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
Flesh is very desirous of ease but my Heart O! My God thro the help of thy Grace is more desirous of Innocence And whatever else I am given up to feel let me not lie harden'd and past feeling in my Sins Spare not the Rod of Discipline towards me when thou seest there is need thereof to make me wise and let me pass tho it be thro present Misery if that alone can keep me in the way to thine eternal Mercy Which Grant O! Almighty and most Gracious Lord that I may here comfortably hope for and at last injoy for our Blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ's sake Amen Our Father c. AN OFFICE FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT I. Scriptures for Prisoners for Debt Psal. 142. Lev. 19. v. 11. to v. 16. Luk. 12. v. 22. to v. 32. Psal. 130. Deut. 24. v. 10. to v. 16. Chap. 15. v. 7. to v. 12. I. THE Lord executeth judgment for the oppressed the Lord looseth the Prisoners Psal. 146. 7. I have sent forth thy Prisoners out of the Pit wherein is no Water Turn ye to the strong hold ye Prisoners of hope Zech. 9. 11 12. I give thee for a Covenant to the People that thou mayest say to the Prisoners go forth to them that are in darkness shew your selves Isa. 49. 8 9. The Lord heareth the Poor and despiseth not his Prisoners Psal. 69. 33. He satisfieth the longing Soul and filleth the hungry Soul with goodness Such as sit in darkness and the shadow of Death being bound in Affliction and Iron Because they rebelled against the Words of God and contemned the Councel of the most High Therefore he brought down their Heart with Labour they fell and there was none to help Then they cryed unto the Lord in their Trouble and he saved them out of their Distresses He brought them out of Darkness and the shadow of Death and brake their Bands in sunder Psal. 107. 9 10 11 12 13 14. II. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again Psal. 37. 21. Defraud not one another in any matter 1. Thes. 4. 6. For he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no Respect of Persons Col. 3. 25. Render to all their dues Owe no man any thing but to Love one another Rom. 13. 7 8. Have Patience with me and I will pay thee all Mat. 18. 26. III. Forgive us our Debts as we Forgive our debters Mat. 6. 12. A servant was brought unto his Lord who ought him ten Thousand Talents And for as much as he had not to pay he desired Forbearance And the Lord was moved with Compassion and loosed him and forgave him the Debt But the same Servant went out to his fellow servant which ought him an hundred Pence And he would Grant him no Forbearance but laid Hands on him and cast him into Prison till he should pay the Debt Then his Lord called him and said unto him Oh! thou wicked Servant I forgave thee all that Debt because thou desiredst me Shouldest not thou also have had Compassion on thy fellow-Servant even as I had Pity on thee And his Lord was wrath and delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you if ye from your Hearts forgive not every one his Brother their Trespasses Mat. 18. 24 to 36. To whom much is forgiven the same loveth much Luk. 7. 47. IV. Hath not God chosen the Poor of this World rich in Faith and Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that Love him Jam. 2. 5. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5. 3. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need Phil. 4. 12. As having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6. 10. Glory be to the Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT I. The General Prayers for Prisoners which the Prisoner for Debt may find for his use in the foregoing OFFICE And For the more particular necessities of imprison'd Debters these Prayers following may be made use of II. Particular Prayers for Prisoners for Debt I. The indebted Prisoners Prayer for clearing the store of his Sins O! Almighty and most Righteous Lord my worst Debts are my Sins which are many and greivous and which are all to be accounted for to thy Justice And who may abide shouldest thou be extreme to mark what we do amiss Much less could I abide who have done amiss extremely and have brought not only the fear of thy future Wrath but my present restraint and sorrows upon mine own Head by my own evil Doings But O! Gracious Lord I am sensible of my wickedness and am truly Contrite and Sorry for my Sins And altho this sense of my Sin and Folly comes too late to prevent this my uncomfortable Restraint and worldly Misery Yet 't is not too late to move thy pardoning Mercy Oh! For Christ's sake strike off these Scores that they may neither sink my Soul nor terrify my Conscience Particularly O! Gracious Father strike off the Score of all those Sins and expensive Vices and of all my unlawful or unwise and self-will'd Projects and of all my impoverishing Neglects or Mismanagements which have drawn all these streights and hardships upon my self and have brought all this dammage and trouble to my Creditors Cleanse me of all the guilt of these Sins Good Lord that my Soul may not hereafter be made a Prisoner or arraigned again for the same at thy dreadful Bar. And when once thou hast blotted out thine account against me I shall the better bear to have mine earthly Creditors exact theirs and patiently endure their Rigors in hopes of thy free Mercy and Forgiveness thro the merits and satisfaction of my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT II. A Prayer for Mercy from his Creditors O! Father of Mercies move the Hearts of all who have sent me hither and who have it in their Power to set me Free to have pity on me Touch their Humanity and good Nature with a compassionate feeling of what I suffer Let a sight of my necessity pierce their Souls and move their Compassion yea moreover make their consciences Sensible O! Lord how for their own Souls sake they are indispensably obliged to show Charity towards such Debters as are sincerely willing and desirous to pay them what they owe them but cannot do it Shew them that all sinners are Debters and that they are thy Debters as well as I am theirs and that for infinitely greater sums than mine is Yea and that they are no more able to pay thee O! God than I am able to pay them Oh! then that their own Necessity may make them wary and prompt them to
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 tendeâ— Care of me I have happily escaped For which all praise anâ— thanks be ever ascribed to theâ— thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Ameâ— 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 this manner Distress my Body when thou seest that is necessary to save my Soul My
