an Altar might Redeem a Soul out of Purgatory So Ambitious are they to share and compeer with the Office of Christ himself in making an All-sufficient and Meritorious Satisfaction for Sin Yet George Cassander in his Consultation how to Reconcile Rome and Vs in a Middle-Way attests That Saint Martin going to a Place in his Diocess Famous for the Sepulchre of one who Dyed a Reputed Martyr found out that the People Reverenced and Adored the Relicks of a Wicked Thief So dextrous are they to put a Cheat upon the World in boasting of the Multitude of their Saints Also they set the Crown of Martyrdom on the Heads of Traytors to whom the Merits of Christ's Passion must be applyed for Absolution from all those Impostures which are so Destructive to All Right Sentiments of Christianity Here it may be Objected that Protestants do not profess the True Religion because they look Dejected in their dying for it To this I answer that the Countenance is not alway the true Herald of the Mind Impressions of Divine Joy usually at first fill the Soul with Fear lest there should be a Delusion in its peace Therefore Real Martyrs may not always Express the Transport of Joy in suffering Excessive Rapture of Divines Joy may so powerfully affect the Mind that the Body may be Careless in a manner of Composing its Outward Mspect which Jesuits more mind in their Artificial Courage than Sincerity to bear Testimony to the Truth Yea the Soul of a Real Martyr may abate an Extrinsical Cheerfulness by reason of the Indisposition of the Body which is incapable to bear Long the Exuberant Raptures of Divine Joy Yea the Soul It self is somtimes hindred in a more distinct and deep Consideration of those divine Comforts which it possesses because it drinks In the Impression of meanner Objects from the Senses These flat and dead the briskness of the purest Divinest Consolations so that the strength of its Joys may be Remitted upon this Account Besides the Spirituous Operation of them is deaded by a dull Imperfect Description of them unto Other Persons who cannot Conjecture what they Are by any Report made of them at the second Hand Thus the Reflection of the Sun-beams are Weaker than the direct Influences An Eccho is fainter in the Rebound than the Immediate Articulation or first Forming of the Voice Therefore Protestants ought not to Faint under Tribulation because Comfort doth not Spring up to them in an Extraordinary degree as soon as they first ingage to give their Testimony to Christs pure Religion It is not the part or duty of a Christian under suffering to Anticipate Divine Manifestations by Impatiency nor to Carve the hidden Manna lavishly and Vnseasonably to himself It is Treasured up to be Revealed in the deepest extremities of suffering The Spirit of Christ will not fail to Succour his Martyrs in the Fittest Season For He is not only a Prudent but a Faithful dispenser of his own Favours and Comforts Let not therefore any Protestant Degenerate from an Holy courage and cheerfulness under his sharpest Tryals Let Him not Degrade himself below his Spiritual Dignity by any pusillanimous warping in his Testimony to the Truths of Christ We are to Count this rather matter of great Joy that we are Esteemed by God to be His Faithful Witnesses intrusted with the Defence of His pure Religion If we Persevere under His Banner to overcome the Corruptions of Antichrist we shall at Last Receive Robes of Glory and Palms of Victory as signal Trophies of our Eminent self-denyal Now to wind up this whole Discourse If Jesuits may express an Artificial Magnanimity in suffering Exquisite Torments for the Reputation of their false Religion Then let it be a seasonable Caution not to justify Imposters because in their death they may seem to parallel the real Zeal and Constancy of Protestants Every Like is not the same Again though some sincere Martyrs have seemed to set in a Cloud as not expressing any Extraordinary Joys yet Suspend your Censure of their Persons neither suspect Christs pure Religion which they desended Their Grave Reserved Seriousness was no dishonourable Despondency For in the lowest Ebb of Comfort they were never deprived of a Lively Hope of Glory which kept them Adhering to God in Christ On the other side a Presumptuous Sinner a Close Hypocrite an Insolent Self-designing Jesuitical Impostor may Counterfeit a Commendable Patience Excessive Joy and an Earnest Desire to be Dissolved He may seem to Conflict with Death undauntedly and challenge an Executioner of Justice to do his Worst And yet all these Rays of Cheerfulness and Raptures of Transporting Joy may prove only the Presumption of a deluded Conscience Therefore set not the Crown of Martyrdom on the Heads of such Vnworthy Wretches Give not such the due Encomiums and Praises of Real Saints who are only their Apes and Counterfeits in Life and Death This would be to Justify the Wicked which is an Abomination to the Lord. It will Harden Prophane Persons Incourage Hypocrites and Sacrilegiously Rob the Saints of their due Honor and Veneration Give not Prodigally a false Testimony to such in their Death who despised and opposed the Truths of Jesus as Jesuits do under the Title of His Society or who Renounced the Ways of Holyness in their Lives Be not Deceived God will not be Mockt For what any Man Sows the very same shall he Reapâ— If to the Flesh Corruption and Destruction shall be the Fruit of his daring Impiety Every Man's End is â—â—â—tually in his Way or Course of Life Reckon upon This as an Eternal Truth that False and Licentious Principles can never produce Solid nor Lasting Comfort FINIS
