well I do not intend you shall dye at least not for the present until I know the King 's further pleasure I was not I thank God for it troubled with any disturbing thoughts either against the Judge for his Sentence nor the Jury that gave in such a Verdict nor against any of the Witnesses For I was then of the same mind as by God's grace I ever shall be esteeming them all the best Friends to me in all they did or said that ever I had in my life or ever shall have except upon the like occasion And I was I thank God so present with my self whil'st the Judge pronounced the Sentence to deliver me to Death that without any concern for any thing in this world I did actually at the same time offer my self and the world to God After the Judge was gone from the Bench to the other end of the Hall I stayed with the Keeper in the Hall where several Protestant Gentlemen and others who had heard my Tryal came to me though Strangers and told me how sorry they were for me To whom with thanks I replied that I was troubled they should grieve for me or my condition who was joyful for it my self for I told them I had professed this Faith and Religion all my life-time which I was as sure to be true as I was sure of the truth of God's Word on which it was grounded and therefore in it I deposed my Soul and Eternal Life and Happiness and therefore should I fear to lose my temporal life for this Faith whereon my Eternal life depends I were worse than an Infidel and whosoever should prefer the life of their Bodies before their Faith their Religion or Conscience they were worse than Heathens For my own part I told them I was as ready by God's grace to dye to morrow as I had been to receive the Sentence of Death to day and as willingly as if I had a Grant of the greatest Dukedom So we sate talking half an hour and I returned to the Prison there to remain as long as it pleased God and the King whom God long preserve in all happiness There was another Objection which I forgot to put in until I had finished the former Writing and it was an Objection which the Judge was pleased to put against me himself and it was that I had changed my name and went in several places by several names To which I answered the reason was Because in Cromwel's time in the great Troubles our Family suffered much my Father was imprisoned and a Fellow-Prisoner with Sir Thomas Ashton both confined together which Sir Thomas is now one of His Majesties Admirals of the Fleet. And for my own part I going Beyond Sea to Travel I changed my name and then coming into England again before the King's Restauration I was glad to conceal my self and go by several names as many others of the King 's Loyal Subjects did the better to be able to do His Majesty the best service I could which according to my small ability I did endeavor both before and since the King came into England like a dutiful Subject and like the rest of our Family who all endeavored to serve His Majesty For I have two Brothers served Him the one a Voluntier at Sea in Sir William Reeve's Ship which Sir William was killed in the last Engagement with the Dutch and the other Brother had a Command under his Royal Highness the Duke of York at Land therefore I hope the changing of my name on such an occasion as I did could not be imputed as a guilt upon me nor speak me other than a dutiful Subject which I could have made further appear before the Bench but I did not judge it convenient to say any more to the Judge there in publick But before his Lordship went out of VVorcester I presented him with a Petition to acquaint his Lordship that I having had the honour to kiss His Majesties Hand before His Restauration in the Low-Countries as also I have had the honour to be one of those whom His Majesty was pleased to grace with being entertained by us His then best Subjects His Majesty was pleased to make us a Gracious Promise that when it should please God to restore Him to His Crown we should not live so in Banishment as then we did Of this in my Petition I did acquaint the Judge and beseeched him that he would be pleased by declaring this to the King to endeavor to obtain some gracious Favor from His Majesty for me my condition now being such that I could never have greater need to be Partaker of His gracious Promise and Clemency The Judge promised me he would make an Address to His Majesty for me in this behalf which whether he hath done or no I wish some body may put him in mind to do it for me I do not here mention the place where in particular nor the other persons to whom His Majesty made that Promise but if you remember you know I did tell you with several other particular circumstances which I need not here make any further mention of THE Last SPEECH OF Mr. Francis Johnson Priest of the Order of St. Francis who was Executed as a PRIEST onely at Worcester upon the 22d of August Anno Dom 1679. Which he spake for the most part upon the Ladder immediately before his Execution but being interrupted and that which he did speak being taken by an unskilful Scribe was Printed by the halves and so imperfect that it was in some places Nonsense To correct that Abuse this which he left written with his own Hand is publish'd by Friend ALmighty God out of his infinite Goodness to this World through the merits of his Son Christ Jesus ordained or made choice of three Virtues whereby we must walk which are these viz. Faith Hope and Charity First by virtue of Faith we are to believe all things that