Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bondage_n	fear_n	life_n	4,336	5	4.4939	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88595	A true and exact copie of Mr. Love's speech and prayer, immediately before his death, on the scaffold at Tower-Hill, Aug. 22. 1651.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1651 (1651)	Wing L3181; Thomason E790_4; ESTC R3848	15,324	8

not dreadfull to me I blesse my God I speak it without vanity I have formerly had more fear in the drawing of a tooth then now I have at the cutting off my head I was for some five or six years under a spirit of bondage and did fear Death exceedingly but when the fear of Death was upon me Death was not near me but now Death is near me the fear of it is far from me and blessed be my Saviour that hath the sting of Death in his own sides and so makes the grave a bed of rest to me and makes Death the last enemy to be a friend though he be a grim friend Further I blesse my God that though men have judged me to be cast out of the world yet that God hath not cast me out of the hearts and praiers of his people I had rather be cast out of the world then cast out of the hearts of godly men Some think me it is true not worthy to live and yet others judge I do not deserve to die but God will judge all I will judge no man I have now done I have no more to say but to desire the help of all your praiers that God would give me the continuance and supply of divine grace to carry me through this great work that I am now about that as I am to do a work I never did so I may have a strength I never had That I may put off this body with as much quietnesse and comfort of minde as ever I put off my clothes to go to bed And now I am to commend my soul to God and to receive my fatall blow I am comforted in this Though men kill me they cannot damn me and though they thrust me out of the world yet they cannot shut me out of heaven I am now going to my long home and you are going to your short homes but I will tell you I shall be at home before you I shall be at heaven my Fathers House before you will be at your own houses I am now going to the heavenly Jerusalem to the innumerable company of Angels to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant to the spirits of just men made perfect and to God the Judge of all In whose presence there is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore I conclude with the Speech of the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.6 7. I am now to be offered up and the time of my departure is at hand I have finished my course I have fought the good fight I have kept the faith Henceforth there is a Crown of righteousnesse laid up for me and not for me only but for all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ through whose bloud when my bloud is shed I expect remission of sins and eternal salvation And so the Lord blesse you all Beloved I will but pray a little while with you to commend my soul to God and I have done MOst glorious and eternal Majesty thou art righteous and holy in all thou dost to the Sons of men though thou hast suffered men to condemn thy Servant thy Servant will not condemn thee He justifies thee though thou cut'st him off in the midst of his daies and in the midst of his Ministry blessing thy glorious Name that though he be taken away from the Land of the Living yet he is not blotted out of the Book of the Living Father my hour is come thy poor Creature can say without vanity and falshood He hath desired to glorifie thee on Earth glorifie thou now him in Heaven He hath desired to bring the souls of other men to Heaven let his soul be brought to Heaven O thou blessed God whom thy Creature hath served who hath made thee his hope and his confidence from his youth Forsake him not now he is drawing nigh to thee Now he is in the valley of the shadow of death Lord be thou life to him Smile thou upon him whilest men frown upon him Lord thou hast setled this perswasion in his heart that as soon as ever the blow is given to divide his head from his body he shall be united to his Head in Heaven blessed be God that thy Servant dies in those hopes blessed be God that thou hast fill'd the soul of thy Servant with joy and peace in believing O Lord think upon that poor Brother of mine that is a Companion in tribulation with me who is this day to lose his life as well as I O fill him full of the joys of the holy Ghost when he is to give up the ghost Lord strengthen our hearts that we may give up the ghost with joy and not with grief We intreat thee O Lord think upon thy poor Churches O that England might live in thy sight and O that London might be a faithfull City to thee that righteousnesse might be among them that so peace and plenty might be within their wals and prosperity within their habitations Lord heal the breaches of these Nations make England and Scotland as one staff in the Lords hand that Ephraim may not envy Judah nor Judah vex Ephraim but