they are first checked for their sins Therefore good people as you love your own Souls take heed of the beginnings of sin and kill sin betimes before it grow too strong for you If I had done so I verily beleeve and think that sin had not at this time thus killed me as now it will certainly do But seeing it is so that I am here brought a poor distressed Captive unto my death by the Tyranny and cruelty of sin it is my desire that I may through the gracious assistance of God be enabled to do a greater mischief unto sin by my death then sin hath done unto me in bringing me to this death which will I hope but kill my body onely although it be a bitter cursed and a shameful death Oh hearken to what I have said unto you and let me for that purpose humbly beg of all that either hear me or shall hear of me and oh that I could prevail with every young person to cast away sin betimes to check it in the first beginning I do seriously think there is no such course to destroy the growing of it in the hearts of men and women as that would be Sirs I am now a dying man and truly if I knew of any better way to ruine sin then other in mine own observation I would surely now tell you For I bless God I can say it truly that I am a real enemie to sin because sin I find is such a great enemy to God to all Mankind and particularly I have found it my greatest enemy that ever I had Oh that I had taken this counsel which now through the great goodness and grace of God I have given to you certainly it would have prevented the growth of sin in this poor sad and now sorrowful soul of mine Certainly I had not now been here as I am to suffer this cursed and shameful death which I am justly to suffer both from God and Man for my most foul horrid and bloody sin The taking away the life of him who was unto me as dear as my Brother which sin I hope God for his Son Jesus Christ his sake hath in mercie to my poor Soul forgiven This sin this bloody sin I hope the onely wise merciful gracious and good God hath sanctified for the everlasting good of my poor Soul He who is able to bring light out of darkness and good from the greatest evill can by his infinite goodness bring from this sin of mine which is the destruction of my Body the eternal salvation of my Soul This is a Mercy never to be forgotten by my friends that although I have been so unhappie as to stain their Names and Reputations here yet I hope through the grace mercy and goodness of God I may be their joy and rejoycing hereafter Oh this sin that the Devil was suffered to tempt me to commit my wicked heart consenting thereunto I have observed since my imprisonment this blood-guilty sin was as a punishment of my other sins which I went on in without considering whither I was going Had I truly and timely repented of my former sins I verily beleeve and am fully perswaded I had prevented this this foul this horrid sin for which I can never be too much affected nor afflicted Yet nevertheless this sin I hope through the grace of God hath been a rousing and an awakening sin to me it hath caused me to call to remembrance all my former sins and to be humbled for them and I hope through the gracious assistance of God I have truly repented of them all I thank God for his mercy I can truly say that I am now another manner of Creature then formerly I was Formerly God came not into my thought with any joy and content but now to think of God is exceeding precious to my soul To think of the name of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is the chief joy and rejoycing of my soul This is some change and I think a great change and I hope a good change formerly I sinned with great delight and now through the grace of God I delight not in any sin nay I can truly say more I do now through Gods grace hate and loath sin and this I know to be true for I do even hate my most beloved sin The sin of Uncleanness which I do advise all Young-men to watch and pray against and for the more effectual prevention thereof to live very temperately and soberly making no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof This sin I bless God for his grace I can now truly say I hate it I hope if I were to live as many years in the world as I may do moments I should through the grace of God never commit more And the sin of Lying which formerly I made no conscience of I think I can truly say now through the grace of God thar I truly hate it as a wicked sin and Lying now is so base an evil in my sight that I could not be hired to tell a lye no not I hope if I had the promise of my life givenme which in my condition is the greatest gift which man can bestow upon me yet I hope even for my life to save it from this terrible death I should not be tempted to sin against so good a God who hath given me the hopes of an eternal life and delivered me from a thousand times a more terrible death nor against my blessed Redeemer who died to take away my sins and who hath thus graciously looked upon me so vile so wicked and so miserable a sinner as I have been and hath shewed mercy upon me not for any worth that is in me who am the unworthiest of all men but for his own names sake because mercy pleaseth him To whom therefore be glory for ever Amen I have now declared unto you the grounds I have of my hope that I have made my peace with God through Jesus Christ and have obtained through his grace and mercy my perfect reconciliation to God and my blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ I shall in the next place in deep humility as being very sensible that I have wronged very many and therefore I do here humbly beg my pardon from all the World for all the wrong and injury that I have in any kind done unto any one And indeed I should be glad if I could to make restitution to every one but that I am not able to do and therefore I must content my self with begging their pardon and forgiveness which I do here desire from every one man woman and child even for Jesus Christ his sake whom it is that they themse ves must all fle unto for his pardon or else be miserable for ever and as they desire the Lord Jesus should forgive them all their wrongs done against him so I hope they will for his sake forgive me all mine committed against them And as I have desired my pardon and
