Designs of it which it is capable of being interested in Nor is there any thing else worth speaking of that must be foregone except Health and the Momentaneousness of all Bodily Torments will make them very tolerable My Resolutions be That I will not expect by devoting myself unto the Fear of God to gain any thing as to my Body in this World That through the Grace of Christ I will use the Strength Ease Health of my Body yea my whole Body in subordination to my Soul in the Service of the Lord Jesus With such Meditations as these he kept mellowing of his own Soul and preparing it for the State wherein Faith is turned into Sight But there was yet a more delightful and surprizing way of Thinking after which he did aspire He considered that the whole Creation was full of God and that there was not a Leaf of Grass in the Field which might not make an Observer to be sensible of the Lord. He apprehended that the idle Minutes of our Lives were many more than a short Liver should allow that the very Filings of Gold and of Time were exceeding precious and that there were little Fragments of Hours intervening between our more stated Businesses wherein Thoughts of God might be no less pleasant than frequent with us Thus far Mr. Mather 17. A short Account of Mrs. Elizabeth Moore 's Evidences for Heaven as I find 'em in Mr. Calamy's Godly Mans Ark. I. Her Design in this Collection IN the Examination of myself I find that my Aims and Ends why I desire to gather together and clear up my Evidences for Heaven if my deceitful Heart doth not deceive me are these following 1. That hereby as a means I may be enabled to glorifie God in the great Work of Believing 2. My Aim is to strengthen that longed-for Grace of Assurance a Grace which though it be not of absolute necessity for the Being and Salvation yet is of absolute necessity for the Well-being and Consolation of a Christian without this Grace I can neither live nor die comfortably 3. My Aim is to obey God in his Word who hath commanded me by his Apostle To work out my own salvation with fear and trembling and to give all diligence to make my calling and election sure A brief Collection of her Evidences for Heaven I. Evidence BLessed be God who hath through his free Mercy begotten me to a hope that I am regenerated and born from above and converted unto God Reason Because the Lord hath gone the same usual way with me as with those he pleaseth to convert to himself and this I shall make to appear in five or six particulars 1. The Lord by his Spirit accompanying the Preaching of his Word caused the Scales to fall from my Eyes and opened them and set up a clear Light in my Understanding and made me to see Sin to be exceeding sinful 2. The Lord brought me to see the Misery that I was in by reason of my Sins I thought I was utterly forsaken of God and I thought that God would never accept of such a Wretch as I saw myself to be 3. The Lord brought me to a Spiritual Astonishment that I cried out What shall I do to be saved and said with Paul Lord What wouldst thou have me to do Do but make known to thy poor Creature what thy Will is and I thought I could do any thing or suffer any thing for the Lord. 4. The Lord took me off my own bottom off my own Righteousness and made me to see that that was but a sandy Foundation and would not hold out 5. The Lord brought me to see a Soul-sanctification in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and I think I should be as fully satisfied with Christ alone as my Heart can desire If I know my Heart it panteth after Christ and Christ alone None but Christ none but Christ. II. My Second Scripture-Evidence is taken from Mark 2.17 where Christ saith They that are whole have no need of the Physitian but they that are sick and he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Now through God's Mercy I can say I am a Sin-sick-Sinner III. From Mat. 11.28 29. I am weary and heavy laden Now Christ hath promised to give Ease to such IV. I can say with David That my Sins are a heavy Burden to me they are too heavy for me Psal 38.4 And I can say that I mourn because I can mourn no more for my Sins V. From Mat. 5.3 I think if my Heart do not deceive me I am poor in spirit now theirs is the kingdom of heaven saith Christ VI. From Mat. 12.20 I am a bruised reed and smeaking flax And therefore Christ hath promised he will not break such a Reed nor quench the Smoak of Grace if it be true Grace but he will increase it more and more VII From 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation saith Paul that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And so say I too it is worthy all acceptation that Christ should come from the Bosom of his Father who was infinitely glorious and happy that he should come into the World to save me me a sinner me the chief of sinners VIII I can say with Paul that I delight in the Law of God after the inward man and I am grieved that I cannot keep it I find that Spiritual War in me between Flesh and Spirit which Paul complains of and I can say that Paul doth confess over my Heart in his Confessions Rom. 7. IX I can say that the Lord hath in some measure put his fear into my Heart and I fear to offend him X. I can say with the Church to Christ Cant. 1.7 O thou whom my soul loveth And if I know any thing at all of mine own Heart Christ is altogether lovely and most desirable to my Soul I think I can truly say with David That I have none in heaven but thee and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides thee in comparison of thee in competition with thee XI I find my Heart much inflamed with Love to all the Children of God because they are God's Children and the more I see or find or hear of God in them the more I find my Heart cleaving to them and I think I can truly say with David That my delight is in the saints and those that excel in grace XII I do not only love God and the Children of God but I labour to keep his Commandments and they are not grievous to me XIII I find I am one that is very thirty after Jesus Christ and the Grace of Christ and I thirst to have his Image more and more stamped upon me and I would fain be assured by God's Spirit that I am transplanted into Christ and therefore I long and endeavour after a true and lively Faith XIV I am willing to confess and with all my Heart to
of Lot Gen. 19. of Jacob Gen. 31. of Moses Exod. 3. of Balaam Gideon Manoah Elijah c. in the Old Testament And in the Case of the Baptist's and our Saviour's Birth in the New Testament they appeared to the Two Maries Zechariah and the Shepherds Act. 10.3 Cornelius is said to have seen a Vision evidently viz. An Angel of God coming to him More may be observed by Men of Leisure and Ingenuity that will take the pains to examine their Concordance and turn over a few leaves of the Bible The greatest difficulty is with Men of an Infidel Nature not only of the Sadducean humour who Account Angels no more then Divine Praises or of the Familist's Principle who say they are meer Phantasms created for the present occasion and then presently when their Business is over manumitted into Old Vanity and Nothing but Hobbists and Scepticks and Atheists The first of which Symbolizes much with the Old Sadduces the Sceptick doubts and the Atheist flatly denies them To all which I have no more to say it being not my business now to engage in the Lists of Disputation which would swell my Book into a Volume too big for the Purses of the present Age but to submit fairly the aforesaid Texts and the following stories to the Sober and Mature consideration of the Reader Only be pleased to take this distinction along with you that Angels may appeaâ— visibly to the Eye of the mind as well as to the Eye of sense And now let us lay aside our Bible a while to humour the Infirmity of this Unbelieving Club who could be well enough content there might be Good Angels concerned for us so there were no Bad ones against us Bodinus who had it from the Mouth of the Man whom it concerned a Holy and Pious Man and an Acquaintance of Bodinus's tells us that he had a certain Spirit that did perpetually accompany him which he was then first aware of when he was about Thirty Seven years of Age but conceived that the said Spirit had been with him all his Life time as he gathered from certain Monitory Dreams and Visions whereby he was forewarned as well of several Dangers as Vices That this Spirit discovered himself to him after he had for a whole year together earnestly prayed to God to send a Good Angel to him to be the Guide and Governour of his Life and Actions adding also that before and after Prayer he used to spend two or three hours in Meditation and Reading the Scriptures diligently enquiring with himself what Religion might be the Best beseeching God that he would be pleased to direct him to it And that he did not allow of their way that at all adventures pray for Confirmation of them in that Opinion they are in whether right or wrong That whilst he was thus busy in matters of Religion he light on a passage in Philo Judeus de Srcrificiis where he Writes That a Good and Holy Man can offer no greater nor more acceptable Sacrifice to God then the oblation of himself And therefore following Philo's Counsel that he offered his Soul to God And after that amongst many other Divine Dreams and Visions he once in his sleep seemed to hear the Voice of God saying to him I will save thy Soul I am he that appeared unto thee Afterwards the Spirit would every day knock at the Door about three or four a Clock in the Morning tho he rising and opening the Door could see no body This Trouble and Boysterousness made him begin to conceit that it was some ill Spirit that thus haunted him and therefore he daily Prayed earnestly to the Lord that he would be pleased to send his Good Angel to him and often also Sung Psalms having most of them by heart Wherefore the Spirit afterwards knocked more gently at the Door and One day discovered himself to him Waking which was the first time that he was assured by his senses that it was He for he often touched and stirred a Drinking-Glass that stood in his Chamber which did not a little amaze him Two days after when he entertained a Friend of his Secretary to the King his Friend was much abashed while he heard the Spirit thumping on the Bench hard by him and was strucken with fear but he bid him be of good courage there was no hurt towards him and the better to assure him of it told him the truth of the whole matter From that time saith Bodinus he did affirm that this Spirit was always with him and by some sensible Sign did ever advertise him of things as by striking his Right Ear if he did any thing amiss if otherwise his left If any body came to Circumvent him his right Ear was struck but his left if a good Man and to good Ends accosted him If he was about to Eat or Drink any thing that would hurt him or intended to do any ill Action he was inhibited by a Sign and if he delayed to follow his Business he was quickened by a Sign given him When he began to Praise God in Psalms and to declare him Marvellous Acts he was presently raised and strengthened by a Supernatural Power He daily begg'd of God that he would teach him his Will and set one day of the Week a part for meditation and Reading the Scripture and Singing of Psalms and did not stir out of his House all that day But in his ordinary Conversation he was sufficiently merry and of a cheerful mind for which he cited that saying Vidi facies sanctorum letas But in his conversing with others if he had talked Vainly and Indiscreetly or had some days together neglected his Devotions he was forthwith Admonished thereof by a Dream He was also Admonished to rise betime every Morning about four a Clock with a Voice coming to him while he was asleep saying Who gets up first to Pray He was often Admonish'd likewise to give Alms and observed the more Charity he bestowed the more Prosperous he was On a time when his Enemies sought after his Life knowing he was to go by Water his Father in a Dream brought two Horses to him the one white the other Bay and thereupon he bid his Man hire him two Horses and tho he said nothing of the Colours his Man brought him a White Horse and a Bay one In all Difficulties Journeyings c. He us'd to ask Counsel of God and one Night when he had begg'd his Blessing while he slept he saw a Vision wherein his Father seemed to Bless him At another time when in great danger and was newly gone to Bed he said the Spirit would not let him alone till he had raised him again whereupon he watched and prayed all that Night the day after he escap'd the hands of his Persecutors in a wonderful manner which done in his next sleep he heard a Voice saying Now Sing Qui sedet in latibulo altissimi c. He once attempting to speak to this
an Angel that gave the Boy Bread and Cheese Manlius Folio 17. Batman's Doom p. 421. 18. Mr. Patrick Simpson's Wife Martha Barson in her last Sickness was sorely Assaulted by Satan who suggested to her that she should be given over into his hands And it ended in a Visible Distraction which for a time grew upon her So that most unlike to her former practice she would break forth into dreadful and horrid Expressions and it was most violent on a Sabbath Morning when Mr. Simpson was going to Preach whereupon with an heavy Countenance he stood silent for a time and at last kneeled down and Prayed which she no whit regarded After which he turned to the Company that were present and said that he was sure that they who were now Witnesses of that sad hour should yet see a Gracious change and that the Devil's Malice against that poor Woman should have a shameful toil Her Distraction still continued untill Tuesday August the Ninth which Morning at the very dawning of it he went into his Garden and shut the Door where for many hours he was alone But a Godly VVoman one Mrs. Helen Garner VVife to one of the Bayliffs of Sterling who had been with his VVife all Night apprehending that Mr. Simpson might much wrong himself by much grief and fasting by some help she did climb over into the Garden But as she came near to the place where Mr. Simpson was she was terrified with an Extraordinary Noise which made her fall to the Ground It seemed to her like a mighty Rushing of Multitudes running together and withal she heard such a Melodious sound as made her Judge that it was more then humane VVhereupon she prayed to God to pardon her Rashness which her Affections to that Good Man of God had carried her to Yet afterwards going forwards she found him lying upon the ground she earnestly intreated him to tell her what he had from God He whom she had promised not to reveal it so long as he lived said O what am I being but Dust and Ashes that the Holy ministring Spirit should be sent by the Lord to deliver a message to me Adding that he had seen a Vision of Angels who did with an audible Voice give him an Answer from the Lord concerning his Wife's condition And returning into his House he said to all that were present Be of good cheer for e're ten hours be past I am sure that this Brand shall be plucked out of the Fire After praying by his VVife's Bed-side and making mention of Jacob's wrestling in Prayer she sate upright in the Bed and drawing aside the Curtain said Thou art this day Jacob who hast wrestled and also prevailed And now God hath made good his words which he spake this Morning to you for I am plucked out of the hands of Satan and he shall have no more Power over me This Interruption made him silent a while as I remember my self was in the Case of my Maid Mary Holland mentioned before But afterwards with great melting of heart he proceeded in Prayer and Magnified the Riches of Gods Love towards her And from that hour she spake most Comfortably and Christianly even to her Death which was Friday following Aug. 13. A. C. 1601. Her last words were with a loud Voice Come Lord Into thy hands I commend my Spirit Clark's Lives last Vol. p. 217 218. 19. In the Year 1539 not far from Sitta in Germany in the time of a great Dearth and Famine a certain Godly Matron having two Sons and destitute of all manner of Sustenance went with her Children to a certain Fountain hard by praying unto Almighty God that he would there relieve their Hunger by his infinite goodness As she was going a certain Man met her by the way and saluted her kindly and asked her whither she was going who confessed that she was going to that Fountain there hoping to be relieved by God to whom all things are possible for if he nourished the Children of Israel in the Desart 40 years how is it hard for him to nourish me and my Children with a Draught of Water And when she had spoken these Words the Man which was doubtless an Angel of God told her that seeing her Faith was so constant she should return Home and there should find Six Bushels of Meal for her and her Children The Woman returning found that true which was promised Beard 's Theat p. 442. 20. Under the Emperor Mauritius the City of Antioch was shaken with a terrible Earthquake after this manner There was a certain Citizen so given to bountifulness to the Poor that he would never Sup nor Dine unless he had one poor Man to be with him at his Table Upon a certain Evening seeking for such a Guest and finding none a Grave Old Man met him in the Market-place cloathed in white with Two Companions with him whom he entreated to sup with him But the Old Man answered him That he had more need to pray against the destruction of the City and presently shook his Handkerchief against One part of the City and then against another and being hardly entreated forbore the rest Which he had no sooner done but those Two parts of the City terribly shaken with an Earthquake were thrown to the Ground and Thousands of Men slain Which this good Citizen seeng trembled exceedingly To whom the Old Man in white answered and said by reason of Charity to the Poor his House and Family were preserved And presently these three Men which to question were Angels vanished out of sight This Story Sigisbert in his Chronicle reporteth Anno 583. 21. Hottinger tells a strange Story out of Nauclerus and Evagr. to this purpose it was an ancient custom at Constantinople at Communion to call for the Young Children that went to School and give them the Parcels of Bread and Wine that were left at doing of which the child of a certain Nobleman a Jew was with the Children who took of the Bread and Eat with them his angry Father who was a Glass-Maker put him into an Oven burning hot with Coals his Mother after Three Days finding him alive in the Furnace he told her a Woman in Purple habit came often to him and brought VVater to quench the Coals and Meat to allay his Hunger The Mother and the Child were afterwards Converted and Baptized and the Father Crucified by command of Justinian the Emperor Mr. Beard relates the same out of Nicephorus Lib. 17. Chap. 35. See more in The Chapters of Miraculous Cures of Diseases and Earnests of a Future Retribution and the last Example in the Ch. of Prediction of Prophets c. 22. Oh! said Mrs. Katharine Stubs upon her Death-bed if you saw such glorious Sight as I see you would rejoyce with me for I see a Vision of the Joys of Heaven and of the Glory that I shall go unto and I see infinite Millions of Angels attendant upon me and watching to carry
Garden the Devil appeared to him in the shape of a Black Boar but he slighted him and so the Demon Vanished away Another time as he was sitting in a certain place on his Stool there was a great stone over his head in the Vault which being stayed up Miraculously whilst he Sate there so soon as he was up immediately it fell upon the place where he Sate being sufficient to have crushed him in pieces if it had light upon him Clark's marrow of Eccl. Hist p. 145. And again a young Man about Wittemberg being kept bare and needy by his Father was tempted by the Devil to give himself to him upon condition to have his wish satisfied with mony and thereupon an Obligation was made by the young Man VVritten with his own Blood and delivered to the Devil But presently after he began to decay in his Health so that the thing being suspected he was brought before Luther and Examined who at last made confession of the whole matter upon which Luther calling the whole Congregation together where he Prayed with so much Earnestness and Affection that the Devil was at last compelled to throw in his Obligation at the VVindow Ibid. 11. It is credibly reported that the Devil in the likeness of a faithful Ministers at St. Ives near Bosâ—on in Lincolnshire came to one that was in trouble of Mind telling her the longer she lived the worse it would be for her and therefore advising her to Self-murder An eminent Person still living had the Account of this matter from Mr. Cotton the Famous Teacher of both Bosâ—ons He was well acquainted with that Minister who related to him the whole Story with all the Circumstances of it For Mr. Cotton was so affected with the Report as to take a Journey on purpose to the Town where this happened that so he might obtain a satisfactory Account about it which he did Some Authors say that a Doemon appeared in the form of Sylvanus Hierom's Friend attempting a dishonest thing the Devil thereby designing to blast the Reputation of a Famous Bishop 12. Melancthon in his Epistle to Hubert Languetus saith Twelve years ago there was a VVoman in Saxony that never Learnt Letters and yet when she was Acted by the Devil after Torment she spake Greek and Latin of the future Saxon VVar. Sixteen years ago there was in that Market a Girl that when she pulled Hairs from Cloaths they were turn'd into Mark-mony which the Girl devoured with long and loud Gnashing of Teeth and those Figures or Shapes of Money sometimes suddenly snatcht out of her Hands were true Money which are yet kept by some and after the Girl felt great Torment But she was delivered from all that Disease after some Months and yet liveth in Health But frequent Prayers of Godly Persons were made for her and other Ceremonies were purposely then omitted Thus Melancthon Epist l. 2. p. 550 551. 2. In Modern times we have a Multitude of Instances as 1. John Winnick of Molseworth in Huntingtonshire being Examined April 11. 1646. Confessed as follows having lost him Purse with Seven Shillings in it for which he suspected one in the Family where he Lived he saith that on a Friday while he was making Hay-bottles in the Barn and Swore and Curs'd and Rag'd and wisht to himself that some wise Body would help him to his Purse and Money again there appeared unto him a Spirit in the shape of a Bear but not so big as a Coney who promised upon condition that he would fall down and Worship him he would help him to his Purse He assented to it and the Spirit told him to Morrow about this time he should find his Purse upon the floor where he made Bottles and that he would then come himself also which was done accordly And thus at the time appointed recovering his Purse he fell down upon his knees to the Spirit and said My Lord and my God I thank you This Spirit brought then with him two others in the shape the one of a white Cat the other of a Coney which at the command of the Bear-Spirit he Worshipped also The Bear Spirit told him he must have his Soul when he dyed that he must suck of his Body that he must have some of his Blood of seal the Covenant To all which he agreed and so the Bear Spirit leaping up to his shoulder pricked him on the head and thence took Blood After that they all three Vanished but ever since came to him once every twenty four hours and sucked on his Body where the Marks are found And that they had continually done thus for this twenty nine years together That all these things should be a meer Dream is a conceit more slight and foolish then any Dream possibly can be For that receiving of his purse was a palpable and sensible pledge of the truth of all the rest And it is incredible that such a series of Circumstances backed with Twenty Nine years Experience of being sucked and visited daily sometimes in the day time most commonly by Night by the same three Familiars should be nothing but the hanging together of so many Melancholy Conceits and Fancies More 's Antid against Atheism l. 3. c. 6. 2. To that of John Winnick it will not be amiss to add a more late and more notable Narration concerning one Ann Bodenham a Witch who Lived in Fisherton-Anger adjacent to the City of New Sarum in the County of Wilts who was Arraigned and Executed at Salisbury 1653. He that has a mind to read the Story more at large he may consult Edmond Bower But I shall onely set down here what is most material to our present purpose partly out of him and partly from others who were then at the Assizes and had private Conference with the Witch and spoke also with the Maid that gave evidence against her This Ann Bodenham it seems concealed not her skill in foretelling things to come and helping Men to their stolen Goods and other such like feats that the more notable sort of Wizards and Witches are said to pretend to and to practise Amongst others that resorted to her there was one Ann Styles Servant to Rich. Goddard Esq of the Close in New Sarum sent by Mr. Mason this Goddard's Son in Law he having a design to commence a Law-suit against his Father to Learn of the Witch what would be the event of the Suit Who being asked by the Maid who had three Shillings to give her for her pains she took her Staff and there drew it about the House making a kind of a Circle and then took a Book and carrying it over the Circle with her hands and taking a green Glass did lay it upon the Book and placed in the Circle an Earthen Pan of Coals wherein she threw something which burning caused a very noisome stink and told the Maid she should not be afraid of what she should then see for now they would come they are the
All the Pastors of Caen and a good number of other Protestant Refugees belonging to the Town being in the Low Countreys Anno 1687 offered their unanimous and uniform Testimony to the Truth of this marvellous matter 16. There is likewise an undoubted Relation of a poor but a good Woman belonging to the Congregation of Mr. Daniel Burgess in London She had for many Years laboured under a Fistula in her Hip which had proceeded so far that the very Bone was tainted and she was turned out of the Hospital as Incurable This Person reading with Prayer over it that Passage in Mat. 15.28 Jesus said unto her O Woman Great is thy Faith be it unto thee as thou wilt And feeling her Soul by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ carried forth unto a great Faith in him she found herself immediately and miraculously Cured of all her Malady I have not now the Relation of this matter at hand but this is as far as I can remember the Substance of what I received concerning it It was about the beginning of December 1694. 17. In a Letter from the Reverend Mr. John How I find the ensuing Passages which I take the leave to expose unto the Publick It gives among us writes that wort by Man some Reviving to the Languishing Interest of Christianity and some Check to the Infidel Spirit that under the falsely assumed name of Deism would turn all Revealed Religion and indeed all Religion into Ridicule that God is pleased to own it by some late miraculous Cures wrought upon the Acting of Faith in Christ 18. That excellent Person proceeding then to recite some of the Instances which we have already mentioned he adds A fourth I have late certain Knowledge of but the thing was done six Years ago a Blackamooryouth Servant unto a religious Baroner He lately dining at my House assured me That his Servant having a great Aversion to Christianity and refusing Instruction was struck with universal Pains in all his Limbs which continued upon him a Year and half like Rheumatical but relieved by none of the apt usual Means that are wont to give Relief in such cases At length in his Torments which were great he grew serious instructible penitent and by the frequent Endeavours of the Parochial Minister a good man known to me brought to an understanding Acknowledement of Christ upon which Baptism being promised to him he consented but pressed to be carried unto the Assembly that he might own Christ publickly Upon the doing whereof he was immediately Cured and hath continued well ever since These are great Things Hallelujah Preparatives I hope to the Revival of Christianity and I fear to terrible Acts of Vengance upon obstinate persevering Infidels 19. Susanna Arch was a miserable Widow for divers Years overwhelmed with an horrid Leprosie which the Physicians that saw it pronounced incurable but from that very time that they told her so a strange perswasion came into her Mind that the Lord Jesus Christ would Cure her That Scripture came frequently into her Mind Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and she found herself enabled to plead this before him with some degree of Confidence that at last she should prevail She resolved that she would rely on the Lord Jesus Christ who in the Days of his Flesh when on Earth cured all Diseases and Sicknesses among the People and who had still as much Power now that he is glorified in Heaven She felt many Temptations to weaken her Confidence but still there came in seasonable and agreeable Scriptures with a mighty force upon her to strengthen it as at one time that in Mark 11.22 Have Faith in God At another time that in Job 11.40 Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe thou shouldst see the Glory of God At another time that in Heb. 10.35 Cast not away your Confidence which hath great Recompence of Reward Her Leprosie had been complicated with a Phtisick which for many Years afflicted her but in the Month of Novemb 1694. she had her Phtisick removed without any Humane Power and she took that as a Token for Good that she should also be cured of her Leprosie and the late Miracles upon others enlivened this her Hope exceedingly In December the Distemper of this Godly Woman grew worse and worse upon her and when her Mind was uneasie those passages came to mind I know O Lord that thou canst do every thing and Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us On December 26. at Night she was buffeted with some Temptations that her Faith for her Cure having proved but a Fancy her Faith for her Soul must be so too but she cried out unto the Lord Lord I have cast my Soul upon thee and my Body upon thee and I am resolved now to cast all my Diseases upon thee Her Mind was hereupon composed and the next Night putting up her Hand unto her Head first on the one side and then on the other she felt a new Skin on both sides which very much amazed her whereupon she cried out Lord Jesus hast thou begun Thou wilt carry it on She then taking off her Head-Cloaths found the Scurf gone off her Head and a firm Skin appearing there and her Distemper which had extended itself all over her Body from Head to Foot in putrifying Sores was in like manner suddenly taken away to the admiration of all that were Beholders Reader Do not now encourage thy self in a vain Expectation of Miracles to relieve thy particular Afflictions but improve these Miracles as Intimations of what the Lord Jesus Christ can and will quickly do for his afflicted Church in the World These Four last Accounts were Extracted from Mr. Cotton Mather in his Sermon called Things for a Distress'd People Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubrey Esq 20. OUR English Chronicles do Record That in the Reign of King Henry the Third a Child was born in Kent that at Two Years old cured all Diseases Several Persons have been cured of the King's-Evil by the Touching or Handling of a Seventh Son 21. Samuel Scot Seventh Son of Mr. William Scot of Hedington in Wilt-shire did when a Child wonderful Cures by Touching only viz. as to the King's-Evil Wenns c. but as he grew to be a Man the Vertue did decrease and had he lived longer perhaps might have been spent 22. 'T is certain the Touch of a Dead Hand hath wrought wonderful Effects e. g. One a Painter of Stowel in Somerset-shire near Bridgewater had a Wenn in the inside of his Cheek as big as a Pullet's Egg which by the Advice of one was cur'd by once or twice Touching or Rubbing with a Dead Woman's Hand 23. Mr. Davys Mell the famous Violinist and Clock-maker had a Child Crook-back'd that was cured after the manner aforesaid 24. In Somerset-shire 't is confidently reported That some were cured of the King's-Evil by the Touch of the Duke of Monmouth The Lord
CXXX Divine Judgments upon Discontentedness Ill Nature c. FRowardness and Discontent are certainly Diagnosticks of an ill Nature and Prognosticks of an unhappy Life 'T is hardly possible where these Qualities are Natural and predominant quite to Conquer them For which Reason Bishop Jos Hall prefers Good Nature before Grace in the Election of a Wife because saith he it will be a hard Task where the Nature is peevish and froward for Grace to make an entire conquest whilst Life losteth 1. Mr. John Mackerness Born in Northamptonshire gives us under his own Hand this ill Account of himself That he was an uncleanly Child every Night almost till the Eighth or Ninth year of his Age defiling his Bed negligent of Sports and Games not respected by other Companions but often thrust out of their Society abiding at Northampton-School with much regret and discontent never returning back from his Friends to School but with great sorrow and crying wishing that his Eyes were out rather than to learn his Book there When there out of Sullenness refusing all Victuals but Bread and Butter telling his Guardian that he wanted Victuals when indeed he voluntarily pinched his own Belly to bring an Odium upon the House which occasioned his remove to Daintry from whence he returned to his Guardian without taking leave of his master He was sent afterwards to London put to a Merchant but within three Weeks an Ague seized him and made him so peevish that he resolved not to stay He was sent for down and put to Wadham College in Oxford Anno 1669. but being always of a troubled and tumultuous Spirit and that Temper improved with Discontent Slothfulness and Pride he scorned the Company he was sorted with and those that were his Seniors scorned him so that he was fain to walk by himself and lead a solitary Life He grew unsetled began to think meanly of both the Ministry and the study of Physick had a desire to be a Lawyer promising himself thereby great Riches and brave things in abundance His Guardian not giving way to it he makes a Journey to London having Sold all his Goods in the College to enter himself at the Inns of Court his Tutor once disswaded him but the second time he went privately but not speeding he returns privately to the College Next he would be a Clerk to an Uncle of his but his Guardian not approving of that that Design was broken off At the University he learnt to Drink please himself with Womens Company abuse Scripture in Jests once stole a Duck when Batchelor of Arts he bought a Horse took Money in his Pocket resolved to Travel into divers Parts of England but knew not whither steering his Course towards Nottingham he was by an Acquaintance recommended to a Doctor 's House in the Country about Twenty Miles distant from Oxford where he stayed and spent his Time in Gluttony After a quarter of a Year he would to Oxford again with great eagerness hires a Horse for the purpose but not having gone two Miles he fears the badness of the Ways and foulness of Weather and returns with design to stay at his former Quarters but turning again on a sudden resolves for Oxford again where his Companion being dead he lived more privately and studied more closely which got him some Repute and that making him proud he began to be glutted with Books and returned into the Country and thence to Oxford again and falling upon Hobbs his Book examined his Principles and so proceeded to the study of other Points of Divinity grew Proud of his Parts began to think of Practising Law Physick and Divinity together Till at last being toss'd with thousands of Thoughts going out of Oxford three times with a purpose to come thither no more before he took his Degree of Master of Arts being returned to Oxford out of the Country and told of a Man that are any manner of raw Flesh and that continually without ceasing Night or Day he was struck so deeply that he could not forbear Tears his Company that told him leaving him about Nine of the Clock he goes to his Study and stays a while to Pray but in the midst of his Prayer had a sense that God had forsaken him which made him cry out louder than usually Lord forgive me Lord forgive me a cool Numbness came over his Sinews and his Hands were clenched one Finger n another so that he could hardly sever them Upon which he calls his Bedfellow to bear him Company burns some Papers wherein he had writ some Notions that had been the occasion of his Spiritual Pride and Discontent falls into a violent heat of Blood and Sweating so that he verily thought he should die before Morning And thus toiling his Brain with variety of Conceits and Fancies his Anguish was unexpressible his Conscience clog'd Scriptures did but increase his Doubts he look'd upon fine Cloaths and Men of Repute as Reprobates condemn'd all but the Poor condemns the way he was in as too broad for Salvation The disquiet of his Mind caused a great Pain in his Head his Brains were disordered look'd about every Morning to know if he were distracted consults the Physician Physick doth no good Next he would go Preach in the Country And gather the People together to examine the Progress and Benefit made of Christ's Commands to repeat the Lord's Prayer remember his Death in the Sacrament and make Provision for the Poor and study to do all good possible But when he came he was ashamed to make any such Proposal Upon a plentiful Meal he became strangely distemper'd his Head violently pained his Teeth fixed as in the Falling-Sickness his Hands knit so fast together that he could hardly dissever them he fell low in the sight of all Men Removed to Astrop provided Oyls for his Head used Diversions as Riding Bowling Hunting fine Cloaths c. but found no Relief was troubled with Blasphemous Thoughts a coolness came upon his Head and took away his Senses One Night after some lavish Mirth and obscene Discourses used in the Day awaking in a strange kind of Discontent he gaped three or four times and conceived some unclean Spirit had entred every time of his gaping into him and that he should be shortly tormented which accordingly happened for he was no sooner fallen into a slumber but he perceived an Obduction of his Senses and was most grievously tormented in his Soul beyond all the sharpest pains of the Body Upon Prayer he was relieved but afterwards cast down more than before At the writing hereof November the last 1675. or 1676. he felt his Pains again in his sleep and continued still to think that some Evil Spirit infested him And hereupon he resolved to make this full and publick Confession to the World concluding thus Lord be merciful be pitiful unto me for I am even nothing before thee c. Heartily begging the prayers of all good Christians for him praying and entreating them
sometime seen the Courage and Constancy of the Laird of Grang. See this Passage under the Head of Discovery of Things secret or future by Impulses The next Day Knox gave Order for the making of his Coffin continuing all the Day in fervent Prayer crying Come Lord Jesus sweet Jesus into thy hands I commend my Spirit Being ask'd whether his Pains were great he answered That he did not esteem that a Pain which would be to him the end of all Troubles and the beginning of Eternal Joys Oft after some deep Meditation he used to say Oh! serve the Lord in Fear and Death shall not be troublesome to you Blessed is the Death of those that have part in the Death of Jesus The Night before his Death he slept some Hours with great unquietness often sighing and groaning And being ask'd why he mourned so heavily he answered In my Life-time I have been assaulted with Temptations from Satan and he hath oft cast my Sins into my Teeth to drive me to Despair yet God gave me Strength to overcome all his Temptations But now the subtil Serpent takes another course seeking to perswade me that all my Labours in the Ministry and the Fidelity that I have shewed in that Service hath not merited Heaven and Immortality But blessed be God that brought to my Mind these Scriptures What hast thou that thou hast not received And Not I but the Grace of God in me With which he is gone away ashamed and shall no more return And now I am sure that my Battle is at an end and that without pain of Body or trouble of Spirit I shall shortly change this Mortal and miserable Life with that Happy and Immortal Life that shall never have end After which one Praying by his Bed asked him after he had done If he heard the Prayer Yea said he and would to God all present had heard it with such an Ear and Heart as I. Adding Lord Jesus receive my Spirit With which words without any motion of Hands or Feet he fell asleep aged 62. A. C. 1572. The Earl of Murray when the Corpse was put into the Ground saying Here lies the Body of him who in his Life-time never feared the face of any Man Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 323 324. 41. Henry Bullinger in his last Sickness endured the sharpest Pains for four Months with an admirable Patience caused the Pastors and Professors of the City to come to him unto whom he delivered a large Oration wherein he thanked them for their Love opened to them his Faith freely forgave all his Enemies exhorted them to Constancy and Unity commended the Care of the Church and Publick School in Writing to the Senate desired that Rodolphus Gualterus might be his Successor c. And so in the midst of his Extremities sometimes repeating the 16 sometimes the 42 and sometimes the 51 Psalms sometimes the Lord's Prayer sometimes other Prayers at the last as one going to sleep he quietly yielded his Soul into the hands of God Sept. 18. 1575. aged 71. Ibid. p. 339. 42. Mr. Edw. Deering to his Friends on his Death-bed upon occasion of the Sun shining said There is but one Sun in the World nor but one Righteousness one Communion of Saints if I were the most Excellent of all Creatures in the World equal in Righteousness to Abraham Isaac and Jacob yet had I reason to confess my self to be a sinner and to expect Salvation only in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ for we all stand in need of the Grace of God As for my Death I bless God I feel so much inward Joy and Comfort that if put 〈◊〉 my choice whether to die or live I would a Thousand times rather chuse Death if it so stand with the Holy Will of God Ibid. p. 342. 43. Boquine in the Year 1582. on a Lord's-day preached twice and in the Evening heard another Sermon then supped chearfully and after Supper refreshed himself by walking abroad then went to visit a sick Friend and whilst he was comforting of him he found his own Spirits begin to sink and running to his Servant he said unto him Pray adding Lord receive my Soul and so departed in the Lord. Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 349. 44. Mr. Gilpin finding Death to approach him commanded the Poor to be called together unto whom he made a Speech and took his leave of them he did so likewise by others made many Exhortations to the Scholars and to divers others and so at last fell asleep in the Lord Anno 1583. aged 66. Ibid. p. 360. 45. Olevian in his Sickness made his Will and by Pious Meditations prepared for Death declared that he had learned by that Sickness to know the greatness of Sin and the greatness of God's Majesty more than ever he had done before To John Piscator coming to visit him he said that the day before for four hours together he had been filled with ineffable Joy for said he I thought I was in a most pleasant Meadow in which as I walked up and down I was besprinkled with a Heavenly Dew and that not sparingly but plentifully where both my Body and Soul were filled with unspeakable Joy To whom Piscator made answer That good Shepherd Jesus Christ lead thee into fresh Pastures yea said Olevian to the Springs of Living Waters Afterwards having repeated some Sentences full of Comfort out of Psal 42. Isa 9. and Mat. 11. he often said I would not have my Journey to God any longer deferred I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ And so bidding Farewel to his Colleagues and Friends in the Agony of Death Alsted asking if he were sure of his Salvation in Christ He answered Most sure and so gave up the Ghost Anno 1587. aged 51. Ibid. p. 376. 47. George Sohnius of Fribourg in Wetteraw bore his last Sickness with much Patience and with fervent Prayer often repeating O Christ thou art my Redeemer and I know that thou hast redeemed me I wholly depend upon thy Providence and Mercy from the very bottom of my Heart I commend my Spirit into thy Hands And so he slept in the Lord Anno Christi 1589. aged 38 Ibid. p. 385. 48. James Andreas born in Waibling at Wittenberg falling sick sent for James Herbrand saying I expect that after my Death many Adversaries will rise up to asperse me and therefore I sent for thee to hear the Confession of my Faith that so thou mayest witness for me when I am dead and gone that I died in the True Faith The same Confession he made also before the Pastors and Deacons of Tubing The Night before his Death he slept partly upon his Bed and partly in his Chair When the Clock struck Six in the Morning he said My â—our draws near He gave Thanks to God for bestowing Christ for revealing his Will in his Word for giving him Faith and the like Benefits And when ready to depart he said Lord into thy Hands I commend my Spirit
