behold the Lord Jesus Christ in glory with comfort and fulnesse of joy Col. JONES his Prayer BLessed Lord God Thou art the great Opener open unto my soul the Lord Jesus Christ who will lead me into the wayes of truth and life O God save me make good all the pledges of thy love unto my soul Oh make all the Promises which I have believed all the days of my life make them now good unto my soul giving me the full enjoyment of thy self I desire to bless and praise thy Name for this hour that thou hast brought me to Oh what am I poor worm that thou shouldest give me this oportunity to suffer for thy Name and to acknowledg thy Mercies before so great a Congregation at this place Holy Father Holy Father Oh that thou wouldest now rain down Blessings from Heaven upon thy poor creatures that do hear and behold this Action this day Oh that thou wouldest sanctifie this thing to them and let poor England be a Land of truth and happiness O Lord let England flourish And oh that thou wouldest make thy Angel of Light to go before thy people Good God we pray thee keep off those great Judgments that hang over the heads of these Nations because they have sinned against thee Through thy Name sanctifie us let not thy Name be reproached Dear Father receive my soul I am ready to come unto thee Blessed Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit thou hast redeemed me blessed be thy Name in that thou hast opened the treasures of thy love unto my poor soul Thou hast given me this hope whereof I need not be ashamed Blessed be thy Name my Spirit is full of joy Oh Holy Father holy Father I pray thee let thy blessing come down upon thy poor people Look upon me Holy Father Stretch out thine armes to carries me over this brook I pray thee stand by me Dear Father I cast my self into thy hand I commit my soul unto thee Then speaking to the Sheriff said Mr. Sheriff I must needs return you many Thanks for your Civility Sher. Repl. I am glad to hear such an Ingenuous Confession and that you make such an end and that you have not gone into any reviling language as some others have done before After this he committed his soul to God and so departed Something as to Mr. Gregory Clements take as followeth PErhaps some may think it strange that there is so little said as to Mr. Gregory Clement who suffered with the rest Therefore this only is to be saâ—… more which is known to many That Mr. Clement was very silent both in the time of his Imprisonment at Newgate and at the time and place of his Execution at Charing-Cross only this it is said that he exprest his trouble to some Friends in the Prison for yeelding so far to the Importunity of his Relations as to plead guilty to the Indictment And though he spoke little at the place of Execution yet so far as could be judged by some descerning persons that was near him he departed this life in peace Some Additional Passages of Col. Scroopes Col. Jones and Mr. Cooks with his Letter to his Daughter Some more Passages of Col. Scroope COl Scroope when a Friend asked him at parting the same day how he did answered him Better and better I thank God every moment my life doubles upon me and multiplies He also heard him say when mention was made that there was some Endeavours for his Pardon That only would prove a snare to him but he was fully satisfied what to do and should not to save his Life do any thing to prejudice his Conscience He also heard him when one was discoursing to him the Happiness of Heaven and telling him it consisted in three Things viz. A perfect Communion with God A perfect Conformty to God And a perfect Enjoyment of God He made this reply Those three Things you mention are but one we are entring into it and can tell And that Friend asking him futher about it he said That God was but one pure Act and in whom there was no succession nor distinction of Acts and that Souls led forth in his Spirit were in a manner made like to him for their Injoying was their Conformity and Communion and one was all In which he seemed to be swallowed up and even then gat so far into Heaven that all seemed to be but one Act with him Some Friends being present heard both him and Col. Jones say You can say God is better than all the World and say it truly but you cannot say it with so much feeling and experience as we now can we find he is so indeed Some more Passages of Col. Joh. Jones in Prison COL Jones the night before he suffered told a Friend he had no other Temptation upon him but this Lest he should be too much transported and carryed out to neglect and slight his Life so greatly was he satisfied to die in that Cause The day he suffered he grasped a Friend in his arms and said to him with some expressions of Endearedness Farewel I could wish thee in the same condition with my self that thou mightest share with me in my joyes Some more Passages of Mr Cook MR Cook speaking to his Wife a little before his Death said My Lamb now I am going where I shall meet the Saints all of one mind which thou knowest was the desire of my heart to see At another time saith he Truly my Lamb if I might have my choice now I would not desire Life for I could not live where I might not enjoy the Liberty of my Conscience and when I can do nothing for God what should I live for O welcome sweet Death thy sting is out blessed be God I do imbrace thee with rejoycing thou art a good Potter that will suddenly open to me the Gates of Eternity O those Everlasting Gates will my Father set open to receive me O blessed be God for Jesus Christ the fountain of all Mercies Lord Jesus I come flying to thee upon the wings of Faith I come Lord full-sail to thee Lord Jesus receive me That which the world counts shame saith he I count it my Joy my Crown and my Glory A little before he parted with his Wife she laying her head in his bosom and wept whereat he said My dear Lamb let us not part in a shower God hath wiped away all tears from my eyes blessed be the Lord. Mr. Cook 's Letter to his Daughter Octob. 15. 1660. A little before his Death To my dear Child Free-love Cook These with my most Fatherly endeared Love My dear sweet Child LEt thy Name Free-love put thee in mind of the free Love of God in Christ in giving thee to me and thy dear Mother and know so soon as God gives thee any understanding That thou art the Child of one whom God counted worthy to suffer for his sake and to seal to the Truth of his
desirable things which were expected and longed for by the Lords people and apprehending that God had done his work by them and that he had some more worthy persons to come upon the stage the Lord is my witnesse that I had no self-end in that Action but it was out of the Integrity of my heart as to the Lord. Afterwards when Cromwell and his party did set up themselves in their room I abhorred them and their wayes and suffered imprisonment by reason I would not joyne with them in that iniquity and go against my conscience there is nothing of this also that lyes as Guilt upon me Fourthly Concerning Family-duties and the Observation of the Lord's Day there stands my Servant let him speak to it for he hath lived with me about this Eight years The Servant answered That those reports were very false for his Master was a man in a manner wholly devoted to religious Exercises very frequent in prayer and diligent in expounding the Scriptures to the great comfort and consolation of his whole Family and that he was very zealous in observing the Lord's day Fifthly He said that the Lord's Spirit did witnesse with his spirit That all his sins were done away by Jesus Christ and that he had peace with God and was assured that this was not come upon him for his iniquity They discoursed of many other things but these were the chiefest so far as one then present could afterwards remember He parted very sweetly and lovingly with the said Ministers and they told him that they came then by the desire of the Sheriffe But that they would willingly come again upon a Christian account Many Friends came to visit him whilst he was in that place and found him full of the joy of the Lord so that some apprehended he was cloathed with the Spirit of the Lord. The Sheriff came that morning that he was to die and told him that in half an hour he must be gone He answered that he was ready and would not have him stay at all on his account But the Sheriff left him to stay a little longer and in the mean time he was longing for the Sheriffs coming and as his Friends judged he was in hast to be gone and said he was going about a great work for the Lord that day and that his support was that his sufferings was upon the account of Jehovah the Lord of Hosts he said he looked upon this as a clear answer of his prayers for many a time said he have I begged of the Lord That if he had any hard thing any reproachfull work or contemptible service to be done by his people That I should be imployed in it And now blessed be the Name of God who accounteth me worthy to be put upon this service for my Lord Christ Oh this is nothing to what Christ hath suffered for me He parted with his wife and friends with great joy and chearfulnesse as he did use to doe when going some journey or about some service for the Lord He told his wife he had nothing to leave her but his Bible but that he was assured that God would make up all her losses in due time and desired that those that did love him should manifest their love in being loving and tender to his dear wife Some passages at the Dungeon dore as he came forth The Sheriffe commanding the Keeper to acquaint Mr. Harrison he must go to suffer the Keeper came forth and returned answer that he was ready when he pleased Then the Sheriff commanded the Keeper to fetch him forth so he came forth immediately sooner then was expected running down the Stairs with a smiling countenance by reason of his sudden coming the doore that he was to go up a pair of Stairs at was not opened which occasioned his stay in the Hall till the Keeper could be found and there one Mrs. M. took him by the hand and said with a loud voice Blessed be the great God of Hosts that hath enabled you and called you forth to bear your testimony the God of all grace and peace be with you and keep you faithfull to the death That you may receive a crown of life With that one of the Officers pulled the woman away by the shoulder saying Away with this woman she stands prating here But the Maj. General replied Be not offended with her she speaks Scripture-language So they thrust her away from him and would not permit any to speak more to him in that place Then he spake saying I blesse the Lord that hath called me forth and hath inabled we in the power of his strength to offer my life with satisfaction and cheerfulness in obedience to the will of God I bless the Lord I am full of the manifestation of his love in the Lord Jesus It 's a day of joy to my soul I say God hath enabled me to whom all the powers of the world are but as the drop of a bucket said he I do find so much of the joy of the Lord coming in that he was carried far above the fear of death being going to receive that glorious and incorruptible crown which Christ hath prepared for him Then he was carried into a Room where the common Prisoners were and told them what a sad thing it was to be condemned to die and to want the love and favour of God But it 's not so with me for though I die yet I know I shall live with Christ to all eternity and this is out of the exceeding riches of the grace of God for he it is that maketh the difference For as I am in my self I am a base vile and nothing-creature but compleat in him who is the Head of all Principalities and Powers Poor men I wish you all as well as I doe my own Soul Oh that you did but know Christ his bowells earns towards the greatest of sinners his bloud is sufficient to doe away the deepest iniquity he waiteth to be gracious and is willing to receive all that come unto him Oh therefore labour to come to Christ your time in this world is short and uncertain you are walking upon the brink of eternity and are ready to drop in every moment if you die without the fear of our God you will be miserable for ever ever but if you come to know Christ to be yours it will be your joy and happiness world without end He then put his hands into his pocket and gave them some money and wished them to take heed of sinning against the Lord. And from thence was carried upon the Leads on the top of New gate so that he could see the greatest part of the City he then said The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof and there is nothing hid from his eyes From thence he was carried down two paire of staires where he was tied about the back breast and shoulders he took the rope in his hand and said friends take
