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 thâ—â— he had committed that bloody Fact which was sucâ— 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
affection and earnest pleading with God that all the company were exceedingly melted and their hearts beyond ordinary measure warmed and raised that the room did ring with sighs and groans and there was such a mighty presence of the Spirit poured out upon him and on those that joyned with him that we do not remember the time when ever we had experience of the like in which Prayer after the confession of his sins he begged earnestly for pardon and for an interest in Christ saying O Lord wilt thou let me die without a Christ shall I leave this World before thou smilest upon my soul thou hast promised pardon and mercy and salvation to those that do repent and to those that do believe Lord I do repent I do believe if I know my own heart I do repent I do believe Lord I roll my self upon thy Son I cast my self at his Foot for mercy thou wouldst be just if thou dost damn me but thou hast pardoned others and it will be to the Praise of thy Free-Grace to pardon me Lord shall those Prayers that have been made and all those tears that haue been shed for me and all those instructions which have been given me be all in vain with many other expressions in that Prayer which wonderfully affected the hearts of those that were with him that afterwards we looked upon one another wondering at the Grace of God towards him that one so wicked all his days so young being 16. years old so lately acquainted with the wayes of God should have such a spirit of prayer poured out upon him after this he prayed with more life and fervency then before and the nearer he came to his end the more we perceived God was ripening him for his glory After this we took our leave of him not knowing but that was the last day for the Cart stood below and the Coffin fetched down and some of the honourable Sheriffs of London's men came into the Prison but the Sheriff of Middlesex having not notice to be ready his Execution was deferred till Wednesday following Reader here take notice that the report that the reason why he was not Executed on Munday was because he was drunk is an abominable falshood for to our knowledge that were with him he did not eat nor drink that morning When we went up to him again we told him that we perceived he was not to dye that day giving him caution not to think there was any pardon intended for him and one came from the Sheriff to acquaint him with the reason of the delay of his Execution When his Coffin was carried up to him again one asked what he thought and what were the workings of his heart when he saw his Coffin brought back he said he was much troubled and it daunted him to see it for he could willingly have dyed that day to go to Christ On Munday in the Afternoon he had an excessive pain in his Teeth as we judged occasioned by his leaving off his cloaths and putting on some thin apparel to die in and that evening he expressed great willingness to dye and leave this world he said I see and find so much excellency in Christ that he is so pure pure in grace pure in holiness pure in all things Lord I count it an hell to be upon earth I so long to be where I might enjoy thee and he spent some time in Prayer notwithstanding his pain with much affection wherein he said the pain of thee Teeth was great but the pain of Hell was greater On Tuesday the day before he died after some time spent in prayer both by him and H. B. being full of joy he expressed himself thus O my dear friend what a welcome shall I give you when you come to Heaven and say to you come see come see this is the glory that you told me of but all that you ever told me was nothing to what I have found O what a place is this O how shall we love one another then sure it cannot be but Heaven must be a glorious place where God and Christ and Angels be The night before he died a Minister came to Thomas Savage and after other serious discourse for satisfaction of a Christian friend that had seen him before he demanded of him what were now the grounds of his hopes of salvation He made this reply God both in infinite mercy made me deeply sensible of great sins and not only of them but of the vileness of my heart and nature and God hath made me to abhor my self for my sins and I hope truly to repent of them for that which hath been the delight of my soul is now as bad as hell and God hath given me to see that all my own prayers and tears and all the prayers of all the good people that come to me are not able to save A Christ alone I throw my self at the feet of Christ for mercy and if I perish I will perish there I feel longings and breathings after Christ and love him more than my life I long to be