An Office for Prisoners for Crimes, Office 2
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*Ps. 130. 3. 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 [†This, when the Debts are Contracted by our own Faults, in Luxury or Mispence. But if thro innocent Misfortune, and mere Hand of Providence; instead of, brought not only, &c. say, Deserved, not only to be made a Prisoner for the same, in this uncomfortable Place, but to be committed among the lost Angels, to Chains of everlasting Darkness, till the Terrible Judgment of the great Day. 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 'tis 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. [*In Case of … contracted by meer Hand of Providence, omit this within the Hooks. 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 shew Mercy. That they may have patience with me, till I can raise as much as I am able, towards the discharge of their Debt; and mercifully forgive the rest, when I can raise no more. Oh! That they may not be rigorous, in exacting the Hundred Pence, which I am not able to pay them; because then thou†Mat. 18. 28, &c. declarest, that thou likewise wilt exact the many thousand of Talents, which they are as unable to pay thee. And that thus, by mutually shewing Mercy, we may all be prepared to receive it at thy hands, for thy dear Son, our most blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.
Our Father; &c.
PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT.
III. Prayers for an Heart, to be Honest to his Creditors.
I.
O! Almighty Lord, who†Ps. 45. 7. & Ps. 11. 7. lovest Righteousness, but hatest Iniquity; let me not take up with a Prison, as an Art of Defrauding; nor chuse to rest thus uncomfortably confined in mine own Person, to leave the guilt and curse of ill gotten Goods, and of unpaid Debts, to my Family. Make me willing, O! God, to do justice to all who are any way concerned with me, to the utmost of that worldly estate, which I have to dispose of: And ready to give every man what I owe him, tho' I keep nothing to my self, but am left thereby to live upon thy good Providence. If want must be my share, Oh! Let me want the Conveniences, or even the necessaries of Life, rather than the innocence thereof. And grant good Lord, that the place of my wanting, may be here in this world, where my wants will soon have an end; not hereafter in the next world, where they will know no end, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.
II.
Enable me, O! Blessed Lord, if thou pleasest, by thy good Providence, and put me again into a Condition, fully to discharge and clear my Accounts with all my Creditors. Let none of them, O! My God, be losers in the end by me. But bless me in my ways, that I may have enough wherewithal to satisfy all their just Demands, and give me an Heart to pay it out accordingly, and that with thankfulness for their Forbearance, and without unnecessary delays. And dispose them to have patience with me, till this can be done. And suffer not me in the least to abuse that Patience; but make me apply my self diligently, to raise it for them, as fast as I can, and honestly to pay it to them as fast as I can raise it for them.
But if I am not able to pay them all that I owe them, grant them the Heart to forgive me what I cannot pay. And since what is thus given to me, is given to the Poor; look upon it, O! Lord, as†Prov. 19. 17. lent to thee, and be thou their pay-Master. As they very charitably consider my Necessities, do thou carefully prevent theirs: And whatsoever they abate to me of my Scores, do thou make up abundantly to them and theirs by thy good Providence.
And after they have forgiven me, tho I am no longer answerable to them in Law, yet make me ever sensible, O! God, that I still owe the same to them in Equity. And give me always the heart to repay, whatsoever they Acquit, if ever thou shalt put me in a Capacity, either by proper Payments, or by grateful Offices, so to do. And by living always in this inward readiness and preparation of Mind, to do them all exact justice; tho' I can never fully clear my Debts, yet by thy Grace I shall clear my Conscience, and be fit, not only for their Charity, but also for thine eternal Mercy, thro the merits and mediation of my blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.
PRAYERS FOR PRISONERS FOR DEBT.
IV. A Thanksgiving for a Prisoner for Debt, on his Release from Prison.
I.
O! Father of Mercies, and God of all Consolations, †Psal. 79. 11.the sighings of the Prisoners have come before thee, and thou hast graciously heard my Prayer, and set my feet at Liberty. To thee, O! Blessed Lord, do I owe this comfortable Freedom, which I have now obtained; and to thy Boundless and undeserved Mercy, will I ever thankfully ascribe it. And, Oh! That in all my Life, and thro the whole course of my Conversation, I may ever remember, that I am thy Freeman. O! That I may always adore and praise thy Goodness, for my Deliverance, and walk so humbly, and thankfully, and obediently towards thee, as may shew that I am never unmindful, that thou gracious God, hast given me my Liberty, and that I am ever to improve and spend it to thy Glory, thro Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
II.
And Lord, let me never lose those good Thoughts and Purposes, nor forget those Vows, which I made to thee when I was in Trouble. Give me a mind suited in all things to my Circumstances, and Grace to deny my self, and to study to the utmost of my Ability to do justice to all my Creditors. Never suffer me, to forget their kindness in my Release, nor to give them any just Cause to Repent of it: Nor do thou ever forget it, O! Merciful God, but remember it always for their good. Keep me thankfully Sensible of all the kindness of my Friends and Neighbours, of all who did me any good Offices, who shew'd me Countenance, or supplyed my Necessity, in the days of my Adversity. Oh! Do thou make each of them that Requital, which I ought to do; and keep me always willing and ready to requite them, after the best manner I can; and, when I am able to do no more, to pray earnestly to thee, that thou wouldest make up for me whatever returns of kindness I fall short in.
Remember also, I humbly intreat thee, O! Most merciful Father, all those poor Prisoners, who are still under their uncomfortable Restraints, and in thy good Time, do the same for them, which in thy Mercy thou hast now done for me. Oh! That†Heb. 4. 15. having felt the same in my self, I may ever have a most compassionate Sence, and tender Feeling of their Afflictions, and may joyfully embrace all opportunities of recommending them to the pity of others, especially of those Persons, from whose Charity they are to hope for their Release, but above all, O! Blessed God, of Recommending them to thine everlasting Mercy; which Grant, that both they, and I, and all thy faithful People, may ever earnestly Seek, and succesfully Find, for the sake of our only Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, AMEN.
FINIS.