iniquity If I had gone to Prayer in the morning when I committed this sin Lord God thou wouldest have kept back my hands from shedâ—ing innocent Blood O Gracious God Remember thou me in Mercy let me be an Object of thy pity and not of thy wrath the Lord hear me and pardon my Sins Take care of my poor Children I have scattered them like stragling sheep flying before the Wolf pity the poor Children that go like so many Lambs that have lâ—st their Keeter that they may not come to such a Death as I do 〈◊〉 Lord for the sakâ— of Jesus Christ and the Righteousness oâ— thy Son accept my Soul and receive me into the Arms of thy mercy that I may enjoy Everlasting Rest. Pardon all my sins and let the Prayers of all those that have put up their Petitions for me be accepted for the sake of Jesus Christ. Now I am coming now I am coming thou mayst say I called to thee and thou wouldst not come I must say my sin brought me here O the World and the corrupt nature of man that has proved my ruine O Lord Good Lord let me enjoy Rest for my Soul The desire of my Soul is to be with thee in thy Kingdom let me have a share in that Kingdom Now is the time Lord Jesus the Grave is opening its mouth I am now living though dead in Stn let my prayers be heard in heaven thy holy place thy hands hath made me I know thou can'st Save me hide not thy face from me and affect the hearts of thy people with this sad Obâ—â—ct that they may labour to serve thee betimes and may not give themselves up to profaneness and Wickedness especially that Sin of Drunkenness which is an in let of all Abâ—minations When thou hast thy head full of Drink the Remembrance of God is out of thy heart and thou art unprepared to commit thy self and Family unto God thou art unfit to come into Gods Presence I have cause to 〈◊〉 out anâ— be ashamed of it that I am guilty of it because I gave may to that Sin mâ—re than any other and then God did leave me to practise wickedness and to Murder that dear Woman whom I should have taken a great deal of Contentment in which if I had done I had not been here to suffer this Death Thou art Holy Just and Good and therefore O Lord have mercy on me for the sake of thy Son pity me now Lord I am coming O that I could do thee better Service Many of you that behold me I know wish you never had seen me here Lord Receive my Soul into a better place if it be thy blessed will 't is a day of great Trouble with me my Soul is greatly Troubled give me one Glimpse of Comâ—ort in thy Kingdom by by let me have one dram of thy Grace Accept of me now at this time 't is the last time Good Lord dâ—ny me not give me as the Wâ—man of Samâ—riâ— a Taste of that Living Waâ—er that my Soul may Thirst no more I beg it for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen After this
he was by the Prayers of a Minister then present Recommended unto the Divine Mercy Which being done â—he poor man poured out a few broken Ejaculations in the midst of which he was turned over into that Eternity which we must leave him in The Speech of Hugh Stone in the Prison the morning before his Execution When Young People are Married they make use of Prayer in their Families and when they Pray they do believe there is Sincerity and Affection in their Prayer but when Differance between a Man and his Wise doth arise then that doth occasion hindrance of Prayer in their Family and when Prayer is wholly omitted it lets in all confusion and every evil work He said That he used to Pray in his Family but when he did pray it was in a formal manner but now from the Consideration of Eternity that he was going into he was made the more Conâ—iderate in his Prayers that he made and did hope that now he had the Spirit of Prayer in his Praying FINIS TO Contribute a little further unto the Design of this Book I shall here Annex Two Articles of Observations extracted from an Hitherto-Reserved Collection of MEMORABLE PROVIDENCES I have Recorded them in such Words and the Rest in such Wayes as these Article I. Act. XXVIII 4. A Murtherer Vengeance suffereth not to live AMong all the perpetrators of the more hideous and enormous Impieties in the world there is no person morâ— Abhorred by the Lord than the Murtherer 〈◊〉 and there is none so much pursued by the Lord as that bloody Monster is Those Children of Cain that rob their innocent Neighbours of their lives usually â—â—dure first an Hell in their own Coâ—â—â—â—nces by which Mark upon them they are made more incapable of avoiding the Halter which they are worthy of and that Halter is but a Sling out of which their guilty Souls are hurled into a further a lasting an endless Hell very trivial are the occasions and pretences for which often this peice of Devilism is committed No greater provocations truly than what the two Brothers at Padâ—a had between whom there Issued first Quarrel and then a Murder only from this Original that on a certain evening together one was wishing for Oxen as many as the Stars the other was wishing for A Pasture as large as the Firmament But the Expectations of its Concealment scarce ever escape a Lamentable Dissappointment in them who are so vain as to promise unto themselves a Secrecy and Impunity in this Villanny for a â—â—essus will find the very Swallowes to Chirrâ—p out his Murder of his Father Nor can a Temporal Recompence for this atrocious Iâ—iquity