altogether of Grace So I took leave of Mr. Grove desiring him to consider well of what I had said Praying that the Lord would in much mercy look upon his soul to pardon him and fit him for his approaching Death Mr. Grove seemed to take in good part what was said to him After which he was conducted down to the Sledg IV. Mr. Ireland MR. Ireland was Executed on the same day with Mr. Grove to whom I had not time to say more than these few words viz. Sir I do earnestly beg of God to grant you mercy and pardon for your great sins Trust alone in the Righteousness and Merits of Christ Jesus Compose your self in your passage and six your Heart upon the Lord till you Expire Which words Mr. Ireland seemed to take kindly from me And so we took leave of each other Here I cannot forbear to give some account of Mr. Irelands perverting of a Woman who was Burnt in Smithfield for Clipping his Majesties Coine This seduction of the said Woman from the Protestant Religion was before Mr. Ireland was Apprehended for the late Conspiracy An Officer in Newgate did assure me when Ireland was committed for the Plot that he was able to take his Oath that Ireland perverted that woman some time before for he well knew him upon a second Reveiw but knew him not to be a Papist or Priest at first for he was admitted to her as a Friend Irelands stratagem in turning the Woman to become a Papist was thus discovered Early on the morning on which she was Executed I askt her what hope she had of a future happy state she hufft at me telling me I need not trouble my self about her for she was sure of her Salvation I wondered at her Confidence but suspected not the Grounds of her Malepartness After I had Exhorted and Prayed with her at the place of Execution and was taking my farewell of her she entreated me to give her some time to pray for her self which she did In her Prayer she mixed these words Lord grant that the offering up of my Body to the Flames may expiate the guilt of all my Sins and save my soul I told her when she had finisht her prayer that the foresaid expression smelt rank of Popery and therefore askt her what Religion she came to die in She replied she was a Roman Catholick I askt her How long she had been such She said that a good Minister had told her that if she died in the Protestant Religion she was sure to be Damned And that he proved it by this Scripture Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I Build my Church So that he assur'd her that the Religion of the Romish Bishop who was St. Peter's Successor was the Rock there meant and so there was no Salvation to those who are Separatists from that Church and the Profession of it I told her That the Priest had deceived her For the Rock was not St. Peter's Person nor his Verbal Confession of Christ for if so Where was the Rock and What became of the Church when St. Peter so shamefully denyed his Lord thrice But the only True Rock on which the Church is Built is the very Person Offices and Merits of Christ the Son of God who was the Object of St. Peter's Confession She was attentive to what I said and seemed somewhat sensible of her being deceived Saying She was willing to be Saved betwixt us Both. But I told her She must not halt 'twixt two Religions so opposite to each other and that it was very dangerous to dye in the Roman Perswasion She told me She could not Renounce it in as much as the said Priest had obliged her by the Blessed Sacrament that she should never recant or depart from the Popish Religion as the best and safest to Dye in I convinced her with Arguments to the contrary yea she her self was not Credulous of their absurd Affirming of the Transubstantiation of the Sacramental Bread and Wine into the very Body and Blood of Christ For she said She neither tasted any Flesh or Blood She also declared That she had no Good Works of her own which she durst trust to as Meritorious of Heaven but relyed wholly and solely on Christ's Righteousness Whereupon I told her She denyed the grand Points of Popery and therefore was a Papist to get a Pretended Absolution or upon some Designe But fearing to Dye in the Romish Opinions she ask't me If she should not be Perjured if she renounced them having taken the Sacrament to persist in them I told her That she must not cleave to an unlawful wicked Oath but beg Repentance of God that she so easily suffered her self to be seduced I told her That the Lord saith by the Prophet That an Oath must be taken in Truth Righteousness and Judgment Now she did not neither could swear in Truth because it was to a False Religion nor in Judgment in Wisdom and Discretion because she