are done in this World Secondly by virtue of Hope we are to believe and hope for all things in another World And the reason why Christians do believe this Hope is to bring and conduct them to salvation in the other World And if we hope in God we cannot but believe God for with the mouth Confession is made but with the heart and through Faith we must believe unto salvation so that Faith is not to be troaden under foot or to be hid under a bushel but to be set upon a candlestick Luke 12 Whosoever doth confess me before men him will I confess before the Angels of God And therefore all are bound to believe that there is but one Faith and if but one Faith then but one Christian Faith There is but one Faith one Lord one Baptism if it be so how can this stand with so many Sectaries as there are If there be but one Faith how can this be I believe the Creed of St. Athanasius which is in your Common-Prayer Book there it
good example sake rather than offend God and scandalize others by deserting his Faith since others could be willing to hazard their eternal lives to reduce their Neighbors to God by Charity The like examples of love to God and his Neighbors we have in St. Paul in his manifold expressions both towards God and men first to God as Rom. 8. where he makes this Proclamation Who shall saith he separate us from the Charity of Christ Shall Rom. 8. Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Nakedness or Peril or Sword As it is written for thy sake we are kill'd all the day long we are accounted as sheep to the slaughter He adds I am certain that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And for this Charity in order to his Neighbor let what he suffered to serve them testifie as he relates 2 Cor. 11. by being in Labors and Stripes in Prison in Death in Scourgings in Shipwracks being day and night in the bottom of the Sea in Perils in 2 Cor. 11. Weariness in Painfulness in Hunger in Thirst in Fasting in Cold and Weariness besides what he suffered through his care of all Churches ver 28 29. where he saith Who is weak and I am not weak understand by compassion as Fellow-sufferer Who is scandalized and I burn not understand by zeal Let those now consider this who never more rejoyce than now when they see their passive Neighbors scandalized and were never better content in their own apprehensions than now when they behold us suffering though before God we are innocent Were St. Paul on earth again he would rather give himself for others to ease them of their sufferings according to his wonted 2 Cor. 12. 15. Coloss 2. 4. charity exprest 2 Cor. 12. 15. saying I will very gladly spend and be spent for you and he would rejoyce to suffer in charity for his Neighbor as he abundantly declares Colos 2. 4. saying I rejoyce in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is wanting of the passions or afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church and this example is given for us to do the like and therefore he saith 1 Cor. 1 Cor. 4. 9. 4. 9. We are made a spectacle to the World to Angels and to men and therefore God forbid but some of us if we be Christian men should endeavor to imitate some of his examples though we cannot all For he ascended to so superlative a degree of Charity towards his Neighbor that he declares to the World that he could be a Cast-away himself to save others for thus he saith Rom. 9. 3. I could wish my self were Rom. 9. 3. accursed from Christ for my Brethren Christians do not then henceforth so easily ruine your Neighbors neither in their Lives nor Estates or Credits by Persecutions and Scandals the Scripture holds forth no such Doctrine nor gives any such examples but as you see the contrary but if our Persecutors will not imitate these examples let us that are persecuted and suffer endeavor to imitate them by choosing rather to lose all we can call our own in this World and Life also rather than to break Charity to God and our Neighbor either by denying or dissembling our Faith and scandalizing the Church or bearing false Witness against our selves or our Neighbors to save our Lives or Fortunes or enrich our selves by false Witness And if we will put in practice the Virtues of Faith Hope and Charity I have spoke of we ought to do it thus what we profess by words we must confirm by deeds and actions Our profession of Catholick Faith is this I believe all Divine Revelations delivered to the Prophets and Apostles proposed by the Catholick Church in Her General Councils or by Her Universal Practice to be believed as an Article of Catholick Faith knowing this to be our Faith the confirmation of this knowledge or the practice of this by our deeds is as St. Paul teacheth Ephes 3. 8. To esteem all worldly Eph. 3. 8. things as dirt in respect of this eminent knowledge of Christ and his Faith and therefore for my own part I now being ready to leave all in the World and my Life in testimony of my Catholick Faith which I profess I desire and hope to manifest to all I value my knowledge of Christs Faith more than I value the universal World And as for my Christian Hope I profess to have the confirmation of it or the practical 1 Pet. 3. 15. part is to be fulfilled thus being that we must as St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 3. 