Therefore have charitable Conceit of me That I know to swear is an Offence to swear falsly at any time is a great Sin but to swear falsly before the Presence of Almighty God before whom I am forthwith to appear were an Offence unpardonable Therefore think me not now rashly or untruly to confirm or protest any thing As for other Objections as That I was brought perforce into England That I carried Sixteen Thousand Pounds in Money out of England with me more than I made known That I should receive Letters from the French King and such like with many Protestations he utterly denied England's Worthies by Will. Winstanley p. 303. 119. The Death of Henry Bullinger Mr. Bullinger falling Sick and his Disease encreasing many Godly Ministers came to visit him but some Months after he recovered and preached as formerly but soon Relapsed when finding his vital Spirits wasted and Nature much decayed in him he concluded his Death was at hand and thereupon said as followeth If the Lord will make any farther use of me and my Ministry in his Church I will willingly obey him but if he pleases as I much desire to take me out of this miserable Life I shall exceedingly rejoyce that he will be so pleased to take me out of this miserable and corrupt Age to go to my Saviour Christ Socrates said he was glad when his Death approached because he thought he shou'd go to Hesiod Homer and other Learned Men deceased and whom he expected to meet in the other World then how much more do I joy who am sure that I shall see my Saviour Christ the Saints Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and all Holy Men which have lived from the beginning of the World These I say I am sure to see and to partake with them in Joy Why then should I not be willing to die to enjoy their perpetual Society in Glory And then with Tears told them That he was not unwilling to leave them for his own sake but for the sake of the Church Then having written his Farewel to the Senate and therein admonished them to take care of the Churches and Schools and by their permission chose one Ralph Gualter his Successor he patiently resigned up his Spirit into the Hands of his Redeemer dying Anno Christi 1575. and or his Age 71. 120. Mr. Haines Minister of Westminister was acquainted with a Gentleman of a very Holy Life and Conversation Which said Gentleman as he lay in his Bed one Morning a Boy of about twelve Years of Age appeared to him in a radiant Light and bid him prepare to Die in twelve Days He being surprized at it sent for Mr. Haines and told him of it who perswaded him from believing of it telling him 't was only a Fancy But within six Days he was siez'd with a violent Fever and four or five Hours before his Death the same Boy came and sate upon his Pillow and as the Gentleman grew paler he changed colour too and just as the Breath went out of the Body he disappeared This is attested by the Gentleman's Family for they all saw it and Mr. Haines related it to a Person of good Reputation from whom I received it 121. The Last Will of Mr. Henry Stubbs Deceased July â— 1678. Published at the Desire of his Widow Mrs. D. S. KNowing that I must shortly put off this my Earthly Tabernacle I make my Last Will and Testament Imprimis I commend my Soul into the Hands of God wholly trusting in Jesus Christ my dear Lord and Saviour through his All-sufficient Satisfaction and powerful Mediation to be accepted Eph. 1.6 Item I commit my Body to the Earth from whence 't was taken in sure and certain Hope of a Resurrection to Life Eternal building upon that sure Word John 6.40 Item I leave my Fatherless Children to the Lord who hath promised to be a Father to the Fatherless Ps 68.5 And to preserve them alive Jer. 49.11 Commanding them to keep the way of the Lord Gen. 18.19 Item I â—xhort my Widow to trust in the Lord of whose care she hath had no little Experience and therefore should trust in him Psal 9.10 And I desire her to read often Jer. 49.11 Psal 68.5 Heb. 13.5 Item The Congregations to which I have been formerly a Preacher and that with which I now am by a special Hand of Providence I commend to God and the Word of his Grace which is able to build them up and to give them an Inheritance amongst all them which are sanctified Acts 20.32 beseeching them by the Lord Jesus That as they ahve received of me how they ought to walk and please God so they would abound more and more 1 Thes 4.1 Item And for my Kindred according to the Flesh my Hearts Desire and Prayer to God for them is That they may be saved Rom. 10.1 Item And for all those yet living and who have seriously and earnestly desired my Prayers my earnest Request to God for them is That it would please him to do for them all as the Marter shall require 1 Kings 8.59 Item And for my Brethren in the Ministry my Prayer is That they may take heed to themselves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Acts 20.28 Item And for the People my Prayer is That they may obey them that have the Rule over them Heb. 13.17 Item And for Professors of Religion my Prayer is That they may walk worthy of God unto all well-pleasing being fruitful in every Good Work Col. 1.10 11. Item And for the King my Prayer is That Mercy and Truth may preserve him Prov. 26.28 And for Him and all that are in Authority my Prayer is That they may so lead their own Lives that the People under them may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 Item And for the whole Land of my Nativity my humble Prayer to the Lord of all Grace and Mercy is That the Power and Purity of the Gospel together with a Learned and Faithful Ministry to dispence the same may be continued and preserved therein The Last Words of those Eminent Persons who fell in the Defence of the Protestant Religion and the English Liberties both in London and the West of England from the Year 1678. to this time IN the two last Reigns many of the Flower of our Nobility and Gentry either lost their Lives or Estates or Liberties or Country whilst a Crew of Parasites triumphed and fluttered in their Ruins To see a Russel die meanly and ignobly in the Flower of his Age an Essex or a Godfry sacrificed to the insatiable Ambition and Revenge of their Enemies who yet not content with their Lives would like the Italian stab on after Death and tho' they could not reach their Souls endeavour to damn their Memories These and too many other such melancholy Instances would be
to call for it and I desire to offer up my All to him it being but my reasonable Service and also the first Terms that Jesus Christ offers That he that will be his Disciple must forsake all and follow him and therefore let none think hard or be discouraged at what hath happened unto me for he doth nothing without cause in all he hath done to us he being Holy in all his ways and Righteous in all his works and 't is but my Lot in common with poor desolate Sion at this day Neither do I find in my heart the least regret for what I have done in the Service of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ in succouring and securing any of his poor Sufferers that have shewed favour to his Righteous Causeâ— which Cause though now it be fall'n and trampled upon as if it had not been anointed yet it shall revive and God will plead it at another rate than ever he hath done yet and reckon with all its Opposers and malicious Haters And therefore let all that love and fear him not omit the least Duty that comes to hand or lies before them knowing that now it hath need of them and expects they shall serve him And I desire to bless his Holy Name that he hath made me useful in my Generation to the Comfort and Relief of many desolate Ones and the Blessing of those that are ready to perish has come upon me and help'd to make the Heart of the Widow to sing And I bless his Holy Name that in all this together with what I was charged with I can approve my Heart to him that I have done his Will tho' it does cross Man's Will and the Scriptures that satisfie me are Isaiah 16.4 Hide the Outcasts bewray not him that wandereth And Obad. 13.14 Thou shouldst not have given up those of his that did escape in the day of his distress But Man says You shall give them up or you shall die for it Now who to obey Judge ye So that I have cause to rejoyce and be exceeding glad in that I suffer for Righteousness sake and that I am accounted worthy to suffer for Well-doing and that God has accepted any Service from me which has been done in Sincerity tho' mixed with manifold Infirmities which he hath been pleased for Christ's sake to cover and forgive And now as concerning my Fact as it is called alas it was but a little one and might well become a Prince to forgive but he that shews no Mercy shall find none And I may say of it in the Language of Jonathan I did but tast a little Honey and lo I must die for it I did but relieve an unworthy poor distressed Family and so I must die for it Well I desire in the Lamb-like Gospel Spirit to forgive all that are concerned and to say Lord lay it not to their Charge but I fear he will not Nay I believe when he comes to make Inquisition for Blood it will be found at the Door of the furious Judge who because I could not remember things through my dauntedness at Burton's Wife and Daughter's Vileness and my Ignorance took advantage thereat and would not hear me when I had called to mind that which I am sure would have invalidated their Evidence though he granted something of the same nature to another yet denied it to me My Blood will also be found at the door of the unrighteous Jury who found me Guilty upon the single Oath of an Out-law'd Man for there was none but his Oath about the Money who is no legal Witness though he be pardoned his Outlawry not being recall'd and also the Law requires two Witnesses in point of Life And then about my going with him to the Place mentioned 't was by his own Words before he was Out-law'd for 't was two Months after his absconding and though in a Proclamation yet not High-Treason as I have heard so that I am clearly murder'd by you And also Bloody Mr. A. who has so insatiably hunted after my Life and though it is no Profit to him through the ill-will he bore me left no stone unturn'd as I have ground to believe till he brought it to this and shewed favour to Burton who ought to have died for his own Fault and not bought his Life with mine and Capt. R. who is cruel and severe to all under my Circumstances and did at that time without all Mercy or Pity hasten my Sentence and held up my Hand that it might be given all which together with the Great One of all by whose Power all these and a multitude more of Cruelties are done I do heartily and freely forgive as against me but as it is done in an implacable Mind against the Lord Christ and his Righteous Cause and Followers I leave it to him who is the Avenger of all such Wrongs who will tread upon Princes as upon Mortar and be terrible to the Kings of the Earth And know this also that though ye are seemingly fix'd and because of the Power in your Hand are writing out your Violence and dealing with a despiteful hand because of the old and new Hatred by impoverishing and every way distressing of those you have got under you yet unless you can secure Jesus Christ and all his Holy Angels you shall never do your Business nor your Hands accomplish your Enterprizes for he will be upon you e're you are aware and therefore O that you would be wise instructed and learn is the Desire of her that finds no Mercy from you ELIZABETH GAVNT POSTSCRIPT SUch as it is you have it from her who hath done as she could and is sorry she can do no better hopes you will pity and cover weakness shortness and any thing that is wanting and begs that none may be weakned or humbled at the lowness of my Spirit for God's Design is to humble and abase us that he alone may be exalted in this Day and I hope he will appear in the needful time and it may be reserves the best Wine till last as he hath done for some before me None goeth to Warfare at his own Charge and the Spirit bloweth not only where but when it listeth and it becomes me who have so often grieved quenched and resisted it to wait for and upon the Motions of the Spirit and not to murmure but I may mourn because through want of it I honour not my God nor his blessed Cause which I have so long â—â—ed and delighted to love and repent of nothing about it but that I served him and it no Latter 7. The Earl of ARGYLE â—â—E must now take a step over into Scotland that poor Country which has been harrass'd and tired for these many Years to render them perfect Slaves that they might help to enslave 〈…〉 prevent which and secure the Protestant Religion which 't was grown impossible 〈…〉 but by Arms this good Lord embark'd from Holland about the same time with the
particular Instances of these kind of Meteors the Scripture tells us at the Birth of our Saviour a Star appeared which perhaps was the Comet spoken of by Heathen Authors in the Days of Augustus of a stupendious Greatness upon which the Tibertine Sibyl shewed the Emperour the Divinity of our Saviour in these words Hic Puer Major te est Ipsum adora Our last great Comet I doubt not was of extraordinary signification not to us only but to whole Europe and farther so far as it was conspicuous What a gracious God have we that never scarce goes about any great Commotions or Changes in the World but he gives Warning before-hand As if not willing to take us tardy He shews his Signs in the Heavens above when he is about to do any great Work in the Earth beneath And therefore as Darius in the Case of Daniel Chap. 6.26 27. Let Men tremble and fear before this God for he is the Living God and steadfast for ever his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and his Dominion shall be even unto the end he delivereth and rescueth and worketh Signs and Wonders in Heaven and Earth 2. Thunder and Lightning Called by the Psalmist the Voice of God and by some supposed to be that Trumpet that shall sound at the Last Day to raise the Dead and to call to Judgment I will not trouble you with declaring the strange and divers Effects of this kind of Meteor its hurting of things inward when the outward are safe shattering the Bones when the Flesh is left sound melting the Blade of the Sword when the Scabbard is free breaking the Vessel when the Wine slows not away exempting poisonous Creatures from their Venom and infusing it into those who are not so striking Men dead and leaving them in the same posture it found them as if still alive c. It is enough to say that 't is a stupendious Meteor and may well be called the Voice of the Divine Excellency Job 37.2 3 4 c. Job 26 6-14 It is said of Nero that a Thunder-bolt fell upon his Table and struck the Cup out of the Emperor's Hand And we have known in our Age some strong Towers and high Buildings demolished to the very Ground with Lightning Some Men struck dead some lamed some blinded Trees clove asunder A Learned Divine of our Nation tells of a profane Person walking abroad with another upon the Lord's-Day when it thundred his Companion telling him of it made Answer 'T is nothing but a Knave Cooper beating of his Tubs But he had not gone much farther but himself was struck dead This may teach us to put on a Reverential Awe of the Divine Majesty at such Seasons That Emperor Caligula who used to brave it out as if he meant to vie with the Almighty and cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was an Instance of the Divine Patience but no safe Example for Imitation The Psalmist is more ingenuous Psal 29. c. Give unto the Lord O ye mighty give unto the Lord Glory and Strength And Psal 97.1 2 3 4. To see all the lower World cover'd with thick Clouds and the Cracks of Thunder shake the very Pillars of the Earth and terrible Flashes and Corruscations of Lightning with a speedy pace fly from one end of the Heavens to the other is so like the Voice of God and a Type or Shadow of that black gloomy Day which shall put a Period to the World that it may well be a Memento of our Duty and Reverence we owe to the Divine Majesty and may well put that Question into our Mouths Who shall be able to stand when God appears When this great and terrible God shall by the Sound of this Trumpet or the Voice of an Arch-Angel Summon the World to Judgment who shall dare to appear before him If the Giving of the Law and the Enacting or rather Promulgation of our Religion upon Mount Sinai was so dreadful as Exod. 19.16 Chap. 20.18 19. What will the Great Assizes be when all the Men that ever lived in the World shall be called to give up their last Account and receive their Final Doom Then Oh! Come ye Mountains and fall upon us and ye Rocks cover us and hide us from the Wrath of the Lamb Then Oh! where will the Heart and Stoutness of the presumptuous Sinner shew itself How will he that brav'd it here with the Almighty be able then to stand his Ground and maintain his Cause Psal 50.1 2 3 4. 3. Air and Winds Which what to make of we know not 't is such an invisible and yet real Meteor that it will puzzle the Natural Reason of the most subtile Philosopher to tell the Nature of it The Air is so like the Nature of the Souls in our Bodies or a Spirit in general that we know little more of either one or other than what we know by the sensible Effects John 3.8 The Wind bloweth where it listeth c. If Man be so dim in Naturals with what Face can he boast his Knowledge of Spiritual Objects We neither know the Air that surrounds us every-where nor the Wind that whistles in our Ears nor the Souls that lodge in our own Bodies We are so blind so near home And 't is enough to make us blush at our own Weakness and such Ignorance should make us Humble and such Humility should make us Learn And 'till we are thus qualified we are not fit to learn What a proud Lump of Clay is foolish Man that cannot comprehend Things so near him Things meerly natural Things so common and ordinary and yet will call every Point of his Religion even the sublimest Mysteries to the Tribunal of meer Reason and determine in particular Branches and Puâ—ctilio's as peremptorily and decisively as if be had been Privy Counsellour to the Almighty and judge others censoriously unkindly for differing from him but in the lesser doubtful difficult Points of Religion and prosecute severely for not knowing and believing with equal clearness as himself But besides We are often wondring at the Nature of God himself and cannot tell how to frame a Notion of a Being every-where present Is not the Air and Wind a fit Emblem to shadow forth this Attribute of the Divinity to us Is not the Air in every Creviss of our Houses in our Nostrils in our very Bowels Doth it not fill the World and enter into the smallest Pores of our Bodies And yet 't is but a Creature and we see it not Why should we think it such an impossible thing for the God of Heaven to fill all Places with his Presence and yet be limited to no Bounds nor visible to any Eyes The same word that we use to signifie Air is used also to express the Spirit of God by in almost all the Languages viz. Spiritus Latin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amp c. And we find the Spirit of God choosing sometimes to come down and shew
to Truant and Loiter here at that rare as usually we do Let no Temptation soften our Spirits into an unnecessary Repose nothing provoke us unduly to depart our Orbs to run back or start aside Let us never be weary of well-doing Particularly 1. Let us never be weary of the Duty of Prayer 'T is an excellent Exercise and such as we ought continually to be intent upon Our Saviour spoke a Parable Luke 18.1 2. unto his Disciples That Men ought always to pray and not to faint And the Apostle Col. 4.2 Continue in Prayer and watch in the same with Thanksgiving c. And 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing And let this amongst many others be one Argument to perswade us to assiduity in this kind of Devotion viz. That God Almighty is continually from Day to Day from Night to Night serving and supplying our Necessities by the Ministry of the lower Heavens all the Hosts of the Etherial Regions are in continual employment for our Good why then should we disdain to bestow some few Minutes upon warm and serious Addresses to the God of Heaven Let neither the Day or Night go away without a Testimony of or Devotion Let not God hereafter ever cite the Sun Moon or Stars for to bear Witness to our Ingratitude You know the Story of Daniel recorded to the Honour of his Memory ' That three times every Day he open'd his Windows and set his Face towards Jerusalem and prayed to the God of Heaven Even then when pinch'd with the close Temptations of the Court under a Heathen Emperour Let us at least twice a Day do Obeisance to Heaven Offer as God appointed to the Jews a Morning and Evening Sacrifice continually Let our Altars burn with Incense at least so often and this shall not only perfume our Days and Nights and make our Conversations smell sweeter to our selves and Neighbours but a fragrant Odour in the Nostrils of the Almighty And please the Lord better than a Bullock c. Job 1.5 2. Let us praise God continually as long as we live let us praise the Lord yea let us sing praises to him whilst we have any being Psal 34.1 His Praises continue in my Mouth Psal 36.9 3. Let us be continually employed in doing Good to others And let us remember this that our God causeth his Sun to shine and Rain to descend on the just and unjust Let us try what we can to be like him like our Heavenly Father diffusing our Rays to as wide a Circuit as possibly we can not limiting our Goodness to a few individual Persons or a single Party or a narrow bound but as our Faculties will extend to the Church Catholick and the wide World in general This is to be in truth like the God of Heaven And let our Charity never be discouraged never tired To do good and to distribute forget not c. To make it plainer yet God hath given us a Copy of his Infinite Goodness in general to the whole World in the Face of the outward Heavens as of his special Goodness to the Church in the Revelation of the Gospel If we contemplate seriously the Structure and Properties and several Vertues of the Heavenly Bodies we may read there in legible Characters not only the Greatnes and Glory but the infinite Goodness also of him that made them and that to the whole Race of Mankind and that not for a Spurt a short Fit of two or three Ages but of continual Duration his Patience is indefatigable and his Beneficence reacheth to the end of Time Let us then if we will aim at Perfection and try to tread in our Father's Steps Do good unto all Men without weariness and communicate the Light of our Graces to a whole Nation a whole World if possible and never grudge to lend our Candles to the assistance of those that are about us And as for those narrow Souls that confine their Goodness to a Canton or whose Light is like that of a flaming Meteor or an Ignis Fatuâ—s or a falling Star they deserve to lie down in Darkness and never more to rise up again to Light or Glory Levit. 24.2 Cause the Lamps to burn continually 2. Let us consider a little the Employment of the Saints and Angels in Heaven 'T is pretty hard to conceive with our present Apprehensions the Business of Eternity and reconcile the Notion of a Compleat Happiness to the Exercise of a continual Devotion and yet this is handsomely represented to us in the Scheme of the heavenly Bodies the Sun Moon and Stars are never weary never decay never wander out of their place but still are exercised in a continual Motion and keep still their Brightness and Glory and yet they are inanimate sensless Creatures Why should we think it strange or absurd that the belssed Spirits in the other World should be still employed in the Offices of Devotion and yet still possess'd of Ease and Bliss And which I drive at why should we not strike up and mend our Pace at present Why do we often mutter and complain as if it were a weariness to serve the Lord And cry out When will the Sabbath be over that may return to our worldly Cares and Pleasures again Is there so much Difference indeed between Grace and Glory between the Apprentice-ship and the Profession between the Church here and hereafter Or is it possible think ye to make so quick a return from one Extream to another To be all Earth and Flesh and Sin here and Heaven and Spirit and Holiness there Or must we not a little at least be Heaven'd in our Minds now and be in a continual Motion to the End of our Happiness Having these things always in remembrance 2 Pet. 1.15 Or as Psal 119.112 Inclined to perform the Statutes of the Lord always Or Psal 1.2 Exercising our selves in his Law Day and Night And when we can do this and do it with delight we are upon the Brink of a blessed Eternity upon the Skirts of the Holy Land Upon the Borders of Heaven When our Light shines without Darkness thô it do twinkle now and then and shines continually when our Devotion doth not die with the Day but glimmers through the darkest Night then and not 'till then we are in a fair way to the Life of Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect 3. Learn we hence to look for that which is lasting In this World we have no continuing City nothing durable no lasting Motion unless it be that of Changes and Vicissitudes Summer and Winter Day and Night Peace and War Health and Sickness Life and Death even the Earth changes its Face according to the Seasons and the Seas thô they flow continually they are supplied from the Clouds above and both Earth and Sea and every thing here depend upon the heavenly Bodies for that Motion and Continuance which they have In Heaven only is to be found the perpetual Motion everlasting Life
Life being taken ill upon his Death-bed cried out Father Father the Blacks are come to carry me away The other of an English Martyr comforted in the Prison with the glorious Appearance of a Spiritual Messenger I could enlarge much upon this Subject but list not to do it now having given many Instances of this Nature in the following Work 3. The Society the departed Soul is carried too is Spiritual likewise A Spirit carried by Spirits to a World of Spirits to the Bosom of Abraham Isaac Jacob and to an innumerable Company of Angels Heb. 12.22 Application 1. Let us endeavour what we can to refine and screw up our Souls to a Spiritual Temper let it not sink so deep as commonly it doth into an Oblivion of its own Country Remember that this Body is but the Mansion-House for the time of its Apprentice-ship and Nonage when 't is grown up and fit for a change the Tabernacle must be taken down and laid in the Grave to moulder in order to a more glorious Resurrection In the mean while the Soul is a Spiritual Substance near a-kin to the Angels of Heaven attended and waited on by those Ministring Spirits and by them guarded and conducted to the General Assembly of those Beatified Glorious Spiritual People in the other World Why then do we go about to stisle and suffocate these Spirits of ours with the thick noisom Vapours of worldly Cares and Pleasures Why do we go about to emasculate and evigorate our excellent Souls with putting them to the Drudgery of the Flesh Why do we let the Body the Lusts and inordinate Passions of it domineer over and Pinion down the Wings of the Soul Why do we forget our selves that we have the best part of an Angel in our Breasts A Piece of Noble Substance prized by Angels design'd for the Fellowship of Angels for ever c. Spend not your Time Strength Substance and Passion in providing for the Body but think of the poor Soul that is imprison'd in it and labour as much as you can to enlarge its Condition to spiritualize its Nature to separate it as much from the Body to advance it as far above the Body as your present State is capable of 2. Be thankful to God who hath ennobled your Souls so far and dignified them with the Guardianship and Protection of Angels How much methinks do we owe to the God of our Beings for raising the Spirit of Man to such a high Degree that he is in a fair way to be an Angel's Fellow That hath not only provided them for Guards here but Companions for us hereafter Surely God loves us honours us and puts some great value upon us when he sends such Noble Honourable Messengers to us Why then we ought to love to honour to serve him to live up to the Credit of our Religion the Honour of our Lord and Master Lord what is Man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou thus vifitest him Psal 8.4 5. 3. Let us not lightly esteem the Dignity of our Fellow-Christians be they otherwise what they will poor in Estate Lazarus with Sores weak in parts of low Degree in the Honours of the World under Reproach Temptation or Afflictions whatever Their Souls also as well as ours are precious in the sight of God Angels are their guardians Glorious Spirits minister to them for their Good let us beware of doing any thing to their hurt Mat. 18.10 4. Let us also hence take Example of Ministration to our Fellow-Creatures Let it be accounted no Disparagement to our Honour to do Attendance to our weaker Brethren Creatures made in the same Mold with us born to the same Dignities the like Priviledges If Angels stoop from Heaven to Earth from a Seat of Bliss and Glory to do the Offices of Love Tuition and Convoy to our Souls let not us disdain to wait upon our Fellows Mat. 20.26 5. Let us Reverence the Angels and do what we can to secure their Ministry to and Care for us and Protection of us Praying unto God their and our common Lord the Author of every good and perfect Gift to him who can presently give if there be a necessity of it more than Twelve Legions of Angels to deliver thee out of Danger Psal 91.11 12. Keep within the Pale of the Church upon Sacred Ground I mean in the Bounds circumscribed by the Gospel of our Saviour the Territory and Confines of the right Faith Nor is that enough we must keep within the Limits of our lawful Vocations too be found doing nothing but what we need not be asham'd for Angels to look upon resisting Satan and banishing him far out of our Correspondence and Community putting out of sight every thing that is offensive to those pure Angelical Spirits those Flames of Fire that are fervent hot with Zeal for their Maker conforming our selves as near as will consist with the State of our present Corporeal Condition to a hearty ready and chearful and constant Obedience in imitation of the Angels shaking off what we can the Impediments of the Body the Shackles and Chains of our corrupt Nature aspiring to a Noble Freedom Easiness and Alarity in all the Parts of a Christian Devotion stooping with the most profound Humility and Condescention to our Fellow-sinners maintaining as far as 't is possible for us an unspotted Purity in Heart and Life shining to the World bright as Mortal Angels incarnated in Flesh and Blood but above all burning with a Seraphic Love and Charity to God to Man to all proportionably and then will he give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways Psal 91.11 IV. The Future State c. being Meditations on the Glory of the Invisible World Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither hath it entred into the Heart of Man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 I Have formerly attempted this Subject but yet am not satisfied to say so little upon it The Reward at the End of the Work is an excellent Motive to the Courage of the Work-man I have considered that our Wages is proportion'd to our Work and more and we may think of it before hand for our Encouragement As we have not to do with a Tyrant that requires our Slavery and propounds no Rewards so we are not bound to a continual Service without looking at the End of our Labours Nay I believe that on purpose to encourage us the Almighty hath been pleased to make some Revelation of his kind intentions towards us we may as well as our Saviour the Son of God look a little upon the Joy that is set before us I am not able to say much upon the Point 't is high and future and intercepted at present from our Apprehension with Clouds and a thick Darkness and when I have said all that I can say I must leave off before I come to the middle of the Story
the bravery of the Temple by the Excellency of the outward Court If the Walls of Babylon are so great what is the City But if the very Suburbs of the New Jerusalem yea the Neighbour-Villages and Country round about at so vast a distance be so rich so plentiful what shall we think of the place itself If the Sun shines to us so glorious so far off what is it if you were near to it I desire not Readers to impose upon your Faith tell me you that admire this World for so delicate an Eden do not you think the God that made it and gave it to the Children of Men most of which care but little for him hath he not a far better for himself and his own Children Psal 8.1 3 c. 2. The Reports of them that have been there or had some sight of the place I shall name St. Paul for one 2 Cor. 12.2 4. Will ye believe such a Man See what he saith 2 Cor. 4.17 18 2 Tim. 4.8 and in several other places I mention St. John the Apostle for another entertained with extraordinary Visions in the Isle of Patmos Rev. 21.2 c. Will ye believe the Son of God that came down from Heaven to visit the Children of Men And came on purpose to court us and prepare our way thither he hath told you of those Rewards in several places Mat. 8.11 Mat. 13.43 Mat. 22.30 Luke 12.32 Luke 20.36 John 10.28 Neither have they only told us these Stories but seal'd their Reports with Miracles and Sufferings And others have believ'd them as wise as we and we believe others in Things as strange and incredible that are not so worthy of Credit as this And why do we stumble here But verily Canaan was a Type of Heaven and the Reports of that a Figure of these and the Unbelief of the Israelites in that Case a Shadow of ours in this They would not believe then nor we now but the Aggravation is on our part Caleb only of them that were sent to search the Land encourag'd them We have a Cloud of Witnesses to encourage us and yet we will not believe Well many of them fell short God not being pleased with them let us take care lest we fall also the same Example of Vnbelief 4. The Inhabitants that dwell there and are like to be our Companions for ever Here we sojourn in Meshech and dwell in the Tents of Kedar we cohabit with a People of unclean Lips and an uncircumcised Heart In Hell the Company is worse nothing there but damned cursed blaspheming Spirits In Heaven is pure Society without any mixture of Evil or Unkindness The Apostle tells you who they are and I suppose you know Heb. 12.22 23 c. 1. God himself Blessed for Evermore The Lord is in his holy Temple the Lord's Throne is in Heaven Psal 11.4 The Lord of Hosts wonderful in Counsel and excellent in Working A King Eternal Immortal Invisible who dwells in the Light which no meer Mortal Man can approach unto The Strength of Israel glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises gracious and merciful slow to anger of great kindness abundant in Goodness and Truth The Father of Lights with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning The Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come the same God for ever and ever The humble holy and compassionate Jesus who died for us who trod the Wine-press of his Father's Wrath alone for us and came from Heaven to Earth from Earth to Hell from Earth to Heaven again to prepare the Way and provide Mansions of Bliss and Crowns of Glory for us The Blessed Spirit the Second Advocate our tender Guide Solliciter and Comforter the Three-One God blessed for evermore 2. The holy Angels glorious Creatures as far superiour to the Excellency of Man as Man is to the Beasts that perish We may guess their Excellency 1. From their Priority of Creation Indeed Moses or whoever was the Author of Genesis gives us no Historical Account of their Creation because it concern'd not us But we may probably conjecture that they were made before us not only because of their Excellency but because likewise they are said to be present Witnesses of the Creation of Man and sung together Job 38.7 When the Foundations of the World were fasten'd and the Corner-stone laid And besides no sooner scarce was Man in Paradise but Satan was there ready one of the fallen Angels to lay a Temptation for him 2. Their Nature having neither the Clogs of Flesh Bones or Blood as we have but free nimble intellectual Spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Principalities and Powers endow'd with an extraordinary Measure of Knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eyes before and behind of a quick Sight and Conception and a quicker Expedition in the Dispatch of Sacred Duty Love hath given Wings of an ardent Zeal and a flaming Affection thence called Seraphim in a word immaterial and immortal 3. Their Number You will not expect that we should count the Stars of Heaven Rev. 12.4 Some of the Heathens thought them innumerable so Max. Tyr. and Pythagoras thought all the Air was full of them Thales omnia Deorum sunt plena Orpheus counted 365 Hesiod Three Myriads the Holy Scripture Thousands and Ten thousand times Ten thousand c. Dan. 7.10 Whatever they are they are many and glorious Creatures insomuch that the very appearance of them in this lower World would dazle and affright us We have frequent mention made in the Old Testament of their appearing to some Persons of greater Favour and Eminency in the Church and yet even then it was an astonishing Wonder and even good Men look'd upon it as a Presage of Death Judg. 13.6 19 22. and it would be so now We are dash'd in the Presence of a Man that is extraordinarily famous and eminent for Wisdom Goodness or Greatness How many have we read or heard of Men of a competent Spirit Presence and Courage have been struck mute in the Company of some Great Sir How should we veil our Faces now to Angels as they to God in Heaven The Rags of our Mortality Sin and Baseness is enough to make us blush in such pure glorious heavenly Company That which I drive at in all this is to shew That if the Inhabitants be so rich so brave the Country is a Paradise If the Courtiers are so gorgeously apparelled and arrayed with so high a Glory the Court is more glorious These are the Natives of the place And do not you think the place where they live is mighty pleasant They must needs fare well that go to such good Company 4. But besides all this we shall have the Society of the Spirits of Just Men made perfect Fan the World and sift it so clean that all the Chaff may be driven away and nothing left but pure Grain Good Men Men that love God and work Righteousness and cleave to that which is good Run over all
my Soul into the Kingdom of Heaven See her Life 23. I Remember says Mr. Increase Mather in his Disc of Angels that once in Discourse with the Learned Doctor Spencer in Cambridge concerning his Book of Prodigies he said to me that his Judgment was That the Evil Angels had Prenotions of many Future Things and did accordingly give strange Premonitions of them No doubt it is often so and yet as Lavater Schottus and others have noted there are sometimes Things signified by Angels which it is not easie to determine of what sort those Genii are VVhat shall be thought of the Phantom which appeared to General Vesselini assuring him that he might take the City of Muran by the Assistance of a Widow which Lived in that City which strangely came to pass accordingly in the Year 1644. There comes to my mind a very Unaccountable Thing which happened at London above Thirty Years ago It was this One Mr. Cutty an honest Citizen passing between Milk-street and Wood-street in Cheap-side on March 2d 1664 took up a Letter Sealed The Superscription whereof was these VVords following From Geneva to a Friend VVithin the Letter these VVords were written This is to give both timely and speedy Notice that in the Year 1665 in the latter end of May shall begin a Plague and hold very hot till the latter end of December and then cease but not quite and then go on till the latter end of the Spring the next Year And in 1665 and 66 putting both together shall not only happen a Plague but great Sea Fights such as the like was scarce ever heard of and this shall not be all but in the Year 1666 on the Second of September shall happen a Fire that shall burn down one of the Eminentest Cities in the World Mr. Cutty carried the Letter to the then Lord Mayor A Reverend Divine in London who was of his Acquaintance had a Copy of it before the sad Things here Predicted came to pass and at my last being at London was pleased to favour me with it as 't is here Related This Account being certainly true and very surprizing I thought it not unworthy the Publication 24. There are sometimes very unaccountable Motions and Impressions on the Spirits of good men which are wrought in them by the ministry of Holy Angels whose work it is to prevent and disappoint the Designs of Satan and of his evil Angels I remember one relates a remarkable Passage of a good man that when he was reading in his House he could not rest in his Spirit but he must step out of Doors which he had no sooner done but he saw a Child in a Pond of VVater ready to perish which would have been gone past recovery had not he gone out of his Doors just at that moment This Impression must needs be from a good Angel And an other like Passage is related in the Life of that Holy Man Mr. Dod One Evening though he had other work to attend he could not but he must got to such a Neighbour's House when he came to him he told him he knew not what he was come for but he could not rest in his Spirit until he had visited him The poor man was astonished for he had in the Violence of a Temptation put a Rope into his Pocket with an intent to have destroyed himself had not Mr. Dod's thus coming prevented it Surely an Angel of the Lord was in this Providence Bishop Hall speaks of one whom he knew that having been for Sixteen Years a Cripple had these monitions in his Sleep that he should go and wash in St. Matherns Well in Cornwell which he did and was suddenly recovered This he thinks was from Angelical Suggestion Marcus Aurelius Antoninus did in a Dream receive the Prescript of a Remedy for his Disease which the Physitians could not cure A Physitian of Vratislavium followed the Counsel he had given him in a Dream concerning the cure of a Disease which was to him incurable and he recovered the Patient It added to the wonder that a few Years after he met with that Receipt in a Book then newly Printed Histories report that the like to this happened to Philip and to Galen If Angels may Suggest things beneficial unto the minds of Men who are Strangers to God much more unto them that fear him Thus far Mr. Mather Converse with Angels and Spirits Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubery Esq 25 Dr. Richard Nepier was a Person of great Abstinence Innocence and Piety He spent every Day Two Hours in Family Prayer When a Patient or Querent came to him he presently went to his Closet to Pray and told to admiration the Recovery or Death of the Patient It appears by his Papers that he did converse with the Angel Raphael who gave him the Responses 26. Elias Ashmole Esq had all his Papers where is contained all his Practice for about Fifty Years which he Mr. Ashmole carefully bound up according to the year of our Lord in Volumes in Folio which are now reposited in the Library of the Museum in Oxford Before the Responses stands this Mark viz. R â„ž is which Mr. Ashmole said was Responsum Raphaelis The Angel told him if the Patient were curable or incurable There are also severalâ— other Queries to the Angel as to Religion Transubstantiation c. which I have forgot I remember one is Whether the Good Spirits or the Bad be most in Number R â„ž is The Good It is to be found there that he told John Prideaux D. D. Anno 1621 that Twenty Years hence 1641 he would be a Bishop and he was so sc Bishop of Worcester R â„ž is did resolve him That Mr. Booth of in Cheshire should have a Son that should inherit Three Years hence sc Sir George Booth the first Lord Delamere viz. from 1619. Sir George Booth aforesaid was born Decemb. 18th Anno 1622. This I extracted out of Dr. Nepier's Original Diary then in the possession of Mr. Ashmole It is impossible that the Prediction of Sir George Booth's Birth could be found any other way but by Angelical Revelation This Dr. Richard Nepier was Rector of Lynford in Bucks and did practise Physickâ— but gave most to the Poor that he got by it 'T is certain he foretold his own Death to a Day and Hour he died Praying upon his Knees being of a very great Age 1634. April the First One says why should one think the Intellectual World less Peopled than the Material Pliny in his Natural History tells us that in Africa do sometimes appear Multitudes of Aerial Shapes which suddenly Vanish Mr. Richard Baxter in his certainty of the World of Spirits hath a Discourse of Angels and wonders they are so little taken notice of he hath counted in Newman's Concordance of the Bible the word Angel in above 300 places Thus far Mr. Aubery CHAP. III. Concerning the Appearance of bad Angels or Daemons HEre I have a great Task and
