A47565:14
The life and death of that old disciple of Jesus Christ and eminent minister…
The life and death of that old disciple of Jesus Christ and eminent minister of the Gospel Mr. Hanserd Knollys who dyed in the ninety third year of his age written with his own hand to the year 1672 ; and continued in general in an epistle by Mr. William Kiffin.
London: printed for John Harris, 1692
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
THE LIFE and DEATH OF Mr. Hanserd Knollys.
I Hanserd Knollys was Born at Calkwell near Loweth in Lincoln-shire, and was removed thence with my Parents to Schartho near Market Grimsby in the same County. About the sixth Year of my Age I fell into a great Pond, and was preserved from being drowned by the water bearing up my Coats, till my Father came, leaped in, and pulled me out. About the tenth Year of my Age I having construed the 35th. chap. of Jeremiah in my Latin Bible to my Father, he took occasion to dissuade me from the love and use of strong Drink, and said he would give me 20 l. if I would drink water, but withal told me he would not have me do ⟨p. 2⟩it to the prejudice of my Health, and charged me to make no Vow to God so to do for I did not understand how Sacred a thing a Vow is, and how it did bind the Soul, and it would be Sin not to perform my Vow: whereupon I drunk water eleven years, and never in all that time drank any Wine, nor strong Drink. About that time my Father kept a Tutor in his House, to teach me and my Brother, who was a godly and conscientious Young Man; He gave us good Instructions for our Souls, and convinced us of the Sin of Sabbath-breaking, and of Disobedience to our Parents. After my Father had preferred our Tutor to a place of greater Profit, we went a little while to Grimsby Free-School, till my Father got another Tutor for us into his House; and one day going to the Free-School we fell out, and fought: upon which I was much convinced that we had sinned against God, and against our Father, who had often told us we were Brethren, and ought not to Fall out by the way: And I said, Brother, we have sinned, come let us be Friends, and pray God to pardon this, and other our Sins; whereupon we both kneeled down upon the ploughed Land, and I prayed, wept and made Supplication to God, as well as I ⟨p. 3⟩could, and found so great Assistance from God at that time, that I never used any set Form of Prayer afterwards; which done, we both kissed each other, and went to School.