my hands and knees I tell you no but it is by reason of much blood I have loâ—t in the Wars and many wounds I have recceived in my body which caused this shaking and weaknesse in my Nerves I have had it this twelve year I speak this to the praise and glory of God he hath carryed me above the fear of death and I value not my life because I go to my Father and am assured I shall take it up again Gentlemen Take notice that for being instrumentall in that cause and interest of the son of God which hath been pleaded amongst us and which God hath witnessed to by Appeals and VVonderfull Victories I am brought to this place to suffer death this day and if I had ten thousand lives I could freely and cheerfully lay them down all to witnesse to this matter Oh what am I poor worm that I should be accounted worthy to suffer any thing for the sake of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I have gone joyfully and willingly many a time to lay down my life upon the account of Christ but never with so much joy and freedome as at this time I do not lay down my life by constraint but willingly for if I had been minded to have run away I might have had many opportunities but being so clear in the thing I durst not turn my back nor step a foot out of the way by reason I had been engaged in the service of so glorious and great a God however men presume to call it by hard Names Yet I believe ere it be long the Lord will make it known from Heaven that there was more of God in it then men are now aware of All the Gods of the Nations are but Idols they have Eyes but see not and Mouths but speak not and cannot save those that trust in them But my God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords before whom all you here and all Nations are but as a drop of a Bucket And he will never leave those that truly trust in him unto whose Glory I shall surely go and shall sit on the right hand of Christ in Heaven it may be to Judge those that have Unjustly Judged me Matth. 25.33 34. 1 Cor. 6.2 The Sheriffe minding him of the shortnesse of time it he had any thing to say to the people he might He said I do desire as from my own soul that they and every one may fear the Lord that they may consider their latter end and so it may be well with them and even for the worst of those that have been most malitious againâ—t me from my soul I would forgive them all so far as any thing concerns me and so far as it concerns the cause and glory of God I leave it for him to plead and as for the cause of God I am willing to justifie it by my sufferings according to the good pleasure of his will I have been this morning before I came hither so hurried up and down Stairs the meaning whereof I knew not that my spirits are almost spent therefore you may not expect much from me Oh the greatnesse of the love of God to such a poor vile and nothing creature as I am what am I that Jesus Christ should shed his hearts Bloud for me that I might be happy to all Eternity that I might be made a son of God and an heir of Heaven Oh that Christ should undergo so great sufferings and reproaches for me and should not I be willing to lay down my life and suffer reproaches for him that hath so loved me Blessed be the Name of God that I have a life to lose upon so glorious and so honourable an account then praying to himself with tears and having ended the Hang-man pull'd down his Cap but he thrust it up again saying I have one word more to the Lords people that desire to serue him with an upright heart Let them not think hardly of any of the good wayes of God for all this for I have been near this seven years a suffering person and have found the way of God to be a perfect way his Word a tried Word a Buckler to them that trust in him and will make known his glorious Arm in the sight of all Nations And though we may suffer hard things yet he hath a gracious end and will make for his own glory and the good end of his people therefore be cheerfull in the Lord your God hold fast that which you have and be not afraid of suffering for God will make hard and bitter things sweet and easie to all those that trust in him keep close to the good Confession you have made of Jesus Christ and look to the recompence of reward be not discouraged by reason of the cloud that now is upon you for the Son will shine and God will give a testimony unto what he hath been a doing in a short time And now I desire to commit my Concernments into the hands of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ he that hath delivered himself for the chief of sinners he that came into the world was made flesh and was crucified that hath loved me and washed me from my sins in his own bloud and is risen again sitting at the right Hand of God making intercession for me And as for me Oh who am I poor base vile worm that God should deal thus by me for this will make me come the sooner into his glory and to inherit the Kingdome and that Crown prepared for me Oh I have served a good Lord and Master which hath helped me from my beginning to this day and hath carried me through many difficulties trialls straits and temptations and hath alwayes been a very present help in time of trouble he hath covered my head many times in the day of Battle By God I have leaped over a Wall by God I have run'd through a Troop and by my God I will go through this death and he will make it easie to me Now into thy Hands O Lord Jesus I commit my spirit Some Occasionall Speeches and Memorable passages before Execution of Mr. John Carew WHen the first tidings of the Adversaries intentions to seize and apprehend him being then in Cornwall came to his knowledge he uttered these words or to this effect That he had committed both his life and estate to the Lord to save or destroy as he thought meet and therefore he would not by any means go out of the way though provoked thereunto by several Friends After he was seized upon in the Countrey and coming up to London he had a gratious presence of the Lord with him sweetly supporting him in the sense of the love of Christ to his soul and being perswaded that the cause of his suffering from man was such as he had no cause to be ashamed of otherwise the many reproaches and hard usage in the way to London had been sufficient to have troubled his
might be speedily and cheaply administred And as for my profession I am of the Congregational way I desire to own it and am for liberty of conscience and all that walk humbly and holily before the Lord and desire to walk in the fear of the Lord and I believe it is a truth and there can be nothing said against it I doe confess I am not convinced of any thing I have done amisse as to that I have been charged with I am not indeed neither did I understand the plea of the Court that if the Lords and Commons had brought the King to the Bar and set him over them again their bringing him to the barr had been treason I desire never to repent of any thing therein I have done but I desire to own the cause of God and of Christ and am here to beare witness to it and so far as I know any thing of my selfe I can freely confess it Here the Sheriffe interrupted him again desiring him to forbeare any such expressions Mr. Cooke replied it hath not been the manner of English men to insult over a dying man nor in other countries among Turks or Galliasses The Lord bless every one of us and help us that we may look more to the honour and glory of God then the concernments of our own lives for alass what is a poor miserable life to us but that therein we might give honour and glory to the God of all our mercies And if there be any here of that Congregation to which I was related in the time that I lived here I would commend to them that Scripture Phil. 2.17 18. Yea and if I be offered up upon the sacrifice and service of the faith I joy and rejoyce with you all for the same cause also doe ye joy and rejoyce with me And Deut. 18.11 The Lord God of your Fathers make you a thousand times more then you are and blesse you as be hath promised The Lord be pleased to speake comfort to them and to all them that feare the Lord. The Lord keepe England from popery and from superstition and keep it from prophaneness and that there may not be an inundation of Antichrist in the land And that is all the harm I wish unto it The Lord hath forgiven me many thousand talents and therefore I may wel forgive those few pence that are owing unto me I bless the lord I have nothing lying upon my conscience but I can unbosome my selfe to every one and to the throne of free grace in the simplicity of my spirit I have endeavoured to doe nothing but with a good conscience and through the integrity of my heart though accompanied with many frailties I desire to blesse the Lord my lot was rather in Ireland then here here I have been more known where I have given the Offence The Sheriffe again interrupted him Mr. Cooke replyes Sir I pray take notice of it I think I am the first man that ever was Hanged for demanding of Justice therefore I hope you will not interrupt me I suppose yon were there and doe bear me witnesse in your conscience that there was not any thing then that I did not communicate to the Court that I now speak upon the Ladder If you will believe the words of a dying man I say as I must give an account I have nothing lyeth upon my conscience We must all meet together at the great day of the Lord to give an account of all our Actions and then it will appear the Lord grant we may meet with Joy and Comfort I have a poor Wife and Child and some Friends left I desire you that came along with me to commend to them Esa 54.4.5 and 10. ver I hope the King and Parliament will consider our poor Friends as to their Estates you know that those Lords that formerly suffered under the Parliament did not loose all their Estates I hope there will be some consideration as to Justice least that our small Estates prove a poyson amongst their great deal and my poor Wife and Relations suffer The Lord grant that mercy may be shewed that mercy and righteousnesse may magnifie and exalt it self above Justice I shall not hold you long I shall desire in the fear of the Lord to give my self as in the 12 Rom. 1. A living Sacrifice Holy and Acceptable unto God which is but a reasonable service And so doe intreat that I may have a little time to call upon the Lord unlesse there be any thing more desired or any one to would ask me a question Truly I forgive all from my heart I have nothing upon my heart to accuse any of them withal I blesse the Lord I have a cleare Conscience I say it in the integrity and simplicity of my heart I doe now appeale to the great God to whom I must give an account of what I have done knowing that all my Guilt is washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ and before him I hope to appear and have nothing else to plead any thing at all for me And so I hope that I have declared my self with simplicity and integrity in a few words that you may understand my mind I shall speak a few words to the lord in prayer and shall not trouble you further Mr. Cookes Prayer MOst Glorious Majesty I beseech thee so to warm my Heart and fill it so full of the love of Jesus Christ that it may never be cool any more Oh that the Lord would now appear Graciously to shew himself a wonder working God in bearing up the Heart and Spirit of thy poor creature it is no matter how bitter the Cup is if the Lord give strength to drink it and no matter how heavy the Burden be if the Lord be at one End and uphold the other and bear the burden himself or lay no more upon his poor Children then they are able to bear the Lord give strength to all that are to bear this burden the Lord be with all that are yet to suffer in this cause and double and treble seven-fold of thy Spirit upon us let us not stand it out against our Reasons and Judgements and Consciences If any did pursue power and interest and did not look after the good of Gods poor People and the good of the Nations the Lord forgive them The Lord knows the Simplicity of the Hearts of his poor Servants that are gone before and of those that are to come after I desire that all thine may have hearts willing to suffer for thee to make confession of Faith in Christ Jesus I know is nothing I know it is not enough onely to confesse in Words to confesse in Doctrinall Evangelicall Truths and to confesse by a holy life and conversation and if the Lord call any of his poor Children to seale the truth with their blood yea their precious blood it is their duty also if the Lord Jesus had come down from the Crosse and had not shed
his most precious blood and had not by that blood gone to heaven our Salvation had not been Lord let it be well with England the Lord hear me for my poor Friends and Relations for my poor Wife and Child unto thee Lord I commend the cause of God and of Jesus Christ And remember poor Ireland wherein I had a lot and interest the Lord remember them all and help thy poor Children to continue Faithfull unto Death that so we may receive a Crown of life for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and so I come Lord Jesus Oh receive my soul Send down a Guard of Angells to convey my soul into Abrahams Bosome Receive my soul O Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit And I desire to appeal to thee O lord thou art the great God of Heaven and Earth before whom all controversies must come I believe there is not a man in the world what ever he be but hath some reverentiall feare of death but for any sinfull vitious fear I bless the Lord I have not the hundredth part of a dram upon my conscience if it were my wedding day I could not more rejoyce in the Lord because it is a consummation of that blessed marriage that my Lord Jesus hath made up with me Blessed be thy name me thinks I doe see with Stephen even by the eye of faith Heaven open and the Lord Jesus ready to receive my poor soule And oh that I may with Ezekiel see the glory of God and see with Isaiah the Lord sitting on his Throne of glory And oh that the love of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Spirit may warme my heart and carry me up from the beginning of this passage to the end and close of it Lord Jesus come and receive my spirit and sweeten this cup and let me say The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink of it And I leave all into the hands of the Lord that if it be the Lords will every one that belongs to the election of grace my meet with comfort at the great day and that we may shake hands together where no office of love shall be unrewarded nor any unkindness shewed to the people of God But within a few hours I shall be in the harbour I am just now entring into it I would not goe backe againe for all the world Blessed be the Lord I despise the shame and am willing to endure the crosse for Christs sake because the Lord Jesus who is the author and finisher of my salvation did it for me The Lord pitty those that follow and bear up their hearts The Lord helpe his poore people that finde any thing upon their soul that they should stand fast unto the truths of Jesus Alas we shall be but a few daies here and Heaven will make amends for all and we shall glorifie God in eternity where we shall enter into a sinlesse timelesse and temptationless estate and never meet with sorrow or troubles any more but the Lord will receive us to himselfe and then the innocency of thy poor servants shall be vindicated and we shall be ever with the Lord blessing and praising his holy name When Elijah was taken away the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha who stood up in his stead And when John the Baptist was cut off the Lord had his Apostles to supply that office The Lord will have profit in the Death of his Children I believe that an Army of Martyrs would willingly come from Heaven to suffer in such a cause at this that I come here to suffer for I desire to bewaile that I have not had so much love to the Glory of God therein