Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A85977
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A true and exact copy of Mr. Gibbons's speech which he intended to have spoken immediately before his death, on the scaffold at Tower Hill, August 22. 1651.
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Gibbons, John, d. 1651.
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1651
(1651)
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Wing G661; Thomason E796_24; ESTC R207344
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15,277
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8
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nothing now to do but to take my leave of the world where I do again forgive all that have been the instruments to bring me to this place heartily I desire that they may have mercy and forgivenesse at the hand of God when they have most need of it I know it is the hand of God that hath brought me to this place and that all things are under his Seal that neither death nor any thing else can come without his Commission it is not the death I am now to think upon but that which follows after I am now presently to lunch into the gulf of eternity never shall come back more to call over this life I am going with a naked soul to stand before God whose eys are ten thousand times brighter then the Sun that will never behold the least iniquitie the very thoughts of this God would be as terrible as devouring flames of fire did not I behold him in the merits and mercies of a Saviour sitting at his right hand making intercession for me his righteousnesse is more able to save then all the sins of men and divells can be to send to hell had I all the righteousnesse of men and Angels woe and ten thousand woes be unto me if I had not an interest in the righteousnesse of my blessed Saviour and then had I all the sins since the Creation of the world laid to my charge it is as easie for me to have a pardon in bloud of Christ for them all as for one vain thought all my righteousnesse is as filthy rags sin enough there is in my best prayers and performances for ever to throw me out of the presence of God into hell I have scarlet crimson sins sins of all sorts but through faith in the merits of my Saviour I have a sure confidence grounded upon promises and the Covenant of Free-grace that I shall now suddainly rest in the Lord and enter into my Masters joy where I shall never to all eternity to praise him blessed be God and blessed be his people for the benefit help and support I have had by their prayers the archers have both griev'd and shot at me but my bow hath abode in strength and the arrows of my hands have been made strong by the hands of the mighty God the Lord return a thousand-fold all the love and kindnesse with the reward of those prayers that have been made for me into the bosom of his own people the last prayer that Sampson made was that the Lord would remember him and strengthen him only once more it is the last request that ever I shall make unto you that are the Lords Remembrancers therefore be not wanting unto me now at the last act of my life only help me this once it is the last time that ever you shall pray for me the last sigh the last tear that ever you shall shed to do me good stir and quicken up your graces act your faith in God improve all your interest at the Throne of grace take notice who brought and what was thrown into the Churches treasury the eys of God run to and fro through the world he looks upon every heart this day and sees who pities me who prays and stâ—ives to help me through this bloudy passage who use their utmost indeavours to strengthen my heart and hands io incounter with death it is usuall for you to do the last things best when you give last to give most deal so with me this day put out all your might and strength to bring me safe off this Scaffold to my Fathers house for it is the last time that ever I shall need your prayers and help Most gracious God into thy hands I commit my Spirit I was never yet in distresse but thou diddest comfort me never yet in want but thou diddest receive me therefore I know thou wilt not fail to help me in this my needfull time of trouble O blessed Saviour thou hast sought after me when I was running from thee therefore I am confident thou wilt receive me now I am coming to thee Though death be my portion by sin eternall life is my purchase by thy righteousnesse though my sins should exceed the number of millions of Ages yet I know thy merits and righteousnesse is ten thousand times more exceeding upon this rock do I anchor my hope and with this assurance do I die Mr. Gibbons's last Prayer in the hearing of the People O Most blessed and glorious Lord God a God of piercing eys and seest me thy poor creature thou knowest the intention of my heart then hear the words of my mouth but thou knowest the intentions of my soul O Lord put words into my mouth vvhat I should speak for my self novv is the last time that ever I shall speak till I come to speak and admire thee to eternity O blessed God! O vvhat is a smile of thy face novv O one smile is more vvorth then ten thousand vvorlds O blessed God! before my head is severed from my body let me be assured that my soul shall be received into thy hands O blessed God! let me find novv the benefit of all the prayers and tears and desire of my heart Lord it is true I have nothing to plead I have not a handfull of Goats haire I have nothing but a dead dull heart but Lord though I be broken and distracted thou looked'st upon Hezekiah vvith his chattering prayers vvhen he chattered as a Crane ' blessed Lord look upon the Lord Jesus Christ and vvhatsoever imperfections thou hast seen in me pardon them and vvash me from them in his bloud Lord though I had never sinned before I came to this Scaffold yet I have committed sin enough here to throvv me into everlasting burning but Lord look for thy promise sake for thy mercy sake look over thy bovvells of compassion consult vvith them novv and vvith thine Attributes and whatsoever Christ and Mercy may speak hear the cries this day Blessed God there is no reason that thou shouldest own me but there is reason thou shouldest own thy promise and own thy truth and own thy Christ O blessed God! grant that this day all thy people may blesse thee and may go and keep a day of Thanksgiving that I have not carried my self any way unbecoming a Christian Lord let me give thee the glory I am but poor dust and ashes and clay the unworthiest in the world all my strength is nothing I blesse God I am nâ—w coming where I shall need Faith no more nor Hope no more O 〈…〉 let me act all the strength I have in thy Promise and in the Lord Jesus Christ s … e particular promise O Lord shew thy self O one smile for the Lord Jesus Châ—iâ—ts sake I commend all unto thee I lay my neck upon the Block I give my soul into thy hands take my soul it is no matter what becomes of my body I shall never more never more hope for any thing or desire any thing but all my soul shall be filled up Lord hear me and help me and stand by me and strengthen me and guide me and pardon and forgive all my sins for the Lord Jesus Christs sake His prayer being ended he put off his dubblet and ask't for his Noble Friend Dr. Bastwick and imbraced him after that he imbraced his Unkle and others of his friends on the Scaffold then laying his head on the Block Dr. Bastwick came to him and wish'd him to take off his Rings which accordingly he did by raâ—sing himself upon his knees and gave them to his Unkle which done he laid his head on the Block and holding up his left hand the Executioner at one blow and a small rase severed his head from his body FINIS
