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spirit_n	death_n	life_n	lord_n	7,479	5	3.6814	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97283	The penitent murderer. Being an exact narrative of the life and death of Nathaniel Butler; who (through grace) became a convert, after he had most cruelly murdered John Knight. With the several conferences held with the said Butler in Newgate, by the Right Honorable the Lord Maior, and several eminent ministers, and others. As also his confession, speech, prayer, and the sermon preached after his execution; with several useful admonitions, and excellent discourses. / Collected by Randolph Yearwood, chaplain to the Right Honorable, the Lord Major of the city of London.	Yearwood, Randolph, d. 1689.	1657 (1657)	Wing Y23; Thomason E1660_2; ESTC R209007	51,603	133

design and in God's sense and esteem who searcheth the heart As a man that doth not commit the act of Adultery is an Adulterer nevertheless if his heart lust after a woman Mat. 5.28 So if a man never lay violent hands upon another yet if his heart disaffect and hate him he is a Murderer And ye know that no Murderer whether he be a Murderer in the sense of this Scripture or any other hath eternal life abiding in him that is hath the promise of eternal life or the evidence of it abiding in him Do not conceive from this clause that a man who was at any time guilty of blood by murthering another or hating another cannot be saved or enter into life for Manasseh David and others were blood-guilty but upon repentance were pardoned I doubt not of Nathaniel Butlers life eternal though he did destroy and take away the life of his Brother because God gave him repentance and humiliation The meaning is this No Murderer hath eternal life abiding in him if this man abide in his malice hatred and under his murder impenitent and stupid Is he whosoever he be that hateth another a Murderer Then Vse 1. Examine your selves Is Hatred so hainous a sin How may we know then whether we are not haters of any man Now Hatred is manifested thus 1. By refusing to rebuke thy brother or neighbor for his sin Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy brother and not suffer sin upon him Prov. 13.24 He that spareth the rod hateth his son 2. By keeping without cause at a distance from men Gen. 26.27 And Isaac said unto them Wherefore come ye to me seeing ye hate me and have sent me away from you If ye cry Away with him away with him to banishment imprisonment Away with such an one out of my sight I cannot endure this or that person in my sight Thou art an hater and a murderer See Judg 11.7 And Jephtah said unto the Elders of Gilead Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my fathers house 3. Warlike language Gen. 37.4 They hated him and could not speak peaceably to him When men cannot give one another a good word what is this but malice and hatred in the heart Gen. 49.29 The archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him Bending the bow and shooting bitter words speak out bitterness and hatred within 4. Lying in wait for rising up against and mortally wounding another Deut. 19.11 But if any man hate his neighbor and lie in wait for him and rise up against him and smite him mortally that he die c. Rev. 17.16 These shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Harsh usage shews hatred Try your selvs by these and other Scripture-signs and try impartially Vse 2. Exhort men to lay aside their sin See what the word chargeth upon 't 1. 'T is from the Devill as love is of God 1 Thes 4.9 Ye are taught of the Devill to hate 1 John 4.11 12. This is the Message that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another not as Cain who was of that WICKED ONE meaning as Cain was a man of cruelty and hatred so he was of the Divell hatred is all hatcht in Hell O then retain it no more in your hearts 2. It proves a man to be yet unregenerate Titus 3.2 3. For we our selves also were sometimes foolish and disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in MALICE and ENVY hatefull and hateing one another But after that the kindness and love of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appeared c. It s too too apparent from this passage that the kindness and love of God hath not wrought kindly upon mens hearts so long as they live in malice envy and hatred how can a man be a cut throat and a Christian at the same time a man of hatred and a child of God 3. Thou art a murderer I have here transscribed some suteable passages of a very reverend Godly man I mean Mr. Joseph Caryl who in his excellent exposition upon the 5th Chapter of Job and 2 verse speaketh thus concerning wrath So in like manner wrath is said to slay a man first because it thrusts him headlong upon such things as are his death he runs willfully upon his own death sometimes by the dangerousness of the action when a casuall sudden death surprises him sometime by the unlawfulness of the action which brings him to a legal judiciary death Secondly his wrath is said to kill him because his wrath is so vexations to him that it makes his life a continual death to him and at last so wearieth him out and wasts his Spirits that he dies for