Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n heart_n holy_a lord_n 17,551 5 3.7649 3 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A47307 An office for prisoners for crimes, together with another for prisoners for debt containing both proper directions, and proper prayers and devotions, for each of their needs and circumstances / by John Kettlewell ... Kettlewell, John, 1653-1695. 1697 (1697) Wing K379; ESTC R39059 33,195 125

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

height of his sanctuary from Heaven did he behold the earth To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are appointed to death Psalm 102. 19 20. III. If our heart condemn us not God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things 1 Jo. 3. 20. The Law is not made for a Righteous man but for the Lawless and Disobedient for the Ungodly and for Sinners for Unholy and Prophane for Murderers of Fathers and Murderers of Mothers for Man-Slayers For Whore-mongers for them that Defile themselves with Mankind for Men-Stealers for Lyars for Perjured Persons and if there be any other Thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. Without are Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever Loveth and maketh a Lye Rev. 22. 15. Know ye not that the Unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Thieves nor Drunkards shall inherit the Kingdom of God Such were some of you But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. The Lord hath sent me to Proclaim Liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Isa. 61. 2. They that be whole have no need of the Physitian but the sick I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Mar. 2. 17. If the wicked restore the Pledge give again that he had robbed walk in the Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely live he shall not die Ezek. 33. 15. Zacheus stood and said unto the Lord behold The half of my Goods I give to the Poor And if I have taken any thing from any Man by False Accusation I restore him fourfold Luk. 19. 8. Father I have Sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Luke 15. 18 19. God be merciful unto me a Sinner Luke 18. 13. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES I. A general Prayer for all Prisoners taken out of the Companion for the Persecuted pag. 135. O! Almighty and Everlasting God thou seest the Streights and Sorrows which I endure in this Place and how unable I am to help my self or to bring about my own Deliverance But the less Hope and Support I have in my self the more I look up unto thee and place my Trust in thy Mercy And when my own Care can avail the least let thine O! Thou blessed Helper of the Helpless appear the most for me Give me a Body O! My God fit to bear the Inconveniences of this close Place and Grace to be content therewith whilst I lye up here let me not want necessary Provisions nor repine at the meaness thereof Suit the Lowness of my Desires to the hardship of my Circumstances let the greatness of my Study and Care be to do Justice and shew temperance and selfdenials not to please my self or to gratify my own Carnal Ease and Appetites Whilst I am here kept a part from my former acquaintance Grant O! Lord that I may carefully retire into my self and call my own ways to remembrance And Oh! That I may amend whatsoever is amiss there and set all so streight with thee that I may delight to look into my own Heart and to search out my own Spirit Lord Now thou hast left me nothing else to do make me apply my self to the one thing necessary To grow in Holy Reverence and Devotion of Spirit in the Study of dealing justly and fairly with all who are any way Concerned with me in Humility and Mortified Affections in Patience and Contentedness Oh! Plant and fill my Soul with all Heavenly Virtues and make bright all the cloudy and dark parts thereof with the Rays of thy Divine Image And then O! My God I shall see something of thee as oft as I look into my self and learn to be pleased with my own Company though others are kept from me And in whatsoever want I am of other Comforts Grant O! Father of Mercies that both here and ever hereafter I may have the Comfort of thy Presence When all else are taken from me do not thou forsake me Though I dwell in a disconsolate Room let thy Spirit dwell with me Let thy Law at all times direct me and let the Sense of thy Love Comfort me And after thou hast graciously improved this Melancholy Restraint to wean me from vain and carnal delights to set my Soul free in thy good time O! My refuge and strength deliver me out of this Prison and set my Body too at liberty for my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake Amen And for the more Particular Necessities OF Imprison'd Criminals They may use these Prayers following A Particular Prayer FOR PRISONERS for CRIMES I. For deliverance from his Sins and Sorrows O! Blessed Lord who art the comforter of all sad and sin-sick Souls comfort me I humbly intreat thee in this height of my Fears and Sorrows But first convert me and then comfort me I am over-laden with Sins which overload me with Sorrows And do thou O God rid me of my Sins that I may get rid of my Sorrows Nay rid me of my Sins tho for my just