tell any one of it The Gentlewoman died and afterwards in a Tavern in London he spake of it and there going to make Water the Ghost of the Gentlewoman did appear to him He was afterwards troubled with the Apparition of her even sometimes in Company when he was drinking but he only perceiv'd it Before she did appear he did find a kind of a Chilness upon his Spirits she did appear to him in the morning before he was kill'd in a Duel This Account I have from an intimate Friend of mine who was an Acquaintance of his 13. In James-street in Covent-Garden 1647. did lodge a Gentlewoman a handsome Woman but common who was Mr. Mohun's Son to the Lord Mohun Sweet-heart Mr. Mohun was murthered about Ten a Clock in the Morning and at that very time his Mistress being in Bed saw Mr. Mohun come to her Bed-side drew the Curtain looked upon her and went away She call'd upon him but no answer She knock'd for her maid ask'd her for Mr. Mohun she said she did not see him and had the Key of her Chamber Door in her Pocket This Account I had from the Gentlewoman's own mouth and her maid's A parallel Story to this is That Mr. Brown Brother-in-law to the Lord Conningsby discover'd his being murther'd to several His Phantome appear'd to his Sister and her maid in Fleet-street about the time he was Killed in Herefordshire which was about a Year since 1693. 14. I must not forget an Apparition in my Country which appear'd several times to Dr. Turbervile's Sister at Salisbury which is much talk'd of One marry'd a second Wife and contrary to the Agreement and Settlement at the first VVife's marriage did wrong the Children by the first Venter The Settlement was hid behind a VVainscot in the Chamber where the Doctor 's Sister did lie And the Apparition of the first VVife did discover it to her By which means Right was done to the first Wife's Children 15. One Mr. Towes who had been School-fellow with Sir George Villers the Father of the first Duke of Buckingham and was his Friend and Neighbour as he lay in his Bed awake and it was Day-light came into his Chamber the Phantome of his dear Friend Sir George Villers Said Mr. Towes to him Why you are Dead what make you here Said the Knight I am dead but cannot rest in Peace for the Wickedness and Abomination of my Son George at Court I do appear to you to tell him of it and to advise and dehort him from his Evil ways Said Mr. Towes The Duâ—e will not believe me but will say that I am Mad or Dâ—at Said Sir George Go to him from me and tell him by such a Token some Mole that he had in some secret place which none but himself knew of Accordingly Mr. Tomes went to the Duke who laugh'd at his message At his return home the Phantome appear'd again and told him that the Duke would be stabb'd he drew out a Dagger a quarter of a Year after and you shall outlive him half a Year and the Warning that you shall have of your Death will be That your Nose shall fall a-bleeding All which accordingly fell out so 16. The Learned Henry Jacob Fellow of Merton-College in Oxford died at Dr. Jacob's M. D. House in Canterbury About a Week after his Death the Doctor being in Bed and awake and the Moon shining bright saw his Cousin Henry standing by his Bed in his Shirt with a white Cap on his Head and his Beard mustaches turning up as when he was alive The Doctor pinched himself and was sure he was awaked He turned to the other side from him and after some time took Courage to turn the other way again towards him and Henry Jacob stood there still he should have spoken to him but did not for which he has been ever since sorry About half an Hour after he vanished Not long after this the Cook-maid going to the Woodpile to fetch VVood to dress Supper saw him standing in his Shirt upon the VVoodpile This Account I had in a Letter from Dr. Jacob. 1673. relating to his Life for Mr. Anthony Word which is now in his Hands 17 Mr. T. M. an old Acquaintance of mine hath assured me that about a quarter of a Year after his VVives Death as he lay in Bed awake with his little Grand-child his Wife open'd the Closet Door and came into the Chamber to the Bedside and looked upon him and stooped down and kissed him her Lips were warm he fancied they would have been cold He was about to have embraced her but was afraid it might have done him hurt When she went from him he asked when he should see her again she turn'd about and smiled but said nothing The Closet Door striked as it uses to do both at her coming in and going out 18. Mr. Jo. Lydall or Trinity-College Soc. Oxon. March 11. 1649 50. Attests the ensuing Relation in a Letter to Mr. Aubrey thus Mr. Aubrey Concerning that which happened at Woodstock I was told by Mr. W. Haws who now lives with Sir William Fleetwood in the Park That the Committee which sat in the Mannor-house for Selling the King's Lands were frighted by strange Apparitions and that the Four Surveyors which were sent to measure the Park and Lodged themselves with some other Companions in the Mannor were pelted out of their Chambers by Stones thrown in at the Windows but from what Hands the Stones came they could not see that their Candles were continually put out as fast as they lighted them and that one with his Sword drawn to defend a Candle was with his own Scabbard in the mean time well Cudgell'd so that for the Blow or for fear he fell Sick and the others forced to remove some of them to Sir William Fleetwood's House and the rest to some other places But concerning the cutting of the Oak in particular I have nothing Your Friend To be commanded to my power John Lydall 19. A Minister who liv'd by Sir John Warre in Somersetshire about 1665 walking over the Park to give Sir John a Visit was rencounter'd by a venerable old Man who said to him Prepare your self for such a day which was about three Days after you shall die The Minister told Sir John Warre and my Lady this Story who heeded it not On the Morning fore-warn'd Sir John calls upon the Parson early to ride a Hunting and to Laugh at his Prediction His Maid went up to call him and found him stark dead This from my Lady Katherine Henly who had it from my Lady Warre 20. Dr. Twiss Minister of the New Church at Westminster told me That his Father Dr. Twiss Prolocutor of the Assembly of Divines and Author of Vindiciae when he was a School-Boy at Winchester saw the Phantome of a School-fellow of his deceased a Rakehell who said to him I am damned This was the occasion of Dr. Twiss the Fathers Conversion who had been before
speedy approaching of his final Destruction Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 32. 8. John Knox to the Earl of Morton who came to visit him in his Sickness said my Lord GOD hath given you many Blessings Wisdom Honour Nobility Riches many good and great Friends and he is now about to prefer you to the Government of the Realm the Earl of Marr the late Regent being newly dead in His Name I charge you use these Blessings better than formerly you have done seeking first the Glory of God the Furtherance of his Gospel the Maintenance of his Church and Ministry and then be careful of the King to procure his Good and the Welfare of the Realm if you do thus God will be with you and honour you if otherwise he will deprive you of all these Benefits and your end shall be Shame and Ignominy These Speeches the Earl call'd to mind about nine Years after at the time of his Execution saying That he had found John Knox to be a Prophet Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 322. 9. The same Knox a day or two before his Death calling Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Lawson to him the two Preachers of the Church said There is one thing that grieveth me exceedingly you have some time seen the Courage and Constancy of the Laird of Graing in the cause of God and now that unhapyy Man is casting himself away I pray you go to him from me and tell him that unless he forsake that wicked Course that he is in the Rock wherein he confides shall not defend him nor the Carnal Wisdom of the Man which he counts half a God which was young Leskington shall yeild him Help but he shall be shamefully pull'd out of that Nest and his Carcass hung before the Sun meaning the Castle which he kept against the King's Authority for his Soul is dear to me and if it were possible I would fain have him saved Accordingly they went to him conferr'd with him but could by no means divert him from his course But as Knox had foretold so the Year after his Castle was taken and his Body was there publickly hang'd before the Sun yet he did at his Death express a serious Repentance Ibid. p. 323. 10. How Mr. Dod by a secret Impulse of Spirit went at an unseasonable time to visit a Neighbour whom he found with a Halter in his Pocket going to hang himself and by such a seasonable Visit prevented his Death See elsewhere in this Book 11. Dr. Bernard in the Life of Arch-bishop Vsher tells us That the Bishop himself had confessed in his Hearing that oftentimes in his Sermons he found such warm Motions and Impulses upon his Mind to utter some things which he had not before intended to deliver or not to deliver with so much Briskness and Peremptoriness that he could not easily put them by without present Expression and Delivery I remember not the Doctor 's words but of this nature were those remarkable Predictions of his concerning the Massacre in Ireland and his own Poverty c. which because I have not Bishop Vsher's Life by me written by Dr. Bernard take out of Mr. Clark Upon the Suspension of the Statute in Ireland against the Toleration of Papists Preaching before the State at Dublin making Application of that Text Ezek. c. 4. v. 6. where the Prophet by lying on his Side was to bear the Iniquity of Judah for 40 days I have appointed thee saith the Lord each day for a year This saith he by the Consent of Interpreters signifies the time of 40 Years to the Destruction of Jerusalem and of that Nation for their Idolatry and so said he will I teckon from this Year the Sin of Ireland and at the end of the time those whom you now embace shall be your Ruin and you shall bear this Iniquity wherein he prov'd a Prophet For this was delivered by him A. C. 1601. and A. C. 1641. was the Irish Massacre and Rebellion and what a continued Expectation he had of a grat Judgment upon his Native Country I saith Dr. Bernard can witness from the year 1624. Clark in his Life Dr. Bernard I remember makes this Remark upon that Sermon that it was the last the Bishop wrote at length and it was dated with a particular Notion of the Day and Year He foretold likewise his own future Poverty when he was in his greatest Prosperity and spoke before many Witnesses 1624. repeated it often afterwards that he was perswaded that the greatest Shake to the Reformed Churches was yet to come In short as I said before he often acknowledged that sometimes in his Sermons he was resolved to forbear speaking of some things but it proved like Jeremiah's Fire shut up in his Bones that when he came to it he could not forbear unless he would have stood mute and proceeded no further Ibid. 12. Mr. Hugh Broughton in one of his Sermons 1588. when the Spanish Navy was upon the Sea and Men's Hearts were full of Fears of the Event Now saith he the Papists Knees knock one against another as the Knees of King Belshazzar did and News will come that the Lord hath scatter'd that Invincible Navy Fear ye not nor be dismay'd at these smoaking Firebrands In his Life p. 2. 13. Bishop Jewel crossing the Thames when on a sudden at the rising of a Tempest all were astonished looking for nothing but to be drowned assured Bishop Ridley that the Boat carry'd a Bishop that must be burnt and not drowned In Bishop Jewel's Life 14. Mrs. Katherine Stubs after she had Conceived with Child of a Daughter three or four Years after Marriage said many times to her Husband and others That that Child would be her Death She was delivered safely within a Fortnight and was able to go abroad but presently after fell sick of a Burning Quotidian Ague of which she died See her Life 15. Impulses Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubrey Esq Oliver Cromwell had certainly this Afflatus One that I knew that was at the Battle of Dunbar told me that Oliver was carried on with a Divine Impulse he did Laugh so excessively as if he had been drunk his Eyes sparkled with Spirits He obtain'd a great Victory but the Action was said to be contrary to Humane Prudence The same fit of Laughter seiz'd Oliver Cromwell just before the Battle of Naseby as a Kinsman of mine and a great Favourite of his Collonel J. P. then present testified 16. King Charles the I. after he was Condemn'd did tell Collonel Thomlinson that he believed That the English Monarchy was at an end About half an Hour after he told the Collonel That now he had an Assurance by a strong Impulse on his Spirit that his Son should Reign after him This Information I had from Fabian Philips Esq of the Inner-Temple who had good Authority for the Truth of it I have forgot who it was 17. The Lord Roscomon being a Boy of Ten Years of Age at Caen in Normandy one day was
together for their Good and for the promoting of their Salvation But on the other hand as the Learned Mr. Willam's observes in his Sermon to Youth Vanity unhealed is of an improving Nature and there 's no bad Child but grows worse Sin is not a Stream that grows empty or a Root that dies by meer time God knows we have had experience of that Alas how does Villany grow with Years The Child that began with few Sins grows up to many Sins insomuch that we have some Young Men before eighteen have committed as great Sins as the Man of eighty Youth enters with lesser Sins and proceeds to grosser Sins We have many Young People that seem to abound in Wickedness as they improve in Age as if they grew older only that they may grow Viler One Sin brings on another by the lesser thou art sitted for a greater Sinful Habits are strengthned by Sinful Acts And fear and shame for Sin wear off yea are even extinguished by a course of Sin Lust may be strongly Rooted before old Age and I sear 't is so with abundance of Youths Is it not so with some of you Did not some of you blush at a little Sin and now thou canst mock at great ones Are there not some amongst you that once dared not to tell a small Lye and now you can lye all sorts Are there none here that trembled when they swere a little Oaeth and now can Swear at the Bliodiest rate and add Blasphemy and Cursing to their Oaths Sirs did not some of you feel a check for a light Act and now you can commit Fornication and Vncleanness without any inward Rebuke It was hard to bring thee to pilfer a Pâ—nâ—y and now thou canst steal Shillings and Pounds It was much ado that thou couldst endure to be Drunk in the Night but now thou canst do it openly and Glory in it Thou durst not formerly have neglected a Sermon and thou must pray by thy self but now alas poor Creature Thou canst play away a whole Sabbath and spead Weeks without Prayer without one serious Prayer Thus far Mr. Wilkins I now proceed to give Instances of Persons restrain'd from Sin 1. St. Augustine after his conversion being grievously vexed with inward conflicts against his corrupt and remanent affections to Sin intentively musing and meditating with himself what to do more then he had done Viz. By purposes vows watchings fasting c. heard a Voice saying in te stas et non stas whereupon addressing him to Jesus Christ in an humble manner by faithful and fervent Prayer he found present releif and was much strengthen'd with the grace of Gods Spirit in the inner Maâ— Ibid. 2 Mr. Dod being late at Night in his Study was strongly moved tho at an unseasonable hour to visit a Gentleman of his Acquaintance and not knowing what might be the design of Providence therein he obeyed and went when he came to the house after a few knocks at the Door the Gentleman himself came to him and askt him whether he had any business to him Mr. Dod Answered no but that he could not be quiet till he had seen him O Sir replyed the Gentleman you are sent of God at this hour for just now and with that takes the halter out of his Pocket I was going to destroy my self And thus was the mischief prevented Mr. Flavel's Div. Conduct p. 98. 3. Mr. Bolton whilst he was in Oxford had familiar acquaintance with Mr. Anderton a good Schollar but a strong Papist who knowing Mr. Bolton's good parts and perceiving that he was in some out-ward wants took this Advantage and used many Arguments to perswade him to be reconciled to the Church of Rome and to go over with him to the English Seminary assuring him he should be furnished with all necessaries and have Gold enough Mr. Bolton being at that time poor in mind and purse accepted the motion and a day and place was appointed in Lancashire where they should meet and take Shipping and be gone But Mr. Anderton came not and so he escaped the Snare See the Life of Mr. Bolton 4. Thus Basil was along time exercised with a violent Head-Ach which as he observed was used by Providence to prevent lust 5. Dela Cerda saith that Albertine a Jesuit told him that a Young Man came hastily to him to confess and told him O Sir saith he I could not stay so strange a thing hath befallen me I and my Companion were resolved in Revenge against one that had wronged me to go after him into the Fields and kill him And while I was setting my Pastol in order that I might not miss a Beautiful Young Man stood by me and asked me what I was about And when I denied to tell him he told me that he knew my purpose and disswaded me and in short did so open the suflerings of Christ for his Enemies and what Sins he had forgiven us and bound us to forgive one another That I was melted into Tears and my mind changed and the Young Man Vanished away An Angel if true Hist Disc of Apparitions and Witches p. 162. CHAP. XX. Strange ways of Promoting Salvation THE ways of the Almighty and his Dealings with particular Men as well as those of his common Providence and Judgments are so strange and filled with variety of Spiritual stratagems that we may well say of him His Paths are in the deep waters and his Footsteps are not known The Woman of Samaria drawing water and giving to our Saviour to Drink received the water of Everlasting Life from him and drank to her Neighbours likewise of the Spiritual Drink Zacheus climbing a Sycamore out of Curiosity to see Jesus Jesus saw him and invited himself to his House S. Paul was knockt down in the midst of his Sinful Career and made to do obeysance at the Feet of that Jesus he was going to persecute 1. Origen after he had been prevailed upon to offer incense in the Idol Temple being Excommunicated by the Church going into Judea being well known there for his Expositions was intreated by the Ministers at Jerusalem with much importunity to bestow a Sermon he stood up took the Bible open'd it and at the very first casting his Eye upon that Text Psal 50.16 Vnto the ungodly said God why dost thou Preach my Laws c. He presently shut the Book wept bitterly the People also weeping with him and was able to say no more After this he wandred up and down in great greif of Conscience and wrote his Lamentation Clark's Mar. of Eccl. Hist 2. S. Augustine going on a time to hear S. Ambrose was accidently rebuked by some words of the Sermon or lecture that he heard which he applyed to himself as design'd particularly against him Ibid. See the Chapter of strange Conversions 3. It is Noted by Melchior Adam in the Life of Junius how very an Atheist he was grown in his younger years but in order to his Conversion to
time who were consulted touching the use of a Medicine the Spectre or Ghost prescrib'd of which mention will be made anon but they determined on the Negative But this by the by Till part of the Afternoon was spent all was quiet but at length he was perceived to rise from the Ground Whereupon Mr. Greatrix and another lusty Man clapt their Arms over his Shoulder one of them before him and the other behind and weighed him down with all their Strength But he was forcibly taken up from them and they were too weak to keep their hold and for a considerable time he was carried in the Air to and fro over their Heads several of the Company still running under him to prevent his being hurt if he should fall At length he fell and was caught before he came to the Ground and had by that means no hurt All being quiet till Bed-time my Lord order'd two of his Servants to lie with him and the next Morning he told his Lordship that his Spectre was again with him and brought a wooden Dish with grey Liquor in it and bad him drink it off At the first sight of the Spectre he said he endeavour'd to awake his Bedfellows but it told him That that endeavour should be in vain and that he had no cause to ear him he being his Friend and he that at first gave him the good Advice in the Field which had he not followed he had been before now perfectly in the power of the Compan he saw there He added that he concluded it was impossible but that he should have been carried away the day before there being so strong a Combination against him But now he would assure him that there would be no more Attempts of that Nature but he being troubled with two sorts of sad Fits he had brought that Liquor to cure him of them and bid him drink it He peremptorily refusing the Spectre was angry and upbraided him with great disingenuity but told him That however he had a kindness for him and that if he would take Plantine Juice he should be well of one sort of Fits but he should carry the other to his Grave The poor Man having by this time somewhat recover'd himself ask'd the Spectre whether by the Juice of Plantain he meant that of the Leaves or Roots It replied The Roots Then it askt him whether he did not know him He answer'd No. He replied I am such a one The Man answer'd He hath been long dead I have been dead said the Spectre or Ghost seven Years and you know that I lived a loose Life and ever since have I been hurried up and down in a restless condition with the Company you saw and shall be to the day of Judgment Then he proceeded to tell him that had he acknowledged God in his ways he had not suffer'd such severe things by their means And further said You never pray'd to God that day before you met with this Company in the Field and also going about an unlawful Business and so vanish'd Mr. Glanvil's Sadducism Triumph p. 423. 4. Mr. Alexander Clogie Minister of Wigmore in the County of Hereford aged Fourscore Years published a Set of Sermons A. 16â—4 under this Title Vox Corvi or the Voice of the Raven that thrice spoke these Wards distinctly viz. Look into Colossians the 3d. and 15th Licensed according to Order London Printed by W. B. c. The occasion of it was as we are told in the Epistle to the Reader On the 3d. of Feb. 1691. about Three in the Afternoon this Reverend Divine a Persons of the Venerable Age of Eighty Years and Forty of those a laborious Teacher of God's Word in the Parish of Wigmore being in the Hall of his own House with his Wife some Neighbours and Relations together with two small Grand-children of his in all to the number of eight Persons Thomas Kinnersley one of the said Grandchildren of 10 Years of Age starting up from the Fire-side went out of the Hall-door and sate himself down upon a Block by a Wood-pile before the Door cutting of a Stick and in ress than a quâ—â—ter of an Hour return'd into the Hall in great Amazement his Countenance pale and affrighted and said to his Grandfather and Grandmother Look in the 3d. of the Colossians and the 15th with a great Palsion and Earnestness repeating the Words no less than three times telling them with a mighty Ardency that a Raven had spoken them three times from the Peak of the Steeple and that it look'd towards W. W.'s House and shook its Head thitherward directing its Looks and Motions still towards that House All which Words he heard the Raven distinctly utter three times and then saw it mount and fly out of Sight The Grandfather turning to the Text in the Bible and reading the Words Let the Peace of God rule in your Hearts c. The Child was fully satisfied and his Countenance composed again The Family to which the Raven seemed to direct her Voice were by means hereof perfectly Reconciled I doubt not but this Relation will seem incredible in an Age of so little Faith but I have not time to plead for the Credibility of every particular and strange Story that I relate Sure I am Mr. Clogie doth not Preach or Write like a Man fallen into his Dotage or like a weak and unskilful Divine 5. Dwelling at Leeds in Kent saith Mr. Batman Professor in Divinity a glowing Light like unto a quick Cole appeared at my Bed's Feet at the sudden sight whereof I was as well in doubt as afraid taking view thereof twice or thrice to the end I would not be deceived of that Appearance and desiring God's Assistance from Evils it vanished away Shortly after I was in present danger of being Slain in the House of him whom I took to be my Friend c. Not many Years after I fell into the Hands of Inconstant Men whose double Deâ—lings I referred to God and one of them was struck Blind another fell into a Dropsie a Third ask'd Forgiveness c. There happened to me in Kent also a sudden Fire in the House wherein I then dwelt so that the House was consumed to the Ground whether because before that time I greatly reproved Witchery of those that then were Suspected or for my secret Sins against God from the which no Flesh is clear I appeal before the Throne of thy most magnificent Grace c. Doâ—n's Warning to the Judgment p. 410. I could add many more Instances of this kind but having already mentioned some others in other Chapters I shall forbear lest I cloy my Reader and provoke him to a nauseate or loathing Nequid nimis CHAP. XXVII Remarkable Faith THE Graces of the Spirit of God found to be Sincere but especially in an excellent degree in Christians are called frequently in the Gospel The Earnest of the Spirit and the Earnest of the Future Iâ—heritance as if God never bestowed these
manner for many Months I could not breath without a mighty Pain and as soon as with Difficulty I had breath'd every Breath was turn'd into a Groan and every Groan was big with a very deep Sorrow I was weary with my Groaning Psal 6.6 All the Night made I my Bed to swim and watered my Couch with Tears Those that are in Health will scarcely perhaps credit what I say they will think I am a melancholy Man and aggravate my Trouble and set it out more than needs or than it was and that in the whole there was a great deal more of Fancy than of Reality but I pray God they may never taste one drop of that bitter Cup whereof I was made to drink for if they should they 'l find it whatever Names they now give it to be then full of real Miseries You think it may be that I have spoke a great deal and your Attention may be wearied but I 'l assure you 't is many hundred times below what I felt Great Griefs as well as mighty Joys exceed all our Words and Bitterness is not to be described Never was any I believe nearer to Death not to die never was any compass'd with a greater Danger never any had less hoep of an Escape than I and yet the Mercy of a God that is Omnipotent has relieved me And as 't is commonly said that Musick sounds best upon the Water so by setting our Sorrows and our Mercies together our Praise may be more harmonious You may in this behold the Severity and the Goddness of God his Severity in continuing on me so many smart Strokes for so long a space and his Goodness in giving me help when no Power on Earth was able to give me the least Relief The Storm indeed is in a great measure over blessed be God but I cannot without trembling call it to mind nor dare I think very long upon it I can scarce believe that I am at so much ease as I now am I can scarce believe that I am in this Assembly of which I confidently thought I had taken my leave for ever When I look back upon the rough Waves and the stormy Seas I am ready to say Can it be that God has brought me safe to Land After I had conversed with the Dead am I now among the Living am I now with People under Hope blessed be the Name of the Lord I am It is a great Mercy to me and it is the more so as it was unexpected and above the Power of Nature contrary to all my hopes and above all humane help Those that have heard my Groans and seenmy Agonies and heard of my Affliction cannot but wonder at it I often said that I could not be delivered without a Miracle and God himself has wrought it It was by the Soveraign Goodness and meer Mercy and Grace of God that I obtained this Deliverance all this he did for a most unworthy Sinner for an impatient and fretful Sinner too is not this wonderful Mercy with a witness a Mercy never to be forgotten as long as I have a Day to live I have cause to give Thanks for how many has he suffered to sink when the Waves were not so high against them as those that rowl'd over me the Storms and the Winds that blew them down not so fierce in some respect against them as they were against me and yet they are covered in the Grave whilst I though sorely weather-beaten have out-lived the Storm How many are there dead since I was ill many excellent and holy Men are now silent in the Dust who were more knowing more useful more zealous and better qualified than ever I am like to be and yet God has spared a poor Shrub whilst he has torn up some of the Cedars of our Lebanan by the Roots Here ends the Relation of Mr. Rogers's Bodily Distress which you 'l find more at large in his Practical Discourses of Sickness and Recovery to which I refer you I shall next proceed to give an Account of his Trouble of Mind as I find it in his Treatise upon that Subject In which he displays in Experimental Judgment a Moderate Temper and a Spirit repleat with all the Charms of Mildness and Pity of which his own Sufferings have rendred him very sensible The Preface contains certain Heads of Advice to the Relations of such as are Melancholy As 1. That they should look upon the Party as under te worst Distemper in this Life both Body and Mind being infected and therefore a Subject both for a Physician and Minister 2. To be compassionate to 'em considering that we our selves are in the Body 3. Not to use harsh Speeches to 'em but imitate him that wou'd not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. 4. To believe what they say or at least that their Apprehensions are such as they tell you they are 'T is a real Misery to them if but fancy'd To contradict 'em is Cruelty 5. Urge 'em not to do what they cannot lest you add to their Burden 6. Attribute not the Effects of meer Disease to the Devil it may proceed from a violent Pressure upon their Spirits 7. Do not much wonder at what they say or do All 's to be born with where the Agent is so unhappy as to think himself lost for ever 8. Mention no formidable Things or Stories to 'em 't will effect greater Disorders upon their Spirits 9. When you talk to 'em do not speak as if their Troubles would be very long that 's the Sword that stabs them An End of Misery is encouraging 10. Give 'em Examples of others under the same Circumstances that have been delivered 11. Pray for ' em 12. Get others to pray for ' em 13. Put 'em in mind of the Sovereign Grace of God in Christ Jesus Menasseh found Mercy New follow the Letters of several Divines to the Author and his Relations very pertinent to the Subject treated of being mostly Experiences in such Troubles and Deliverances from ' em Mr. Rogers tells us It is very hard indeed to persuade a Person under great Pain and Anguish and a sense of the Wrath of God and a fear of Hell that ever any has heretofore been so perplext as he Such generally think themselves worse than Cain or Judas or any the most wicked People in the World as thinking that their Sins have greater Aggravations and that consequently they shall be more miserable but you may acquaint them with several Instances of God's Gracious dealing with others after they have been for many Months and Years afflicted I could send you to some now alive that were long afflicted with Trouble of Mind and Melancholy as Mr. Rosewell and Mr. Porter both Ministers the latter whereof was six years oppressed with this Distemper and now they both rejoyce in the Light of God's Countenance I my self was near two years in great Pain of Body and greater Pain of Soul and without any
thy sight be justified After a little Rest and Slumber she spake to her Father with much Joy and Gladness 1 Cor. 15.54 c. Death is swallowed up of Victory c. She commanded afterwards Psal 84. to her Mother saying Read that Psalm Dear Mother and therewith ye may comfort one another As for me I am more and more spent and draw near unto my last Hour Pray with me pray that the Lord would vouchsafe me a soft Death And when they had prayed with her she turned to her Mother and with much Affection said Ah my Dear Loving Mother that which comes from the Heart doth ordinarily go to the Heart Once come and kiss me before I leave you and also my Dear Father and my Sister and Father let my Sister be trained up in the Ways of God as I have been I bewailed and wept for my Sister thinking she would die and now she weeps for me Also she took her young little Sister in her Ams a Child of Six Months old and kissed it with much Affection as if her Bowels had been moved speaking with many Heart-breaking Words both to her Parents and the Children 'till her Father said to one standing by Take away that young poor Lambkin from the hazard of that fiery Sickness Give her away for ye have too much already to bear Well Father said she did not God preserve the Three Children in the fiery Furnace Citing also Isa 43.3 After a little Rest awaking again she rehersed 1 Cor. 15.42 43. Isa 57.1 2. Job 19.25 26 27. John 5.28 c. Eph. 2.8 9. and descanted pathetically upon them adding My Dear Parents now we must shortly part my Speech faileth me pray the Lord for a quiet Close to my Combat I go to Heaven and there we shall find one another I go to Jesus Christ and to my Brother Jacob who did cry so much to God and call upon him to the very last Breath and to my little Sister which was but Three Years of Age when it died c. At last after she had prayed a pretty space by herself she asked her Parents If she had angred or grieved them at any time or done any thing that became her not Craving Forgiveness of them Then she began to dispose her Books and other little things with some proportion of Prudence and after a short Discant on the following Scriptures Psal 23. Rom. 8. 2 Tim. 4.7 8. 1 Cor. 6.20 Isa 53 Joh. 1. 1. Cor. 6.11 Rev. 7. 2 Cor. 5.1 2. she concluded with these Words My Soul shall now part from this Body and shall be taken up into the Heavenly Paradise there shall I dwell and go no more out but sit and sing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts c. O Lord God into thy Hands I commend my Spirit O Lord be gracious be merciful to me a poor Sinner And hereupon she fell a sleep Sept. 1. between Seven and Eight in the Evening having obtained according to her Prayers a quiet and soft Departure 26. Jacob Bickes above-mentioned Brother to the aforesaid Susanna was visited Three or Four Weeks before his Sister and slept most of his time 'till near his Death but so often as he awaked he gave himself to pray Upon motion made to send for the Physician he said Dear Father and Mother I will not have the Doctor any more The Lord shall help me I know he shall take me to himself and then he shall help all After Prayer Come now Dear Father and Mother said he and kiss me I know now that I shall die Adieu Dear Father and Mother Adieu my Dear Sister Adieu all Now shall I go to Heaven unto God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Angels Father know ye not what is said by Jer. 17. Blessed is he who trusteth in the Lord. Now I shall trust in him and he shall bless me And 1 John 2. Little children love not the world for the world passeth away Away then all that is in the World away with all my pleasant Things in the World Away with my Dagger which a Student had given him for where I go there 's nothing to do with Dagger and Sword Men shall not fight there but praise God Away with all my Books for where I go there 's nothing to be done with Books there I shall know and be learned sufficiently all things of true Wisdom and Learning without Books The Father telling him God would be near to him and help him Yea Father the Apostle Peter saith God resisteth the proud but gives grace to the humble I shall humble myself under the mighty Hand of God and he shall help and lift me up God hath given me so strong a Faith upon himself through Jesus Christ that the Devil himself shall flee from me for it is said John 3. He who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and hath overcome the wicked one 1 John 2. Now I believe in Jesus Christ my Redeemer and he will not leave nor forsake me but shall give unto me Eternal Life then shall I sing Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Sabath And with this short Word of Prayer Lord be merciful to me a poor Sinner he quietly breathed out his Soul and slept in the Lord aged Seven Years August 8. 1664. Extracted out of a Pamphlet called An Edifying Wonder of Two Children Printed at London for Richard Tomlins 1667. 27. The Reverend Mr. Clark in his Works quotes a Child of Two Years old that looked towards Heaven And credible History acquaints us with a Martyr of Seven Years old that was whipped almost to Death and never shed one Tear nor complained and at last had his Head struck off 28. Of Mary Warren born in May 1651 aged Ten Years in May 1661. When this Child was about Five or Six Years old she had a new plain Tammy Coat and when she was made ready was to be carried with other Children into Morefields but having looked upon her Coat how fine she was she presently went to her Chair sate down her Tears running down her Eyes she wept seriously by herself her Mother seeing it said to her How now Are you not well What 's the matter that you weep The Child answered Yes I am well but I would I had not been made ready for I am afraid my fine Cloaths will cast me down to Hell Her Mother said It 's not our Cloaths but wicked Hearts that hurt us She answered Aye Mother fine Cloaths make our Hearts proud What next follows was written by her Father on Friday Night Octob. 4. 1661. Her Mother asked her If she were willing to die she answered ' Aye very willing for then I shall sin no more for I know Christ's Blood hath made Satisfaction for my Sins October the Fifth her Mother going softly to the Chamber-door she heard her speaking alone and she listned and heard her say thus Come Lord Jesus come quickly and receive thy poor Creature out of all my Pains
suitable to his Capacity the Child prevented him saying I think it is thus God knows all things he knows which of those Children had they lived would have served him them he takes to Heaven and he knows which would not have served him them he casts into Hell I set not this down as a true Answer to the Question but it argued more than ordinary consideration in a Child For his Affections 1. Some years since his Mother found him crying His Mother taking him into her Lap ask'd him why he cried he answered with many Tears he feared he should go to Hell yet he served God as well as he could 2. Another time being found weeping upon a Lord's-day his Mother asked him why he cried he said Because he remembred no more of the Sermon 3. Other times he had wept lest he should not go to Heaven For his Practices I bless God his Practices were not unequal to his Affections and Knowledge he was often found in Corners at Prayer When my Wife sent him upon an Errand she would ask him why he staid he would answer with much ado that he thought there was no great haste so he stayed a little at Prayers he spent a quarter of an hour daily in secret Prayer he got his Brother to keep a Diary but he bid that we should not know of it till his Death-bed wherein he set down many of his Sins but none of his Duties for them he said were so few that he could easily remember them Some of which Sins were these 1st He whetted his Knife upon a Lord's-day 2d He did not reprove one that he heard swear 3d. He once omitted Prayer to go to play 4th He found his Heart dead and therefore omitted Prayer He one day hearing the Bell toll said He would not have any Rings given at his Burial but a good Book that may do them good 2. There was a little Child which frequented that excellent Duty of Secret Prayer and would ask the Mother strange Questions concerning Heaven and God and the Mother thought the Child had heard some discoursing of those Questions and so had taken them from their Conferences He once ran to his Mother and said O Mother I must go to God will you go with me His Mother said I must go when it pleaseth God but my Child how knowest thou that thou must go to God The Child answered God told me so for I love God and God loves me and after that cared no more to play but about a month after fell sick and died always saying in his Sickness that he must go to God and asking his Mother whether she would go with him 3. I know also a Minister who told me That one of his Children when but four years old said to him that he had seen God and his Angels and that he must go to them 4. This fourth History I have out of the Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. John Langham eldest Son to Mr. James Langham being but five years and a half old and it 's thus This sweet Child had arrived to that in five years and a little more that some which are here I am afraid have not arrived to in ten times that space He was a very dutiful Child to his Parents and would exceedingly rejoyce when he had done any thing or had carried himself so as to please them He was taken with the Book called the Practice of Piety and delighted to be reading in it His Father speaking to him one day about the Devil and Hell and things of that Nature he asked him if he were not afraid to be alone he answered No for God would defend him His Father asked him why he thought so he replied that he loved God and that he hoped God loved him The day before he died he desired me to pray for him I told him if he would have me to pray for him he must tell me what I should pray for and what he would have God to do for him He answered To pardon my Sins Oft upon his Sick-bed he would be repeating to himself the fifty fifth Chapter of Isaiah and other pieces of Scripture which in the time of his Health he had learned by heart 5. I shall next set down several Passages in a Letter written by one that went to School a rare Example for Children of that Age to follow I find he was to get time from his Sleep to write I shall not set down the whole Letter but leave out things of business and that are introductory The Letter BRother pray let me intreat you to fit and prepare your self for Death for it knocks at the door of young ones as well as the old there are as many young Souls in Golgotha as old the Sythe of Mortality mows down Lillies as well as Grass One thing I beg of you and I hope you will not deny me which is this seeing you have Knowledge Will Mind take heed you be not drawn away by hypocritical Deceivers for the Scripture saith That in the latter days many false Prophets shall arise who would deceive the very Elect themselves if it were possible but it is not possible for God will reserve some for himself Thus far Mr. White 6. Mrs. Sarah Howley at eight years old gave her self much to attending upon the Word preached and still continued very tender under it greatly savouring what she heard She was much in Secret Prayer as might easily be perceived by those who listened at the Chamber-door and was usually very importunate full of tears She was exceeding dutiful to her Parents very loath to grieve them in the least and if she had at any time which was very rare offended them she would weep bitterly She abhorred Lying and allowed her self in no known Sin The Lord's-day before that in which she died a Kinsman of hers came to see her and asking of her Whether she knew him she answered Yes I know you and I desire you would learn to know Christ you are young but you know not how soon you may die Now and then she dropt these words How long sweet Jesus Finish thy work sweet Jesus come away sweet Jesus come quickly sweet Lord help come away now now dear Jesus come quickly Good Lord give patience to me to wait thy appointed time Lord Jesus help me help me She oft commended her Spirit into the Lord's Hands and the last words which she was heard to speak were these Lord help Lord Jesus help Dear Jesus Blessed Jesus And thus upon the Lord's Day between Nine and Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon she slept sweetly in Jesus and began an everlasting Sabbath February 19. 1670. 7. Of a Child that was admirably affected with the Things of God when he was between Two and Three Years old A certain little Child whose Mother had Dedicated him to the Lord in her Womb when he could not speak plain would be crying after God and was greatly desirous to be taught good
