be Serviceable to God therein And after said GOD is a strong Refuge I have found him so indeed The next opportunity was at Dorcester where they were both carried and put in Prison and by reason of their strait Confinement our Converse was much interrupted but this I found from them that they had still the same presence and support from God as formerly no ways being discouraged at the near approach of their Tryal nor of the issue of it though it might appear to Flesh and Blood to be terrible The 6th of September my Brother Benjamin was ordered at Taunton to be Tryed then taking my leave of him he chearfully said Blessed be God for Afflictions I have found such happy Effects of them that I would not have been without them for all this World I remaining still at Dorcester to see the issue of my Brother William to whom after he was Tryed before his Sentence I had free Liberty to go to whose Mouth was filled with Admiration of the Grace of God in Christ Jesus that had been manifested unto him in calling him out of his natural Estate suddenly seizing on his Heart when he thought not of it in his Abode in Holland finding secret Whisperings in his Heart to seek the Face of God who enabled him to answer his Gracious Call and to reflect upon his own Soul whereby he came to see the Evil of Sin and his need of Christ from that time carrying him on to a sensible Adherence to Christ for Pardon and Peace of Soul where he said He found a Spring of Joy and Sweetness beyond all the Comfort of the whole Earth He further said He could not but admire the wonderful goodness of God in preparing him for what he was bringing him unto which then he thought not of giving hope of Eternal Life before he call'd him to look Death in the Face So that he did Chearfully resign his Life to God before he came having sought his Guidance in it and that the Cause did appear to him both then and now very Glorious notwithstanding all that which he had suffer'd in it or further might although God had with-held those good things from us As to himself he said God had carried on his Work in his Soul in and by all sufferings and whatever the will of God were Life or Death he knew it would be best for him After he had received his Sentence when he return'd to Prison he said Methinks I find my Comfort in God increase since my Sentence there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus it is God that Justifieth who shall condemn When I came to him the next morning when he had received News of the time of his Execution and in order to it was to be carried to Lyme that day I found him in a most excellent Spiritual Frame more then ever before he was in he said He was satisfied God had done best for him he knew what the Temptation of Life might be I might have lived and forgotten God but now I am going where I shall Sin no more O it it is a Blessed thing to be free from Sin and to be with Christ O how great were the Sufferings of Christ for us beyond all that I can undergo How great is that Glory to which I am going It will now swallow up Sorrow here When he was at Dinner just before his going from Dorcester to Lyme he dropt many Expressions of his inward Joy such as these O the Grace of God the Love of Christ O the Blessed Supper of the Lamb to be for ever with the Lord He further said When he went to Holland You knew not what Snares Sins and Miscarriages I might have fallen into or whether we might ever meet again Now you know whether I am going and that we shall certainly have a most joyful meeting and never part more for ever He said Pray give my Recommendations to all Relations with Acknowledgments for all their Kindness I advise them all to make sure of an Interest in Christ for he is the only Comfort when we come to dye One of the Prisoners seemed to be troubled at the manner of Death they were to dye to whom he replyed I bless God I am Reconciled unto it all Just at his going he writ these few Lines to his Mother being hardly suffered to stay so long I am going to Lanch into Eternity I hope and trust into the Arms of my Blessed Redeemer to whom I commit you and all my Relations My Love to my Dear Sister and the rest of my Friends William Hewling As they passed through the Town of Dorcester to Lyme multitudes of People beheld them with great Lamentation and bitter Cryes admiring at his Carriage and Behaviour at his parting with his Sister As they passed along the Road betwixt Lyme and Dorcester his Discourse was exceeding Heavenly and Spiritual as those present have since declared taking occasion from every thing to speak of the Journey they were going looking out upon the Country as they passed along he said This is a Glorious Creation but what then is the Paradice of God to which we are going When he was come to Lyme one reading the 14. of John and the 18 Verse I will not leave you Comfortless I will come to you said Christ will come unto us he will be with us to the very last At Lyme that morning he was Executed one taking Leave of him he said Fare-well till we meet in Heaven presently I shall be with Christ I would not change Conditions with any I would not stay behind for Ten Thousand Worlds To another that ask'd him how he did he said Very well I Bless God and farther ask'd him if he could look Death in the Face with Comfort now it approached so near He answered I can I bless God with Comfort God hath made this a good Night to me my Comforts are much increased since I left Dorcester Then taking leave of him said Farewell I shall see you no more To which he repiyed How see me no more Yes I hope to meet you in Glory To another which was by him to the last he said Pray Remember my Love to my Dear Brother and Sister and tell them I would desire them to Comfort themselves that I am gone to Christ and we shall quickly meet in the Glorious Mount Zion above Afterwards he Prayed for about three quarters of an hour with the greatest Fervency exceedingly blessing God for Christ Jesus Adoring the Riches of his Grace in all the Glorious Fruits of it towards him Praying for the Peace of the Church of God and for this Nation in particular with such Eminent Assistance of the Spirit of God that it Astonished Convinct and Melted the most Malitious Adversaries forcing Tears and Expressions of Sorrow from them some saying They knew not what would become of them after Death but it was evident he was going to great Happiness When he was just going
