CONSIDERATIONS UPON A Printed Sheet ENTITULED THE SPEECH Of the LATE Lord Russel TO THE SHERIFFS TOGETHER With the PAPER delivered by Him to Them at the Place of Execution on July 21. 1683. LONDON Printed by T. B. for Joanna Brome at the Gun in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCLXXXIII To the READER IT is better to Obey God then Man says the Text. It is better to Obey the Devil then God says the Comment And are not those People now in a Happy State d' ye think that know not One Step of the Way to Heaven Themselves and have such Interpreters for their Guides This is the True Form of Godliness that Denies the Power of it And This the Principle that wherever it takes Root loosens the Foundations of Civil Government and Obedience And makes way for the Erecting of a Kingdom of Darkness upon Those Ruines There 's a Great Deal in That same Old Adage Where God has his Church The Devil has his Chappel for Religion is as well the Pretence of the Worst of Men as it is the Duty and Business of the Best Where Satan cannot prevail for Idolatry he 'l content himself with Heresy and Schism And with the dashing of One Altar against Another Where he cannot Overthrow the very Ground of our Faith he 'l Compound for Liberty of Conscience And some Plausible ways of Disguising it Next to the setting up of a False God is the Begetting a False Opinion of the True One Which is almost an Equivalent Onely the One's a Material And the Other 's a Notional Idol The One's the work of our Hands And the Other of our Imagination At this rate it is that we Confound Realities and Apperances Fancy and Conscience This may look perhaps as if I were quite Running away both from my Reader and from my Business But I am in truth upon the very Point of my Subject What was it that Ruin'd that Vnhappy Lord Whose Case is the Argument of this Paper And whose Unhappy Fate I Lament from my Soul but the being Bigotted into This Principle And what Kingdom or Government where it Obtains is able to stand against it If Lucifer himself were let Loose he would Preach upon That Scripture of Mat. 10. 28. And Pervert the Text. This Doctrine of Resistance in case of Religion is the Source of all our Feares and Jealousies Seditions and Conspiracies Men that are Drunk will Sleep themselves Sober again We have Bedlams for Lunaticks Gibbets Pillories Whipping-Posts and Jayles for Common Criminals But there 's No Discipline No Cure for Enthusiasts Is Religion at Stake Bring in a Bill against the Duke of York to disable him from Inheriting the Imperial Crown Is Popery the Question Come to a Resolution Immediately That if his Majesty shall come by any Violent Death No matter who kills him it shall be Reveng'd upon the Papists Is there a Popish Plott 'T is but the Bricoling of a True Protestant Association that upon the False Bound shall Play upon the Government And then we are to Consider again that This Proposition is not only an Incentive to a Rebellion and a Justification of it but it makes the Concealment of the Conspirators as much a Point of Conscience as the Treason it self And how Ridiculous then is the Pretence of Defending that by Force which no Force can reach I never heard of any mans Religion yet that was taken away upon the Pad Vpon This Maxim is Grounded all that is Mischievous or Dangerous in the Subject of These Considerations And I have done what I thought my Duty to Do in the Exposing of it These Papers had come out sooner but that I was Trick'd into a Delay But Julian is in the bottom on 't And I 'le forgive any man that stands up for his Author CONSIDERATIONS UPON A Printed Sheet ENTITULED THE SPEECH Of the LATE Lord Russel To the SHERIFFS c. I Have not set Pen to Paper upon this Subject without first consulting all the Points of Decency and Duty which I thought might properly fall within the Limits of this Discourse As the Honour of a Noble Family the Quality and Misfortune of an Eminent Person together with matter of common Respect to Truth Justice Christian Charity Candor and Good Manners Having no other end in these considerations then to do a Fair and Necessary Right to the Government within that Compass I call it a Right to the Government because there is not one sound Part in the whole Body of it from Head to Foot if this Paper may be Credited And as the business has been Managed and Improved The Cry of Innocent Bloud against Oppression and Injustice would have been a Title much more Suitable to the Air and Drift of it then that which it now bears It carries the Face indeed of the Testimony of a Dying Man But yet if a Body considers either the Style the Scope the Declarative or the Confessing Part of it there 's nothing less in 't Not so much as one