Things He could not endure to be put to Bed without Family-Duty but would put his Parents upon Duty and would with much Devotion kneel down and with great Patience and Delight continue 'till Duty was at an end When he had committed any fault he was easily convinced of it and would get into some Corner and Secret Place and with Tears beg Pardon of God and Strength against such a Sin He had a Friend that oft watched him and listned at his Chamber-door from whom I received this Narrative A Friend of his asked him Whether he were willing to die when he was first taken sick he answered No because he was afraid of his State as to another World Why Child said the other thou didst pray for a new Heart for an humble and a sincere Heart and I have heard thee Didst thou not pray with thy Heart I hope I did said he Not long after the same Person asked him again Whether he were willing to die He answered Now I am willing for I shall go to Christ He still grew weaker and weaker but carried it with a great deal of sweetness and patience waiting for his Change and at last did cheerfully commit his Spirit unto the Lord and calling upon the Name of the Lord and saying Lord Jesus Lord Jesâ—â— in whose Bosom he sweetly slept dying as I remember when he was about Five or Six Years old 8. Of a little Girl that was wrought upon when she was between Four and Five Years old Mary A. when she was between Four and Five Years old was greatly affected in hearing the Word of God and became very solicitous about her Soul and Everlasting Condition weeping bitterly to think what would become of her in another World asking strange Questions concerning God and Christ and her own Soul So that this little Mary before she was full Five Years old seemed to mind the one thing needful and to choose the better part and sate at the Feet of Christ many a time and oft with Tears She was very Conscientious in keeping the Sabbath spending the whole time either in Reading or Praying or learning her Catechism or teaching her Brethren and Sisters See took great delight in Reading of the Scripture and some part of it was more sweet to her than her appointed Food she would get several choice Scriptures by heart and discourse of them savourly and apply them suitably A little before she died she had a great Conflict with Satan and cried out I am none of his Her Mother seeing her in trouble asked her what was the matter she answered Satan did trouble me but now I thank God all is well I know I am none of his but Christ's After this she had a great Sence of God's Love and a Glorious Sight as if she had seen the very Heavens open and the Angels come to receive her by which her Heart was filled with Joy and her Tongue with Praise Being desired by the Standers-by to give them a particular Account of what she saw she answered You shall know hereafter and so in an Extasie of Joy and holy Triumph she went to Heaven when she was about Twelve Years old Hallelujah 9. Of a Child that began to look towards Heaven when she was about Four Years old A certain little Child when she was about Four Years old had a Conscientious Sence of her Duty towards her Parents because the Commandment saith Honour thy Father and thy Mother And though she had little advantage of Education she carried it with the greatest Reverence to her Parents imaginable so that she was no small Credit as well as Comfort to them She would be very attentive when she read the Scriptures and be much affected with them and would by no means be perswaded to prophane the Lord's Day but would spend it in some good Duties When she was taken sick one asked her Whether she were willing to die she answered Yes if God would pardon her Sins Being asked How her Sins should be pardoned she answered Through the Blood of Christ. There were very many observable Passages in the Life and Death of this Child but the Hurry and Grief that her Friends were in buried them 10. Charles Bridgman had no sooner learned to speak but he betook himself to Prayer His Sentences were wise and weighty and well might become some ancient Christian His Sickness lasted long and at least Three Days before his Death he prophesied his Departure and not only that he must die but the very Day The last Words which he spake were exactly these Pray pray pray nay yet pray and the more Prayers the better all prospers God is the best Physician into his Hands I commend my Spirit O Lord Jesus receive my Soul Now close mine Eyes Forgive me Father Mother Brother Sister all the World Now I am well my Pain is almost gone my Joy is at hand Lord have mercy on me O Lord receive my Soul unto thee And thus he yielded his Spirit up unto the Lord when he was about Twelve Years old This Narrative was taken out of Mr. Ambrose 's Life's Lease 11. Of a poor Child that was awakened when she was about Five Years old A certain very poor Child that had a very bad Father but it was to be hoped a very good Mother was by the Providence of God brought to the sight of a Godly Friend of mine who upon the first sight of the Child had a great pity for him and took an Affection to him and had a mind to bring him for Christ It was not long before the Lord was pleased to strike in with the Spiritual Exhortations of this good Man so that the Child was brought to a liking of the things of God He would ask very excellent Questions and Discourse about the Condition of his Soul and Heavenly Things and seemed mightily concerned what should become of his Soul when he should die so that his Discourse made some Christians even to stand astonished He was greatly taken with the great kindness of Christ in dying for Sinners and would be in Tears at the mention of them and seemed at a strange rate to be affected with the unspeakable Love of Christ After the Death of his Mother he would often repeat some of the Promises that are made unto Fatherless Children especially that in Exod. 22.22 Ye shall not afflict any Widow or the Fatherless Child if thou afflict them in any wise and they cry at all unto me I will surely hear their cry These words he would often repeat with Tears I am Fatherless and Motherless upon Earth yet if any wrong me I have a Father in Heaven who will take my part to him I commit myself and in him is all my trust Thus he continu'd in a Course of Holy Duties living in the fear of God and shewed wonderful Grace for a Child and died sweetly in the Faith of Jesus My Friend is a Judicious Christian of many Years Experience who was
no ways related to him but a constant Eye and Ear-witness of his Godly Life and Honourable and Cheerful Death from whom I received this Information 12. Of a notorious wicked Child who was taken up from begging and admirably converted with an Account of his holy Life and joyful Death when he was Nine Years old A very poor Child of the Parish of Newington-Butts came begging to the Door of a Dear Christian Friend of mine in a very lamentable Case so filthy and nasty that he would even have turned ones Stomach to have looked on him but it pleased God to raise in the Heart of my Friend a great pity and tenderness towards this poor Child so that in Charity he took him out of the Streets whose Parents were unknown who had nothing at all in him to commend him to any ones Charity but his Misery A Noble Piece of Charity And that which did make the kindness far the greater was that there seemed to be very little hopes of doing any good upon this Child for he was a very Monster of Wickedness and a thousand times more miserable and vile by his Sin than by his Poverty But this Sin and Misery was but a stronger Motive to that gracious Man to pity him and to do all that possibly he could to plack this Firebrand out of the Fire The Lord soon struck in with his godly Instructions so that an amazing Change was seen in the Child in a few Weeks space he was soon convinced of the Evil of his Ways no more News now of his calling of Names Swearing or Cursing no more taking of the Lord's Name in vain now he is Civil and Respective and such a strange alteration was wrought in the Child that all the Parish that rung of his Villany before was now ready to talk of his Reformation his Company his Talk his Employment is now changed and he is like another Creature so that the Glory of God's Free Grace began already to shine in him He was made to cry out of himself not only for his Swearing and Lying and other outwardly notorious Sins but he was in great horrour for the Sin of his Nature for the Vileness of his Heart and Original Corruption under it he was in so great anguish that the Trouble of his Spirit made him in a great measure to forget the Pains of his Body Being informed how willing and ready the Lord Christ was to accept of poor Sinners upon their Repentance and Turning and being counselled to venture himself upon Christ for Mercy and Salvation he said He would fain cast himself upon Christ but he could not but wonder how Christ should be willing to die for such a vile Wretch as he was and he found it one of the hardest things in the World to believe But at last it pleased the Lord to give him some shall hopes that there might be Mercy for him The Wednesday before he died the Child lay 〈…〉 for about half an Hour in which time be thought he saw a Vision of Angels 〈◊〉 he was out of his Trance he was in a little Pett and asked his Nurse Why she did not let him go Go whither Child said she Why along with those brave Gentlemen said he but they told me they would come and fetch me away for all you upon Friday next And he doubled his Words many times upon Friday next those brave Gentlemen will come for me And upon Friday Morning he sweetly went to rest using that very Expression Into thy Hands Lord I commit my Spirit He died punctually at that time which he had spoken of and in which he expected those Angels to come to him He was not much above Nine Years Old when he died This Narrative I had from a Judicious Holy Man unrelated to him who was an Eye and Ear-witness to all these things 13. Of a Child that was very serious at Four Years old John Sudlow was born of Religious Parents in the County of Middlesex whose great Care was to instil Spiritual Principles into him as soon as he was capable of understanding of them whose Endeavours the Lord was pleased to Crown with the desired Success so that to use the Expression of a Holy Man concerning him scarce more could be expected or desired from so little a one The first thing that did most affect him and made him endeavour to escape from the Wrath to come and to enquire what he should do to be saved was the Death of a little Brother when he saw him without Breath and not able to speak or stir and then carried out of Doors and put into a Pit-hole he was greatly concerned and asked notable Questions about him but that which was most affecting of himself and others was Whether he must die too which being answer'd it made such a deep Impression upon him that from that time forward he was exceeding serious and this was when he was about Four Years old When any Christian Friends have been Discoursing with his Father if they began to talk any thing about Religion to be sure they should have his Company and of his own accord he would leave all to hear any thing of Christ and creep as close to them as he could and listen as affectionately though it were an hour or two When he was Reading by himself in Draiton's Poems about Noah's Flood and the Ark he ask'd Who built the Ark It being answered That it was likely that Noah hired Men to help him to build it And would they said he build an Ark to save another and not go into it themselves Another Question he put was this Whether had the greater Glory Saints or Angels It being answered That Angels were the most excellent of Creatures and it 's to be thought their Nature is made capable of greater Glory than Man's He said He was of another Mind and his Reason was Because Angels were Servants and Saints are Children and that Christ never took upon him the Nature of Angels but he took upon him the Nature of Saints and by his being Man he hath advanced Human Nature above the Nature of Angels In the time of the Plague he was exceedingly concerned about his Soul and Everlasting State very much by himself upon his Knees This Prayer was found written in Short-hand after his Death O Lord God and merciful Father take pity upon me a miserable Sinner and strengthen me O Lord in thy Faith and make me one of thy Glorious Saints in Heaven O Lord keep me from this poisonous Infection however not my Will but thy Will be done O Lord on Earth as it is in Heaven but O Lord if thou hast appointed me to die by it O Lord fit me for Death and give me a good Heart to bear up under my Afflictions O Lord God and merciful Father take pity on me thy Child teach me O Lord thy Word make me strong in Faith O Lord I have sinned against thee Lord pardon my Sins I had been
a very strong Faith in the Doctrine of the Resurrection and did greatly solace her Soul with excellent Scriptures which do speak the happy state of Believers as soon as their Souls are separated from their Bodies and what she quoted out of the Scripture she did excellently and sutably apply to her own use incomparably above the common reach of her Sex and Age. That in 1 Cor. 15.42 was a good support to her The Body is sown in Corruption but it should be raised incorruptible it is sown in dishonour it shall be raised in glory it is sown in weakness but it shall be raised in power And then she sweetly applies it and takes in this Cordial Behold thus it is and thus it shall be with my poor mortal Flesh Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord because they rest from their labours and their works do follow them The righteous perish and no Man layeth it to heart and the upright are taken away and no Man regardeth it that they are taken away from the evil to come they shall enter into peace they shall rest in their Beds every one who walked in their uprightness Behold now Father I shall rest and sleep in that Bed-chamber Then she quoted Job 19.25 25 26 27. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter end upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my Flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and my eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Behold now Father this very Skin which you see and this very Flesh which you see shall be raised up again and these very Eyes which now are so dim shall on that day see and behold my dear and precious Redeemer albeit the Worms eat up my Flesh yet with these Eyes shall I behold God even I my self and not another for me Hear last words were these O Lord God into thy hands I commit my Spirit O Lord be gracious be merciful to me a poor Sinner And here she fell asleep She died the first of September 1664. betwixt seven and eight in the Evening in the fourteenth year of her Age. 18. Jacob Bicks the Brother of Susanna Bicks was born in Leyden in the year 1657. and had Religious Education under his Godly Parents the which the Lord was pleased to sanctify to his Conversion and by it lay in excellent Provisions to live upon in an hour of distress This sweet little Child was visited of the Lord of a very sore Sickness upon the sixth of August 1664. Once when his Parents had prayed with him they asked him if they should once more send for the Physician No said he I will have the Doctor no more the Lord will help me I know he will take me to himself and then he shall help all When his Parents had prayed with him again he said Come now dear Father and Mother and kiss me I know that I shall die Farewel dear Father and Mother Farewel dear Sister farewel all Now shall I go to Heaven unto God and Jesus Christ and the holy Angels Then with a short word of Prayer Lord be merciful to me a poor Sinner he quietly breathed out his Soul and sweetly slept in Jesus when he was about seven years old He died August 8. 1664. 19. John Harvey was born in London in the year 1654. His Father was a Dutch Merchant he was piously Educated under his vertuous Mother and soon began to suck in Divine Things with no small delight The first thing very observable in him was that when he was two years and eight months old he could speak as well as other Children do usually at five years old It was his Practice to be much by himself in secret Prayer and he was careful to manage that work so as that it might be as secret as possible it might be but his Frequency and Constancy made it to be so easily observed upon which one time one having a great mind to know what this sweet Babe prayed for got into a place near him and heard him very earnestly praying for the Church of God desiring that the Kingdom of the Gospel might be spread over the whole World and that the Kingdom of Grace might more and more come into the Hearts of God's People and that the Kingdom of Glory might be hastened He was wont to continue half an hour sometimes an hour upon his Knees together He would have a savoury word to say to every one that he conversed with to put them in mind of the Worth of Christ and their Souls and their nearness to Eternity He was next to the Bible most taken with reading of Reverend Mr. Baxter's Works especially his Saints Everlasting Rest and truly the Thoughts of that Rest and Eternity seemed to swallow up all other Thoughts and he lived in a constant Preparation for it and looked more like one that was ripe for Glory than an Inhabitant of this lower World His Mother asked him whether he were willing to die and leave her he answered Yes I am willing to leave you and go to my Heavenly Father His Mother answered Child if thou hadst but an assurance of God's Love I should not be so much troubled He answered and said to his Mother I am assured dear Mother that my Sins are forgiven and that I shall go to Heaven For said he here stood an Angel by me that told me I should quickly be in Glory At this his Mother burst forth into tears O Mother said he did you but know what Joy I feel you would not weep but rejoyce I tell you I am so full of Comfort that I can't tell you how I am O Mother I shall presently have my Head in my Father's Bosom and shall be there where the Four and twently Elders cast down their Crowns and sing Halleujah Glory and Praise to him that sits upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever CHAP. LV. Good Parents Remarkable PArents are not only obliged to provide a temporal Livelihood a Purse and Wife and calling for their Children but especially to see that they be brought up in the Fear of God and set out in a fair way to Heaven and the Salvation of their Souls and they that do the one and not the other had better never have been the Instruments or Means of conveying them into the World for certainly 't is better for us not to be at all than be miserable for ever 1. Eusebius the Father of Hierom was very careful of the Education of his Son and his Mother was a religious Woman and therefore from his Infancy he was trained up like another Timothy in the Knowledge of Christ and the sacred Scriptures Clark 's Marr. of Eccl. Hist 2. Mariana the Mother of Fulgentius after the Death of her Husband was very careful to train her Son up in Learning causing him to be instructed in the Greek
forsake all my Sins I am willing to give Glory to God in taking Shame unto myself I acknowledge myself a guilty Malefactor and judge myself worthy of the just Condemnation of the Righteous Judge of all the Earth XV. I hope I am one whom God hath taken into Covenant with himself because he hath bestowed upon me the Fruits of the Covenant because he hath circumcised my Heart to love him and hath put his Fear into me and hath wrought an universal change in me and hath given me a new Heart and a new Spirit XVI As for my Affliction that lieth upon me though it be in itself very heavy I much more desire the sanctification of it than the removal I earnestly labour to learn all those Lessons which God teacheth me by Affliction XVII Faith is the Condition of Salvation Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And this is his commandment that we should believe in his Son Jesus Christ. Now I find nothing so hard to me as to believe aright Yet I must and will give Glory to God and say Lord I believe help thou my unbelief Thus I have according to the Apostle's Exhortation endeavoured to give a Reason of the Hope that is in me Thus far Mr. Edm. Calamy 18. Mr. Albyn's Evidences for Heaven which take in his own Words viz. Some Observations upon my own Heart which I humbly hope are true Evidences of a Work of saving Grace and that my Soul has a real Interest in Jesus Christ and I desire to deal plainly sincerely and truly as in the presence of the Heart searching God in this great and weighty Work of Self-Examination humbly and heartily imploring the Grace and Assistance of God's most Holy Spirit therein 1. I desire every day to attain unto a most clear and distinct Knowledge of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost with all their Properties and Attributes and to have more high and reverend Thoughts of him and to be more enlarged in Thankfulness in Heart and Life for my Creation and Preservation but especially for my Redemption 2. I desire a true sanctified Knowledge of the whole Will of God and the full Latitude of every Commandment 3. I heartily desire and endeavour to yield constant and chearful Obedience to every one of his Commandments and particularly I endeavour to consecrate the Sabbath Day in the Service of God only and I embrace all opportunities besides that I conveniently may to hear the Word of God Preached and to Read and Meditate on it in private and I would not willingly omit any opportunity for coming to the Table of the Lord nor neglect Praying in my Family or alone in private in and by all which Ordinances 't is the unfeigned Desire of my Soul to enjoy true Spiritual Communion with God through Jesus Christ and that every Grace of God may by them be strengthened in me and evdry Sin and Lust mortified and though I do most miserably and sinfully miscarry in the Performance of every Holy Duty being continually haunted with many sinful Wandrings and Indispositions of Heart for which I unfeignedly humble my self 'twixt God and my own Soul confessing the same and Judging and Condemning my self for them in his Presence yet through the infinite Mercy and Bounty of my gracious God through Jesus Christ I feel and experimentally find some sensible Abatements of the one and a comfortable Addition to the Strength of the other 4. I do desire and in some poor Measure endeavour constantly to watch and observe the Actings and Motions of my own Heart and would not allow of any sinful Project or Design whatsoever to be contrived and harboured therein and am more careful to keep my Heart from contemplative Iniquity then to order my outward Actions to the Liking and Approbation of Men. 5. I desire to know the Duties of every one of my Relations and conscientiously to walk in all of them to Magistrates Ministers Parents Wife Children Servarts and all others and in reference to the present Distractions of our Land I humbly desire that the Lord would be pleased to set up such a Magistracy as I may with a good Conscience yield chearful Obedience to all its Lawful Commands and such under whom Religion may flourish the Power of Godliness be countenanced and the Government of Jesus Christ be erected and submitted unto for the Effecting whereof I pray that God would cast out the Spirit of Errour Prophaneness and Divisions that is almongst us 6. For the Duties of my particular Calling I desire faithfully to discharge the same and pray that God would give me such a Measure of Grace and true Heavenly Wisdom as that I may not be carryed away with Covetousness Ambition or Deceitfulness on the one hand nor with Pride Idleness or Presumption on the other but that I may conscientiously Labour diligently in my Calling so as to provide for my Family and that I may have to give to him that needeth Praying that I may be kept from all those Sins and Temptations that do attend my Calling at any time 7. I do often tho' with much Frailty and Weakness reflect on my own ways acknowledging before God and bewailing my own Miscarriages and beg Pardon for them and all my secret unknown Sins through the Merits of Jesus Christ and still desire the Lord to keep me from the Deceits of my own Heart and from all the Temptations I do or may meet with in reference to the Sins of the present evil Times And in my Judgment and Affections so far as I know my own Heart I would rather loose all my outward Comforts and Accommodations then sin against my God by a sinful Submission to any unlawful Injunctions for the Preservation thereof and pray thatas the Lord hath hitherto I hope in some good measure kept me so he would still preserve me upright in Heart before him and unspotted in Life before Men and that if I should be called thereunto he would give me Grace and Strength to make publick Profession of my Resolution to persevere in well doing and to keep close to my Duty whatsoever Sufferings I meet withal and that the carnal Reasoning of my corrupt Flesh and Blood which I find to be exceeding strong and often assaulting of me may never prevail over me to make me sin against my God on whose Promises I desire above all other things Grace to rest and commit my self to his gracious Providence to take care for me and mine rather then to use and sinful means to secure or provide for my self or them 8. In all Streights and Difficulties I meet with in my Calling and in all Hazards in my Estate by Sea or otherwise I first of all make my Addresses to the Throne of Grace for Strength and Courage to trust and relie upon the faithful Promises and gracious Providence of God and for Direction and Assistance for the conscientious using of all lawful Means for the managing of my
the Faith that we may have this Testimony in our own Consciences that all our Ways and Paths are well-pleasing to the Lord our great Soveraign that we may so even so run as to obtain an immortal Crown at last though the Righteous shall scarcely be saved and that we might be found upon Mount Sion with the Lamb among the Sealed ones of God is the earnest and daily Prayer of Your loving Sister Lydia Carter Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Brother Jeremiah Carter Loving Brother Jeremiah YOU are a young Man and you read of the young Man in the Gospel concerning whom it is said Christ looking upon him loved him I think that was but a common Love because of some hopefulness of more good or of less discovery of more evil in him than in many others The Lord knows that I do most tenderly love you as a Brother in the Flesh but oh how much more should I love you as a Brother in Christ Now that you may have a share in the Soul-saving Love of Christ that you may be more intimately acquainted with the deep Mystery of the Gospel that you may consecrate the Flower of your Youth to God that you may fly all Sins incident to your present State that you may be sensible of continued Mercies that you may improve all Opportunities and Abilities which you have received from God for God that you may earnestly contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints that you may follow the Lord fully in your Generation and that you and I with all our Relations may one Day sit down in heavenly places together with Jesus Christ is the uncessant Prayer of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter August 10. 1655. Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Sister Child Loving Sister Child YOU are a Mother 't is a Blessing yet but an earthly Blessing Children are certain Cares uncertain Comforts Now that you may bear Christ in your Spirit as you have born Children in your Body that you may have further Experience of the preserving Love of God which passeth the Tenderness of Maternal Affection Isai 49.14 15. that you may always enjoy the Light of God's Countenance that you may be strengthned with all Might according to the glorious Power of God in your inward Man unto all Patience and Long-suffering with Joyfulness that you may by your heavenly Conversation adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you may be counselled and comforted by the sweet Influences of the Spirit of Grace and that you may be one of those who shall be caught up in the Clouds together with all the Saints to meet the Lord in the Air and befor ever with him is the fervent Prayer of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Aunt Child Most endeared Aunt WHom I love in the Truth and not I only but also all they that have known the Truth Grace be with you Mercy and Peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in Health even as your Soul prospereth I have no greater Joy than to hear that all the Lord's People walk in the Power of Godliness shewing forth the Praises of him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvelous Light It is true I have need to be more fully instructed of those who have attained unto a full Age and by reason of use have their Senses exercised to discern both Good and Evil yet as one who hath obtained this Grace of the Lord as to be faithful in a few things I shall not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things tho' you know them and are established in the present Truth That which the Lord expects at our Hands is that we should walk worthy of him who hath called us unto a Kingdom that we should live unto the praise of his rich Grace who hath so freely poured out his Soul unto Death for us Dying Love justly merits an humble holy thankful and fruitful Conversation Truly we live in a crooked and perverse Generation Satan hath his Seat in every place great is the subtilty of Sin the deceitfulness of our own Hearts the power and malice of our Spiritual Adversary it nearly concerns us therefore to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure before we go away from hence and be no more Aunt My continual and fervent Desire is That we may be every Day more and more enlightned into the Depths of Special and Distinguishing Love and that I may be helped forward in my Faith and Joy in the Holy Ghost by your Experiences is the Prayer of Your Affectionate Cousin Lydia Carter My Love unto all my Cousins praying that they may be blessed with all Spiritual Blessings in the common Saviour Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Sister Desborrow Loving Sister Desborrow THat we should exhort one another daily consider one another and provoke one another unto Love and Good Works is the Exhortation of the Scripture and such Counsel as I desire might be written upon your Heart and mine Sister You are now entred into the World with me but that an abundant entrance may be administred into the Kingdom of God unto us both that we may with Mary choose the better part which shall never be taken from us that we may grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ that we may not be weary of Well-doing that we may approve our Hearts unto God in all manner of Holiness that we may be filled with Spiritual Graces suitable to our Relations and Conditions that we may persevere unto the End that we may have the Sence of God's Love kept alive and warm upon our Hearts that we may bring forth much Fruit proportionable to the precious Enjoyments of Divine Mercy that we may make it our Business to praise exalt and glorifie him who hath abundantly loved us in his Son that we may have a continual Eye upon him who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith that we may earnestly strive to attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead and that we may learn Christ love Christ and live Christ is the restless Desire of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter Your Husband and you shall not be forgotten by me in my Pleadings at the Throne of Grace Farewel These Letters were all sent me by her own Son who received 'em from his Father a little before his Death He also sent him the following Letter and Directions for the Management of his whole Life which being full of pious Instructions may properly come under this Head His Letter was this following My dear Child THY Master's Letter to me last Week gives me great Encouragement to think that if please God I live I shall receive a great deal of Comfort from thee he writes so fully that I profess I never read more written concerning any one in my Life of thy
ever saw a Person drunk Nay it was often said That every Inhabitant of Kerton should be distinguished from others not only by the more savouriness of their Discourse but also by the universal Strictness and Piety of their Lives See his Life CHAP. LXV Remarkable Devotion on the Lord's Day THE first Observation of the Christian Sabbath was more by the Providence and Design of God then the Apostles own Inclination Joh. 20.19 the second was performed voluntarily Job 20.26 So afterwards upon the day of Pentecost being the first day they were all with one accord in one place Acts 2.1 And again Acts 20.7 On the first day of the week the Disciples came together to break bread and Paul preached unto them Rev. 1.10 St. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day And thus the Observation of the Lord's-Day-Sabbath being commenced it hath been continued by all good Christians to the present Age. 1. Pliny tells the Emperour Trajan that it was the use of the Christians in his time on a stated Day before it was light to meet together to sing a Hymn to Christ as to God secum invicem among themselves by turns and to bind themselves by a Sacrament not to do any Wickedness but that they commit not Thefts Robberies Adulteries that they break not their Word that they deny not the Pledge which being ended they used to depart and to come again together to take Meat but promiscuous and harmless Plin. Epist. 97. p. 306 307. 2. Constantine the Great made Laws for the strict Observation of the Lord's Days commanding That through all the Roman Empire all servile Employment should cease on those Days He prescribed also a Form for the Legions of his Soldiers to be used both on the Sabbaths and other Days And himself used to shew much Reverence and Attention to the Word of God Preached so that many times he would stand up all the Sermon-while and when some of his Courtiers told him that it would tend to his Disparagement he answered That it was in the Service of the great God who was no respecter of Persons Clarmar in vit Constantin p. 11. 5. Bede speaking of Bishop Tuda saith On the Lord's Days the People flock'd by Crouds together either to the Church or to the Monasteries not to refresh their Bodies but to learn the Word of God and if any Priest happened to come into any Village the People presently gathered together and took care to seek from him the Word of Life Bede Eccl. Hist l. 3. c. 26. 4. The Bohemians sanctified the Lord's Day in this manner First by resting from outward Labours from Carrying c. from Dealing in any thing that belongs to outward Works and Negotiation that their Servants and Beasts might have a Breathing-time Exod. 20.10 But much more by abstaining from the Works of the Flesh Drunkenness Dancing Dice idle Walkings and Trifles as also from nuptial Feasts Fairs Markets This also was out Custom especially under a Magistrate favouring the Church that on the Saturday betimes before the Sun set all should desâ—â—t from external Labours and with the Evening begin the sanctification of the Day consecrated to God Secondly by dealing in Divine and Spiritual things by singing Psalms and reading Scriptures on the Evening of the Sabbath but in the Morning and the whole Lord's Day by frequenting the Assemblys meditating on and practising Holy things not once only or twice but four or five times for because c. therefore we dehort from reviewing and looking over Tables of Receipts and Expences that all forgetting things Temporary may learn to meditate on things Eternal Comoenius de Fratrib Bohem. p. 55 56. 5. Mr. Elliot of New England had such an exact Remembrance of the Lord's Day that the Sun did not set the Evening before the Sabbath 'till he had begun his Preparation for it and when the Lord's Day came you might have seen John in the Spirit upon the Lord's Day Every day was a sort of Sabbath to him but the Sabbath-day was a Sign a Type a Fore-tast of Heaven with him He Laboured that on this day he might have to Words or Thoughts but such as were agreeable thereunto he then allowed in himself no Actions but those of a Raised Soul If he beheld in any Person old or young any Profanation of this Day he would be sure to bestow lively Rebutes upon it And hence also to the general Engagements of a Covenant with God which 't was his desire to bring the Indians into he added a particular Article wherein they bound themselves Mequontamouat Sabbath packeteaunat tohschke pomantamog i. e. To remember the Sabbath-day to keep it Holy as long as they lived See his Life 6. Bishop Jos Hall speaking of this Day saith Prayer Meditation Reading Hearing Preaching Singing good Conference are the Businesses of this Day which I dare not bestow on any Work or Pleasure but Heavenly I find it hard to offend in too much Devotion easie in Profaneness 7. Before I went to the University from the Month of August till the latter end of February following I was a Boarder in the House of one Mr. Philip Henry where I had the opportunity of observing his manner of Life and Conversation He was formerly Student of Christ Church in Oxford Junior of the Act Chaplain to Judge Puleston and Minister of Warthenbury But afterwards not conforming he married an Heiress and lived at Broad-Oke in Hanmer Parish in Flint-shire Bishop Wilkins sent twice for him in my time with a design to draw him over to Conformity as he had done many of his Brethren before in his own Diocess Dr. Bridgeman Bishop of Man and his Successor at Worthenbury spoke very honourably of him to Major Trevers and me at is own Table at Chester Bishop Fell of Oxford lamented his going off from the Communion of the Church of England as by Law established and the present learned and ingenious Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry is ready to give an honourable Testimony to his Sincerity I doubt not having some Knowledge of the Correspondence between them This Man ever since I knew him and whilst I was his Neighbour was careful to rise early on the Sunday Mornings to spend a considerable portion of time in his Private Devotions and Preparations then to come down and call his Family together and after some short preparatory Prayer to sing a Psalm commonly the 100 and then read some part of the Sacred Scripture and expound it very largely and particularly and at last kneel down with all his Family and pray devoutly with particular references to the day and the Duties of it and the Minister that was to Officiate After which and a short refection for Break-fast he made hast to Church and took care that all his Family that could be spared should go in due time likewise Sometime he was before the Preacher and often before the rest of the Congregation as once particularly when I gave them a
