The last legacy, or, Affectionate and pious exhortation, and admonitions of the late William Lord Russel, to his vertuous lady, and dear children, summed up by him during his confinement, and left them for their advantage after his death, and for the good of all Christian families Russell, William, Lord, 1639-1683. 1683 Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2004-08 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A57947 Wing R2349 ESTC R8322 11904426 ocm 11904426 50634 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A57947) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 50634) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 509:17) The last legacy, or, Affectionate and pious exhortation, and admonitions of the late William Lord Russel, to his vertuous lady, and dear children, summed up by him during his confinement, and left them for their advantage after his death, and for the good of all Christian families Russell, William, Lord, 1639-1683. 1 sheet ([1] p.) Printed by George Croom ..., London : 1683. Broadside. Caption title. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Broadsides -- England -- London -- 17th century 2004-05 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2004-05 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2004-06 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2004-06 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion THE LAST LEGACY OR , Affectionate and Pious Exhortation , AND Admonitions of the Late William Lord Russel , to his Vertuous Lady , and dear Children , summed up by him during his confinement , and left them for their advantage after his Death , and for the good of all Christian Families . My Dearest Wife . SINCE while the providence of God hath been pleased in great Mercy , to continue us together as happy Yoak-fellows and Partners in each others felicity , we did still live in all godly amity and friendship as became us being so nearly united , I having still the same Bowels of compassion now in this time of adversity as ever I had , I cannot tell how to shew that reall Affection and tender care due to my other-self's ( as I may truly and really call you , and that young Offspring that God hath given us , you being as a Fruitful-Vine , and they even as so many delicious Olive-branches standing round about our Table ) then by bestowing my little time given me here , or at least some hours ( separated from the great imployment that I am about , to prepare for Death and my happy State in another World ) to give you some cordial instructions that you may think upon when I am Dead and gone , and some Grave and serious Exhortations that may be fixed on your Spirit because coming from your dear , tho now departing Husband . That so tho Death that King of Terrors may separate us for a while , yet when it shall please the Almighty of his fatherly Goodness to remove you out of this miserable Vale of Tears , that then we may meet in those Everlasting Regions of Light , where the Malice of men c●nnot reach us , where are Rivers of pleasure for evermore . First Therefore , my Advice to you is , that as your constancy to me in performing the duty of the relation in which you stood in toward me has been no way blameable ( abiding with , Comforting , Cherishing , and Condoling the sad Estate of me your nearest and dearest alliance , never departing from me unnecessarily even to the last Moments of my Life ) so you would not be in this time of sad Affliction too much cast down and dejected , but walk even as a Child of Light , remain constant in your duty to God , especially in the great parts of his Divine Worship incumbent on all . I. Let your private Prayers and Accesses to the Throne of Grace be often , be no stranger at the gate of Mercy while there is an Ear of favour open , and be incouraged , since God hears the Cry of the Widdow to defend her from all dangers . II. Be also frequent in Reading and consulting the Holy Scripture , they are the Oracles of truth , and there you may find the Treasures of wisdom and knowledg , thence you may suck promises , that will be as Milk flowing from the Breasts of true Consolations ; Oh! I can say it truly that from those Fountains have Streamed such Cordials into my Soul as now enable me to go through with this great and sharp Suffering with Patience , knowing from thence that no strange thing hath happened to me . III. Be no stranger to the Ordinances of God as hearing the word for your Edification , and receiving the Sacraments for your Confirmation , and be sure neglect not the private Duties of your Family , let your House be a little Sanctuary and let your Children and your Servants be allways present at the times of Prayer and Reading the word , so that it may be said by you as by Good Joshuah of Old. As for you and your House you will serve the Lord : I shall onely urge that of the Apostle , Pray without ceasing , and be allways abounding in the work of the Lord , because you shall find your Labour will not be in vain in the Lord. IV. That I may speak more