as I ought But as to the thing I come to suffer for I have not had any thing or act come to my mind with lesse regret and greater comfort then this And as for those that brought me hither I do forgive them I have not one hard thought concerning them the blessing of the Father Son and Spirit be with them Oh that the Lord would grant that no more might suffer and so Dear and Blessed Father I come into the bosome of thy love and desire to enter into that Glory which is Endlesse and Boundlesse through Jesus Christ A Letter written from the Tower to a Christian friend by Mr. Justice Cooke Sir NOw in answer to your loving inquiry how it fares with my better part I blesse God I never found so much internall spirituall solice and unmixt joy and comfort as I have experimented in these five moneths indurance 2 Cor. 1.3 4 5. Let never any Christian fear a prison it being the onely place where wanting other books a man may best studdy the book of the knowledge of himselfe having a long vacation from all business but praying unto and praising God in Christ by the spirits assistance I cannot take Marthas part for none must come to me nor Marys part to wait upon the ordinances which my soul thirsts after therefore my chamber is like the sanctum sanctorum where wittingly none may enter but the high Priest of our profession the Lord Jesus I did not think that there had been so much ignorance impotence impatience ingratitude pride inordinate affection to creature comforts revenge diffidence of God self-love and iniquity of all sorts in me as I finde there is who am not onely a poor sinner but sin it selfe a very masse of sin I find it very hard to rely nakedly on Gods goodness not to feel the heat of persecution nor to be carefull when all is taken away Jer. 7.17 Lo so this darkness and filthiness of spirit is onely discovered by the light of Christ by whose lowliness in washing the Apostles feet I see my loftiness and want of condescention when I had power by his patience my many passions and heart-risings against instruments by his obedience to the death my reluctancies by his faithfulness my former backslidings by his fruitfulness and doing good Act. 10.38 my barrenness the little good I did when I had opportunity and by his liberality my penuriousness whereby I adore and acknowledge his justice that he hath most righteously deprived me of my liberty estate all which drives me neerer to Christ and makes me take faster hold of his righteousness I now understand through grace how precious he is 1 Pet. 2.7 if it were not for Christ what a miserable condition were I now in that might suddenly be sent to contend with the wrath of God in everlasting burnings and this makes me love Christ the more having forgiven me more then others and having had ten thousand talents forgiven me I would forgive any wrong doers and this keeps me humble and from censoriousness I bless God I have ransackt into every corner of my soule I have with David Job Esay and Paul bewailed my hereditary disease and heart-corruption I feel it is as a rotten tooth that akes would fain be
it first and desired him to goe to the place where his daughter lodged and to carry that to her as a token from him and to let her know that his heart was as full of comfort as it could he and that before that piece should come to her hands he should be with God in glory Being upon the Ladder he spake to the Shieriffe saying Sir you have here slain one of the servants of God before mine eyes and have made me to behold it on purpose to terrifie and discourage me But God hath made it an Ordinance to me for my strengthning and encouragement When he was going to die he said What flesh art thou unwilling to go to God through the fire and jawes of death Oh said he this is a good day he is come that I have long looked for and I shall be with him in glory and so smiled when he went away What Mr. Peters said further at his Execution either in his Speech or Prayer it could not be taken in regard his voyce was low at that time and the people uncivill Some Passages and occasional Speeches of Mr. Scot's before he came to Execution VVHen he was in the Tower a Relation sent to know how he did To which he returned this answer That he had been very ill all night and had some Apprehensions that it might be unto death But said he I was not at all displeased for if it be the Will of God that I may not live his Servant I would dye his Sacrifice The first day that he came to New-gate some friends came to see him and asked him how it was with him he told them he was well but he waited and much longed for a word of Peace from God But said he I Bless God though it is somewhat dark with me at present and I know I have a very naughty heart yet I have not one Temptation to desert that good Cause which God hath so signally many a time owned The next day which was the day Maj. Gen. Harrison was Condemned some of his Relations came to him and told him They supposed he had heard what dismal Sentence was passed on him And O Sir said one of them my heart fails me to think how you will bear it Why said he flesh and blood will recoil But blessed be God I am not troubled at that A fit of an Ague would cost a man more I believe The day after he was Condemned himself his Wife and other Relations and Friends came to him O Sir said some how is it now Why said he Blessed O blessed Chains I would not be without these Chains Indeed it was a very dark dismal cloudy morning I was brought to be content to perish Truly I thought I could not plead at all my soul was so sad because God hid his face But I was resolved said he if I could have said no more to tell the Court That the Cause was the Lords and the fault was not in the Lord but my great personal unworthiness that I could not assert it And that though I did sink into the Bottomless Pit immediatly yet I durst not no not for a World but own that Cause which God had often honoured But said he the Lord for your sakes did help me to say somewhat but truly it was but pitiful I thought if I might have been suffered although I have not slept to speak of these two nights I could have spoken three or four hours longer And now said he as dark as it was in the morning 't is so bright so quiet and calm that truly I think if I were to be executed to morrow I could sleep all night as well as ever But lifting up his eyes Lord said he I would not be too confident O pardon thy servant But being in a very chearful frame his Friends and Relations left him at that time and because of ilness could not visit him next day But on the next first-day of the week being with him he told them he found an increased strength That day about noon the Warrant for Execution was signed at which time he was desirous to have a Repreeve gained if possible not said he that I expect Life but methinks my Wedding Garment is not quite ready a little more time that I may as a Bride be ready trimmed That evening it was told him that Sir O. B. would speak with him the next morning and some told him it may be that would prove an hour of Temptation Truly said he I blesse God I am at a point I cannot no I cannot desert the CAUSE The next morning they two were together the matter of their discourse I know not but I remember when his Wife desired to go to O. B. that evening to see if he would be her dear Husbands or rather her Mediator to his Majesty for his Life It may be said he Sir O. B. may say That I should confess guilt and do the King some service Prethee tell him I would engage to live quietly but for owning Guilt that I cannot do For to this day I am not convinced of any as to the Death of the King and that I went but too far in asking the benefit of the Proclamation and I cannot go any further no not to save a Thousand Lives That evening came in two Ministers one or both of them after they had talked with him a good while I heard them ask Whether he did acknowledge his Guilt for they believed his owning of that would be the most likely if not a most certain means to prolong his Life To which he answered That although he had often and that with many tears and he thought with some brokenness of heart sought the Lord to convince him of it if he had any Guilt in him as to that particular Action for which he was then in Chains and under Condemnation for said he I would not for a World die with one Sin unrepented of But said he Really to this day I have no such Conviction But said the Doctor Sir If any such do come in will you tell us Yes said he I profess I will if it come in at the last moment even at the Gibbet I will tell the World of it And it is observable that some of his last words were That God had engaged him in a CAVSE not to be Repented of I say Not to be Repented of The night before Execution when he was in the Dungeon he was as he had been that day some sadder than at other times And one asked him if any particular thing lay on him He said No But the Lord was pleased to suspend his Comforting presence but said he with an humble boldness I would speak it The Lord shall not put me off with any thing besides Himself After having spent some hours in Prayer as at other times about midnight we left him and his Fellows that they might get a little rest for the support of their natural spirits and
this hour of Temptation and carry me through it for thou art my God and my Father into whose hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me The Copy of a Letter sent from Col. John Jones when Prisoner in the Tovver of London to a Relation I Am very much grieved to find by the Note I received from you such dark and sad Apprehensions upon your Spirit concerning me VVe are in the hands of the Lord and what he hath appointed for us will be our portion and no man can frustrate his holy purpose concerning us which I question not will be found to be in love what ever appearance it may have to men My Advice is to you and all that love me That in case I be removed from you you do not neither in reallity nor outward garb mourn for me but rather rejoyce that my Portion is in Heaven and that my Dissolution or Removal out of this earthly Tabernacle is but in order to my Cloathing with Immortality and possessing my Eternal Mansion and to my being for ever with Christ to behold his glory And therefore that you do not behave your self as those that have no hopes but of this life Secondly That you take off your mind from me and fix it unmovably upon your eternal Relation the Lord Jesus Christ in whose glorious and blessed presence we shall meet ere long to our Eternal Rejoycing It is the goodness of the Lord to us to remove all Creature Comforts from us that our Souls might have no resting-place to delight in or to promise them safety until we return to the Ark of his Testimony the bosome of his love manifested and exhibited for us in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ I write in hast therefore excuse my abruptness Thine in Sincere Love JOHN JONES Tower Sept. 19. 1660. Let the First and last Verses of Psalm 27. be constantly fixed upon thy mind Ver. 1. The Lord is my light my salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid Vers 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Some few living Sentences that fell from a Dying Man Col. Joh. Jones when he was in his Chains in Newgate OBserving one of Col. Scroopes children weeping he takes her by the hand saying to her You are weeping for your Father but suppose your Father were to morrow to be King of France and you were to tarry a little behind would you weep so why he is going to reign with the King of Kings in everlasting Glory Speaking to a Friend that was to have accompanied him into Ireland Ah! dear heart sayes he thee and I were in that storm together going to Ireland and if we had gone this journey then we had been in Heauen to have welcomed honest Harrison and Carew but we will be content to go after them we will go after Speaking of those that were gone beyond the Seas O dear hearts sayes he in what a sad condition are our dear Friends beyond Sea where they may be hunted from place to place and never be in safety nor hear the voice of the Turtle how much have we gotten the start of them for we are at a point and are now going to Heaven Speaking of the Sled in which he was to be carryed to Execution it is said he like Elija's Fiery Charriot only it goes through Fleetstreet The time of his departure being come this Aged Gentleman was drawn in one Sled with his Aged Companion Col. Scroop whose grave and graceful Countenances accompanied with courage and chearfulness caused great Admiration and Compassion in the Spectators as they passed along the Streets to Charing-Crosse the place of their Execution And after the Executioner had done his part upon three others that day he was so drunk with Blood that like one surfeited he grew sick at stomack and not being able himself he set his Boy to finish the Tragedy upon Col. Jones who coming up the Ladder with the like chearfulness that his Brethren did before him and being placed fit for Execution he proceeds to speak as followeth Col. Joh. Jones his Speech upon the Ladder Oct. 17. 1660. THere is two things that are necessary now I am going through this narrow gate or passage to the Eternal Majesty I say two things are necessary as to the occasion of my coming hither to receive my Fathers good pleasure First Peace with God Secondly Peace with Man I shall speak something to each of these and in the first place speak something of the Court wherein I received the Sentence It hath been reported as I was told that I confessed this Fact and confessed that I were guilty of Murther as under those several expressions that are in the Indictment Viz. I desire to clear my self before the Lord and before the world in that particular for should I grant that I was guilty in reallity and truth of Murther and Malice Viz. I should belie my own Conscience and draw upon me a greater weight than I could bear But this far I do confesse I was willing to make the work as short as I could And because I would not stand so long I told them I would take the first Jury that came And when a Jury was called then I did confess so much as I was convinced of as to the matter of Fact I desire you will judge charitably of this that I speak at this time as in the presence of the Lord that it is not so really viz. that I acknowledged my self guilty of Murder I had no such thing in my heart I must confess I very freely quit his Majesty considering what he doth in this case is the part of a loving Son to a Father especially the Judges telling him that it is the Law and I conceive that the Court did nothing but what they to their best understandings judged right as to Law Therefore I freely acquit the Court though there was not enough said to satisfie such a poor Creature as I am in so great and deep a point as that was As for all others I do not know any man on the Earth to whom I do bear any Malice but I am in perfect charity with all men and I hope the Lord is in charity with me And therefore as I desire to have forgiveness my self from all those that I have offended even so I do freely forgive all those that have in any measure offended me The next thing is towards God and it is that which should be last upon my heart It is not expected that I should give an Account here of my state and condition for that is betwixt God and my own soul And I do through the Grace and Goodness of God firmly believe that my Redemption is wrought and my Pardon is sealed and that I shall be immediately in my Fathers armes and that I shall be translated and brought to