very grief and so at once commits a threefold murder First he murders him intentionally against whom he is wroth Secondly he really murders his own body And thirdly he meritoriously murders his Soul for ever except the Lord be more merciful then he hath been wrathful and the death of Christ heale those wounds by which he would have procured the death of others and hath as much as in him lies procured his own This is true of hatred as well as of wrath for he that hateth his brother is a Murderer 1. He murthers his Brother whom he hates hatred is a wishing and seeking for at least in heart the slaughter death and destruction of his Brother when the Apostle John affirmeth whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer his meaning is he is a Murderer of that Brother whom he hateth and he is so because he hateth him 2. He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer more then once he doth not only murder his brother but himself by bringing eternal death upon himself for hateing his Brother he that murders himself is felo de se a Self-murderer is manifest from these words and ye know that no murderer meaning a malicious man hath eternal life abiding in him To be a murderer is 1. A crying sin Gen. 4.10 And he said what hast thou done the voyce of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the Ground If men would think what am I doing now I am hateing my Brother I am murdering in Gods account and murder is a loud sin Surely then we should harbour no hatred Murder 2 It is a very reproachful shameful sin considered in the act that followes it to prove a man guilty of willfull murder renders him a shame to himself a blot to his relations thou that hatest art a murderer O be ashamed of this shameful hatred 3. Murder is a sin that sets the vengeance of God against a man the very Barbarians beleeve that vengeance and death will fall strangely and speedily on Murderers Acts 28.4 And when the Barbarians saw the venemous beast hang on his hand they said among themselves very confidently no doubt this

seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will ABVNDANTLY pardon The word abundantly he used to pronounce with an emphasis for he saw his eyes being now annointed with spiritual eye-salve that he had multiplied sins exceedingly and that he stood in absolute need of the Lords abundant multiplied pardons whereof he had good hope through this good word of Isaiah Ezek 18.23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die saith the Lord God and not that he should return from his wases and live 30. Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions SO iniquity shall not be your ruine 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel 32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth wherefore turn your selves and live ye Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them As I live saith the Lord here the poor Prisoner would note to his comfort that a repenting sinner hadnot onely the Word and Promise of God for forgiveness but the Oath of God to give such a finner the greater assurance of pardon I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his ways and live Turn ye turn ye see the importunity of God with poor sinners for the good of their souls from your evil ways For why will ye die O house of Israel Micah 7.18 was a place pleasant to his soul Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the reranant of his heritage He retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy Vers 19. He will turn again as one doth when his anger is gone he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast ALL their sins into the depth of the Sea Now I shall give you a short List of some New Testament Texts whereby the Lord conveyed Counsel and Consolation to this doubting staggering poor Wretch Matth. 18.11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost Joh. 3.14 15 16. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternal life For God SO loved the WORLD that whosoever this word whosoever he he spake with joy beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Now saith Nathaniel Butler I am one to whom this word speaketh and therefore God gave the Lord Jesus Christ for my soul I beleeve in him and therefore I trust to live eternally through him according to the gracious terms of the Gospel John 6.37 and him that cometh to me I will in no wise here he would repeat and reiterate these words in NO WISE CAST OVT in NO WISE in NO WISE cast out 1 Tim. 1.15 This a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief 1 Tim. 2.5 6. