Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	afraid_a	die_v	great_a	47	3	2.1572	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26716	A Murderer punished and pardoned, or, A true relation of the wicked life and shameful-happy death of Thomas Savage imprisoned, justly condemned, and twice executed at Ratcliff for his bloody fact in killing his fellow-servant on Wednesday, Octob. 28, 1668 / by us who were often with him in the time of his imprisonment in Newgate and at his execution, Robert Franklin ... [et al.]. To which is annexed a sermon preached at his funeral.	R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.; Franklin, Robert, 1630-1684.	1671 (1671)	Wing A997; ESTC R26456	48,011	81

tempts me to delay telling me that it is time enough for me to think of Repentance when I am Condemned and that God is a merciful God and sometimes he tempted me to despair telling me that it was impossible that so monstrous a sinner as I had been should be saved but blessed be God that he made me to think that these were but the Devils temptations although I have been sadly hurried with them for some days but that which did most fill me with terror was the frequent fears of the Devils appearing personally to me which did so exceedingly trouble me in Prayer so that I could say nothing when I kneeled down but was fain to set the Candle down before me and durst not look one way or other for fear I should see him and my thoughts have been so vain many times when you have been reading to me that I have scarce heard a word of what you said A Discourse betwixt H. B. and T. S. Prisoner in Newgate after some Friends went away dissatisfied fearing he had not a sense of his sin c. H. B. asking him how it was with him he replied It was the grief of my soul that I should be no more affected I think I have the most rocky stony heart in the World if ever there was an heart of Iron I have one it is not fit to be called an heart To have others come and pray with me and instruct me and see how they are affected with my condition and yet I not at all affected with my own condition Oh it is the grief of my soul to see it so and yet as soon as Ministers and good People are gone and I walk about and consider Oh it melts me and breaketh my heart in pieces to think I can mourn for sin and grieve for sin no more when God's people are with me because it causeth them to think that I am not sensible of my sin though blessed be God I am in some measure sensible of the evil of my sins and it is the grief of my soul to think how I have dishonoured God and abused his Mercy and spurned against his Mercy and Patience After this they both spent some time in Prayer and H. B. asked him how it was with him now he said I find so much sweetness in Prayer although I cannot find God loveth me that to think I am not Cursing and Swearing as others are but be confessing my sin my very tears trickle down my cheeks for joy sometimes I find my heart so dead and dull in Duty that I know not what to say in Prayer at other times I find my heart so full and so much affected in Duty that I could wish I might never rise from off my knees The night before the Sessions H. B. coming to him asked him if it was not terrible to him to think of appearing before the Bar of Men he answered Methinks when I consider seriously of it what a light poor thing Mans Bar is in comparison of Gods Bar yet Mans Bar is enough to daunt one to hear them say Take him Jaylor tie him up but to appear before Gods Bar who knoweth all the sins that ever I committed he saw all my secret sins and for God to say Take him Jaylor Take him Devil shut him up in the Dungeon of Hell Oh! that is enough I believe to make the stoutest heart in the World to tremble for there is no recalling that sentence and I believe there are many go out of this Prison as I saw formerly three that went to be hanged and they were almost drunk and did sing all the way they went but Oh their note was soon changed when they came to stand before Gods Bar. The morning before he went to the Sessions H. B. and the Prisoner spent some time in Prayer the Prisoner in his Prayer did earnestly beg of God that he would keep him from those temptations he might be exposed unto by bad company After this he was taken down to the Sessions-house but was not called because the Jury of Middlesex did not sit that day At night H. B. came to him again and asking how it was with him he answered he found it no easie thing to be a true Christian I thought before I came to Prison that reading a Chapter now and then and saying the Lords Prayer and the Creed at night when I went to bed would have saved me though many times I was a sleep before I had half done but now I find it no such easie thing to get to Heaven nay I find it the hardest thing in the world for my Prayers and Tears and Duties if I could fall upon my knees and never rise off from them while I live they would not save me for all this is but Duty but now I know there is merit enough in the Blood of Christ to save me and he did earnestly beg of God in Prayer that God would wash his soul in the Blood of Christ and blot out all his sins out of the book of his remembrance and turn them behind his back though I as earnestly beg they might be all spread before my face that I might have a more humble and throughly broken heart for them Lord one drop of that blood is enough to wash away all my sins and so after some conference H. B. left him for that night who heard from one that was with him that night that he spent that time most in Prayer and Reading The second morning in the time of the Sessions Mr. Baker that was a careful Friend for the good of his Soul went to the Sessions-house where he found him well and in good frame and continued with him for the space of two or three hours that morning after which time Mr. Baker was from him to hear the Trial of the person that was arraigned and afterward executed for the fire upon the house burnt down in Mincing-Lane for the space of half an hour or thereabout in which time in company of other Prisoners he was much distempered with something that he had drank amongst them which did take from him his understanding that he was not his own man we judge that though this did cast a blemish upon the profession that he had made after he came to Newgate it was not a voluntary act but some surprizal or design of the other upon him partly because the quantity was far less than what at other times he could drink without any disturbance to his head A Friend also heard Hannah the Strumpet that enticed him to his former wickedness say others have made you drunk to day but I will make you drunk to morrow But afterwards he was afraid to drink in their company but rather denied to take what was necessary for his refreshment The Prisoners were much against his accusing of that Harlot and did much perswade him to take something to cheer his spirits and when T. D. was with him on Saturday before