sweetly born up under his suffering and had a very comfortable assurance that God had pardoned and accepted him in the blood of Christ he had been a professor of Religion many years in the Presbyterian way and a great lover of godly Ministers a man of just and honest conversation amongst men and one that desired to walke blameless in the sight of God his fellow prisoner did say he did believe that Col. Hacker had an interest in Jesus Christ Col. Hacker declared to severall of his own friends a little before he suffered that the greatest trouble he had upon his spirit was that he had formerly born too great a prejudice in his heart towards the good people of God that differed from him in judgement And then broke forth into this admiration O what am I poore vile worme that God should count me worthy to suffer with such precious soules as these are against whom I have been formerly so much prejudiced And thus these two gracious persons having finished their course and the time of their departure being at hand were both brought forth of prison the sledge being ready for them they took their leave of some friends that stood at the door and Col. Axtell desired them to be at the place of execution and both entring the sledge they cast up their eyes toward that God to whom they were comming then with a chearfull countenance setting themselves down they were drawn to Tyburne the place of execution where a cart was set ready into which they both ascended their countenance not at all changed though now the King of terror stared them in the face the Ropes being then put about their necks and a burning fire kindled before their faces and being there ready to receive that sentence which nature would have sunk under if grace had not supported first Col. Axtel applies himself to the Sheriffe in these following words Col. Axtels speech at Tyburne Octob. 19. 1660. Mr. Shieriffe I am now as you see come to the place of execution according to my sentence I desire your leave that I may speak freely and without interruption first to this people and then to God for it is the last that I shall speak in this world and I hope it will redowne to your account Mr. Shieriffs reply Sir you know what the Court prohibited you to speak and what was spoken at the barre of the Court was there desided therefore t is needless to repeat it here I hope you will keep to the present businesse that concerns you and not goe out into impertinences and because you have but a little time spend it to your best advantage and the good of the people and then you shall not be interrupted Or to the same effect Col Axtel begins I say the very cause for which I have engaged is contained in this book of God having the Bible in his hand both in the civil and religious rights of it which I leave to you giving the book to Mr. Knowles You see a dead man living and yet I hope I shall live to all eternity through the mediation of Jesus Christ the Mediator of the covenant of free grace I must truly tell you that before 〈◊〉 late wars it pleased the Lord to call me by his grace through the work of the Ministery and afterwards keeping a day of humiliation in fasting and prayer with Mr. Simeon Ash Mr. Love Mr. Woodcocke and other Ministers in Laurence-lane they did so clearly state the cause of the Parliament that I was fully convinced in my own conscience of the justness of the warre and thereupon engaged in the Parliament service which as I did and doe believe was the cause of the Lord I ventured my life freely for it and now die for it Then Mr. Shieriffe said to this purpose Sir remember your selfe Col. Axtell proceeds And after the work of the Lord was done in England my lot cast me in the service of Ireland and I thank the Lord I was serviceable to the English Nation in that Country and have discharged my duty fully according to the trust committed to me there As for the Fact for which I now suffer it is for words onely for words and but for words and the sentence is already reversed in my own conscience and it will be reversed by Jesus Christ by and by I pray God from the very bottome of my soul to forgive all that have had any hand in my death both Witnesses and Jury and the Court that passed sentence for considering the Doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ as he hath laid it down Matth. 5.44 It hath been said of old time love your Neighbours and hate your Enemies But I say unto you love your Enemies and pray for them that hate and despitefully use you that you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven I desire according to this Doctrine from the bottome of my heart that God would give them true repentance and not lay their sin to their charge nor my blood which by Gods law and mans I think could not justly have been brought here to suffer But I blesse God I have some comfortable assurance that I shall be embraced in the Arms of Christ and have cause to hope that his spirit shall carry my soul into the Fathers hands And if the Glory of this Sunshine be so great the Sun then shining bright how much more is the glory of the Son of God who is the Son of righteousnessse I thinke it convenient to give you some Account of my Faith I believe all things written in the Old and New Testament as the principles and doctrine of a believers Faith I believe the blessed Ordinances of Christ that it is our duty to hear the word preached to seek unto God in prayer and to performe Family duties and to walk in the Communion of Saints and for my own part I am a Member of a Congregation which I judge to be the way of Christ and were it for that only I were to dye I could witnesse to it which is a company of men born again by his grace that walk in the ways of Christ blamelesse and harmlesse I believe Jesus Christ dyed for poor sinners of whom I am chief as the Apostle Paul saith this is a faithfully saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chiefe And if the Apostle might say so much more may I. My friends and Countreymen I have reason to bewail my own unprofitable life having been very unfruitful unto the people of the Lord the Lord knows I have much fault upon my heart were it not for the blood of Christ that cleanseth and washeth me according to his promise saying I loved you and washed away your sins in own blood For there is no remission of sins without the blood of Christ I desire you all to loath and cast off sinne it were better to suffer then
to sinne it is beter to die then to sinne nothing could grive our Saviour but sinne and therefore have a care of that you and I must meet one day at the bar of Christ the Son of God shal be our Judge for God hath committed all judgement to the Son that all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father This day is a resemblance of that day therefore be serious beg as much good to your immortal souls as I expect to enjoy by and by I beseech you beg of God that he would save your soules and omit no opportunity through the strength of the Lord to believe and put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ be sure to labour after assurance of your interest in him or else you wil be of all men most miserable for I of all men were most miserable if I had not believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Blessed be the Lord that brings me into this state let the way or means be what it wil it is Gods soveraignty who made these creatures so to dispose of them how he pleaseth and God hath ordeined this death for me from all eternity The Lord Christ often prayed thy will be done this is the Lords wil. He hath numbred my daies and my times are in his hand Many seek the Rulers favor but every on s judgement is from the Lord. When Pilat said unto Christ Knowest thou not that I have power to crucifie thee Christ answered him thou couldest have no power against me except it were given thee from aboue Therefore I acknowledge the righteous hand of God he is righteous but I am sinful Therefore will I beare Gods indignation because I have sinned against him It is said of Jesus Christ that for the joy set before him he endured the cross and despised the shame and is set down at the right hand of God where I hope to see him by and by in glory and Majesty and to see his Angels and believers worshipping of him and therefore I despise the shame Our Saviour died upon the cross without sinne I am a sinful creature a wretched sinner and shall I expect better then he that was my master he who was holy and never had a sinful thought in all his life and died not for himselfe but for us that we might live through his death that through his poverty we might to made rich And Christ having done this for his people it should not be in their eyes thought a despicable thing that we should suffer for him having been engaged in the work of God But Christ must prevail in righteousness and he wil prevaile Now Mr. Sheriffe I thank you for your civillity and for this leave After this Col. Hacker spoke something privately to him whereupon Col. Axtel said Mr. Shieriffe must we both die together Mr. Shieriffe answered Yes Then Col. Hacker read a paper which he had in his hand a coppy whereof followeth FRiends Country-men all that have known me in my best estate have not known me to have been a man of Oratory and that God hath not given me the gift of utterance as to others therefore I have onely this briefly to say unto you that are spectators As the Parliament stated the war I did out of judgment and conscience joyn with them in the common cause and have through grace been faithfull to it according to my measure And as for that which now I am condemned for I do freely forgive both Judges Jury and Witnesses and all others And I thank the Lord to whom I am now going at whose tribunall I must render an account I have nothing lies upon my conseience as guilt whereof I am now condemned and doe not doubt but to have the sentence reverst I doe now apply my selfe unto God by prayer and doe desire the hearty prayers of all that fear God that I may have a sweet passage from this mortall life to that immortal life which God hath prepared for all that are in Christ Jesus Francis Hacker After the reading of this he desired that Col. Axtell would be both their mouths to God in prayer And then Col. Axtell said I desire all that fear the Lord to hear me with patience and to lift up their hearts to seek the Lord with me that we may have his strength and the presence of his spirit from this world to everlasting life And with a wonderful composed frame of spirit and with an audible voice entred upon the following duty wherein the Lord helped him with excellent expressions suitable to both their conditions The prayer followeth OH blessed Lord the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who art the great God of heaven and earth heaven is thy throne and the earth thy foolstool thou upholdest all things with and by the word of thy power The issues of life and death are in thy hand oh God Blessed Lord we pray thee let us have communion with thy selfe and the glory of thy face let the shining rayes of Christ shine continually upon our souls Lord let there be no interruption between the brightness of thy glory and our souls til we come into the fulness of the possession of it Blessed Lord we desire to take shame before thee and this multitude for all our iniquities and transgressions we were born and came great sinners into the world the root of bitterness was in us that flowed from that bitter fountain Adam but thou O Lord hast been pleased to send the second Adam that as by the sinne of one man death entred into the world so by the obedience and righteousness of one Jesus Christ many should be made righteous Blessed Lord thou knowest all our original guilt all upon our hearts and upon our consciences all our personal defilements and transgressions we pray thee Lord wash them all away in the blood of Jesus Christ Lord we have nothing of our own to rely upon but a Christ for all our goodness and righteousness is but as polluted rags and menstruous cloaths Therefore O Lord thou hast said by the workes of the Law no man shall be justified but by the righteousnesse of Christ Jesus Therefore oh Lord hold out the covenant of grace to poor believers and make Jesus Christ the Mediator of the covenant to perform Gods part to us and our part towards God Oh lord in thee are all our spring thou art the fountain of all grace let us have mercy and pardon from thee Lord it is by grace that any here are saved Thou shouldst be a righteous God if thou shouldest not only suffer us to lye under the condemnation of man but to exclude us from heaven and glory for ever But Lord if thou shouldst be strict to mark iniquity who should stand in thy presence but there is mercy with thee that thou mayst be feared Lord thou hast said Who is a God like unto thee pardoning iniquity and passing by
