Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A42359
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The true and perfect speech of Mr. James Guthrey, late minister of Sterling as it was delivered by himself immediately before his execution on June 1, 1661 at Edinbrough.
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Guthrie, James, 1612?-1661.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing G2267; ESTC R30329
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5,897
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16
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The True and Perfect SPEECH OF Mr. James Guthrey LATE Minister of Sterling As It was delivered by himself immediately before his Execution on Iune 1. 1661. at EDINBROVGH Sent from Edenburgh And printed for publick satisfaction and to prevent the disperssing of false Copies 1661. THE SPEECH OF Mr. Iames Guthrey LATE Minister of STERLING Men and Brethren I Fear many of you come hither to gaze rather then to be edified by the carriage and last words of a dying man but if any have an ear to hear as I hope some of this great Confluence have I desire your audience as to a few words I am come hither to lay down this earthly tabernacle and mortal flesh of mine and I bless God I do it willingly and not by constraint I say I suffer willinglie if I had been otherwise minded I might have made a diversion and not been a prisoner but I being conscious to my self of nothing worthy of death or bonds I would not stain my conscience with the suspicion of guiltiness by my withdrawing Neither have I wanted opportunity nor advantages to escape since I was a Prisoner Not by the fault of my Keeper God knows but otherwife But neither for this had I light or liberty least I should reflect upon the Lords Name and offend the Generation of the Righteous And if these men have not been mistaken or dealt deceitfullie in telling me so I might have avoiced not onlie the severity of the Sentence but also had favour and countenance by complying with the course of the times But durst not redeem my Life with the loss of my Integrity God knows I durst not And that since I was a Prisoner the Lord hath so held me by the hand that he never suffered me to bring to debate in my inward thoughts muchless to propound or hearken to any Overtures in that kind I did judge it better to suffer then to sin and therefore I am come hither to laie down my life this day and I bless God I die not as a Fool not that I have any thing wherein to glorie in my self I acknowledge I am a Sinner yea one of the vilest and greatest that hath owned a profession of Religion and one of the most unworthiest that hath preached the Gospel my Corruptions have been strong and manie and hath made me a sinner even in all things yea even in following my Dutie And therefore righteousness have I none of my own but I do beleive that Iesus Christ came into the World to save sinners whereof I am the chief through faith in his righteousness and blood have I obtained mercie and in him and through him alone have I the hope of a blessed conquest and victorie over sin and satan and hell and death and that I shall attain unto the Resurrection of the just and be made a pertaker of eternal life I know whom I have beleived and he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day I have preached Salvation through his name and as I have Preached so I believe and do commend the riches of his free grace and faith in his blood unto you all as the onely way whereby you can besaved and I bless God as I die not as a fool so also I die not for evil doing not a few of you may hapily judge that I suffer as a Thief or as a Murderer as an evil Doer or as a busie-body in other mens matters that was the lot of our Lord Jesus Christ himself and hath been the lot of many of his precious people and servants to suffer by the World as evil doers and as my soul stirs not at that but desires to rejoyce in being in conformity to my blessed head and so blessed a company in these things so do I desire in prayer that I may be to none of you to day on this account a stone of stumbling or a Rock of offence Blessed is he that will not be offended in Christ and his poor servants because of their being condemned as evil doers by the World God is my record that in these things for which sentence of death hath passed against me I have a good Conscience I bless God they are not matters of Compliance with the Sectaries or designes and practices against his Majesties person or Government or the Person or Government of his Royal Father my heart I bless God is Conscious of no disloyalty nay Loyal I have been and commend it to you all to be Loyal and Obedient unto the King true piety is the foundation of true loyalty a Wicked man may be a flatterer and a time server but he will never be a loyal Subject but to return to my purpose Matters for which I am condemned are matters belonging to my calling and function as a Minister of the Gospel such as the discovery and reproof of sin and pressing the holding fast the Oath of God and the Covenant in preserving and carrying on the work of Religion and Reformation according thereunto and denying to acknowledg the civil Magestrate to be the competent Judge in matters Ecclesiastical that in all these things which