Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A66512
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A True copy of a paper written by Capt. Tho. Walcott in Newgate, after his condemnation, and delivered to his son, immediately before his execution
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Walcot, Thomas, d. 1683.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing W285; ESTC R2015
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3,223
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2
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A True Copy of a Paper written by Capt. Tho. Walcott in Newgate after his Condemnation and delivered to his Son immediately before his Execution AS to my Religion I Believe in Three Persons and but one God Viz. Father Son and Holy-Ghost I Expect and Hope to be Saved by the Merits and Righteousness of Jesus Christ without the Hope of any Advantage by any Merits or Righteousness of my own and I Believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New-Testament are and ought to be the Rule of my Faith and their Direction the Method of my Worship of God that no Council Conclave of Cardinals or Power upon Earth whatsoever hath any Authority to set up the Precepts of Men and their Traditions and to make them of equal Validity and Authority with the Scripture and Word of God That they were not writ according to the Will of Man but Holy Men of God writ them as they were Inspired by the Holy-Ghost I Believe that as Christ is the Head of his Church so he is their Law-Giver It was not because the Jews rejected Christ and Crucified him that he rejected them but because they rejected the Gospel as appears by the Three Thousand that God by Peter Converted at one Sermon who were pricked in their Hearts convinced in their Consciences of their great Guilt in Crucifying the Lord of Life insomuch that they Cry out Men and Brethren what shall we do and that daily they were added to the Church Christ saith If he had not Come and Spoken to them they had not had Sin It is a dreadful thing to reject the Gospel by reason thereof the Jews saw not the thâ—ngs that belong'd to their Peace untill they were hid from their Eyes And it 's as dreadful a thing to Continue in a Sinful Course of Life untill the Lord wholly withdraw his Spirit who hath said that his Spirit shall not always stâ—iâ—e with Man and that it is not every one that Cryeth Lord Lord shall Enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Then I dâ—â—iâ—â— Leave to speak a word as to my Death and the Occasion of it the wages of Sin is Death had not Adam Sinned he and his Posterity had noâ— Dyed It is also said to be the King of Terrors But it is only so to those that arâ— Terrâ—ved with a Tetrifying Conscience that have the Arrows of the Almigâ—â—y stiâ—king in them powerful Convictions of their Evils but see no Hopes nor have any Assurance of Pardon Christ takes away the Terror and Horror of Conscience for the Guilt of Sin from those that are his he hath overcome Death for them and will overcome it in them And to those whom the Sting of Death is taken away by Christ 't is no difficult task to Dye for they are with St. Paul able to say To Live is Christ but to Dye is Gain they have not only got unto Christ but into Christ and so come to have Communion and Fellowship with the Father and the Son Except we be in Christ as the Branch is in the Vine we are not Christians indeed nor are we able to Believe a Right we may get the Notions of the Promisei of the Gospel into our Heads but witout the Spirit of God applyes them to our Hearts we cannot Believe aright And this was the Case of poor Francis Spira Christ saith he that Believeth in him though he were Dead yet shall he Live And that whosoever Liveth and Believeth im him he shall never Dye So that Death is no such Terrifying Thing to those that Christ will make it Easie to but ever remember Faith is the Gift of God Then as to the present Occasion of my Death I cannot blame the Judges and Jury nor the King's Counsel I can only blame some Men that were much Guiltier than I who Combin'd together to Swear me out of my Life thereby to Save their own and that they might do it effectually Contrive an Untruth Affirming that I made it a Scruple of Conscience to have a Hand in Killing of the King or to Imbrue my Hands in his Blood But was so Generous as to Undertake the Charging of the Guards whilst another did it and to the end another might do it Now I Appeal to all that know me how probable this is add whether they believe me so very a Sot that I should not understand that Engaging with the Guards to prevent their Preserving the King were the same thing as if I had Killed Himself But however by their Swearing against me they have Secured their own Lives and Estates so that my Blood is the Price of theirs I Confess I was so Unfortunate and Unhappy as to be Envited by Collonel John Rumsey one of the Witnesses against me to some Meetings were some things were Discoursed in order to the Asserting our Liberties and Properties as English Men which were lookt upon to be Violated and Invaded But it was he and Mr. West were the great Promoters of those Meetings and had them before I camn into England Mt. West when I lay Sick of the Gout and could not go to themt would frequently Visit me and still his Discourse would be of Lopping the Two Sparks meaning the King and the Duke and propose that by all means they should be Killed at a Play-House and then he said they would Dye in their Calling He bought Arms to do it with without any Direction Knowledae or Privity of mine He was most impatiently Eager of having it done but more especially at a Play-House I never saw the Arms nor the Men that were to do it though they said they had Fifty Men in a readiness ro that end I told them the Killing of the King would carry such a blemish and stain with it as would descend to Posterity That I had Eight Children That I was not willing they should be blemisht with it and withal That I was Confident whoever did it the Duke of Monmouth would Punish them for it if it were but to Vindicate himself from having any hand in it And now I desire to forgive all the World and that from the very bottom of my Heart even Mr. Tho. Shepheard that Betrayed me and the Gentlemen that were Witnesses against me but withal do most earnestly desire there may be some Remarks set upon them and that it may be observed whether their End is Peace and that they Dye the Common Death of all Men. For Perjury is certainly a very great and crying Sin not that I say they were Perjured in every thing nor do I believe Mr. Shepheard intended what he hath done when he Envited Mr. Ferguson out of Holland who possibly might have waid there untill now had not he importun'd him to come into England in order to his being Engaged and Concerned in the Work which he Transacted in London and was chiefly about ever since his return and that by Mr. Shepherd's Approbation Assistance Contrivance and Allowance Hee likewise daclared in the presence of several that he did not know of any one of the English in Ireland Concerned in any Plot or Design against the King In the last place I desire Leave to give my Friends one word of Advice which hath been often given me though I have not been so happy as to take and that is never to hear any man speak that that yoe would not have repeated for there is no Faith in Man to Man whatever there is in Man to God either the Tears of a Wife or the Concern of a Family of little helpless Children or something or other will tempt and provoke Men to betray one another When God hath a Work to do he will not want Instruments for he can make them neither will he want a way to do it in And now I most heartily desire and my Prayers to the Almighty is That this may be the last Bloud spilt upon this Account I know Acts of Indulgenee and Mercy in the King would make him sit much easier in his Government and cause his Subject to sit much easier under it And that the Lord may incline his Heart to Mercy ought to be the Prayer of every good Man I presume most men know what hath happen'd and what hath been the Occasion of our present Calamities what the Provocations of one hand were or the Necessities and Sufferings of the other I will not intermeddle with resolving to use my utmost endeavour to make my Peace and Reconciliation with my God that 't is impossible for me to make with Men And to make it my hearty Prayer to that Great God before whom I helieve I shall in a little time appear that Hâ— will stanch stanch Lord this Issue of Blood and find out some other way to Preserve these Kingdoms in Unity and Peace to the Honour and Glory of his Great Name and to the Eternal Comfort of his poor People Amen Amen LONDON Printed for Timothy Goodwin at the Maiden-head against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-Street 1683.