be deceived but of Perseverance itself we are uncertain Discourses of God c. in the Appendix containing his Judgment in divers controverted Points p. 88. But by the leave of this learned and worthy Man how is this consistent with the Profession of St. Paul I have fought the good Fight henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown c. How with the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Articles and Homilies How with the Letters of Accord between Bishop Sanderson and Dr. Hammond which I have not leisure now to cite at large And how with the Experiences and Assurances of many Christians 1. The Apprehensions that Death drew near were very comfortable to Mr. Wilson A Gentle-woman of his Society coming to take her leave of him being about to remove out of Maidstone he pleasantly said to her What will you say good Mrs. Crisp if I get the start if you and get to Heaven before you get to Dover When another came to visit him he ask'd her What she thought of him she answered Truly Sir I think you are not far from your Father's House To which he replied That 's good News indeed and is enough to make one laugh for Joy See his Life 2. Mr. John Janeway when he lay upon his Death-bed his Mother and Brethren standing by he said Dear Mother I beseech you as earnestly as ever I desired any thing of you in my Life that you would chearfully give me up to Christ I beseech you do not hinder me now I am going to Rest and Glory I am afraid of your Prayers least they will pull one way and mine another Then turning to his Brethren he thus spake unto them I charge you all do not pray for my Life any more you do me wrong if you do O the Glory the unspeakable Glory that I behold my Heart is full my Heart is full Christ smiles and I cannot choose but smile Can you find in your Heart to stop me who am now going to the compleat and Eternal Enjoyment of Christ Would you keep me from my Crown The Arms of my blessed Saviour are open to embrace me the Angels stand ready to carry my Soul into his Bosom O! did you but see you would all cry out with me How long dear Lord come Lord Jesus come quickly O why are his Chariot-wheels so long a coming See his Life 3. Dr. Samuel Winter lying upon his Death-bed about Six of the Clock on the Lord's-Day Morning he raised himself up in his Bed and with a chearful and loud Voice called to his Wife who lay in a Bed by him saying ' Sweet-heart I have been this Night conversing with Spirits And as in a Rapture he cried out O the Glories that are prepared for the Saints of God! The Lord hath been pleased to shew me this Night the exceeding Weight of Glory which in Heaven is laid up for his Chosen Ones Saying further That he had studied and thought that he knew as much what the Glory which in Heaven was as another Man but the now saw that all the Divines on Earth were but Children in the Knowledge of the Great Mystery of Heavenly Glory which the Lord that Night had given him a clearer sight of than ever formerly he had That it was such a Mystery as could not be comprehended by the Wit of Man With many other such-like Expressions and he had his Soul so wonderfully elevated that he could not declare what he found and felt therein See his Life 4. Mr. Samuel Fairclough kept his Bed but one whole Day before his departure which he had longed and waited for and the very Day before his last Day on Earth some Company being with him he expressed how much Comfort he did then take to consider how that his Saviour had tasted Death for him and that Christ by his Resurrection had given him an assurance that he was the First-fruits of those that sleep in him telling some that stood by him That it was very much the Duty of Believers to rejoyce that Death had lost its Sting and was now disarmed and that the Power of the Grave was quite vanquished and overcome See his Life 5. James Bainham a Martyr in Queen Mary's Reign being at the Stake in the midst of the burning Fire his Legs and Arms half consumed spake thus to the Standers-by O ye Papists behold ye look for Miracles and here now ye may see one for in this Fire I feel no more pain than if I were in a Bed of Down and it is to me as a Bed of Roses Fox Martyrol 6. Robert Smith Martyr being at the Stake ready to be burned exhorted the People to think well of his Cause telling them That God would shew some Token thereof and accordingly when he was half burnt all black with Fire and clustered together on a Lump like a black Coal so that all thought him to be dead on a sudden he rose upright lifted up the Stumps of his Arms and clapt them together Ibid. Clark's Examp. Vol. 1. C. 39. 7. Mr. Robert Glover Martyr was so suddenly replenished with Divine Comfort a little before his Death that clapping his Hands together he called to his Man saying He is come he is come and so died chearfully Ibid. 8. Mr. John Holland a faithful Minister the Day before his Death calling for a Bible continued his Meditation and Exposition on Rom. 8. for the space of Two Hours but on a sudden he said Oh stay your Reading What Brightness is this I see Have you light up any Candles A Stander-by said No it is the Sun-shine for it was about Five a Clock in a clear Summer's Evening Sun-shine saith he nay it is my Saviour's-shine now Farewel World welcome Heaven the Day-star from on high hath visited my Heart O speak it when I am gone and preach it at my Funeral God deals familiarly with Man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty whether in the Body or out of the Body God be knoweth but I see thhings that are unutterable And being ravished in his Spirit he roamed towards Heaven with a chearful Look and a soft sweet Voice but what he said was not understood With the Sun in the Morning following raising himself as Jacob upon his Staff he shut up his blessed Life with these blessed words O what an happy Change shall I make from Night to Day from Darkness to Light from Death to Life from Sorow to Solace from a factious World to a heavenly Being Oh! my dear Brethren Sisters and Friends it pitieth me to leave you behind yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feel I hope you shall feel e're you die that God doth and will deal familiarly with Men. And now thou fiery Chariot that camest down to fetch up Elijah carry me to my happy Hold. And all ye blessed Angels that attended the Soul of Lazarus to bring it to Heaven bear me O bear me into the Besom of my
flown away in this Rapture from them all Then lying down quietly in her Bed she thus spake Why are you all silent Where is my Minister Sir what did you think of me when I was in this late strange posture Did not you imagine me to be mad No said he but it was very strange to us c. So surely it was said she it was very strange But will you know how it surprized me At this Morning before you came to pray with me being alone I prayed to God That he would not absent himself for ever but that once before my Death he would reveal Christ unto me and give me some sence and feeling of his Love and that he would open the Brasen-Gates of this hard Heart of mine that the King of Glory might enter in Presently after even as soon as you had ended your Prayer this sudden Fit of unsupportable Joy and Feeling surprized me and with great violence did rush upon me so that I could not contain myself but made that sudden Outcry among you all But I must confess to you that I knew not neither do remember what I said Only I beseech you to make use of it hereafter to all that shall be in my Case After me never despair of any how desperately miserable soever their Case be which at worst cannot exceed mine but use and apply the means unto them and that will prevaile at length I sought for that in the Law which was to be found only in the Gospel c. O pray pray pray O give Thanks for now you have it you have it you have it About four a Clock in the Afternoon she suddenly fell into such another Rapture of Joy unspeakable professing that her frail Flesh was overcome with it Next Morning her Mother finding her dressed in a strange and unusual manner all in White she told her as also Mr. Dod and Dr. Preston she desired to be buried so After Prayers and Praises and divers suitable Instructions to the Family and her Father and Thanks to the Minister c. whilst at Prayer her Hands falling and Lips moving she sunk down in Bed and resigned up her Spirit to God Dr. Preston preach'd her Funeral Sermon See her Life called Mrs. Drake revived also Clark's Lives 11. Mrs. Katherine Stubs having made a most heavenly Confession of her Faith at large with a sweet lively aimiable Countenance red as the Rose and most beautiful to behold she had no sooner made an end but Satan was ready to bid her the Combat upon which on a sudden she bent her Brows she frowned and looking as it were with an angry stern and austere Countenance as though she saw some filthy some ugly displeasing thing the burst forth into these speeches following How now Satan what mak'st thou here Art thou come to tempt the Lord's Servant I tell thee thou Hell-hound thou hast no part nor portion in me nor by the grace of God ever shalt have I was now am and ever shall be the Lords yea Satan I was chosen an Elect of God to everlasting Salvation before the foundation of the World was laid and therefore thou must get thee packing thou damned Dog and go shake thy Ears for in me thou hast nought But what doest thou lay to my charge thou foul Fiend Ah! that I am a Sinner and therefore shall be Damned I confess indeed that I am a Sinner and a grievous Sinner both by original Sin and actual Sin and that I may thank thee for and therefore Satan I bequeath my sin unto thee from whence it first came and appeal to the Mercy of God in Christ Jesus Christ came to save Sinners as he himself saith and not Righteous Behold the Lamb of God saith John that taketh away the Sins of the World And in another place he crieth out The Blood of Jesus Christ doth cleanse us from all Sins c. Objection O but God is a just God thou sayest and therefore in Justice must needs condemn me Answer I grant Satan that he is a just God and therefore he cannot in Justice punish me for my Sins which he hath punished already in his own Son It is against the Law of Justice to punish any Fault twice I was and am a great Debtor unto God the Father but Jesus Christ hath paid that Debt for me and therefore it stands not with the Justice of God to require it again and therefore avoid Satan avoid thou Fire-brand of Hell avoid thou damned Dog and tempt me no more for he that is with me is mightier then thou even the mighty and victorious Lion of the Tribe of Juda who hath bruised thy Head and hath promised to be with his Children to the End of the World Avoid therefore thou Dastard avoid thou cowardly Soldier remove thy Siege and yield the Field won and get thee packing or else I will call upon my Grand Captain Christ Jesus the Valiant Michael who beat thee in Heaven and threw thee down into Hellwith all thy hellish Train and devilish Crew She had scarcely pronounced these last Words but she fell suddenly into a sweet smiling Laughter saying Now he is gone now he is gone do you not see him run like a Coward and run away like a beaten Cock He has lost the Field and I have won the Vistory even the Garland and Crown of everlasting Life and that not by my own Power and Strength but by the Power and Might of Jesus Christ who hath sent his holy Angels to keep me And speaking to them that were by she said O would to God you saw what I see for behold I see infinite Millions of most glorious Angels stand about me with fiery chariots ready to defend me as they did the good Prophet Elias These holy Angels these ministring Spirits are appointed of God to carry my Soul into the Kingdom of Heaven where I shall behold the Lord face to face c. Now I am happy and blessed for ever for I have fought the good Fight and by the might of Christ have won the Victory Come sweet Chrict come my Lord Jesus c. then singing a Psalm most sweetly and desiring the 133th Psalm might be sung before her to Church and desiring her Husband not to mourn for her on a sudden she seemed as it were greatly to rejoyce and looked chearfully as though she had seen some glorious Sight and lifting up her whole Body and stretching forth her Arms as though she would embrace some glorious and pleasant thing said I thank my God through Jesus Christ he is come he is come my good Goaler is come to let my Soul out of Prison O sweet Death thou art welcome welcome sweet Death never was there any Guest so welcome unto me as thou art welcome the Meslenger of everlasting Life welcome the Door and Entrance into everlasting Glory welcome I say and thrice welcome my good Goalor do thy Office quickly and set my Soul at liberty strike sweet
Second Son the Lord Francis was likewise miserably tortured by their wicked Contrivances and his Daughter the Lady Catherine was oft in great danger of her Life by their barbarous Dealings with strange Fits c. The Honourable Parents bore all these Afflictions with Christian Magnanimity little suspecting they proceeded from Witchcraft 'till it pleased God to discover the Villanous Practices of these Women whom the Devil now left to fall into the Hands of Justice for Murdering the Innocent and to remain notorious Examples of God's Judgment to future Ages They were apprehended about Christmas in 1618. and after Examination before divers Justices of Peace who wondred at their audacious Wickedness were all Three ordered to be carried to Lincoln-Jail Joan Flower the Mother it is said called for Bread and Butter by the way and wished it might never go through her if she were guilty of that which was charged upon her and so mumbling it in her Mouth she never spake a word more but fell down and died with horrible Torture both of Soul and Body before she got to the Jail The two Daughters were Examined before Sir William Pelbam and Mr. Butler Justices of Peace Feb. 4. 1618 where Philip the youngest made the following Confession That her Mother and Sister were very malicious against the Earl of Rutland his Countess and their Children because Margaret was turned out of the Lady's Service whereupon her Sister by her Mother's Order brought from the Castle the Right-hand Glove of the Lord Henry Ross who presently rubbed it on the Back of her Spirit called Rutterkin and then put it into boyling Water after which she prickt it very often and then buried it in the Yard wishing the Lord Ross might never thrive And so her Sister Margaret continued with her Mother and she often saw her Imp Rutterkin leap on her Shoulder and suck her Neck She confest also That she often heard her Mother curse the Earl and his Lady and would thereupon boyl Blood and Feathers together using many Devilish Speeches and strange Gestures She likewise acknowledg'd That she herself had a Spirit sucking her Left-breast in the form of a White Rat which it had done for three or four Years past and that when it came first to her she gave her Soul to it who promised to do her good and to force Tho. Symson to love her if she would suffer it to suck her which she agreed to and that it had suckt her two Nights before Margaret her Sister being Examined agreed in the Confession that Philip had made of their Malice to the Earl and about the young Lord's Glove which for other Circumstances for brevity's sake I here omit 12. About the same time Joan Wilmot of Goadby a Witch was Examined by Sir Henry Hastings and Dr. Fleming Justices in Leicester-shire about the Murther of Henry Lord Ross who declared That Joan Flower told her the Earl of Rutland had dealt badly by her and had put away her Daughter and though she could not have her Will of my Lord himself yet she had sped my Lord's Son and had stricken him to the Heart c. 13. Another Witch called Ellen Green of Stathorn in Leicester-shire was Examined about that time by the same Justices who confessed That Joan Wilmot above-named came to her about six Years since and perswaded her to forsake God and betake herself to the Devil to which she consented who then called two Spirits one like a young Cat which she named Puss and the other in the shape of a Mole which she called Hiff Hiff who instantly came and Wilmot going away left them with her after which they leapt on her Shoulder the Kitling sucking her Neck under her Right-ear and the Mole under her Left in the same place after which she sent the Kitling to a Baker in the Town who had called her Witch and struck her bidding it go and Bewitch him to Death And the Mole she sent to Anne Daws of the same Town upon the same Errand because she had called her Witch Whore and Jade and within a Fortnight after they both died After which she sent them to destroy two Husbandmen named Willison and Williman who died both in ten Days these four she murâ—hered while she dwelt at Waltham When she removed to Stathorn where she now dwelt upon a Difference between her and one Patchet's Wife a Yeoman there Joan Wilmot called her to go and touch Patchet's Wife and Child which she did touching the Woman in Bed and the Child in the Midwife's Arms and then sent her Spirits to Bewitch them to Death the Woman languished a Month before she died but the Child lived only 'till next Day after she had touched it adding that Joan Wilmot had a Spirit sucking on her like a little White Dog which she saw and that she gave her Soul to the Devil to have these Spirits at Command for any mischievous purpose and suffered them to suck her constantly about the Change and Full-Moon 14. One Anne Baker a Witch was likewise Apprehâ—â—◠〈◊〉 and Examined about the same time who confessed before Sir George Mannors and Dr. Fleming 〈◊〉 of Peace That she had a Spirit like a White Dog which she called a good Spirit and that one Peak and one Dennis's Wife of Belvoir told her That the young Lord Henry was dead and that his Glove was buried in the Ground which as it wasted and rotted in like manner did the Lord's Liver rot and waste likewise 15. Margaret and Philip Flower were arraigned at the Assizes at Lincoln before Sir Henry Hobart and Sir Edward Bromley Judges whereupon their confessing themselves Actors in the Destruction of Henry Lord Ross with other damnable Practices they were Condemned and Executed at Lincoln March 11. And the rest questionless suffered according to their Deserts History of Daemons p. 140 141 c. Discov of Witchcraft c. 16. Anno Dom. 1645. There was a notable Discovery of several Witches in Essex and among others one Elizabeth Clark was accused of this horrid Crime and Informations taken against her before Sir Harbottle Grimstone and Sir Thomas Bowes Justices of Peace for that Country John Rivet of Mannintree deposed That about Christmass his Wife was taken sick and lame with such violent Fits that he verily believed her Distemper was more than natural who thereupon went to one Hovey at Hadly in Suffolk who was reckoned a cunning Woman she told him That his Wife was Cursed or Bewitcht by two Women who were her near Neighbours and that she believed she was Bewitcht by Elizabeth Clark alias Bedingfield who lived near their House and that her Mother and some of her Kindred had formerly suffered as Witches and Murtherers At the same time Matthew Hopkins of Mannintree declared upon Oath That this suspected Witch being ordered by the Justices to be watched several Nights for Discovering her wicked Practices he coming into the Room where she was with one Mr. Sterne intending not to
the Day at which time it left him The two next Nights it gave him the same Molestation saying It must be with him as it was with David Who gave no Sleep to his Eyes nor Slumber unto his Eye-lids until he found a place for the Lord and Habitation for the God of Jacob. Upon a Wednesday at Night he was very peremptory in his resisting of it When it began to sollicite him he replied That he saw it was a Spirit of Delusion which he would not obey Upon which the Spirit denounced a Curse against him in these words Go ye cursed into everlasting Fire And so left with a very great heat in his Body After this he was in his own apprehension in a very comfortable Condition and while he was considering what had happened a Voice within him spake to him saying That the Spirit which was before upon him was a Spirit of Delusion but now the true Spirit of God was come into him It acquainted him that the Doctrine of the Trinity was true and that God had an Elect People and that those whom the Father Elected the Son hath redeemed and whom Christ redeemed the Holy Ghost sanctifieth and told him than the Minister of the Town would further instruct him about the Truth of these Things Upon Thursday Morning about Break-of-Day it set him upon his Knees as he was in Bed and bid him Farewel The same Day it came upon him in the Field as he was going to and coming from the Market and pressed upon him to believe that it was the good Spirit which he was acted with which he still doubted of One Night that Week amongst many Arguments which it used to that purpose it told him If he would not believe without a Sign he might have what Sign he would Upon that Robert Church-man desired if it was a good Spirit that a Wyer Candlestick which stood upon the Cup-board might be turned into Brass which the Spirit said he would do Presently there was a very unsavoury Smell in the Room like that of the Snuff of a Candle newly put out but nothing else was done towards the fulfilling that Promise Upon the Lord's-Day following he being at Church it came upon him When the Chapters were named he turned to them in his Bible but was not able to read When the Psalm was sung he could to pronounce a Syllable Upon Monday Morning his Speech was wholly taken from him When I came to him and asked him how it was with him he moved his Head towards me but was not able to speak I waited an Hour or two in the Room hoping that his Speech might have returned unto him and that I might have gained from him some Account of his Condition but finding no alteration I desired those who were present to joyn with me in Prayer As we were praying his Body with much violence was thrown out of Bed and then with great vehemency he called to me to hold my Tongue When Prayer was done his Tongue was bound as before 'till at last he broke our into these words Thine is the Kingdom Thine is the Kingdom which he repeated I believe above an Hundred times Sometimes he was forced into extream Laughter sometimes into Singing his Hands were usually employed in beating his Breast all of us who stood by could discern unusual Heavings in his Body This Distemper did continue towards the Morning of the next Day and the Voice within him signified to him that it would leave him bidding him to get upon his Knees in order to that end which he did and then presently he had a perfect Command of himself When I came to him he gave me a sober Account of all the Passages of the Day before having a distinct Remembrance of what the Spirit forced him to do and what was spoken to him by those who stood by In particular he told me he was compelled to give me that Disturbance in Prayer which I before mentioned the Spirit using his Limbs and Tongue as it pleased contrary to the Inclination of his own Mind Upon the Thursday following the Spirit began to rage after its former manner as I was at Prayer with him it was very discernable how it wrought upon his Body forced him to grate his Teeth and draw his Mouth awry He told me after I had done that it hid him to denounce Woe against me It pleased God upon continuance in Prayer with him at last to release him of all his Trouble and so far to make it advantagious to him and his Wife and some others which were too much byassed with the Principles of the Quakers that now they have a perfect dislike of that way and do diligently attend upon the publick Service of God in the Parochial Church Sit you may be confident of the Truth of what is here related by Balsham Jan. 1. 1681. Your assured Friend J. T. 1. In the Year 1653 in Kendal in Westmoreland there was one John Gilpin who was very desirous to associate himself with the Quakers at their Meetings and speaking with one of them about it he much encouraged him to hold on his purpose and accordingly he went to them when one Ch. Atkinson was Speaker whose drift was to deny all ministerial Teaching and Ordinances together with all notional Knowledge gained by the use of such means and to become as if they had never learned any thing and now be taught of God within themselves by waiting upon an inward Light which saith he lies low hidden under the Earth viz. The Old Man which is of the Earth earthly 2. Gilpin was immediately taken with this new Doctrine that he resolved to close with them was afraid to read any good Books to hear any preaching Minister or to call to remembrance any thing which he had formerly learned concerning God Christ his own Estate or any other Subject contained in the Scriptures for they told him that all such Knowledge was but Notional Carnal and hanging upon the Tree of Knowledge adding cursed is every one that hang on this Tree One or them told him that Christ was a Man had his Failings distrusted God c. 3. At this next Meeting the Speaker urged him to take up the Cross daily saying Carry the Cross all Day and it will keep thee at Night He urged him to hearken to a Voice within him speak much of a Light within them which Gilpin not yet finding was much troubled desiring that he might fall into Quaking thinking that thereby he should attain to the immediate discoveries of God to him And accordingly shortly after as he was walking in his Chamber he began to quake so extreamly that he could not stand but fell upon his Bed where he howled and cryed in a terrible and hideous manner as others of them used to do yet he was not afraid but looked upon it ad the Pains of the New birth after half an Hour by degrees he ceased from howling and rejoyced that now he could
of destroying herself and have had oftentimes a Knife put into her Hand to do it so that she durst not be left by herself alone and when she had considered what the Cause of it might be her Conscience did hint most her neglecting of Duties to have performed they being the Ordinances of God Thus she continued 'till two Years ago she buried her Child the which was a very great trouble to her to part with and then was she more convinced of Sin which caused her Burthen to be the greater so that she could seldom have any other Thoughts but of Desperation but the Lord keeping her by his great Mercy so that sometimes she could pray with Devotion and discerning the Lord to remove this great Trouble from her she did plainly find that those great Temptations were very much lessened the which is a great Comfort unto her Spirit Believers Experiences p. 25. CHAP. XCI Satan Hurting by Dreams That God hath made use of Dreams and Visions of the Night to awaken Men to their Duty and a Sence of the Dangers they were in is demonstrated already and it is not unreasonable to believe that the Devil can in this Case too transform himself into an Angel of Light and impose upon the Imaginations of Men by strange deluding Fancies and Idea's formed on purpose to trick their Minds into a Snare and to allure them into some Trap of either Sin or Misery that he hath laid for them 1. King James the Fifth of Scotland was a great Enemy to the Light of the Gospel which in his Days broke forth in that Kingdom viz. about the Year 1541 and out of a blind and bloody Zeal was heard to say That none of that Sort should expect any Favour at his Hands no not his own Sons if they proved guilty But not long after Sir James Hamilton being suspected to incline that way was falsly accused of a Practice against the King's Life and being Condemned was Executed Shortly after the King being at Linlithgow on a Night as he slept it seemed to him That Thomas Scot Justice-Clerk came unto him with a Company of Devils crying Wo-worth the Day that ever I knew thee or thy Service for serving thee against God and against his Servants I am now adjudged to Hell torments Hereupon the King awaking called for Lights and causing his Servants to arise told them what he had heard and seen The next Morning by Day-light Advertisement was brought him of this Scot's Death which fell out just at the time when the King found himself so troubled and almost in the same manner for he died in great extremity often uttering these words Justo Dei Judicio comdemnatus sum by the righteous Judgment of God I am condemned Which being related to the King made the Dream more terrible 2. Another Vision he had in the same place not many Nights after which did more affright him Whilst he lay sleeping he thought He saw Sir James Hamilton whom he had caused to be Executed come with a Sword drawn in his Hand wherewith he cut off both his Arms threatning also to return within a short time and deprive him of his Life With this he awaked and as he lay musing what this might import News was brought him of the Death of his two Sons James and Arthur who died at St. Andrews and Strinling at one and the same Hour The next Year viz. 1542 being overcome with Grief and Passion himself died at Faulkland in the Thirty second Year of his Age. Arch-bishop Spoteswood 's History of the Church of Scotland Clark's Mirrour Ch. 7. p. 34 35. I am not sure that these particular Instances are properly placed under this Head I leave it to my wise and judicious Reader to consider whether or no these were Divine Admonitions or Satanical Illusions Mr. Clark hath accounted them as Satanical But 't is certain the Vulgar sort of People are so fond of observing their Dreams and some pretended wise Men and Women of a superstitious Kidney do promote this Fancy extreamly and undertake to prescribe Rules for the making a Judgment upon them and by that means do no small hurt to some weak hypochondriacal and melancholick Spirits How often shall we hear them whining out their Complaints upon the Account of some late Dream in expectation of some sad Disaster or Malady that they believe with much Confidence will befall them And sometimes fretting and pining to that extremity that no Comfort will down with them 'till the Date of their Dream be fully expired And I doubt not but Comfort will down with in promoting these silly and troublesome Conceits CHAP. XCII Satan Hurting by Witchcraft ATheism and Sadducism have got such Ground in the World of late Ages that 't is no vain Vndertaking to write of Devils and the Mischief done by them to Mankind by the Mediation of a sort of People that have Familiar Communion with them To transcribe all has been writ upon this Subject by Dr. More Mr. Glanvil Mr. Baxter Scheggius Remigius Delrio Mather c. would make up a large Volume enough to confute any whose Faces are not harder than Brass and their Hearts than Iron it shall be enough to say so much as shall suffice to convince those who are industrious enough to read patient enough to deliberate and have humility and honesty enough to be serious and impartial And as for the rest Qui vult Decipi decipiatur 1. In Pinola there were some who were much given to Witchcraft and by the Power of the Devil did act strange Things Amongst the rest there was one Old Woman named Martha de Carillo who had been by some of the Town formerly accused for Bewitching many but the Spanish Justices quitted her finding no sure Evidence against her with this grew worse and worse and did much harm when I was there two or three died withering away declaring at their Death That this Carillo had killed them and that they saw her often about their Beds threatning them with a frowning and angry Look the Indians for fear of her durst not complain against her nor meddle with her Whereupon I sent saith my Author unto Don Juan de Guzman the Lord of that Town that if he took not Order with her she would destroy the Town He hearing of it got for me a Commission from the Bishop and another Officer of the inquisition to make diligent and private Enquiry after her Life and Actions Which I did and found among the Indians many and grievous Complaints against her most of the Town affirming that she was certainly a most notorious Witch and that before her former Accusation she was wont to go as she had occasion about the Town with a Duck following her which when she came to the Church would stay at the Door 'till she came out again and then would return with her which Duck they imagined was her beloved Devil and Familiar Spirit for that they had often set Dogs at
the Crowd and murmur'd out â—uâ—l â—â—ords as these That seeing there had been frequent Brawls betwixt the Merchant and his Wife there was no doubt but he was the Author of that Tragedy in his House and said he were he in mine Hands I would soon extort as much from him By these and the like Words it came to pass that the Merchant was cast into Prison and being in a most cruel manner tormented by his Executioner though Innocent confessed himself the Murtherer and so was condemned to a horrible Death which he suffered accordingly Now was the Executioner secure and seemed to be free of all Danger till the wakeful Justice of God discovered his Villainy For the wanting Money had pawn'd a Silver Bowl to a Jew who finding upon it the Coat of Arms of the Merchant newly executed sent it to the Magistrate with notice that the Merchant's Coat of Arms was upon it Whereupon the Executioner was immediately cast into Prison and examined by Torture how he came by that Cup. He there confessed all as it had been done by him and that he was the only Manderer Thus the Innocency of the Merchant was discovered and the Executioner had the due Punishment of his Wickedness 16. Dr. Merie Causabon in his Preface to the Relation of Dr. Dee's Actions with Spirits tells us this Story following out of his Father 's Adversaria which he had from Bishop Andrews viz. Kalend. August This Day the most Reverend Prelate the Lord Bishop of Ely heard this strange Relation which he believed to be very true having received it from the Author an Eye-witness There is a Street in London called Lombard-street in which Street there is a Parish a Parish-Church wherein there was a Minister of very great Fidelity and noted Piety A. C. 1563. at which time there was a great Plague in London This Minister of the Parish told as unto others so also to the Lord Bishop himself that this thing befell him He had a noted Friend in his Parish a Man esteemed by all Honest and Pious This Man being taken with the Plague sent for the Minister who came to him in his Sickness and did not depart from him till he died and then he returned home Several Hours after he had been left for Dead in his Chamber his Wife entred into the same Chamber to take a Sheet or some Linen out of a Chest to wind him up in as the manner is Being entred and intent uppon her Business she hears this Voice Who is there She was affrighted and would have gone out but hearing the same Voice again Who is there and finding it to be the Voice of her Husband she goes to him What saith she Husband then you are not Dead and yet we had left you and given you up for Dead He answered I was truly dead but it seemed good to God that my Soul again should return to my Body But you Wife quoth he if you have any Meat ready give me some for I am hungry She said that she had some Mutton a Pullet and I know not what else but all unboiled but she could get them ready presently I cannot stay quoth he Hast thou any Bread and Cheese When she had told him that she had and he asked for some to be fetched he eat it his Wife looking on Then sending for the Minister of the Parish and commanding all that were present to go out of the Chamber he tells him this Quoth he I was really Dead but my Soul was commanded to return again to its Body that I might discover a Wickedness with my own Mouth done with my own Hands of which never any one yet had any Suspicion for I killed my former Wife with my own Hands with so much cunning that the Matter was never discovered to any one And having declared the manner how he perpetrated the Villainâ— not long after he expired and died then in good earnest There is no Necessity addeth my Author that any Body should make of this Relation an Article of his Faith yet I thought it very probable because believed by such a Man 17. About Fifteen or Sixteen Years agoe on the Lord's-Day a Stranger came to the Parish-Church of Woorvil near Bridgnorth in Shropshire where after Service ended he declared publickly in the hearing of the Congregation That whereas about Twenty Years past there had been in that Neighbourhood a certain Murder committed and the Murderer had not been discovered there was such a one naming the Person at that time in Worcestershire as I remember near the City of Worcester on his Death-bed who had sent him with all speed to make this publick Declaration That he the aforesaid Person having first committed a Robbery upon the Man did afterwards murder him and now could not die till he had made such Confession And I think the Messenger added this withal That some Restitution or Satisfaction should be made to the surviving Friends of the Party murdered if any such were to be found This I had from my Brother-in-Law Samuel Chaloner now of Lemster in Herefordshire who was at Church at the same time and both an Eye and Ear-witness 18. Anno 1690. April the 14th about Two in the Afternoon William Barwick having drill'd his wife along till he came to a certain Close within sight of Cawood-Castle where he found the Conveniency of a Pond he threw he by force into the Water and when she was drowned and drawn forth again by himself upon the Bank of the Pond he had the Cruelty to behold the Motion of the Infant yet warm in her womb This done he conceal'd the Body as it may readily be suppos'd among the Bushes that usually encompass a Pond and the next Night when it grew duskish fetching a Hay-spade from a Rick that stood in the Close he made a Hole by the side of the Pond and there slightly buried the Woman in her Cloaths Having thus dispatched Two at once and thinking himself secure because unseen he went the same Day to his Brother-in-Law one Thomas Lofthouse of Rufforth within Three Miles of York who had married his drown'd Wife's Sister and told him he ha carried his Wife to one Richard Harrison's House in Selby who was his Unkle and would take care of her But Heaven would not be so deluded but rais'd up the Ghost of the murder'd Woman to make his Discovery And therefore it was that upon the Easter-Tuesday following about Two of the Clock in the Afternoon the foremention'd Lofthouse having occasion to water the Quickset-Hedge not far from his House as he was going for the second Pailfull an Apparition went before him in the Shape of a Woman and soon after sate down upon a rising green Grass-plat right over-against the Pond He walked by her as he went to the Pond and as he returned with his Pail from the Pond looking sideways to see whether she continued in the same place he found she did and that she seemed to dandle
Love or Good-will towards him Though he stayed long at Brundusium she never went to see him and when his Daughter took that long Journey from Rome to Brundusium to visit him she neither provided Company to conduct her nor gave her Money or other Necessaries for the way yea she so handled the matter that when Cicero came to Rome he found nothing in his House but bare Walls and yet was greatly in Debt by her Plut. in Vita ejus 2. Alboynus King of the Lombards having overcome in War Cunemundus King of the Jepidi and having slain him made a Drinking-Cup of his Skull yet took his Daughter Rosamund to Wife Now it fell out that Alboynus being one day drunk forced his Wife to drink out of her Father's Skull which she so much stomached that she promised one Helmichilâ—â— her self to Wife and Lombardy for a Dowry if he would kill her Husband the King which he assented to and performed But they were afterwards so hated for it that they were forced to fly to the Court of the Exarch of Ravenna who seeing Rosamund's Beauty and the Mass of Money and Jewels which they brought with them perswaded her to kill Helmichilde and to take him for her Husband which accordingly she promised to do And when her Husband Helmichilde coming out of the Bath called for Beer she gave him a strong Poyson but when he had drunk half of it suspecting the Matter he forced her to drink off the rest and so both died together Heil Geog. p. 150. 3. Joan Queen of Naples was insatiable for her Lust which cause her to hang her first Husband which was Andrew Second Son to the King of Hungry at her Window for Insufficiency Her second Husband was Lewis of Tarentum who did with over-straining himself to satisfie her Appetite Her third Husband James of Tarracon a gallant Gentleman she beheaded for lying with another Woman Her fourth Husband was Otho Duke of Brunswick in whose time the King of Hungary drave her out of her Kingdom and having taken her hung her out of the same Window where she had hang'd her first Husband Ibid p. 162. 4. An ancient Gentleman of good Account marrying a beautiful young Gentlewoman but having no Issue he took into his House a young Gentleman a Neighbour's Son and compleatly qualified purposing to make him a Sharer in his Estate This Gentleman grows familiar with his Wife which gave so much occasion of Suspicion and caus'd such a Rumour in the Country that his Father requires him to return home again He doth so but at parting promiseth Marriage to the Gentlewoman in case of her old Husband's Decease and she to him both with Oaths The old Gentleman's Maid meeting with this young Gallant over a Glass of Wine tells him in private how much his Company was missed at her Master's House and his Return desired But withal tho' she knew the Familiarities between him and her Mistress yet it was all feigned for another enjoyed both her Heart and Body naming the Person The Gentleman is startled but Incredulous After some time the old Gentleman sends for him again He goes in the Night but very privily having before by Letter desired that the Garden Door might be left open for him and tells the old Gentleman the Reason of his Absence But before he went back he goes softly to the Gentlewoman's Bed-Chamber Door who often lay by her self and hears the Whispers of two distinct Voices Upon which in a sudden Passion he resolves to break in upon them and run them through with a Sword but relenting with Tenderness he departs softly to his own home grows Melancholy and Distemper'd but recovering he resolved to Travel The old Man sends for him to take an unwilling Farewel At the Importunity of his Father he goes After Dinner the Wife singles him for a Farewel weeping in his Bosom and beseeching him to have a care of his Safety but especially of his Vow and Promise Instead of Reply he gave her a Letter which he desired her to peruse in his Absence She opens the Letter and reads there all the Story of her Lust laid open particularly and pathetically This struck her to the Heart she fell presently into Frensie and Despairing soon after died Which News came to the Gentleman before he reach'd Gravesend The old Man afterwards inriched him with a great part of his Land which he enjoys saith my Author to this Day Wonders of the Female World p. 125. out of Heywood CHAP. CXX Divine Judgments upon Undutiful Children A Wife Son maketh a glad Father but a foolish Son is the heaviness of his Mother saith Solomon Prov. 10.1 And in another Place the disobedient Child is threatned with a Punishment to be inflicted on him by the Ravens of the Valley and the young Eagles Prov. 30.17 as it were to signifie that such a one is in a fair way to an untimely and disgraceful Death like to perish and lie unburied in the open Air for Birds of Prey to feed upon and 't is certain many such Instances there are of Children who forsake the Counsels of their Parents and never return to the Paths of Vertue but go on till their Sin brings them to some miserable End 1. Freeman Sondes Esq Son of Sir George Sondes of Lees-Court in Shelwich in Kent being commanded by his Father to comply with the Will of his elder Brother in a small Matter relating to their Cloaths and in an obstinate manner disobeying so that his Father was provoked to use some threatning Expressions as that he should for the future depend much upon his Brother Freeman hereupon in great discontent when his elder Brother was fast asleep gave him a deadly Blow on the right side of his Head with the back of a Cleaver taken out of the Kitchen the Sunday Night before he did the Fact He after the Blow said he would have given all the World to recall it and made a stop of the rest to see how deep he had wounded him and finding it to be a mortal Wound having broken the Skull his Brother stretching himself on his Bed and struggling for Life and he gathering from thence that he was in great torment discovered then even in that Storm of Temptation so much of a relenting Spirit that to put him out of his pain he did reiterate his Blows with a Dagger which he had about him When he had thus imbrued his Hands in his Brother's Blood he threw the Cleaver out of a Window into the Garden and came with great confusion and disturbance in his Face into his Father's Bed-Chamber adjoyning to his Brother's with the Dagger in his Pocket and undrawing the Curtains shook his Father by the Shoulder who being thus awaken'd out of his Sleep received from his Mouth this Heart-breaking Message Father I have killed my Brother He being asTonished at it made this Reply with much horror What sayest thou Hast thou Wretch killed thy Brother Then you had
