be glorified by me the meanest and poorest of all his Servants but through Free-grace faithful unto the end My Soul is ravished I can hardly write and my Comforts are more unspeakable than my Terrors were I did this Evening see my dearest Brother and Companion his Face was to me as that of an Angel and he gave me that Comfort that I cannot but say my Love to him is beyond what I ever had to my dearest Relations When God comes every thing hath a beauty and lustre upon it here is an Answer of Prayers and such an Answer as Dearest Relations must engage you all to be constant in performance of that Duty which like Jacob's Ladder though it stand upon the Earth yet it reaches up to Heaven Here 's the Love of God made manifest to a poor Sinner at the last hour like the Thief upon the Cross he that never knew before what the Love of God was to his Soul finds it now filled with it and running over Now bless the Lord O my Soul yea all that is within me Bless his holy Name for this Dispensation Now light appears out of darkness in the face of Jesus now all worldly Joy and Comforts seem to me as they are things not hard to part with Father Mother Brothers Sister Wife Children House and Lands are as my Dear Saviour saith to be parted with for him or we are not worthy of him I Bless his Name I find no reluctancy to do it he hath brought me to his foot-stool and I can say heartily the Will of the Lord be done in this Matter I never before but saw a beauty in worldly Comforts but now those seem so faded by the greater lustre and beauty that I see in God in Christ Jesus that I am astonished where I have been wandering all my dayes spending my time and my money for that which is not Bread. O strive to get a taste of this Love of God in Christ Jesus and it will perfectly wean you from this deceitful foolish World What is worldly Honour and Riches O set not your hearts upon them but get a Treasure in Heaven that your hearts may be there also O lose no time for if you ever knew the sweetness of it you would never be at rest 'till you found him whom your Soul loved it will be more yea infinitely more than all worldly Injoyments can afford you though in their greatest perfection it will make your Life sweet and your Death most comfortable It is the Bread which this World knoweth not of and therefore maketh little or no enquiry after it Dearest Relations whilst you and my other dear Friends are like Aaron and Hur holding up the hands of Moses I am through Grace getting Victory over the Amalakites I can embrace my dear and beloved Brother and Companion with more Joy in the field of Suffering than ever I could have done had I met him crowned with the Laurels of Victory Oh the Mercy to dye with such a Friend and such a valiant Souldier of Jesus who hath kept his garments clean I now begin to pity you that stay behind who have many Temptations to conflict with for a little yea a very little time and my warfare will be accomplished and if God continue his Love and Influence upon my Soul it will be both short and sweet I have little of this World about me I leave you all the Legacy of what was ever dearest to me the best of Wives and five poor Children who must pass through an evil and sinful World but I have committed them to God who hath commanded to cast our Fatherless Children and Widdows upon him Dear Parents Brothers Sister all adieu my time draws on my Paper is finished and your dying Child and Brother recommends you all to him who is alsufficient to the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant who will make you perfect in every good work to do his Will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Richard Nelthrope From the Palace of Newgate October the 30th 1685. Two of the Clock in the Morning Mr. Richard Nelthrope's Letter to his Children My dear Children THE Providence of God hath so ordered it that your poor and ever loving Father is taken from you in such a manner as may cast both worldly Loss and Reproach upon you but I charge you let not this be a Stumbling-block to you in the way of God but that you remember your Creator in the days of your Youth That you never neglect a day without reading the Holy Scripture wherein you 'l find your Duty both to God and Man there you 'l find the way to everlasting Life there you 'l find Christ Jesus instructing you and dying for you Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all other things will be added to you After your Duty to God Almighty your dying Father charges and conjures you as you 'l answer it at the great day of Appearance of our dearest Saviour that you be dutiful and loving to the best of Mothers as long as God shall continue that great Mercy to you Hearken to her Voyce and be obedient to the words of her Mouth for she 'll be faithful to your Souls and Bodies and remember that Obedience to Parents hath the Promise of this Life as well as of Eternal Life Pay a great Duty and Obedience to your Grandfather and Grandmother Unkles and Aunt who all of them have not only testified the greatest Love to your dying Father but from whom if you carry your selves as becomes you you may expect both the good things of this World and Advice and Counsel for what is far beyond all temporal Blessings Diligence in your lawful Callings to which God shall in his Providence appoint you is both commendable and a Duty but let not the eager pursuit of the things of this World justle out the Time allotted for better things Prayer will bless what you get in your Imployments and so at once you obtain Gods Blessing upon worldly mercies and find God manifesting himself to you in his dear Son Christ Jesus in the Pardon of your sins and receiving worldly things in the Covenant Your tender years in which I leave you in this wicked and deceitful world may render you subject to many temptations but I commit you to the Father of the Fatherless who is able to preserve you both in Soul and Body your poor Father hath no Legacy to leave you but the Blessing of the great Jehovah which he begs for you upon the bended knees of his Soul. The Lord God bless you with the Dew of Heaven and if he sees good give you Jacob's Portion Food and Raiment and if the Lord bless you with any temporal Goods remember they are Talents employ them well to the Masters