ordinarily be avoided by the 〈◊〉 Repentance it self besides the Vâ—ngeance of eternal fire which without 〈◊〉 â—nevitably followes thereupon 〈…〉 his soul swâ—â— away to Eternity in his bloâ—â— To the innumerable Exemples of these things which all Ages do admire Let these be added EXEMPLE I. The First Murtherer of his Neighbour in New-England as I take it was one Billington at Plimouth in the year 1630. He shott a poor man that he was a mortal enemy unto expected that for want of Power or of People in that Infant Plantation he should have evaded the execution due to him for his Capital Offence but Justice inflicted has deserved death upon him Exemple II. One Mary Martin her Father going away from hence to England had left her in the House of one Mr. Mitten a Married man who became so enamoured of her as that he attempted her Chastity Such was her weakness and Folly that sheâ— yeilded unto the vile Temptations tho' with such Reluctancies that begging of God for deliverance from the wicked â—ollicâ—atioâ—â— she pleaded If ever she were overâ—â—â—en again she would leave her selfe unto his 〈◊〉 to be made a publick Exemple Howevâ—◠〈◊〉 governing her self nor Rememâ—â—â—ng her promise with the â—â—me Sin a third time was she overtaken Afterwards going to Service in Boston she found her self to have conceived but living with a favourable Mistriss who would not allow any Suspicion or Suggestion of her Dishonesty and thinking her self unable to bear the shame or grief of the Discovery she wholly concealed it until the Time of her Delivery Being then alone by her self in a dark room she used violence to destroy the Child once and again before she effected the unnatural Baâ—barity Hereupon she wrapt up the Infant in her Chest for fifteen days until her Master Mistress went aboard the ship which they were Transporting themselves to England On this Occasion she was put to remove unto another House where some that before had apprehended now perceived that shee had lately been delivered of a Câ—â—ld They charging it upon her she at first denied the Murther said It was still-born but upon search it was found in her chest and she being made to touch the Face of it before the Jury the blood came fresh thereinto whereupon she confessed the whole Truâ—◠〈◊〉 her imprisonment and at her 〈◊〉 the carried her self so Exceeding â—â—â—â—â—â—penitently that the observers had great Hopes of her true Repentance But this was particularly remarkable That as she acknowledged her Twice Essaying to kill her Insant before she could make an end of it so through the unskilfulness of the Hang-man they were â—ain to turn her off the Ladder Twice before she coâ—id expire Exemple III. An English Ship sailing from some-where about the Mouth of the Streigâ—ts was manned with some cruel Miscreants who quarrelling with the Mâ—â—ter some of the Officers turn'd them all into the Long-boat with a small quantity of provisions about an hundred Leagues to the westward of the Spanish Coast. These fellowes in the mean while saile for New-England where as Providence would have it the Master and his afflicted Company in the Long-boat arrived too all except one who died of their Barbarous usage His countenance was now become terrible unto them who though they had Esâ—aped the Sea yet Vengeance would not suffer them to live ashoar 〈◊〉 his Instance and complaint they were â—pprehended and the Ring-leaders of this â—â—â—derous Piracy had a Sentence of Death 〈◊〉 on them The horrours which attended the Cheef of these Mâ—â—â—â—actors in his Dâ—ing hours were such as exceedingly astonisht the beholders Though he was a very stout man yet now his Tremblings and Agonies were inexpressible One speech let fall by him was I have been amongst drawn sword flying bullets roaring Canons amidst all which I never knew what fear meant but now I have apprehensions of the dreadful wrath of God in the other world which I am going into my soul within me is amazed at it Loud cries the spilt blood of a Brother He kills himself that slayes another Clamitat ad Caelum vox Sanguinis Article II. Isa. LV. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lâ—rd and He will have mercy and to our God for
He will abundantly pardon It was once the affectionate Out-Cry of a Câ—ndemned but a Converted and a Comforted Malefactor God is a great forgiver God is a great forgiver It is indeed rarely seen that Bad livers to ever become Sincere Paenitents in Old Age. When the Devils have had a Possession of many years they plead a sort of Praescription against the Holy Spirit of God and make their interest so strong that very Extraordinary must be the Influences of the Grace that shall destroy it Scripture seems to pronounce a sinner of an hundred years old to be cursed and Experience commonly discovers a Sinner of Fifty years old to be hardened beyond all recovery The Generality of them that are brought home to God under the constant Dispensations of the Gospel will find that between Fifteen and Thirty is the Age in which most of the Elect become Called ones But as nothing is more Soveraign than the Free-Grace of God He calls both Whom and When he will and He leaves many Civil and Moral people in their Vnbelief when He Renewes the Worst of men and those that not only have done evil an hundred times but likewise an hundred years been in the