Punishment in this World thou leavest me under my Sorrows Whatever befal my Body for just Punishment of my greivous Crime for which I am here in Custody let true Repentance set my Soul safe and secure it of thy everlasting Mercy for the Merits of thy dear Son and of my sweetest Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES II. The Prisoners Confession of God's Justice in his sad Circumstances I am come into this Prison O! Most Holy and Righteous Lord laden with Sins and Sorrows and am here shut up for the Curse and Shame of an untimely end which my Heinous Wickednesses have most justly deserved I am terribly affraid of my earthly Judge and of that heavy Sentence which my Crimes make me justly lyable to receive from him But infinitely more affraid of that far more heavy and eternal Doom which I am lyable to receive for the same at thy Righteous Bar. Now Fear and Trembling have seized upon me and an horrible Dread hath overwhelmed me Without is the prospect of Death and Disgrace and within is Guilt and Anguish My Spirit is broken within me and I am even at my wits end and my Heart faileth me And tho my Burden is Intollerable yet O! Almighty Lord I cannot say but it is infinitely just 'T is a most reasonable and righteous Return for my daring Provocations of thy justice And much more for my vile Abuses of thy Mercy and Patience I must needs acquit and justify thee and have none to accuse but mine own Self for all my present Fears and Misery I am taken O! just Lord in mine
Falsification of things against your own knowledge denying what you know to be True to save your Self or possitively Affirming what really you do not know or perhaps know to be otherwise Much less seek it in Mischeivous Lyes to cast your Faults on others and either bring Innocent Men under Suspicion and into Dangers or make other Guilty Persons Guilty of more than really they are For this is to give God fresh Provocations and back an old Sin by a new one and to forsake him when you stand in the greatest need of him which is the readiest way to forfeit both his Peace hereafter and his Preservation here and utterly to lose both Him and your Self too Trust your Life therefore in his Hands by keeping your Defence thereof within the Bounds of Truth and Justice This is a Great Tryal of your Faith But 't is a Tryal which you have wickedly brought your self into And under the same it is necessary for you thus to approve your Faith in his mercy and care of you You have no Faith in him left or none that he will accept of if you forsake him and his ways in this difficult case and fly to Sin to save your Self But if you can trust wholly to his Providence and not at all to evil ways and have Faith to contain your Self within your Duty under the hazard of your Life this noble Faith will be a mighty Endearment and of Great Account in his Eyes nothing ever recommending poor Sinners more to God than Faith doth when it keeps them innocent and obedient in such hard Tryals And therefore set your Self resolutely to act this Great and most concerning Part well and to approve your Faith in him when it is Tryed And look upon this trusting of your Self to him to be the wisest way of saving your Life as well as of preserving your Innocence For if you are Preserved at all as I say you must owe your Preservation above all things to his watchful Care and kind Providence And if you must receive your Life from his Hand seek to him for it and trust him with it and by no means leave him to seek out other unlawful Helps which will be like to Deceive you in this World and are certainly the way to Destroy you afterwards in that which is to come And when you have heard your Accusers and have been heard to make as wise a Defence as you could make for your Self with Truth and Justice lift up your Heart to God when you are taken from the Bar and humbly and devoutly Commit the Event of all to him And Pray that he will be pleased to Order it in Favour to you waiting with Patience and Resignation of Spirit to see how he will Dispose the Hearts of Judges and Juries to deal with you If you are Acquitted give him the Praise thereof and Receive it with utmost Devotion and Thankfulness But if you are brought in Guilty and Condemn'd humbly Submit your Self and own the Justice of your Sentence And give Glory to God by justifying his Providence which has recompenced your high Crimes with a deserved Vengeance and by justifying his lawful Ministers who bear the Sword in his Place and use it at any time upon such Criminals as you are confessing freely that 't is used now in your Case for the Punishment and Terror of evil-doers CHAP. III. How to Behave and Employ themselves after Sentence of Condemnation and at the Time of Execution AND after you have received Sentence set your Self to lose none of those precious moments of Time which are left you but to make the Wisest and Carefullest Use thereof which you can in preparing for Death You are to Discharge this Great and last Part of Dying but Once Oh! Therefore take care to do it well You can rectify or amend nothing after Oh! Then labour as much as in you lies to make all sure and set all straight before Finish all your intended Acts of Restitution and Repeat anew