could willingly serve him in singleness of heart Aus Thou art bound by the Gospel to obey and be in subjection to such a man if he be thy Master 1 Pet. 218 19. Servants be subject to your Masters with all fear of neglecting their lawful commands not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward For this is thank-worthy if a man for conscience toward God endure grief suffering wrongfully For what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye take it patiently but if when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently this is acceptable with God For even hereunto ye were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps Who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously I confesse it were well for Masters for wo to them that are naught and froward making their servants to suffer words and buffetings and other abuses wrongfully and well for Servants if they could serve men gentle and good but however they serve a God and Saviour that 's good and that will reward all that suffer lesse or more for his sake As my advice to you is that you would honour and obey and be faithful in all things to your Masters so I beseech you shun all sins and all appearance of evill but especially flee from idle companions Prov. 13.20 He that walks with wise men shall be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed Riotous deboist drunken swearing cursing whoring wretches are fools in the sense of Scripture and seeing it is self-destructive to be a companion with such persons wilt thou walk any more with such drinking to drunkenness Dicing and Carding are things of evill report and very evill things they lead likewise to other evils Nathaniel Butler was a great Company keeper and a great Gamester and what did he grow to at the last 2. Flee 2 Tim. 2.22 youthfull lusts Flee fornication 1 Cor. 6.18 But before a man will flee from any thing he must see that thing to be dangerous Now that Fornication Uncleanness and Whoredom is dangerous I demonstrate thus whereby it will appear every way destructive that it 1. Endangereth Reputation 't is a dishonour to the name and person of a Man or Woman Deut. 23.17 There shall be no whore of the daughter of Israel nor a Sodomite of the sons of Israel Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God Rom. 1.24 Wherefore God gave them up unto uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies among themselves Heb. 13.4 Marriage is honourable in all and the bed underfiled implying the defiled is shameful but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge 2. Endangereth substance Pro. 29.3 Who so loveth wisdom rejoyceth his father but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance How many have spent fair Estates by following this filthy sin Many spend their own substance and that also which is not their own but their Masters or Parents upon impudent wicked whorish women it is a disgracing and an impoverishing sin who sees not this by experience oftentimes 3. Following Harlots will lead thee to Hell will provoke God to take vengeance on thee Jer. 5 7 8 9. How shall I pardon thee for this thy chidren have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods when I had fed them to the full then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in Harlots houses the vengeance of God will rout and miserably destroy such troops when he sets himself in array against them they were as fed horses in the morning every one neighed after his neighbours wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my soul wo then to their souls be avenged on such a Nation as this Prov. 7.25 26 27. Let not thine heart decline to her ways go not astray in her path for she hath cast down many wounded wounded in their credit wounded in their Estates and wounded in their Consciences yea many strong men have been slain by her This is a bloody wounding slaying sin Vers 27. Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death To live in chambering and wantonness is the way to lie down in the chambers of death Remember the two young men named in the Narrative who were lately bedfellows above ground and now are become chamber-fellows bellow for the fear of the Lord prolongeth dayes but the years of the wicked shall be shortned break off then speedily from all sin as you hope for long-lasting life here and for everlasting life hereafter Obj. We can repent and mourn and pray hereafter For did not Nathaniel Butler live a long time wickedly and repented in a short time at the last Answ Do not think that you can repent when you please if you put off Repentance you put it to a peradventure 2 Tim 2.25 In meekness instructing those that oppse themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth Do as David did Psal 119.20 who made haste and delayed not to keep the Commandments of God Delays in matters relating to life are most dangerous I hope no man nor woman will presume that