would consider seriously of that Sacred Scripture in the Twenty eighth of the Prov. of Solomon the Thirteenth verse He who hides his sin shall not prosper in the attempting of it but rather exposes himself to a Curse But whosoever Confesses and forsakes his Sin shall obtain Mercy He said That he had Confest 'twixt God and himself and that was Sufficient I told him that in respect of the great Scandal he had given and Reproach he had brought upon Religion which Obliges to all Fidelity towards Princes and forbids the Subvertion of a Lawful Government he ought to express great Sorrow for and detestation of such Principles which destroy Humane Society But he angerly replyed What! do you undertake to instruct me or others of my Order as if we were not Men of Reason and Learning I told him that I was bound to assist him as a dying Man and to put him in mind of seeking his Souls Salvation in a Right way And that whereas he slighted my Advice he ought not to look upon any Protestant Divine to be like Their Novices whom they Traine up in Ignorance as if it were the Mother of Devotion I said that I stood Amazed that any man of his Learning should so far forfeit the Repute thereof and all the Sentiments of a Good Conscience as to adhere to principles so destructive to all Order Equity and Government establisht by Light of Nature even among Savages He was not pleased with my discourse yet I did assure him I would not desist praying for him while I could Rationally think that he was Alive and within the reach or benefit of my prayers And so we parted IV V. Mr. Gawen and Mr. Turner I Could not speak with Gawen or Turner till they were placed in the Sledge I spake but little to them Time and the Noise of the people thronging me would not permit me to say much Only I told Mr. Gawen that Now death stared him in the face and his judgement to an Eternal State was very Near therefore I advised him not to palliate or extenuate his great Crime much lesse to deny it for he would hazard his Salvation if he went out of the world with a falsity in his mouth I told him I had and would continue to pray for him and his Fellow-Criminal in the Sledge with him So wishing them a penitential frame of Heart that they might obtain Eternal Life in Christ upon the drawing away of the Sledg Mr. Gawen shewed a publick Signal of Civility to me and thankt me He seemed much more cheerful than the rest And I hope he had better grounds for it Mr. Langhorne AFter Sentence of Death past upon the said Unhappy Gentleman as being Involved in the Jesuitical Conspiracy against the King and Nation I Addressed my self in a Visit to him which he Accepted When I first came into his Chamber I told him That I came not to upbraid a Dying Man though of a contrary Religion That I pittyed him as a Condemned Criminal yet was more troubled that he should Espouse the Popish Perswasions so far as to Suspend or Renounce rather the Sentiments of Right Reason in Embracing and Adhering to so Corrupt and Absurd Opinions He answered me That he thought himself in a surer Way for to attain Salvation than any of my Opinion could set themselves in For Protestants said he follow the Mistakes of their private Judgments and then cry them up for the Genuine Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures But We said he who are Roman Catholicks have the Conduct of an Infallible Guide to Interpret obscure Ambiguities in the Scriptures For no Scripture is of any private Interpretation otherwise well-meaning Persons may propose and put off their Fancies for solid Conclusions drawn from the sacred Records of God's Word He said That therefore there was great need of an external supreme infallible Judge on Earth whose Decision upon Appeals can only state and determine all Controversies about matters of Faith and Practice I replyed That the Divine Authority of God as imprest upon the Veracity of the Scriptures was never separated from the same Spirit who did Dictate them as unto special Guydance so far as not to Desert sincere Christians that they should fall into any Damnable Heresie But I feared that the Romish Opinions were such though they be imposed to be Believed and Obeyed upon the score of the Pope's Infallibility equally with the sacred Scriptures What Blasphemy is this for a sinful Man to arrogate the Title of Infallible due only to God the Fountain and Architype of all Truth That the Father of Lights gave Mankind the Best and Safest Conduct of his own Holy Infallible Spirit in Matters aforesaid And that the Scriptures being exemplified from his Essential Purity and Veracity were not defective as Human Laws which require an External Judge and Interpreter distinct from themselves in their Original Constitution So that in all Things necessary to Salvation the Scriptures were a Perfect Rule and Standard to dictate and determine Matters of Faith and Christian Obedience Yet so arrogant is the Pope as to Challenge an Authority to Himself to give the Scriptures a Sanction yea to Over-rule them by his Corrupt Traditions which he declares Infallible Thus he Exautorats and Invalidates their Divine