Period without a Starting-hole where there lyes any stress upon the Truth either of the Intention or of the Fact in Question Now for this Vein to run quite through it in a Constant Course of Reserve Mystery and Disguise there needs no more to Prove that it was Designed for an Amusement for Methods never come by Chance so that the Artifice is not wholly to be Neglected and yet I shall not lay more weight upon 't than the Thing will bear The Two Points in Consideration are the Speech and the Paper Now some will have it that though the Speech was certainly my Lord Russels there may be some doubt yet concerning the Paper that went along with it And this Conjecture they ground upon the Ambiguities that Occur both in the Title and in the Speech it Self which they Reason upon after this manner The Title they say tells us barely of the Delivery of it by my Lord Russel And then in the Speech there is not One Syllable more concerning the Paper so Deliver'd than These Numerical Words Mr. Sheriff I have set down in This Paper all that I think fit to leave behind me My Lord does not first Read This Paper to the Sheriff and then Own it My Lord does not say Mr. Sheriff The Contents of This Paper are True in the whole and in every part of it So Help me God My Lord does not say Mr. Sheriff I do here deliver this Paper to you upon my Death as the Truth and the Full Truth of my Case But my Lord says I have Set down in This Paper which Setting down imports no more than the simple Writing of it And so goes forward All that I Think fit to leave behind me which might have been as well said in this Case if the Paper had been an Act of Parliament instead of the Testimony of a Dying Man And what 's the meaning again of All that I think Fit in This Place These Words by a Scotch Figure may
What 's the End of these Terrifying Alarums but to Gall and Teize the People without any hope of Remedy unless by flying to that Damned Principle of Conditional Obedience to Embrue my hands in the Bloud of my Soveraign What 's the English of this same Publick-Good here Appearing Hearty The True Interest of the Nation and the Protestant Religion What is it but the Old Cause in a New dress And the direct Encouragement of a Schism and Sedition against the Authority both of Church and State And then here 's still the never-failing Topique at hand of Impiety and Prophaneness with a Characteristical Note of the other Party As men Concerned for the Publick-Good Hearty for the True Interest and the Protestant Religion under which Notion the Shammer of this Paper upon my Lord did beyond all controversy Intend the Conspirators For it does not only Answer his Ordinary Description of them but he would have told us in Plain Terms if he had meant otherwise or at least he would have cast in as much Schism and Rebellion into the other Scale as would have kept the Ballance Even Not but that the Sedition and Prophaneness are now God be thanked for it come to be both of a side And here again What ever Apprehensions I had of Popery and of my own severe and heavy share I was like to have under it when it should prevail I never had a thought of doing any thing against it Basely or Inhumanely but what could well Consist with the Christian Religion and the Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom And thank God I have Examined all my Actings in that matter with so great Care that I can appeal to God Almighty who knows my Heart that I went on Syncerely without being moved either by Passion By-end or Evil-Design We are still upon the same Train of Uncertainties and Generals Why should My Lord have these Apprehensions by reason of His opposing Popery When the King the Church and the Laws of the Land are against Introducing the Religion of the Church of Rome as much as His Lordship But if the Paper means One Popery and the Law Another As 't is clear by the Context of it that the Church-Protestants and the Papists are to be blown up into the Air Together the Pretext of Religion is Degenerated into a Point-blank Sedition And every man that Suffers for Treason shall presently at this rate be made a Martyr for the Reformation And again will the Composer of this Paper have my Lords Suffering in this Case to be an Argument that Popery prevails because his Lordship foresaw the Hard Measure he was likely to have in Case it should prevail Neither will the Lawfulness of opposing Popery in any sort Excuse the Doing of it by Unlawful means There must be no Seizing of Guards in the Case The Fear of a False Religion is no Defence either before God or Man for the Violence of an Actual Rebellion How much more Forcible then is the Condition of Our present Instance where the very men that pretend to Fear