he died he charged him with this sin which had caused such a blot upon all the profession he had made and what great cause he had to be humbled before God and desired him to tell him as a dying man whether it was his voluntary act and delight in excessive drinking or no and he did profess that he knew it was not the quantity that he had drunk which was not neer so much as at other times he did use without distempering himself However God was pleased to make him tast the bitterness of that cup in that he had given such occasion to sinners to speak evil of the ways of himself upon the stones cried out Oh that I should offend God! And though he did much lament the scandal yet he always said that he looked not upon it as a sin of Drunkenness but a circumvention or to use his own words that something was put into the drink to distemper his head On Saturday during the Sessions he was Arraigned and pleaded Guilty confessing with many tears and wringing his hands that he did through the instigation of the Devil and enticement of that wretched Creature meaning his Harlot th●● he had committed that bloody Fact which was suc● an horror to his Conscience that he would not do it again for ten thousand Worlds his carriage and confession was such that he much moved the Honourable Bench and Jury and most of the Beholders On Munday next he received his Sentence of death after which time he was with the other condemned Prisoners and did pray with them four times a day and read to them and sung Psalms with them After the execution of the rest he had time given or procured him by the Honourable Sheriff of London for some daies which he improved to the great advantage of his Soul On Friday night he uttered these expressions in Company with H. B. being the day that the other Prisoners were Executed I find saith he so much sweetness and delight and pleasure in Gods ways and so much folly in the ways of sin that if there were no Heaven to reward nor any Hell to punish I could not but love the waies of God and the people of God O it is so sweet to be in company with them praying and conversing with them over what is in hearing others Swear and Curse that I account it as great a mercy as any almost that I may be in their company O methinks it is a Heaven to me to be with Gods Ministers and People and Prayer now is so sweet that I grudge the time alwaies when I am off from my knees or go down to the Grate Now there is nothing in the World I prize like Christ one Christ above ten thousand Worlds now I do repent and I do believe through mercy it is the Lord's work but I earnestly beg and pray for a more humble and a more broken heart and a more through sense of sin and a greater sorrow for it and beg that God would enable me to come to him to believe in him Lord saith he Faith is thy work Repentance is thy work do thou enable me to repent nay thou hast enabled me to repent and I do from the very bottom of my heart Lord as far as I know my own heart I repent that I should offend so gracious and so merciful a God as thou art Lord and Faith is thy work Lord saith he hast not thou said no man can come to thee except the Father draw him draw me O Lord and I shall run to thee enable me to believe Lord and I shall believe nay I do believe Lord that Jesus Christ his Blood was not shed in vain did Christ die for nothing Lord did he not die to save all repenting and believing sinners of whom I am chief On Saturday at night in Company with Mr. Baker he discoursed thus O my dear Friend taking me by the hand come hither saith he and opening the Coffin look here is the ship saith he in which I must lanch out into the Ocean of Eternity and is it not a terrible thing saith he to see ones own Coffin and Burying cloaths when at the same time I am as well as you do you think it would not daunt you and to go to the Gallows to have the Halter and to die there were this for the sake of the Gospel I should not care were it ten hundred times a worse death but to suffer this cursed death for such horrid sins O this is sad why said I you have a greater mercy in some respect than those that die in their beds for they are full of sickness and pain and cannot so well mind repentance as you who are well and have nothing else to mind Ah Sir saith he their sins are of a far less nature than mine and so they do not need so much repentance as mine do my dying for such horrid sins makes my repentance to be so much the more hard Oh saith he I believe it it is a hard work to die I could carry it out as bravely as any do you think I could not But to consider that as I die and am sentenced from Gods Bar so I must be for ever immediately either be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable To consider this would make a stout heart to tremble those poor Creatures that were here the other night meaning the other condemned Prisoners they know not what it is to be in an Eternal state and if they are gone to Hell O Lord how miserably are they disappointed who hoped for to have gone to Heaven and are sent from thy Bar to endless burning Lord what a mercy is it that I have a little time longer left let it be improved to thy glory and let my soul live and I shall praise thee The Last Lords-day he lived he desired to be alone and spent it in wrestling with God by prayer and in other duties in order to his preparation for his great change by death that then he expected the next day in which duties he found so much of God that he had some fore-tasts of the joys of Heaven and when we asked him what of God he had found that day he replyed that he had such pleasure and delight in mourning for sin and praying unto God that he was loath to come off from his knees at night there were some Ministers that sate up with him and spent that night in Prayer with him and for him and in conference on Munday morning came T. D. to him before day thinking it was his last day for an order was sent on Friday for his Execution on Munday and said to him Thomas how is it with you now your last day begins to dawn he said blessed be God I am not affraid to die because I hope I shall go to Jesus Christ after some time in Prayer for him we desired him to spend some time in that Duty which he performed with so much