God so ordering by his gracious providence are the ground of my sentence and death I have a good conscience as having walked therein according to the light and rule of Gods word as doth become a Minister of the Gospel I do also bless the Lord that I do not dye as one not desired I know that of not a few I have never been nor am desired It hath been my lot to have been a man of contention and sorrow but it is my comfort that for my own things I have not contended but for the things of Jesus Christ and for what relates to his Interest and Work and well being of his people in order to the preserving and promoting of these I did protest against and stood in opposition to those Assemblies at St. Andrews and Dundee and Edenburg and the publique resolution of bringing the Malignant party to judicature and Armies of this Kingdom as conceiving the same contrary to the Word of God and to our Solemn Covenant and Ingagement and to be an inlet to defection and to the ruine and destruction of the Work of God as it is now manifest to this day to mens Consciences I have not therein been mistaken and was not fighting against the man of straw I was also desirous to have some poor Indeavour to have the Church of God purged from insufficient scandalous and corrupt Ministers and Elders For these things I have been mistaken by some and hated by others but I blesse the Lord as I had the testimony of my own conscience I am there in a approving and in the conscience of many of the Lords people and precious servants and how little soever I may dye not desired by some yet by these I know I dye desired and their approbation is of more value to me then all the contradictions and
reproaches of the other I doe with all my heart forgive them and wherein I have offended any of them I doe beg their mercy and forgivenesse and doe from my soul wish that my death may be profitable unto both that the one may be confirmed in the sweet way of the Lord and that the other if the Lord will may be convinced and cease from those things that are not good and doe not edifie But yet there is one thing I would warne you all of that God is wroth yea very wroth with Scotland and threatens to depart and remove his candlestick The Causes of his wroth are many and would to God that were not one great cause that the causes of his wroth are despis'd and rejected by a great many Consider that case that is recorded Ier. 26. and the consequence of it and tremble and fear I cannot but also say there is a great increase of wroth by the deluge of prophanity that overflowes the Land and hath reins loosed unto it every where in so far that many have lost not only the use and exercise of Religion but even morallity and common civillity that is to be found even among heathen Secondly The horrible treachery and perjury that is in the matter of the Covenant and Cause of God and work of reformation Be astonished ye Heavens at this shall the people break the Covenant and prosper saith the Lord Shall the Throne of iniquity have fellowship with God which frameth mischiefe by a Law I fear the Lord is about to bring a Sword on this Land which shall aveng the Covenant Thirdly Horrible Ingratitude after ten years oppression and bondage He hath broken the yoak of Strangers from off your necks but what doe we render unto the Lord for all his kindnesse Most of the fruit of our deliverance is to work wickednesse and strengthen our selves to doe evill Fourthly Most fearfull Idolatry and sacrificing to the creature We have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the Image of a corruptible man in whom many have placed almost all their salvation and desires and have turned that which might have been a blessing unto us being kept into a due subordination unto God into an Idol of jealousie by preferring it before him 5. God is also wroth with a corrupt and carnal generation of corrupt and carnal time-serving Ministers I know and bear Testimony there is your true and faithful Ministers blessed be God we have yet many who study their duty and desire to be found faithful unto the Lord and I pray you to Honour Reverence and Esteem much of those for their Work sake I pray them to be encouraged in their Lord and Master who is with them to make them an Iron Pillar and Brazen Wall and a strong Defenced City in their faithful following of their Duty But O that there were not too many that minde Earthly things that are enemies to the Cross of Christ who push with the side and shoulder who strengthen the hand of evil Doers who make themselves Transgressors by studying to build what formerly they did destroy I mean Prelacy and the Service Book and the Mysterie of Iniquity that works on us whose steps lead us to the House of the great Whore and Mother of Fornication and whoever he be that builds this Iericho let him take heed of that Curse of the Flying Rowle mentioned in Zach. 5. and let all Ministers take heed that they walk and be stedfast in the Faith and quit themselves and be strong and give seasonable warning concerning sin and Duty Many of the Lord's people do sadly complain of the fainting and silence of many Watchmen and it concerns them to consider what God calls for at their hand in such a day Silence now in a Watchman now when he is called to speak and to give his Testimony on the peril of his life