rebellious Tents of the Ungodly So nothing is more glorious than that Free-Grace which pardons without bounds and forgives the Sins which no Conscience has vigour enough to describe all the Aggravations of Let no man that begins to have sad Thoughts about the State of his own soul â—espair of Mercy from God in Christ it reaches even to she Chief of Sinners It is for a Cain to roar My sin is greater than can be forgiven but perphaps his Despair was not inferiour to his Murder and Austin well replied upon him mentiris Cain Cain Thou liest The Tempâ—er that once told thee T is too soon may now tell thee T is too laâ—e to repent and thou mayest have in thy Thoughts the Voice which once a flagitious man had in his Ears a little before he dyed No Mercy No Mercy But When he speaketh hard unto thee beleeve him not Come and Confess and forsake all thy sins and thou shalt have mercy Come and cast the Burdens of a Guilty and Wretched soul upon the Lord Jesus and thou shalt have Rest. Unto the Greatest and the Oldest Sinners yet Return unto me saith the Lord. Exemple I. A while since there dyed at Lancaster a man whose name was Richard Lenten arrived in age to so many years above an hundred That he had lived in Wedlock with his wife for Sixty three years and yet she was Thirty five years younger than himself and he was able to follow his toils at Husbandry very livelily but about a month before his End This man had been all his dayes a poor ignorant carnal and sottish man and unacquainted with the very Principles of his Caâ—echism after he had satt under so many hundreds of Sermons as he had Nevertheless when he was about an hundred years old God blessed the Ministry of His Word unto this mans awakening and he became a diligent Enquirer after the things of the life to come and a Constant Serious Attender on all that was Religious He arrived unto such measures of a well-informed Devotion that the Church which was very strict in the terms of their Communion yet received him into their Fellowship about Two years before he dy'd Wherein he continued under a good Character so long as he continued in the World Exemple II. There dwelt at a Village in this Countrey one who dyed in December 1688. This man had been remarkable for his bad Life till he had spent fifty years in the lewd and rude Courses if notorious Ungodliness Though he had the Benefit of a christian and pious Education yet he had shaken off all the yokes which that had laid upon him Hee became a foul-mouth'd Scoffer at all good men and good things and a great mocker of Church-Members in particular The Vices of Drunkenness and Swearing and Lying made the Characters of his Conversation Sabbath-Breaking and Promise-breaking made him infamous among honest people and his Disobedience to his Parents was not unequal to the rest of his miscarriages Original Sin in the furthest efforts of it fill'd his whole man and his whole way for half an hundred years at which age he left the world and he had sat under sinn'd against the meanes of Grace all this while But yet which you will admire to hear Yet this enormous liver was iudg'd to be converted unto God some few weeks before he died The great God so blessed owned the Ministry which he enjoyed that the Efficacy of it on him became conspicuous to Astonishment He became a serious Paenitent and so devout so pensive that every one saw a New-Creature in him He mourned for all his former faults and caused his Complaints to reach unto the Plague of his Heart as the Root of all He reformed what was amiss in him and applyed himself with an exceeding Vigour to the Saviour for the Salvation of his soul. While the Grace of God was thus beginning its Impressions on him he fell mortally sick and it was not long before he passed out of this world with a marvellous Assurance of his Interest in a better It were Endless to reckon up the extraordinary Expressions that fell from him Behaviours that he had in the sick and last dayes of his life but some of them were such as these O said he What a wonder of Mercy is it to my soul that God halh not cast me immediately into Hell and given me no Time to repent or to beg for an Heart to Repent But 〈◊〉 Mercy hath spared a great Sinner The stoutest man said he that ever lived should he but seriously think on ETERNITY and have no Christ to fly unto it will so sink the the Heart of him that he could never bear it but the Lord will show Mercy to my distressed soul. He gave himself wholly to Prayer and would excuse Watchers from sitting with him that he might be at leisure for Communion with God alone Sometimes he would give a start as he lay and being asked the Reason of it he said O I have a great work to do and but a little time to do it The Conflicts which he endured in his Spirit were unutterable under which heâ— day night kept wrestling with God for His Mercy One morning his Brother enquiring of him how he did he replied O I have had as doleful a night as ever man had I have had three great enemies this night encountering with me the World the Flesh the Devil I have been this night both in Hell in Heaven and I can truly say with David all this night long I have watered my couch with my â—â—ars but as the day broke my Saviour came vanquished the Devil told him that he had no right in me for He had Redeemed with His own Blood To his Father