the Lord is any way obliged to wait upon them so long as they please indeed it pleaseth him to wait to be gracious but who knows how neer to a period the time of Gods attendance on sinners is Acts 17.30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth alt men every where to repent 2 Pet. 3.9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but is long suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all as Acts 17.30 men every where should come to repentance The Gospel of God and the goodness of God are gone forth for this very end to lead men to repentance but if sinners refuse to repent then after their hardness and impenitent heart under the Gospel goodness and long-suffering of God they treasure to themselves wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 1. God hath a day of grace for every poor sinner 2. He hath a day of wrath for men finally impenitent Think on it is it not a thing proper and likely to provoke God against you to swear in his wrath you shall never enter into his rest seeing men despise his goodness and do receive his grace in vain Nathaniel Batler being Executed in Cheapside over against Milk-street End about eight or nine in the morning a Multitude of People being Spectators he was afterwards cut down and his Corps put into that Coach which
design and in God's sense and esteem who searcheth the heart As a man that doth not commit the act of Adultery is an Adulterer nevertheless if his heart lust after a woman Mat. 5.28 So if a man never lay violent hands upon another yet if his heart disaffect and hate him he is a Murderer And ye know that no Murderer whether he be a Murderer in the sense of this Scripture or any other hath eternal life abiding in him that is hath the promise of eternal life or the evidence of it abiding in him Do not conceive from this clause that a man who was at any time guilty of blood by murthering another or hating another cannot be saved or enter into life for Manasseh David and others were blood-guilty but upon repentance were pardoned I doubt not of Nathaniel Butlers life eternal though he did destroy and take away the life of his Brother because God gave him repentance and humiliation The meaning is this No Murderer hath eternal life abiding in him if this man abide in his malice hatred and under his murder impenitent and stupid Is he whosoever he be that hateth another a Murderer Then Vse 1. Examine your selves Is Hatred so hainous a sin How may we know then whether we are not haters of any man Now Hatred is manifested thus 1. By refusing to rebuke thy brother or neighbor for his sin Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy brother and not suffer sin upon him Prov. 13.24 He that spareth the rod hateth his son 2. By keeping without cause at a distance from men Gen. 26.27 And Isaac said unto them Wherefore come ye to me seeing ye hate me and have sent me away from you If ye cry Away with him away with him to banishment imprisonment Away with such an one out of my sight I cannot endure this or that person in my sight Thou art an hater and a murderer See Judg 11.7 And Jephtah said unto the Elders of Gilead Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my fathers house 3. Warlike language Gen. 37.4 They hated him and could not speak peaceably to him When men cannot give one another a good word what is this but malice and hatred in the heart Gen. 49.29 The archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him Bending the bow and shooting bitter words speak out bitterness and hatred within 4. Lying in wait for rising up against and mortally wounding another Deut. 19.11 But if any man hate his neighbor and lie in wait for him and rise up against him and smite him mortally that he die c. Rev. 17.16 These shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Harsh usage shews hatred Try your selvs by these and other Scripture-signs and try impartially Vse 2. Exhort men to lay aside their sin See what the word chargeth upon 't 1. 'T is from the Devill as love is of God 1 Thes 4.9 Ye are taught of the Devill to hate 1 John 4.11 12. This is the Message that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another not as Cain who was of that WICKED ONE meaning as Cain was a man of cruelty and hatred so he was of the Divell hatred is all hatcht in Hell O then retain it no more in your hearts 2. It proves a man to be yet unregenerate Titus 3.2 3. For we our selves also were sometimes foolish and disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in MALICE and ENVY hatefull and hateing one another But after that the kindness and love of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appeared c. It s too too apparent from this passage that the kindness and love of God hath not wrought kindly upon mens hearts so long as they live in malice envy and hatred how can a man be a cut throat and a Christian at the same time a man of hatred and a child of God 3. Thou art a murderer I have here transscribed some suteable passages of a very reverend Godly man I mean Mr. Joseph Caryl who in his excellent exposition upon the 5th Chapter of Job and 2 verse speaketh thus concerning wrath So in like manner wrath is said to slay a man first because it thrusts him headlong upon such things as are his death he runs willfully upon his own death sometimes by the dangerousness of the action when a casuall sudden death surprises him sometime by the unlawfulness of the action which brings him to a legal judiciary death Secondly his wrath is said to kill him because his wrath is so vexations to him that it makes his life a continual