with him and I would not be to live any longer this world is a little Hell because of sin I fear not death for I hope the sting of it is taken out for me This last night before his death he desired us to sit up with him in order to his better preparation for the great work he had to do the next day that we might wrestle with God on his behalf that when death approached so near unto him he might have some nearer accesses of God into his soul that when pale death stared him in the face he might see God's smiling countenance which opportunity we readily embraced and spent the former part of the night in Prayer till two of the clock in the morning about which time he desired us to go down into the Lodge that he might have some part of the night for Prayer and Meditation alone and to discourse a while with his friend Mr. Baker to whom he most of all did open his very heart and spake more freely to than to any others whom for that reason we left with him and when we were gone down his friend being with him who told us afterwards he fell into admiration and said What a prodigy am I What a wonder of mercy that God should incline the hearts of his Ministers to come and pray with me and pour out their souls in prayer thus for me For me a Murtherer for me a Drunkard for me so vile and sinful Well I cannot but love God and though I go to Hell yet I will love God for his goodness and graciousness to me already manifested in this world yea though I should be damned for my sin yet I could and would love God What would they venture to come and pray with me a Murtherer How did they know but I might have murthered some of them Pray for me wrestle for me well I know God loves
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
thee O Lord look down upon me with an eye of pity if it be thy blessed will it is thy infinite mercy that I am on this side the grave and out of Hell O Lord I have deserved to be cast into Torments to all Eternity How have I offended thee and run on in sin and thought I could never do enough to abuse thy mercy Pardon the sins that I have committed wash that bloud from off my soul let not my soul perish to Eternity It was 〈◊〉 horrid crime to shed innocent bloud Pardon that sin O Lord let the blood of Christ cry more for mercy than the blood of that Creature cry for Vengeance O Lord thou hast been merciful to me in giving me time to repent for ought I know her Soul is undone for ever Lord forgive me Lord forgive me I knew not what I did Forgive my Sabbath-breaking lying cursing forgive my drunkenness blot them out of the book of remembrance turn them away behind thee Lord I have repented of them from my Soul that ever I should offend God so good and so merciful and gracious I do believe on thee and do wholly throw my self upon thee I acknowledge it would be just in thee to damn my Soul but it will be infinite mercy in thee to save me and what free grace will it be in the to pardon me It is dreadful to lose the body but how dreadful will it be to lose the Soul to all eternity Lord let it not be in vain that I have had so many instructions O let me not go down to Hell let my Soul bless and praise thy Name for ever for what thou hast done for me thou hast been at work upon my heart and thou hast helped me to repent the Lord be praised Lord I desire to be more and more humbled under the sense of my sins for they are dreadfull there are many Souls that have not committed those sins that are now in Hell O what mercy is it that I am not in those flames in those devouring flames Lord as thou hast spared me here spare me to Eternity Let not my Soul perish Lord reveal thy self unto me make known thy love unto me tell me my sins are pardoned tell me that I have an interest in Christ before I go hence and be seen no more that I might leave some testimony behind me that I might tell thy Ministers what thou hast done for me and tell thy people what thou hast done for my soul Lord this will not be only for my satisfaction but for thy glory Blessed Lord pardon the sins that I am guilty of and take away this cursed base heart of mine break this rocky stony heart in pieces these sins of Murder and Drunkenness c. were in my heart before I thought no eye did see me commit those sins but thou didst see me Lord turn my heart to thee and take away this heart of stone and take away this cursed nature for it was this cursed nature that brought me to these sins and to this end and I was in danger of losing my soul to all eternity but Lord though I am a great sinner Christ is a great Saviour He is able to save me from my sins though they be never so great I do believe Lord I speak freely from my heart so far as I know my heart I do believe it is my grief I can sorrow no more for my sins which have been the cause of my