the transgressions of the remnant of thy people for thine own names sake Lord it is thy covenant that thou wilt put thy spirit into our hearts and erect thy law in our inward parts and our sins and transgressions thou wilt remember no more Blessed be the Lord for the Lord Jesus Christ for had it not been for a Christ we were undone forever Blessed be our Lord that hath written our names in heaven and given us a portion in Christ in whom we have believed and trusted We humbly beg of thee the pardon of all our personal and family guilt the sins of our publique imployments which thou knowest we have not willingly committed though it may be through infirmity and temptation and the sins of our nature Lord we humbly pray thee let us see our selves justified in the blood of our Lord Jesus that we may say with the Apostle Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth us it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again for our justification He is risen that he might be our advocate intercessor and mediator He is filled with all the fulness of the Godhead to distribute to us according to our need Thou hast promised by the Apostle that God shall supply all our wants according to the riches of his own grace Lord thou wilt have the passover eaten with sowre hearbs and Lord we are contented but Lord thou hast provided sweet Wine for us and hast thou not kept the best Wine and the best of thy divine comforts until now til now to carry us over this bridge and passage from earth to heaven sanctifie this our passage for it is best to have the crosse with the crown they goe together and are inseparable therefore saith our Lord they that wil suffer with me shal also raign with me Deare Lord we pray thee give us a full experience and let thy holy Spirit witness to our souls that we are the children of God and reconciled to thee in the covenant and that we shal through thy Son be glorified with thee Strengthen our faith that we may be purged washed and cleansed and for our justification sanctification and acceptation with the Father Glorious lord we desire to leave our requests with thee on the behalfe of this poor people as the last request we have to beg of thee on this side heaven if there be any here not belonging to Christ and not friends to him Lord convert them and shew them their own undone and miserable estate and give them the pardon of a dying Saviour thy poor servants would not part with a Christ for ten thousand lives Lord make Christ precious to their immortal souls Lord convince them of the evil of their sins and the evil of their own ways and break them off from them and cause them to close with Jesus Christ Thou hast promised that those that come unto him thou wilt not cast off Remember all thy people and help them to persevere in thy grace and love and make them able to hold fast the truth till thou come and to quit themselves like men to stand fast in the faith Blessed Lord we humbly pray thee to have mercy upon that great City the place from whence we came When thou resolvedst to destroy Sodom thy servant Abraham expostulated with thee and thou saidst if there were but ten righteous thou wouldst save it but Lord there are many tens of righteous ones in that City It hath been a place where thou hast been glorified and where many godly Ministers have been encouraged O Lord let it goe wel therefore with that great City and let thy Gospel have free passage in the publique worship of it Bless the government and governours thereof and make them instruments to thy glorious praise We pray thee have respect to the chief Magistrates that are come here by command to see execution done Oh Lord we beg mercy for their soules O that Christ would evidence himself more to their soules and that we might meet in Heaven together and be imbraced in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ And him that shal be the Executioner must now wash his hands in our blood doe thou wash his soul in the blood of Jesus Christ O lord we pray thee that thou wouldest have pitty upon his soul and let him know what it is to be washed in the blood of Christ that fountain set open for him and for uncleanness Blessed Lord help us thy poor creatures with strength for we have no strength of our own Thy word saith that death is the King of terrours but blessed be thy Name thou hast taken the sting out of it and the poyson from it and therefore as faith the Apostle Oh death then where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ that hath given us the victory Thou hast said by the Apostle We have the sentence of death in our selves and therefore should not trust in our selves but believe in Christ that raiseth the dead Lord we will not trust in our selves but in the living God Oh my God that art the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob strengthen and support our poor souls Stephen when he was stoned to death saw the Heavens opened and the glory of the Father and of his throne Shall we but see the Face of Jesus Christ bearing up our hearts under all and we shall go through Thou hast promised that thou wilt never never never leave us nor forsake us Thou hast said Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus Come life come death or what can separate a believer from Jesus Christ let thy Angels come downe we are perswaded that the Angels are ready to receive our soules and to carry them into thy bosome and into the company of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and of the blessed Apostles and Martyrs and witnesses of Jesus and just men made perfect in thy Kingdome Blessed lord thou art our support and comfort support us with the cordials of thy love Blessed lord before we make an end of praying O thou father of mercies and God of all consolation we beg one request for the chief Magistrate of this Nation That thou wouldest give him a glorious Christ into his poor soul and magnifie thy grace towards him that he may become a friend unto Christ and a friend to the people of Christ and raigne in righteousnesse and may be a terrour to evill doers and a praise to them that doe wel that he may cast away iniquity with his eye rule for God before whom he and all others must render an account in the day of judgement Lord hear us for him And blessed lord doe the like for all that had any uncharitableness towards us we would have none towards them but we beg their souls might live in thy presence make them to see their sins and let them receive
their pardon that we might embrace one another through the grace of God in Jesus Christ one day in Heaven Dear Father we pray thee for them as we would beg for our selves We now desire to resign up our selves into thy bosome as it is thy Command thou hast said Ye are bought with a price not with silver or gold but with the precious bloud of Jesus Christ and we offer up our bodies and souls unto Christ which is but a reasonable service that thou shouldest have all when thou callest for them our estates and lives themselves The Earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof and we are all his works It is God's soveraignty to command whatsoever he pleaseth Blessed Lord we desire with our Lord Jesus when he offered up himself upon the Crosse he said unto thee O Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and with Stephen when he was put to death Lord Jesus receive my spirit So say we Lord Jesus receive our spirits pity us love us and accept us in thy Son upon whom we rest for life and salvation Lord let us know that death is a passage into Glory it is appointed for all men once to dye and after death to Judgement This is a decree and statute law of Heaven that all must dye and this is some comfort in our death that from this time forward we shall sinne no more grieve Christ no more dishonour God no more nor offend any else no more set thy love upon our soules and let our prayers be dissolved into praises where we may embrace thee and thou embrace us We humbly intreate thee do more abundantly for us and all them we have prayed for then we are able to ask or think in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus who is the intercessour with the Father who hath promised that he will pray the Father for us he is the Mediator of the new Covenant betwixt God and us our fulnesse our strength our comfort and our support our all in his name we ask all our requests to whom with thy self and thy holy spirit we desire to give all Honour and Glory and Praise for ever more Amen After he had ended his prayer he gave the Sheriffe thanks again for his civility and then turning to Col. Hacker they saluted and embraced each other in their Armes and said the lord sweeten our passage and give us a happy meeting with himself in Glory Then pulling his Cap over his Eyes expecting as is supposed that the Cart should be drawn away with his hands lifted up he uttered these words with a loud and Audible voyce Lord Jesus receive my spirit but the Cart staying a little longer he lift up his hands the second time and with the like audible and loud voyce said into thy hands Oh Father I commend my spirit and yet in regard there was no man found to put forward the horse to draw away the Cart until the common Hang-man came down out of the Cart himself to do it The Carman as many witnesses affirm saying he would loase his Cart and Horse before he would have a hand in hanging such a man by this means he had opportunity to lift up his hands and utter the like words the third time also One thing more is very remarkable that when Col. Axtell and Col. Hacker were taken out of the sledge into the cart the spectators being in great numbers there behaved themselves very civilly only two persons among them as soon as the Ropes were put about their Necks cryed out very earnestly hang them hang them Rogues Traytors Murtherers Hang-man draw away the cart whereupon a man that stood by them desired them to be civil and said Gentlemen this is not civil for the Sheriff knoweth what he hath to doe and thereupon they were silent and gave attention to Col. Axtell's speech and prayer but before he had done those very persons were so affected that they could not refrain from pouring out many Tears upon the place and went aside to a place a little more retired to weep and that man that before desired them to be civil went after them and beheld them to his great admiration as himself hath Narrated FINIS Reader In regard that the Presse could not conveniently be attended there are many faults committed in this Impression some Sentences left out and others misplaced which doth much alter the sence therefore thou art earnestly desired before the reading of this book to take thy Pen and Correct these following Errours and for others which are lesse considerable it 's hoped thy ingenuity will help thee to Correct them ERRATA PAge 14. Line 11. for but the enemy read but for the enemy P. 15. l. 19 Allured us p. 21. l. 22. by r. be p. 23. l 28. own r. one p. 26. l. 28. love r. Job p. 28. l. 21. take the r. take your p. 33. l. 9. and all r. for all p. 33. l. 18. therein I have done r. I have done therein p. 33. l. 26. Galliasses r. Gallislaves p. 33. l. 35. the faith r. your faith p. 36. l. 9. and if r. but if p. 37. l. 22. they should r. they may p. 38. l. 26. wittingly r. willingly P. 39. l. 20. any r. my p. 41. l. 15. teahes thence r. netles them p. 41. l. 34. in mercy r. through mercy p. 43. l. 31. our r. one p 44. l. 5. most r. must p. 44. l. 9. Father r. Author p. 45. l. 13 dulcimum r. dulcissimum p. 45. l. 32. them r. theirs p. 47. l. 7. in r to p 47. l. 21. Heronian r. Neronian P. 48. l. 23. least r. best p. 49. l. 28. while r. which p. 50. l. 8. Know r. Knew p. 52. l. 37. solid zeal r. solid comfort p. 58. l. 23. the Mans r. Hemans p. 62. l 6. dele the same p. 62. l. 7. that glorious r. that that glorious p. 62. l. 10. in it Thou r. in it thou without the full point p 62. l. 15. through or that must be left out p. 64. l. 5. the Lord r. O Lord. p. 71. l. 8. truth of r. truth guilty of p. 85. l. 8. redoune r. redound p. 89. l 6. much faith r. much filth p. 89 l. 8. I loved r. I have loved p. 89. l. 15. honour the Father r. honour the Son as they honour the Father p. 89. l. 26. these r. his p 89. l. 27. leave out so p. 90. l. 9. their r. your p. 91. l. 17. interruption r. interposition p. 92. l. 9. erect r. write p. 92. l 35. experience r. evidence p. 92. l. 38. that we may r. that we may lay hold upon a naked Christ that by his blood we may c. p. 93. l. 34. upon his soul r. upon his soul and remember him in his low estate p. 93. l. 36. for him r. for sinne p. 94. l. 16. come life come r. can life can death p. 94. l. 23. of thy love r. of thy love O thou Father of mercy and God of all consolation And leave that sentence out in the next line