swore rashly and inconsiderately Therefore this Oath was Void in its own Nature and it could not bind her the Matter of it being Unlawful and Wicked At last being Convinced of her Error she was willing to Retract it But I told her That what she did she must do willingly and from a sincere penitent Frame of Heart She said She could and would freely out of Conviction of her Duty Renounce all Romish Opinions and Practices which she did openly with an Audible Voice affirming That she dyed a True Protestant So I took her by the Hand and Prayed again with her that God would pardon her former Levity and give her Perseverance in the True Faith which she had so solemnly re-imbraced This was the first Discovery of Proselyting condemned Malefactors at Newgate To prevent which Seduction Captain Richardson since this came to his Knowledge is very watchful and gives all his Officers a Charge to suffer none to come to Condemned Persons but only such whom they know to be Protestant-Divines and that alwayes an Officer be present to hear what passes in Discourse V. Mr. Pickering I Had discourse with him before his Execution but he would not permit me to pray with him only desired my Prayers at Home for him which I promised him and he Thanked me I was present at his Execution because he was Hanged after three other ordinary Malefactors When he came out of the Sledge into the Cart He had a great Flushing in his Face I apprehended by his Words and Gesture that he had Elevated his Artificial Courage or rather sunck himself into a Sullenness by taking Cordyal-Spirits For he was unconcerned at the Approach of his own Death and no way affected with his monstrous Crime With an impudent Face a lying Tongue and anticke Carriage he Denyed what he was Condemned for and Asserted his Innocency He was reproved by the Sheriffs for such impudent Lying having had a fair Tryal and found Guilty of the whole Indictment charged upon him Yet so
seared are the Consciences of these Grand Traytors and Enemies to all Order and well-Establish't Government as well as the True and Pure Religion that they will hazard the Eternal Loss of their Souls as to a future happy State rather than declare any Remorse for their abominable Designes and Practices Yea they stick not to justify themselves as if Perjury could change the heinous Nature of Treason and wash it into a perfect Innocency Sir Richard How told Pickering That he should have a considerable Time to prepare for his instant Death if he would improve it well and not mispend it in extravagant and false Pretences He likewise call'd unto him to put him in mind of Praying for himself alleading that it was reported that he was a Priest therefore he ought to be able to pray in Expressions and with Affections suitable to his present Distress Yet Pickering neither warned the People to take heed of an ill Life nor Confess'd any Sin to God of which himself was Guilty but with a kind of rude smiling denyed himself to be a Priest but only a Religious Brother Sir Richard ask't him If he were ashamed of his Religion or That the People should hear him Pray For some of his Fraternity Executed before only muttered a few Private Ave-Maryes or other Popish Prayers to themselves Then Pickering repeated the Lord's-Prayer and the Apostolical-Creed and said no more as to any Religious Concernments Then the Ordinary being in the Cart with him exhorted him to Express himself more fully and pathetically in Prayer sutable to the distress of a Dying Man which he refused to do Then I ask't him that I might Pray for him because he might be uncomposed or indisposed himself But he said That he did not matter it he had rather I should let it alone So after a strange unbecoming stupid and sullen behaviour of himself when he desired no longer time his face was vailed and he was turned off he hung about half an hour and then was Cut down and Quartered VI. Mr. Green GReen was one of the Murtherers of Sir Edmundberry Godfrey He was born in Ireland of a Protestant Father as himself said but his mother being a Papist and his father dying she committed the Son to his Uncle her brother for Education in the Popish Religon Green could neither read nor write yet his Uncle had so trained him up in the Popish Principles that he was a fitter subject when grown up for Popish Priests to work upon and make him an Engine for their destructive Practises This appeared by their inveigling of him into the horrid murther of the said Sir Edmund Green had some time before been prefer'd to be Chappel-keeper at Sommerset-house Hereupon the chief contrivers of that Murther took their opportunity to draw him in to be an Actor in that bloody Tragedy Green was very ready at hand for that purpose and was the easier induced thereunto because Sir Edmund being one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace was very active in discovering and committing Popish Priests to Custody his Life was laid wait for several times not only for the reason aforesaid but chiefly because he had taken some Examinations upon Oath concerning the late Horrid popish Conspiracy which they thought if