Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	great_a	lord_n	pity_n	2,183	5	9.5016	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37137	The dying speeches of several excellent persons, who suffered for their zeal against popery, and arbitrary government viz. I. Mr. Stephen Colledg, at Oxford, August 31, 1681, II. The Lord Russel in Lincolns-Inn-fields, July 21, 1683, III. Col. Sidney, on Tower-Hill, December 7, 1683, IV. Col. Rumbald,	Colledge, Stephen, 1635?-1681.; Russell, William, Lord, 1639-1683.; Sidney, Algernon, 1622-1683.; Rumbold, Richard, 1622?-1685.; Lisle, Alice, 1614?-1685.; Cornish, Henry, d. 1685.; Walcot, Thomas, d. 1683.	1689 (1689)	Wing D2957; ESTC R3148	29,338	40

Presbyterians are worse than the Papists God doth know that what I say I speak freely from my Heart I have found many among them truly serving God and so I have of all the rest that have come into my company Men without any manner of design but to serve God serve his Majesty and keep their Liberties and Properties Men that I am certain are not of vicious Lives I found no Dammers or those kind of People among them or at least few of them To his Son Kissing him several times with great passion Dear Child Farewel the Lord have mercy upon thee Good people let me have your prayers to God Almighty to receive my Soul. And then he Prayed And as soon as he had done spake as followeth The Lord have Mercy upon my Enemies and I beseech you good people who ever you are and the whole World that I have offended to forgive me whom ever I have offended in word or deed I ask every Mans pardon and I forgive the World with all my Soul all the Injuries I have received and I beseech God Almighty forgive those poor Wretches who have cast away their Souls or at least endangered them to ruine this Body of mine I beseech God that they may have a sight of their Sins and that they may find Mercy at his hands Let my Blood speak the Justice of my Cause I have done And God have Mercy upon you all To Mr. Crosthwait Pray Sir my Service to Dr. Hall and Dr. Reynall and thank them for all their Kindnesses to me I thank you Sir for your Kindness The Lord bless you all Mr. Sheriff God be with you God be with you all good People The Executioner Ketch desired his pardon And he said I do forgive you The Lord have mercy on my Soul. The SPEECH of the late Lord RUSSEL to the Sheriffs Together with the PAPER delivered by him to them at the Place of Execution on July 21. 1683. Mr. Sheriff I Expected the Noise would be such that I could not be very well heard I was never fond of much Speaking much less now Therefore I have set down in this Paper all that I think fit to leave behind me God knows how far I was always from Designs against the King's Person or of altering the Government and I still pray for the preservation of both and of the Protestant Religion I am told that Captain Walcot has said some things concerning my knowledg of the Plot I know not whether the Report is true or not I hope it is not For to my knowledg I never saw him or spake with him in my whole Life and in the Words of a dying Man I profess I know of no Plot either against the King's Life or the Government But I have now done with this World and am going to a better I forgive all the World and I thank God I die in Charity with all Men and I wish all sincere Protestants may love one another and not make way for Popery by their Animosities The PAPER deliver'd to the SHERIFFS I Thank God I find my self so composed and prepared for Death and my Thoughts so fixed on another World that I hope in God I am now quite weaned from setting my Heart on this Yet I cannot forbear spending some time now in setting down in Writing a fuller Account of my Condition to be left behind me than I 'll venture to say at the place of Execution in the Noise and Clutter that is like to be there I bless God heartily for those many Blessings which he in his infinite Mercy has bestowed upon me through the whole Course of my Life That I was born of worthy good Parents and had the Advantages of a Religious Education which I have often thank'd God very heartily for and look'd upon as an invaluable Blessing For even when I minded it least it still hung about me and gave me checks and has now for many Years so influenced and possessed me that I feel the happy Effects of it in this my Extremity in which I have been so wonderfully I thank God supported that neither my Imprisonmenr nor the Fear of Death have been able to discompose me to any degree but on the contrary I have found the Assurances of the Love and Mercy of God in and through my blessed Redeemer in whom only I trust and I do not question but that I am going to partake of that Fulness of Joy which is in his presence the hopes whereof does so wonderfully delight me that I reckon this as the happiest time of my Life tho others may look upon it as the saddest I have lived and now die of the Reformed Religion a true and sincere Protestant and in the Communion of the Church of England tho I could never yet comply with or rise up to all the heights of many People I wish with all my Soul all