that both may fly upon the shoulders of the Philistims Oh that men of the Protestant Religion engaged in the same cause and Covenant might not delight to spill each others bloud but might engage against the common Adversaries of our Religion and Liberty God shew mercy to all that fear him the Lord think upon our Covenant-keeping Brethren of the Kingdom of Scotland keep them faithfull to thee and let not them that have invaded them overspread their whole Land Prevent the shedding of more Christian bloud if it seem good in thine eyes God shew mercy to thy poor Servant who is here now giving up the ghost O blessed Jesus apply thy bloud not only for my Justification unto life but also for my comfort for the quieting of my soul that so I may be in the joys of Heaven before I come to a possession of Heaven Hear the prayers of all thy people that have been made for thy Servant and though thou hast denied prayer as to that particular request concerning my life yet let herein the fruit of prayer be seen that thou wilt bear up my heart against the fear of death God shew mercy to all that fear him and shew mercy to all who have ingaged for the life of thy Servant Let them have mercy at the day of their appearing before Jesus Christ Preserve thou a Godly Ministry in this Nation and restore a Godly Magistracy and cause yet good daies to be the heritage of thy people for the Lords sake Now Lord into thy hands thy Servant commits his Spirit and though he may not with Stephen see the Heavens open yet let him have the Heavens open and though he may not see upon a Scaffold the Son of God standing at the right hand of God yet let him come to the glorious body of Jesus Christ and this hour have an intellectuall sight of the glorious body of his Saviour Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and Lord Jesus stand by me thy dying Servant who hath endeavoured in his life time to stand for thee Lord hear pardon all infirmities wash away his iniquity by the blood of Christ wipe off reproaches from his Name wipe off guilt from his Person and receive him pure and spotlesse and blamelesse before thee in love And all this we beg for the sake of Jesus Christ Amen and Amen The last words that he was heard to speak were Blessed be God for Jesus Christ Published for the use of Mr Love 's special friends

And one of them hath written to me under his own hand to pray me to forgive him the wrong that he hath done me and told me withall that that day I should die a violent death his life would be no comfort to him because he was an Instrument in taking away of mine Others of the Witnesses were some terrified before they would testifie some were hired some fined before they would bear Witnesse against me But I will be off of this As concerning my Judges I will not judge them and yet I will not justifie them I will say but this of them I beleeve that what moved Herod to cut off John Baptist's Head that moved them to cut off mine and that was for his Oaths sake Herod to avoid Perjury would commit Murder whereas if John's Head had been upon his Shoulders he would have been guilty of neither I have something in the second place to speak concerning my Self and then I shall come briefly to a conclusion Concerning my Self I have gone through various reports there are many sons of Slander whose mouthes are as open Sepulchres in which they would bury my Name before my Friends can bury my Body but my comfort is there will be a Resurrection of Names as well as Bodies at the last day God will not only wipe off all tears from my eyes this day but he will also wipe off all blots and reproaches from my Name before many daies be over and though my body will soon rot under ground yet my hope is my Name will not rot above it I am not ignorant what Calumnies are cast upon me and more likely to be after I am dead and gone The very night before my intended Execution the last Moneth there was an insulting Letter written to me to tell me that after my death there should be something publisht against me to my shame I hope you will have so much charity as not to beleeve reproaches cast upon a dead man who will be silent in the grave and not able to speak a word in his own Justification I am aspersed both as to my Practice and as to my Principles I shall begin with the first There are five aspersions as to my Practice that are laid upon me That I am a Liar That I am an Extortioner That I am an Adulterer That I am a Murtherer and That I am a Turbulent Person Crimes scandalous in any man but much more abominable in a Minister Now I hope you will beleeve a dying man who dares not look God in the face with a lie in his mouth I am accused of lying that what I denied before the High Court of Justice that afterwards I should confesse or else was proved against me Now in the presence of God I tell you as I would confesse nothing that was Criminal so I did deny nothing that was true and that I may seal it to you with my bloud the same Protestations I