cast his Child into the Fire and the Child afterwards sicken'd and died The Leper cleansed p. 17. For this Act he was suspended again Ibid. 37. James Naylor a Blasphemous Quaker was burnt in the Tongue at Bristol 38. Jo. Collins and Tho. Reeve Ranters for calling a Cup of Ale the Blood of Christ and saying They could go into the House of Office and make a God every Morning c. were in the Old-Bailey Fined and Sentenced to Six Months Imprisonment Tho. Kendal in Drury-Lane affirming there was no God or Hell fell down dead See the Tryals Printed by B. Alsop 1651. Muggleton was condemned to the Pillory and â—ined 500 l. 1676. CHAP. CXXXIX Divine Judgments upon Wizards Witches and Charmers c. IT is worthy of a very serious Consideration That those very People who leave the God of Israel and think to better themselves by Idols or Corrivals and a superstitious Adbesion to them either the World or the Devil or any other Pretender never got any thing by such Methods but to be deluded in their Hopes and sink under the Vanity of their foolish and wicked Curiosity When did we ever see a Wizard Rich Or a Curioso Prosperous I mean a Curioso in the worst sense Or an Atheist make a Comfortable Exit out of the World I grant sometimes by the Leave of him that Rules the World and the Industry of Satan present Advantages may possibly accrew and do too often to be Worshippers of Mammon but generally when the Blot is great and the Criminal notorious God looks upon it as conducive to his Honour and necessary in point of Justice and Wisdom to strike openly and leave a Mark of Ignominy upon such gross Delinquents Read what follows and ye will agree with me in judgment 1. Concerning John Faustus Dr. d ee and Edward Kelley c. See the Chapter of Divine Judgments upon Curiosity 2. A. C. 1553. Two Women were taken who with a Tempest Hail and Frost design'd to destroy all the Corn in the Country but being found cutting a Neighbour's Child in pieces to boil in a Cauldron in order to the making of a Magical Ointment for the purpose were put to Death Beard 's Theatr. p. 419. 3. At Ihena in Germany or near it An. 1558. a Magician that had used to cure Diseases by the Composition of Herbs was for poisoning of a Carpenter whom he had a Quarrel with a little before examined before the Senate confessed the Murder and was burnt at a Stake Ibid. 4. Cleomandes a Conjurer in Rome for practising Death upon many little Children was sought for by the Parents but having shut himself up close in a Coffer and they breaking it open the Devil carried him away Plutarch 5. Piso being accused by Tiberius for bewitching Germanicus to Death cut his own Throat Tacit. Ann. 6. One Otto a Dane who by his Devilish Art used to raise Storms was at last by one more Expert drowned in the Seas himself 7. A Conjurer in Saltzburg attempting to draw all the Serpents in the Country into a Ditch and feed them there was by the old Serpent the Devil drawn in amongst them and perished miserably Clarks Exampl Vol. I. c. 8. 8. The Governour of Mascon a great Magician as he was at Dinner with some Company was snatched away by the Devil hoisted up into the Air and carried three times about the Town to the great Astonishment of the Inhabitants to whom he cried for help but all in vain Ibid. Ex Hug. de Clun An. 1437. Sir Giles Britaine Hight-Constable of France having murdered above 160 Infants and Women great with Child and wrote Conjuring-Books with their Blood which was proved against him was adjudged to be hanged and burnt to Death Ibid. p. 37. 10. Picus Mirandula writes That in his time a great Conjurer promised a certain Prince that he would present to him the Siege of Troy with Hercules and Achilles fighting together as when alive but being at his Conjurations the Devil carried him away that he was never heard of after Ibid. 11. The Lord of Orve in Lorrain used to feast Noblemen splendidly but fraudulently with all sorts of Dainties so that at parting they found their Stomachs empty having eat nothing was often seen scourged by a Monkey sometimes lying along upon his Table and begging of the Monkey Let me alone Wilt thou always torment me at this rate At last in great Misery and Beggary he was forc'd to get into an Hospital in Paris where he ended his wretched Life Ibid. 12. An. 1530. A Popish Priest digging for a Treasure in a hollow Pit of the City which the Devil had directed him to found at last a Coffer with a black Dog lying by it which whilst he was looking upon the Earth fell upon him and rushed him to death Wierus 13. Cornelius Agrippa a great Necromancer always attended with a familiar Spirit like a black Dog his End approaching he takes off the inchanted Collar from the Dog's Neck saying Be gone thou cursed Beast thou hast utterly undone me After which the Dog vanish'd and he died miserably Clark ex Paul Jovio 14. An. 1578. Simon Pembroke of St. George's Parish in London being suspected for a Conjurer and one that used to erect Figures being questioned for it as he was before the Judge he fell down and died having some Conjuring-Books found about him Clark Ibid. 15. A Sicilian called Lyodor for using Charms and Spells transforming Men into Beasts and other Shapes doing Mischief to the People of Catania charming himself out of the Hangman's Hands being carried in the Air to Constantinople and back again c. was at last by Leo Bishop of Catania seized before all the People who admired him and burnt alive in a hot Furnace Schot Phil. Curios c. 16. Ann. Bodenham of Fisherton-Anger near Salisbury a Witch for predicting things to come helping People to stolen Goods c. was executed at Salisbury 1653. Edm. Bowyer 's Narrative 17. An. 1642. One Mother Jackson for bewitching one Mary Glover in Thames-street a Merchant's Daughter was arraigned and condemned at Newgate 18. John Contius an Alderman of Pentich in Silesia near 60 Years of Age being invited to the Mayor's Supper after the ending of a certain Controversie between some Waggoners and a Merchant gets leave first to go home to order some Concerns leaving this Sentence behind him It 's good to be Merry whilst we may For Mischiefs grow fast enough e'ry Day Going home and looking upon the Hoof of one of his Geldings he was so struck that he complained he was all on fire fell sick complained loudly and despairingly of his Sins but would have no Divine to come to him The Night he died a Black Cat opened the Casement with her Nails scratched his Face and Bolster and so vanishing away he breathed his last A violent Storm of Wind arose a Spirit in the shape of Contius appeared in the Town that would have ravish d a
Fires with Red Wine and gathering the Bones together to include them in Urns which they placed in or upon some sumptuous rich Monument erected or that purpose The Custom of Burning the dead Bodies continued among the Romans but until the time of the Antonine Emperors An. Dom. 200. or thereabouts then they began to Bury again in the Earth Manutius de leg Rom. Fol. 125 126. They had at these Burials suborned counterfeit hired Mourners which were Women of the loudest Voices who betimes in the Morning did meet at appointed Places and then cried out mainly beating of their Breasts tearing their Hair their Faces and Garments joyning therewith the Prayers of the defunct from the hour of his Nativity unto the hour of his Dissolution still keeping time with the Melancholick Musick This is a Custom observed at this day in some Parts of Ireland but above all Nations the Jews are best skilled in these Lamentations being Fruitful in Tears Tears that still ready stand To sally forth and but expect Command Amongst these Women there was ever an old aged Beldam called Praefica Superintendint above all the rest of the Mourners who with a loud Voice did pronounce these words Ire licet as much as to say He must needs depart and when the dead Corps was laid in the Grave and all Ceremonies finished she delivered the last Adieu in this manner Adieu Adieu Adieu we must follow thee according as the course of Nature shall permit us To Mourn after the Interrment of our Friends is a manifest Token of true Love Our All-Perfect and Almighty Saviour Christ Jesus wept over the Grave of dead Lazarus whom he revived whereupon the standers by said among themselves Behold how he loved him The Ancient Romans before they were Christians mourned Nine Months but being Christians they used Mourning a whole Year cloathed in black for the most part for Women were cloathed partly in white and partly in black according to the diversity of Nations These Examples considered I observe that we in these days do not weep and mourn at the departure of the Dead so much nor so long as in Christian Duty we ought For Husbands can bury their Wives and Wives their Husbands with a few counterfeit Tears and a sour Visage masked and painted over with dissimulation contracting Second Marriages before they have worn out their Mourning Garments Babilas the Martyr appointed to be buried with the Bolts and Fetters which he had worn for Christ Mr. Barker 's Flores It was Lewis the Second of France who when he was sick forbad any Man to speak of Death in his Court Mr. Barker 's Flores Abraham see how he beginneth to possess the World by no Land Pasture or Arrable Lordship The first being is a Grave So every Christian must make this Resolution The first Houshold-stuff that ever Seleucus brought into Babylon was a Sepulchre-stone a Stone to lay upon him when he was dead that he kept in his Garden Beza saith of a Sickness he had at Paris Morbus iste verae Sanitatis mihi principium fuit That Disease was the beginning of my true Health And Olevian to the same purpose of a Sickness he had said I have thereby learned more of Sin and the Majesty of God than I ever knew before As also Rivet said In the space of ten days since I kept my Bed I have learned more of true Divinity than in the whole course of my Life before Mr. Barker 's Flores Socrates the Night before he was to die would learn Musick because he would die learning something Chetwind's Hist Collections We can never be quiet till we have conquered the fear of Death The sight of Cyrus's Tomb struck Alexander into a dumps But when Grace prevails Death hath lost his Terror Aristippus told the Mariners that wondred why he was not as they afraid in the Tempest that the Odds was much for they feared the Torments due to a wicked Life and he expected the Reward of a good one And it was cold Comfort that Diogenes gave a lewd Liver that being banish'd complained that he should die in a Foreign Soil Be of good chear wheresoever thou art the way to Hell is the same Feltham Resolves p. 42. Queen Ann the Wife of King Henry the Eighth when she was lead to be beheaded in the Tower espying one of the King's Privy-Chamber she called him unto her and said unto him Commend me unto the King and tell him he is constant in his course of advancing me for from a Private Gentlewoman he made me a Marchioness from a Marchioness a Queen and now that he hath left no higher Degree of Worldly Honour for me he hath made me a Martyr Baker's Chron. Hen. VIII Philip King of Macedon walking by the Sea-side got a fall and after he was risen perceiving the Impression of his Body upon the Sand Good God said he what a small parcel of Earth will contain Us who aspire to the Possession of the whole World That Great Man Hugo Grotius near his Death professed That he would gladly give all his Learning and Honour for the Integrity of a Poor Man in his Neighbourhood that spent Eight Hours of his Time in Prayer Eight in Labour and Eight in Sleep and other Necessaries and unto some that applauded his marvellous Industry he said Ah Vitam perdidi operose nihil Agendo But unto some that asked the best Counsel which a Man of his Attainment could give he said Be serious sabina a Roman Matron being condemned to die for her Religion fell in Travel and cried out And one said to her If you cry out thus now what will you do when you come to the Stake She answered Now I cry out because I feel the fruit of Sin but then I shall be in comfort as suffering and dying for my Saviour Mr. Barker 's Flores CHAP. CXLIII The Last words of Dying Men as also their Last Wills and Testaments WE are apt to make Enquiry after the Last Speeches and Sentiments of Persons when they are going out of the World because we then believe that their Exes are open and their Judgments 〈◊〉 and they dare net tell a Lye for Fear or Affection when they are going to appear before their Judge and commencing state of Eâ—ernily The Last Words so far as we can understand by Records 1. Of Ignatius I am God's Corn I shall be ground to Meal by the Teeth of Wild Beasts and he found God's white Bread Dr. Cave 's Prim. Christ Clark 's Marr. of Eccl. Hist 2. Of Dionysius Arâ—â—pag He with Eyes and Hands lift up to Heaven said O Lord God Almighty thou only begotten Son and Holy Spirit O Sacred Trinity which art without beginning and in whom is no Division received the Soul of thy Servant in Peace who is put to Death for thy Cause and Gospel Ibid. viz. Clark 's Marrow c. 3. Epiphanius dying said to his People of Salamia God bless you my Children for Epiphanius
shall see your Face no more in this Life Ibid. 4. S. Augustine whose usual wish was that Christ when he came might find him either Praying or Preaching was accordingly answered for in the Siege of Hippo by the Goths after he had for some Months together continually exercised himself in Prayers in the third Month of the Siege he fell sick of a Fever in his Sickness breathing forth most Pious Ejâ—culations as Vivere renuo ut Christo vivam viz. I refuse to live that I may live to Christ c. and so died making no Will having nothing to bestow but only Books which he left to several Libraries Aged 76. Anno Christi 430. having been a Minister 40 Years Ibid. 5. Prosper upon his Death-bed speaking to many of his People that wept sore said the Life which I have enjoyed was but given me upon condition to render it up again not grudgingly but gladly For me to stay longer here might seem better for you but for me t is better to be dissolved Ibid. p. 89. And so praying and lifting up his Hands before them all be departed Anno Christi 466. 6. Bede in his Sickness comforted himself with Heb. 12.6 Whom the Lord loveth be chasteneth c. When his Scholars were weeping about him he said in the words of S. Ambrose Non sic vixi ut pudeat me inter vos vivere sed nec mori timeo quia bonum Dominum habemus The time is come if my Creator pleaseth that being freed from the Flesh I shall go to him who made me when I was not out of nothing I have lived long and the time of my Dissolution is approaching proaching and my Soul desires to see my Saviour Christ in his Glory Ibid. p. 101. His Epitaph was Hac sunt in fossa Bedae Venerabilis put in as Tradition saith by an Angel Ossa 7. S. Bernard in his Sickness wrote this Letter to Arnold Abbot of Boneval We received your Love in Love and not in Pleasure for what Pleasure can there be where Pain and Bitterness challengeth all to it self Only 't is a little delightful to me to eat nothing Sleep is departed from me that Sorrow and Pain may never depart by the benefit of my Senses lulled asleep The want of a Stomach is all that I suffer only it lacks to be continually refreshed with some comfortable Liquor But if I admit more than is meet 't is very grievous to me My Feet and Thighs are swollen as in a Dropsie And in all these things that I may conceal nothing from my Friend who defires to know the state of his Friend the Spirit is willing but the Flesh weak Pray unto my Saviour who desires not the Death of a Sinner not that he will defer but guard my Departure hence with his Angels Take you care that my Heel which is naked of Merits he strengthened and defended by your Prayers that he which lies in wait may not find where to fasten his Tooth and inflict a Wound Farewel To his Monks he said I am in a Streight not knowing which to chuse Life or Death but leave all to the will of God Ibid. p. 105. 8. John Husse used these words by way of Prayer at his suffering Martyrdom Lond Jesus Christ assist and help me that with a constant and patient Mind by thy most gracious help I may bear and suffer this most Cruel and Ignominious Death burning with a tripe Crown of Paper painted with ugly Devils on his Head whereunto I am condemned for Preaching thy most Holy Gospel And when the Fire was kindled he sung three times with a loud Voice Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God have Mercy upon me And so the Wind drove the Flame into his Face and choaked him Ibid. p. 119. 9. Cardinal Woolsey being arrested by the King's Order breathed out his Soul in words to this purpose If I had served the God of Heaven as faithfully as I did my Master upon Earth he had not forsaken me in my Old Age as the other hath done Lloy's State-worthies p. 19. 10. Luther dying in his Clymacterical Year made this his last Prayer O Heavenly Father my Gracious God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ thou God of all Consolation I give thee hearty Thanks that thou hast revealed unto me thy Son Jesus Christ whom I believe whom I profess whom I love whom I glorifie whom the Pope and the wicked Rout do persecute and dishonour I beseech thee Lord Jesus Christ receive my Soul O my Heavenly Father tho' I be taken out of this Life and must lay down this frail Body yet I certainly know that I shall live with thee eternally and that I cannot be taken out of thy hands God so loved the World c. Lord I render up my Spirit into thy Hands and come to thee And again Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit Thou O God of Truth hast redeemed me And so as one falling asleep and without any bodily Pain as could be discerned he departed this Life Feb. 18. Anno Christi 1548. Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist p. 143. 11. Calvin makes this his Last Will In the Name of God Amen Anno Christi 1564. April 25. I Peter Chenalat Citizen and Notary of Geneva do Witness and Profess that being sent for by that Reverend Man John Calvin Minister of the Word of God in the Church of Geneva and a Free Denizen of the same City who then truly was sick in Body but sound in Mind told me that his purpose was to make his Testament and declare his Last Will c. which was this In the Name of the Lord Amen I John Calvin Minister of the Word of God in the Church of Geneva oppressed and afflicted with divers Diseases so that I easily think the Lord hath appointed shortly to lead me out of this World I therefore have determined to make my Testament and to commit to Writing my Last Will in this form following First I give Thanks to God that taking pity of me whom he created and placed in this World hath delivered me out of the deep Darkness of Idolatry into which I was plunged and that he brought me into the Light of his Gospel and made me a partaker of the Doctrine of Salvation whereof I was most unworthy Neither hath he only gently and graciously born with my faults for which yet I deserved to be rejected by him and driven out but hath used towards me so great meekness and mildness that he hath vouchsafed to use my Labours in Preaching the Truth of his Gospel And I Witness and Profess that I intend to pass the remainder of my Life and Religion which he hath delivered to me by his Gospel and not to seek any other Aid or Resuge for Salvation than his free Adoption in which alone Salvation resteth And with all my Heart I embrace the Mercy which he hath used towards me for Jesus Christ's sake recompensing my Faults with the Merit
God and then commanded them to be taken away That Night the Ministers continuing with him a certain Friend coming to him Oecolampadins ask'd him What News The Answer being made None But saith he I 'll tell you some News I shall presently be with my Lord Christ Being ask'd if the Light offended him Putting his Hands to his Eyes he answered Here is abundance of Light and then praying earnestly with the Words of David Psal 51. to the end and saying O Christ save me he fell asleep Clark Ibid. 14. Queen Mary the Second of blessed Memory on her Death-bed when the Most Reverend Archbishop Tenison bespoke her Madam Settle your Affairs your Family and your Mind you have lived and finished the course which the Parent of Nature hath allâ—tted you replied with an undaunted Cheerfulness Father How good a Messenger are you to me who as it were commanded from Heaven bring the Tydings of my last Necessity of Dying Here I am ready to submit to whatever pleaseth God the Disposer of my Life and Death I am not now to learn that difficult Art of Well-dying I have made up my Account with God by the Assistance of my Surety Christ I have discharged my Conscience long since I have considered the Condition of my Mortality I have settled all my Affairs and surrendred into the Bosom of my dearest Husband all those Cares that concern the World And therefore he that calls finds me ready to lay down the Burden of this Life being no more than a load of Infirmities Sin and Labour Then turning to her Husband standing by her Bed-side she is said to have broke forth into Words to this Effect Farewel my William and live mindful of our undefiled Matrimony till thy Lot shall restore thee to me or moe to thee I shall not altogether die while you singly possess the sole Image of us both c. Spanheim in his Fun. Orat. of Queen Mary the Second This I suppose contains the summ of what that Excellent Queen delivered but I suspect the Author hath set it off with an Embellishment of Words which did not become a dying Person The most Reverend Archbishop delivers it more nakedly and briefly 15. Anthony Walleus on his Death-bed exhorted all his Family to Fear God and the Children to Reverence their Mother for so God would bless and provide for them That every one should take care of all the rest but especially that every one should take care of himself Then he bad his Son John to have a special Care of his Mother and so kissing them took his Leave of them all and then turning his Face from them he fell asleep out of which he never awaked only some time when his Pains came upon him he stirred a little and so on the Sabbath about Eleven of the Clock he quietly resign'd up his Spirit unto God A. C. 1639. Aetat 66. Clark's Exampl p. 490. 16. Henry Alting the Day before his Death sang the 130 Psalm with a sweet Voice and warm Zeal and spent the rest to his time in hearty Prayers and holy Meditations In the Evening he blessed his Children and then commanded his Son Dr. James Alting to pray with him and in his Prayers to remember the Church and University The next Day which was the Sabbath-Day being visited by Camerarius and Strasbergerus Agents for the Crown of Sweden and his old Friends he was refreshed a little with their Company but told them that he should depart before Sun-set and accordingly about Three of the Clock in the Afternoon with a constant Voice he bid them all Farewel and after the Prayer of Emmius Pastor of the Church without the least struggling he quietly slept in the Lord A. C. 1644. Ibid. p. 497. 17. Mr. John Bruen of Stapleford a little before his Death said I will have no black no proud or pompous Funeral neither is there any cause of Mourning but of Rejoycing rather in my particular And immediately before he expired lifting up his Hands he said The Lord is my Portion my Help and my Trust his blessed Son Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Redeemer Amen Even so saith the Spirit unto my Spirit Therefore come Lord Jesus and kiss me with the Kisses of thy Mouth and embrace me with the Arms of thy Love Into thy hands I commend my spirit O come now and take me to thine own self O come Lord Jesus come quickly O come O come O come Mr. Hinde in his Life 18. Berengarius is said to have breathed out these Words with his last gasp Now I am to go and appear before God either to be acquitted by him as I hope or condemned by him as I fear Mr. Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 7. out of Illyricus 19. Erasmus by his Last Will and Testament confirmed both by the Emperor and Pope declared Bonifacius Amerbachius his Heir Hieronymus Frobenius and Nicolaus Episcopius Overseers of his Will wherein to several Friends he bequeathed several Legacies as a Clock of Gold to Ludovicus Berus a Spoon and Fork of the same to Beatus Rhenanus to Petrus Vetereus 150 Crowns as much to Philippus Montanus to his Servant Lambert 200 Florins to Brischius a Silver Tankard to Paulus Volsius 100 Florins to Signismundus Tilenius 150 Duckats to Erasmus Frobenius his Godson two Rings to Hieronymus Frobenius his wearing Cloaths Bedding and Houshold-stuffs to his Wife a Ring wherein was set a precious Stone having therein engraven a Woman looking ove her Left Shoulder to Episcopius a fair Silver Bowl with a Cover to his Wife a Diamond Ring to Goâ—lenius a Silver Bowl his Library he sold upon his Death-bed to Johannes à Lasco his Medals ancient Coins ready Money and Debts with the remainder of his Watches Clocks Rings Plate Jewels and other Curiosities of no small value to his Heir Amerbachius not for his own use but to be sold and the Money by Advice of the fore-named Overseers to be distributed first to the poor infirm Persons whether through Age or Sickness secondly to portionless Virgins to procure them Husbands and thirdly to poor but hopeful young Scholars for Advancement of their Studies His Heir he restrained meerly to his Legacy which was none of the greatest He fell sick first of the Gout and then fell into an Hepatical Flux so that for a whole Month together he came seldom out of his Bed and but once over the Threshold of his Chamber yet whilst his Body lay tortured upon this double Rack he wrote a Treatise de Puritate Ecclesiae and made a hard shift to finish his Recognitions of Origen These were the two last Songs of this dying Swan whose Patience ever encreased with his Torments and in the end surmounted them He retained his Speech to the last gasp and breathed out his Soul in these Ejaculations Mercy sweet Jesus Lord loose these Bands How long Lord Jesus how long Jesus Fountain of Mercy have Mercy on me c. He died July 12. 1536. Aged 71 or
and Books and Collections I can rest my Soul on nothing but the Scriptures and above all that Passage lies most upon my Spirit Titus 2.11 12. The Grace of God that brings Salvation c. 76. Dr. Donn on his Dying-bed told his Friends I Repent of all my Life but that part I spent in Communion with God and doing good 77. Sir Walter Rawleigh in a Letter to his Wife after his Condemnation hath these words If you can live free from Want care for no more for the rest is but a Vanity Love God and begin betimes in him shall ye find True Everlasting and Endless Comfort My dear Wife Farewel Bless my Boy Pray for me and let my True God hold you both in his Arms. 78. Mr. Herbert the Divine Poet to one going about to Comfort him with the Remembrance of a good Work he had done in Repairing a ruinous Church belonging to his Ecclesiastical Dignity made answer 'T is a good Work if sprinkled with the Blood of Christ In the Preface before his Poems 79. Mr. Tho. Cartwright the last Sermon that he made was Dec. 25. on Eccl. 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth c. On the Tuesday following the Day before his Death he was two Hours on his Knees in private Prayer in which as he told his Wife he found wonderful and unutterable Joy and Comfort and within a few Hours after he quietly resigned up his Spirit to God Dec. 27. 1603. Mr. Clark 's Martyrol p. 21. 80. Mr. Paul Baines in his last Sickness had many Fears and Doubts God letting Satan loose upon him so that he went away with far less Comfort than many weaker Christians enjoy Ibid. p. 24. 81. Mr. William Bradshaw exhorted all that came to him to lay a good Foundation for a comfortable Death in time of Life and Health assuring them that their utmost Addresses and Endeavours would be little enough when they came to that Work Ibid. p. 51. 81. Mr. Richard Rothwel foretold his own Death I am well and shall be well shortly said he to some that sent to enquire how he did And afterwards whispering one in the Ear there present said Do you know my meaning I shall be with Christ e're long but do not tell them so And after Prayer smiling said he Now I am well Happy is he that hath not bow'd a knee to Baal He called upon the Company to sing Psal 120. And in the singing of it he died An. 1627. Aged 64. Ibid. p. 71. 83. Dr. Preston the Night before he died being Saturday he went to Bed and lay about three Hours desirous to sleep but slept not Then said My Dissolution is near let me go to my Home and to Jesus Christ who hath bought me with his most precious Blood About Four of the Clock the next Morning he said I feel Death coming to my Heart my Pain shall now be quickly turned into Joy And after Prayer made by a Friend he look'd on the Company turned away his Head and at Five a Clock on the Lord's-Day in the Morning gave up the Ghost An. 1628. Aged 41. or near it Ibid. p. 113. 84. Mr. Hildersam sickening with the Scurvy in the midst of Winter on March 4. being the Lord's-Day was prayed for in the Congregation of Ashby His Son also prayed with him divers times that Day and in the last Prayer he departed March 4. 1631. Had I time to pause upon it methinks the Death of many worthy Persons happening upon the Christian Sabbath is worthy of a special Remark Mr. Hildersam had given order in his Will that no Funeral Sermon should be preached at his Burial Ibid. p. 123. 85. Dr. Tho. Tailour of Aldermanbury expressed himself thus O said he we serve a good Lord who covers all our Imperfections and gives us great Wages for little Work And on the Lord's-Day he was dismissed hence to keep a perpetual Sabbath in Heaven in the Climacterical Year of his Age 56. Ibid. p. 127. 86. Mr. John Carter likewise Feb. 21. 1635. being the Lord's-Day ended his Life with a Doxology The Lord be thanked Ibid. p. 140. 87. Dr. Sibs died Anno 1631. Aged 58. Ibid. Dr. Chaderton Anno 1640. Aged 94. Ibid. 88. Mr. Ball being ask'd in his last Sickness whether he thought he should live or die answered I do not trouble my self about that matter And afterwards how he did replied Going to Heaven apace He died 1640. Aged 55. Ibid. 89. Dr. Potter died about the great Climacterical Year of his Age being suspected to have laid to Heart the Reproaches of some thrown upon him for a Sermon preached a little before at Westminster as too sharp against Innovations in the Church Ibid. 90. Mr. Julines Herrings the Night before his Departure was observed to rise upon his Knees and with Hands lifted up to Heaven to use these Words He is overcome overcome through the Strength of my Lord and only Saviour Jesus unto whom I am now going to keep a Sabbath in Glory And accordingly next Morning March 28. 1644. Aged 62. on the Sabbath-Day he departed Ibid. 168. 91. Mr. John Dod was tried with most bitter and sharp Pains of the Strangury and great Wrestlings with Satan but was Victorious To one watching with him he said That he had been wrestling with Satan all Night who accused him That he had neither preached nor prayed nor performed any Duty well for manner or end but saith he I have answer'd him from the Example of the Prodigal and the Publican One of his last Speeches was with Eyes and Hands lift up to Heaven I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Which desire was granted him Anno 1645. aged 96. Ibid. p. 178. 92. Mr. Herbert Palmer after Isa 38 Chap. being read prayed himself to this purpose First for himself That God would heal the sinfulness of his Nature pardon all his Transgressions deliver him from Temptation accept him in Christ c. Then for the Publick the Nation King and Parliament Ministers c. For Scotland and the Churches in France New-England c. Queen's College Westminster the Country his Benefactors c. He departed December 25. 1647. aged 46. He desired his Friends not to Pray for his Life but Pray God saith he for Faith for Patience for Repentance for Joy in the Holy Ghost Lord saith he cast me down as low as Hell in Repentance and lift me up by Faith to the highest Heavens in confidence of thy Salvation The Tuesday before he departed This day Seven-night said he is the Day on which we have used to remember Christ's Nativity and on which I have preached Christ I shall scarce live to see it but for me was that Child born unto me was that Son given c. Ibid. p. 201. 93. Mr. John Cotton to Mr. Wilson taking his last leave of him and praying that God would lift up the Light of his Countenance upon him and shed his Love into his Soul presently answered
He hath done it already Brother And to one that had been helpful to him in his Sickness The God that made you and bought you with a great Price Redeem your Body and Soul unto himself Which were his last words Decemb. 23. 1652. aged 68. Ibid. p. 229. 94. Dr. Will. Gouge after three days illness complained Alas I have lost three days And to a Friend visiting him I am willing to die having I bless God nothing to do but to die And to his Sister being afraid to leave him alone Why Sister said he I shall I am sure be with Christ when I die Which he did Decemb. 12. 1653. aged 79. Ibid. p. 246. 95. Mr. Tho. Gataker gave this his last Charge to his Relations Sister Son Daughter c. My heart fails and my strength fails but God is my Fortress and the strong Rock of my Salvation into thy hands therefore I commend my Soul for thou hast redeemed me O God of Truth Son you have a great Charge look to it Instruct your Wife and Family in the fear of God and discharge your Ministry conscientiously To his Sister two Years older than himself he said Sister I thought you might have gone before me but God calls for me first I hope we shall meet in Heaven I pray God to bless you He admonished his Daughter to mind the World less and God more for that all things without Piety and the true fear of God are nothing worth Advising his Son Draper to Entertain some Pious Minister in his House to teach his Children and instruct his Family exhorting them all to Love and Unity And then commanded them all to withdraw He died July 27. 1654. aged near 80. Ibid. p. 259. 96. Mr. Bolton dying told his Children That none of them should dare think to meet him at God's Tribunal in an unregenerate Estate And when some of his Parish desired him to express what he felt in his Soul of the exceeding Comforts that are in Christ answered I am by the wonderful Mercy of God as full of Comfort as my heart can hold and feel nothing in my Soul but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be And looking upon some that were weeping said Oh what a deal of do there is ere one can die Chetwind's Collections 97. Mr. Whitaker Do not complain but bless God for me and entreat him to open the Prison-door He died 1654. aged 55. Ibid. p. 272. 98. Mr. Rich. Capel Sept. 21. 1656. preached twice taking his leave of the World by pressing Faith in God That Evening he repeated both his Sermons in his Family read his Chapter went to Prayer and so to Bed and died immediately Sept. 21. 1656. He often said That if God saw fit one had better die of a quick than lingring Death Ibid. p. 313. 99. Mr. Jessey the last Night he lived cried out Oh the unspeakable Love of God! Oh the vilest Oh the vilest that he should reach me when I could not reach him And then rehearsing over and over Blessed be that ever ever ever Blessed and Glorious Majesty And when a Cordial appointed for him was brought Trouble me not upon your own Peril trouble me not Then shewing his care for the Poor Widows and Fatherless and desiring Prayers and afterwards repeating Acts 2.27 and calling for more Julip more Julip meaning more Scriptures by and by he sang this Hymn Jerusalem my heart's Delight I come I come to thee Then shall my sorrows have an end When I thy Joys shall see Then often repeating those words Praises for ever Amen Amen Praises to the Amen for ever and ever Amen After a while he fell asleep Sept. 4. 1663. aged 63. Mr. Collier in his Life and Death p. 94. 100. Mr. Brand thus Oh! my God my God what is sinful Man Worm-man what manner of Love is this Love indeed O I cannot express it Oh! let me be with thee with thee O my God! Oh! I long for Heaven Oh! welcome Death Oh! happy Death that will put an end to all my Troubles and Afflictions one Moment in Abraham's Bosom will make amends for all turn Sorrow to Joy What a dreadful Appearance will there be at the Great Day what a sad thing to be disappointed and come short of Heaven O my Redeemer liveth I have served a good Master I would not desire Life for a Moment unless to promote the Interest of Christ If God would give me my choice what I would ask I would not ask Life Nay I have prayed to God that I might die Why so said a by-stander That I may be said he with God! O my God I would come to thee Let me live with Thee As he was going to Bed with much concernedness of Mind he said There will be a Cry at Midnight Prepare Prepare Which came to pass accordingly for after going to Bed he was taken with a Vomiting of Blood and after that died Dr. Annesly in his Life 101. Mr. John Janeway for the latter part of his Life he lived like a Man that was quite weary of the World and that looked upon himself as a stranger here and that lived in the constant sight of a better World He plainly declared himself but a Pilgrim that looked for a better Country a City that had Foundations whose builder and maker was God His Habit his Language his Deportment all spoke him one of another World His Meditations were so intense long and frequent that they ripened him apace for Heaven but somewhat weakned his Body Few Christians attain to such a holy contempt of the World and to such clear believing joyful constant Apprehensions of the transcendent Glories of the unseen World On his Death-bed he thus express'd himself O help me to Praise God I have now nothing else to do I have done with Prayer and all other Ordinances I have almost done conversing with Mortals I shall presently be beholding Christ himself that died for me and loved me and washed me in his Blood I shall before a few hours are over be in Eternity singing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. I shall presently stand upon Mount Zion with an innumerable company of Angels and the Spirits of the Just made perfect and Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant I shall hear the voice of much People and be one amongst them which shall say Hallelujah Salvation Glory Honour and Power unto the Lord our God and again we shall say Hallelujah And yet a very little while and I shall sing unto the Lamb a Song of Praise saying Worthy art thou to receive Praise who wert slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall Reign with thee for ever and ever Methinks I stand as it were with one Foot in Heaven and the other upon Earth methinks I hear the Melody of Heaven and by Faith I see the Angels waiting
to carry my Soul to the Bosom of Jesus and I shall be for ever with the Lord in Glory And who can chuse but rejoyce in all this And now my dear Mother Brethren and Sisters Farewel I leave you for a while and I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them that are sanctified And now dear Lord my Work is done I have finished my course I have fought the good Fight and henceforth there remaineth for me a Crown of Righteousness Now come dear Lord Jesus come quickly Then a Godly Minister came to give him his last Visit and to do the Office of an inferiour Angel to help to convey his blessed Soul to Glory who was now even upon Mount Pisgah and had a full sight of that goodly Land at a little distance When this Minister spake to him his heart was in a mighty flame of Love and Joy which drew Tears of Joy from that precious Minister being almost amazed to hear a Man just a dying talk as if he had been with Jesus He died June 1657. Aged between 23 and 24 and was buried in Kelshall-Church in Hartfordshire For a larger Account of this Extraordinaay Person see his Life written by his Brother Mr. James Janeway 102. Mrs. Allein in the History of the Life and Death of Mr. Joseph Allein writes thus concerning his Death viz. About Three in the Afternoon he had as we perceived some Conflict with Satan for he uttered these words Away thou foul Fiend thou Enemy of all Mankind thou subtil Sophister art thou come now to molest me Now I am just going Now I am so weak and Death upon me Trouble me not for I am none of thine I am the Lord 's Christ is mine and I am his His by Covenant I have sworn my self to be the Lord's and his I will be Therefore be gone These last words he repeated often which I took much notice of That his Covenanting with God was the means he used to expel the Devil and all his Temptations The time we were in Bath I had very few hours alone with him by reason of his constant using the Bath and Visits of Friends from all Parts thereabouts and sometimes from Taunton and when they were gone he would be either retiring to GOD or to his Rest But what time I had with him he always spent in Heavenly and Profitable Discourse speaking much of the Place he was going to and his Desires to be gone One Morning as I was Dressing him he looked up to Heaven and smiled and I urging him to know why he answered me thus Ah my Love I was thinking of my Marriage-Day it will be shortly O what a joyful Day will that be Will it not thinkest thou my dear heart Another time bringing him some Broth he said Blessed be the Lord for these Refreshments in the way home but O how sweet will Heaven be Another time I hope to be shortly where I shall need no Meat nor Drink nor Cloaths When he looked on his weak consumed hands he would say These shall be changed This vile Body shall be made like to Christ's Glorious Body O what a Glorious Day will the Day of the Resurrection be Methinks I see it by Faith How will the Saints lift up their heads and rejoyce and how sadly will the wicked World look then O come let us make haste our Lord will come shortly let us prepare If we long to be in Heaven let us hasten with our Work for when that is done away we shall be fetch'd O this vain foolish dirty World I wonder how reasonable Creatures can so dote upon it What is in it worth the looking after I care not to be in it longer than while my Master hath either doing or suffering Work for me were that done farewel to Earth Thus far Mrs. Allein 103. Dr. Peter du Moulin Professor of Divinity at Sedan at his last Hour pronounced these Words I shall be satisfied when I awake c. and twice or thrice Come Lord Jesus come Come Lord Jesus come and the last time that Text which he loved so much He that believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life and a little after Lord Jesu receive my Spirit It being said to him You shall see your Redeemer with your eyes laying his Hand on his Heart he answered with an Effort I believe it and so departed 1658. aged 90. Out of the French Copy of his Death 104. Arminius in his Sickness was so far from doubting any whit of that Confession he had publish'd that he stedfastly judged it to agree in all things with the Holy Scriptures and therefore he did persist therein That he was ready at that very moment to appear with that same Belief before the Tribunal of Jesus Christ the Son of God the Judge of the Quick and Dead He died of a Disease in the Bowels which caused Fevers Cough Extension of the Hypochondria Atrophy Gout Iliack Passion Obstruction of the Left Optick Nerve Dimness of the same Eye c. which gave occasion to some Censures He died Oct. 19. In his Life by an unknown Hand 105. Simon Episcopius An. 1643. falling sick of an Ischuria for Eleven Days not being able to make a drop of Water continued ill two Months or more and at last for some Weeks was deprived of his Sight which Loss had been more grievous to him had not his deep and almost continual Sleeping lessened the same For he complained of it to his Friends that he should not be able to serve the Church of Christ any more He died April 4 at Eight of the Clock in the Morning the Moon being then eclipsed saith the Author of his Life p. 26. 106. Gustavus Ericson King of Sweden having lived 70 Years and reigned 38. gave in Charge to his Children to endeavour the Peace and maintain the Liberties of their Country but especially to preserve the Purity of Religion without the Mixture of Human Inventions and to live in Unity as Brethren among themselves and so sealing up his Will he resigned his Spirit to God An. 1562. Clark's Martyrol p. 370. 107. Edward the Sixth King of England in the Time of his Sickness hearing Bishop Ridley preach upon Charity gave him many Thanks for it and thereupon ordered Gray-Friars Church to be a House for Orphans St. Bartholomew's to be an Hospital and his own House at Bridewel to be a Place of Correction And when he had set his Hand to that Work he thank'd God that he had prolong'd his Life till he had finished that good Design About three Hours before his Death having his Eyes clos'd and thinking none near him he prayed thus with himself Lord God deliver me out of this miserable and wretched Life and take me among thy Chosen howbeit not my Will but thine be done Lord I commend my Spirit to thee O Lord thou knowest