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and Men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time In hearing reading and conferring upon these and many more Scriptures he would often say to me and others these are good Scriptures brave Scriptures are they not brave Scriptures He would make very diligent and frequent search into his soul concerning the sincerity of his sorrow and would not easily beleeve that his repentance was true or that he had right to the precious promises of the Gospel But by much speaking to him by many good people that he would applie Christ and also by seeking unto God for a spirit of Faith for him he did begin to act a faith of recumbency and adherence being as he often said perswaded that the Lord Jesus Christ was able to save to the uttermost and willing to save such as come unto God by him yet he could not come up to that full assurance of hope and confidence as he desired and we also desired heartily on his behalf So that sometimes he would break forth and say How can I that have been gurlty of all sins whatsoever almost as Murder Fornication Theft c. challenge or apply a pardon He was much afraid of running upon either of these two Rooks that is presumption or despair I told him that diffidence and despair was the strongest presumption against God saying to him Is it not presumption for a man to dis obey God and not to beleeve him Now the command of God in his glorious Gospel is that men weary of and heavy laden with sins should come to Christ that they might find rest to their souls The design of God said I in the Scriptures is not to give some feeble weak hope of pardon but a lively hope and a firm expectation of salvation to all that mourn and really repent Which so wrought upon him that for the space of some daies before his suffering death it pleased the God of all comfort to give him joy and consolation and sometimes strong consolation insomuch that he would at times express very great inward gladness which all that knew his former mournings were glad to see and glorified God for giving him the joy of his salvation for he was so satisfied concerning the favour and mercy of God towads him in Jesus Christ that he rather now desired death then feared it as seeing death through Jesus Christ without a sting On the Lords Day towards evening the Lord Mayor to whose Conference I refer you went the third and last time to visit him for the next day he was to die and my Lords advice very much refreshed his spirit it being his Lordships design to speak of Heaven with the glory and joy of that Kingdom and to establish the Prisoners thoughts thereon After his Lordship had left him he seemed to be very chearful in his spirit blessing God that he should put it into his Lordships heart to condescend so far as to pray and confer with such a despicable poor wretch as he was heartily thanking his Lordship for his abundant love That night being his last night I kept him company in Newgate so did divers others continuing with him in the Dungeon or Hole for so the Keepers call it till towards midnight conferring with him and endeavouring to comfort him to the end he delighted all the time of his Imprisonment in Christian Company and spiritual Discourses but in his last night he was very much carried forth to spend himself about spiritual things So that we judged it meet to leave him alone a while lest being altogether without rest and refreshment in his body he might thereby be made unfit for the service of the next day intending then to

the hearts and prayers of his people he did several times throw himself on the free grace of God in the blood and merits of Jesus Christ alone for his Salvation renouncing all but Christ acknowledging that he beleeved to be washed from his bloody Fact and all his other sins by no means but by the blood of Jesus Christ At my third and last time of being with him which was the night before he died I indeavoured to hold forth to his faith from Scripture the glorious state in heaven to all Eternity that Jesus Christ had purchased and was in the possession of for true believers and into which such souls should immediatly enter when they leave the body and abide there with Christ their Head for ever To which he gave very great heed and attention and though his lips said little yet to my apprehension his soul spake very much for it wrought in his body as if it were raised up by Faith through what was held out to him even to the admiring of that grace and glory The working of his soul was mixt with Tears as I conceive of Joy for he mentioned nothing of the fear of Death though he was often minded of it how neer it was at hand nor did I then perceive any paleness in his face or sinking of Spirit the Symptomes of the fear of Death But that those workings of his Soul were reachings after that glorious Inheritance held out in Rom. 8.17 To be heirs of God joynt heirs with Christ which Scripture was then opened to him And that glorious inheritance set forth by the concurrence of several other Scriptures with an indeavour to give him a View by the eye of faith of that which in a very few moments after his soul should to all Eternity be made partaker of in joy and glory with Christ in Heaven which was infinitely more then could be expressed or conceived and this I judge did make his Soul so work within him After some time in prayer I parted with him and almost the last words I had from him were these He told me he was really offended with himself because he hated sin no more which had caused him to offend God so much he told me Satan was busie to perswade him That all his Faith and Repentance was false but he had beleeved the Divel too long and he would trust him no longer but now cast his eternal soul on the free grace of God in the Blood of Christ alone for Salvation renouncing