made before the High Court I shall make briefly now 1. That I never writ Letter to the King Queen Church or State of Scotland or to any particular person of the Scottish Nation since the Warres began to this day 2. That I never received any Letter writ to me either from the King or from the Queen or from the Church or State of Scotland or from any particular person of the Scottish Nation since the Warres began to this day 3. That I never collected gave or lent one Peny of money either to the King Queen Church or State of Scotland or to any particular person to send into Scotland to any person of the Scottish Nation to this day It is true I did confesse though it was not proved and haply upon that ground the mistake might arise I did give Money to Massey and I did also write a Letter to him but he is of the English not of the Scottish Nation That for which I come here is only for moving for Money for him and that not upon a Military account but meerly to relieve his Personal necessities and for being present where Letters were read from him and others And although Man hath condemned me yet I am so far from thinking that either God or my own Conscience condemns me as Sinning in what I am condemned for that both God and my own Conscience doth Acquit me And what I said at the Barre when I received my Sentence that I shall say upon the Scaffold That for those things for which I am condemned neither God nor my own Conscience condemns me Again I am accused to be an Extortioner and this is in the mouths I am loth to name them because I will avoid all rancour But I am charged as if I should be a grievous Extortioner to receive Thirty pounds for the Loan of Three hundred pounds Besides Eight pounds per centum for Interest which in the presence of God and of you all I do declare to you is a most notorious and abominable falshood I am accused likewise to be an Adulterer and this report is not in the mouths of mean men but in the mouths of those that sit at the Stern As if I were a debauched Person and were guilty of Uncleannesse Now I tell you as Luther said of himself in another case That he was not tempted to Coveteousnesse so through the grace of God I can say I have not been tempted in all my life to Uncleanness It doth not much grieve me though these Slanders be cast upon me I know my betters have been worse accused before me Athanasius was accused by two Harlots that he had committed Folly with them and yet the man was Chast and innocent Beza was charged not only with Drunkennesse but with Lasciviousnesse also and many others have been accused with the same if not with worse Slanders then I have been But that which goeth nearest my heart I am accused to be a Murtherer also and this is a Charge high indeed I am charged with the guilt of all the Bloud of Scotland whereas did I lye under the guilt of one drop of Bloud I could not look upon God with so Chearfull a Countenance and I could not be filled with so Peaceable a Heart and Conscience as I have at this day I blesse my God I am free from the Bloud of all men Those who lay this to my Charge they do to me as Nero did to the Christians He set Rome on fire and then charged the Christians with it So they put England and Scotland into a Flame and yet Charge me with the guilt of that Bloud who have poured forth Tears to God night and day to quench the Burning which these mens Ambitions and Lusts have kindled And I would fain know of any man what Act is it that I have done or what is it that was proved in the High Court against me that makes me guilty of Scotlands Bloud Did I ever invite the Scots to invade England What man doth lay that to my Charge Did

Government of the Church shall stand and of all Governments I die with this perswasion that the Presbyterial Government makes most for purity and for unity throughout the Churches of the Saints I would begge them therefore to keep up Church-Government that they would not let their Elderships fall that they would take heed of too generall Admissions to the Lords Supper that they be not too prodigall of the bloud of Christ by too generall admissions of men to the Supper of the Lord that sealing Ordinance And now I am speaking to them I shall speak a word of them and so I have done I have heard many clamors since I came to prison as if all the City-Ministers were engaged in the Plot as it 's called that I am condemned for now as a dying man I tell you that all the Ministers that were present at the meetings and had a hand in the businesse for which I am to be put to death are either in prison or they are discovered already and therefore I do here upon my death free the Ministers of the City who are not yet in trouble nor discovered to the Committee of Examinations none of them had a hand in the businesse in which I was engaged in which my Conscience tels me I have not sinn'd I have done immediatly for I would fain be at my Fathers House I have but a word to speak to my own Congregation I return praises