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 late a Presbyter of the CHURCH of England LONDON Printed by A. and J. Churchill at the Black Swan in Pater-Noster-Row 1697. AN Advertisement TO THE READER IT is thought necessary to assure the Publick that the following Treatise is a genuine Piece of that reverend Author whose name it bears 't was left finisht under his own hand and may serve as a fresh proof of that true Christian Zeal which inflamed his Mind and extended his Concern to the necessities of those miserable Wretches who are confined to Prisons for CRIMES and Debt Such afflicting Circumstances naturally incline Men to Consideration the want whereof is for the most part the true cause of all their Misfortunes but since it is as impossible to make that undone that is once done as it is to call back Time the only remedy that is left for the returning Sinner is to make all those Reparations to God and Man which his particular case will admit off Now to this Purpose he is here furnisht with variety of Directions both how to begin and compleat his Repentance and with variety of Devotions to implore the assistance of that Grace which is so necessary in order to his recovery There has been so little writ upon this important Subject that I perswade my Self the Publication of it will be very grateful to all good Men who rejoyce at any means that are used to rescue captives from the Slavery of Satan Besides the accurate Management of the Argument will recommend it to the Approbation of the most judicious Composures of Devotion when perfect in their kind I think may very well be ranked among some of the difficult performances in Divinity since they require not only propriety and decency of Expression but a mature Judgment spiritualized Affections and a most comprehensive knowledge of all Christian Duties to render them Compleat that while the mind is stor'd with rules to make a sound Judgment the will may be determined to the choice of what is just and all the faculties wing'd to the swiftest prosecution of it How far this Devout Office answers that Character must be left to the world to Judge but the talent our Pious and Learned Author had that way is so well known that I need say no more to satisfie the Reader than to assure him this is of a piece with what he has already published in that kind God grant that it may Attain that End which he Aimed at in this and all his other Writings which was the Service of his Blessed Master and the Salvation of those Souls which were redeemed by his most precious Bloud that they may both perceive and know those things which they ought to do and may have Grace and Power faithfully to fulfil the same AMEN 8 th March 1696 7. Blackheath Nelson TO THE READER Reader THE Case of Poor Prisoners both for Crimes and also for Debt is very lamentable and uncomfortable with Relation to their Bodies but more with Relation to their most Precious Souls And I think it a Good Piece of Charity to Direct them how in their most Dangerous Circumstances they may however set their Souls Safe and also Provide for their Bodily Straights making them as easy and advantageous to them yea and I add really as safe too as their Case admits to make them But when such Helps are provided for them these miserable Persons are neither like to inquire after them nor be at any Charge to buy them for themselves And therefore another Sort of Charity will still be wanting to their Releif and that is the Charity of some Pious Persons to Distribute such Helps among Prisoners and put them into their hands And when Compassionate and Charitable Persons do not Visit Prisons themselves methinks such of them as are of Ability should not think much to send such Visitants and Companions as these among them I have Prepared this little Piece to be sent Abroad both to Furnish them with Particular Directions and also with Particular Prayers for their several Needs and hard Circumstances And I hope God will from Time to Time stir 〈…〉 of some or other of 〈…〉 and Charitable Servants in Several Counties to send some of these Pieces or others which they like better to be Distributed some Due Time before the Assizes in their Neighbouring Prisons By Gods Blessing they may Help to Save many Souls by this Means at least they will greatly Benefit and Recommend their own to his Mercy who sets not so much by any Charity as by that of Converting Sinners from the Error of their ways Brief Directions FOR PRISONERS FOR CRIMES AND FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT I. Special Directions for Prisoners for Crimes CHAP. I. How to Behave and Employ themselves after Commitment and before the Tryal I. AS soon as you are Committed to the Prison begin seriously to Consider and Resolve within your Self how to spend your Time there Do not once fancy that you must lye shut out there from all Business and Condemned to a State of Idleness But set your Self with all your might to mind the one thing necessary viz. The Great Work of Repentance and making your Peace with Almighty God And know assuredly that this will cut out Work enough for you and of more Comfort and Profit to your Soul than any other Employments which you have formerly been used to And do not think of leaving this most necessary and important Work for an after-Game and that it will be time enough to fall to it after you have received Sentence of Condemnation For this shews that you do not yet think Repentance to be the Work of a Living but only of a Condemn'd and Dying Person and that if you could have any Hopes to live on you would Reserve your Self and are Resolved to Sin on And when you come to it with this Mind you are never like to do much Good in the way of Repentance nor is it like to do much Good to you Besides the Review and Amendment of a whole Life and making your Peace with God and Men after a long course of Provocations against both if it be done as it should be is a Work of more Time and Difficulty and Thoughtfulness than you are aware of And after Sentence is once passed upon them the wretched Criminals often times are either so Dejected with their Misfortunes or so Distracted with Terrors that their Minds are not Capable to be any thing near so composed Intent and Thoughtful as the Work of Repentance Requires or to make half so much use as they should of that little Time which is left them Not to put them in mind likewise that Considerable parts even of that little Time will be snatched away from this Grand Business to be taken up in Farewel Visits some of