himself wholly In this resolution and frame of Spirit I left him And as I am informed through the free grace of God he did abide and increase in it to his last breath Upon the whole I am truly perswaded from that Work of God that I observed to be wrought in him and the degrees of it that though his former life was full of all wickedness his soul exceeding ignorant of God and his own sinful nature all that time and his Repentance and Faith in Christ very late yet that the free grace of God who is not bounded to time did make both his Faith and Repentance true and do beleeve he is with Christ in glory I do not give this Publike Attest to encourage sin but to magnifie the free grace of God in Jesus Christ to Sinners and I do assure whosoever reads this that poor soul which is the Subject of it found sin to be exceeding bitter before he had any tast of the sweetness of Gods free grace in Christ Hoping this may be of Publike Use I am free to Attest it with my Name September 10. 1657. Robert Tichborne Major A brief Account of a Visit given to Nathaniel Butler a Prisoner in Newgate upon the Friday before he suffered by Tho. Case a Minister of the City of London wherein he made these following Observations THE said Nathaniel Butler expressed 1. A deep sense of that desperate Bloody fact which he had committed which he loaded with all the blackest aggravations that might be especially with this Consideration That for ought he knew he had destroyed body and soul with oue blow He had begg'd and obtained a space of Repentance from his Judges but had not afforded his Brother one moment to beg pardon at the hand of God This Consideration stuck so deeply upon his spirit that it had well nigh sunk him into despair had not God sent in some relief by the hand of one that visited him in prison in the instance of Manasseh who having sacrificed his sons unto Devils and shed much other innocent blood upon his repentance finding mercy did not despairingly afflict himself with the consideration of what became of the souls of those whom he had so cruelly murdered Secret things belong unto the Lord c. 2. He exprest not only sense of the guilt of Blood but a right Gospel-notion of the sinfulness of sin All sin the least sin not as destroying only but as defiling not as contrary to the Creature in the effects of it but as contrary to God in the nature of it A grieving of the Spirit a crucifying of Jesus Christ afresh a most unworthy requital of the love of a crucified Saviour 3. He discovered also that which indeed was the thing which I came purposely to the Prison to enquire after viz. A right apprehension of Original sin the Corruption of his Nature which he lookt upon as the Fountain and Spring-head of his Murder Theft and all other actual wickedness bewailing them all with David in their first source and spring Behold I was born in sin and in iniquity did my mother conceive me Ps 51.5 In a word He had as right a notion of the state of Unregeneracie as ever I found in any new Convert 4. He exprest also an high appretiation of Jesus Christ not only for pardon of sin but for power against sin not only to deliver the soul from the wrath to come and everlasting burning but from the state of Nature As a Fountain of Holiness as well as a Fountain of Happiness 5. An high apprehension and admiration of Free-grace in pardoning such a sinner as he was Which he exprest with much self-abhorrencie as one that had no regard to the Sabbath never acquainted himself with the Bible or Catechism never prayed And if a good Thought were entring his heart he would thrust it away from him with greatest indignation The pardon of these with other sins he admired in some such language as the Apostle did 1 Tim. 1.13 6. God had vouchsafed him a sweet taste of the Promises some whereof most suitable to his condition God had pitched his soul upon which he repeated with so sweet a relish as a man might perceive his soul was even ravished with the sence thereof 7. Wonderfully did he bless and admire the goodness of God in calling such a cruel enemy to mankind as he was in murdering his Brother into the prayers compassion and care of so many of his precious

unprofitable What will it profit you or yours to hear Sermons and after that never to hear more of them Take heed of ignorance and idleness ignorance in not knowing what ye ought to do and idleness in refusing to take pains with your people Mal. 3.16 Formerly They that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought on his name But now how seldom do we see Families conferring among themselves Husband and Wife speaking of God and of Christ that Children may learn Where is a Master and Mistris or Master and Dame that now adaies drop one gracious word in the hearing of their Servants the whole week or moneth nay it may be the whole year throughout is it any wonder then for young ones and inferiors to fall into evil ways when you that are elder and their Tutors and Governors walk so loosely and unchristianly before them Will you now search the Scriptures and know your work and do it entirely will you be faithful and true to all those Souls the Lord hath entrusted you with and take heed least their present