unto God and thankfullnesse unto them for the love I have had from them I found them a solid judicious and many of them a religious people the Ministry of that Learned man Mr Anthony Burgess did much good amongst them though I have cause to be humbled that my weak Ministry did but little They afforded me a great deal of love and a liberall maintenance And this is all I defire of them that they would chuse a Godly Learned and Orthodox Minister to succeed such an one as may keep up and carry on Church-Government It would be a great comfort to me before I go to Heaven if I had but this perswasion that a Learned Orthodox Godly man should fill that Pulpit and for encouragement to any godly Minister whose lot may be to succeed me I will say this that he will have as comfortable a Livelihood and as loving a people as are any people in London a few only excepted I had as much satisfaction among them as ever I had in any condition in all my life and should never have parted from them had not death now parted us to which I do submit with all Christian meeknesse and chearfullnesse I am now drawing to an end of my Speech and to an end of my life together But before I do expire my last breath I shall desire to justifie God and to condemn my self in all that is brought upon me Here I come to that which you call an untimely end and a shamefull death but blessed be God it is my glory and it is my comfort I shall justifie God he is righteous because I have sinned he is righteous though he cut me off in the midst of my daies and in the midst of my Ministry I cannot complain that Complaint in Psal 44.12 Thou sellest thy people for nought and dost not encrease thy wealth by their price My bloud it shall not be spilt for nought I may do more good by my death then by my life and glorifie God more in dying upon a Scaffold then if I had died of a disease upon my bed I blesse my God I have not the least trouble upon my spirit but I do with as much quietnesse of minde lie down I hope I shall upon the Block as if I were going to lie down upon my Bed to take my rest I see men hunger after my flesh and thirst after my Bloud let them have it it will hasten my happinesse and their ruine and greaten their guiltinesse though I am a man of an obscure Family of mean Parentage so that my bloud is not as the bloud of Nobles yet I will say it is a Christians bloud a Ministers bloud yea it is innocent bloud also My body my dead body it will be a morsell which I beleeve will hardly be digested and my bloud it will be bad food for this Infant-Commonwealth as M. Prideaux called it to suck upon Mine is not Malignant bloud though here I am brought as a grievous and notorious offender Now beloved I shall not only justifie God as I do without a complement for he were very just if my Prison had been Hell and this Scaffold the bottomlesse pit I have deserved both so that I do not only justifie God but I desire this day to magnifie God to magnifie the riches of his glorious grace that such an one as I born in an obscure Countrey in Wales of obscure Parents that God should look upon me and single me out from amongst all my kindred to be an object of his everlasting love that whenas the first fourteen years of my life I never heard a Sermon yet in the fifteenth year of my life God through his grace did convert me And here I speak it without vanity for what should a dying man be proud of though I am accused of many scandalous evils yet I speak to the praise and glory of my God for these twenty years God hath kept me that I have not fallen into any scandalous sin I have laboured to keep a good conscience from my youth up I magnifie his grace that he hath not only made me a Christian but a Minister and judged me faithfull to put me into the Ministry And though the Office be trodden upon and disgraced yet it is my glory that I die a despised Minister I had rather be a Preacher in a Pulpit then a Prince upon a Throne I had rather be an Instrument to bring souls to Heaven then to have all the Nations bring in Tribute to me I am not only a Christian and a Preacher but whatever men judge I am a Martyr too I speak it without vanity would I have renounced my Covenant and debaucht my Conscience and ventured my soul there might have been hopes of saving my life that I should not have come to this place but blessed be my God I have made the best choice I have chosen affliction rather then sin and therefore welcome Scaffold and welcome Axe and welcome Block and welcome Death and welcome All because it will send me to my Fathers House I have great cause to magnifie Gods grace that he hath stood by me during mine imprisonment it hath been a time of no little temptation to me yet blessed be his grace He hath stood by me and strengthned me I magnifie his grace that though now I come to die a violent death yet that death is not a terrour to me through the bloud of sprinkling the fear of death is taken out of my heart God is not a terrour to me therefore death is