death to him and at last so wearieth him out and wasts his Spirits that he dies for very grief and so at once commits a threefold murder First he murders him intentionally against whom he is wroth Secondly he really murders his own body And thirdly he meritoriously murders his Soul for ever except the Lord be more merciful then he hath been wrathful and the death of Christ heale those wounds by which he would have procured the death of others and hath as much as in him lies procured his own This is true of hatred as well as of wrath for he that hateth his brother is a Murderer 1. He murthers his Brother whom he hates hatred is a wishing and seeking for at least in heart the slaughter death and destruction of his Brother when the Apostle John affirmeth whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer his meaning is he is a Murderer of that Brother whom he hateth and he is so because he hateth him 2. He that hateth his Brother is a Murderer more then once he doth not only murder his brother but himself by bringing eternal death upon himself for hateing his Brother he that murders himself is felo de se a Self-murderer is manifest from these words and ye know that no murderer meaning a malicious man hath eternal life abiding in him To be a murderer is 1. A crying sin Gen. 4.10 And he said what hast thou done the voyce of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the Ground If men would think what am I doing now I am hateing my Brother I am murdering in Gods account and murder is a loud sin Surely then we should harbour no hatred Murder 2 It is a very reproachful shameful sin considered in the act that followes it to prove a man guilty of willfull murder renders him a shame to himself a blot to his relations thou that hatest art a murderer O be ashamed of this shameful hatred 3. Murder is a sin that sets the vengeance of God against a man the very Barbarians beleeve that vengeance and death will fall strangely and speedily on Murderers Acts 28.4 And when the Barbarians saw the venemous beast hang on his hand they said among themselves very confidently no doubt this
as all along he was ready to take all occasions of a full free and impartial confession of Sins cloathing them with their agravating Circumstances to make them out of measure sinfull His high admiring thoughts of the Love and Grace of God several ways he expressed in a most serious affectionate manner both in generall and in reference to himself and his sence of his interest in them He was much in Repetition with thankful wonderment of many proomises of God some I had before spoken of in preaching and some others such as set forth Gods readiness to pardon the freeness largeness and unchangeableness of the Pardoning mercy of God and again and again speaking in the words of Paul And that such an one as I should obtain mercy Such an one as I find mercy Admiring the distinguishing grace of God towards him that when other Prisoners though in lesse danger then himself of Death whom we then heard above makeing a noise were without thought of Sin or God God should snatch him as a Fire-brand and that in such a way making sin so great sin to be overruled to his great good He expressed his appretiating thoughts of Gods promises savourly descanting upon them and comfortably applying them to himself saying I could formerly find no thing desirable in a Promise or any Word of God it was a burthen to me but now that the promises were the rejoycing of his heart He said Satan had sorely winowed and buffeted him but Christ was on his side And using the words of the Apostle This is our rejoycing the Testimony of our Consciences he added God hath said whosoever repenteth and beleeveth shall find mercy and be saved my Conscience telleth me and witnesseth to me that I unfeignedly repent and really beleeve in Christ and I am one of those Whosoever therefore Christ is mine c. As to his Condition in general from what I found or otherwise heard I conceive there are many things very remarkable 1. As to his sin committted 1. That this great Sin was clearly a judiciall sin the punishment of former Sins for which God left him 2. That as it was the deserved fruit of a bad Cause so it was the accidentall cause of good fruit the Lord overshooting Satan in his own bow when and by what meanes he took to make sure of him God startled and roused Conscience which would not with the noise of lesse guilt be awaked and humbled the Sinner c. Secondly It seemeth to me very observeable as to the Work of God upon him that it was so orderly gradual he being first bound up partly through his ignorance in which he had been brought up partly through the amazing guilt that with an overwhelming stupifying power came upon him he afterwards by degrees and that at last to such a measure of clearness and distinctness of Understanding in the things of God had an extraordinary beam of divine light darted into his Soul and that by degrees his sence of the sinfulness of sin increased as I have been credibly informed to a deep humiliation not without horror and so ingenious confession And then upon the alone and most sufficient foundation of the rich and precious promises of the Gospel he was raised up to the apprehension of mercy and at last of his particular interest in it 3. The hand of the Lord upon the hearts of his People Magistrates Ministers and other Christians in some measure evidencing the thoughts of God towards the poor man to be thoughts of Peace and good-will In that favour he so high an Offendor found to have time of repentance and reconciliation who himself gave none