are very near my Heart so that to leave the World before I have writ a Line or two to you to bid you farewel and to comfort you under this sad Providence would be uncomfortable to me I hope you have by this time learned how to welcome Evil as well as good Tydings and submit to the wise Disposer of all things who knows what 's best for us better than we do our selves though I question not but the News of my Death especially in such a violent manner as within a few hours I am to suffer will be afflictive to you yet I would beg of you to consider the Happiness I am going to and that I am but a few Years sooner taken out of a troublesome wicked World unto the Quire of Triumphant Martyrs in Glory which place of Happiness though I have not deserved by any Merit of my own yet for the Merits of my Mediator and Redeemer who hath purchased more for me than can enter into my Heart to conceive I doubt not but I have a Mansion prepared for me in that place where the Wicked cease from Troubling and the Weary are at Rest. And now Dear Sister I have nothing more to do in this World but to be preparing and fitting my self for this place of Rest which in a few Hours I am going to and therefore leave you and yours to the Protection of God who is able to keep and support you under this and all other his afflictive Providences and bring a good Issue out of them and who will in his own due time conduct you safe to that place of Happiness where you will meet above for Christs sake Dear Sister our Loving and Affectionate Brother William Jenkins An Account of the Behaviour of Mr. William and Benjamin Hewling before and at their Execution with several Letters to divers of their Relations THe Gracious Dealings of God manifested to some in their dying hours have been of great Use to those living that heard the same giving them occasion thereby to reflect on their own Estate and to look for the things of their Peace before they are hid from their Eyes As also a great encouragement to strengthen the Faith of those that have experienced the Grace of God to them at the End it 's thought necessary by Parents especially to preserve to their Children what remains of those Blessed Experiences that such have had that God hath taken to himself you have here a true Account presented of the Admirable Appearance of God towards two young Men Mr. Benjamin Hewling who dyed when he was about 22 years of Age And of Mr. William Hewling who dyed before he Arrived to 20 years which for reasons best known to themselves engaged with the Duke of Monmouth for which Mr. William Hewling was Executed at Lyme September 12 and Mr. Benjamin Hewling at Taunton September 30. 1685. However severe Men were to them yet the Blessed Dispensation of God towards them was such as hath made good his Word That out of the Mouth of Babes he hath ordained strength that he may still the Enemy and Avenger After the Dispersing of the Duke's Army they fled and got off to Sea but were driven back again and with the hazard of their lives got on Shore over dangerous Rocks where they saw the Country fill'd with Soldiers and they being unwilling to fall into the hands of the Rabble and no way of defence or escape remaining with them they surrendered themselves Prisoners to a Gentleman whose House was near the place they Landed at and were from thence sent to Exeter Goal July the 21 where remaining some time their behaviour was such that being Visited by many caused great Respect towards them even of those who were Enemies to the Cause they engaged in And being on the 15th of July put on Board the Swan Frigot in order to their being brought up to London their Carriage was such as caused the Commander and the rest of the Officers in the Ship to shew great kindness to them and being brought into the River Captain R. by Order came down to take them into his Custody and carried them to Newgate putting great Irons upon them and put them into rooms apart without giving Liberty for any near Relation to see them though in the presence of a Keeper which did greatly increase the Grief and Sorrow of their Relations But although men were cruel and severe to them God who wisely orders all things for good to all those whom he intends Grace and Mercy upon made this very Restraint and hard Usage a Blessed Advantage to their Souls as appears by their own Words when after great Importunity and Charge some of their near Relations had an opportunity to speak a few words to them before the Keeper to which they replyed That they were content with the Will of God whatsoever it should be Having been in Newgate three Weeks there was orders given to carry them down into the West in order to their Tryals which being told them they answered they were glad of it and the morning they went out of Newgate several that beheld them so Chearful said Surely those Yonng Men have their Pardons in their Pockets or else they could never carry it with that Chearfulness as they do This must be observed that from first to last whatever hopes they received from their friends of their Pardon they still thought the contrary never being much affected with the hopes of it nor cast down at the worst that might attend them in their Journey to Dorcester The Keepers that went with them have given this Account of them That their Carriage was so Grave and Serious that made them admire to see and hear what they did from such young men The first opportunity their Sister had to speak with them was at Salisbury August the 30th who gives the following Account of them I found them in an excellent Composure of Mind declaring their Experience of the Grace and Kindness of God to them in all their Sufferings in supporting strengthning and providing for them turning the Hearts of all them whose Hands they had been in both at Exon and on Ship-board to shew pity and favour to them although since they came to Newgate they were hardly used and how in their Journey loaden with heavy Irons and more Inhumanely dealt with they with great Chearfulness profest they were better yea and in a more happy Condition then ever in their lives from the sence they had of the Pardoning Love of God in Jesus Christ to their Souls with only referring themselves to the Wise and Gracious God to chose for them Life or Death expressing themselves thus Any thing what pleases God what He sees best so be it we know He is able to deliver if not Blessed be His Name Death is not terrible but desirable My Brother Benjamin in particularly added As for the World there 's nothing in it to make it worth while to live except we may