him in particular saying It was so sad a thing to see such excellent Persons so cut off they scarce knew how to â—ear it Some of the most malicious in the place from whom nothing but Railing was expected said as they were carried to their Graves in Taunton-Church Voluntarily accompanied by most of the Town That these Persons had given sufficient Evidence that they were Glorified Saints in Heaven A great Officer in the Kings Army hath been heard to say If you will learn to Die go to the Young Men in Taunton Much more was uttered by him shewing the Blessed and Gracious frame of his Soul but this is what occurs to Memory About two Hours before his Death he Wrote this following Letter which shewed the great Composure of his Mind Mr. Hewlings last Letter a little before his Execution THat News which I know you have a great while feared and we expected I must now acquaint you with that notwithstanding the hopes you gave in your last Letter Warrants are come down for my Execution and within these few hours I expect it to be performed Blessed be Almighty God that gives Comfort and Support in such a day how ought we to Magnifie his Holy Name for all his Mercies that when we were running on in a course of Sin he should stop us in our full Career and shew us that Christ whom we had pierced and out of his free Grace enabled us to look upon him with an Eye of Faith believing him able to save to the uttermost all that come to him O Admirable long Suffering and Patience of God! That when we were a dishonouring his Name he did not take that time to Glorifie himself by our Destruction for he delights not in the Death of a Sinner but had rather he should turn to him and Live. And he hath many ways of bringing his own to himself Blessed be his holy Name that through Affliction he hath taught my Heart to be in some measure conformable to his Will which worketh Patience Patience Experience Experience Hope which maketh not ashamed I Bless God I am not ashamed for the Cause for which I lay down my Life and as I have Ingaged in it and Fought for it so I am now going to Seal it with my Blood. The Lord carry on the same Cause that hath been so long on foot and though I die in it and for it I question not but in his own good time he will raise up other Instruments more worthy to carry it on for the Glory of his Name and the Advancement of his Church and People I know there hath been nothing left undone by you or the rest of my Friends for the saving of my Life for the which I return my hearty acknowledgments to your self and them all and it is my dying request to you and them to pardon all Undutifulness in every Relation pray give my Duty to every Relation and to every Friend a particular Recommendation pray tell them all how pretious an Interest in Christ is when we come to die and advise them never to rest in a Christless state for if we are his it is no matter what the World does with us they can but kill the Body and Blessed be God the Soul is out of their reach for I question not but their Malice wishes the Damnation of the Soul as well as the Destruction of the Body which hath evidently appeared by their deceitful flattering Promises I commit you all to the Care and Protection of God who hath promised to be a Father to the Eatherless and a Husband to the Widow and to supply the wants of every Relation the Lord God of Heaven be your comfort under these Sorrows and your Refuge from those Miseries which we may easily fore-see coming upon poor England and upon the poor distressed People of God in it The Lord carry you through this Vale of Tears with a resigning submissive Spirit and at last bring you to himself in Glory where I question not but you will meet Your Dying Relation and Friend Benjamin Hewling Executed at Taunton September 30th 1688. FINIS ADVERTISEMENT ☞ There will speedily be Publish'd a second Collection of the Dying Speeches Letters and Prayers c. of those Eminent Protestants who Dyed in the West of England and else-where under the Cruel Sentence of the late Lord Chancellour ☞ There is now Publish'd a very Vseful Book Entituled The Joy of Faith Or a Treatise opening the true nature of Faith it 's lowest Stature and Distinction from Assurance with a Preliminary Tract evidencing the Divinity of the Sacred Scriptures By Samuel Lee M. A. Both to be sold at the Black-Raven in the Poultrey
all which together with the great One of all by whose Power all these and a multitude more of Cruelties are done I do heartily and freely forgive as against me but as it it is done in an implacable mind against the Lord Christ and his righteous Cause and Followers I leave it to him who is the avenger of all such wrongs who will tread upon Princes as upon mortar and be terrible to the Kings of the Earth And know this also that though ye are seemingly fixt and because of the Power in your hand are writing out your Violence and dealing with a despiteful hand because of the old and new hatred by impoverishing and every way distressing of those you have got under you yet unless you can secure Jesus Christ and all his Holy Angels you shall never do your business nor your hands accomplish your Enterprizes for he will be upon you e're you are aware and therefore O that you would be wise instructed and learn is the desire of her that finds no Mercy from you Elizabeth Gaunt Such as it is you have it from her who hath done as she could and is sorry she can do