spirit In most Towns where he came the Generality of the people Reviling him with such words as these hang him Rogue pistol him said others hang him up said some at Salisbury at the next sign-post without any further trouble Look said others how he doth not alter his Countenance but we believe he wil tremble when he comes to the Ladder This is the Rogue will have no King but Jesus Indeed the rage of the people all the way was such that had he not been indued with strength from on High he could not have under-gone the wicked and Barbarous Deportment and Carriage of the Giddy multitude which he was subjected to After he came to London and had many opportunities of Escape if he had thought it meet before he was sent to the Tower yet he would not knowing how much the Name and Glory of God was concerned in his faithful witnesse to the cause of Christ for which he was in Bonds And the truth is his joy in the Lord was such that when many came drooping in spirit to him by reason of the Gloominesse of this present dispensation they went away refreshed and comforted by those many Gracious words that came out of his mouth When word was brought him that Maj. General Harrison was dead he said well my turn will be next and as we have gone a long in our Lives so must we be one in our Death The Lord God grant that I may have strength from himself to follow couragiously to the last breath and that I may much honour and glorifie God whom I have made profession of I can do nothing of my self but my strength is in the Lord of Hosts who hath helped me from my beginning to this day and will help me to the end The night before he suffered some of his Natural Relation came to take their leave of him and when they were parting they shed some tears but when he perceived it said O my friends if you did know and feel what joy I have and what a Glorious Crown I shall receive from the hand of Christ for this work you would not Mourn but Rejoice that I am counted worthy to be a witnesse to this Cause and said further The Lord preserve you all from the portion of this Generation for assuredly There is great wrath from the Lord that will reach them to their destruction When Mr. L. came to take his leave of him he asked this Question viz. how it was with him he Answered very well I bless my God as to my interest in him I have not the least doubt but do know assuredly that when my soul shall be separated from this body I shall be taken into his presence where is fullness of joy c. And by Jesus Christ be presented to my Father without spot and blame in his own compleat and perfect righteousnesse which is free and not for any of mine own works for I am a poor sinful and wretched creature and compassed about with many infirmities And when it was asked him if he had any thing of conviction upon him as to what he was to suffer for he answered no not in the least for said he Though man have Condemned yet the Lord hath and doth justifie he added the Lord had justifyed it in the Field once already in this Nation but that is now accounted as a thing of Nought but he will again do it with a Witnesse and prayed that the Lord would deliver him viz. Mr. L. from that Judgement that was at hand by which he would do it To this effect spake he also to many that did quere with him about this matter being told that his Nephew and some others were doing their utmost for his Reprieve he replyed that there is nothing to be done For the Sheriffe hath brought me word just now that I must Dye to morrow and that there was some that desired I might not be Quartered but it would not be granted But Death is nothing to me let them Quarter my body never so much God will bring all those pieces together again It was asked him if he had assurance of the love of God he said yea yea he had Fought a good Fight and had overcome and he was ready to suffer the will of God One asked him if he thought there would be a Resurrection of the Cause he Answered he Dyed in the Faith of that as much as he did that his body should rise again if he did not believe that he should not be so cheerfull at the Sentence of death he said also he had not the least regret or disturbance on his spirit about that for which he was to die for what he did was of the Lord if it were to be done again he wold do it And the way they took to suppresse and destroy those that did not think the Kings person Sacred their blood will make many hundreds more perswaded of the truth of it it was grievous to him to hear how at his Tryal they blasphemed God and his people but he was resolved he would own the Lord among them which they could not bear Therefore they were so violent against him he said the Gospell was going from London Popery and Superstition c. was coming in and it would be a rare thing to find a professor of religion in London shortly he incouraged those about him to keep close to the Lord in this evil day Oh! said he who would have thought some yeers since that Poper and Formality should have been let in again to these Nations he said they were so Barbacus they would not allow him some small time to take a little Rest before he was to suffer which was all he needed or desired of them For he was much tired with speaking to company which came continually in He desired to be remembred to some Friends and tell them That this was the last Beast and his Rage was great because his time was short Some more Expressions he uttered to this effect But in all his words and manner of speaking he manifested the highest Christian Magnanimity and holy Greatnesse of mind and such a spirit of joy and glory rested upon him even to astonishment It was asked if he apprehended his confidence would contniue to the death he said he was not strong in his own strength but in the Lord's strength which he still relied upon And he said to one by him will you not see how God will carry me through next day and desired prayers for him One asked him what he thought of this severe hand of God He said that which was hid secret in the bosome of the Father should be manifested in due time Oh! said he it grieves me to think how Popery is coming upon us like a flood in this poor Nation and the great judgement that will follow But the Lord will be a hiding place for his poor people untill the indignation be overpast let not our enemies think
Ministery from the annoynting that doth beare witness to the Lord Jesus and hath his holy Spirit That testimony I desire to beare and that testimony I desire to stand faithfull in with integrity to the Lord Jesus as King of Saints and King of Nations And therefore it is I say to have a Majestracy as at the first and Counsellors as at the beginning men fearing God and hating covetousness And that Ministery as doth preach the everlasting Gospell Here Mr. Sheriffe interrupted him saying 't is desired that you spend the rest of your time in preparing your selfe Another said you spend your self Sir in this discourse Another said it raines Then Mr. Carew said I will pray Mr. Carew his Prayer O most holy and most glorious and blessed God the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of all Glory The God of the spirits of all Flesh unto thee unto thee doth my soule desire to come through the new and living way even through Christ my Righteousnesse And in him and through him to be offered up by the Eternall spirit a living and acceptable Sacrifice in which thy soul delighteth O Lord thou knowest my frame and thou knowest my life and what a passage this is and what a wonderfull thing it is to enter into Glory And what a wonderful thing it is to stand before thee and to stand in thy presence O Father father let my soul be filled with thy joy and with peace in Believing O Let my heart be in heaven while my body is here and O Let me be joyned unto the Lord through thine own spirit before this separation be O Lord thou only art able to take hold of my Heart and Spirit poor Creatures may speak words to thee but Oh! it is thine own power and it is thine own spirit that must take hold of the heart it is thine own spirit that must carry through all and it hath heen thy spirit Blessed be thy Name that hath carryed me through many Tryals and many Temptations and many Difficulties that thy poor Worme hath met with in this Pilgrimage for many Years O Blessed by thy Name for all the Goodnesse and for all thy Grace and for all thy presence that hath been with thy poor Creature far and neer Oh! Blessed be thy Name that thou hast kept me in any measure faithful to â—…to thee and made me willing to lay down my life for thy â—…ous Work and Cause Oh Blessed be thy Name that the Lord and Christ that is at thy right hand hath bought me with his own most precious bloud He hath Redeemed me indeed Therefore it is but my reasonable service that I should be offered up a sacrifice to him my joy is in him and my confidence is in him that I shall be presented by him to my heavenly father O father when thy servant is to be presented before thee let him know what it is to finde mercy Let him know what it is to have Jesus Christ an Advocate and what it is to be presented before thee by such a Redeemer O that Jesus Christ might bid me welcome into the presence and may say to my soule Well done good and faithfull servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. O blessed Father it is not that I doe expect any thing from thee upon any account below the account of the Lord Jesus and wherein soever thou hast been glorified by thy poor servant it hath been by thine own power and thine own working O nothing unto thy poore creature is due but unto thy holy name be praise and glory O holy father behold thy work in the Kingdomes and behold the cause and interest of all thy people O doe thou revive it in thine own appointed time O doe thou strengthen the starts of thy poor Saints O scatter all clouds speak comfortably to their soules that they may be able to stand under all storms faithfull into the death and receive a Crown of life and glory O blesse the poor Saints in the City and blesse thy Saints in the Country and blesse thy Saints in the West O blesse thy sonnes and thy daughters O blesse all the meetings of thy people let the blessing of the Lord appear unto them let the glory of the Lord make haste let the glory of the Lord be upon these Nations O remember thy promise to thy ancient people the Jewes O let thy people be taught of thee O let these drie bones live O let the Spirit of life breath upon them O dear father let the fulnesse of the Jewes and of the Gentiles be brought in Let multitudes be gathered out of every Kindred and Tongue and Nation unto the Kingdome of Jesus Christ O Father Father advance thy Sonne set him as King upon the mountaine of thy holinesse give him all glory and power and dominion over the whole Heavens that thou hast promised according to thy word and covenant to give unto him that he may raigne in thine own word and law through his own Spirit for ever and ever Lord lord I desire thou wouldst gather up my soul O gather up my soule O Lord make this passage sweet O make it comfortable Lord Jesus thou hast taken away the sting of death and born the burden of all this shame and of all this reproach And thou hast given thy poor servant something of thy presence through the riches of thy grace this day O Lord now receive O open thine everlasting armes O now let me enjoy thy presence O God which I have desired to behold and see and to behold thy face in Jesus Christ O and now let me enjoy what thou hast prepared for me and fill me with the joyes that are at thy right hand and those pleasures that are in thy presence for ever more O thou lamb of God lead me to the everlasting Fountain that living fountain that is able to supply all our wants O Lord blesse blesse thy poor people O comfort them in this day Poure out sevenfold of thy Spirit for what thou dost take away in any of thy servants for thy holy Names sake O let the cause and kingdome of Christ be deare and precious in thy sight and live alwaies Lord little doe these poor creatures know or these Nations know what a controversie thou hast with them O that thou wouldest be pleased gratiously to spare this people spare thy people however and let them that love Zion and favour thy righteous cause be glad for ever and ever O now Father be neer to me doe thou receive my spirit take me into thine own glory take me into thine own glory let me know it is my portion let me know there is a Crown in the hand of Christ prepared for my soul O blessed Lord thou hast honoured thy poore creature and brought him hitherto O reward all the labours of love in any to him in bonds or death and give them a double reward into their own bosomes Reward it
rid of it have condemned my selfe for it cried out aginst it as the ravished damsel Deut. 22.26 The like for sins done in my inclination which by preventing grace are secret and onely known to God and I haue mourned over my secret sinnes onely known to God and my selfe over the sinnes of my youth which were committed faster then can be named for those which I did not know to be sin and those that I have forgotten and especially for my actually known sins committed against love and light promises and covenants I have confest them all with a heavy bleeding broken and contrite spirit and O that I had all sin as sin in a greater execration my griefe is for having offended so gracious a father that wil not damn me for it if there were no hell nor judge I would rather dye then willingly offend him any more and I cannot satisfie divine justice for one vain thought therefore I flie to Christ and close with him upon a free promise as a poor penitent sinner no merits but the merits of my Saviour I take in whole Christ and not one drop of my pudled water shall be mingled with the ocean of his pure and perfect righteousness I give up my self wholly to him as by a deed of gift to be at his dispose and I know he hath received me I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine and all is mine 1 Cor. 3.22 death it selfe I have a sweet certificate from Heaven of the pardon of sin justification reconciliation and adoption I know Gods heart and his eyes are upon me perpetually 2 Chro. 2.15 that no tender father or mother can have so special a care of any sick imprisoned child as he hath of me I believe that God who hath given a property to the needle to keep fixt though the ship overturn wil keep me faithful to the death and that I shal receive the crown of life and stand with as much confidence at the great day as if had never sinned and herein I am confirmed by the testimony of the spirt and Scripture evidences Blessed be God I doe love the Saints every one that suffers in this cause is at deare to me as my own soule my sighs have been many and my heart faint since I came hither not for my own condition for it is happy but for the afflictions of Joseph scarce a poor Saint permitted to breathe in Irish ayre those that wil not sweare and be drunke or have prayer in their families are counted Fanaticks Esay 50.15 I have a dear respect to all Gods commandements spiritual joy is no stranger to me I love the Word and Ordinances more then my appointed food I desire that all my thoughts words and actions may please God and that all that he does may please me and I doe freely forgive my adversaries the Lord herein encrease my faith Luke 17.5 and I bless God I have a quiet conscience as to the world and which is good also for being justified by Christ apprehended by faith I have peace with God Rom. 5.1 and so I descend to the cause for which I am in bonds which is as good as ever it was and I believe there is not a Saint that hath engaged with us but wil wish at the last day that he had sealed to the truth of it with his blood if thereunto called for I am satisfied that it is the most noble and glorious cause that has been agitated for God and Christ since the Apostolical times being for truth holiness and righteousness for our liberties as men and as Christians for removing of all yokes and oppressions for a gospel Magistracy and Ministery and not onely for the Priestly and Prophetical offices of Christ Jesus but for his Kingly also the