Popery are so far from Fearing it Indeed that it is one Branch of the Conspiracy to say they Fear it A Second to give it out that the Papists are about to Kill the King And at the same time to Resolve to do it Themselves And the last Round of the Ladder is by Consent so soon as ever they have Executed the Villany to make Proclamation that the Papists did it But now we come to the Deplorable Nicety of my Poor Lords Case which in Appearance seems to be well nigh the Single Proposition wherein the Confessour and the Penitent agreed And this was it which cost both Himself and that Noble Family so Dear Popery was to be Opposed it seems but not Basely or Inhumanely The Guards were not to be Massacred or Killed in their Beds But if the same thing in Effect might have been done Bravely and Sword in Hand I see nothing in this Paragraph to the contrary but that in substance it might have been Justifyed for BASELY and INHUMANLY are the Two only Exceptions that I find to the doing of it And they do Tacitly Imply a kind of Approbation of the Thing Provided it might have been done in a way of Reputative Generosity and Honour for here 's no Regard either Had or so much as Intimated in That Particular to the Laws either of God or of Man There follows indeed a kind of Restriction by way of a Salvo That the Proceeding ought to hold a Consistence with the Christian Religion and the Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom And where are we then If Julian the First and the Second If Apostates and the Common Bretrayers of Kings Masters and People shall be made the Judges of That Christian Religion Or Hunt and Ferguson the Arbitrators of our Common Rights Oh how I curse the First Minute that ever gave Admittance to any of these Mutinous and Sanguinary Levites any of these Popular or Seditious Boutefeus under the Roof of that Honourable House Hinâ— ille Lachrimae for That mistaken Principle was the Root of all this Evil And the Main Incentive I perswade my self to the doing of Many ill things by the Impulse of That Delusion Had not a Man better have a Cloven Foot in 's House then one of these Cloven Tongues The Devil Barefac'd puts a Man to his Prayers He Summons up his Resolutions and Implores a Powerful and a Merciful God for his Assistance with a Horrour all this while for the Character and the Company of his Seducer But in the Other Case a Man Abandons himself to the Impostor Consults no other Oracle but takes his Enemy into his Arms and Opens his Heart for the Spirit of Errour to Enter in and take Possession of him Pins his Faith upon the Sleeve of his Guide and Swallows the Ruin both of Body Soul and Estate with Greediness He takes the Broad Way for the Narrow c. God Deliver all Honest Men out of the Clutches of these Parasitical and Rapacious Hypocrites The Dictator of this Paper says that My Lord Examined all his Actings And truly so much the Worse if they were Examined by Applying them to False Rules and Measures And then he Vouches for the Syncerity of my Lords Heart which Syncerity avails little too if it be founded upon a wrong Principle And no Purgation at all neither of his Innocency in case of an Erroneous Judgment Now to Close this Remarque the whole Paragraph is Mystery and there may be Wrapt under it what Meaning soever the Reader shall find Reasonable to Impose upon it for a thing may be Contrary to the Laws both of Heaven and Earth and yet in His Sense neither Base nor Inhumane Julian and Hunt make that which the Law calls Rebellion to be Consistent with our Laws Liberties and Religion And then for the Examining of his Actings My Lords Monitor knows that Ravillac did as much and in his own Private
but one step of Massacring the Guards Or cutting their Throats in their Beds which the Paper says My Lord Abhorr'd it for being so like a Popish Practice A Presbyterian Practice would not have done a miss neither in This Place if a body had had the Murder of the Late King Montross The Arch-bishop of St. Andrews c. in his thought But shall any man at last be so Weak as to swallow it that Did you ever hear so Horrid a Thing was only an Exclamation upon a General and Accidental Discourse All the Rest went down well enough till it came to the Cut-Throat-part of it And that was the Point that Startled them The Doing of the Bus'ness either in a Brave Generous Way Head to Head or with Cap in Hand And a Complement of Loyalty and Respect to Desire his Majesty in These Dangerous Times to sign a Demise of his Three Kingdoms to the Vse of the Councel of Six Or to a Band of Associators for the Security of his Sacred Person and the Protestant Religion I do not find by any thing I see yet that the Men of Honour if the Paper-Writer might have had