Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A34181
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The faithfulnesse of the upright made manifest being a testimony concerning the life, death, and sufferings of a pretious servant of the Lords called Humphrey Smith, who died a prisoner for witnessing unto the living truth in Winchester common goal, on the 4th day in the 3 month in the year 1663.
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Complin, Nicholas.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing C5661; ESTC R35657
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5,278
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10
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wrote unto him signifying how contrary to any known law he had been dealt with and requiring Justice and that true judgement might proceed from him and leaving him without excuse he sent it to him which he understood he read and about the latter end of the Asizes he was called for where having divers words with the Judge he again said that if he would give bail for his good behavior and appearance at the next Asizes he should be released which he answered thus that he had lain in Prison so long and nothing of evil behavior laid to his charge and likewise saying that if any man there should convince him of any evil behavior he should willingly acknowledge the same unto which they were all silent then the Judge said if he would meet no more and promise not to break the law he should be released unto which he answered thus I think it is sufficient that I suffer if I do break the law and not to suffer because I cannot promise not to break it saying also that he knew no law that required any such thing so it being near the time of their breaking up he was put aside and others called and soon after they dismissed the Court for that Asizes at that Bench but as the Judge was passing forth Humphrey Smith being in the Barr among the Fellons he he spake these words unto him Friend remember I have been above a whole year in prison and no breach of any law proved against me which the Judge heard but passed away and said nothing to it so he was had back to prison again where having been not above three weeks but he fell sick first it took him like an Ague and afterward with the Feavor following it and in short time it grew very violent upon him in so much that in five daies time he was so weak that he could scarcely help himself then he also sent a letter unto Judge Terril signifying his illegal dealing with him and also gave him to know that he was very ill but there was little done in the thing so he grew weaker and weaker so that two men did turn him in his bed and in the time of his sickness he spake several pretious words to friends signifying unto them that he was given up in the will of the Lord either in life or death and as he lay under a great fit of the feaver he said my heart is filled with the power of God and then said It is good for a man at such a time as this to have the Lord to be his friend another time he said Lord thou sentest me forth to do thy will and I have been faithful unto thee in my small measure which thou hast committed unto me but if thou wilt yet try me further Thy will be done also he said I am the Lords let him do what he will and near the time of his departure he cryed earnestly unto the Lord and said O Lord hear the inward sight and groans of thine oppressed and deliver my poor soul from the oppressor O Lord herr me O Lord uphold and preserve me I know that my Redeemer liveth Thou art strong and mighty O Lord with several other pretious wordâ— Also about the same time he prayed unto the Lord that he would deliver his people from their cruel oppressors and that those that were convinced or brought forth by him that the Lord would be their teacher he lay very quiet and still and not any unsavory word proceeded out of his mouth all the time of his sickness but he behaved himself like a Lamb and he was very sensible unto the last moment he was faithfull unto the Lord in his day and a Crown everlasting is upon his head which shall rest upon him when all his oppressoâ—s shall gnash their tongues for pain and vexation of heart â—â— some of them have felt already yea and the full cup of the Lords indignation is preparing for all them who delight in â—râ—elty he was very meek and of a quiet spirit very loving to all that had the least appearance of the light springing up in them yea if any knew not the light which condemns the sin then in the meekness of the love everlasting he would open unto them the way thereunto and labour mightily to bring them to the knowledge of it oh how great was his love to the eternal truth which abounded in his heart and how would he groan for the lost sheep surely his love was more then my tongue can express and his courage did abound in a great measure he delighted not in vain janglings nor disputings of men of corrupt minds but in the simplicity of the Gospel of peace which is his crown for ever and ever what shall I say his life is swallowed up in immortallity and is no more to be seen in the visible yet he reignes over all whisperers backbiters and slanderers of his innocent life for ever Thou renowned Judge in Israel thou valiant Souldier of the Lambs Host peace is thy portion for ever blessings will fill thine house and faithfulness will attend thy seed as they abide in the counsel of him who was the Bishop of thy soul N. C. BUt oh you Rulers of England what shall I say unto you most you needs be made a perpetual reproach unto all â—hat come after you and is your delight wholly in persecuâ—ing of the innocent oh cruel men on merciless men will â—othing but the lives of Gods deeâ— servants satisfy your blooâ—dy wills surely the Lord God will visit you in his wrath â—nd sweep you away in his sore displeasure yea in the dreadâ—ul flames of the burnings of his vengeance will he cast you â—h you unsatiable vigorous Tiranical Idolatrous men what is cruelty your delight and is it blood that you thirst after as after wine which will not satisfie your lustful desires and is it nothing but the eternal truth which you would not have so much as come into your coasts you worse â—hen Barbarians how do you evilly intreat those who come â—n the love of the Lord to preach repentance in your streets â—nd you take away the lives of such who come to publish salâ—ation unto poor sinners surely your unjust dealings is come â—p before the God whom you so much contemne in his servants and your unrighteous actions against them whom he â—ath sent in his own name is peirced into the bowels of the God of the humble hearted who will surely plead with you in his indignation and utterly destroy you in his wrath if you â—epent speedily and humble your selves under his righteous judgements wherefore I say repent repent for the consummation is at hand yea the swift vengeance of the eternal God is nigh to be revealed upon all the disobedient and the utter woe and calamity of all the merciless with the crewel hearted is coming yea nigh to come which shall make a final end of all the rebellious and stifnecked ones whose hearts are hard as the Adamant wherefore awake awake sleep not in your wickedness in this day which is comming as a thief in the night upon you but arise up from cruelty and shake your selves of the garments of the pollution of blood which hath stained you cleanse your selves of your Idolatry and clear your selves if you can of the lives of Gods servants which hath died in your Prisons but if you cannot then known be it unto you that God will not spare the best of those that have had a hand in these things and shall persist therein but will destroy them utterly and curse them from his presence for evermore and in this I shall be clear of all your blood when it comes upon you Nicholas Complin Written the 21. of the 4th month 1663. THE END Printed for M. W.
