or that she must take her last farewell of him and so she have him dead to her whil'st alive but since providence compels them to part here Imagen for I cannot expresse their affectionate farewels with teares till they meet where joys are compleater perpetual This being past he makes it his only work to put of his and to prepare for a better life in which D. Wild added to his indeavours his pious assistance the day being spent Dr. Wilde left him not without the beames and light of a friends prayers and the dayes glory together but kept him company all that night thereby to make day in his soule though it were night in the World Immediately after came Dr. Reynolds Mr. Carill Mr. Manton Mr. Bates and others with whose discourse they were so affected that that evening they took Coach on Lud-gate Hill and went down to white-Hall to beg his life of his Highnesse the Lord Protector but that were not granted His demeanour on the Scaffold ON Tuesday morning the time of execution drawing neigh they spent that part which gave them leisure to prepare for that great work to dye which time being come Dr. Wilde Dr. Warmistry and Deane Reves accompanyed him to the place of Execution and on the way they tell him he was goeing to solemnize a marriage wherein he must look death in the face before he could come to the fruition and full injoyment of his Bride he shewed such chearfullnesse to that work that gave satisfaction to his friends these communications being obstructed by arrivall at the Scaffold Dr. Wilde and Dr. Warmistry led him up the staires like to wings that assist the body to assend and being mounted he demeaned himselfe with a most meek and undejected deportment and casting his eye toward the block he espyed some of the blood of his fellow-sufferer and having a while fixt his eyes stedfastly on that object with hands and eyes elevated he sends up ejaculations to heaven and then falleth down on his knees and prayed privatly a while and then about as long audably Doctor HEWIT's Letter to Doctor WILDE the day before he suffered Dearest Brother I Have no cause to think that you have not at any time taken me along with you in the daily walk upon your knees to Heaven but I beseech you and all my Brethren to be now especially very mindfull to call upon God for me The more company I go withal the more welcom I shall be made I should be loath either to leave out of my Creed or to be left out of the benefit of the Communion of Saints Two are better then one Two or three have the advantage of a Promise but to goe with a multitude to the House of God where all commers are welcome is to be assured before-hand of good entertainment Admission will hardly be denyed to any for whom there is great importunity of many If the Gate be shut much knocking will open it or if that would not doe it united Forces would offer an Holy violence Many will prevail where one alone can doe but little good Woe unto him that is alone Therefore dear Brother sith it is the infirmity of our nature that we live not without the occasions of giving and taking of offence And 't is the corruption of our nature that the offences we give we write in the dust Those we take we engrave in Marble If you know or shall heare of any one either of my Brethren or other persons whom by any act of scandall I have tempted or provoked or lessened or disturbed to exclude me the benefits of their charitable prayers or wishes I beseech you beg of them from me for me their pardon And let not any private wild-fire of passion put out the holy flames of a diffusive charity And as for my selfe I doe here protest before God that I do heartily desire to forget the injuries of whosoever has trespassed against me either by word or deed And if God should have been pleased to have granted a longer life I would not refuse yea I am stedfastly resolved to sollicite termes of Reconciliation with them that have done me the wrong And if my owne heart doe not deceive me I would give my life to save the soule of any of my Christian Brethren and would be content to want some degrees of glory in Heaven so that my very greatest Enemies might be so happy as to have soâ—â—e The God of Mercy shed forth his Bowels for them that shed my blood and the blood of Christ save and the spirit of Christ sanctifiâ— and support him who desires to live no longer then to honour the Father Son and holy Ghost and both living and dying craves yours and the prayers of the whole Church for her unworthy Child and Dearest Brother Your most affectionate friend Brother and Servant in Christ Jesus JOHN HEWIT Tower June 7. 