offending thee so long and so much One drop of thy Blood sprinkled upon my soul will pardon all my sins Lord cross the black line of my sins with the red line of thy Blood I am not able to answer for one vain thought much less for all my horrid crimes Lord save my immortal soul that I might sing praise to Thee to all Eternity Thou hast pardoned Manasseh that was a great sinner and Mary Magdalen and Paul that were great Sinners and the Thief upon the Cross and thy Mercies are as great thy Mercy and thy Love to Repenting Sinners is not shortned though my sins be great yet thy Mercies are greater than my Sins Lord be with me in my death then let me have some comfortable assurance of thy love unto my soul of the pardon of my sin do thou be my God and my Guide now and to all Eternity Amen This Prayer he put up with much earnestness with great brokenness of heart for sin that all that joyned with him were exceedingly affected and blessed God for the spirit of Prayer they discerned God had so plentifully poured out upon him After we had some other discourse with him we took our leave of him telling him we purpoâ—… 〈◊〉 see him again at the place of Execution After two or three hours when the time of his going from Newgate drew near we were willing to return to see him once more there and the rather because one Minister that had not yet been with him was desirous to visit him and then again after some few words with him we asked him to go to Prayer again once more saying now this will be the last time that we shall pray with you in this place And he did perform this duty with great liveliness that now he excelled himself and the nearer he came to his end the more fervently we perceived he prayed but we took notice that in this last duty in Newgate he was much in praising God and blessing God for his mercy to him to our great astonishment After a few words when this duty was over we took some of us our final farewel of him he expressing his thanks to Gods people for their Prayers for him and to the Ministers for their love and pains with him was commended by us to the grace of God saying Thomas the Lord be with you the Lord of Heaven be with you O the Lord of mercy help you and have compassion on you This morning he expressed himself to his friend H. B. thus Oh my friend we cannot tell how glorious a place Heaven is but if once I get thither could drop down a Letter to you and tell you of the glorious things I there shall find how would it rejoyce your heart and to this friend parting with him said I know God loveth me and that I am going to the Kingdom of Heaven The last Speech of Thomas Savage at the place of his Execution at Ratcliff Gentlemen HEre I am come to die a cursed ignominious Death and I most justly deserve it for I have Murthered a poor innocent Creature and for ought I know have not only murthered her body but if God had no more mercy on her soul than I had of her body she is undone to all Eternity so that I deserve not only death from men but damnation from God I would have you all that look upon me take warning by me the first sin I began with was Sabbath-breaking thereby I got acquainted with bad
to speak but could not recover the use of his tongue but his reviving being known within 4 hours the Officers came to the house where he was and conveyed him to the place of Execution again and hung him up again until he was quite dead whence he was carried by his mourning friends to Islington where he now sleepeth in the bed of his Grave until the morning of the Resurrection from whence though buried in dishonour he will then be raised in glory Thus you have had the Relation of one that was but young in years but old in wickedness you have read of his Sabbath-breaking Profaneness Swearing Lying Stealing Drunkenness Fornication and the like sins which he confessed himself frequently and deeply guilty of and to compleat and fill up the measure of his sins he added to the rest the horrid sin of Murder I believe you have scarcely heard of sin grown up to such maturity in so short a time as it did in him who when he was imprisoned was under sixteen years of age And what could any expect should be the issue product of sin arrived to such perfection but death and wrath and the vengeance of Eternal Fire But behold here an instance of Free Grace his sins did abound but Gods grace did super-abound Sometimes God doth sow the seed of Grace in the heart that is most unlikely to receive it reapeth Great Glory to his name by pardoning Great Sins We read that when Ephraim was bent upon wickedness so that a man could hardly expect the restraining of Gods anger any longer but that it should kindle in his breast break forth in a flame to devour a people so rebellious yet the Lord expresseth himself in a way of wonderful mercy and astonishing free Grace Hos 11. 