all your former Acts of Repentance and add Earnestness and Vigor to them and Perfect what is Defective therein and send them up to God in continual Strains and Breathings of Devotion either short and occasional Ejaculations or more set and solemn Prayers And to Consummate your Repentance and to Comfort up your Spirit with the Pledges of Gods Love and Peace take care before you dye to receive the Holy Communion after you have endeavoured the best you can to fit your Self for it and to Satisfy the Holy Man who Administers it to you of your Fitness for the same And if you can often have the Blessing of a Prudent and Pious Ministers Direction in that disconsolate time prize it highly and improve it diligently and take such further ways for the Securing of your Peace and Quieting of your Conscience as in his Discretion he shall Direct you to And when you are brought from Prison to Execution own the justice of your Sentence Profess your abhorence and true Repentance of the Crime which you Dye for and of all your other Sins Declare the Satisfaction you have made or would make were you able to all you have wronged Beg all Persons to forgive you who have suffered by you in any kind and all who have ever learnt any ill from your Acquaintance and Example Declare that you do from your Heart forgive all Persons and that you bear not the least ill will against any of your Prosecutors or the Judges and Juries who were concerned in bringing you to Justice And when you make this Protestation of Forgiveness and Good Will to them be sure nothing fall from you that may bring the Sincerity thereof into Question And therefore take Diligent Care not to shew uneasie Remembrance and Resentment of the Evils or Injuries which you have suffer'd but only of those which you your Self have done And to keep your last Breath from being an hurtful Blast upon any Persons and your Dying Words from casting out Darts and leaving a Sting in your Enemies Remembring that you are to leave the World and come to Execution not as a wild Beast fighting with your Foes and pushing and goreing but as a Lamb meekly submitting as your Blessed Saviour did tho he had no Real Guilt but was perfectly Innocent who suffered the worst things without aggravating them or being angry at them and on the Cross spake nothing of his bitter Enemies but to Excuse them and Pray for them And having thus testifyed your Godly Sorrow for your Sins desire all the By-standers to learn of you Repentance tho by no means to delay it so long as you have done and to be horribly afraid of the sad end of evil doers and of the Vengeance of God which is oft-times swift but when 't is most slow will be sure at last and utterly insupportable to all those who will not take care in time to appease him by amendment of Life Beg all that need it to take warning by your
rest satisfied without trying new Places And if it please God to send sickness tho' you were at Home sickness would tye you to your own House or it may be to your Bed which is a narrower Compass than a Prison is 'T is worse being Prisoner to a Disease than to the Keepers of Common Prisons And Diseases as the worst of Jaylors bring their Prisoners into such a close Custody as is much more irksome and afflictive than any other is For under others you are shut up indeed but that is to sit at Ease and Rest. But under a Disease you are shut up too and likely closer confined and that to have constant Pain and Sorrow with it But whatever Restraints you are under in Prison as to your Body yet remember that even there your Mind is Free Your Thoughts may go abroad and run over all the great Occurrences of your Life and fetch in Matter enough to busy your self withal even all those things thro all your Life which you should be sensible were done ill and which you have yet space before you dye to correct and make better You have liberty to think as much as you please of God and of your Self of the Joys of Heaven and the Terrors of Hell and the Vanity of this World and of all things else which may either direct or comfort you and be of use either to your Soul or Body Nay the more your Body is restrained and the less you have left to mind of other ●hings the more liberty you have for these thoughts And therefore if spiritual things and employments are your design instead of being a place of Incumbrance and Restraint your Prison is a place of Leisure and Freedom Take away the Name of Prison as Tertullian advises and Call it a Recess and that is no Let but the Greatest Opportunity and advantage to true Penitents and Spiritually and Heavenly minded Persons And then Secondly as for the other embitterment of Want and Poverty when God is pleased to send it too be patient under it and set your selves to gain as much as you can by it And if you please you may gain abundance more thereby in spiritual Exercises and Improvements than your bearing all its temporal hardships and inconveniences will amount to When you are brought therefore to a poor Estate be sure you take Care to be poor in Spirit or to have no● 〈◊〉 Thoughts or Desires as I hinted before after the Fineries and Satisfactions o● this World but what are suited to your Poverty Do not let your Desire run or your Fancy please