Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	6,148	5	10.2436	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56805	The conformist's fourth plea for the nonconformists wherein several considerations are offered for Christian forbearance : with some relations of some of their sufferings ..., together with some account of the infamous lives and lamentable deaths of some informers / by a charitable and compassionate conformist, author of the former Pleas.	Pearse, Edward, 1631-1694.	1683 (1683)	Wing P974; ESTC R34547	112,844	120

Gentleman of great Worth John Hunnucks of Braintree in Essex was the Son of a serious discreetly pious wealthy Draper and Grocer in that Town A pious Education and Example had little Efficacy upon him but being witty and capable of the Management of his own and his Father's Trade was left Co-Executor with his Mother-in-Law who prudently agreed with him to get into her own hands her Part and the Portion of one Child He married the Daughter of a very worthy Person had four Children by her observed Family-Duties and wanted not Gifts was wont to go sometimes to hear the Nonconformists who were afterwards persecuted by him Not many Months after his Wife died he grew wild and debauched swearing drinking and with his drawn Sword forcing others to drink up to his Measure He was very vexatious to his Dealers and unrighteous in his Trade unnatural and unjust in detaining his Sister's Portion compelling her Husband to go to Law forswearing himself about his Father's Will that it was lost and that his Father died in Debt as much as the Estate would satisfy which was prized at 2200 l. besides 4 or 500 l. brought in as bad Debts the most of which this Man recovered He sued his Brother-in-Law arrested him and in person goes with the Bayliff to see him in Prison not ceasing to put him to great Charges till his Brother-in-Law died In nine or ten Years time he consumed all his Father left him and his other Children ran far into Debt and cast himself into the King's-Bench The first Lord's Day after the Act against Conventicles came in force he began to inform and as was said he reckoned to get Sixty Pounds per Week by that good Work after the failing of other Trades But God would have stopp'd him if his Heart had not been hardned for before that Lord's-Day came one of his Children looking into a Tub of Water fell into it and was drowned When he heard of it in an Ale-house he made no haste home and when he came he bad his Neighbours that came to see if they could recover the Child be gone they had no Business there The Child as is remembred was buried on the Saturday and the next day he went and informed the Officers of a Meeting with Witnesses to attest his Information The Officers charged him to go along with them and forced him in he being unwilling to go in when he came to the Door and shew them the People When he came in they shoved him up over against the Preacher he would neither look up nor speak but fell a trembling The Officers cried This is your Informer he answered I am no Informer I will be no Informer But being reproached for his Faint-heartedness and animated by some he came again the next Lord's Day and continued the greatest part of that Summer with great Fury taking some with him riding about and searching to the Expence of about Fifty Pounds but not getting Five a thriving Trade During this Time he grew more debauched and vile reckoning this amongst his Glories that he had converted and brought more to Church than all the Preachers 'T is said he fillip'd up a Shilling to see whether he should go to God or the Devil as that fell Cross or Pile He hath sworn he would kill the Preacher and forsworn himself often swearing such Persons to be at the Meeting who were not but divers Miles off When one Mr. Bromball an aged pious Man was to be buried he provided several Fidlers to go to the Burial-House where he pranced with his Horse before the Door and broke the Windows with his Staff and would have the Fidlers go along with him playing by the Corps with Language fitted for his Mouth and Actions He found no Success or Advantage by his Informing but about a Year after God took him to a Reckoning He was broken and blasted in his Body as before in his Estate his Eyes sunk in their Holes and his Flesh consumed c. so that he was not known to his Acquaintance his Strength failed him that he could not go abroad he cast away his Estate and his Friends cast him off And now what place was left to receive him None but a common lower Room in a poor Hostler's House in the Noise and Company of poor rude Children Thus his Pride was stained and humbled But his Heart seemed to be more humbled yet because he sent for the Preacher whom he had disturbed and persecuted a first second and third time and when he came to visit him he spake You are the Person I have a great desire to see I think you and the People whom I did persecute to be my Friends He said he had been so vile a Wretch and guilty of so many and great Sins that he knew not by which he had most dishonoured God He had sinned against Light and was afraid God was not at peace with him and that it had been better for him he had been a Toad than a Man He was very importunate and urgent with the Minister to pray with him and would have one stand at the Door in the mean time that he might not be disturbed by any Company and that the Children should be all put out When the Minister ended his Prayer he was very thankful to him and reached out his hand to him and held him long He said he desired to repent of all his Sins was afraid if God should try him with longer Life he should return to his Filthiness but he looked for Death which came and took him away a day or two after but as 't is feared unprepared and impenitent upon such Reasons as I am loth to recite out of the Narrative for their ill Example There are several remarkable Passages of God's Judgments upon him 1. He had one Child drowned when he went to inform 2. Another choak'd at Nurse after he had gone on a while 3. Was crossed in his Hopes of Gain by Informing 4. The deformed Consumption of his Body and being cast off by his Friends 5. That so haughty a Person should lie in a contemptible Place and State 6. That a third Child should be taken by an Host to be kept in Charity 7. That the only visible Sign of Repentance should be to send for that Minister and desire his Prayers rather than any other 8. That being a Prisoner at London he should upon leave obtained come to die in that Place and State in the Face of his Companions to convince and terrify them and of them that he had persecuted to acknowledg his Fault This Service proves as the Devil 's commonly doth unprofitable a Man may spend all in it but is very uncertain of gaining any thing by it It is rarely seen that the Devil bears the Charges of his Servants as others have found to their Cost in this present Life One W. V. of M. H. hath been very poor ever since he took up the Calling having scarce Bread