15. Be always ready to give an account to every one concerning the hope which is in us I have already by words expressed it and by deed I express it thus That whereas I do believe that God as the Scripture saith kills and brings to life again carrieth down to the depth and bringeth back again so now I do by this my present Execution which I am now to undergo willingly give my Body to be mortified in death for my Faith hoping in Gods infinite mercy he will restore my Body and Soul to eternal life and I do willingly resign my self to be carried down to my Grave hoping by my Saviours Cross and Passion Death and Burial he will raise me up again to a glorious Resurrection And as for the confirmation of my Charity to shew by deeds the love I owe to God and my Neighbor it hath pleased my Saviour by his own words to declare which is the best proof or practice of Charity where he saith No man hath a greater Charity than he that lays down his life for his Friend I therefore do willingly undergo this death I am to suffer now to testifie I love my Friend my Neighbor as my self whil'st I undergo this death for my self and them that seeing it is for the profession of my Faith I dye they whil'st they live may the more happily serve God in the same belief and I testifie I love God above all because I forsake the World and my self in death rather than offend him by doing any thing against my Conscience And forasmuch as for these many years I have had occasion by discoursing and reading the Holy Scriptures with others who desired to find out the true Faith I have by words declared what Faith I did believe and what Faith they ought to believe I now declare that for every Point of Faith that ever I believ'd my self or read to others or told them that they might believe as a Point of Faith for all and every such Points of Faith in confirmation of them as well to my self as others I here lay down my Life and omitting all other particular Points I
believe Obedience to our King to be a Divine Law and that we are bound to obey His Commands in Temporal Laws and I believe it too a sin of Damnation for any Subject of His to Rebel against Him or His Kingdom and I believe it as certain a sin to Damnation for any Subject to endeavor either by thoughts words or deeds to take away His Life or act any thing of that nature either by himself or any others or other against His Sacred Majesty as I believe it was a sin in Judas to Damnation to betray Christ And I do declare upon my salvation that I never did nor do know any Catholick that ever was or is the least guilty either by thought word or deed by any Plot or otherwise to have any design or concurrence to kill His Sacred Majesty or rebel against His Kingdom whom God long preserve with his Subjects in all happiness in this World and crown Him in the World to come with eternal glory And now it remains that with all the powers and forces of my Soul I make my address to God for mercy ere I appear before him for Judgment and you dear Friends here present who believe in one Holy Catholick Church and Communion of Saints be pleased in charity to make the same address to God with me and for me that we may obtain true sorrow and repentance for all our sins and a merciful forgiveness and first let us wish from the bottom of our hearts that we could express and make good Psal 119. 8. our sorrow as David did Psal 119. Whil'st rivers of waters run down our eyes like his because we have not kept according to our faith Gods commands for which had we that Fountain of tears which the Prophet wished for we ought spend it all we ought with Jeremy Lam. 3. 48 49. to weep till our eyes as his failed and as his eye with tears afflicted as he saith his heart so ought ours to do because we have made so ill use of that Faith Hope and Charity which God hath bestowed upon us But forasmuch as Tears now at this present and in these circumstances of rash censuring times Tears I say from me might seem to some either the off-spring of Fear to dye which God forbid I should have in so good a Cause as my Religion or least others might judge my Tears might fall by reason of some other guilt of which I am free and innocent I have endeavoured to stop the course of Tears and instead of drops of waters from my eyes I 'll spend the drops of blood from every sorrowful vein of my heart and my whole body that God may please to wash away the sins of all my life past and I wish each drop an Ocean for my self and all the World because I have nothing now left more than wishes which I beseech thee O gracious God of thy mercy to accept of and if you will vouchsafe to accept of wishes to supply the deeds by wishes I offer up all that 's good to you that ever you gave to any since the Worlds Creation I offer up David's broken heart together with my own that so like him after my repentance I may become a man according to your own heart I offer up the sighs of Magdalen and wish I could make such use of them as she did to sob out my sins I wish her repentant Arms that I may lay fast hold at the Feet of thee my gracious God I wish I had the longanimity of all the Holy Confessors I wish I had the sufferings of all thy constant Martyrs I wish I had the lamps of all thy sacred Virgins that I might offer all to thee that in them was pleasant in thy sight I wish I could offer up to thee O God the Sacrifices of just Abel Lot Job and all other Sacrifices that ever did gratefully ascend up in thy sight that thou being pleased by the sight of them thou mightst look no more upon my sins For if thou wilt observe mine iniquities who shall endure let therefore thy mercy hide thy face from my sins but let not the rigor