Original and Superintendency as if they received all the Life of their Interpretation from his Authoritative Dilucidation as the Moon doth her Light from the Sun Hence it is that when the Pope enters into any Council he hath the Bible placed under his Feet while singly himself Over-rules the Council and Exalts his sole Determination above the sacred Records of Truth Hence it is that under a Pretence that the Scriptures are Obscure and a dead Letter in themselves that they must be Animated with his Traditions though never so Absurd and Contradictory to their Divine Authority Certainty and Perfection Also I said That where the Scriptures were Obscure in one Place they explained that Ambiguity in another So that there was no need of any External Judge And that Protestant Divines did not give out their Private Sentiments and Interpretations of the Scriptures for Laws to supersede the Innate Authority of the Scriptures or to oblige Christians to an Implicit Faith and Obedience as the Pope doth who over-rules the very Scriptures Themselves So that no part of them is Canonical but only those Books which he declares to be such Thus a sinful Man judges that sacred Law by which himself and all Men must be Judged though he claim a Power to Pardon Sin and Dispose of the Eternal Rewards of Virtue or Vice accordingly as himself pleases to determine the Nature and Circumstances of Both. Hence I said It proceeded that the Opinions of the Romish Church were so Corrupt as moulded and adapted to serve and promote the Carnal Interest of his Ambition and the Licentiousness of his Followers Then he askt me Whether I did not think that the Popish and Protestant
of this Baron Hene one of his Majestie 's Justiciaries in Ireland assured a Person of Honor that one John Curphy a Papist Condemned for a Burglary in the Year 1671. at the time of his Execution did peremptorily Deny the Fact and made solemn Appeals to God of his Innocency Yet the Contrary was thus Discovered After he had Hung some little time the Rope by Chance brake so he fell down a little Stunned Yet some Seed of Life remaining in him he was brought to his perfect Speech Hereupon Terror was so deeply imprest upon his Conscience for Lying though counted a Venial Sin before that he was forced to Confess the Fact and after some time given him for Repentance he was Executed as he deserved Thus you see that Impudent Impenitent Malefactors at different Seasons have different Sentiments of God's Omniscient Justice for Forging Lies deliberately to make the World believe that they are Innocent God is concerned in the Honor of his Justice to Vindicate his Omnisciency in some strange Discovery of such Matchless Impostors who can hardly Repent in the time of Dying Indeed it is not probable they should who Entayl upon themselves a Voluntary Curse by their pertinacious Dissimulation and their Lying Artifices These Men are of late Commenced such profound Doctors in all Treason Rebellion Cruelty and what not which may destroy a Protestant Government that they out-strip all former Monsters of Impiety Had this Unparellel'd Villainy been Effected it would have been Celebrated for a Meritorious Act in Contriving a Speedier and more Effectual Method for the Propagation of the Romish Perswasion This is not the Truly Antient Apostolical Faith but a Mushrom of Fancy started up out of an Affectation of Superstitious Novelty and cherisht or spred by the Boundless Ambition of Earthly Pomp and Grandeur How can any Man who hath not quite Extinguisht all Sparks of Reason and Ingenuity Embrace such a Religion which any Idiot may be Ashamed to Live in and Afraid to Dye in For it is a Miscellany of Blasphemies and all Absurd Opinions yea of all Impieties Hereby it comes to pass that at last they are not able to put any Difference 'twixt Light and Darkness Truth and Falshood nor to distinguish Righteousness from Violence and Injustice nor Piety it self from the Extremity of Prophaneness I have done with the Discovery of the Falseness of their Appeals Let us now see whether their Faith and Charity in Dying were of any Better Stamp The Jesuits False-Faith in Dying Detected to be Fancy and Presumption HOw many False Martyrs hath the world afforded who while they Courted Death Sacrificed only a Sturdy Body to a Stubborn Mind to keep up some Heresy in Repute Jesuits count this a brave Resolution yet it flows from the Inconsiderateness of a Sleepy secure Conscience They weigh not the after-claps of Death nor Dread the future Assizes of the Universal Judgment Hypocrits will as confidently commit and commend their Spirits into the Hand and Bosom of Christ as if they had been Washt in his Blood and changed into his Image Jesuits who are a Faithless Generation cannot really make use of the Sheild of Faith to Blunt the Sting of Death or to Quench the Fiery Dartings of Despair into their Hearts For that Faith which they pretend to is rather Carnal fancy and presumption than any well regulated Resignation of their Souls to the Conduct of the Scriptures as imbraced by a firm Belief Such Resignation flowing from a Right-bred Faith