to his Friend In the means afforded him and manifold helps for his spiritual advantage which he in my hearing took notice of with admiring thankfulness Sermons Visits generall pitty of Gods people in the importunate enlarged fervency of Ministers and Christians in praying for him scarcely to be parallel'd in the memory of men THO PARSON Some PassAges between Nath. Butler and a Friend of his that came to visit him which have been omitted in the other Conferences Friend HOw do you Nathautel N. Butler Very well blessed be God only I must tell you that even now here were with me some Popish Ladies who asked me concerning my Faith and what Religion I did intend to die in I told them in the true Protestant Religion of the Church of England They answered if I died not in the Roman Catholick Religion I could not be saved and prest it with several Arguments Pray inform me therefore what is this Popish Religion Fr. It is such a Religion that dares not trust in Christ alone without mingling their own merits with the merits of Jesus Christ Nath. That is saddest Religion in the world for me I shall never be of that Religion clapping his hand on his brest for I am the vilest wretch that lives I have not a good thought to trust to I must be saved only by the merits of Christ if ever I be saved The same Friend watching with him the night before he dyed wished him to think of the free mercy of God in Jesus Christ that God should call him at the eleventh hour He answered I desire to be vile in mine own eyes and admire free grace About five of the clock that morning he was to suffer death he was raised to a high pitch of joy and cried out Oh sirs help me Help me to glorifie God! shew me how to do it I cannot do it enough I cannot contain my self yet suspecting himself he asked those about him Was it so with you and with you when God wrought on you They replied it was Oh then said he it is right blessed be God Come let us sing the 100 Psalm which he sung with much alacrity About an hour after they knockt off his shackels now said his Friend Come Nat. now thy shackles are off I will get thee out and thou shalt run thy old course and have money enough and take thy fill of lust and pleasure again He seriously replied Really Really Really clapping his hand on his breast if I know my own heart I would not for ten thousand worlds lose the opportunity of this morning I am now going where I shall never sin again So leaving the dark Dungeon wherein he was Prisoner in order to his execution he uttered these expressions to his friends about him O this dark Dungeon The best Room that ever I came in and this contemptible Bed the best that ever I lay in AN EXACT NARRATIVE Of the Life and Death of NATHANIEL BUTEER With the several Conferences held with him by the Right Honorable the Lord Major and several eminent Ministers As also his Confessions Speech Prayer c. together with the Sermon preached the Evening after his Execution BEfore I enter upon the Narrative give me leave very briefly to premise how Nathaniel Butler behaved himself before this Murther committed viz. That he was a
declare what the Lord had done for him and to speak also by way of Counsel to those that came to see his execution When we had withdrawn for two or three hours from him into the Lodge some of us observing in the mean time that he did slumber and as we supposed that he slept also then we all returned to him he lying covered upon the Bed in his cloaths when we came again about him he raised up himself and fell afresh to his former good Discourse Then I sat down by him and did read the 14 verse of the 51 Psalm Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness I then divided the Verse into these two parts 1. Davids prayer Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God c. 2. Davids promise and engagement to God upon the granting of his desire And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness Then I made these Observations from the words of David Viz. 1. Obs Not only a wicked unregenerate man but a gracious godly man may possibly commit a most horrid murther David was blood-guilty 2. Obs The sin of Murther is a very dangerous sin where-ever it is found Deliver now that word implyeth danger Deliver me if David murther he is in danger of damnation 3. Obs 3. Prayer is a work for a person guilty of blood Deliver me this David said by way of desire and supplication yea most of this Psalm sets forth Davids prayer which was preferred upon the account of his bloodshed Prayer is the best way to obtain deliverance from blood-guiltiness 4. Obs From those words O God thou God of my salvation that There is salvation in God for men that have shed blood if those men become penitent and beg that salvation This Note did refresh Nathaniel very much 5. Obs From the Promise And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness that men who know what it is to have the guilt of sin guilt of blood or any other sin taken away will certainly sing aloud of Gods righteousness faithfulness truth And indeed this poor man did magnifie God and sing aloud of his righteousness making mention of his and his only he desired us to sing Psalms several times with him and to rejoyce with him which also we did About five a clock he fell into such a rapture and extasie of consolation as I never saw nor I beleeve any of my fellow-Spectators for he would shout for joy that the Lord should look on such a poor vile creature as he was He often cried out and made a noise and indeed did not know how to express and signifie fully enough his inward sense of Gods favour saying Must