of thy justice cast me away from thy presence cast me not away from thy Face and thy holy Spirit take not from me but turn away thy Face from sin and blot out all my iniquities and I will offer my Body as a Sacrifice to thee by death to appease thy just anger I own my sins and I own your mercies You gave me Faith to know and believe what was the Will of you my heavenly Master but I acknowledge my fault that although I knew your Will I did not fulfill it and therefore I ought to be beaten with many stripes because you foretold me that many are the stripes of a sinner but be pleased dear Lord also to remember that in the same place you promised that notwithstanding this yet mercy should encompass him that hopes you have given your Divine Hope vouchsafe to let this Hope defend me and although I know I have not made good use of Hope and Hope not well us'd of which I am guilty makes a Sinner defer Repentance and so puts in danger to fall into Presumption by long neglect yet the last hour of calling being not yet past and your mercy being above all your works I hope and humbly beg to be Partaker with those who were accepted at the last hour I humbly acknowledge with thanks O gracious God that you gave me Charity as your Livery in which I always ought to have appeared in your sight and never to have been divested of it but how oft have I been spoiled through my own fault of this garment how oft have I by descending to Jericho instead of going up to Jerusalem how oft I say have I been rob'd of this garment of Charity even as often as I have preferred any sublunary object and the love of that before the love of you and before your goodness which is above all goodness and the object of all Beatitude Vouchsafe again O gracious Lord to restore in mercy to me this Nuptial Vestment ere I dare appear at the Supper of the Lamb. Make me O heavenly Father a penitential Prodigal and then I shall have put on me again this best Robe of Charity This I beg from the bottom of my Soul for his dear sake who was devested of his garments out of Charity that I might be invested in his Charity who also suffered his garments to be divided that he might purchase grace that we might never be divided from the unity of his Faith and Church but rather willingly suffer for his sake the separation of our lives from our bodies the separation of our bodies from our souls and the separation of our bodies into its quarters that we may the more perfectly by these sufferings and separations from our selves be united to him Therefore in the faithful communion and perfect union of the sufferings of all Saints that ever have been or now are or ever will be in the union of the most sacred merits of the life passions and death of God and man my dear Redeemer and Saviour Christ I offer my self willingly to what I am now to suffer begging by all that 's good in Heaven and in Earth remissions of sins for my self and the world particularly for all that may appear to have been my Enemies in the concern of my Life as Witness Jury Judge and others whom I do not esteem as Enemies but as the best of Friends I heartily forgive them and beg the best of Blessings for them all as being the cause of sending me sooner than otherwise I might have gone to the happy state of Hope for the other World Whither before I go I humbly beg pardon of all in this World for whatever in thoughts words or deeds I have committed to offend them or omitted to do for them by which any thing might have been mended in them or my self I beseech God to bless them all I beseech God to bless also all my Friends spiritual and temporal all Benefactors and all by whom I have received good or evil by words deeds or desires I beseech God to bless all those of whom I ever had care or charge spiritually or temporally I beseech God bless his Holy Catholick Church and our chief Bishop thereof with all other Bishops Priests and Clergy I beseech God bless this Nation and unite all amongst themselves and to God in true Faith Hope and Charity I beseech God to bless His Majesties Privy Council and make all the secrets of their hearts and their desires such as that both Charles our King on earth and God our great King in Heaven and Earth may be serv'd pleas'd and honour'd by them that men and Angels may rejoyce at it now and be publick witness of it at the last great day at the great and last Council Table where every secret shall be laid open Luke 12. as Solomon saith Eccles ult when God will bring into judgment every secret thing whether it be good or evil I beseech God to bless the Parliament now Elect and be so present with them when they sit to judge and discuss the Causes of this Nation they may imitate the Assembly of those that are to sit upon the Twelve Thrones at the last great Assembly that they may now judge or determinate of things no otherwise than they hope or fear then to be judged themselves and determined of to all eternity I beseech God to bless all that suffer in this Persecution and let the blessing exprest in the 126th Psalm light upon them speedily that God turning their Captivity all mouths may be filled with joys and tongues with singings Convert O Lord our Captivity as streams in the South that those who now sowe in tears may reap in joy and for this temporal death O blessed Trinity give me eternal life let my Body dye to the World for the love of thee that my Soul may live for ever and love in thee my God and dear Redeemer Amen Sweet Jesus Amen FINIS