particulary to thy present sad condition , tho it be sad , yet Oh! Be sure murmur not at our heavenly Fathers dispensation , he knows what is allways best for us , Oh! remember that he hath told us , Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in Heart , and when you find your Spirit sinking then support it with reflexion on the former great Gracious goodness of God ; Oh! think what things he hath done for others , and for thee , and believe he is able to make up the Loss to thee , and be better then Ten Husbands ; possess thy Soul in Patience and a quiet submission to his will , and while thou art tost with troubles in this World , believe that the rest will be more sweet to which thou art going , tho the way be strowed with Thorns , through which I must now Pass before thee . These are the Duty 's I most ardently press thee to as to thy self , but as thou now Standest in the relation of a Mother to Fatherless Childdren , they are left Young and left among many Temptations and when they grow up will be lyable to many Corruptions and it is your part to bring them up in the Nurture and Fear of the Lord. That so we may all Rejoyce in the enjoyments of Blessings of the New Jerusalem , so you will discharge the p●rt of a Religious Mother , by Dedicating those the Lord hath lent you to his Service . And in Order to this , I. Be not over indulgent , let not thine Eye pity the correction of thy Son , nor thy Soul spare for his Crying , be ready to give all instructions with Gravity and Kindness , that so thy Love may seem to melt them to make them fit for the impressions of Counsel . II. Be sure to give them that Education that may be fit for them under good Governours that you may not neglect upon all occasions to Instill into them the principles of true Religion , and that you may by no means suffer the growth of Sin or corruptions in them , but repress it in the Budd and First Motions of it , and allways consider that if you Train up a Child in the way he should go , when he is Old he will not depart from it . Then for thy Servants , be sure that they that abide in thy House may be such as are of honest conversation , that in their Lives they may Adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things , and be sure thy own example may be a direction to them , and reproof also if they do amiss . This I thought fit to leave for thy direction in the relation of a Mother and Governess of thy Family . But because the words of a Father Deceased may have some influence on my dear Babes , to them , therefore I shall leave some thing as a Fathers Legacy among them . To My Children . My Dearest Children , I May well Stile you Son and Daughters of Affliction you are now deprived of a Father on Earth , and as yet by reason of your tender Age you may not be sensible of it , you have a Mother to Govern you , and to her I charge you to be Obedient in all her lawful Commands , and grieve her not , add not to her present Bonds but by your dutyful carriage support her Spirit . To thee my Son in Particular , tho yet tender , yet when thou shalt come to years of discretion then think of and put in practce thy Dying Fathers Command . First , Resolve to keep thy self from Ill Company that may Debauch thy younger Years , and from such as may bring thee to evill practices in thy riper ; And allways appear for , and countenance the Religion of the Country in which thou wast Born ; stand by , own and countenance the Protestant Interest ; favour all true professours of it ; be Eyes to the Blind ; Feet to the Lame ; Cloaths to those that are Oppressed with Cold , lay not thy Talent up in a Napkin , but improve it to the Glory of God. and it will be to the comfort of thy Soul. And to you my Daughters behave your selves with Modesty that you may be a comfort to her that bare you , and Honour to your Sex ; bear patiently all and every one of you , all Injurys and Wrongs that may be offered , and live in Love one with another ; which that you may do , your Fathers Blessing rest upon you , and the Allmighty keep , defend and direct you , till he having guided you by his Spirit , bring you to those Regions of Light and Immortality , is the Prayer for you all , Of Your tender Dying Father , W. R. His PRAYER . O Merciful God , and Loving Father , O Blessed Son our Saviour , O Holy Ghost our Comforter , be with me , and hear me , and grant my Petitions . Pardon , Good God , both my Sins of error , and Presumptiousness , all my known , and secret Sins , and let the Bloud of thy dear Son make Atonement for all . Sanctify these thy afflictions to me , support me in all my bitter conflicts , carry me through the agonies of Death with a Holy resolution ; Give me the Assistances of thy Spirit , Direct and Guide me in my last Moments ; And afterward receive me into thy Glorious Habitation , amongst Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect , that with them I may sing praises to my God. And to the Lamb for evermore , Amen . LONDON , Printed by George Croom , in Thames-street , over against Baynard's Castle , 1683.