he be an heir an heir of God and a joynt-heir with Jesus Christ a fellow Citizen with the Saints c. He could not bear such a glorious discovery Now that his joy was right Evangelical joy appeareth thus in that mourning and bitterness went before it yea he rejoyced with trembling and could exceedingly often say that he would yet have a deeper and a more thorow sense of sin he could never be sufficiently abased before the Lord. Now the time was at hand that he should be carried forth to Execution but he thought it was not neer enough for he asked several times What a clock is it I demanded why he enquired so concerning the time of the day Would you gladly die said I. Yes yes saith he I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all About seven the Coach came to carry him away the Keeper knockt off his Irons and now he was a freeman indeed for the hand of Grace had before this time taken away the Fetters and Bolts about his Spirit and Conscience I went with him in the Coach and by the way his great desire was as he passed through the Streets to fix his heart more fully on God and to think with more intention and firmness of minde upon the riches the unsearchable riches of Grace In a short time having passed through many thousands of people many of whom prayer for his soul and shewed compassion otherwise to him he came under the Gibbet which stood in Cheapside just over against the end of Milk-street where he had done the murder he went up the Ladder the Executioner standing above him and I below upon the Ladder When he was tied to the Gibbet he began to speak to the people having a Speech written which he purposed to have read through A true Copie whereof followeth verbatim Beloved Friends I Am here a miserable Creature and had not God of his infinite Grace and Mercy looked upon me as sad a spectacle of misery as ever your eyes beheld by reason of my wicked and sinful life And now by the justly hand of God I am come here to die justly for my sins And it is my desire that all that see me or that hear of me might learn this most true Lesson from me that have not learned it from the Word of God in the Scriptures That the wages of sin is death I have been a very great sinner and as I think the greatest of sinners And my desires are that my repentance may be greater then my sins Which I am affraid is impossible to be without the infinite mercy of God who hath graciously promised to accept the will for the deed The particulars of my sinful life I have for all those who shall be pleased to look into it gathered together and given to my Lord Mayors Chaplain and intreated him to have it printed for a timely warning to all other young-men especially to the Apprentices of this City that by my harms they may through the Grace of God learn to beware Good people That which I shall speak unto you is but little because my strength is now but weak Indeed I wish I had more strength that my words might reach not onely unto the ears but unto the hearts of every rebellious and disobedient Child and Servant in this great City yea throughout the whole Nation And my counsel is that every one would take heed of the beginnings of sin I remember when I first was enticed unto evil ways and practices I was tender and fearful of them and trembled to think what those waies might bring upon me but I neither hearkened to the Word of God nor the voice of mine own Conscience which exceedingly checked me but resolved to go on therein and through the Devils enticements joyning with my wicked heart by degrees I grew more bold and hardy in evil waies every day more then other and at last came to be so far hardened in sin and wickedness that evil waies and actions were as familiar unto me as eating and drinking was Truly Sirs This is very true and this I speak by sad experience to warn every one that they would hearken either to Gods Word or unto their own Consciences when
man meaning Paul is a murderer whom though he hath escaped the Sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live Rev. 21.8 But the fearful and unbeleeving and abominable and MVRDERERS heart-murderers and hand-murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all Liers shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the Second death T is not torture enough for a Murderer to die only once God hath designed for him a second death an eternal death no Murderer remaining a man of hatred hath eternall life abiding in him the Devil himself will as soon be saved as he that hateth his Brother Rev. 22.15 For without are Dogs sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers malicious angells devills and malicious men devils incarnate must be excluded together heaven is no place for men of hatred and malice Three Objections Object 1. But some may say 'T is no danger to hate a poor man Prov. 14.20 The poor is hated even of his own e Neighbour but the rich hath many Friends no man nor God himself as some men think mindeth the poor man Obj. 2. A man surely may hate him that speaketh evil that prophesieth damnation against me as in 1 King 22.8 And the King of Israel said to Jehosophat there is yet one man Macaiah the son of Imlah by whom we may enquire of the Lord but I hate him for he doth not prophesie good concerning me but evil Obj. 3. He hateth me saith another he is mine enemy may I not hate him Matth. 