confess Matter of Fact too plainly because it would certainly have brought him within the Guilt of Misprision and so he thought it better to say little than by departing from the Ingenuity he had always practised by using little Tricks and Evasions to make the last and solemnest part of his Life so notably different from the preceding course of it as such a Conduct would have made it He farther subjoyns that he never pretended great Readiness in Speaking and advises those Gentlemen of the Law that have it to use it more conscientiously and not to run Men down and impose on Easie and Willing Juries by Strains and Fetches c. the Killing unjustly by Law being the worst of Murthers He then as in several other places repeating his wishes that the Rage and Revenge of some Men and the Partiality of Juries may be stopped with his Blood and so after a small hint how by the Importunity of his Dearest and most Vertuous Lady and some other Dear Friends he had been prevail'd upon against his Inclinations to Address tho' ineffectualy for his Life he concludes with a fresh Protestation of his Innocency and a Devout Prayer to God suitable to that sad Occasion 5. Captain WALCOT CAptain Walcot and his Fellow-sufferers in order of time should have gone first he being convicted before my Lord Russel and executed the Friday as he on Saturday But my Lord Russel's Fate having so immediate a dependance on the Earl of Essex's and all the Plot hanging on him especially they two making the greatest Figure of any who suffer'd on this occasion it look'd more proper and natural to begin with them and reserve the other to this place Captain Walcot was a Gentleman of a considerable Estate in Ireland but more remarkable for the rare Happiness of having Eight Children all at once living and most of all for his Love to his Country which cost him his Life An Abstract of Captain Walcot's Speech CAptain Walcot denied any Design of killing the King or of engaging the Guards whilst others killed him And said That the Witnesses invited him to Meetings where some thing were discoursed of in order to the asserting our Liberties and Properties which we look'd upon to be violated and invaded That They importuned and perpetually solicited him and then deliver'd him up to be hang'd That They combined together to swear him out of his Life to save their own and that they might do it effectually They contrived an Vntruth That he forgave them though guilty of his Blood But withal earnestly begg'd That they might be observed that Remarks might be set upon them whether their End be Peace And he concluded with what made Sir Roger L'Estrange a great deal of Sport but yet Heaven has made it good That when God hath a Work to do he will not want Instruments With him was try'd Rouse who was charged with such a parcel of mad Romance as was scarce ever heard of and one would wonder how Perjury and Malice which use to be sober sins could even be so extravagant as to hit on 't He was to seize the Tower pay the Rabble uncaese the Aldermen to be Pay-Master and Flea-Master General and a great deal more to the same Tune In his Defence he says no great Matter but yet what looks a Thousand times more like Truth than his Accusation That the Tower Business was only Discourse of the feasibleness of the thing as Russel's about the Guards but without the least intent of bringing it to Action That all he was concern'd in any real Design he had from Lee and was getting more out of him with an intention to make a Discovery But it seems Lee got the whip-hand of him they were both at a kind of Halter-Combat Rouse's foot slipt and Lee turn'd him over and saved his own Neck His Dying Words Mr. Rouse declared That he was told that They did not intend to spill one drop of Blood and affirmed that Lee the Witness against him did by his Evidence make him the Author of the very Words that came out of his the said Lee 's own Mouth A Brief Extract of 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 O Lord thy Servant that speaketh doth confess that the Iniquties at his heels have justly overtaken him O do thou bathe each of our Souls in that Fountain set open for sin and Uncleanness 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 give us some inward Tasts 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 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 us in a Field of Mercy O Lord though we have been Prodigals we desire to return unto our Father's House where there is Bread enough O enable us to come unto Thee as Children to their Parents 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 Widow and thou hast commanded us to cast the Care of them upon Thee O do thou make Provision for them an enable them to bear this severe stroke with Patience O Lord we also beseech thee in the behalf of these Poor Kingdoms wherein we are that Thou wilt be 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 Lord favour us with the 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 Bosoâ— 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 6. Mr. HONE Hone was accused and owns himself Guilty of a Design to Kill the King and the Duke of York or one or neither for 't is impossible to make any Sense of him When they came to suffer Walcot
this Affair more and more cleared up to me God hath given God hath taken blessed be his holy Name that hath enabled me to be willing to suffer rather than to put forth my hand to Iniquity or to say a Confederacy with those that do so I am heartily and sincerely troubled for what hath happened many mans Lives being lost and many poor distressed Families ruin'd the Lord Pardon what of sin he hath seen in it He in his wonderful Providence hath made me and others concerned Instruments not only for what is already fallen out but I believe for hastening some other great Work he hath to do in these Kingdoms whereby he will try and purge his People and winnow the Chaff from the Wheat the Lord keep those that are his Faithful unto the end I die in Charity with all the World and can readily and heartily forgive my greatest Enemies even those that have been Evidences against me and I most humbly beg the Pardon of all that I have in the least any way injured and in a special manner humbly ask Pardon of the Lady Lisle's Family and Relations for that my being succoured there one Night with Mr. Hicks brought that worthy Lady to suffer Death I was wholly a Stranger to her Ladiship and came with Mr. Hicks neither did she as I verily believe know who I was or my Name till I was taken And if any other have come to any loss or trouble I humbly beg their Pardon and were I in a condition I would as far as I was able make them a requital As to my Faith I neither look nor hope for Mercy but only in the Free-Grace of God by the Application of the Blood of Jesus my dearest and only Saviour to my poor sinful Soul My distresses have been exceeding great as to my Eternal State but through the infinite goodness of God tho' I have many sins to answer for yet I hope and trust as to my particular that Christ came for this very end and purpose to relieve the Oppressed and to be a Physician to the Sick I come unto thee O blessed Jesus refuse me not but wash me in thine own Blood and then present me to thy Father as Righteous What though my Sins be as Crimson and of a Scarlet Dye Yet thou canst make them as white as Snow I see nothing in my self but what must utterly ruine and condemn me I cannot answer for one Action of my whole Life but I cast my self wholly upon thee who art the Fountain of Mercy in whom God is reconciling himself to the World the greatest of Sins and Sinners may find an All-sufficiency in thy Blood to cleanse them from all sin O dearest Father of Mercy look upon me as Righteous in and through the imputed Righteousness of thy Son he hath payed the Debt by his own Offering up himself for sin and in that thy Justice is satisfied and thy Mercy is magnified Grant me thy Love O dearest Father assist me and stand by me in the needful hour of Death give thy Angels charge over my poor Soul that the Evil One may not touch nor hurt it Defend me from his Power deliver me from his Rage and receive me into thine Eternal Kingdom in and through the alone Merits of my dearest Redeemer for whom I praise thee To whom with thy self and holy Spirit be ascribed all Glory Honour Power Might and Dominion for ever and for ever Amen Dear Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Amen R. NELTHROP Newgate Octob. 29. 1685. 6. Mrs. GAVNT ONE of the great Reasons why Mrs. Gaunt was burnt was 't is very possible because she lived at Wapping the honest Seamen and hearty Protestants thereabouts being such known Enemies to Popery and Arbitrary Government that the Friends of both gave all who oppose it the Name of Wappingers as an odious Brand and Title She was a good honest charitable Woman who made it her business to relieve and help whoever suffered for the forementioned Cause sparing no Pains refusing no Office to get them Assistance in which she was the most Industrious and Indefatigable Woman living Among others whom she had thus relieved who were obnoxious Persons was one Burton whom with his Wife and Family she had kept from starving for which may the very Name of them be register'd with Eternal Infamy they swore against her and took away her Life Tho' she says in her Speech there was but one Witness against her as to any Money she was charg'd to give him and that he himself an Outlawed Person his Outlawry not yet revers'd he not being Outlawed when she was with him and hid him away That which she writ in the Nature of a Speech has a great deal of Sense and Spirit Were my Pen qualified to represent the due Character of this Excellent Woman it would be readily granted That she stood most deservedly entituled to an Eternal Monument of Honour in the hearts of all sincere Lovers of the Reformed Religion All true Christians tho' in some things differing in Persuasion with her found in her an Universal Charity and sincere Friendship as is well known to many here and also to a multitude of the Scotch Nation Ministers and others who for Conscience-sake were formerly thrust into Exile These found her a most refreshing Refuge She dedicated her self with unwearied Industry to provide for their Supply and Support and therein I do incline to think she out-stripped every individual Person if not the whole Body of Protestants in this great City Hereby she became exposed to the implacable Fury of Bloody Papists and those blind Tools who co-operated to promote their accursed Designs And so there appeared little difficulty to procure a Jury as there were well-prepared Judges to make her a Sacrifice as a Traytor to the State Her Judges the King's Counsel the Solicitor-General the Common Serjeant c. rackt their Inventions to draw Burton and his Wife to charge Mrs. Gaunt with the knowledge of his being in a Plot or in the Proclamation but nothing of that could be made out nor is here any sort of Proof that Mrs. Gaunt harboured this ungrateful Wretch or that she gave him either Meat or Drink as the Indictment charges her but notwithstanding that her Jury brought her in Guilty The Sentence was executed upon this Excellent Woman upon Friday then following being the 23d of October 1685. when she left her Murderers the following Memorial Newgate 22d of October 1685. Mrs. Gaunt's Speech written the Day before her Sufferings NOT knowing whether I should be suffered or able because of weaknesses that are upon me through my hard and close Imprisonment to speak at the Place of Execution I writ these few Lines to signifie That I am well reconciled to the way of my God towards me though it be in ways I looked not for and by terrible things yet in Righteousness having given me Life he ought to have the disposing of it when and how he pleases
Duke 〈…〉 in Scotland with what Forces he could make to which were added some others who 〈…〉 which after several Marches and Counter-Marches were at length led into a Boggy sort of a place on pretence or with intention to bring him off from the other Army then upon the Heels of 'em where they all lost one another dispers'd and shifted for themselves the Earl being taken by a Country-man and brought to Edinburgh where he suffer'd for his former unpardonable Crime requiring Care shou'd be taken of the Protestant Religion and explaining his taking the Test conformable thereto for the Legality of which he had the Hands of most of the eminent Lawyers about the City He suffer'd at Edinburgh the 30th of June 1685. His Speech has a great deal of Piety and Religion nor will it be any Disgrace to say 't was more like a Sermon 'T is as follows The Earl of Aâ—gyle's Last Speech June 30. 1685. JOB tells us Man that is born of a Woman is of few days and full of trouble and I am a clear Instance of it I shall not now say any thing of my Sentence or Escape about three Years and a half ago nor of my Return lest I may thereby give Offence or be tedious Only being to end my Days in your presence I shall as some of my last Words assert the Truth of the Matter of Fact and the Sincerity of my Intentions and Professions that are published That which I intend mainly now to say is To express my humble and I thank God chearful Submission to his Divine Will and my Willingness to forgive all Men even my Enemies and I am heartily well satisfied there is no more Blood spilt and I shall wish the Stream thereof may stop at me And that if it please God to say as to Zerubbabel Zech. 4.6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts I know Afflictions spring not out of the Dust God did wonderfully deliver and provide for me and has now by his special Providence brought me to this Place and I hope none will either Insult or stumble at it seeing they ought not for God Almighty does all things well for good and holy Ends tho' we do not always understand it Love and Hatred is not known by what is before us Eccles 9.1 and 8.11 12 13. Afflictions are not only foretold but promised to Christians and are not only tolerable but desirable We ought to have a deep Reverence and Fear of God's Displeasure but withal a firm Hope and Dependance on him for a blessed Issue in compliance with his Will for God chastens his own to refine them and not to ruine them whatever the World may think Heb. 12.3 to 12. Prov. 3.11 12. 2 Tim. 1.8 2 Tim. 2.11 12. Matth. 10.18 to 40. Matth. 16.24 to 28. We are to imitate our Saviour in his Sufferings as 1 Pet. 2.23 and 1 Pet. 4.16 to 20. We are neither to despise our Afflictions nor to faint under them both are extreams We are not to suffer our Spirits to be exasperated against the Instruments of our Trouble for the same Affliction may be an effect of their Passion and yet sent by God to punish us for Sin Tho' 't is a Comfort when we may say to them with David Psal 59.3 Not for my transgression nor for my sin O Lord. Nor are we by fraudulent pusillanimous Compliances in wicked Courses to bring Sin upon our selves Faint Hearts are ordinary false Hearts choosing Sin rather than Sufferings and a short Life with eternal Death before temporal Death and a Crown of Glory Such seeking to save a little loses all and God readily hardens them to proceed to their own Destruction How many like Hazael 2 Kings 8.13 run to Excesses they never thought they were capable of Let Rulers and others read seriously and weigh Prov. 1.10 to 20. 2 Chr. 28.6 to 17. Prov. 24.11 12. and 28.10 And avoid what is Bad and follow what is Good For me I hope by God's strength to joyn with Job chap. 13. 15. and the Psalmist Psal 22.4 and 167. and shall pray as Psal 74.19 to 24. and Psal 122.6 to 9. and Luke 1.74 75. and shall hope as Psal 94.14 15. I do freely forgive all that directly or indirectly have been the Cause of my being brought to this Place first or last and I pray God forgive them I pray God send Truth and Peace in these Three Kingdoms and continue and encrease the glorious Light of the Gospel and restrain the Spirit of Profanity Atheism Superstition Propery and Persecution and restore all that have back-slidden from the Purity of their Life or Principles and bless his whole People with all Blessings spiritual and temporal and put an end to their present Trials And I entreat all People to forgive me wherein I have offended and concurr with me to pray That the Great Good and Merciful God would sanctifie my present Lot and for Jesus Christ his sake Pardon all my Sins and receive me to his Eternal Glory It is suggested to me That I have said nothing of the Royal Family and it remembers me that before the Justices at my Trial about the Test I said That at my Death I would pray That there should never want one of the Royal Family to be a Defender of the True Ancient Apostolick Catholick Protestant Faith which I do now And that GOD would enlighten and forgive all of them that are either luke-warm or have shrunk from the Profession of it And in all Events I pray God may provide for the Security of his Church that Antichrist nor the Gates of Hell may never prevail against it 8. Colonel RVMBOLD AT the same Place died Colonel Richard Rumbold June 26. 1685. Two or three Passages there are worth Remarks in his Speech and Tryal as Arguments of his Sense and Courage For this Cause he says were every Hair of his Head and Beard a Life he 'd joyfully sacrifice 'em all That he was never Antimonarchical in his Principles but for a King and Free Parliament the King having Power enough to make him Great and the People to make 'em happy That he died in the Defence of the just Laws and Liberties of the Nations That none was mark'd by God above another for no Man came into the World with a Saddle on their Backs nor others Booted and Spurr'd to ride upon 't And being ask'd if he thought not his Sentence dreadful answer'd He wish'd he had a Limb for every Town in Christendome The Last Speech of Colonel Richard Rumbold at the Market-Cross of Edinburgh with several Things that passed at his Tryal June 26. 1685. ABout Eleven of the Clock he was brought from the Castle of Edinburgh to the Justices Court in a great Chair on Mens shoulders where at first he was asked some Questions most of which he answer'd with silence at last said He humbly conceived it was not necessary for him to add to his
said before there is nothing in your Paper about the Doctrine of Non-resistance Mon. I Repent of all things that a true Christian ought to Repent of I am to die pray my Lord Assist Then my Lord we can only recommend you to the Mercy of God but we cannot Pray with that Chearfulness and Encouragement as we should if you had made a particular Acknowledgment Mon. God be praised I have Encouragement enough in my self I die with a clear Conscience I have wronged no Man Assist How sir no Man Have you not been Guilty of Invasion and of much Blood which hath been shed and it may be of the loss of many Souls that followed you You must needs have wronged a great many Mon. I do Sir own that and am sorry for it Assist Give it the true Name Sir and call it Rebellion Mon. What Name you please Sir I am sorry for Invading the Kingdom and for the Blood that has been shed and for the Souls which may have been lost by my means I am sorry it ever happened Mr. Sher. Vandeput He says he is sorry for Invading the Kingdom Assist We have nothing to add but to renew the frequent Exhortations we have made to you to give some Satisfaction for the Publick Injuries to the Kingdom There have been a great many Lives lost by this Resistance of your Lawful Prince Mon. What I have done has been very ill and I wish with all my heart it had never been I never was a Man that delighted in Blood I was very far from it I was as cautious in that as any Man was the Almighty God knows how I now die with all the Joyfulness in the World Assist God grant you may Sir God give you True Repentance Mon. If I had not True Repentance I should not so easily have been without the fear of Dying I shall die like a Lamb. Assist Much may come from Natural Courage Mon. I do not attribute it to my own Nature for I am fearful as other Men are but I have now no fear as you may see by my Face but there is something within me that does it for I am sure I shall go to God Assist My Lord be sure upon good grounds do you Repent you of all your sins known or unknown confessed or not confessed of all the sins which might proceed from Error in Judgment Mon. In general for all I do with all my Soul Assist God Almighty of his Infinite Meâ—â— forgive you Here are great Numbers of Spectators here are the Sheriffs they represâ—â—â— the Great City and in speaking to them you speak to the Great City make some Satisfaction by owning your Crime before them He was exhorted to Pray for the King and was asked whether he did not desire to send some Dutiful Message to His Majesty and to recommend his Wife and Children to His Majesty's Favour M. What harm have they done Do it if you please I pray for him and for all Men. Ass At his undressing My Lord you have been bred a Soldier you will do a generous Christian thing if you please to speak to the Soldiers and say That here you stand a sad Example of Rebellion and entreat them and the People to be Loyal and Obedient to the King M. I have said I will make no Speeches I will make no Speeches I am come to die Ass My Lord Ten Words will be enough M. Then calling his Servant and giving him something like a Tooth-pick Case Here said he give this to the Person to whom you are to deliver the other things To the Executioner Here are Six Guinea's for you pray do your Business well Don't serve me as you did my Lord Russel I have heard you struck him three or four times Here to his Servant take these remaining Guinea's and give them to him if he does his Work well Execut. I hope I shall M. If you strike me twice I cannot promise you not to stir During his undressing and standing towards the Block were used divers Ejaculations and much of the 51st Psalm and particularly Deliver me from Blood guiltiness O God Thou God c. Then he lay down and soon after he raised himself upon his Elbow and said to the Executioner Prithee let me feel the Ax. He felt the Edge and said I fear it is not sharp enough Execut. It is sharp enough and heavy enough Then he lay down again During this space many pious Ejaculations were used by those that assisted him with great fervency God accept your Repentance God accept your Repentance God accept your imperfect Repentance My Lord God accept your general Repentance God Almighty shew his Omnipotent Mercy upon you Father into thy Hands we commend his Spirit c. Lord Jesus receive his Soul Thus ended the Life of the late Duke of Monmouth on Wednesday the 15th of July 1685. on Tower-hill A Brief Abstract of the Paper left behind him I Repent in general of all my Sins and am more particularly concerned for what Blood hath been spilt on my Account and the rather seeing the Issue is such as I fear will prove of Fatal Consequence to the Reformed Protestant Religion Instead of being counted Factious and Rebellious the very opposing of Popery and Arbitrary Power now arising and appearing plain enough would sufficiently have protected my Cause besides several other most heinous and notorious Crimes such as the unhappy Fate of the Earl of Essex and my Father of ever blessed Memory and others now covered over with Jesuitical Policy should have been detected and avenged I have lived and shall now die in the Faith of this That God will work a Deliverance for his People and then will be discovered the great and horrid and scarcely to be parallell'd Villainies our Enemies have been guilty of but now you see my case is desperate yet know that I die a Martyr for the People and shall rather pity the State that their false and covetous Minds have brought themselves and me to than discover who are the Persons concerned in my Overthrow and I heartily forgive all that have wronged me even those that have been Instrumental in my Fall earnestly praying for their Souls And I hope King James will shew himself to be of his Brother's Blood and extend his Mercy to my Children even as he was wont to his greatest Enemies they being not capable to Act and therefore not conscious of any Offence against the Government Argile and the Duke of Monmouth being now both safe in their Graves King James was so puff'd up with a petty Victory over a few Clubmen and so wrapt up with a Conceit that he had now conquer'd the whole Nation so that now believing himself impregnable he resolves to be revenged upon the Western People for siding with his Capital Enemy Monmouth and to that purpose sends down his Executioner in Ordinary Jefferies not to decimate according to the Heathen way of Mercy but with the Besom of his
that unhappy Accident which threatned the putting a Stop to it for I ever esteemed Platonick-Love to be the most Noble and thought it might be allowed by all but some wise Persons are afraid least the Sex should creep in for a share Here was no Danger for tho' Nature and Art have done their utmost to make Cl s Charming to all her Wit c. being beyond most of her Sex yet P t having for many Years given such Testimonies of a Conjugal Affection even to excess if such a thing can be that I fanned their Friendship might have been honourably continued to the End of Time I hope what Difficulties they meet with at their first setting out will heighten their Friendship and make it more strong and lasting So wishes August 27. 1695. Your Humble Servant E This Letter was occasioned by a Misconstruction put on the Correspondence then carried on 'tween P t and the aforesaid Lady but E being universally Religious by consequence is universally Charitable and therefore as she knew no Harm thinks none but encourages the Correspondence Mr. Richard Mays was a Man of sincere Godliness A (r) Mr. Singleton worthy Person sufficiently known in this City for his great Skill and Pains in training up of Youth was the Happy Instrument which Providence made use of for the first awakening and enclining him to look out after God I have often heard him speak with great thankfulness both to God and him of that Mixture of Love and Prudence whereby he gained upon him Throughout the Whole of his Sickness of Six Weeks continuance all was clear between God and him 2 Sam. 23.4 His End was like the Light of the Evening when the Sun setteth an Evening without any Clouds He said to my self when I enquired of him concerning that Matter I have not indeed those Raptures of Joy which some have felt tho' yet he added blessed be God I have sometimes tasted of them too but I have a comfortable well-grounded Hope of Eternal Life Another time I have had my Infirmities and Failings but my Heart hath been right with God as to the main and I look for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to Eternal Life Again another time I know that I have passed from Death to Life And again Blessed be God for our Lord Jesus Christ who hath delivered me from the Wrath to come In the Presence of others that stood by him when the sudden Blast was so strong as almost to puff out the Lamp of Life expecting to die in a very few Moments he said in the Words of the Psalmist Into thy Hands I commit my Spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth and this was uttered by him with a more than ordinary Chearfulness visibly spread on his Face He would often say in his Sickness If God hath any Pleasure in me and any more Work for me to do he will raise me up but if not lo here am I let him do with his Servant what seemeth him good In short I could neither observe my self nor learn from those that were constantly about him who must know this Matter better than any others and would not Lye for God himself that he had the least Darkness upon his Spirit as to his present and future State from the beginning of his Sickness till he gave up the Ghost which he did the last Lord's-Day about Five in the Morning the time when he was wont to arise and prepare himself for his Sacred Work Mr. Nathaniel Taylor in his Sermon at Mr. Mayo 's Funeral Dr. Samuel Annesley was reconciled to Death yea so desirous of it as hardly induced him to have his Life prayed for But hearing some Ministers had been fervently praying for his Life he replied I 'm then more reconciled to Life than ever for I 'm confident God will not give a Life so eminently in answer of Prayer as mine must be if he would not use it to greater purposes than ever before Yet some little time before his Change his Desires of Death appear'd strong and his Soul filled with the fore-tasts of Glory oft saying Come my dearest Jesus the nearer the more precious the more welcome Another time his Joy was so great that in an Ecstasie he cried out I cannot contain it What manner of Love is this to a poor Worm I can't express the thousandth part of what Praise is due to thee We know not what we do when we offer at praising God for his Mercies It 's but little I can give but Lord help me to give thee my All. I 'll die praising thee and rejoyce that there 's others can praise thee better I shall be satisfied with thy likeness satisfied satisfied Oh my dearest Jesus I come See a larger Account in Dr. Annesley's Funeral Sermon preach'd by Mr. Daniel Williams The Death of Old Mr. Eliot of New-England While he was making his Retreat out of this Evil World his Discourses from time to time ran upon The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ It was the Theme which he still had recourse unto and we were sure to have something of this whatever other Subject he were upon On this he talk'd of this he pray'd for this he long'd and especially when any bad News arriv'd his usual Reflection thereon would be Behold some of the Clouds in which we must look for the Coming of the Son of Man At last his Lord for whom he had been long wishing Lord come I have been a great while ready for thy Coming At last I say his Lord came and fetched him away into the Joy of his Lord. He fell into some Languishments attended with a Fever which in a few Days brought him into the Pangs may I say or Joys of Death And while he lay in these Mr. Walter coming to him he said unto him Brother Thou art welcome to my very Soul Pray retire to my Study for me and give me leave to be gone meaning that he should not by Petitions to Heaven for his Life detain him here It was in these Languishments that speaking about the Work of the Gospel among the Indians he did after this Heavenly manner express himself There is a Cloud said he a dark Cloud upon the Work of the Gospel among the poor Indians The Lord revive and prâ—â—â—er that Work and grant it may live when I am dead It is a Work which I have been doing much and long about But what was the Word I spoke last I recall that Word My Doings Alas they have been poor and small and lean Doings and I 'll be the Man that shall throw the first Stone at them all Mr. Cotton Mather tells us of Mr. Elias That the Last of his ever setting Pen to Paper in the World was upon this Occasion I shall transcribe a short Letter which was written by the shaking Hand that had heretofore by Writing deserved so well from the Church of God but was now taking its leave of Writing for
what I write proceeds not from any fantastick Terror of Mind but from a sober Resolution of what concerns my self and earnest Desire to do you more Good after my Death than mine Example God of his Mercy pardon the badness of it in My Life-time may have done you harm I will not speak ought of the Vanity of this World your own Age and Experience will save the Labour But there is a certain Thing that goes up and down in the World called Religion dress'd and presented fantastically and to purpose bad enough which yet by such evil dealing loseth not its Being The great and good God hath not loft it without a Witness more or less sooner or later in every Man's Bosome to direct us in the pursuit of it and for the avoiding of those inextricable Difficulties and Intanglements our own frail Reason would perplex us withal God in his infinite Mercy has given us his Holy Word in which as there are many things hard to be understood to quiet our Minds and direct us concerning our future Being I confess to God and you I have been a great Neglecter and I fear Despiser of it God of his infinite Mercy pardon me that dreadful Fault but when I retired my self from the Noise and deceitful Vanities of the World I found no true Comfort in any other Resolution than what I had from thence I commend the same from the bottom of my Heart to your I hope happy use Dear Sir Hugh let us be more generous than to believe we die like Beasts that perish but with a Christian manly brave Ambition let us look to what is Eternal I will not trouble you farther The Only Great and Holy God Father Son and Holy Ghost direct you to an happy End of your Life and send us a joyful Resurrection So prays Your Dear Friend MARLBOROUGH Old James near the Coast of Holland the 24th of April 1665. I beseech you commend my Love to all my Acquaintance particularly I pray you that my Cousin Glascock may have a sight of this Letter and as many of my friends besides as you will or any else that desire it I pray grant this my Request To William Glascock Esq Dear Cousin May 23. 1665. IN case I be called away by God in this present Employment I have recommended these few Lines to you first earnestly begging God Almighty his most merciful Pardon and yours for the very bad Example and many Provocations to Sin I have given Next I do most heartily desire you to make use of your remaining Time in bestowing it upon his Service who only can be your Comfort at your Latter End when all the former Pleasures of your Life shall only leave Anguish and Remorse If God had spared me Life instead of this Paper I would through his Grace have endeavoured to have been as Assistful to you in minding you of true Piety as the care of mine own Life could have enabled me Do not think that melancholy Vapours cause this It is God's great Mercy that by this Employment hath made me know my self for which his Name be for ever praised Lastly I pray shew these few Lines to my Lord of Portland by which I in like manner and for the sarne cause crave his Pardon wishing you both the blessed Peace and Content of a good Conscience towards God and a happy End of your Lives Your truly Loving Cousin MARLBOROUGH The Gentleman who hath communicated to us these Letters sent by the Earl of Marlborough to Sir Hugh Pollard and Mr. Glascock is a Person of Quality now living in London and if any one hath the Curiosity to be satisfied from his own Mouth about the perfect certainty of the Matters therein related if he repairs to Mr. Darker in Bull-head Court near Cripplegate he will be always ready to bring any Gentleman to speak with him for further Confirmation 3. Mr. Hobbs who was so much noted in the World for his Atheistical Writings insomuch that his Book intituled The Leviathan was condemned by the Parliament in their Bill against Atheism and Profaneness Octob. 1666. and both that and his Book de Cive by the Convocation July 21. 1683. Yet the Earl of Devon's Chaplain hath left it on Record concerning him That he received the Communion from his Hands with much seeming Devotion about two Years before his Death than which there cannot be a more express Acknowledgment of the Truth of Christianity And this methinks should daunt the Confidence of his Followers the HObbists who because he was born on Good-friday are not ashamed blasphemously to say That as our Saviour Christ went out of the World on that Day to save Men of the World so another Saviour came into the World on that Day to save them Ath. Oxon. Part II. P. 483. 4. But the next Instance of the Earl of Rochester is still more convincing who as it appears by his Funeral Sermon did with very much abhorrence exclaim against that absurd and foolish Philosophy which the World so much admired and was propagated by the late Mr. Hobbs and others which had undone him and many more of the best Parts of the Nation My Lord Rochester being awak'd from his Spiritual Slumber by a pungent Sickness as appears by his Funeral Sermon preached by Mr. Parsons August 9. 1680. Upon the Preacher's first Visit to him May 26. my Lord thank'd God who had in Mercy and good Providence sent him to him who so much needed his Prayers and Counsels acknowledging how unworthily heretofore he had treated that Order of Men reproaching them that they were Proud and Prophesied only for Rewards but now he had learn'd how to value them that he esteem'd them the Servants of the most High God who were to shew to him the way to everlasting Life At the same time continues our Author I found him labouring under strange Trouble and Conflicts of Mind his Spirit wounded and his Conscience full of Terrours Upon his Journey he told me that he had been arguing with greater vigour against God and Religion than ever he had done in his Life-time before and that he was resolv'd to run them down with all the Arguments and Spite in the World but like the great Convert St. Paul he found it hard to â—ick against the Pricks for God at that time had so struck his Heart by his immediate Hand that presently he argued as strongly for God and Vertue as before he had done against it that God strangely opened his Heart creating in his Mind most awful and tremendous Thoughts and Idea's of the Divine Majesty with a delightful Contemplation of the Divine Nature and Attributes and of the Loveliness of Religion and Vertue I never said he was advanc'd thus far towards Happiness in my Life before tho' upon the commissions of some Sins extraordinary I have had some Checks and Warnings considerable from within but still struggl'd with them and so wore them off again The most observable that I remember
of Exalting the Majesty of God and your own Reward amongst Men. The Regal Power allotted to us makes us common Servants to our Creator then of those People whom we Govern So that observing the Duties we owe to God we deliver Blessings to the World in providing for the Publick Good of our States we Magnifie the Honour of God like the Coelestial Bodies which though they have much Veneration yet serve only to the Benefit of the World It is the Excellency of our Office to be Instruments whereby Happiness is delivered into the Nations Pardon me Sir This is not to Instruct for I know I speak to one of more clear and quick sight than my self but I speak this because God hath pleased to grant me a happy Victory over some part of those rebellious Pirates that have so long molested the Peaceful Trade of Europe and hath presented further occasion to Root out the Generation of those who have been so pernicious to the Good of Our Nations I mean since it hath pleased God to be so auspicious to Our beginnings in the Conquest of Salla that We might joyn and proceed in hope of like Success in the War against Tunis Algier and other Places Dens and Receptacles for the Inhumane Villanies of those who abhor Rule and Government Herein whilst We interrupt the Corruption of Malignant Spirits of the World We shall glorifie the great God and perform a Duty that will shine as glorious as the Sun and Moon which all the Earth may see and Reverence A Work that shall ascend as sweet as the Perfume of the most Precious Odours in the Nostrils of the Lord A Work grateful and happy to Men. A Work whose Memory shall be reverenced so long as there shall be any that delight to hear the Actions of Heroick and Magnanimous Spirits that shall last as long as there be any remaining amongst Men that Love and Honour the Piety and Vertue of Noble Minds This Action I here willingly present to you whose Piety and Vertues equal the Greatness of your Power That we who are Servants to the Great and Mighty God may Hand in Hand Triumph in the Glory which this Action presents unto us Now because the Islands which you Govern have been ever Famous for the unconquered Strength of their Shipping I have sent this my Trusty Servant and Embassador to know whether in your Princely Wisdom you shall think fit to assist me with such Forces by Sea as shall be answerable to those I provide by Land which if you please to grant I doubt not but the Lord of Hosts will Protect and Assist those that Fight in so Glorious a Cause Nor ought you to think this strange that I who much reverence the Peace and Accord of Nations should exhort to a War Your great Prophet Christ Jesus was of the Line of the Tribe of Judah as well as the Lord of Peace which may signifie unto you that he which is a lover and maintainer of Peace must always appear with the Terror of his Sword and wading through a Sea of Blood must arrive to Tranquility This made James your Father of Glorious Memory so happily renowned amongst all Nations It was the Noble Fame of your Princely Vertues which resounds to the utmost corners of the Earth that perswaded me to invite you to partake of that Blessing wherein I boast my self most Happy I wish God may heap the Riches of his Blessings on you increase your Happiness with your Days and hereafter perpetuate the Greatness of your Name in all Ages Heylin Cosmogr p. 961 962. It were not difficult to add many more such Attestations as these from Heathens Indians Jews c. For indeed all the Converts brought over to Christianity contribute a particular strength to this kind of Evidence But these I think are enough to satisfie any reasonable Reader and the unreasonable will not be convinc'd though Witnesses should arise from the Dead CHAP. CL. The Sufferings of the Reformed in the Kingdom of France THE Sufferings of the Reformed in the Kingdom of France within the Revolution of a few Years have been so great and attended with so many Remarkable Providences that tho' we cannot pretend to give our Reader a full Idea of them here that being reserved ' till the Publication of the Two last Volumes of the Edict of Nants it self yet we cannot but take notice of a few Particulars which were Transacted within the Bounds of Lower Languedoc and that may in the mean time serve for a Specimen of the same 1. When the Parliament of Toulouse and other Parliaments in France laboured to destroy the Protestant Churches God was pleased to raise up a Lawyer named Claude Brousson who with much Zeal and holy Boldness sollicited the Parliament of Toulouse on their behalf but being at last through the Violence of the Persecution forced to go out of France in the Year 1683. after he had run through many Dangers there he did yet from thence forward labour according to his Ability for the Defence Edification and Consolation of his distressed Brethren Lausanne in Switzerland was the principal place of his Residence and though he had not been bred in the Study of Divinity yet by assiduous Application and the blessing of God upon his Labours he Composed and caused to be Printed several small Pieces adapted for the Use of the afflicted Churches c. and which he took care to have dispersed up and down France and elsewhere continually As the extraordinary Ministers of God's Word were pleased to come often to confer with him concerning what both the one and the other of them had done for advancing the Lord's Work and that on the other hand he found he had not now as also for some time past the same liberty as formerly to disperse his Writings in France by the Post he was sollicited by his Conscience to return thither also in order to do what he could for the Promotion of God's Glory and had always these Words upon his Spirit Ezek. 13.4 5. O Israel thy Prophets are like the Foxes in the Desares Ye have not gone up into the Gaps neither made up the Hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the Battel in the day of the Lord. And that other Text in Judges 5.23 Curse ye Meroz said the Angel of the Lord c. Wherefore he at length determined to go thither and in order thereunto made up several Bales of those Writings he had got Printed and which he judged most proper for the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven he did suppose he might be able to find out a way to convey those Bales into Languedoc and that when he found himself in the Heart of the Kingdom he might disperse the said Writings with more Facility then he could have done during his abode in Switzerland but the Ways of God are not like nor Ways nor his Thoughts like our Thoughts But whatever be proposed hereby the Danger