Sir Edmund were kill'd would be lost or not so valid in their Credibility But in this they were infatuated for the murther of this Worthy Patriot confirmed the belief of the Plot. The manner of contriving Sir Edmund's Death was thus As he passed by Sommerset-House he was importun'd by some of the Complices in the murthering of him to turn in at the Gate under pretence that there was a fray within the Court and that he being a Justice of the Peace might as he was bound do a great good Office in appeasing the Scuffle Sir Edmund went in not mistrusting their design on him But these cruel Enemies to the Protestant Religion had no sooner got him into the back part of Sommerset-House but they josled him into a private room and there set upon him with their Fury The Narrative is in Print and too tedious to relate Therefore in sum as to Greens part who acted in that bloody Tragedy it was proved upon Oath that he strangled Sir Edmund and farther acted in conveighing his dead body to the place where it was afterwards found Green being condemned to be hanged for this Barbarous Murther I proffer'd my self as Ordinary to visit and fit him for his approaching Death He accepted of it and I went to him several days to make him sensible of so great a Crime He stifly denied it as also did Hill and Berry to the last I urged Green with various Arguments to adore the Soveraignty of divine Providence which had thus wonderfully brought to light such a secret mistery of Iniquity hardly to be parallell'd in any Age. Yet Green was very obstinate in standing out to deny that he knew any thing of this Murther more or less which I told him proceeded from some or all of these Reasons following either because he had taken an Oath of Secresy or counted it no sin but rather a meritorious Act to destroy such a grand Heretick as Sir Edmund was accounted Or had received a Popish Absolution from the Guilt of that Murther and so lookt upon himself as Innocent as the Child Unborn Or would not confess that horrid Crime to decline casting a great reproach upon the Popish Party Yet however I did not cease for many days to exhort him to unburthen his Conscience of this particular Guilt I aggravated in many particulars the heinousness of the sin of Murther especially of this committed with such perfidious and cruel Circumstances Yet no Arguments prevailed with him to acknowledg it I found him Ignorant in the Principles of the Christian Faith therefore I took the more pains to inform him of the danger of dying in the Romish Perswasion which is grosly opposite by the Mixture of many absurd Traditions to the saving Fundamentals of Christianity He said That he did not believe many Points of Popery viz. The Power of Priestly Absolution nor the Merits of Good Works to claim Salvation by Nor that it was Lawful to Pray to any Saint or Angel And that no Sin was Venial in its own Nature though it were never so small I much wondred that he should say He believed not any of these Popish Points and yet that he should wear a Crucifix at his Girdle I desired him not to put any Religion in Looking on It nor in Kissing of It. He said He put no Confidence of Salvation in It only It was a Remembrance of his Blessed Saviour I told him That Christ had left no such nor any other Memorials of Himself but only in the Scriptures of Sacred Truth and in the Sacraments That it is the Office of the Holy Spirit to bring every Truth necessary for Salvation to our Remembrance And that Christ his Offices and Merits were only to be
that when I exhorted him to take a strict Review of his Sins that so being deeply humbled for them he might obtain some hopeful Prospect of their Pardon He replyed That he had endeavoured to search out whatever might provoke the Lord to desert him and suffer him to fall under the fatal Sentence pronounced upon him He said He had been Guilty of Sins enough for which he was thus severely punisht Among the rest he instanced in this That he had wronged one in a Twelve-penny matter but he was now so troubled about it that he had made Restitution since his Condemnation although he was in extream want of Necessaries for his present Subsistence I Commended this in him but withal told him That there was one Crime committed by him for which he could never make any Satisfaction viz. The Murthering of Sir Edmund yet that upon his true Repentance Christ's Blood-shed was All-sufficient to wash away the Stain and Reproach of this most Prodigious Wickedness He still stood out in a peremptory Denyal That he knew any thing of it more or less And in the usual Canting Language affirmed That he was as Innocent of it as the Child unborn Which Words may admit of an Equivocation For the Child unborn is Innocent as not being Capable of committing or declaring the Heinousness of such a Crime But though Hill was Capacitated for it with all imaginable Principles of Jesuitical Subtilty yet his deepest Sophistry appeared in pretending to be as Innocent as the Child unborn viz. In this Sense Innocent as not able to declare his Guiltyness of the said Murther For so he might be unable in respect of an Oath