our unhappy Differences were removed and that all sincere Protestants would so far consider the Danger of Popery as to lay aside their Heats and agree against the Common Enemy and that the Churchmen would be less severe and the Dissenters less scrupulous For I think Bitterness and Persecution are at all times bad but much more now For Popery I look on it as an Idolatrous and Bloody Religion and therefore thought my self bound in my Station to do all I could against it And by that I foresaw I should procure such great Enemies to my self and so powerful Ones that I have been now for some time expecting the worst And blessed be God I fall by the Ax and not by the Fiery Tryal Yet whatever Apprehensions I had of Popery and of my own severe and heavy share I was like to have under it when it should prevail I never had a Thought of doing any thing against it basely or inhumanly but what could well consist with the Christian Religion and the Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom And I thank God I have examin'd all my actings in that Matter with so great Care that I can appeal to God Almighty who knows my Heart that I went on Sincerely without being moved either by Passion By-End or Ill-Design I have always loved my Country much more than my Life and never had any Design of changing the Government which I value and look upon as one of the best Governments in the World and would always have been ready to venture my Life for the preserving of it and would have suffered any Extremity rather than have consented to any Design to take away the King's Life Neither ever-had Man the Impudence to propose so base and barbarous a thing to me And I look upon it as a very unhappy and uneasy part of my present Condition That in my Indictment there should be so much as mention of so vile a Fact tho nothing in the least was said to prove any such Matter but the contrary by the Lord Howard Neither does any Body I am consident believe the least

him as to Kill him with my own hands But however by their Swearing against me they have secured their own Lives and Estares and made my Blood the price of theirs I confess I was so unfortunate and unhappy as to be invited by Collonel Rumsey one of the Witnesses against me to some Meetings where some things were discoursed of in order to the asserting our Liberties and Properties which we looked upon to be violated and invaded But it was he and Mr. W. and some Gentlemen that are fled who were the great promoters of those Meetings I was near a quarter of a Year ill of the Gout and during that time Mr. W. often visited me and still his discourse would be concerning Lopping the Two Sparks That was the word he used meaning the King and the Duke and proposed it might be done at a Play This was his frequent discourse For he said Then they would die in their Calling It was his very Expression He bought Arms to do it with without any direction of mine I never saw the Arms nor I never saw the Men that were to do it though they said they had Fifty imployed to that end I told several of them That the Killing the King would carry such a blemish and stain with it as would descend to Posterity that I had Eight Children that I was loth should be blemished with it And withal I was confident the Duke of Monmouth would revenge his Fathers Blood if it were but to vindicate himself from having any hand in it And now I desire to forgive all the World from the very bottom of my Heart and I pray God of his Mercy from my Heart to forgive them even Mr. Shepherd who delivered me up who promised to carry me into Holland but instead of that he brought me into the condition wherein I now am I do desire with all my Heart to forgive the Witnesses and withal do earnestly beg that they may be observed that some Remarks may be set upon them whether their End be Peace and that they die the common Death of all Men. Certainly though it be the Law of the Land I ought to Die and the King may justly and reasonably put me to Death for being in those Meetings where a War was debated yet I think these Men are guilty of my Blood that were as deep in as I and have betrayed me and taken it away Then in the next place I beg leave Mr. Sheriff to speak one short word of Advice to my Friends that hath been often given to me though I was not so fortunate and so happy as to take it and that is That they would neither hear any Man speak nor speak themselves that which they would not have repeated For there is no such thing as Faith in Man to Man whatever there is in Man to God Either the Tears of a Wife or a Family of little helpless Children something or other will tempt and provoke Men to betray one another When God hath a Work to do he will not want Instruments for he can make them nor will he want a way to do it for he can contrive it and bring it to pass And I do most heartily desire and my earnest Prayer to the Almighty is That this may be the last Blood spilt upon this account I know Acts of Indulgence and Mercy in the King would make him much easier in his Government and would make his People sit much easier under it and that the Lord may