it self with the Thoughts of what Table yo● kept what Servants you retain'd what Garments you wore what Conveniences you had or Respects you received once But look now only for such things as are fit for a Person in your present want and poor estate to desire and think of As a poor man then be Content if you are reduced to a course and frugal Dyet and a mean Habit and an hard Bed Be Content if you have nothing else but Necessaries which God provides for all his Creatures even the Beasts of the Field and the Birds of the Air who as our Lord observes have no Contrivance to lay up Stores for themselves Nay esteem and own your Self unworthy even of these necessary Provisions and think it not enough to be contented with them but be Thankful for them And seek them without Solicitude or Mistrusts of Providence But after a chearful Care spent in the best ways you have to compass them quietly rely on God and trust him for them Do what you can to have them of your own if that succeeds not ask of them who are like to Pity and Relieve you and if one denies you try others but if that misses too God will send it and put it into the Hearts of those to give whom you do not ask and send it to you you know not how And in your Poverty be sure you be Humble Be willing and contented to be maintained what way God pleases And if he brings your State to need an Alms let not your Spirit be above it Think not your self too good to receive nor if need be modestly to ask it And be Patient where you meet with Repulses and Thankful for all that is given you whether it be little or much yea even for good words and compassionate answers where you receive nothing else And if under a poor estate you can by Gods Grace arrive to this true Poverty of Spirit you are a very Rich Poor Man you are Poor in this World but Rich in Faith and Good Works as our Blessed Saviour Christ and his Apostles and earliest Saints for the most part were and may comfortaby hope thro his Grace to have your humble holy and obedient Poverty rewarded at last together with theirs with unspeakable Riches Honour and Happiness in his Heavenly Kingdom And having after this sort Received and Improved both your Poverty and your Solitude look upon them again with a discerning and impartial Eye and then tell me what Cause you have to Repine or Complain of them Judge of them not by the Opinions which other People pass but by the good Use which you your Self make of them They are certainly Good exceeding Good to you when you Receive and Improve them after this manner and therefore are things not only for you to bear but to Bless God and be Heartily Thankful unto Him for AN OFFICE FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES Scriptures for Prisoners for Crimes Psal. 51. Ezek. 18. v. 10. to the end Ps. 25. v. 7. to v. 20. Rom. 1. v. 28. to Chap. 2. v. 8. I. THEY that plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same Job 4. 8. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holden with the Cords of his Sins Prov. 5. 22. Bloody and Deceitful Men shall not live out half their days My Heart is sore painted within me and the Terrors of Death are fallen upon me Fearfulness and Trembling are come upon me and Horror hath overwhelmed me Psal. 55. 4 5 23 What Glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your Faults you shall take it patiently 1 Pet. 2. 20. My Son Give I Pray thee Glory to the Lord God of Israel and make Confession unto him and tell me now what thou hast done And Achan answered Joshua and said indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus have I done Josh. 7. 19 20. We indeed suffer justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds Luke 23. 41. II. Fools because of their Transgression and becuse of their Iniquities are afflicted Then they cry unto the Lord in their Trouble and he delivereth them out of their Distresses Psal. 107. 17 19. Oh! Let the sorrowful sighing of the Prisoner come before thee according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to dye Psal. 79. 11. The Lord hath looked down from the
basely and wretchedly forsaken thee all my Life yet leave me not I humbly intreat thee in my last Hour When the justice of man lays my Blood upon my own Head let thy Mercy O! Blessed Jesu lay thy Blood upon it too to expiate the guilt of mine Let that purge me from all my sins that altho I Dye Stained therewith here I may appear without spot before the Tribunal of my Heavenly Father Amen II. Sweet Jesu Thou disdainedst not to Cast an eye upon the Penitent Thief on the Cross. Oh! Despise not me when I suffer in like case as he did and I hope truly repent me of my sins and fix all my Hopes in thee under my distress as he did in his Thou once hungest upon a Tree thy self for the sins of others Oh! By the Blood of thy Cross Save me who stand justly condemned to suffer the same for mine own sins Save me O! Lord a great wretched but a penitent contrite Sinner In thy merits Do I trust Into thy merciful Hands do I commend my Spirit I Believe that thou O! Lamb of God art the Saviour of sinners Oh! Save me who am Chief among Sinners and rescue my trembling and departing Soul from eternal Misery I Freely and from my Heart forgive all mine Enemies