be Serviceable to God therein And after said GOD is a strong Refuge I have found him so indeed The next opportunity was at Dorcester where they were both carried and put in Prison and by reason of their strait Confinement our Converse was much interrupted but this I found from them that they had still the same presence and support from God as formerly no ways being discouraged at the near approach of their Tryal nor of the issue of it though it might appear to Flesh and Blood to be terrible The 6th of September my Brother Benjamin was ordered at Taunton to be Tryed then taking my leave of him he chearfully said Blessed be God for Afflictions I have found such happy Effects of them that I would not have been without them for all this World I remaining still at Dorcester to see the issue of my Brother William to whom after he was Tryed before his Sentence I had free Liberty to go to whose Mouth was filled with Admiration of the Grace of God in Christ Jesus that had been manifested unto him in calling him out of his natural Estate suddenly seizing on his Heart when he thought not of it in his Abode in Holland finding secret Whisperings in his Heart to seek the Face of God who enabled him to answer his Gracious Call and to reflect upon his own Soul whereby he came to see the Evil of Sin and his need of Christ from that time carrying him on to a sensible Adherence to Christ for Pardon and Peace of Soul where he said He found a Spring of Joy and Sweetness beyond all the Comfort of the whole Earth He further said He could not but admire the wonderful goodness of God in preparing him for what he was bringing him unto which then he thought not of giving hope of Eternal Life before he call'd him to look Death in the Face So that he did Chearfully resign his Life to God before he came having sought his Guidance in it and that the Cause did appear to him both then and now very Glorious notwithstanding all that which he had suffer'd in it or further might although God had with-held those good things from us As to himself he said God had carried on his Work in his Soul in and by all sufferings and whatever the will of God were Life or Death he knew it would be best for him After he had received his Sentence when he return'd to Prison he said Methinks I find my Comfort in God increase since my Sentence there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus it is God that Justifieth who shall condemn When I came to him the next morning when he had received News of the time of his Execution and in order to it was to be carried to Lyme that day I found him in a most excellent Spiritual Frame more then ever before he was in he said He was satisfied God had done best for him he knew what the Temptation of Life might be I might have lived and forgotten God but now I am going where I shall Sin no more O it it is a Blessed thing to be free from Sin and to be with Christ O how great were the Sufferings of Christ for us beyond all that I can undergo How great is that Glory to which I am going It will now swallow up Sorrow here When he was at Dinner just before his going from Dorcester to Lyme he dropt many Expressions of his inward Joy such as these O the Grace of God the Love of Christ O the Blessed Supper of the Lamb to be for ever with the Lord He further said When he went to Holland You knew not what Snares Sins and Miscarriages I might have fallen into or whether we might ever meet again Now you know whether I am going and that we shall certainly have a most joyful meeting and never part more for ever He said Pray give my Recommendations to all Relations with Acknowledgments for all their Kindness I advise them all to make sure of an Interest in Christ for he is the only Comfort when we come to dye One of the Prisoners seemed to be troubled at the manner of Death they were to dye to whom he replyed I bless God I am Reconciled unto it all Just at his going he writ these few Lines to his Mother being hardly suffered to stay so long I am going to Lanch into Eternity I hope and trust into the Arms of my Blessed Redeemer to whom I commit you and all my Relations My Love to my Dear Sister and the rest of my Friends William Hewling As they passed through the Town of Dorcester to Lyme multitudes of People beheld them with great Lamentation and bitter Cryes admiring at his Carriage and Behaviour at his parting with his Sister As they passed along the Road betwixt Lyme and Dorcester his Discourse was exceeding Heavenly and Spiritual as those present have since declared taking occasion from every thing to speak of the Journey they were going looking out upon the Country as they passed along he said This is a Glorious Creation but what then is the Paradice of God to which we are going When he was come to Lyme one reading the 14. of John and the 18 Verse I will not leave you Comfortless I will come to you said Christ will come unto us he will be with us to the very last At Lyme that morning he was Executed one taking Leave of him he said Fare-well till we meet in Heaven presently I shall be with Christ I would not change Conditions with any I would not stay behind for Ten Thousand Worlds To another that ask'd him how he did he said Very well I Bless God and farther ask'd him if he could look Death in the Face with Comfort now it approached so near He answered I can I bless God with Comfort God hath made this a good Night to me my Comforts are much increased since I left Dorcester Then taking leave of him said Farewell I shall see you no more To which he repiyed How see me no more Yes I hope to meet you in Glory To another which was by him to the last he said Pray Remember my Love to my Dear Brother and Sister and tell them I would desire them to Comfort themselves that I am gone to Christ and we shall quickly meet in the Glorious Mount Zion above Afterwards he Prayed for about three quarters of an hour with the greatest Fervency exceedingly blessing God for Christ Jesus Adoring the Riches of his Grace in all the Glorious Fruits of it towards him Praying for the Peace of the Church of God and for this Nation in particular with such Eminent Assistance of the Spirit of God that it Astonished Convinct and Melted the most Malitious Adversaries forcing Tears and Expressions of Sorrow from them some saying They knew not what would become of them after Death but it was evident he was going to great Happiness When he was just going