encline his Heart to mercy ought to be the Prayer of every good Man. What hath happened and what hath been the present occasion of our Calamity I suppose every man knows what Provocations have been on the one hand Fears and Necessities Jealousies and Sufferings of the other I will not intermeddle with resolving to use my utmost endeavour to make that Peace and Reconciliation with my God which is impossible for me to make with Man and to make it my hearty Prayer to the Great God before whom I am in a little time to appear That he would stench this Issue of Blood and find out some other way to preserve these Kingdoms in Unity and Peace to the Honour and Glory of his Great Name and the eternal Comfort of his People One word Mr. Sheriff I desire to speak as to Ireland because the King prest it hard upon me and several People have been with me about Ireland how far Ireland was concerned in this matter I do aver here as in the presence of God before whom I am now going to appear That I do not know an Englishman nor Protestant in Ireland engaged in it What I did know was only of one Scotish Gentleman in the North and the King knows it but he says he does not believe it For they that were concerned I was never in any of their Councils I never saw any of those Lords but the Duke of Monmouth and that was I believe above six Months ago I never saw nor spoke with one Lord only my Lord Howard I have not more to say Mr. Sheriff But truly you will do an act of a great deal of Charity if you will Prevail with the King for an Act of Indulgence and Liberty to his People I think so And so the Lord have mercy upon me Captain Walcot's Prayer O Lord our God Thou art a God of present help in time of Trouble a God that hast promised to be with thy People in the Fire and in the Water O Lord we pray Thee that Thou wilt afford thy Presence to thy poor suffering Servants at this time that Thou wilt enable us to pray with Faith to trust in Thee to be in expectation and hope of Mercy from Thee O Lord thy Servant that speaketh doth confess that the Iniquities at his Heels have justly overtaken him that Just and Righteous art thou in all thy Judgments that he hath reason to bear thy Indignation because he hath sinned O Lord we beg even for thy Son Christ Jesus's sake that our Sins may not be brought to our remembrance in order to our despondency or discouragement or our despairing in thy Mercy but rather O Lord in order to an assurance that our great God hath pardoned and forgiven them in the Blood of his Son. O do thou bathe each of our Souls in that Fountain set open for Sin and for Uncleanness Give us O Lord inward spiritual strength from thy Self and give us cause to bless thy Name for inward supporting Graces for inward assistances O let us find an increase of spiritual strength let us be assured that our Sins are done away and let us also be assured that our Names are written in the Book of Life and let it be such an assurance as may be matter of joy and rejoycing to our Souls O do thou enable every one of us from the inward evidence of thy Spirit to say with thy Servant Job That we know and are assured that our Redeemer lives O

do thou give us such an assurance of an Interest in Thee that we may be inabled in deed in reality and in truth to say that we have run our Race and we have finished our Course with Joy O let us now receive the fruit of those many Petitions that we have put up unto Thee O let us now find the Spirit influencing our Hearts to a yielding patience and a thorow subjection to the Will of God Let us find thy Spirit assuring us that we are thine O let us have stronger Evidences of thy Love stronger Testimonies of thy Affection O give us some inward Tastes of those Heavenly Joys that we hope through the Mercy of Jesus Christ in a little time to have a more full Fruition of O Lord do thou speak Peace to every one of our Consciences enable us to take hold of thy Strength that thou mayest make Peace with us and let us not be discouraged O Lord since we have a High Priest that can be touched with our Infirmities Let us with Boldness have Access to the Threne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and Grace to help in time of need O take away the Sting and Terror that is in Death in any one of us by assuring us of our Interest in Thee by assuring us that our Names are Recorded in the Book of Life though we lie under a Sentence of Death from Man we beg that we may have a Sentence of Life Eternal from our God and though we meet Thee O Lord in a Field of Blood we beg that Thou wilt come to meet with us in a Field of Mercy O Lord extend thy Mercy thou Lord whose Compassions fail not cause the Bowels of thy tender Pity to yearn with Compassion towards us Enable every one of us O Lord to die believing in Jesus Christ to die hoping in his Mercy to die relying upon him for Justification for Sanctification and for Adoption O Lord though we have been Prodigals we desire to return unto our Fathrrs House where there is Bread enough O enable us to come unto Thee as Children to their Parents O let our Prayers be offered with so much Fervour