1658. Morning 7 a Clock Doctor Hewit's first Prayer O Most glorious God Beeings of Beeings unaccessable light life of life Father of the spirits of the just and perfect infinite incomprehensible God of power wised me mercy justice and truth who dwelleth in that unsearchable glory and majesty to which none of all thy Creatures can attain King of kings Lord of lords my earnest expectation and my hope the onely confidence and consolation of my soule though my numberlesse sins have deserved thy wrath yet looke upon me through thy Christ in whome I have beleived by thy command and through whome thou hast promised the remission of my sins and eternall life that so as I was borne with a condition to dye so am I ready to dye with a condition to live with him and therefore for his sake assure me of it that so I may have hope and confidence in my end what though I must drinke the bitter portion of a violent death it is no more my God then my Redeemer tasted before me and though thou haâ—t suffered me to be removed from my peace and comfort of this World and from prosperity hast cast downe my dejected spirit with weights of sorrow yet that soule that seekes thee by mercies are renewed every morning and thy compassion failes not therefore my soule hath said that thou art my portion and therefore doth my soule trust on thee truth it is indeed oh my God that the hopes of the hills are vaine and so is all confidence in Man in honours or prosperity and most unhappy is that that is not in thee but in spite of Sathan or the Worlds malice blessed is that soule whose hope and whose trust thou art therefore though thou art pleased to weane me from a trustlesse world let thy peace and salvation Crowne my end and oh my Lord let my prayers come as incence up unto thee and in my Jesus be accepted by thee and bow the Heavens and come downe into my soule that in this hour of my death the comfort and joy of thy presence make those
of the High Court by which I was condemned that upon examination of the business they â—avâ— not found me a medler at all in these affaâ—res And truly I must needs say therefore That it was a very uncharitable act in them who ever they were that brought such accusation against me and irritated his Highnesse against me which first obstructed my liberty next brought to the Bar as a Traitor which now commands me to satisfie them with my blood but I will not say it was malice it might be zeal but it was rash zeal which caused me to be sentenced to this place The God of Mercy pardon and forgive them all And truly as I am a member of the Church and as a member of the Community where on behalfe I have been speaking I cannot but doe as our Saviour himselfe did for his Disciples when he was to be taken from them he blessed them and ascended up to Heaven My trust is in the mercy of the Most High I shall not miscarry and however my dayes are shortned by this unexpected doom and shall be brought untimely to the grave I cannot goe without my prayers for a blessing upon all the people of this Land and cannot but blesse them all in the name of God and beseech God to blesse them in all their wayes and his blessing be upon them all and upon me that am to suffer an ignominious violent death but my confidence is in the most high and here is my hope that I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine therefore come Lord Jesus come quickly Let us Pray O Most glorious Lord God thou whose dwelling is so far above the highest Heavens that thou humblest thy selfe but to looke upon the things that are in Heaven and that are in Earth thou who dost whatsoever thou wilt both in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and in all places In thy hands are the Hearts of all Men and thou turnest them which way soever thou wilt O Lord looke in mercy and compassion we beseech thee on this great and numerous people of this Land with an eye of pity not with an eye of fury and indignation O looke not on all those great and grievous sins that have provoked thee most justly to wrath and displeasure against us But gracious God! who can stand in thy sight when thou art angry when thou with rebuke dost correct Man for sin thou makest his beauty to consume away like as it were a Moth fretting a Garment O Lord thy indignation and wrath lies heavy upon us and thou hast vexed us with scourges thou hast made us a reproach and a by-word amongst our Neighbours and the very Heathen laugh us to scorn Oh that thou wouldeâ—t turne us againe O Lord God of Hoâ—ts that thou wouldst shew us the light of thy countenance that we may behold it that thou wouldst humble us for all those sins and grievous transgressions that are amongst us for those Atheisms for those infidelities horrid Blasphemies and Prophaneness for those Sacriledges for those Heresies for those Schisms Errors and all those blindnesses of heart pride vain-glory and hypâ—crisie that leades us from thee it perswades us it will bring us to thee O humble us for that envy hatred and malice and all uncharitableness that hath set us one against another that we are so dashed one against another even to destroy each other Ephraim against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah This thou hast done to us to make us a skurge