his Will would have Boggl'd at such a way of Proceeding But the doing of the Thing Basely was the Business And the Scruple that was made was upon a Point of Bravery not Conscience But to Continue the Story As to my going to Mr. Shepheards I went with an Intention to taste Sherry for he had promised me to Reserve for me the next very good Piece he met with when I went out of Town and if he recollects he may remember I askt him about it and he went and fetcht a Bottle But when I tasted it I said 't was Hot in the Mouth and desired that whenever he met with a Choice Piece he would keep it for me which he Promised I Enlarge the more upon This because Sir George Jefferies Insinuated to the Jury as if I had made a Story about going thither but I never said That was the Only Reason And I will now Truly and Plainly add the rest By this Paragraph the Reader is to be held in hand that my Lords BUSINESS to Mr. Shepheards was to taste Sherry And the Paper goes about to Refresh Mr. Shepheard's Memory by such and such Tokens the Word is with an Intention to taste Sherry which in common Speech does fairly insinuate as if the Tasting of Sherry had been the chief End of his going Whereas supposing that to be in his Intention it might be nevertheless yet the least part of his Bus'ness And further the Author of this Paper has not thought fit to give us any Sort of Light what his Bus'ness was Nay Mr. Shepheard on the other hand swears that it was a Meeting by Appointment and that there was nothing of the Sherry-Story in the Case My Lord however made use of this Suggestion at his Tryal and Sir George Jefferies Reflecting upon it to the Jury this Paper undertakes the Excusing of One shift with Another The Tasting of Sherry was One Reason though not the only Reason But we are now to Expect a True and Plain Account of the rest I was the day before this Meeting come to Town for two or three days as I had done once or twice before having a very Near and Dear Relation lying in a very Languishing and Desperate Condition And the Duke of Monmouth came to me and told me he was extremely glad I was come to Town for my Lord Shaftsbury and some Hot men would undo us all How so My Lord said I Why answered he they 'l certainly do some Disorderly thing or other if Great Care be not taken and therefore for God's sake Use your Endeavours with your Friends to prevent any thing of this kind He told me there would be company at Mr. Shepheards that night and desired me to be at home in the Evening and he would call me which he did And when I came into the Room I saw Mr. Rumsey by the Chimney though he swears he came in after and there were things said by some with much more Heat than Iudgment which I did sufficiently Disapprove and yet for these Things I stand Condemned But I thank God my Part was syncere and well meant It is I know inferred from hence and was pressed to me that I was acquainted with those Heats and Ill Designs and did not Discover them but this is but Misprision of Treason at most So I dye Innocent of the Crime I stand Condemned for c. Here 's a short Account of my Lords coming twice or thrice to Town and that he had a Dear Relation lying sick here But whether he came upon a Visit or upon the Bus'ness in Question the Paper says Nothing The Duke of Monmouth Complains to him as above of my Lord Shaftsbury and Other Hot Headed Men that would spoyl all this Implyes my Lords being Antecedently privy to the matter in hand for he takes the hint immediately How to my Lord says he without needing to Enquire either What Men or what Bus'ness The Answer was no more in Effect then This. There are a Company of mad Fellows that will out-run the Constable they will be shewing themselves too soon and make some Bedlam Attempt or other before we are ready for 'em and then we are All ruin'd So that it was not the Design it self but as This Paper Represents it the rash and imprudent Manage that was taken Check at And now follows the Meeting at Mr. Shepheards which this Paper calls Company as if it were a chance Company not a Meeting But Mr Shepheard speaks of it as a Set Company And Mr. Rumsey was likewise appointed to meet there My Lords Contradicting Mr. Rumsey in a Circumstance without any Exception to him upon the main looks like a tacit Admittance of the rest of his Evidence The Paper speaks further of things that were said by some with more Heat than Iudgment but neither says who spake them nor what the things were but 't is Probable they were Treason by my Lords Disapproval of them And it would have been well if his Lordship had at least told the things though without naming the Persons It is Remarkable that the words are with much more HEAT than JUDGMENT If it had been with much more Heat then Honesty my Lords Disapproval would have Reflected upon the Cause but with much more Heat then Iudgment strikes only upon the Indiscretion The Paper thinks it hard that My Lord should be Condemn'd for the things which he Disapproved whereas my Lord was Condemn'd for Meeting Consulting Agreeing to Raise an Insurrection c. And it is the Law that Pronounces the Sentence My Lords Part it seems was Sincere and well meant 'T is a thousand pitties his Lordship was not better Enformed for People under a Mistake may do the worst things in the world with Good Meaning And then methinks Heats and Ill Designs are too soft a way