in Christ Jesus that Thou may'st think it reasonable to assure us of thy Love. O let the Intercession of Jesus Christ be accepted O Lord we beg that he may be our Advocate if our Advocate be our Judg certainly we cannot miscarry O let Jesus Christ be the Hope of every one of our Souls and Lord let not our Hope be like that of the Hypocrite but let our Faith be built upon the Rock of Ages and let us not fail from the apprehension of Affliction and Punishment from Men. Yet O Lord do thou so order our Hearts and our Spirits aright that thou mayest be the Lot of our Inheritance and our Portion for ever O do thou interest us in thy Self Lord carry on thy own Work. We desire to come unto Thee that we may have Life Lord help us Lord put to thy helping Hand Lord teach us truly to leave no Sin unrepented of in any one of our Hearts And O Lord we beg that with us thou wilt give us leave to recommend unto thy Care our poor Wives and Children Thou hast promised to be the Father of the Fatherless and the Husband of the Widdow and thou hast commanded us to cast the Care of them upon Thee O do thou make Provision for them deal kindly with them imprint thy own Image upon them and enable them to bear this severe stroke with Patience O Lord stand by and support them let their Ways be found so pleasing and acceptable unto Thee that thou may'st think it reasonable to make all their Enemies at Peace Lord. interest them in thy Love and do thou favour them with thy Mercies and loving-kindnesses O Lord we also beseech Thee in the behalf of these poor Kingdoms wherein we are that Thou wilt he merciful to them prevent Divisions among them heal all their Breaches compose their Differences make all that are thine of one Heart and Mind in the things of thee our God. And Lord if it be thy Will do thou rule in the Heart of the King that he may Rule and Reign for Thee and for the good of thy Church and People Lord favour us with thy Mercy assure us of thy Love stand by us in the difficult Hour take us into thine own Care cause thy Angels to attend us to convey our Souls as soon as they are divided from our Bodies into Abraham's Bosom into the Paradise of our God. And Lord we beg that thou wilt be with us with thy extraordinary Presence helping us to trust in Thee doing for us beyond what our narrow Hearts are able to ask or think All which we beg for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ in whom O Lord this little time do thou give us Hearts to give thee all Glory Honour and Praise now and for evermore Amen Sweet Jesus Amen FINIS

be but One Sheepfold It was therefore in the Defence of this Party in their Just Rights and Liberties against Popery and Slavery At which words they Beat the Drums To which he said They need not trouble themselves for he should say no more of his Mind on that Subject since they were so disingenuous as to interrupt a Dying Man only to assure the People he adhered to the True Protestant Religion detesting the erroneous Opinions of many that called themselves so and I Die this day in the Defence of the ancient Laws and Liberties of these Nations And though God for Reasons best known to himself hath not seen it sit to honour Us as to make Us the Instruments for the Deliverance of his People yet as I have Lived so I Die in the Faith that he will speedily arise for the Deliverance of his Church and People And I desire all of you to prepare for this with speed I may say This is a deluded Generation vail'd with Ignorance that though Popery and Slavery be riding in upon them do not perceive it though I am sure there was no Man born marked of God above another for none comes into the world with a Saddle on his Back neither any Booted and Spurr'd to Ride to him not but that I am well satisfied that God hate wisely ordered different Stations for Men in the World as I have already said Kings having as much Power as to make them Great and the People as much Property as to make them Happy And to conclude I shall only add my Wishes for the Salvation of all Men who were created for that end After ending these words he prayed most fervently near three quarters of an hour freely forgiving all Men even his greatest Enemies begging most earnestly for the Deliverance of Sion from all her Persecutors particularly praying for London Edinburgh and Dublin from which the Streams run that Rule God's People in these three Nations Being asked some hours before his Execution If he thought not his Sentence Dreadful He answered He wished he had a Limb for every Town in Christendom The Last Speech of Madam LISLE Beheaded at Winchester in September 1685. Gentlemen Friends and Neighbours IT may be expected that I should say something at my Death my Birth and Education being near this place My Parents instructed me in the Fear of God and I now Die of the Reformed Religion always being instructed in that Belief that if Popery should return into this Nation it would be a great Judgment I Die in Expectation of Pardon of my Sins and Acceptation with the Father by the imputed Righteousness of Jesus Christ He being the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth I thank God through Christ Jesus I depart under the Blood of Sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel God having made this Chastisement an Ordinance to my Soul. I did as little expect to come to this place on ●his Occasion as any Person in this Nation therefore let all learn not to be High-minded but Fear The Lord is a Sovereign and will take what way he seeth best to Glorifie himself by his poor Creatures therefore I humbly desire to submit to his Will praying of him That in Patience I may possess my Soul. The Crime was my Entertaining a Non-Conformist Minister which is since sworn to have been in the Duke of Monmouth's Army I am told if I had not denied them it would not have affected me I have no Excuse but Surprize and Fear which I believe my Jury must make use of to excuse their Verdict to the World. I have been told That the Court ought to be Counsel for the Prisoner Instead of Advice there was Evidence given from thence which though it was but Hear-say might possibly affect my Jury My Defence was such as might be expected from a weak Woman but such as it was I never heard it repeated again to the Jury But I forgive all Persons that have wronged me and I desire that God will do so likewise I forgive Col. Penruddock although he told me He could have taken those Men before they came to my House As to what may be expected for my Conviction That I gave it under my Hand that I discours'd with Nelthrop that could be no Evidence to the Court or Jury it being after my Conviction and Sentence I acknowledge His Majesty's Favour in Revoking my Sentence and I pray God he may long Reign in Mercy as well as Justice and that he may Reign in Peace and that the True Religion may Flourish under him Two things I have omitted to say which is That I forgive him that desired to be taken from the Grand Jury and put upon the Petty Jury that he might be the more nearly concerned in my Death And return humble Thanks to God and the Reverend Clergy that assisted me in my Imprisonment Sept. 85. Alicia Lisle Some Passages of Henry Cornish Esq before his Sufferings COming into the Press-yard and seeing the Halter in the Officers Hand he said Is this for me The Officer answer'd Yes he replied Blessed be God and Kissed it and after said O blessed be God for Newgate I have enjoyed God ever since I came within these Walls and blessed be God who hath made me fit to die I am now going to that God that will not be mocked to that God that will not be imposed upon to that God that knows the Innocency of his poor Creature And a little after he said Never did any poor Creature come unto God with greater Confidence in his Mercy and Assurance of Acceptation with him through Jesus Christ than I do but it is through Jesus Christ for there is no other way of coming to God but by him to find acceptance with him there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we can be saved but the Name of Jesus Then speaking to the Officers he said Labour every one of you to be fit to die I was not fit to Die my self till I came in hither but O blessed be God he hath made me fit to die and hath made we willing to die In a few moments I shall have the Fruition of the Blessed Jesus and that not for a day but for ever I am going to the Kingdom of God where I shall enjoy the presence of God the Father and of God the Son and of God the Holy Spirit and of all the Holy Angels I am going to the general Assembly of the First-born and of the Spirits of just Men made perfect O that God should ever do so much for me O that God should concern himself so much for the good of poor Creatures for their Salvation blessed be his Name For this was the design of God from all Eternity to give his only Son to die for poor miserable Sinners Then the Officers going to tye his Hands he said What must I be tyed then Well a brown Thred might have served the

turn you need not tye me at all I shall not stir from you for I thank God I am not afraid to die As he was going out he said Farewel Newgate Farewel all my Fellow-Prisoners here the Lord comfort you the Lord be with you all The Substance of Alderman Cornish's Speech at the Place of Execution Octob. 23. 1685. taken by one of his Servants I Am come here this day Condemned to die but God is my Witness the Crimes laid to my Charge were falsely and maliciously sworn against me by the Witnesses for I never was at any Consult nor any Meeting where Matters against the Government were discours'd of I never heard nor read any Declaration nor ever acted wilfully any thing against the Government I confess through the Justice of God my private Sins have brought me to this Infamous End yea it were just with God not only to deprive me eternally of his Presence but to condemn me to Eternal Torments but through Christ I hope to be eternally Blessed Yet as to the Crimes for which I suffer on the Words of a dying Man I am altogether Innocent I bless God I was from my younger Years brought up in and have for some Years continued a Protestant in the Communion of the Church of England in which Communion I now die I have often partaken in