8 9. How shall I give thee up O Ephraim how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim my heart is turned within me not against Ephraim but towards him my repentings not mine anger are kindled together I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger And the reason is not drawn from any thing in Ephraim to move him but only from himself for I am God not man If one man had been so provoked by another it had lain in the power of his hand to have avenged himself upon his enemy surely he would not have spared or shewn any favour but because he is God not man whose thoughts are not like our thoughts and whose mercies are not like our mercies but further removed above them than the Heavens are removed above the Earth in comparison with whose mercies our most tender mercies are no less than cruelty therefore because he is God not man and herein would Act like himself he hath pity sheweth favour unto Ephraim Take another instance in Israel who had made God to serve with his sins and wearied him with his iniquities having pressed God herewith as a cart is pressed with sheaves and nothing but vengeance could rationally be expected that God should say as at another time for God doth not shew such favor to all at all times that the freeness of it might be the more evident Ah I will ease me of my Adversaries and avenge me on my Enemies and I even I am he that will make such audacious sinners see and feel what an evil and fearful thing it is to affront and provoke me yet read how graciously God pardoneth Israel declaring the ground of it to be only for the glory of his own Name Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Surely no motive from this young mans person or any good previus disposition he being so exceeding vitiated by such defiling sins could in the least incline God to have mercy upon him but the motive was taken from himself his own bowels He had mercy on him only because he would have mercy compassion on him because he would have compassion If some yea many are passed by who have escaped the more gross pollutions which are in the world through lust never committed such God-provoking sins as you read in the Narrative that he committed but for lesser faults are punished everlastingly when God hath had mercy upon him and thrown the skirt of his love over him and wrought a gracious change in him we must say with our Saviour Matth. 11. 26. Even so Father because it so seemed good in thy sight It is through free grace that any are saved but in the salvation of such a one God hath demonstrated the exceeding riches of his grace towards him through Jesus Christ Eph. 2. 7. Let not any from this example of Gods free grace presume to continue indulge themselves in a sinful course hoping to obtain mercy at the last as he hath done and to turn Gods glory into shame his grace into wantonness for it is a rare example hardly again to be parallel'd will a man run himself through the body because some have been healed of such wounds will a man drink down poyson because some by an Antidote have expelled the poyson and escaped with life Is not presumption the bane and ruin of millions of souls may not God cut you off in the act of some of your sins and not give you time for repentance and if life doth continue may not he deny you the grace of Repentance doth not custome and continuance in sin harden your heart and fasten you in Satans Chains hath not God threatened that such who cry peace peace to themselves though they walk after the imagination of their hearts to add drunkenness to thirst That he will not spare them but his anger and his jealousie shall smoke against them and that he will blot out their name from under Heaven Deut. 29. 19 20. The great Improvement which should be made of Gods gracious dealings with this young man is for all to admire Gods free grace and especially for poor distressed Souls that are upon the brink of Hell in their own apprehensions and are ready to despair of Gods mercy because of the greatness of their sins to take encouragement from hence and hopes that there may be mercy in store for them they have not been Murderers whatever their sins have been and if a Murderer hath been received into favour why may not they hope Let such think with themselves that it is free grace hath saved him and let them sue out at the throne of Grace for the same grace which is freely tendred unto them A recollection out of this Narrative of those passages from which in charity we do conclude that the work of grace was really wrought in his soul or the evidences of T. S. of his Title to Eternal Happiness 1. HE bitterly lamented his sins and loathed himself for them especially as they were against a good and gracious God according to Ps 51.