that I must this day die for what a thousand pens write is no matter but what God and Conscience write that shall stand I am most assured this daies work will be written in heaven suffering for the Lord Jesus and his Truth I have the testimony of my conscience for whatever I have done concerning this and can die with abundance of peace and go to God with comfort this you are to believe from the mouth of a dying man and not regard what a company of ingaged men declare to make for their interest who goe contrary to all rules of Conscience neither know how to shew mercy to Christians while they live nor to their names when they are dead I cannot but wonder that the men in power can look any Christian in the face and tell him of a plot who have been the originall and foundation of those plots that have torn Nations and Kingdoms apieces rent asunder all Laws Ordinances Government Liberties Priviledges Proprieties and whatsoever is dear either to Christians or rational men and thrown three Kingdomes into that misery that all the enemies in the world could not have done the like without them but rather how will they be able to stand and look God in the face when they shall come to reckon for this and make Inquisition for bloud unto whose doors will all the desolations bloud and ruine of Scotland and Ireland return for these three or four last years who amongst us living that knows not some three years since we had the most glorious promising bright morning that ever looked England in the face all our heads and hands listed up and our hearts raised with expectations to receive the reward of many years sufferings and prayers and to be paid for the expence of all the bloud After all this how comes it to passe we behold with our eys such horrible daies of darknesse breaking and treading down after such hopes of seeing England cloathed with glory and peace and become like the garden of Edev how comes it to be an Aceldama a Golgotha a field of bloud and place of dead mens sculls after our Ship was thus brought to the harbot with all the lifes liberties and safeties of three Kingdomes Who were they that were the instruments to throw it back into so miserable a stormy Sea as the Lord knows whether man or child living upon the earth shall ever see it get out again they which have done this are plotters indeed plotters with a Witnesse these are the Egiptians that all the people of God and all the reformed Churches in Christendome groan under these like Nero have set all on sire and would fain lay it upon the Christians like as the Papists plot and contrive lay barrels of gunpowder to blow up King Lords and House of Commons and when they have done they intend to lay it upon the Puriâ—anes but God will not be mocked early or late he will find them out and make them know what the lives of innocents are worth and what undermining of States and all such actions as those must cost Many delightfull sights hath Antichrist seen the massacre of Paris was a glorious sight in the eys of Antichrist the piles of wood that burnt so many Martyrs in QMaries-time and all the streams of bloud that were then let out of the hearts of Gods people was a most beloved fight in the eys of Antichrist The persecution in the Bishops time the imprisoning and banishing of Gods people and Ministers the carriage of three Worthies to the Pillory and cutting off their ears was a pleasing sight in the eyes of Antichrist The breaking asunder the Parliament throwing down the House of Lords tearing the Members out of the House of Commons putting the King to death and over-turning all the Laws and Government of the Nation ingaging all the people as well in a necessity of sinning as perishing and then invade the Church of Scotland kill and slay the precious of the Lord these and such sights as these are very rare in the eys of Antichrist the plucking down of Magistracy and Ministery the letting loose of the Chain of Error and Heresie the discountenancing of truth and faithfull Ministers tolerating of all manner of false Doctrine and damnable blasphemers is a most delightfull sight in the eys of Antichrist these and many such sights hath Antichrist seen but the most joyfull sight that ever his eys beheld is the late proceedings of the present Power in tearing Ministers from their Congregations locking up both them and many more of the Lords people in prison for nothing but endeavouring to keep that Covenant which they have made them to swear representing their office and persons under that contempt and scorn that they serve for nothing else but signs and wonders being made a butt and mark for all invenomed arrows reproach and scorn to be shot at as the like was never seen by English eys till now but yet a more joyfull sight do the eys of Antichrist behold such a one I dare say as he never saw in England before that is a most faithfull Minister and blessed servant of God put to death by Protestants and such as call themselves the most pious religious people upon the earth Next to him I am brought upon the Stage to incounter with death and fight the bloudy battell the Lord knows how many may follow I pray that I may be the last but is not Johabs hand in this are not the hands of Papists and Jesuits in all this I need bring no arguments to perswade you to believe it I think very few but are convinced that they both sit at the Stern and are the chiefest actors therefore whatsoever they do must needs be very delightful in the eys of Antichrist as they are joyfull lights to Antichrist so are they the most saddest sights that ever Gods people beheld O blessed God say they is all the expence of our bloud and all our mourning fasting and prayer come to this after such hopes of healing have we such wounds made in our souls such peircing swords put into our bowells is there nothing will serve the turn but the death of Gods Ministers the blood of his people had it been any thing else I could have born it but to see such precious blood spilt like water upon the ground it goes so near the heart of me that I see my self cut off from all that should be a comfort to me I go in to my closet I can find no comfort there if I go to my friends I can receive no comfort from them if I look upon my children then my heart is fill'd with woe and misery to think what will become of them and there I lie down in sorrow and rise up in sorrow and know not what to do I confesse such things as these and such a sight as you have this day seen is matter of great lamentation and blesse God that you can mourn for it for