of Secresie which was the Seal of his Impenitency Or he might think to Evade the Confession of it by this Equivocation viz. I am as Innocent of the Fact as there is Truth in this That the Child unborn is here present reserving this Supplement of the Assertion unto himself And then it being unriddled in plain English it comes to thus much I am as Innocent of the Fact laid to my Charge that is There is as much Truth in affirming This as there is in the Childs being present which is yet Unborn For there is not Truth in either I did fear that some such Equivocation might shroud it self under Hill's flat Denyal of the said Murther Therefore I told him That his Ingenuity in Confessing a pecuniary Wrong and making Restitution could not demonstrate any sound Repentance unless he took the Shame of this Murther upon himself by a free Confession of it For a sincere Penitentiary dares not conceal any sin though of never so Ignominious a Nature He replyed That he had taken Shame to himself in confessing his doing Wrong and that he had violated the Integrity and Peace of his Conscience for a very Trifle Therefore I could not think he denyed the Murther laid to his Charge that he might maintain his Reputation But to Confute this Plea I knew a Fellon who deny'd the Robbery for which he was Condernned yet probably to insinuate into me a good Opinion of him he Confest that he once Robb'd a poor man going to Market but being afterward troubled in his Conscience for so doing he inquired out where the person wronged Lived and sent him double Restitution because happily said he the poor man losing of his market might have gain'd as much as I sent him by selling the Provisions which he was carrying thither Thus some will pretend to be Ingenious in Confessing hidden Crimes and yet will stand out in denying such which are proved against them This is but a counterfeit remorse On the day before Hills his Execution he discharged me of farther attendance because he said he would be in greater retirement to fit himself for his Death now so neerly approaching whereupon I took leave of him and he prayd God to reward me for all my Visits of him VIII Mr. Berry BErry the Porter of Summerset-house was one of the Murtherers of Sir Edmunbury Godfrey and was Executed some time after Hill and Green He willingly admitted me to Visit him for many days somtimes twice in the same day I found him dejected at the first yet afterwards he was reduced to a more composed frame I observed that he had some books in his Chamber of all which I took an inspection and found no popish Author among them I told him that I much approved of his Care in the Choice of those Books especially of the Bible to be his Associates and Guides in his solitary Confinement Then I advised him to search his Heart-state God-ward and to consider for what special sins God had deserted him to fall into so shamefull and notorious a Crime as the Murther of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey who had Demonstrated himself to be a worthy Patriot of his Country He replyed that he knew nothing of it neither before nor after and that he was no way Accessary to the guilt of it I said I could not give Credit to him in that For the Crime was cleerly proved against him I did not much urge him to confess it at that time fearing I might provoke him to be more shie of imbracing any future Visits or Advice I bent my Discourse to fit him for his approaching Death and from Scripture Demonstrated that immediatly after the Souls expiration every one is presented by Angels Good or Evil according as their state is in which they dye before the dreadful Tribunal of Christ the most Impartial righteous Judge of all men And that of what nature the sentence which then past was of it was irrepealable Therefore he could not be too circumspect in trying his heart-frame which is naturally deceitful For if his faith and repentance the only qualifications and evidences of a future happy State were not solidly built on Christ as the Rock of Salvation after his being adjudged there could not be any retrieval of the Sentence though it were to the Eternal banishment of his Soul from the bliss-making Vision and fruition of the God of Glory This awakned him to some Remorse for the sins of his Life I then proceeded to advise him not to venture to die in the the Romish Perswasion For this could not produce solid nor lasting tranquillity in any Conscience perplext and defiled with the guilt of the least sin In as much as Papists build their hopes of future happiness on corrupt Principles viz. they mix the belief of the falsities of the Apostatical-Trent-Council with the Articles of the Apostolical Creed which can never cement into any consistency of Truth either in matters of Faith or Practise I did undertake to discover the notorious absurdity of some popish Opinions in doing which he was not only very attentive but said he did not believe many things which the Doctors of the Romish Church Teach as necessary to be embraced for Articles of the true Faith I told him I hoped that he was not stubborn in that Heresy having declared