be regarded Shall the Lion roar and will not such a Beast as you tremble Know this as stoutly as you brave it out now you will shortly quake But you are resolved come on it what will venture you will But hold sinner I prethee let 's reason the case a little do not act like a Fool and a Mad-man Were you ever in Newgate Do you know what a Prison is Are Fetters such desirable things Hath the Devil done you so much kindness as that you must venture your liberty for his sake Come tell me sinner what good did the devil ever do for thee willingly Is it worth the while to do and suffer so much for one that never intended any good to any in the World Consider a little young man is it nothing to come gingling in your chains before an Earthly Judge Is the sight of the Bench nothing Is it nothing to have your villany laid open before the World How do you think you shall look when Evidence comes in clear and the Jury shall cast you What brave it out still But what will you say when the Judg shall pass sentence upon you to be carried from thence to the Prison and from that to the place of Execution It is nothing to have ten thousand Spectators of your shameful end But methinks I hear some of that hellish rout laughing and saying It is but a swing or two and then all 's over their misery 's at an end But hold there sinner then thy misery will begin for thou shalt appear immediately before the Bar of God and there receive another sentence ten thousand times more dreadful than the former What do you make nothing of that dreadful word Depart thou cursed and then immediately the devil takes your soul They wait for their prey and thou must be reserved in chains of darkness in unspeakable and unavoidable torments to the Judgment of the great day and then thy cursed body and soul shall meet O what a dreadful greeting will that be when body and soul shall be cast into everlasting flames Well young man now what do you say Is it best venturing still But it may be thou beginnest to think what a strange censorious man is this Such Preaching is enough to make one out of their wits What is there no such thing as repentance a Grace a God one may be saved for all your railing What do you think of Tho. Savage did not he repent I hope you will not say that he is in Hell No indeed for I verily believe that he is a Saint in Glory but how do you know whether God will give you repentance I must tell you he is a singular instance such a one as we shall scarce hear of in an age and I remember that he that is oft reproved and hardens his heart shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy But though I speak thus Brethren I hope better things of many here and things that do accompany Salvation I am perswaded here are some young ones that had as live venture their lives as indulge themselves in the forementioned youthful Lusts I think I have some ground to say what I do Brethren I beseech you make not my boasting void neither let me be ashamed of my confidence I am perswaded I say again that some of you now hate what sometimes you did delight in and though it may be in the days of your darkness you lived in your sins yet now fear to fall into them as much as you fear Hell Courage my Brethren go on bravely and the Lord be with you you are the hopes and joy of old Christians they bless God from their hearts to see such Flowers in Gods Garden hold but out be strong and quit you like men and heaven shall be yours as sure as if you were already there Vse 4. I shall here speak something by way of advice to Masters of Families and Parents It lies much in your power to set a stop to that mighty torrent of wickedness that doth almost overflow this City Remember Sirs what a dreadful sin the sin of Murder is What then do you think of those that murder souls that starve souls How do you think God will take it at your hands that you should be so careful that your work be done and never mind his at all Is it nothing to you that one that dwells under your roof must dwell in everlasting burnings Are you so barbarous as to be indifferent whether your servants and children are damned or saved What can you answer when those of your own house shall stand before the great God and say Lord if it had not been for my Master I had never sinned against thee at the rate that I did He never told me any thing of the danger of sin he would be sure to call me up betimes to look after his business and if I neglected that I should quickly hear of it but as for the Lords Day praying or reading or any thing that concerned God or my soul I never was so much as reproved for the neglecting of them O! if I had been but told of such a dreadful place as this is and what sin would end in sure I should never have ventured as I did Sirs I beseech you think how you shall answer such an accusation at the day of Judgment as sure as you live you will then be speechless Parents methinks you have something within you to put you upon your duty What have you no love at all to the fruit of your Bodies Is it no great matter whether your children sink or swim would you be contented to see them in a house that is in a Flame do nothing to get them out Would you have your children fire-brands of Hell for ever will you do nothing to rescue them from that devouring Lion who would tear them in pieces can you bear to hear them cry out against you and ready to fly in your faces Doth it never trouble you to think what a greeting you shall have in another World when they shall curse the day that ever they saw you when they shall say I may thank you for this dreadful misery you never catechised me you never told me one word of this place of torment you never corrected me for my sin if you had it may be I should not have lain under this intollerable anguish What do you say Sirs to these things Methinks they call for your serious consideration Really if these be not weighty matters I know not what be Let me ask you in meekness whether it be not a piece of the most barbarous cruelty in the world to let your children and servants run to hell without doing what in you lies to stop them But I hope by this time some of you are a little convinced of the dreadfulness of the loss of a soul are loth to have the guilt of the blood of souls to lie upon you for ever and