him a thousand Blessings and God at the same time made him also taste in his Mind ineffable Consolations but above all he knew not how to express those Comforts he felt in the Holy Assemblies and particularly in those where he administred the Lord's Supper In the mean time he had daily Experience of a very remarkable thing which the rest of God's Servants did doubtless experience as well as he and that is that thô he were surrounded with an Army of Enernies who ran about and made continual Search after him to take him yet while he was in these Religious Meetings and opened his Mouth to call upon the Name of the Lord to sing his Holy Praises and to preach his Word he had commonly as calm a Mind as if he had been in a free Country and the like Tranquility he also enjoyed when he took his Pen in Hand to labour for the Advancement of God's Kingdom and for the Consolation of his desolated Church and if God shall be pleased to favour him with Life and Means to publish some Works which he has composed in the midst of so many Dangers and which he sent to the Court for to vindicate the Doctrine which he preached the Reader will doubtless be surprized that amidst so many Troubles he could be possest with a Mind so calm as to write Things of that nature but God perfecteth his Strength in the Weakness of his Children On the other hand he had the Comfort to be a Witness of all the Wonders which God did for the Salvation of his poor People he could not but admire the Graces he bestowed on so many faithful Servants which he raised up daily in an extraordinary manner who were weak and contemptible in the Eyes of the Flesh but whom he strengthned by his Spirit whereby he accompanied at the same time his Word with a wonderful efficacy and of which many from time to time sealed the Truth by their own Blood with an unshaken Constancy thô they were pleased to Honour him so far as to look upon him as their Brother and Colleague in the Work of the Lord and that they esteemed him also as a Person to whom God was pleased to give greater Degrees of Light than to many others and that he edified then by his Conversation yet he never compared the Graces which they had received of the Lord with those which it pleased God to bestow upon him but that he found very great matter of Humiliation administred to him and that he esteemed those faithful Servants of God much more excellent than himself he saw plainly that God was pleased to lay up Treasures in Earthen Vessels that it was his Spirit which made those dumb Ones to speak which drew forth Praises from the Mouths of those little Babes and which made those mystical Stones to cry out One Night as he was going towards a place which he had appointed for a Meeting as he drew nigh unto it be heard the Voice of a Person who spake in the midst of the People whereupon he drew somewhat nigher and finding that he who spoke prayed to God he fell down upon his Knees as 't is a constant usage in the Religious Meetings of France and there be heard a long and excellent Prayer wherewith he was much edified when it was ended he drew nigh to the Person that pray'd and he found him to be a young Man and a poor Trades-man to whom he said Brother if you be disposed to make some Exhortation to the People you may proceed Alack replied that poor Trades-man how hould I do it I can neither Write nor Read Some time after this young Man as he went from place to place to pray for the Consolation of the People being taken with another young Man named Compan who together with him did what he could in that kind for the Peoples support they were both of them condemned to the Gallies and suffered their Punishment boldly confessing the Name of the Lord. I have noted before that Brousson had made choice of Henry Poutant for his Guide and Companion in the Work he was engaged in who was a young Man of about Five and twenty Years old full of Zeal and Piety and of unblamable Life and who having learnt to write in the Woods while he was with Brousson he put him upon Copying his Sermons as he had done himself and to disperse them in such Places where himself could not go to preach the Gospel But as he had Copied about a Dozen and that he saw that Brousson who had declined in his Health was then sick at Nismes he told him he was very desirous to go and visit their Brethren from place to place and read his Sermons unto them which Proposal being well liked of by Brousson he recommended him to the Grace of God and so Poutant went from place to place labouring every-where for the Instruction and Comfort of his Brethren when he had got together some faithful Ones he began with the Confession of Sin then sung a Psalm after which he pray'd again the second time to implore the Aid of the Holy Spirit in the succeeding Exercise then he read some Chapter in the Scripture and some Sermon the reading whereof was followed by a warm Exhortation which he made to those that were present upon the Things which they had heard and lastly he concluded the whole with an excellent Prayer which he made with admirable servour of Spirit as Brousson found that God bestowed a particular Blessing on his Labour he told him when he returned to him That he ought to continue his Work it was what himself greatly desired but finding Brousson somewhat re-established in his Health and that he was now in a Condition himself to go and preach the Gospel in Person as he had constantly done by Writing during the time of his Sickness by sending up and down Copies of his Sermons among the Faithful he had some regret to abandon Brousson knowing the need he had of his assistance for Poutant knew perfectly well all the Country whereas another faithful Friend whom Brousson had pitched upon for his Companion and who had already been some time with him did not know it near so well but Brousson told him he had rather want his assistance than that the People should be deprived of the Edification which they might receive by his Labours and that God who knew the sincerity of his Intentions would take care of him insomuch that being separated from him after that Brousson had again recommended him to the Grace of God God hath since that time done great things by his Ministry Brousson on his part set himself again to gather Meetings but as he found himself still very feâ—ble he could not from thence forward but every Eighth Day or thereabouts exercise his Function in the mean time he found the Zeal of the People much inflamed during his Sickness whether arising from the fear they had of being deprived of
forced him to turn the Spit 'till his Arm was almost burnt by their continual throwing Wood on the Fire They beat an Old Man almost to Death to force him to go to Mass whilst the constant Martyr to his last Breath cried He would never do it And only requested they would dispatch and make an end of him 4. Monsieur de Garrison one of the chief Men of the City and an intimate Friend of the Intendant went and cast himself at his Feet imploring his Protection and conjuring him to rid him of the Troopers that he might have no force put upon his Conscience adding That in recompence of the Favour he begged of him he would give him all he had Which was to the value of about a Million of Livres But all his Intreaties were so far from prevailing that he ordered him for Terror to be worse used than the rest by dragging him along the Streets 5. Some of the lustiest Soldiers took their Landlords or others in the House and walking them up and down continually tickled and tossed them about like a Ball from each other without giving them the least Intermission and keeping them in that Condition three Days together without Meat Drink or Sleep 6. Isaac Faim a Citizen of Negreplisse was hung up by the Arm-pits and tortured a whole Night by pinching and tearing off his Flesh with Pincers thô thereby they were not in the least able to shake his Constancy 7. They made a Fire about a Boy of Ten Years of Age who with Hands and Eyes lifted up to Heaven cried My God help me And when they saw the Lad resolved to die rather than renounce his Religion they snatch'd him from the Fire when he was at the very point of being burnt 8. In divers places they have endeavoured to tire out the Patience of the poor Protestants and overcome their Constancy by applying red hot Irons to the Hands and Feet of Men and to the Breasts of Women 9. At Nants they hung up several Women and Maids by the Feet stark naked and others by the Armpits exposing them to the publick View Which is certainly the most exquisite Suffering to the Modesty of the Fair Sex 10. Children of four or five Years old were kept from Meat and Drink 'till they were ready to famish and were then brought to their Parents by the Dragoons who swore bloodily That except they would recant they must prepare themselves to see their Children languish and die in their presence If it happen that any by their Patience and Courage stand our the Soldiers go and acquaint their Commanders That they have done all they could but without success Who in a barbarous and surly Tone answer them You must return upon them and do worse than you have done The King Commands it Either they must turn or I must burst and perish in the Attempt 11. Thirty two Companies of Foot with an Intendant and the two Bishops of Agen and Periguex entred the City of Bergerack and sending for Two hundred of the principal Citizens before them told them That the King 's express Will and Pleasure was they should all go to Mass and that in case of Disobedience they had Order to compel them to it To which the Citizens unanimously answered That if they were so resolved they had nothing else to do but to prepare themselves to receive the Punishment they should inflict Whereupon Thirty two Troops more of Horse and Foot marched into the Town who were all quartered upon the Protestants with express Command not to spare any thing they had and to exercise all manner of Violence upon them 'till they had extorted a Promise of Conformity to their Wills These Wolves thus encouraged flew instantly upon these innocent Sheep rending and worrying them in such a manner as the Relation thereof cannot but strike horror and amazement On one hand the Child cries with the languishing Tone of one ready to die Ah my Father Ah my Mother What shall I do I must die I can endure no longer The Wife on the other hand cries Alas my Heart fails me I faint I die Whilst their cruel Tormentors are so far from being touched with Compassion that from thence they take occasion to torment them afresh and to renew their Tortures affrighting them with their Hellish Threats accompanied with execrable Oaths and Curses crying Dog Bougre what wilt thou not be converted wilt thou not be obedient Dog Bougre thou must be converted we are sent on purpose to convert thee 12. A young Woman was brought before the Council in order to oblige her to abjure the Truth which she boldly and manfully refusing was remanded back to Prison where they shaved her Head and singed the Hair from other parts and stripping her stark naked led her through the Streets of the City where many a Blow was given her and Stones flung at her After this they set her up to the Neck in a Tub full of Water where when she had been a while they took her out and put upon her a Shift dipped in Wine which as it dried and stuck to her sore and bruised Body they snatcht off again and then had another ready dipt in Wine to clap upon her This they repeated six several times and when by this inhumane Usage her Body was grown very raw and tender they demanded of her Whether she did not now find herself disposed to embrace the Catholick Faith As they term their Religion But she being strengthned by the Spirit and love of him for whose Name's-sake she suffered all these Extremities undauntedly answered That she had before declared her Resolution to them which she would never alter and that tho' they had her Body in their power yet she was resolved never to yield her Soul to them but keep it pure and undefiled for her heavenly Lover as knowing that a little while would put an end to all her Sufferings and give a beginning to her Enjoyment of Eternal Bliss Which Words further enraging them and despairing of making her a Convert they fastned her to a Gibbet by the Feet stark naked with her Head downward and there let her hang in that ignominious posture 'till she gave up the Ghost 13. There was an old Man in the City who having been long kept Prisoner in a deep Dungeon for the Protestant Profession was brought at length before the Judges with Vermine and Snails crawling upon his mouldred Garment who seeing him in that loathsome Condition said to him How now Old Man does not your Heart begin to relent and are not you willing to abjure your Heresie To which he answered As for Heresie I profess none but if by that word you mean my Religion you may assure your selves that as I have thus long lived so I hope and am resolved by the Grace of God to die in it With which Reply they being incensed grew rougher with him Dost thou not see said they that the Worms are ready to devour
was of the Female Sex The Father and Mother of it were great Familists Clark's Mir. c. 63. p. 249. CHAP. VIII Persons of a wonderful Strength STrength of Body is such an Endowment that we ought not indeed to be proud of â— if it were owing to our own Wit and Care for the procuring of it but we ought certainly to admire the Wisdom of God and his Goodness to us in making such a slender Structure of Dust moulded into Flesh and Blood and Bones and ty'd together with small Ligaments able to do such great matters and excellent Feats 1. Julius Valens a Centurion of the Guard of Soldiers about the body of Augustus Caesar was wont to bear up a Waggon laden with Hogs-heads or a Butt of Wine until it was discharged thereof and the Wine drawn out of it he would take up a Mule upon his back and carry it away also he used to stay a Chariot against all the force of the Horses striving or straining to the contrary and other wonderful Mysteries which are to be seen Engraven upon his Tomb-stone says Pliny lib. 7. cap. 20. p. 166. 2. Fusius Salvius having an Hundred Pounds weight at his Feet as many in his Hands and twice as much on his Shoulders went with all this up a pair of Stairs or Ladder ibid. p. 166. 3. My self have seen says Pliny one athanatus do wonderful strange matters in the open view and face of the World he would walk upon the Stage with a Cuirace of Lead weighing Five hundred Pounds and booted besides with a pair of Greaves upon his Legs of the same weight 4. Milo the great Wrestler of Crotona was of that strength that he-carried a whole Ox the length of a Furlong when he stood firm on his Feet no Man could thrust him off from his standing or if he grasped a Pomegranate in his Hand no Man was able to stretch a Finger of his and force it out at length Pliny ibid. p. 166. 5. Venetianello was of that strength and firmness that he broke the thick Shank-bones of Oxen upon his Knee three Pins of Iron as thick as a Man's Finger wraping them about with a Napkin he would twist and writh as if they were softened by Fire A Beam of 20 Foot long and a Foot thick laid upon his Shoulders sometimes set on end there he would carry without use of his Hands and shift from one Shoulder to another my Son was an Eye witness Wierâ—de praestig daem lib. 1. c. 18. p. 57. 6. There lived in Messina in Thuring Nicholas Klumber Provost of the great Church who was so strong as without Cable or Pulley or any other help he fetched up out of a Cellar a Pipe of Wine carried it out of Doors and laid it upon a Cart. Hakewell Ap. l. 3. c. 5. s 4. p. 214. 7. Mayolus an Italian Bishop speaks of a Man who in the Presence of the Marquiss of Pescara handed a Pillar of Marble three Foot long and one foot in Diameter the which he cast high in the Air then received it again in his Arms then lasht it up again sometimes after on Fashion sometimes after another as easily as if he had been playing with a Ball or such like thing Hakewell ibid. 8. The same Author speaks of one at Mantua called Rodomas so strong that he brake a Cable as big as a Man's Arm. Mounted upon a Horse and leading another by the Bridle he would run a full Career and stop in the midst of his Course or when it liked him ibid. 9. He says that Frogsard reports of Ornando Burg a Spaniard who was Companion to the Earl of Foix who lift up an Ass laden with Wood upon his Shoulder and carried him into a Room Ascended by 24 Steps and cast both the Ass and Wood into the Fire together ibid. 10. George of Fransberg Baron of Mindleheim was able with the middle Finger of his Right Hand to remove a very strong Man out of his place sate he never so sure he stopp'd a Horse suddenly that ran in a full Career by only touching the Bridle and with his Shoulder would he easily shove a Canon whither he Listed His Joynts seemed to be made of Horn and he wrested twisted Ropes and Horse-shoes in sunder by his bare Hands Camer Cent. c. 82. p. 380. 11. Cardan writes that himself saw one dancing with two in his Arms two upon his Shoulders and one hanging about his Neck Fullers Worth p. 215. 12. Mr. Carew of Cornwal assures us that one John Bray his Tenant carried upon his back at one time a good space six Bushels of Wheaten Meal reckoning fifteen Gallons to the Bushel and the Miller a Lubber of 24 years of Age. Upon the whole he addeth that John Roman of the same Shire a short Clownish Grub would bear the whole Carcass of an Ox. Fullers Worth p. 205 Cornwal 13. Scanderbeg is said to have slain 2 or 3000 Men with his own Hand never giving but one blow cleaving asunder whom he met with or cutting them in two by the Waste cleaving Steel Helmets c. Jovius c. CHAP. IX Wonderful Eaters THE faculty of Eating or taking in much Food and turning it to Chyle and Nutriment so as quite to alter the whole Mass and Assimulate part of it to the body by such little curious Veins and Vessels and Humours as are within us and this by several distinct Offices and Operations is very strange and astonishing and enough to make us look up with Praise and Wonder at him that made us 1. There was a Woman Athenaeus speaks of who eat 12 pound of Flesh about 12 pounds of Bread and drank above a Gallon of Wine at a Meal Maximinus the Emperor would drink often in one day 9 Gallons of Wine and eat 40 pound of Flesh 2. One Phagon in Vopiscus devoured in one day a whloe Bore a Hundred Loaves a Wether and a young Hog and drank more then 9 Gallons of Wine Capitolin writes that Claudius Albinus the Emperor devoured 500 dried Figs and 100 Peaches and 10 Melons and 20 pound of Grapes and 100 Gnatsappers and 400 Oysters for a Breakfast Johnston p. 311. 3. Vguccio Fagiol an old Man told Scaliger that when he was young he eat 4 fat Capons and so many Patridges and the roasted hinder part of a Kid and a breast of Veal stuft besides salt Fish at one Supper Caesar Maximilian tells of one that eat a raw Calf and a Sheep at one Meal Suidrigellus Duke of Lithuania sate 6 hours at Supper and fed on 130 Dishes Sylv. l. 2. Com. in Panormit ibid. 4. Gemma Frisius tells of a Woman that could not live one moment without eating he gives for Cause the greatness and peculiar Temperament of her Liver for her Fat being increased unmeasurably and her heat choaked her belly was opened and about 20 pounds of Fat were taken out her Liver was found to be sound swelling with blood and spirits but extream red and
Nat. Hist p. 210. c. 10. True Nitre is now little known which was anciently made of the Water of the River Nilus Albertus Magnus saith that in Goselaria was a Mountain that contained a very Rich Mine of Copper and that the Water that issued out at the bottom of it being dried became Nitre we know little also of Aphronitrum which is as it were the Froth of Nitre It is bitterer then Salt but less Salt Ibid. The Egyptians strowed their Rhadishes with Nitre as we with Salt 11. Salt-Peter is the means between them two and consists of very dry ad subtle parts it grows on the Walls of Old Houses and in Stables Cow-houses and Pidgeon-houses it will grow again in the same Earth it was taken out of if that Earth be thrown into Earth and not stirred and taken care of the use of it is well known in making Gun-powder Aqua Fortis it is used also in melting Mettle Ibid. It is disputed variously whether the Nitre of the Ancients be of the same Species with our Salt-Peter Ibid. 12. Alom is either Congeal'd or Liquid the Congeal'd is of many Figures that which is called Scissum is the Flower of Alom in Clods and is prest together like Plank or it flourishes severally like Gray-hairs round Alom like Bubbles or is like a Sponge by reason of the holes in it the Liquid Alom send out of it self such a Vapour that smells like Fire as Sones when rubb'd together to cause Fire when burnt it swells into bubbles and loseth something of its substance Johnston's Nat. Hist Clas 4 c. 5. 13. Amber has been reputed by some a Gum by others the Sperm or Dung of Whales hardned by the Sea but Dr. Heylin affirms it to be the juice of a Stone growing like a Coral in Poland in a Mountain of the North-Sea clean covered with Water and rent thence in the Winter and so cast into the Neighbouring Havens hardening like Coral when taken out of the Water burning like Pitch attracting Straws and Iron good for stopping the Blood Agues c. Tavernier saith that 't is a certain Congelation found only upon the Coast of Prussia in the Baltick Sea Farm'd out by the Elector of Brandenbourg for 20000 Crowns a Year or more Hevelius in a Letter to Mr. Oldenbourg from Dantzick July 5. 1670 saith he had received a piece of Amber so soft that he had Printed his Seal on it yellowish transparent and burning as other Amber but of a stronger seent yet had been cast up from the Baltick the year before In China their great Lords at their Feasts throw a vast quantity of Amber into persuming Pots set upon the Table burning it partly for the scent and partly because they adore the Fire there are several sorts of Amber pale black spotted c. The Shops know only the white which is best and the yellow Sir Tho Pope Blunts Nat. Hist p. 13. 24. Jet Gagates Obsidianus is a black Bitumen hardned in the Sea which the Floods use to cast upon the Shores of the Estyii with Amber Earthen Vessels that are glased with it are not defaced lin l. 36. c. 19. When burnt it smells like Brimstone it kindles with Water but is extinguished with Oyl it is found great and of a pale colour at the Town of Ganges in Licia Strabo saith creeping things flie from the scent of it it is called Earthy Bitumen otherwise burning Stone because it will flame it is called Ampelitis because it kills little Worms called Enipaes it is dug up in Scotland and in the Jurisdictions of Leids they make Chaplets of it to say their Prayers upon In Collaum a Province of Peru there is a place all bare not Tree nor Plant upon it the Earth being Bituminous out of which the Indians extract a Liquor good for many Diseases the way this they cut the Ground into Turss lay it upon Rods or great Reeds putting Vessels under it to receive it the Sun Melts this Bitumen and the dry Turfs are fit to make Fires 15. Coal or Sea-Cole so called because carryed by Sea from several places as Wales and New-Castle to other Parts for Fewel is dug out of Pits or Mines where it is found in manner of a continued Black-Rock or hard Bitumen well known in England there being no less then 50000000 Chaldrons yearly gotten in the Nation the greatest remarkable concerning them is that there is a Species of it in Cheshire and some other Parts of a more Fat and Unctuous substance called Cannal-Coal which gives a pleasant flaming Light in the Burning like a Lamp or Câ—ndle But there are often found in these subterrauean Vaults such Stagnations of Vapours that for want of a due Ventilation produce very strange and dangerous Damps of which we shall speak more hereafter 't is called Carbo petrae Lithanthaeax or New-Castle Coal the chief Fewel in England and Germany the Chymical Spirit or Oyl is no ways inferior to that of Amber healing Wounds softning Tumours c. 16. Sulphur or Brimstone is dug up in an Island by the Mountain Hecla and that without Fire It is yellow that is digged out of the Plain of Brimstone which is called in Campania Virgin-Brimstone because Women Paint their Faces with it It is so Friendly to Fire that pieces of it laid about the Wood will draw the Fire to it put into Fire it will by the Scent discover the Falling-Sickness Johnston's Nat. Hist Clas 4. c. 13. Mr. Salmon makes 5 kinds of Mineral Sulphures Brimstone Arsnick or Orpiment Amber-Grease Amber and Bitumen Sulphur Vive is a Resinous Fatness of the Earth full of a Vitriolick Acidity being Gray or Greenish inflamable with a Blue and Suffocating Fume An Artificial is made of Sulphur Vive being Porous and Yellow or boyled out of Sulphurous Water the Foeces of either of which is the Sulphur Cabaline or Horse-Brimstone besides which there are other Artificial Brimstones drawn out of Copper Cinnaber and Vitriol which as it is rarer so it is better For in Chimneys where Vitriol is commonly boyled you may find Flower of Sulphur elevated all Sulphur of Brimstone is hot and dry Aperitive Cutting Discussive c. 17. Arsnick is a Mineral coagulated Juice or Fat made of Combustible Sulphur and corrosive Salts being Natural or Artificial the Natural is either yellow or red the yellow is called Orpiment the red is called Risgalum Real-gal and Sandaracha the Artificial is white and is made of the yellow sublimed with Salt of each equal quantities and this is that which is properly called Arsnick which being pure hard heavy and white like Milk or Chrystal is good Unprepated it is one of the greatest Poysons and a perfect Enemy to the Balsom of Life causing Heat Thirst Torment Corrosion Vomitting Palpitation Cold Sweats Intollerable burning Pains Convulsions and Death Outwardly it is used in Amulets and Cauteries with good Success it eats away proud and dead Flesh takes off Hair Salmon Disp p. 400. Spirit and
little Conversant in and therefore cannot be supposed to say much of it This is certain that they have found out several ways of dissolving Natural Bodies and separating their various Substances by Menstruum Amalgamation Liquation Calcination c. Of Extracting Juices Oils and Spirits out of them of Fermenting Fixing Subliming and Transforming one Metal or Mineral into another as Transforming Tin into Silver or Lead changing Lead again into Tin Antimony into Lead making Lead heavier extracting Quicksilver out of it and again converting Lead into Quicksilver Transforming Brass or Iron into a more worthy Metal drawing Water out of Quicksilver making Quicksilver grow to be a Tree giving a golden Tincture to Silver and Extracting Gold out of it Counterfeiting and Colouring precious Stones polishing of Metals Extracting Salts Tinctures Essences Gums c. Tempering Hardening and Softening Iron c. 4. Sir Christopher Wren contrived how to make Diaries of Wind and Weather and of the various Qualifications of the Air as to Heats Colds Droughts Moisture and Weight through the whole Year and this in order to the History of Seasons with observations which are the most Healthful or Contagious to Men or Beasts which the Harbingers of Blights Mildews Smut c. To this end he contrived a Thermometer to be its own Register and a Clock to be annexed to a Weather-Cock which moves a Rundle covered with white Paper upon which the Clock moving a black Lead Pensil the Observer by the Traces of the Pensil on the Paper may know what Winds have blown during his Sleep or Absence for 12 Hours together he hath discovered also many subtle ways for easier finding the degrees of Drought and Moisture and the Gravity of the Atmosphere and amongst other Instruments hath Ballances that shew the Pressure of the Air by their very easie Inclinations He hath made Instruments also to shew the Mechanical Reason of Sailing to all Winds and others of Resiration for straining the Breath from thick Vapours to try whether the same Breath thus purified will serve again Dr. Plot 's Nat. Hist of Oxfordshire c. 9. par 30. c. 5. The Honourable Mr. Boyle invented a Pneumatic Engine with the help of Mr. Hook called the Air Pump far above that of Magdeburgh by the Assistance whereof he hath accurately Examined the Elastical Power Pressure Weight Expansion and weakness of this Element and has found out so many new things relating to the height and gravity of the Atmosphere nature of a Vacuum Flame and excandefcence of Coals Match Firing of Gun-Powder propagation of Sounds Fluidity Light Freezing Respiration c. that to give an Account of all according to their Merits would be to Transcribe the Author himself Ibid. 6. The same Noble Person invented the Barometer or Weather-Glass whereby the gravity of the Atmosphere hath been daily observed by Dr. Wallis for many Years together and the Quicksilver in the Tube found never to ascend much above 30 Inches and never to descend much below 28 which is supposed to be the whole Latitude of its Variation Ibid. 7. The same Ingenious Dr. Wallis hath observed many Years together the Temper of the Air by a the Air by a Thermometer whereof he kept the Notes still by him very particular for every Day Ibid. Which latter Instrument though graphically delineated by Robert de Fluctibus in a M. S. of 500 Years standing at least yet hath still received other useful Advancements from Sir Chr. Wren who finding the usual Thermometers not to give so exact a measure of the Airs extension by reason the Gravity of the Liquor as it stands higher or lower in the Glass weighs unequally on the Air and gives it a Contraction and Extension besides what is produced by Heat and Cold he thereofre invented a circular Thermometer in which the Liquor can occasion no such fallacy it remains continually of one height and moving the whole Instrument like a Wheel on its Axel Ibid. 8. Mr. J. Jones of Jesus Coll. Oxon contrived a Clock which moved by the Air equally expressed out of Bellows of a Cylindrical Form falling into Folds in its descent much after the manner of Paper Lanthorns these instead of drawing up the weights of other Clocks are only fill'd with Air admitted into them at a large Orifice at the top which is stopt up again as soon as they are full with a hollow Skrew in the head whereof there is set a small brass Plate about the bigness of a silver Half-penny with a Hole perforated scarce so big as the smallest Pins head through this Hole the Air is equally expressed by Weights laid on the top of the Bellows which descending very slowly draw a Clock-line having a counterpoise at the other end that turns a Pully-wheel fastened to the Arbor or Axis of the Hand that points to the Hour which devise though not brought to the intended Perfection of the Inventor that perhaps it may be by the help of a Tumbrel or Fusee yet highly deserves mentioning Ibid. 9. Mr. John Young M. A. of Magdalene Hall hath improved the Hygroscope 'T is made of two Deal or rather Poplar Boards who rationally concluding that the Teeth of the thin pieces of Brass placed across the Juncture of the two Boards must needs in its passage from bearing on one side of the Teeth of the Pinion to the other upon change of Weather make a stand as it were in respect of the motion of the Axel of the Hand thinking a pretty stiff Spring cut on the under side after the manner of a File placed flat and not edg-ways and bearing pretty hard upon an Axel of Copper may turn the Hand upon Change of Weather in the punctum of Reversion without any more than a negative Rest which being an Opinion so very rational and unlikely to fail when brought to the Test I thought fit to propound to the Ingenious Ibid. 10. Dr. Willis hath given us the Anatomy of Blood in his Book de Febribus and declared the true Causes and Nature of Fermentations in the Juices and upon them built his most Rational Doctrine of Fevers Intermitent Putrid and Malignant with particular Observations concerning them much different from the ways of the Ancients 11. To these he hath superadded the Spagyrical Anatomy of Vrin 12. His Method of Diffecting the Brain is new and very Natural And although he was not the first that mentioned two Souls in a Man the Sensitive and Rational yet perhaps no Body hath proved it so well 13. Sir Christopher Wren first found out the way of Injecting Liquors into the Veins of Animals and did exhibit it to the Meetings at Oxford about the Year 1656. by which Operation divers Animals immediately purged vomited intoxicated kill'd or revived according to the quality of the Liquor injected 14. Hence arose the Transfussng of Blood out of one Animal into another by Dr. Lower 1665. 15. The same Author was the first that Published the rrue Method of dividing the
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thee to Morrow Sigismund the Second King of Poland because of his perpetual delay and heaviness in weighty Affairs was called the King of to-morrow Such are we certainly Men of to-morrow we delay all things most willingly also if we could to put off Death it self but the business of dying admits of no delay suffers no put-offs Francis the First King of France being taken by Charles the Fifth when he had read at Madrid Charles's Impress upon the Wall Plus ultra Farther yet added thereto To day for me to morrow for thee The Victor took it not ill but to shew that he understood it wrote underneath I am a Man there is no Humane Accident but may befal me Barlaam the Hermit an Old Man of Seventy Years when Jehosaphat the King asked him how Old he was Answered Forty five at which when the King admired He reply'd that he had been absent rom his Studies Twenty five Years as if those Years which he had spent upon the Vanity of the World had been quite lost Sir Tho. Moor that no Age might delude a Person with the hopes of a longer Life gives this Admonition As he that is carried out of a Prison to the Gallows though the way be longer yet fears not the Gallows the less because he comes to it a little the later and though his Limbs are firm his Eyes quick his Lungs sound and that he relish his Meat and Drink yet this is still his Affliction that he is upon his Journey Thus are we all carried to the Gibbet of Death we are all upon the way only parted by some little Intervals The Elector of Brandenburg came to Visit Charles the Fifth being Sick of the Gout and advised him to make use of his Physicians To whom Charles replied The best Remedy in this Disease is Patience The compleat Armour of a Sick Man is Patience being so guarded he need fear neither Sickness Pain nor Death He is Proof against the blows of his Enemies and shall certainly overcome for Patience overcomes all things St. Austin Bishop of Hippo went to visit another Bishop of his Familiar Acquaintance lying in Extremity to whom as he was lifting up his Hands to Heaven to signifie his Departure St. Austin replyed That he was a great support of the Church and worthy of a longer Life To whom the sick Person made this Answer If never 't were another thing but if at any time why not now Thus Sitenus being taken by Midas and asked what was the best thing could happen to Man For a while stood silent At length being urg'd to speak he answer'd That the best thing was never to be born the next to die the soonest that might be This I must not omit very wonderful unheard-of and pleasant in the Relation Lodowick Cortusius a Lawyer of Padua forbid to his Relations all Tears and Lamentations by his Will And desir'd that he might have Harpers Pipers and all sorts of Musick at his Funeral who should partly go before partly follow the Corps leaving to every one of them a small Sum of Money His Bier he ordered to be carry'd by Twelve Virgins that being clad in green were to sing all the way such Songs as Mirth brought to their remembrance leaving to each a certain Sum of Money instead of a Dowry Thus was he buried in the Church of St. Sophia in Padua accompanied with a Hundred Attendants together with all the Clergy of the City excepting those that wore black for such by his Will he forbid his Funeral as it were turning his Funeral-Rites into a Marriage-Ceremony He died the 17th of July 1418. Admirable was the saying of St. Bernard Let them bewail their Dead who deny the Resurrection They are to be deplor'd who after Death are buried in Hell by the Devils not they who are plac'd in Heaven by the Angels Cyrus being about to die My Son said he when I am dead close up my Body neither in Silver nor in any other Metal but return its own Earth to the Earth again His last words were Be grateful to your Friends and you will never want the Power to punish your Enemies Farewel my dear Son and tell these my Words to your Mother also Wisely said Theophrastus upon his Death-Bed Many fine and pleasant things doth Life impose upon us under the pretence of Glory than the love of which there is nothing more vain Hither may be referred the saying of Severus the Emperor I was all things but nothing avails Alexander after many and great Victories overcome at length he fell not only into his Bed but into his Tomb contented with a small Coffin Peter Alphonsus reports That several Philosophers flock'd together and variously descanted upon the King's Death One there was that said Behold now four Yards of Ground is enough for him whom the spacious Earth could not comprehend before Another added Yesterday could Alexander save whom he pleas'd from Death to Day he cannot free himself Another viewing the Golden Coffin of the deceased Yesterday said he Alexander heaped up a Treasure of Gold now Gold makes a Treasure of Alexander This was their Learned Contention yet all ended in this Then he fell sick and died Lewis King of France gave these his last Admonitions to his Son Beware my Son that thou never commit any deadly Sin rather suffer all manner of Torments First chuse such about thee as will not be afraid to tell thee what thou art to do and what to beware To thy Parents give all Obedience Love and Reverence Ferdinand the Great King of Castile falling sick of his last Sickness caused himself to be carried to the great Church in all his Royal Robes where putting off all his Royal Ornaments and as it were restoring God his own he put on a Hair-Clâ—â— and casting himself upon the Ground with Tears in his Eyes Lord said he the Kingdom which thou gavest me I return to thee again seat me I beseach thee in Eternal Light Charles King of Sicily spoke these words Oh the Vain Thoughts of Men Miserable Creatures we are delighted with Honour heap up Treasure and neglect Heaven O the happy Fate of the Poor who content with little sleep in Tranquility What does now my Kingdom what do all my Guards avail me I might have been miserable without all this Pomp. Where is now the power and strength of my Empire The same necessity involves me as hampers the meanest Beggar Of so many Thousands of Clients Servants and Flatterers there is not one that will or can accompany me to the Tribunal of God Go Mortals go and swell your Breasts with great Thoughts to Day or to Morrow ye must die Farewel Earth would I could say welcom Heaven Dionysius the Areopagite being condemned to lose his Head with a Christian Generosity contemning the Reproaches of the Spectators Let the last words of my Lord upon the Cross said he be mine in this World Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit
Basil the Great lying at the last period of Life after he had piously instructed his own Friends breathed out his Soul with these last words Lord into thy Hands I commend my Spirit Cardan relates of a Man in Milan who having in Sixty Years been never without the Walls yet when the Duke hearing thereof sent him peremptory Command never to go out of the Gates during Life He that before had no inclination to do so yet soon died of Grief to be denied the Liberty of doing it Chetwinds Hist Collections The Customs of several Nations in the Burial of their Dead Many Persons 1. Kiss and kindly Salute their dead Friends and Relations to shew the natural tenderness and love they had for the deceased but this Custom is now quite abolished with us in many places though this Peactice ought not to be altogether discommended 2. As for the usage that is in some Countries of washing the Dead St. Chrysostom tells us that it was derived at first from the Person of our Lord and Saviour whose precious Body was washed as soon as they took it down from the Cross And we read in the Ninth Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that a Woman of Joppa called Tabitha whom St. Peter restored to Life had been wash'd before she was laid out for the Grave The Indians burn their Dead 3. The Custom of Perfuming and Embalming the Corps hath in our days been especially in England much observed And indeed the very reason why the Primitive Christians were so careful to Perfume the Dead was because they regarded them as so many Members of the Mystical Body of the Redeemer of the World Tertullian in his Apology upbraiding the Heathens with the vast Expences of sweet Scents and Perfumes consumed in the Temples tells them that those Odours would be better employed in Perfuming and Embalming the Bodies of Christians and their dear Friends departed At the Canary Islands they bury their Dead with a Bottle of Wine standing by them 4. As concerning the manner of Apparelling the Dead all Christians use not the same Practice for some do only cover them with a large Winding-sheet as they do in France And others dress them in the very same Cloaths they were wont to wear as in Italy and several other places And others dress them and lay them in their Coffin in a white Shirt a clean Cap and sometimes as a late Act of Parliament enjoyns in Flannel this is the Custom in England The Chinese always before they bury their Dead if he was a Married Man bring him to his Wife that so she might first kiss him and bid him farewel The Method that ought to be observed in Funeral Processions for most Ranks ad Degrees of Men. First Children of the Hospital Two Conductors Poor Men. Gentlemens Servants in Cloaks Gentlemen in Cloaks Gentlemen in Gowns Aldermen in Black The Preacher A Penon of his own Arms Helm and Crest The Coat of Arms. Chief Mourners Two Assistants Aldermen not in Black Master of the Company if c. Master of the Hospital Then all Gentlemen not in Black Neighbours and others I might here enlarge upon Mourning for and the Ancient Customs and Manners of Burying the Dead in all Nations throughout all the habitable World The Ancient Romans did use them that were dead after two manners and they had two kinds of Obsequies the first and most Ancient was to cover the dead with Earth and to bury them as we do the other to burn their Bodies but this manner did not continue long Numa Pompilius was the Inventer of Obsequies and he instituted a High-Priest who had the Charge The first Honour which they used to perform in the Obsequies of Famous Persons was to commend the Party by an Oration Valerius Publicola made a Funeral Oration on the Death and in the Praise of Brutus In like manner Julius Casar being but Twelve Years old commended his Grandfather and Tiberius at the Age of Nine Years praised his Father The second Honour was to make Sword players to Fight Marcus and Decius Sons to Junius Brutus were the first that did practise this in Honour of their Father The third Honour was to make a Feast of Magnificent Furnishment The fourth was a distribution of Meat to all the common People And such a I have said before as could not be buried with the like and so great Pomp for the Expences were insupportable were buried in the Night-time by the Vespiliones cloathed all in white who carried the dead Body to his Grave They had likewise an Order that within some while after the Obsequies they would strew divers Flowers nd sweet Odours upon the Sepulchre as the Roman People did upon the Funeral Monument of Scipio And also they accustomed Yearly to Garnish Deck and Adorn the Tombs or Graves of the Dead with Posies Crowns and Garlands of all sorts of Flowers Husbands saith St. Jerom ad Pammachium were wont to strew spread or scatter over and upon the Graves and Sepulchres of their deceased dear Wives Violers Roses Lilies Hyacinths and divers Purple Flowers by which Vxorious Office they did mitigate and lessen the grief of their Hearts conceived by the loss of their Loving Bedfellows The like expression of Mutual Love Wives shewed to their buried Husbands Now above all Flowers in these Ceremonious Observances the Rose was in greatest request and had the sole preheminence as Kirman relates The Ancient Ethnicks did hold the springing of Flowers from the Grave of a deceased Friend as an Argument of his Happiness and it was their universal wish That the Tombâ—stones of their dead Friends might be light unto them and that a perpetual Spring-tide of all kind of fragrant Flowers might incircle their verdant Graves According to this of Persius Sat. 7. Dii majorum umbris tenuem sine pondere terram Spirantesque crocos in urna perpetuum ver Lie Earth light on their Bones may their Graves bear Fresh fragrant Flowers let Spring-tide still live there But to come back again The Magnificence in burning the Bodies of the Dead did far exceed in charges all other kinds of Funeral for with the Bodies of Persons of Principal regard as you may read in the Travels of George Sandys they burnt rich Odours Gold Jewels Apparel Herds of Cattel Flocks of Sheep Horses Hounds and sometimes the Concubines and Slaves whom they most respected to supply their wants to serve their delights and attend upon them in the lower Shades With the like Solemnity or far greater the Funerals of Patroclus were performed by Achilles for with him were burned Oxen Sheep Dogs Horses and twelve stout and valiant Sons of Noble Trojans Achilles pulls off the Hair off his Head and casts it into the Flame and besides institutes certain Funeral Games to the Honour of his slain Friend the Glory of the Greekish Nation Patroclus which is recorded by Homer in the 23d Book of his Iliads They used to quench these Funeral