is Divinely grounded on the Sacred Authority of God Alone who is the Architype of Truth But Jesuits do not believe the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of Faith and of the practicals of Christian Self-denyal If they esteemed the Sacred Records able to make the Man of God Compleatly wise unto Salvation then Consequently they must needs be the strongest and only Sheild to overcome the Inordinate Love of Natural Life and the Slavish fear of a Violent Ignominious Death Such a frame can never be attained unless the Purity of the Scriptures which are Divine in their Original and Authority be Assented to and Imbraced with a Faith Divinely subjected to them I must receive and defend Divine Truth to the very Death not because I believe it with an Humane Faith as giving more credit to the Churches Tradition which Consignes the Scriptures to be Canonical than to the Authority of Divine Revelation If so I ground my Faith for Eternal Life upon an Vncertain Opinion or at best upon the Rash and bold Assertion of some Pope or Council who say and unsay Decree and Abolish the same Constitution in a Breath Thus the Jesuits-Faith which is meerly or chiefly Humane in the very essence and formality of it because the Church or Pope determines So or So can never reach to the Spiritual pitch and excellency of that Divine Faith which being grounded on the Sole Authority of Divine Revelation can only Justify and Save a mans Soul and Consequently can only afford true courage and comfort in Dying But Jesuits never had their Hearts purified by believing and obeying the Truths of Christ as such for then they would have their Affections more in Heaven But spending their Conversation chiefly among Machivilians of their own Tribe and Order to promote a Secular Interest rather than to Subject themselves to the Rules of the Blessed Jesus whose name their Society Blasphemously pretends to they cannot have any Experimental Tast of the powerful joys of the World to come Their confidence therefore in Dying cannot be Hearty and Ingenuous It flows cheifly from the Effort and vigor of natural courage not from a Super-elevated Principle of Unfeigned Faith which takes a prospect of Eternal Life not only beyond the pleasing Accomodations and Advantages of this present World but also beyond the Torments of Death that so God himself may be Glorified All in All and not only a Saint-like Cannonization be Ambitiously aspired unto which without real Holiness is but the Dream of a Fools-Paradise Are not such men under the delusion of a strange Phrency and Spiritually bewicht who put on an Artificial courage and zeal in sealing a false Religion with their Blood only out of a fond Ambition to avoid Purgatory on the left hand and that the Pope may immediately Canonize them for Heroical Champions in defending the pride of his Tripple Crown Jesuits account this to be justifying Faith to Eternal Life firmly to Assont to all the Popes determinations as Infallible when oftentimes Popes have been persons neither of common Truth nor Honesty but Atheists Hereticks Conjurers Sodomites yea Incarnate Devils Platina in the Life of John the 13th Constan Concil Sess 11. Art 5. Benedict 9. vide Baronium anno 1034. N. 3. Yet the unwritten Traditions or Fancies rather of these wicked Monsters must be Imbraced as Objects of justifying Faith by all such who expect not to be sent to Purgatory when they Dye But Can Jesuitical Martyrs for the Pope's
Believed in and were sufficient to put us in mind of our Duty and to quicken holy Affections in us I said moreover That it was a more Refined peice of Idolatry to Conceive otherwise of God in our Thoughts than as He had Revealed himself by the Scriptures of Truth in his Infinite Excellencies And therefore to relieve us in preventing any gross Mistakes in our absurd Imaginations of God we were bound to fix our Thoughts and Conceptions in Prayer upon God in Christ as Incarnate who is the only express Image of the Deity and not any Corporeal dishonorable Mis-representations of God by the help of Pictures or Crucifixes I found also that his Popish Education had strongly prevailed on him to adhere to the false and absurd Dotages of the Romish Church For when I told him That it was not safe to Dye in that Religion He replyed That he was resolved to hold and persevere in it because he had been Bred up in it I said That could not be a solid Argument for then he might be as Peremptory to dye in a sinful State because the Principles of a Corrupt Nature were rivited in his Heart and were grown familiar to him by Custom He was sometimes Pettish yet when the Fit was off he harkned to my Advice and joyned with me in Prayer I desired him not to mock God either by any deliberate Wandring in his Thoughts while I should pray nor by saying any Ave-Maryes or Popish Petitions secretly to himself He promised me he would not He was troubled for his sinful Course of Life Yet I told him That was not Repentance deep enough David's Heart was the Centre of his Remorse and that not only his heinous-Crimes of Murder and Adultery were his Burthen but the Sense