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A70694
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A narrative of the proceedings and tryal of Mr. Francis Johnson, a Franciscan, at Worcester last summer-assizes Anno Dom. 1679 written with his own hand as followeth.
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Wall, John, Saint, 1620-1679.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing N205; ESTC R1380
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36,113
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26
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â—he slaughter of the sword they were so persecuted and impoverished that they were fain to go about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins needy in distress afflicted wandring in desarts in mountains in dens and caves of the Earth Dear Catholicks now in your present persecution think of this and be willing to follow these examples that you as in the same place it followeth being appointed as they were by the testimony of your Faith may receive ere long those better things which God as 't is there writ provides for you Happy those that have this Faith but thrice more happy those that suffer these persecutions for Faiths sake because by this Faith as St. Paul saith Gal. 3. 11. the just man lives and those that have not this Faith are dead to God because as 't is written Heb. 11. 6. Without saith 't is impossible to please God and yet though we have this Faith except we joyn when God requires our works of sufferings to this Faith both we and our Faith are dead to God because as St. James saith chap. 2. ver 17. Faith is to be shewed by works because Faith without works is dead And he further shews us in his first chap. v. 25. 't is the works make a man happy although there can be no good work without a firm Faith in nothing doubting as he saith ver 6. Christian Faith is a firm established and an infallible Faith because it is grounded upon a Rock against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail Matth. 16. v. 18. This Faith is firmly established by such Authority of God and his Church that he that will not own the Authority is as a Heathen and a Publican God hath declared him so and what the Church binds on Earth God binds in Heaven This Church and Faith is firmly establisht because our Saviour hath promised That the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth should teach the Believers all Truth remain with them for ever shew them things to come to be believed and should cause the Believers to remember all things which Christ had already taught which you read in John 14. and 16. chap. This Faith is firmly established because it was believed and published from the beginning throughout the whole world as St. Paul proclaims Romans the first where he speaks thus to all that be in Rome Beloved of God called to be Saints first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your Faith is published throughout the whole world Finally this Faith is established and infallibly confirmed that it can never decay till the worlds end because our Saviour hath promised to be with the Believers unto the worlds end Matth. 28. 19 20. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with you alwaies even to the end of the world Thus much briefly concerning my Christian Faith in which I truly believe in all points infallible and in confirmation of which one only Faith and Catholick Church I will and do lay down my life and whosoever will as he ought consider the Text that proves this Faith and Church of the Living God to be the pillar and ground of Truth as 't is evident it is 1 Tim. 3. 15. I question not but who I say considers this will believe the same our Faith being assisted by our second Divine Vertue which is our Christian Hope This Hope is that Vertue which assures us that for the reward of our Faith and the profession and due practice of it as we ought there are those heavenly gifts laid up for the Christian Believers which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor the heart of man can conceive or comprehend as St. Paul declares This Hope gives such confidence that death cannot overcome it because as the Prophet saith Although he shall kill me yet I will hope in him Why then shall any sear to die for his Faith having this Hope 'T is for want of making due reflection and use of this Hope that causes so many to be fearful to suffer and makes them fly the field of persecution and forsake the banners of their Christian Faith that all ought to fight under and would still fight under would they make use of the divine hope of Gods promises which are such that as David saith Psal 125. That he that hopes or trusts in our Lord shall be as Mount Sion which cannot be removed but remain for ever As the Mountains saith God by the mouth of David are about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people that is such as will place their hope in him as the Prophet did and exhorts us to do the same saying Psal 130. 5 6. My soul hath hoped in our Lord from the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in our Lord that is from the beginning of the day of our life till the night of death as well in the morning of prosperity as in the evening of adversity because 't is also writ God is my Hope for ever and whosoever can truly say with David Psal 31. 1. In thee O Lord have I plac'd my Hope shall be assured of what there follows Not to be confounded for ever because as St. Paul saith Hope consoundeth not There is a contrary Vice to this Virtue a worldly Fear that brings all things to confusion it makes Worldlings swear and forswear and perjure For which Perjuries and False Oaths as the Prophet saith Judgment springs up as Hemlock in the Furrows of the Field And therefore Dr. Thorndick in his Book of just Weights and Measures saith That Coaction of Oaths is the crying Sin of this Nation to call down the wrath of God upon the Kingdom What better remedy than to secure our selves against all worldly Fears and these ensuing Dangers but by relying on the hope of future blessings which God if we fight and suffer for his sake hath promised God is the God of Hosts and we fight under him and if we trust in him we are happy as David saith Psal 84. 5. O Lord of Hosts blessed is the man that trusts in thee in whom to hope is to be secured and therefore David also saith Psal 91. He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wing shalt thou hope especially if we fight for our Faith and therefore he adds in the same verse His truth shall be thy shield and buckler if we will hope in him and his reward For if we hope for our great wages we shall easily undergo our little work As for example if we hope to drink of the torrent of pleasure as God hath promised we shall in his Kingdom who will fear to taste now of the Chalice of some small Persecution If we hope hereafter to be numbered amongst the Sons of God as he