is doubtless a great sin The Lord open the mouths of his Servants to speak his Word with all boldness That Covenant-breaking may be discovered and reproved and that the Kingdome of Christ may not be supplanted nor the souls of his people be destroyed without a Warning I have but a few words more to adde All that are prophane among you I â—xhort to Repentance for the day of the Lord's wrath hastneth and is neer but there is yet a Door of mercy opened unto you if you will not despise the day of salvation All you that are Malignant and Reproachers of Godliness and of such as live godly take heed what you do it will be a hard matter for you to kick against pricks you make your selves the Buts of the Lord's fury and flaming Indignation if you do not cease and repent of your Ungodly deeds All that are Neuters 〈◊〉 Indifferent Luke-warm Professors be zealous lest the Lord spew you out of his mouth And you that repent for all the abominations that are done in the City and in the Land and that take pleasure in the stones and dust of Zion cast not away your confidence but be comforted and encouraged in the Lord he will yet appear for your joy God hath not cast away his people and work in Britain and Ireland I hope it shall once appear and revive by the power of his Spirit and take root downward and bring forth plentiful fruit upward there is yet a holy Seed a Root whom God will preserve and bring forth but how long and dark our night may be I do not know The Lord shorten it for the sake of his Chosen In the mean time be you patient and immoveable abounding in the work of the Lord and in love one to another Beware of Snares which are strowed thick Cleave unto the Covenant and Work of Reformation Do not decline the Cross of Christ Chuse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season and account the reproaches of the Lord greater riches then all the Treasures of Aegypt Let my death grieve none of you it will be more profitable and advantagious both for me and you and for the Church of God and for Christ's Interest then my life could have been I Forgive all men the Guilt of it and desire you to do so also Pray for them that persecute you Bless them that Curse you Bless I say and Curse not I dye in the Faith of the Apostles and Primitive Christians and Protestant Reformed Church particularly that Church of Scotland whereof I am a Member and Minister and bear my Testimony and Witnesse to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of Scotland by Assemblies Synod Presbyteries and Societies Popery Prelacy and also their Trumpery of Service and Ceremony I doe abhor and bear my witnessing unto the National Covenant in Scotland Solemn League between the three Kingdomes the Sacred Solemn and Publick Oath of God I cannot believe can be loosed by or dispensed with by any Person or Power or any one on earth but are still binding on these Nations and will be for ever hereafter and are Ratified and sealed by the Conversion of many thousand Souls since our entring therein I bear my witnesse unto the Protestation against the Contraverted Assembly and their publick Resolution To the testimony given against the Sectaries Against that course of defection that is now in the Land and all the branches thereof in that In the last place I bear my witnesse to the Crosse of Christ and that I had never cause nor have cause this day to repent of any thing I have suffered or can suffer for his Name and I take God to Record upon my Soul I would not exchange this Scaffold with the fairest Palace or Miter of the Greatest Prelate blessed be God who hath shewed Mercy unto such a Wretch and hath revealed his Son unto me and made me a Minister of the Everlasting Gospel that he hath dignified me in the midst of much Contradiction from Sathan and the World to fulfill my Ministry on the hearts of not a few of his People especially in the Stage wherein I last was I mean the Congregation of the Presbyterie of Sterling God forgive that poor vain empty man that did there Intrude my labour and hath made a prey of many poor Souls and hath exposed others to reproach and oppression and a famine of the Word of the Lord God forgive that misleader of the poor People who tempted them to reject their alone Minister the Father of Mercy pitty that poor mislead people and the Lord direct the Congregations and Presbyteries of Scotland once more with faithfull Pastors and grant that the Work of the Lord may be revived through all Brittain and over all the World Christ is my Light and my Life my Righteousnesse my Strength and my Salvation he is also my Salvation and all my desire is in him I doe with all the strength of my Soul commend him to you Blessed are they that are not offended in him Blesse him O my Soul from henceforth and for ever rejoyce rejoyce yea rejoyce all that love him be patient and rejoyce in Tribulation blessed are ye and blessed shall you be for ever and everlasting love and Eternall Salvation is yours all are yours ye are Christs and Christ is Gods Remember me O Lord with the favour thou bearest to thy one People direct me with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen therein that I may rejoyce with the gladnesse of thy Nation that I may glory with thy Inheritance now let thy Servant depart in peace since my eyes have seen thy Salvation FINIS