unto each other O Lord because we have rebelled against thee O how greatly and grievously have we sinned yet for all this thou haâ—t not reqvited us according to our ill deservings for thou mightest have brought us to desâ—lation and destruction Fire might have come downe from Heaven and destroyed us our forreigne Enemies and the Enemies of thee and thy Christ our Saviour might have swallowed us up What have we not deserved Yet O the long-suffering and patience and goodness of our God! O Lord our God! we pray thee that thy patience and long-suffering might leade to repentance that thou wouldst be pleased thou who delightest not in the death of a sinner but rather that he should turn from his sins and live that thou wouldest turn us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Draw us and we shall run after thee Draw us with the Cords of love and by the bands of thy loving kindness by the powerfull working of thy holy spirit in our souls worke contrition in our hearts and a godly sorrow for all our sins even a sorrow to repentance and a repentance to salvation never to be repented of O Lord breake these stony hearts of ours by the hammer of thy word molifie them by the oyle of thy Grace smite these rockie hearts of ours by the Rod of thy most gracious power that we may shed forth Rivers of teares for the sins we have committed O that thou wouldst make us grieve because we cannot grieve and to weep because we cannot weep enough That thou wouldest humble us more and more in the true sight and sence of all our provocations against thee and that thou wouldest be pleased in the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all our sins Lord let his blood that speakes better things than that of Abel cry louder in thine eares for mercy then all those mischiefes and wickednesses that have been done amongst us for vengeance O besprinkle my polluted but penitent soule in the blood of Jesus Christ that I may be cleane in thy sight and that the light of thy countenance may shine upon me Lord be pleased to seale unto mine and all our soules the free pardon and forgiveness of all our sins Say to each of our soules and say that we may heare it that thou art well-pleased with us and appeased towards us Lord doe thou by thy spirit assure our spirits that we are thy Children and that thou art reconciled to us in the blood of Jesus Chriâ—t To this end O Lord create in us new hearts and renew right spirits within us Cast us not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from us but give us the comfort of thy help and establish us with thy free spirit Help us to live as thy redeemed ones and Lord let us not any longer by our wicked lives deny that most holy faith whereof our lips have so long time made profession but let us that call on the name of the Lord Jesus depart from iniquity and hate every evil way Help us to cast away all our transgressions whereby we have transgressed and make us new hearts Carry us along through the Pilgrimage of this world supplying us with all things needfull for us thy grace alone is sufficient for us Lord let thy grace be assistant to us to strengthen us against all the temptations of Sathan especially against those sins whereunto we are most prone either by custome
or constitution or most easily provoked to O Lord with what affliction soever thou shalt punish doe not punish us with spirituall judgements and disertions Give us not over to our owne hearts lusts to our vile lewd and corrupt affections Give us not over to hardness and impenitency of heart but make us sensible of the least sin and give us thy grace to thinke no sin little committed against thee our God but that we may be humbled for it and repent of it and reform it in our lives and conversations And Lord keep us from presumptious sins oh let not them get the dominion over us but keep us innocent from the great offences And Lord sanctifie unto us all thy methods and proceedings with us fitting us for all further tribulations and tryals whatsoever thou in thy divine pleasure shalt be pleased to impose upon us Lord give us patience conâ—tancy resolution and fortitude to undergoe them that though we walke through the valley of the shadow of death we may fear none ill knowing that thou O Lord art mercifully with us and that with thy rod as well as with thy staffe thou wilt support and comfort us and that nothing shall be able to separate us from thy love which is in Jesus Christ our Lord And gracious God! we beseech thee be thou pleased to looke mercifully and compassionately on thy holy Catholique Church and grant that all they that doe confesse thy holy Name may agree together in the truth of thy holy Word and live in unity and godly love Thou hast promised O Lord The gates of hell shall not prevaile against thy Church Perform we beseech thee thy most gracious promises both to thy whole Church and to that part of it which thou hast planted