the Ordinances the blessed Effects and Comfort thereof I now feel in this my Agony I bless God I was born under a Government in the Constitution of which I did ever acquiesce and in which I was once a Member at which time I did according to the best of my Understanding Here be was interrupted by the Sheriff I bless God I was born in a Land of Light where the Gospel hath been Preach'd in Power and Purity He might have brought me forth in a Land of Darkness and Ignorance but blessed be God for Jesus Christ. Then he intreated the Sheriff to Intercede with his Majesty to be kind to his poor Wife and Children The Sheriff promised him to wait on his Majesty the next day about it He replied Mr. Sheriff I thank you the Lord reward you a thousand-fold the Lord put it into the Hearts of you to be kind to the Widdows and Fatherless it is your Duty The Lord put it into the Hearts of all good People to Pray for me More could not be taken by reason of the Noise of the People and Interruption of one of the Sheriffs The SPEECH of Captain WALCOT on Friday the 20th of July 1683. THIS great Concourse of People do not only come here to see me Die but also to hear what I shall say and because I would not be Reproached and thought to be an Atheist when I am gone I have two or three words to speak for my Religion I do believe in Three Persons and one God and I expect and hope to be Saved by the Merits and Righteousness of his Son Christ Jesus without the hope of an advantage by any Merits or Righteousness of my own And I believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God that They were not written according to the will of Man but holy Men of God writ them as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost I believe that these Scriptures ought to be the Rule of our Faith and the method of our Worshipping of God I believe that as Christ is the Head of his Church so he is their Law-giver That it is not in the power of any Council or Conclave of Cardinals or any Power upon Earth whatsoever to set up the Precepts and Traditions of Men and to make them of equal validity with the Word of God. I believe it was not because the Jews rejected and Crucified Christ that he rejected them but because they rejected his Word which appears by the Three thousand that God by one Sermon of Peter's converted they being prickt in their hearts and touched in their Consciences cried out Men and Brethren what shall we do And they were that day added to the Church It was certainly because the Jews rejected the Word and Gospel of Christ that the things were hid from their Eyes which belonged to their peace It is a dreadful thing to reject the Word of God and it is a dreadful thing to live in a sinful course of Life till God withdraws his Spirit from us For it is said It shall not always strive with Man. Death is the wages of Sin. I believe had not Adam sinned he and we his Posterity had not died Death is said to be the King of Terrours but it is only so to those that are terrified with a Terrifying Conscience that have the Arrows of the Almighty sticking in them from convictions of great Guilt and see no hopes of Mercy have no assurance of Pardon but those that are Christ's he takes away the Terrour and Horrour and Sting of Death he enables them to say with Paul To me to live is Christ and to die is Gain He enables not only to get unto Christ but into Christ and so they have Communion and Fellowship with the Father and the Son. It is no hard matter to get the Notions of the Promises of the Gospel into our Heads but unless the Lord is pleased to apply them to our Hearts we cannot believe Except we be in Christ as branches in the Vine we are not Christians indeed It was the Case of poor Francis Spira he was certainly a knowing Man but notwithstanding he had not Faith to apply the Promises Christ hath said that he that believes in him though he were dead yet shall he live and he that lives and believes in him shall never die So if we be able to apply the Promises by the Spirit of God we may have comfort through Faith But then Faith is the gift of God and Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and receiving it in the love of God. I shall not be tedious Mr. Sheriff I shall be very short Mr. Sheriff Take your own time Walcot As to the present occasion of my Death I do neither blame the Judges nor the Jury nor the King's Counsel I only blame some Men that in reality and in truth were deeper concerned and more engaged than I that came in as Witnesses against me who Swore me out of my Life to save their own and who for fear they should not do it effectually contrived that That I will appeal to you all whether there be a probability in it or not For they said I made it a scruple of Conscience to have a hand in killing the King or to imbrue my hands in his Blood but was so generous as to undertake the Charging his Guards whilst others did it and to the end another might do it Truly I will appeal to all that know me whether they believe me so much an Ideot that I should not understand it was the same thing to engage the King's Guards whilst another Killed