THE FAITHFVLNESSE Of the UPRIGHT made MANIFEST Being a Testimony concerning the Life Death and Suffering of a pretious servant of the Lords called HUMPHERY SMITH Who dyed a Prisoner for witnessing unto the living truth in Winchester Common Goal on the 4th day in the 3 month in the year 1663. IS thy famous works ever to be forgotten is thy noble and valiant acts to be blotted out of the memory of the righteous is thy holy innocent pure life to be buried in oblivion as not to be remembred by us any more is thy sufferings withall thy valiant engagements with the enemies of thy God to be blotted out of the Record of the children of the most high Oh what saith my soul nay nay let it be had in living remembrance among the followers of the Lamb and let it be written upon the Tables of their hearts even to all generations ANd as concerning this man he from his youth up had desires after the Lord and he was often checked by his father because of his solidity he mourned mightily after the Lord while he was yet a child yea and panted after the God that made him he followed the zealous professors and increased mightily in that knowledge which stands in the comprehension yea exceeded many of his equals but at last the Lord seperated him for his own glory and sent him forth in his own power and eternal name so he lead him by the hand through the wilderness and bore up his head above the waves which sought to destroy him he became a talk and a by-word unto them with whom before he had his conversation yea they sought to destroy him in a moment but yet the Lord lead him in the way and gave him the threshing Instrument that belongs to worme Iacob despised of men and he threshed and beat the hills to dust and rooted up the disobedient that desisted Gods coming he spared not but cut on the right hand and flew on the left and made the arrows of his quiver to strike into the bowels of Gods enemies but he preached peace to the captive and uttered his voice to the Prisoners of hope which lay groaning for deliverance he was sent to publish Salvation and to cry the acceptable year of redemption though the Rulers of the earth dealt very hardly with him and the Priests cryed away with him he is not worthy to â—ive the professors envied him because of his upright dealing and the prophane hated and reviâ—ed him because of his innocent life he was oftentimes cast into several nasty prisons he was divers times whipt with cords he was hated before Magistrates that had no pitty nor compassion of him he divers times adventured upon hard service and broke through an â—osâ— of wicked and unreasonable men the Priests fell before him like Tow and the professors were scattered like chasse the wicked and prophane were even confounded and amased when his arrows so sharp did enter within their dark dwellings but to the seed he uttered his voice and it dropped like waâ— into the bowels of the tender hearted verily the consideration thereof doth even melt my heart and makes me to say oh how delightsome was the pleasantness of thy beauty and how desirable was the habitation of thy dwelling and how prevalent were thy prayers and thy supplications with thy God who answered thee every morning and satisfied thy soul every moment which made thy cup to overflow and the pleasant streames to run over its banks because of the fulness thereof and woe to him that lifts up a tongue against thee and let him not be reckoned among the congregations of the righteous that slanders thy innocent life let him be smitten with terror that whispers or speaks evil of thee in a corner for I know the Lord loved thee and hath taken thee from the evil that is to come upon the inhabitants of the earth and out of this dark world that 〈…〉 not worthy of thee But to proceed he was visiting friends in and near London and he told some of them thereawaies that he had a narrow path to pass through he said also that several daies before he was taken up he saw that he should be imprisoned and that it might cost him his life and taking his leave of friends in them parts he set forward in the will of the Lord Westward and having a meeting at Alton some envious men hearing thereof sent armed men to the house where he was commanding him forth and having him before Humphery Bennet Iohn Norton Deputy I. levetenants of the countrey both great enemies to Gods truth and though he gave a good account of his business which was to visit his son which was a child farther Westward yet they without pitty or compassion equity or justice committed him to the stinking close Prison of Winchester but to leave them without excuse in the day of the Lord which hastens to come upon them he wrote wright soon unto them signifying how illegally they had dealt with him also sent them back an answer to that which they charged against him likewise shewing that they laid nothing to his charge but what was charged against Gods servants in the daies of old and moreover proved unto them that they had acted contrary to the Kings laws Declaration and word yet though all this and much more might be written both of his usage in the Prison and likewise how close a hole it was sometimes other Prisoners Felons or such taking his food from him and other abuses which he bore very patiently which will be too tedious at present to relate and likewise Iohn Norton and Humphery Bennet sending men and robbing him of all his Papers rifeling his pockets boxes and other places yet he was very quiet and lay down content but the next approching Sessions being come he laid something of his suffering cause before some of those called Justices and at that time some of them were willing to have released him but some others of them being contrary minded saying that it was the Deputy Lievetenants of the Sheir that committed him and because they were not there they would not meddle with the thing so the innocent sufferer was let continue a prisoner till the next Asizes and he then laid the thing before Judge Terril who before had been pritty moderate to friends and the judge gave him this answer that if he would give bail for his good behaviour appearance at the next Asizes though no evil behavior at all was laid to his charge which when this innocent sufferer heard and being satisfied that he was not guilty of the breach of any law neither was their any that laid any such thing to his charge he was content to remain there rather then do such a thing so remaining there from Sessions till Sizes and from Sizes till Sessions and until that Sizes a whole year was over then Judge Terril came again the Western Circuit which Humphrey Smith hearing of