miscarriages and their after-condemnation be and it will be unless you do all that belongs to your part charged upon your account Nathaniel Butler hath given me under his hand that if he had continued with one Master to whom he was turned over he beleeved he never had come to such a pass as he did The day is coming when it will come to pass that God shall set your sins and defaults in order before your faces And dare you then accuse God or can you excuse your selves when in truth it shall be laid to your charge that such a Son such a Daughter such a Man-servant or Maid-servant had never done so wickedly in one kind or other they never had faller into the waies of the Devil nor fallen under the wrath of God if we who had the nurturing over-sight and admonishing of them had done our duty O remember the counsel of Christ in these two Scriptures That of Paul to the Ephesians 5.4 and latter end lately touched upon Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord That is teach them to know and love to serve and fear the Lord give them such nurture and instruction such spiritual matter for their minds to work upon as the Lord prescribeth by the Scriptures The other Text of very great use and service to Masters is in Col. 4.1 Masters give to your Servants that which is just and equal knowing that also ye have a Master in Heaven 'T is not onely just and equal to give food and raiment or knowledge or understanding in a Trade to your Servants but 't is just and equal for you to give good counsel to your Servants to serve God and till this be you are unjust men and unequal in your waies unconscionable as to the souls of your Servants 'T is a very honourable character that the most High himself gives to Abraham Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord Abraham did not command his Children and Servants to honour him and serve him onely for so most men are apt enough to lay their commands upon children and housholds but his command required his Relations to walk in the way of God If men would follow Abraham herein what orderly holy and reformed Families would then be found in the Land I hope that these Scripture-passages and passages of providence also one whereof and indeed a very sad one you have seen in the fore-going Narrative will touch your hearts and engage you to look after this that you and your Children you and your Servants be henceforth found in the way of the Lord. Many Masters are very like the Egyptian Task-masters in two respects which are both remarkable viz. 1. The Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage in Morter and in Brick and in all manner of service in the field all their service wherewith they made themserve was with rigor Exod. 1.13 14. O the rigor and bitterness that some servants abide during the time of their serving some men how many merciless harsh cruel Parents and Masters are more like Egyptians then Israelites more like Turks then Christians by their cruelty provoking directly against the Gospel-Statute Sons Daughters and Servants to do that which without unreasonable provocation they would never have done 2. Too many Heads and Rulers of houses seem Egyptians rather then Christians not only in exacting service from their inferiours with all storminess and bitterness of spirit but likewise in this sense more wicked then the former that they will not so far are these men from pressing their servants to serve God suffer them to go and serve the Lord do not some upbraid and revile threaten and discourage Servants and Sons and Daughters if they look after goodness and exactness of life Exod. 7.16 And thou shalt say The Lord God of the Hebrews bath sent me unto thee saying Let my people go that they may serve me in the wilderness and behold hitherto thou wouldest not hear I beg of you these two things 1. That you would be content when your children and servants do perform to you reasonable service And 2ly that you would exhort and beseech them by the mercies of God to present their bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is to God-ward their reasonable service But least I should not prevail with you I shall therefore direct my counsel and admonition to children and servants themselves that in case your Overseers see not their duty or do it not yet your selves may make conscience to carry it so towards God and all men that ye adorn thereby the Doctrine of God our Saviour Young people hear what Christ commandeth Eph. 6.1 Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Gol. 3.20 The Lord is angry at and displeased with disobedient Sons and Daughters Eph. 6.5.6 7 8. Servants saith Paul a servant of Christ be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh for as to soul and conscience Christ only is Lord and Master and in this sense we are forbidden to call any man Master Matth. 23 8. with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart as unto Christ Not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart With good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth though never so mean a servant the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free Obj. But some servant may say My Master is a very harsh froward man or else I