peculiar light and worke of this generation being to discover and oppose the Civil and Ecclesiastical tyrannies intended upon the Nations by the Popes Leger demain to exalt Christ as Lord and King over mens consciences to magnifie and make the law of God honourable and authentique every where and to give justice and mercy the upper hand As I hear nothing what they intend to doe with me so I am not much sollicitous about it I doe freely trust God to make what bargain for me he pleases I believe they are as angry with me as any man in the nations because litera scripta manet but their cause requires rather silence then eloquence as for that against Monarchy unaccountable they will be ashamed to oppose it that which nettles them is the stating the Case for which I had Vouchers and Warrants for every word but now they plow with our Heffer yet great is the truth and that will prevail as for Petitioning there is not any I cannot confesse any guilt it is such a Cause that the Martyrs would gladly come again from Heaven to suffer for if they might though too many object against me 1 Pet. 4.15 Let none of you suffer as a Murtherer I look upon it as the most noble and high Act of justice that our Story can parallel and so far as I had a hand in it never any one action in all my life comes to my mind with lesse regret or trouble of conscience then that does for the bloud must lie upon Him or the Parliament and I am sure I had no more malice in my heart then when I was in my Cradle all that I can be sorry for is that I had not such pure and unbyast Aims at the glory of God exaltation of Christ therin as I should have had I neither said nor did any thing dubitante or reluctante conscientiae I was so far from a rainsaying conscience in any thing I acted that I never scrupled in the least and the generality of the people have since owned it I was in mercy a poor Advocate for Christ and the people of England and if by my bloud their cause may be watered I say as Phil. 2.17 18. to you and the rest of the Church of Christ if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith let us rejoyce together it has been counted shamefull for Souldiers to run from their Colours or desert their Masters and Principles but it is more odidus for a Councellor to prevaricate and betray his Clients Cause I am perswaded that all those that have had a chief hand and are now giving Judgement against themselves and all good people in all those points which they formerly contended for against the King as the lawfulnesse of the War which was granted both here and at Edenburgh The Militia Negative Voyce power to dissolve Parliaments conferring great Offices as King James said so long as I make Bishops and Judges I will have what Religion and Laws I please As they are most abominable prevaricators of the honest interest for they will wish at the last day that they had been Jewes Turks or Indians for the greater light the greater is their
invested with a better possession a heavenly Countrey Heb. 11.16 if there be such glorious times to be expected upon earth as you and I have discoursed of I am sure there is no less joy in heaven and we that are there shal have no cause to envy our millitant brethren besides as for my self I can expect to doe little for God I am three parts dead 70 being divided into four the shadows of the evening are upon me and aches and paines are inseparable companions if now Christ should graciously accept of my poore crazy body bring me to an honourable and an easie death for him blessed be his name forever 1 Chro. 29.10 to 16. The heathen could say Dulce est pro patria mori pro Christo mori dulcimum How did the Romans glory to die for their liberties and after for the glory of their Cesars and how glad are the poor Spaniards and Muscovites that they have a life a wise or a sonne for their King and how glad are the City that their feastings will be received A Popish Friar told me lately that if he were of my opinion for assurance of salvation he would not willingly live an houre longer for all Ireland yet Saints too much feare this grim porter death though when executed we goe from the crosse to the Crown Jam. 1.12 indeed it is below the profession that we have made to be now troubled in prosperity I would be a worm but now the Lord makes us bold as Lyons that being called to suffer after so blessed an example we may think it an honour to pledge our master in his own cup and commit the keeping of our soules to him in wel doing as unto a faithful creator 1 Pet 2.21 and 4.19 for he wil never leave nor forsake us but wil give us shoulders to bear what he laies upon us 1 Cor. 10.13 let us therefore who are the children of Zion be joyful in our King as others who one day wil appeare to be fanatiques indeed rejoyce in them for these present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with our future glory Rom. 8.18 Sir I bless God I have an invincible peace and a secret joy surpassing my expression and I press towards the marke Phil. 3.14 yet divine cordials are not constant but often some fainting fits and dispondencies the spirit bloweth where it listeth where it is not comforting it is supporting Esay 40.29 41.10 if I were not very feeble how could Gods power appear in my weakness I bless his name that his arrows are not within me nor doe the terrors of death take hold upon me as Job 6.4 for I never was better as to the frame and temper of mind and body then since my restraint and blessed be the comforter I am not long without him My cousin Harrison is very full of spiritual comfort as the Gentleman Jaylor tels me and bids me cheere up and indeed it wil be a mercy if those who are called forth to testifie for Christ prove couragious as Jos 1.9 but truly as for my part in does not lie on that side I fear least I may be too much exalted with the honour of it though I know the Lord can soon withdraw we live by faith and not by sight our happiness is in our union rather then in communion and sensible gusts and I rather fear a lingring death with severity some for banishment Ezek 7.16 c. but let the Lord doe with me as he pleaseth as Joab siad 1 Chro. 19.13 Omnia cooperatur in bonam Rom. 8.28 So having unbosomed my heart unto you that you and such whom you judge faithful and secret may the better spread my condition before the Lord I would intreat you to beg for me more particularly 1. That God would set home upon my heart and fulfil in me with power your sweet Scripture for which I heartily thank you 2 Tim. 1.7 8 9 12. that I may not be afraid of their terrors nor troubled but may sanctifie the Lord at that time and be able to answer all opposers that they may be ashamed when we suffer for wel doing 1 Pet. 3.14 to 18. 2. That I and the rest of our brethren and companions in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ for the word of God and his testimony may be strengthned with all might according to Christs glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness as Paul prayed for the Collossians Col. 1.9 to 14. being filled with knowledge wisdome and spiritual understanding and feeling those grounds of joy as an inheritance of light and deliverance from the power of darkness that we may be testes and contestes to agree in our testimonies and not disparage so good a cause 3. That we may be ready not onely to be bound but to die for Christ and the vindication and justification of his Evangelical doctrine we have made high profession and confession of the everlasting Gospel and it is a blessed thing to believe with the heart and confess with our mouths and in our lives and by active martyrdom as Brooke Ireton Hampden Pickering and others have worthily done who are safely arrived expecting us and we are yet upon the waves but the most excellent honourable rich and fruitful confession of Christ whereby we can make the most efficacious demonstration of our election and faith in Christ and love in his glorious person with most supream illustration of Gods glory is to lay down our lives as the martyrs did to seal and confirm the truth of our professions with our blood for the cause of Christ and safety of our brethren Rom. 16.4 1 John 3.16 as our blessed master after he had confessed and preached the glory of God and our salvation confirmed and approved all by miracles and his most holy life made a good confession under Pontius pilat 1 Tim. 6.13 without which all had been ineffectual So I have often thought for the discovery of hypocrites cementing of the Saints in more concording affections trial of faith exercising of patience and love to Christ and for many other glorious ends God would call for some of his childrens blood which wil be the greater favour to them whom he shal count worthy of it because I think this wil rather be a Julian then a Heronian persecution alwaies provided that we be found in the doctrine of the covenant of grace that God does not love us because we live soberly righteously and godly in this present world and are willing to forsake all and loose our lives for him But because he loves us and has singled us out from the world therefore he enables us so to live and to doe singular things for his honour and glory and willingly to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Revel 14.4 for the love of Christ constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.14 O that we had more enlarged hearts for our King Jesus 4. That you may fully hit my condition I
3.20 What a comfort is it to thee as me that have such crazy bodies ulcerous Lazarus shall be as sound as a Fish and we shall have an everlasting spring of health and strength which shall never decay Use Let this teach us more to mind eternity to study the joyes of Heaven that we may receive a full reward 2 Ephes to 8. as Mr. Whitfield once exhorted Oliver in every thing to mind and eye eternity for they are the brave men and women that will be so at that day the pleasures of this world are so far from satisfying the understanding and will which are capable of God that they cannot satisfie any one sence never any Musick so sweet but a man will desire to hear better no object so beautiful no meat so pleasant but a man will covet to see that which is more lovely and tasts sweeter Eccles 1.8 study that Book and Canticles well that the spirit may convince us of the vanity and vexation of all creature-delights and of the fullnesse and excellency that is in Jesus Christ the best condition in this life is but a bitter-sweeting all our comforts are impure mixt with Wormwood no Rose without thorn and the bitter is more then the sweet but in Heaven all our delights are pure and unmixed there is perfect joy without any grief sollid comforts and no afflictive misery no Envy no Emulation which abounds here for every Saint has what his heart can desire it is a Sinlesse Sorrowlesse Temptationlesse Oppressionlesse Sicklesse Timelesse and Endlesse estate where being once Arrived we shall never fear parting any more therefore my dear sweeting let us wait patiently and chearfully for that blessed translation from Earth to Heaven we must begin our Heaven here the more prepared to dye the fitter we are to live so let us live so let us dye that we way live Eternally If thee likest such poor breathings broken Meditations thee may'st command more of them I leave thee and me and my dear child and our Christian relations with thee in his Armes who is in Heaven at the right hand of the Father therefore we need not fear what man can do unto us Esa 51.12 To him I am thine for ever Thy loving Husband during this Life John Cooke Another Letter from Mr. Cooke to a Friend after Condemnation DEar Brother beloved in the Lord condemnatus sum ad vitam and this is my Cordial Farewel to you and all Saints from my Jeremiahs prison to morrow I shall be in eternal glory in the bosom of Christ where our father Abraham is and a guard of Angels wil convey my soul thither Never let Gods people fear a prison any more for the Lords supporting or comforting spirit hath not been absent from me since my indictment I writ a letter to you formerly acquainting you with my spiritual condition to which I refer you and fearing lest wrong may be done to the cause when I am in heaven I think fit to leave a few words with my dearest love to all Christian friends 1. Upon my triall it came to this that the Judges said that all have been treason since 1642 so that the Lords and Commons are not to meddle with the King I said that I acted obedientially by order from the house of Commons and the Commons being the representatives of the people cannot commit treason for there can be no trial of all the people And as for any force upon the House in 1648. they were the onely judges of it and no inferiour Court can judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of their acts or orders But they said all our Acts and Orders are treason So that now it is brought to that it was in 1642. 2. I intend by Gods assistance upon the Ladder to beare my testimony for Jesus Christ to all his Offices and for a Gospel Magistracy and Ministry and to speak something so farre as God shall enable and wil be permitted for the good Old cause or righteousness and holiness I can at present onely leave my dear love and respects for you and my dear sister beseeching God and not doubting but that we shall shortly meet in eternal glory Company so spends me that I can write no more I shall suddenly enter into the joy of the Lord O blessed be his name blessed be the Comforter my soul is full of consolation Farewel farewel Renede in Paradiso Yours forever John Cooke For my dear brother F. Some Notes taken of a Sermon Preached by Mr. Hugh Peters the 14 th of October 1660. after his Condemnation in the prison of Newgate wherein he was much interrupted by the coming in and going forth of strangers that came to see him and the other prisoners in the Room with him and so was constrained to break off the sooner And though they are but briefe Heads yet it 's thought convenient here to insert them for the better satisfaction of any touching the frame of Mr. Hugh Peters at that time The discourse was from PSAL. 42. ver 11. Why art thou cast down O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God AFter Analysing the Psalme he Observed this Doctrine Doctrine That the best of Gods people are apt to be disponding This was the Mans case in the whole 88 Psal Also Davids case when he complained of the breaking of his Bones c. This was Christs case himselfe when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The Reasons why the best of Gods people are apt to dispondencies are First When something falls out from God more then ordinary when God put 's weight in Sorrow and Affliction that makes it sinking Although that Afflictions are heavy of themselves many times yet it 's the weight that God puts in Sorrow that makes it sink us 2ly Over-valuing our comforts puting too much upon Wife Children Estate or Life it self a man is apt to be cast down when he thinks of parting with them Thirdly Our unpreparednesse for sufferings and afflictions that makes us dispond Alas I thought not of it say some it 's come unexpectedly upon me Fourthly We are apt to dispond when our Afflictions are many when they are multitudes when all is struck at together Name Estate Relations and Life it self Fifthly VVhen Afflictions are of long continuance a man can bear that Burthen a while that he cannot stand under long Sixthly VVhen afflictions fall upon the noblest part of man which is his soule then are dispondencies apt to come in Seventhly VVhen we have more Sense then Faith Now it should not be so Gods people ought not to dispond 1. Because it discovers impatiency 2. Because it discovers want of Faith they leane not upon the Rock that will not faile them 3. It discovers want of Wisdome c. 4. VVe should not be thus because it gratifies the Enemy who in such a