no better hopes you will pity and consider weakness shortness and any thing that 's wanting And beggs that none may be weakened or troubled at my lowness of spirit for God designs to humble and abase us that he alone may be exalted in this day and I do hope he will appear in the needful time and it may be he reserves the best Wine 'till the last as he hath done for some before me None goeth a Warfare at his own Charges and the Spirit blows not only where but when it lists and it becomes me who have so often grieved and vext it quenched and resisted it to wait for and upon its motions and not to murmur but I may mourn though because through want of it I honour not my God nor his beloved Cause which I have so long loved and delighted to serve and repent of nothing about it but that I have valued it and him no better E. G. Mr. J. Hicks's last Speech 1685. I Suppose the Spectators here present may expect I should speak something before I leave this sanguinary Stage and passage through my bloody Sufferings by which my immortal Spirit will be speedily transported into an invisible and eternal World and I conclude that they have different Resentments hereof some resent them with much joy high exultation and triumph others with equal grief and sorrow that to the one I am a most pleasant spectacle that they behold me with high Complacency and Delight but to the other I am a mournful and unpleasant one and they behold me with no less pity and compassion Concerning the first I can say I freely and heartily forgive them and heartily Pray that God would most mercifully and graciously prevent their mourning through Misery not only here but eternally hereafter Concerniug the other I will say Weep for your own sins and for the sins of the Nation for the highest Rebellions that ever were committed against the great and eternal God lament bitterly for those sins that have been the meritorious Cause of the late terrible Judgment that which I fear will cause God to break in upon this Nation with an over-flowing deluge of Judgments which are far more tremendous and dreadful As for sympathizing with me in drinking this bitter Cup appointed for me I return you most humble and hearty thanks earnestly desiring God to come unto you and fill your Souls with all coelestial Comforts and spiritual Consolations Something I must say to purge and clear my self from a false Accusation laid to my Charge as that I was engaged with Coll. Blood in rescuing Coll. Mason near Boston when he was sent down with a Guard from London to York to be Tryed for High Treason and that I was the Man that killed the Barber of that City and that also I was with him when he stole the Crown Now as I am a dying Man and upon the very brink ' of a very stupendious Eternity the truth and reality whereof I firmly believe without any reservation or the least equivocation I do declare in the Presence of the all-seeing God that impartial Judge before whom in a very little time I must appear I never saw nor Conversed with Mr. Tho. Blood from 1656. till after he stole the Crown which was in 71 or 72. nor was ever engaged with him in any of his treasonable Plotts or Practices 'T is true I being involved in great trouble of another Nature of which I have given to the World a Narrative and which is notoriously known in the Countrey where I then lived by some that were Enemies to me for my Preaching I was perswaded to apply my self to Mr. Blood to procure by his Intercession his late majesty's gracious Favour accordingly he brought me into his Royal Presence while I was there his Majesty carried it with great Clemency without expressing one word of that which I am now charged with Mr. Blood continued with his Majesty a little longer than I did then he told me that he had granted me a Pardon which I did thankfully accept of knowing it would free me from all Penalties and Troubles that I was obnoxious to and were occasioned to me by my Non-conformity then engaging him to take out my Pardon he told me that he got it out with several others that had been engaged with him in several treasonable Designs and Actions at which I was troubled supposing it might be imputed to me thereby yet God knows I have often since reflected upon it with great regret and dissatisfaction if Mr. Blood did inform the late King to make himself the more considerable and to bring as many of his Party as he could to accept of their Pardons that he might be rendered utterly incapable of Plotting any further mischief against his Government or any other ways that I was engaged with him in any of his treasonable Attempts I now appeal to God as a dying Man concerning it that he hath done me an irreparable wrong I also in the same manner do declare that I was never engaged with any Party in Plotting or Designing or Contriving any Treason or Rebellion against the late King and particularly that I was altogether unconcerned in and unacquainted with that for which my Lord Russel and others suffer'd and as much a Stranger to any against the present King. And whereas it is reported of me that at Taunton I perswaded the late Duke of Monmouth to assume the Title of King I do once more solemnly declare that I saw not the said Duke nor had any Converse with him 'till he came to Shipton-Mallet which was thirteen days after he Landed and several days after he had been at Taunton And 't is as false that I rid too and fro in the West to stir up and perswade Men to go into his Army and rebell against