and now afflicted in these sinfull Lands and Nations wherein we live Arise O Lord and have mercy upon our Sion for it is time that thou have mercy upon her yea the time is come for thy servants think upon her stones and it pitieth them to see her in the dust Lord maintain thine own cause Rescue the light of thy truth from all those clouds of errors and heresies which do so much obscure it let the light therof in a free profesion break forth shine again among us that continually even as long as the Sun Moon endures To this end O Lord blesse us all and blesse Him the poâ—terity which in Authority ought to rule over and be above us Blesse Him in His soul and in His body in His Friends and in His Servants and all His Relations Guide Him by thy Councell prosper Him in all undertakings granting Him a long prosperous honourable life here upon earth and that He may attain to a blessed life hereafter And gracious God! looke mercifully upon all our Relations and do thou bring them to the light of thy Truth that are wandring ready to fall that grace here may intrest them in glory hereafter Confirme them in thy Truth that already stand Shew some good token for good unto them that they may rejoyce O let thy good hand of providence be over them in all their wayes And to all orders and degrees of men that be amongst us Give religious hearts to them that now rule in Authority over us Loyall hearts in their Subjects towards their Supreame And loving hearts in all men to their Friends and charitable hearts one towards another And for the continuance of thy Gospel among us restore in thy good time to their severall Places and Callings and give grace O Heavenly Father to all Bishops Pastors and Curates that they may both by their Life and Doctrine set forth thy true and lively word and rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments And Lord blesse thy Church still with Pastors after thine own heart with a continuall succession of faithfull and able men that they may both by Life and Doctrine declare thy Truth and never for fear or favour back-slide or depart from the same And give them the assistance of thy spirit that may inable them so to preach thy word that may keep thy People upright in the midst of a corrupted and corrupt generation And good Lord blesse thy people every where with hearing ears understanding hearts consciencious souls obedient lives especially those over whom I have had either lately or formerly a charge that with meek heart and due reverence they may hear and receive thy holy word truly serving thee in righteousness and holiness all the days of their lives And we beseech thee of thy goodness O Lord to comfort and succour all those that in this transitory life be in trouble sorrow need sicknesse or any other adversity Lord help the helplesse comfort the comfortlesse visit the sick releive the oppressed help them to right that suffer wrong set them at liberty that are in Prison restore the banished and of thy great mercy and in thy good time deliver all thy people out of their necessities Lord do thou of thy great mercy fit us all for our latter end for the hour of death and the day of Judgement and doe thou in the hour of death and at the day of Judgement from thy wrath and everlasting damnation good Lord deliver us through the Crosse and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ In the meane time O Lord teach us so to number our dayes and me my Minutes that we may apply our hearts to true wisedom that we may be wise unto salvation that we may live soberly godly and righteously in this present world denying all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts Lord teach us so to live that we may not be afraid to dye and that we may so live that we may be alwayes prepared to dye that when death shall seixe upon us it may not surprise us but that we may lift up our heads with joy knowing that our redemption draws nigh and that we shall be for ever happy being assured that we shall come to the Felicity of the Chosen and rejoyce with the gladnesse of thy people and give us such a fullnesse of thy holy Spirit that may make us stedfast in this faith and confirme us in this hope indue me with patience under thy afflicting band let not death be unpleasing to me but support me in this visitation that I may dye with a confidence to overcome death and so to live for ever and so fortifie my soul with the assistance of thy spirit that I may to the last minute be assisted with a chearfull resolution to give up my selfe to thy divine disposing that so passing the pilgrimage of this world we may come to the Land of promise the Heavenly Canaan that we may reign with thee in the World to come through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose blessed Name and Words we further call upon thee saying Our Father c. Let thy mighty hand and out-stretched arme O Lord be the defence of me and all other thy servants