the Reverend Dean of Canterbury Dr. Tillotson gave his Lordship a pious and Friendly Visit Expressing the Extreme Affliction as well as Compassion that he had for his present Condition And not without Great Admiration at my Lords being Engaged in a Misfortune of that Quality But after a little Discourse upon that Subject the Dr. was much more troubled to find that my Lord was not only Embarqu'd in that Pernicious and wicked Design but Possess'd with the Principle of his Chaplains Julian the Apostate that Resistance was Lawful in the Case of Religion Liberties and Properties being Invaded whereupon the Dr. Applyed himself by Argument and Counsel to the setting of his Lordship right in that Particular with all the Freedom Tenderness and Respect Imaginable And not without Flattering himself at last that he had gain'd his point upon my Lords Judgment who promis'd the Dr. at parting to bethink himself seriously of what he had said The next day Dr. Burnet tells the Dean that his Discourse had wrought a very good Effect upon my Lord and that he was now Resolved to do All that might become a man under his Circumstances and to Discharge his Conscience both towards God and Man Hereupon the Dean applyed himself forthwith to a Person of Great Honour with this Account of his Success desiring that the matter might be Represented to his Majesty which was done accordingly and the best Office which in such a Case the Dr. could render to his Lordship Upon VVednesday the Dean gave my Lord another Visit when taking for granted that his Lordship continued in his Late Resolution he entertain'd him only with Preparatory Discourses toward the fitting of him for a better Life Upon Friday Morning the Dean Administred to my Lord the Holy Sacrament having previously Receiv'd such Satisfaction from him as the Occasion and the Duty Requir'd But afterwards Mr. Dean finding him wavering went his way And about five or six in the Evening brought him a Letter which was excellently well Accommodated and very pertinently Applyed to the point in Question The Dean Deliver'd the Letter to my Lord and Discours'd at large upon it Earnestly beseeching him to Bethink himself how much it concern'd him not to leave the World under so dangerous a Mistake but my Lord seemed much colder now than before the Dean however pressing him to Enter into a strict and severe Examination of himself and so he departed leaving the Letter in his Lordship's hand The next Morning being the Day of his Execution the Dean waited upon my Lord again when he found him yet cooler and utterly Declining any Occasion of farther Discourse upon the Old Matter Upon this the Dr. Desisted and Attended him afterwards and Pray'd with him on the Scaffold Discharging himself from first to last in All the Parts of a Churchman and of a Friend A True Copy both of the Letter and of the Prayer hereafter follows July 20. 1683. My Lord I Was heartily glad to see your Lordship this Morning in that calm and devout temper at Receiving the Sacrament but Peace of mind unless it be well-grounded will avail little And because transient Discourse many times hath little effect for want of time to weigh and consider it therefore in tender compassion of your Lordships Case and from all the good Will that one man can bâ—ar to another I do humbly offer to your Lordships deliberate thoughts these following Considerations concerning the Points of Resiâ—â—ance if our Religion and Rights should be invaded as your Lordship puts the Case concerning which I understood by Dr. Burnet that your Lordship had once received Satisfaction and am sorry to find a change First That the Christian Religion doth plainly forbid the Resistance of Authority Secondly That though our Religion be Established by Law which your Lordship urges as a difference between our Case and that of the Primitive Christians yet in the same Law which Establishes our Religion it is declared That it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms c. Besides That there is a particular Law declaring the Power of the Militia to be solely