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book_n	call_v	read_v	write_v	3,024	5	5.2192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36839	The last words of Lewis du Moulin being his retractation of all the personal reflectins he had made on the divines of the Church of England (in several books of his) / signed by himself on the 5th and the 17th day of October, 1680.	Du Moulin, Lewis, 1606-1680.; Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1680 (1680)	Wing D2542; ESTC R25015	6,498	19

THE LAST WORDS OF Lewis du Moulin BEING HIS RETRACTATION Of all the PERSONAL REFLECTIONS He had made on the DIVINES OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND In several Books of his Signed by himself on the 5 th and the 17 th of October 1680. LONDON Printed for Rich. Royston Bookseller to His most Sacred MAJESTY An. Dom. MDCLXXX THE LAST WORDS OF LEWIS du MOULIN BEING His Retractation of all the Personal Reflections he had made on the Divines of the Church of England c. AMong all the News that is daily published and cried about the Streets none can be so welcome to truly good men as to hear of any sinner that repenteth For that is the thing which alone can mend all that is amiss among us And though it be but a late repentance and not so compleat and entire as it might have been yet it is of great use and does much service because it gives glory to God does honour to Religion checks those that go on fearlesly in their evil waies and admonishes them-to persist in that course which if they have any conscience they will condemn at last but to take up betime amend their lives and make their repentance as notorious as their Crimes That still adds much to the sincerity and the usefulness of it when he that gives a publick offence takes away the scandal as much as in him lies by making a publick acknowledgement of his fault and declaring openly he will offend so no more Such in part was the penitent Confession of this person the true relation whereof follows LEWIS du MOULIN Dr. of Physick a person so well known by his writings that it is needless to give any other character of him than is publickly read there was taken very ill in the end of last September and being in the Seventy seventh year of his Age did not expect he should recover but set himself seriously to prepare for the account he thought he was shortly to give to God On the fourth of October he desired a visit from Dr. Burnet who very kindly came to visit him and was as kindly received by him After the discourses fit to be used to a dying man the Doctour spake to him of his Books And told him though he would not trouble him in the condition wherein he then was with any discourse about his Opinions yet he must admonish him of his falling foul in those Books upon so many worthy men viz. Dr. Stilling fleet Dean of S. Pauls Dr. Durell Dean of Windsor Dr. Patrick Dean of Peterburgh and several others of whom he ought to ask forgiveness and to make them all the reparation that was in his power to doe He was soon convinced that he had been carried too much from his duty by the heat of his temper and passion and therefore desired Dr. Burnet to ask their pardon in his Name And when he spake of the Dean of S. Pauls he expressed much sorrow and shed some tears After Dr. Burnet had prayed with him in which he joyned with great devotion he left him and went and acquainted the Dean of S. Pauls herewith who very freely sent by him a very kind remembrance with assurance that the said Dr. du Moulin should have both his Forgiveness and his Prayers The Dean of Peterburgh also was acquainted by the same person but the Dean of Windsor was not in Town that Dr. du Moulin desired a visit from him being in his Parish and having a mind to ask his pardon for what he had wrote against him Who going to him immediately the Evening of the same day Octob. 4. was entertained with many expressions of great affection to him and such high esteem of him upon several accounts that the Dean doth not think fit to have them here set down particularly lest they should be thought to be as extravagantly said on the other side as those things were which he wrote to defame him But he confessed he had been much disgusted at some passages about Faith in a Book of the Dean's called the Parable of the Pilgrim which he could not reade without indignation To which the Dean replied that it should not have transported him so far and so hastily as it did But he ought before he had so much as written against him to have gone to his house as he had done upon some other occasions and made his exceptions and given him leave to explain himself which if he had done he was confident the Doctour would not have thought his Notion to be Popish much less have put him down among the Corrupt party which he fansied was advancing towards Rome For he would have shown him in the best Reformed Divines as zealous expressions as he uses against an Idle Naked Faith and besides would have turned him to a Chapter in that very Book the last but one where he would have found that he was far from taking men off from depending on Christ and upon Christ alone for Salvation for he directs them there how to doe it safely and onely told them they must do something else before they can come to this high act of Faith to trust that by Christ's merits and God's mercy they shall be justified This he told him he should have read and not thrown away the Book when he met with one passage which offended him To which Dr. du Moulin assented and earnestly begg'd his pardon praying him also to beg of God pardon for him which the Dean promised he would doe but said that he must first put him in mind that this offence against him which he easily forgave because he knew his cholerick temper disposed him to be incensed upon small occasions was very inconsiderable in comparison with that against the Church of England in general which he had wrong'd intolerably to the great gratification of its Enemies at such a time when all sober men should be its Friends and that without any real cause for such imputations as he had endeavoured to fasten on it Here Dr. du Moulin laboured to make some defence for himself and said that he thought there was a cause and that greater men than he had thought so too from whom he had long agoe imbibed this opinion of a corrupt party in the Church as he expresses it in his Writings leaning towards Popery nay making several advances towards Rome And then mentioned the Names of some of them Sir Benjamin Rudyer the then Lord Digby c. who in the beginning of the long Parliament laid the same things to the charge of the great Church-men that he did now To this the Dean of Peterburgh replying that as some of those persons lived to see how they were abused so he could not but have observed how effectually this calumny had been confuted by those whom he called Bishop Laud's faction who remained constant to our Religion in the late confusions and could not be moved to turn Papists when they were turned out of all they had by pretended