she must believe something for as she believed so she should be saved I told her also what the Bible declared to her That without Faith it was impossible to please God and I bad her consider the text that saith Whatsoever is not of Faith is sin as also the text that saith The just man liveth by Faith and desired her to read those words of our Saviour where he saith He that believeth shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned which she did read and this Witness being then present and I saying the same then before him I suppose from this text he accused me that I should say he would be damned because I repeated and shewed them our Saviour's words as they appear in that place of Scripture I having thus answered all the testimonies this Witness could bring in against me I referred my self to his Lordship and all the Bench to judge whether any thing this Witness had said against me would make me guilty The judge said but little to it but called for the next witness who was Father to this first who was so much grieved at the proceedings of his ungracious Son that he could not forbear to shed tears all the time that his Son produced such â—ccusations against me so that he appeared more witness against his Son's ungodliness than a Witness against me Yet the Judge asked him many questions whether he had ever heard seen or known any such or such things of or from me To all which questions he answered No he knew nothing against me so that the Judge seeing he shewed so much kidness he asked him what he was He answered a Catholick whereupon the Judge bade him go away saying He was too much my friend and therefore he would not accept of him as a witness but called the third This witness was an old man and very deaf who was forced to come against me by a warrant swore against his will The Judge asked him several questions whether he heard me say any prayers he answered yes but he could not well understand or hear what they were because he was so deaf he asked them whether they were English or Latin he answered he could not well tell he thought it was both and I think it might be neither for ought he could hear he was so very deaf Then he asked him what cloaths I had on he answered he could not well tell I had something on that was white a Surplice he thought and the Judge was willing to suppose this to be a Priests habit at Mass or when he gave the Sacrament but I told his Lordship that this could be no proof of any such matter because all over the world among Catholicks such Garments were worn by thousands in time of prayer who never were nor will be Priests as is well known to those that have been Travellers And I told his Lordship that if he pleased to call for them there may be several Travellers of several Sects and Opinions present in the Hall that would be sufficient witnesses as well of this as of the holy bread and water which the other witness as well as this old man said I had given them which they suppose to be the Sacrament but the Judge would call for none but called for the fourth witness This witness was a young woman who was also by violence forc'd to come and swear what she had heard seen or known concerning me about the matter in question The Judge asked her whether I had taught her any thing whether she had been at Confession or Communion what I said to her what pennance I gave her and he asked also the like questions of the old man the former witness to all which they were both very unwilling to answer for which some of the rude people curst the old man for an old doting fellow and were as much vexed at the young woman because she was so dejected that she could not speak but lookt like one that was half dead as some of the people said in anger she was so The Judge perceiving in what condition she was said aloud what men are these Priests that have such power over people that they are not able to speak against them he therefore bid them remember they were in the presence of God and were bound in conscience to speak the truth of what they had heard or seen so at last they owned that I had read in the Bible and other Books to them and that they had confest what troubled them and had received something like a Wafer from me and that they had believed what I read to them yet they both declared publickly that I did not bid them come to Confession or take the Wafer or Bread and when they took it that I did not tell them it was the Sacrament neither did they know whether it was or no By all which it appeared according to the letter of the Law and in conscience that none of these testimonies were of sufficient force to make me guilty A mans life is not to be taken away upon surmises or possibilities that this might be the Communion as well as other holy Bread For the Law requires that it must be proved that there was an Administration of the Sacrament by one that had taken Orders from a Foreign Power of taking Orders there was not the least Accusation mentioned against me by any of the witnesses much less could it be proved no not so much that I pretended to give the Sacrament any more than it might be holy water or holy bread as I desired my Lord to consider neither was it the wearing of a Surplice that could prove I said Mass for Priests never wear Surplices at Mass And if a mans wearing a Surplice at prayer prove him a Priest then all the Singing-Boys in every Protestant Cathedral Church and in all other Churches in Christendom all those Boys though but of ten or twelve years of age must be by consequence all Popish Priests and all Jews who constantly in their Synagogues put on a white Garment like a Surplice as I and all Travellers have seen them do when we have gone to see them pray At these Jews must be Romish Priests Out of all which it evidently appears that none of these testimonies the witnesses brought against me were any way concluding according to Justice to make me guilty of being a Priest As for my reading the Bible to them or in satisfying them in what they doubted or bidding them say their prayers and particularly the Lord's Prayer which the last two witnesses told the Judge I had done and the like he fearing to answer to all the questions he asked them To these I answered that I own I had done so whereupon the Judge said that out of this it appeared that I had taken upon me the Priests Office I told him that with his leave I would shew how it did no ways follow for out of this it only followed