of corruptible Seed c. Psal. 4. 3. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is Godly for himself c. I shall mention now no more the whole Bible abounds with these Texts with what a Renovation and change of our carnal and corrupt Hearts and Natures there must be with Holiness of Life and Conversation before we can be capable of a future and blessed Immortality and of inheriting the Kingdom of God for ever and ever Amen Captain Abraham Ansley's Speech I Am come to pay a Debt to Nature 't is a Debt that all must Pay though some after one manner and some after another The way that I pay it may be thought by some few Ignominious but not so by me having long since as a True Englishman thought it my Duty to venture my Life in Defence of the Protestant Religion against Popery and Arbitrary Power For this same Purpose I came from my House to the Duke of Monmouth's Army At first I was a Lieutenant and then a Captain and I was in all the Action the Foot was Engaged in which I do not Repent For had I a Thousand Lives they should all have been Engaged in the same Cause although it has pleased the Wise God for Reasons best known to himself to blast our Designs but he will deliver his People by ways we know nor think not of I might have saved my Life if I would have done as some Narrow-Soul'd Persons have done by Impeaching others but I abhor such ways of Deliverance choosing rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy Life with Sin. As to my Religion I own the Way and Practice of the Independent Church and in that Faith I die Depending on the Merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ for my Eternal Salvation His Blessing be with you all Farewel to thee Poor England Farewel Abraham Ansley Mr. Jenkin's Letter to Mrs. Scott on the 26th of September 1685. Dear Sister THE News which came in my Brothers Letter of the 22d instant to Mr. Duewy did not at all surprize me for indeed I expected no other and seeing all hopes of saving my Life are blasted I thought my self bound to write a Line or two to so near a Relation as your self wherein I may take my Leave of you I bid you farewel till we shall meet again in Glory and never be separated more As for my own part though such a sort of Death as I am like to suffer be that which I always dreaded at a Distance when I have sometimes thought on it yet I thank my God now it draws very near even but a few hours off I find my self supported under the thoughts of it and I hope by his Strength who will never forsake his own I shall be enabled to undergo it with Glory to his Name and my Comfort and to my own and other Souls good that are more nearly concerned for me And as I have made it my own endeavour to submit to the Will of God in this sad Dispensation without murmuring and repining I hope you have been sensible of your Duty in the same Respects which is patiently to submit to his Will and eye his Hand in this severe Stroke Though God hath been pleased to deny success to your Endeavours for the saving of my Life yet I am satisfied nothing hath been wanting on your parts and for all the Trouble you have been at on my Account though I do not live to shew my Gratitude yet I render you my dying Thanks and beg your Prayers for my support in the last moment of my Life if you receive this before my Death the certainty of which I have not yet notice of Remember my Love to my Brother and Thanks for all kindnesses And as for my young Relations my Prayer for them shall be That they may see more happy Days than I have done and Die more peaceably I cannot say A more happy Death And now my Dear Sister I take my leave of you and I commit you to the Protection of that God who hath made every thing Beautiful in its time and will shew you the meaning of this sad Providence which now we do not understand to whom I trust I am now going and in the Enjoyment of whose Presence I doubt not but e'er long you will meet your Affectionate Brother William Jenkins Mr. Jenkins's Letter to his Mother on the 29th of September at Midnight 1685. Dear and Honoured Mother I Have ev'n now received News of my Execution to morrow which though I have such short Notice of yet I am prepared for it and by Gods strength enabling of me I shall be joyfully carried through it The Kindness you have been pleased to shew in your great Concern for me since I have been under this trouble as well as the Duty I owe to so near a Relation as your self ingages me to acquaint you with my present Condition for your Satisfaction which truly is such as I must beg you to accept this present Letter as my last farewell and though the sad Providence cannot but be grievous to so near and Affectionate a Relation yet I hope it already hath and still doth yield the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness to your self and me who had been severely exercised with it As for my own part I hope I can truly say that God by his Providence hath weaned me from the World and made me willing to leave it and to be dissolved that I might be with Christ which is far better and now I am come to die I hope I can truly say I have nothing to do but to die I having fought a good Fight and finished my Course I am now in expectation of that Crown of Reward which God the Righteous Judge of the whole Earth hath promised to all those that love his appearance And as it is my great Work to be now every moment fitting my self for my great and last Change so it is the Duty that belongs to you and the rest of my Dear Relations to resign me up into the Hands of that God whose I am and to whom I am going and not to repine at his Righteous Will which we ought quietly to submit unto But now being at last leaving the World Dear and Honoured Mother I take my leave of you also hoping I shall again meet you in a place of Happiness where â—ll Tears shall he Wiped from our Eyes and we shall Sorrow no more I have nothing more to say but to return you my Dying Thanks for all the Trouble and Care you have been at for saving my Life which God hath not thought fit to make successful yet my Thankfulness is equally due to you for your Endeavours as if it had I shall end with Subscribing my self Dear and Honored Mother your Dutiful Son William Jenkins Mr. Jenkins's Letter to Mrs. Gourden on the 30th of September 1685. Dear Sister THough you be at a great Distance from me yet you