of his vile Corrupt Nature which was the poysonous Spring of all scandalous Impieties And that as we are in our Thanksgivings for Divine Mercies to Ascend to the Free-Grace of God in giving Christ to Redeem us as the Spring-head of all Spiritual Benefits So in a penitent Confession of Sin we must likewise Ascend to the Guilt and Defylement of Original Sin whence all Actual Abominations flow That this is a great Relief to us when we cannot make a distinct Particular Enumeration of our Sins And that no Hypocrite can be truly humbled for the sin of his Corrupt Nature nor for Gospel-Unbelief which is the direct damning Sin as being against the very Remedy of our Recovery from a State of Sin and Misery Every day after sutable Advices given to him I Pray'd with him He had not been Grammarred in that strange Distinction which most of those Popish Malefactors had learn't That a Papist may lawfully desire a Protestants Prayers at Home yet that his Joyning in Prayer is an owning of their reputed Heresie whose Breath is Infectious when poured out in the Solemnity of praying mutually in each others Presence Hill had learnt this Evasion though Staley and Berry as well as Green had not I believe the true reason why all the other Criminals denyed me Liberty to Pray with them was Lest I should touch too distinctly upon the right Sore which they palliated yea denyed and so dreaded that Trouble and Perplexity which might thereby be raised in their Consciences I can give no further Account of Green but only this That upon the Day before his Execution he told me That he had received much Information by my Discourses and Benefit by my Prayers in order to fit him for his Death He thank't me for my Visits but discharged me from farther Attendance upon him so I went not with him to the Place of Execution to observe what End he made VII Mr. Hill THis Hill was one of the Murtherers of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey He was Born and Bred a Papist He was not a Shoomaker as was reported but the Son of a Shoo-maker He said That he had been Servant to a Recusant Lady and managed some of her Concernments and went over Sea sometime to give her an Account thereof That he had lately hired an house for himself to Dwell in But was not present at the aforesaid Murther Yea that he knew nothing of it more or less neither before nor after This he often averred with so many self-Imprecations that I was afraid to urge him for the present to any farther Acknowledgment lest I might thereby give him an Occasion to aggravate his Sin and seal up his Damnation with greater Obduration and Impenitency I unfolded to him the wide Difference betwixt the Protestant and Popish Religion and that the Latter could not be a Religion Instituted by Christ because It was founded in Blood and propagated by Artifices of Cruelty Injustice Violence Equivocations and Perjuries Yea even by false Appeals to the Omniscient Judge of Innocency when Crimes were Juridically proved against the Appellants I said That this was the deepest Policy of Papists fetcht from the Conclave of Hell For such daring and Atheistical Appellants are not only possest with the Spirit of Lying and strongly deluded while Living to believe a false absurd Religion but also do as strangely out of an obstinate impenitent Heart palliate Bloody Crimes with a flat Denyal of them after Conviction thereof by due Process of Law Surely such a Violation of the Sentiments of Conscience must needs proceed from an Atheistical Denyal of God's Omniscient Inspection or a Prophane Doubting of the Future Judgment As if false Appellants had not Souls capable of Damnation or studied how to seal it up more firmly to themselves But such studied Evasion of their Crimes render them blacker and more horrid while they would make Credulous Persons suspect their Accusers to be Perjured which is a Sin of that deep Dye and Malignity that it rarely admits of any Repentance in the Sinner or Pardon from God Yet so hardned are some that they will stand out in the Denyal of their Crimes though proved against them to the last Breath They are not afraid to look the Almighty Judge in the Face with a Lye in their Mouth But then such frontless stupid Sinners presume they shall have this Relief as a Shield to keep off their Damnation that their Self-Imprecation was for the promoting of a greater Good viz. That the Romish Religion may not lye under the Reproach of a Blood-thirsty Disposition in its Professing Party lest being hindred in its Propagation if this were credited it should gradually become so Abominable as to be rooted out Papists think that they may lawfully safely yea commendably Perjure themselves to promote their false Religion especially if in a Transport of Zeal they Imprecate themselves that they may sit higher in the Good Opinion and Implicit Faith of their blinded Proselytes Such was Hill Who was not more subtilly Moulded unto than deeply Confirmed in all Popish Principles Hence it was that he would not admit of any Information which might beget the least suspicion of their Falsity Yet this was very Commendable in him