5.43 Ye have heard that it hath been said Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy but I say unto you Love your enemies or else you will prove your own worst enemies for it is death the second death to hate a poor man an enemy or any man Is hatred a Man-murdering sin and a Soul-murdering sin Then take heed of helping on this hatred any way As there are ways to provoke to love which few love to walk in so there are tricks and devices of the Devil to drive on the design of hatred in mens hearts that he may drive men to destruction Decline especially naming men by this or the other name of reproach D. Hall late Bishop of Norwick who was a very worthy learned and godly man in a small Treatise of his called Pax terris p. 44. speaks thus Damnentur ad imum usque barathrum illa nominum opprobria Lutheranorum Calvinianorum Arminianorum Puritanorum Praelaticorum Presbyterianorum Independentium quae fidei ejusdem professoribus vulgò objectari solent i. e. Let those terms or names of reproach and disgrace saith he of Lutherans Calvinists Arminians Puritans Prelaticals Presbyterians Independents which are commonly objected to the Professors of the same faith let them be condemned to the lowest hell I am confident they were coined there and they prove an occasion of much hellish hatred among Christians It 's often known that one man hateth another meerly because he passeth in the world under one or other of these dividing names whereas it may be the man deserves no such name but if he do I am fure it is not fit nor Gospel-like to leave loving a man of a different minde in some circumstantial matters of Religion You will not be able to come off in the day of account by this plea. Indeed I hated such a man and I thought I did well for he was called an Episcopal man or a Presbyterian or an Arminian or Anabaptist or a Schismatick and Sectary The Lord God will demand Was not such a man thy brother was he not thy neighbour nay did he not fear my name notwithstanding this or that nick-name maliciously put on him and shouldst thou have hated thy Brother thy Christian Brother a man that lived in all good conscience by thee considering this startling Text Whosoever hateth his Brother is a murderer and ye know O then hate no more that no murderer hath eternal life abideing in him Lastly We see the excellency of Love in 1 Cor 12. ult and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is the way of life as hatred puts mens lives in hazard and jepoardy so love looks after the saving of life it permits others to be in peaceable possession of their own lives and then love to brethren is an evidence of that mans life eternal that loves his brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren Hatred is deadly and perillons to men every way and love is of a soul-protecting tendency Love is excellent and lovely in this respect A Philanthropie in us a love to men as men and a love to regenerate men as such assures our hearts we are in the path-way to heaven as malice and hatred is the high-way to hell from which the Lord of heaven deliver your souls 'T is the way the high-way to Heaven a man never goes after God till he walks in love Ephes 5.1 2 Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us So long as men caled Christians live in bitterness wrath anger and clamour evil speaking and in malice they are the Children of the Devil for him they obey but when we are kind one to another TENDER-HEARTED forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake is ready to forgive us this God-like and Christ-like life this love-life is a lovely evidence of our following God our heavenly Father as dear children and of following our dear Lord and Saviour Consider Ephes 4 end and Ephes 5.1 2. and I hope that context will make smooth and sweeten your rough and bitter spirits towards each other mutually A Recollection of the sum of two Discourses between S. T. and N. B. in Newgate on Thursday Aug. 13. and Thursday Aug. 20 1657. both continuing several houres HAving by the Providence of God upon due occasion and call bin with N. B. as an eye Ear witness among others of the wonderfull grace of God to him in his last dayes to the rejoycing of my heart and being desired and prest to contribute some thing to the Narrative by those worthy persons concerned in the publication thereof I shall do it very briefly according to my best knowledge and remembrance My first address unto him was to know what serious sense he had of his hainous sin and his soules condition In answer to which he did in a very mournfull manner largely lay open the strong convictions he had upon his conscience of the sinfulness and damnableness of his sin ennumerating himselfe the several aggravating circumstances thereof with the time and manner of his conviction which began not untill his imprisonment and fetters began For albeit he was followed and filled as he said with distraction amazement and disquietment from the time of the fact making him restless in all places Yet he told me he had no solid conviction of his sin