men made perfect O blessed Lord thou hast called him forth as a publick Spectacle to some in a condition of Shame and Reproach to others of Comfort and to thy Blessed Self as one that is a Witness for Thee that hath served Thee with all faithfulness in his trust and publick capacity and imployment O Lord thy Dispensation to thy poor Creature hath been wonderful gracious and merciful and he must say to the praise of thy Free-grace Here the Hangman stooping down to take Drink which was reached up to him upon the Ladder interrupted him Upon which Mr. Scot said prethee let me alone I have not done and then proceeded in Prayer as followeth That this very Condition to which he is now brought he acknowledgeth is the answer of his Prayer before his going out of England Thou knowest Lord he did many times in prayers and tears seek thy blessed Majesty for Counsel and for Advice whether it were his duty to stay and suffer or to shelter himself abroad And if it were thy will to take more honour to thy self by his Suffering than his Living thou wouldest be pleased to Remand him back again and bring him hither And he hath observed thy Providence checking of his way and in preserving him all along until he came to this O blessed Lord thy poor Creature doth acknowledge that thy ways to his poor Soul have been of wonderful grace and mercy It was a great mercy to him that having had by reason of many sinful temptations and many incumbrances and many incessant Businesses in the World whereof he hath been a perpetual drudge many years past and he hath not had the conveniency though his duty The Lord knowes he had not the conveniency nor the heart so to improve and keep his own vineyard while he had been looking after or keeping others vineyard Thou didst therefore all along while he was abroad give sweet opportunities and precious seasons while he was abroad of seeking thy face and studying his Souls good concerning Eternity and the Eternnal pleasure of thy holy will And he blesseth thy name that thou hast been pleased to open to him both the Scripture and his understanding and so to answer the one by the other as that he is through the grace of God comfortably perswaded that his eternal estate is out of hazard But O Lord thou hast been pleased all the while that his condition hath been doubtful to make his Comforts to his poor soul doubtful also sometimes fear and sometimes hope have been mixed Again and again wanting those Consolations that might support his soul to such an issue But blessed be thy glorious Name the great God of Heaven and Earth he hath been pleased to bear him witness to himself to Angels and to all that hear me this day this very day thy poor Servant that now stands to suffer had joy and much Consolation from God and from his Cause more than ever he had before I say again to the praise of the Free-Grace of God I bless his Name he hath engaged me in a Cause not to be repented of I say in a Cause not to be repented of Here the Sheriff interrupted him saying Is this your Prayers Mr. Scot desiring him to forbear those kind of Expressions Others also told him that he contradicted himself and spoke Blasphemy Then Mr. Scot said I shall say no more but this The Lord I do acknowledge that this very morning in the Dark Chamber I had very much of the presence of God and from thence I take Consolation to my self that his Spirit is with me and that he hath sealed unto my soul the Decrees of Heaven at least perswaded my soul that it will be well with me and that I am out of all danger as to my Eternal Condition and that I shall live and reign with him there where all sin shall be done away which is the growing glory of my soul and all tears wipt away also In the mean time I pray thee O Lord that thou wouldest remember England and remember thy Cause in England and remember me with the joyes of thy Salvation in the instant of my departure O Lord it is an narrow entrance it is a strait passage it is an entrance into Eternity O Lord thou hast once to day shewed me something beyond it something of the glory of God I pray thee forsake me not while I am here and sensible or afterwards in the passage of my soul to thee I leave it and to thy Providence and do acknowledge thy goodness to my soul in fitting me to receive that good which thou in thy infinite pleasure dost think fit for me And therefore O Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit Lord I desire to have some more testimony of thy Love if it be thy blessed will It is enough that I live upon what I had to day but if it be agreeable to thy holy will I would honour and eternally bless thee if thou wouldst be pleased to shine upon me with some more particular immediate discoveries of thy presence but not my will but thy will be done The Lord be pleased to settle the Nation in peace and in the power and purity of Religion and thy Ordinances in purity And Lord for thy Son that is the darling of thy Soul Be thou pleased to give him a glorious entertainment in the world and let the Kingdoms of the world become the Kingdoms of Jesus Christ Lord thou hast a Cause in the world dear unto thee I pray thee own it though it may not be owned in all places and by all persons yet Religion is the Interest of them all O Lord Remember the price of Blood that hath been shed for the purchasing of the Civil and Christian Liberties And remember thy Enemies that are not incorrigible Enemies to thy Truth and Holiness and give them understanding to see their Error and to turn to thee a heart broken and with humiliation that they may seek God with their whole heart that they may be a Holy or Immanuel Nation A Chosen Generation A peculiar People zealous of good Works careful to shew forth the virtue of him that hath Called them from Death to Life The Lord call in all that belong to the Election of Grace speedily into that Number Let no Weapon formed against thy Church prosper But Lord Remember Zion if it be thy good pleasure and repair the Walls of thy Jerusalem O Lord thy CAUSE lies near the hearts of thy People And I bear thee Witness that I have this Income from thee as the Return of their Prayers And that we are Supported to bear Witness for thee very chearfully and with satisfaction I desire to be found of thee in Jesus Christ I do now abhor all my sins and renounce my Services and do account them all as dung Lord thou knowest I have desired to live that I might serve thee better and love thee more but that I may be with thy self
Oh it is infinitely better and to confirm that Testimony that is concerning thy glorious Will And thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven by me and all thine from henceforth and for evermore Amen Some Memorable Passages of Col. Adrian Scroope after his Condemnation and in his Imprisonment at Newgate which though they are but few may discover the excellent christian frame of his heart and how he was born up under so great Sufferings AFter his Condemnation one of his Children hanging upon him and weeping over him he said Peace Child peace be still not a word thou hast a blessed Portion Who would be troubled to dye for can any one have greater honour than to have his Soul carried up to Heaven upon the wings of the Prayers of so many Saints When the Jaylor called him and Mr. Scot Mr. Jones and Mr. Clement to go to the Dungeon saying Gentlemen you must got to the Room where Mr. Harrison was Sayes Colonel Scroop Must we all go He repleyed Yes At which laying his hand on his breast and elevating his eyes with a serious countenance said Blessed be God that we are not parted As he sate at Dinner he spoke to a Minister that was with them saying I would speak it for glory of God's Free-grace and and comfort of you all That my sins are all pardoned not one and in the strength of this will I go to Heaven Speaking to some Friends that came to visit him said I desire all the People of God to look at the Lords hand in this Dispensation and own his Soveraignity speak well of him what-ever he doth lie at his feet with their mouthes in the dust and live more in love and unity one with another A tall Gentleman coming into the Dungeon to see Col. Scroop the night before he dyed said to him Uncle I am sorry to see you in this condition and would desire you to repent of the Fact for which you are brought hither and stand to the Kings mercy and more words so the same effect Whereupon Col. Scroop put forth his hand and thrust him from him using these words AVOID SATAN When the time approached for his Execution Mr. Scot and Mr. Clement were first carried away in the Sleds and the same Sleds was afterwards to come and carry Col. Scroop and Col. Jones during that time sayes Col. Scroop Well Brother Jones do you spend your time as the Lord shall direct you I intend to take a little steep for I slept not well the last night and my Countenance is not so fresh as I would have it Thereupon he laid him down and slept so soundly that he snored very loud and so continued until the Sled came for him whereupon being awakened he riseth up and a Friend taking him in his Arms asked him how he did he answers Very well I thank God never better in all my life And now saith he will I wash mine hands in Innocency So will I compasse thine Altar O Lord And so with great chearfulness went to Execution Colonel Adrian Scroop and Colonel John Jones two comely ancient Gentlemen were both drawn upon that Sled which carried Mr. Scot and being come to Charing-Crosse the place of Execution Col. Scroop was first brought up to the Ladder where he spake as followeth Col. Scroop's Speech at Execution Octob. 17. 1660. YOu see an Object here that hath been in a better place but howsoever the Lord Jesus Christ hath sent me to this place that in this place I should die I have no Animosity nor Malice against any man nor ever had I neither have I any evil will to those that brought me hither nor to the Jury that found me guilty nor Judges that passed Sentence nor to him through whose means I was brought here to suffer I say once more the Lord forgive him I shall not name him for I come not hither to reflect upon any mans person I will not tell you what my Breeding hath been because it is not good for any man especially at such a time as this to boast of his Linage or Breeding But this I shall say that I was born and bred a Gentleman As for my Carriage it may be some that looks upon me here knows what it hath been Howsoever the Lord knows all and the Lord God is Judge of all and he will judge I shall submit my self to his Judgment which is a Righteous Judgment The judgement of men may go wrong but Gods Judgement is right I shall submit to his way The Lord he is the Rock of Ages and my Support under this great Weight that is now upon me I look up to him alone the Lord Jesus Christ is my Saviour and my Redeemer I am going into his Arms blessed be his Name I follow him he is gone before me the same way Therefore it is no reproach or shame to follow the Lord Jesus Christ to die in his Cause for that is it which I judge I am now going to do That which I do desire of you here are a great many Spectators both on the right hand and on the left is That this day may represent to you the general Day of the Judgement of Christ where you must appear and there every man must receive according to their works And at that time it will be known I say at that time it will be known and seen whose works are righteous and whose are not Therefore I would wish you and desire you to judge charitably of me Col. Scroop having given a brief account of himself to the People his last work was to give up himself to God in Prayer as follovveth O Lord thou art my Father a present help in trouble Thou art my Father I believe in Thee I come unto thee Lord Jesus that went unto thy Father and my Father thy God and my God and this is that which doth support my spirit and enable me to undergo this Death with chearfulness and readiness Lord thou knowest my heart and affections and my desires Oh deal not with me according to my sins I am a miserable wretched sinner If thou enter into Judgment who is able to stand before thee but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared O Lord let it be known and seen that there hath not been any heart in me to do any thing with Malice or Revenge or that might shew any Revenge If there be any Revenge on the other side the Lord lay it not to their charge The Lord blesse those in Authority the Lord blesse his Majesty that he may reign prosperously and that he may receive a blessing from the hand of the Lord. O Lord thou seest my failings my infirmities and weaknesses O Lord I beseech thee that thou wouldst bear with me thou art a tender-hearted Father Thou art my strength When my heart and my strength faileth then thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever O Lord be with me in