Protestants and had no hope of seeing the Church restored and therefore that he ought not to have renewed this ungrounded charge against so manifest a demonstration of its falsity Dr. du Moulin made no answer at all but yielded thus far as to say Well Doctour pray to God to pardon me all my sins especially my want of charity Accordingly the Dean kneeling down by his Bed-side began with the Lord's Prayer and so proceeded to the other Prayers which are appointed by the Order in the Common-Prayer-Book for the Visitation of the Sick In all which the Sick man joined with lifting up his hands often and other expressions of devotion especially at that passage in the Prayer when there appears small hopes of recovery give him unfeigned repentance for all the errours of his life past c. he gave more then ordinary signs of his fervent desire And when the Dean had done gave him most hearty thanks and renewed his expressions of extraordinary affection to him and esteem of him The next day Dr. Burnet made him another visit and having given him an account what the Dean of S. Pauls said concerning him which he received with great sense of his kindness and return of thanks to him for it told him it was fit he should do something for the repairing the injuries he had done in as publick a manner as they were committed To which he readily assented and as he promised never to be guilty of the like again if he should recover so he said he would subscribe a Paper that should give publick satisfaction to all he had offended and desired Dr. Burnet to put him in mind of it Who wrote a Paper and left it with Dr. du Moulin's Wife who carrying it to her Husband he said before Witnesses after he had considered the Contents that he was ready to sign it with his Blood and presently subscribed the same A true Copy whereof followeth As for my Books in which I mixed many Personal Reflections I am now sensible I vented too much of my own Passion and Bitterness and therefore I disclaim all that is Personal in them and am heartily sorry for every thing I have written to the defaming of any person I humbly beg God and all those whom I have so wronged pardon for Jesus Christ his sake and am resolved if God shall spare my life never to meddle more with such personal things and do earnestly exhort all people as a dying man that they will study more love and mutual forbearance in their differences and will avoid all bitter and uncharitable reflections on one anothers Persons And as I earnestly pray those worthy men of the Church of England to have charity and tenderness for the dissenters from them so I beg of the Dissenters that they would have a due regard and respect to those of the Church of England Of many of whom I say now let my Soul be with theirs And that all true Protestants among us may heartily unite and concur in the defence and preservation of the Holy Reformed Religion now by the mercy of God settled among us And that men of all sides may according to S. Paul's rule cease to bite and devour one another lest we be destroyed one of another and that whereunto we have already attained we may walk by the same Rule hoping that if any man is otherwise minded in some lesser things God shall either reveal that to them or mercifully forgive it through Jesus Christ Into whose hands I commend my Spirit and desire to appear before God in and through Him who gave himself for me and therefore do now study to learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart and to love all the Brethren as He hath loved me This in sincerity of heart I Sign Lewis du Moulin Octob. 5. 1680. After he had Signed this Writing he continued very seriously to prepare for his death and told Dr. Burnet next time he came to visit him that he had signed the Paper with Ink but if it had been needfull he would have done it with his Blood And said he would have some Copies written out fair and sign some more that these his Last Words might be published to the world after his death And professed also that he felt great joy and quiet in his mind from his being thus reconciled with those whom he had offended And accordingly the Dean of Peterburgh coming a little while after to see him again he was so affected with his kindness in giving him a new visit that he said Are you come again Sir O how charitable are you This is indeed to return me good for evil And after some discourse with him desired him to pray with him again for your Prayers said he were very comfortable to me the last time And accordingly he did in the same form of words he had used before with which he was so much affected that when the Dean had solemnly commended him to God's blessing in that excellent form unto God's gracious Mercy and Protection we commit thee The Lord bless thee and keep thee c. he laid hold upon his hand which he held up over him and kissed it with an unusual passion At the same time having repeated his thanks to him he told him of the Paper before mentioned and desired his Wife to show it him promising a Copy of it should be sent him signed with his own hand It must be confessed that when the Dean had read it he wished it had been more full and so ordered as to have given satisfaction to the whole Church as well as to particular persons But this being the form he had already signed it was not easy to alter it And he often called upon his Wife to get three or four Copies of it transcribed for him to sign according to the first draught which when she had done and brought them to him and askt him whether he had well considered it and was well satisfied to sign these he answered he was ready to doe it with all his heart if they were the same with that he had already signed Then he heard them examined and corrected with his own hand where there was a fault signing three Copies with his own hand in these words viz. To all these things above set down I heartily assent and consent Octob. 17. 1680. Lewis du Moulin If any one doubt of this they may be fully satisfied by Dr. Patrick the Dean of Peterburgh to whom according to his promise and by his order a Copy was sent so signed in his own hand-writing And he gave a charge the same should be published after his Death which followed on the twentieth day of the same Month and on the twenty second of the same Month the said Dean of Peterburgh expressed his charity to him in performing the Funeral Rites himself I have perused this Relation and as far as I am concerned in it do hereby attest the truth of it S. Patrick