Oh! Do thou in the abundant Riches of thy Mercy forgive me Accept of such recompence as I am able to make to those who have sufferd by me and make up the wrongs which I have done to any and which now I am no longer able to repair Supply all that to them and their Families by thy mercy which they have lost by my wickedness that they may neither be tempted nor burden'd by the loss nor I tormented by the punishment accruing thereby Give me strength O! Almighty and most merciful Lord under my last Agonies Help me to bear all patiently and to resign my self holy to thy Mercy Let the example of my Fall be a warning to others that the prevention of their Crimes may make some reparation for the greivous Scandal which I have given by mine And tho I tast thy Justice in my ignominious Death yet O! Gracious Father let me find the sweetness of thy mercy after it for my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christs sake Amen III. Lord save me for I flee unto thee for safety Save me or else I perish everlastingly Save me a wretched Sinner O! Jesu thou Saviour of Sinners I have been a lost Sinner but thou Camest to seek and save that which was lost And after all my woful and wretched course of Sins my own most deserved afflictions and thy most undeserved Grace I hope have brought me now at last to true Repentance and thou hast Order'd Repentance and remission of Sins to be Preach'd to all Sinners Oh! Save me a penitent Sinner and as thou didst with The Theif upon the Cross receive and comfort me in this may last Hour Amen Our Father c. EJACULATIONS For him at the time of Execution INTO thy Hands O! Lord I commend my Spirit Amen I return thee a Spirit alass loaded with Sins But wash'd I humbly hope with the tears and sorrows of true Repentance Lord graciously accept my Repentance and pardon my Sins for the Merits of that most Precious Blood which was shed to wash away the sins of all truly and penitent Sinners Amen PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES VIII A Thanksgiving for deliverance out of Prison whither they had been justly committed for capital Crimes I. O! Almighty Lord who art the blessed Author of all Life Happiness with a most thankful Heart I humbly adore and praise thy Mercy which hath now lent me my life anew and rescued me out of the jaws of Death My Sins had set a snare for my own Life and I had digged a pit for mine own Soul Yea my ungodly ways had most heinously injured thee at the same time they threaten'd to destroy my self And yet neither my own madness in seeking misery nor the resentment of the greivous wrongs thereby done to thee could put by thy Love O! Father of Mercies and God of all Comforts from shewing mercy unto me I called out to thee and was holpen I put my Trust in thee and was not confounded I sought thee earnestly and thou wast found of me The snare is broken and I am delivered The Pit is cover'd and to the glory of thy free Mercy and tende● Care of me I have happily escaped For which all praise an● thanks be ever ascribed to the● thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Ame● II. And Lord keep the memory of this surpassing Mercy always fresh upon my Spirit and let me ever be praising thee for the same with joyful Lips Never suffer me to forget the vows which I made in my distress but let my whole life be one acceptable Sacrifice to thee my Redeemer and make all my actions to shew forth thy Praise When I was in Trouble O! Blessed Lord it was not so much out of the love of Life as out of the love of innocence that I desire to be Respited Oh! Grant me Grace now to employ my Life as I then designed to do and to make good now what I did then pretend Fix me unalterable in all the ways of Godliness which I have begun Preserve me from Repeating any of my former wickednesses especially this Great one which was so like to bring down vengeance on my Head for all the Rest. Tho I am cleared thereof before men yet I know O! Righteous Lord that I shall ever stand Guilty of it before thee unless I shew true amendment of the same and make Restitution for all the wrongs done to any thereby in the best sort I can Oh! Keep me ever ready to do that fully whatever it cost me and carefully to slip no opportunities of doing the same And make me so watchful to spend all the remainder of my Days in all holy and Thankful obedience that I may not only have the Purposes and Promises of Repentance which alas was a great part of what I had to shew before but the Proofs thereof to produce and to comfort my heart withal on any new Alarm And then O! Gracious God when thou shalt bring me to fear Death a second Time thy blessed will be done and by thy Grace I shall be able and in condition to bid it welcome thro the merits of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen III. Once more Blessed yea for ever Blessed be thy Great and Glorious Name O! Almighty Father for bringing me into this Distress as well as for bringing me out of it I reverence thy Justice for bringing it upon me But at the same time I most thankfully own thy Mercy which when all other ways sailed would order this to reduce me to thy Self and to make me break off my wicked Courses And ever deal with me O! blessed Lord and Saviour in