in the King And this ties the hands of Subjects though the Law of Nature and the General Rules of Scripture hâ—d left us at liberty which I believe they do not because the Government and Peace of Humane Society could not wâ—ll subsist upon these Terms Thirdly Your Lordships Opinion is contrary to the declared Doctrine of all Protestant Churches and though some particular Persons have taught otherwise yet they have been contradicted herein and condemned for it by the Generality of Protestants And I beg of your Lordship to consider how it will agree with an avowed asserting of the Protestant Religion to go contrary to the General Doctrine of the Protestants My End in this is to convince Your Lordship that You are in a very Great and Dangerous Mistake and being so convinced that which before was a Sin of Ignorance will appear of a much more heinous Nature as in Truth it is and call for a very particular and deep Repentance which if Your Lordship sincerely exercise upon the sight of your Error by a Penitent Acknowledgment of it to God and Men You will not only obtain Forgiveness of God but prevent a mighty Scandal to the Reformed Religion I am very loath to give Your Lordship any disquiet in the Distress You are in which I commiserate from my heart but am much more concerned that You do not leave the VVorld in a delusion and false Peace to the hindrance of Your Eternal Happiness I heartily pray for You and beseech Your Lordship to believe that I am with the greatest Syncerity and Compassion in the VVorld My Lord Your Lordships most Faithful and Afflicted Servant John Tillotson Dr. Tillotson's Prayer upon the Scaffold with the Late LORD RUSSEL O Almighty and Merciful God with whom alone live the Spirits of Just Men made perfect after they are delivered from these earthly Prisons we humbly commend the Soul of this our dear Brother into thy hands as into the hands of a Faithful Creator and most merciful Saviour humbly beseeching thee that it may be pretious in thy sight wash it O Lord from all it's guilt in the blood of the immaculate Lamb that was slain to take away the Sins of the World That whatsoever Defilements it may have Contracted in the midst of this wicked World by the lusts of the flesh or the wiles of Satan being purged and done away by a sincere and unfeigned Repentance through thy Infinite Mercy and Goodness in our Lord Jesus Christ it may be presented pure and holy and without spot before thee O Lord we humbly beseech thee to support thy Servant and stand by him in this last and great Contest deliver him from the pains of Eternal Death and save him O Lord for thy Mercies sake and grant that all we who survive by this and other Instances of thy Providence may learn our Duty to God and the King and that by this and other like Spectacles of our Mortality we may see how frail and uncertain our Condition is in this World that it is all but vanity and teach us so to number our days that we may seriously apply our hearts to that holy and heavenly VVisdom while we live which may bring us to Life Everlasting through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose holy Name and VVords we conclude our Prayers Our Father c. Having done this Right to the Truth by an Impartial Report of the Matter of Fact And this Further Right to the Reverend Dean to Publish the Right that he hath done to Himself in this Affair I shall Super-add this Note that he had nothing to do in the Paper that has made all this Noise but to Condemn so much as he Heard of it And in Truth it was Observed that while my Lord and the Dean were together they had Neither Pen Ink nor Paper Now though 't is True again that when my Lord and Doctror Burnet were together there was Pen Ink and Paper called for It Concludes nothing yet as to the Writing of this Paper It is said indeed that upon Captain Richardsons speaking to Dr. Burnâ—t about my Lords making a Speech he was answered by the Doctor that My Lord only intended to speak a Few Words upon the Scaffold And that what he had to say else He would leave in a Paper he intended to deliver to the Sheriffs There is more then enough said in Reflection upon this Scandalous Paper that takes so much pains to possess the World that this Unhappy Execution was a Murder There was Effectually a Murder in the Case It was in the Law an Act of Justice But it was in Him that Poysonâ—d this Unfortunate Gentleman with that Seditious Maxim that brought him to the Block and that afterwards Encouraged him to persist in 't It was in Him I say the Basest and the most Treacherous of Murders And I look upon Julian with a Respect to this Conspiracy only as the Rule to the Example the One Directs the Rebellion and the Other Proves it The End