he should be certainly and undoubtedly saved according to Mat 11.28 Joh. 6.37 Acts 16.31 Esay 55.7 also 1 Tim. 1 v. 15. hee hereupon brake out I see my self undone for ever without the mercy of God in Christs blood I know not whether to go but to Christ but intermixing interrogatively is there mercy for me Is there hope for such a one as I am well I will adventure my soule upon this foundation I am resolved I will trust and hang here adding that common Phrase I can but perish I can but dye and if I do it shall be in trusting upon Gods grace and Christs righteousness but I will hold fast that word John 6.37 he hath said those that come I will in no wise cast out I do come to him and I will cleave to him surely he will not cast me off I told him that upon this Gospell ground he might soundly and surely gather to himself comfort and if his repentance and faith thus farr were but sincere he might assuredly conclude upon the faithfulness of God and truth of his Gospell that he should be saved the which I endeavored to make plaine and practicable to him also The Lord was pleased so wonderfully to enable him by his spirit to lay hold upon and embrace these considerations that his heart was filled with Joy and Peace through beleeving in so much that he was in such a brearhing panting Extasy that he put his hands upon his sides and cryed out Oh my heart will break is there hope for me is there salvation for me Oh what comfort is this I never felt nor tasted the like before I formerly thought there was no comfort but in my sinfull way nor no joy but in sinfull pleasures with much more the like and to the amazement of several persons present But in the midst of this Joy correcting himself he breaks out Oh what is become of the soule of him I have murthered to whom I gave no space to repent I told him that was indeed a high aggravation of his sin and therefore should be improved to humble him the more but withall the state of the others soule was to him a secret and all his distracting thoughts about it would contribute nothing to the other or himself and therefore that he should spend the rest of his time and thoughts about his own soule finally and principally Manasseh might as well have had doubtfull thoughts about the multitudes of soules whose Innocent blood he shed in Jerusalem but this hindred not his pardon Oh saith he what a mercy is it that I have space to repent that I was not served as I served him I might have escaped apprehension and some way or other have died suddenly in my sins He took much notice of the patience of God and of the tenderness of the Lord Major from whose visits and Instructions he had reapt much benefit also that his souls condition was so much upon the hearts of such who knew the weight of sin and the worth of a soule to be instant with God for him Oh but saith he I am afraid of Presumption lest I should take comfort too soon I told him that as a person might be presumptuous in crying peace whiles going on in sin so might he if he were not sincere and sound in his repentance and faith but if that were true he could not be presumptuous in concluding and applying the promise of the Gospel to himselfe nor on the other hand could he presume too farr in coming to and resting upon the grace of God in Christ but the more he did the more accepted He said I am sure I am humbled for my sins as in the sight of God and I would be more I do abhor my selfe and my sin that if I had oportunity I durst not commit sin against so good a God to offend and dishonor him and mentioning that Text. 1 John 3.20.21 my heart doth not condeme mee of hypocrisy in this and hereupon hiis heart was greatly raised again to a strong confidence in God I do hope saith he according to that word Phil 1.6 that God hath begun this work and will performe it to the day of Jesus Christ and whiles I do live I will trust in him and seek to him and yet not rest on any thing Some Papists have come saith he told me I must be a Roman Catholick or no salvation but alas what works have I to rest upon but my murder and my other many evil workes before that would sink me for ever but for the mercy of God on which I trust Others doubt saith he I dissemble but alas what wil that availe me now the Lord knows I do discover what I can of persons and their sins that I may do the utmost good I can in preventing sin against God and the ruine of others soules and I have a heart to do more if I could for God before I dye Finally he exprest much bope and comfort joy several times in a panting breathing manner and that Mr. Yearwood had been an instrument of great refreshment to him in his frequent Visits to whom I refer the Reader for a more perfect Narrative he oft exprest not only his willingness but desire to dye both because of that just law of God blood for blood and because he had such good hope through grace that his sin and sorrow should both have an end much admiring at his gift of memory to retain all spoken to him and also wondring at the change in his heart his comforts joys as being new strange things to him greatly wondring and magnifying God that he should take the occasion upon this his most foule sin to bring him to a sight of all other sins and save his soul The Lord grant it may have the like effect on others in the same pernicious pathes and that especially yong men may hear and fear and be converted and healed FINIS A SERIOUS ADVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF LONDON By some MINISTERS of the GOSPEL in the said CITY Upon occasion of the HORRID MURDER And DREADFUL DEATH OF NATHANIEL BUTLER An high Malefactor Beloved in Christ AS we thought it a great duty lying upon us before the execution of the sentence of death upon Nathaniel Butler to lay out our selves to the utmost for the promoting of his spiritual and eternal good in frequent praying with him in constant praying for him in endevouring to convince him of the superlative greatness of his sins and in spreading of the freeness of the grace of God in Christ before him according to the penitential workings we observed in him So having done our duty to him who is dead under the stroke of justice and as we hope with some success too through the grace of God for which we bless him we humbly judge there is a further duty incumbent upon us unto you the inhabitants of this famous City who have been spectators of this Tragedy in a serious