or that she must take her last farewell of him and so she have him dead to her whil'st alive but since providence compels them to part here Imagen for I cannot expresse their affectionate farewels with teares till they meet where joys are compleater perpetual This being past he makes it his only work to put of his and to prepare for a better life in which D. Wild added to his indeavours his pious assistance the day being spent Dr. Wilde left him not without the beames and light of a friends prayers and the dayes glory together but kept him company all that night thereby to make day in his soule though it were night in the World Immediately after came Dr. Reynolds Mr. Carill Mr. Manton Mr. Bates and others with whose discourse they were so affected that that evening they took Coach on Lud-gate Hill and went down to white-Hall to beg his life of his Highnesse the Lord Protector but that were not granted His demeanour on the Scaffold ON Tuesday morning the time of execution drawing neigh they spent that part which gave them leisure to prepare for that great work to dye which time being come Dr. Wilde Dr. Warmistry and Deane Reves accompanyed him to the place of Execution and on the way they tell him he was goeing to solemnize a marriage wherein he must look death in the face before he could come to the fruition and full injoyment of his Bride he shewed such chearfullnesse to that work that gave satisfaction to his friends these communications being obstructed by arrivall at the Scaffold Dr. Wilde and Dr. Warmistry led him up the staires like to wings that assist the body to assend and being mounted he demeaned himselfe with a most meek and undejected deportment and casting his eye toward the block he espyed some of the blood of his fellow-sufferer and having a while fixt his eyes stedfastly on that object with hands and eyes elevated he sends up ejaculations to heaven and then falleth down on his knees and prayed privatly a while and then about as long audably Doctor HEWIT's Letter to Doctor WILDE the day before he suffered Dearest Brother I Have no cause to think that you have not at any time taken me along with you in the daily walk upon your knees to Heaven but I beseech you and all my Brethren to be now especially very mindfull to call upon God for me The more company I go withal the more welcom I shall be made I should be loath either to leave out of my Creed or to be left out of the benefit of the Communion of Saints Two are better then one Two or three have the advantage of a Promise but to goe with a multitude to the House of God where all commers are welcome is to be assured before-hand of good entertainment Admission will hardly be denyed to any for whom there is great importunity of many If the Gate be shut much knocking will open it or if that would not doe it united Forces would offer an Holy violence Many will prevail where one alone can doe but little good Woe unto him that is alone Therefore dear Brother sith it is the infirmity of our nature that we live not without the occasions of giving and taking of offence And 't is the corruption of our nature that the offences we give we write in the dust Those we take we engrave in Marble If you know or shall heare of any one either of my Brethren or other persons whom by any act of scandall I have tempted or provoked or lessened or disturbed to exclude me the benefits of their charitable prayers or wishes I beseech you beg of them from me for me their pardon And let not any private wild-fire of passion put out the holy flames of a diffusive charity And as for my selfe I doe here protest before God that I do heartily desire to forget the injuries of whosoever has trespassed against me either by word or deed And if God should have been pleased to have granted a longer life I would not refuse yea I am stedfastly resolved to sollicite termes of Reconciliation with them that have done me the wrong And if my owne heart doe not deceive me I would give my life to save the soule of any of my Christian Brethren and would be content to want some degrees of glory in Heaven so that my very greatest Enemies might be so happy as to have soâ—â—e The God of Mercy shed forth his Bowels for them that shed my blood and the blood of Christ save and the spirit of Christ sanctifiâ— and support him who desires to live no longer then to honour the Father Son and holy Ghost and both living and dying craves yours and the prayers of the whole Church for her unworthy Child and Dearest Brother Your most affectionate friend Brother and Servant in Christ Jesus JOHN HEWIT Tower June 7. 1658. Morning 7 a Clock Doctor Hewit's first Prayer O Most glorious God Beeings of Beeings unaccessable light life of life Father of the spirits of the just and perfect infinite incomprehensible God of power wised me mercy justice and truth who dwelleth in that unsearchable glory and majesty to which none of all thy Creatures can attain King of kings Lord of lords my earnest expectation and my hope the onely confidence and consolation of my soule though my numberlesse sins have deserved thy wrath yet looke upon me through thy Christ in whome I have beleived by thy command and through whome thou hast promised the remission of my sins and eternall life that so as I was borne with a condition to dye so am I ready to dye with a condition to live with him and therefore for his sake assure me of it that so I may have hope and confidence in my end what though I must drinke the bitter portion of a violent death it is no more my God then my Redeemer tasted before me and though thou haâ—t suffered me to be removed from my peace and comfort of this World and from prosperity hast cast downe my dejected spirit with weights of sorrow yet that soule that seekes thee by mercies are renewed every morning and thy compassion failes not therefore my soule hath said that thou art my portion and therefore doth my soule trust on thee truth it is indeed oh my God that the hopes of the hills are vaine and so is all confidence in Man in honours or prosperity and most unhappy is that that is not in thee but in spite of Sathan or the Worlds malice blessed is that soule whose hope and whose trust thou art therefore though thou art pleased to weane me from a trustlesse world let thy peace and salvation Crowne my end and oh my Lord let my prayers come as incence up unto thee and in my Jesus be accepted by thee and bow the Heavens and come downe into my soule that in this hour of my death the comfort and joy of thy presence make those
of the High Court by which I was condemned that upon examination of the business they â—avâ— not found me a medler at all in these affaâ—res And truly I must needs say therefore That it was a very uncharitable act in them who ever they were that brought such accusation against me and irritated his Highnesse against me which first obstructed my liberty next brought to the Bar as a Traitor which now commands me to satisfie them with my blood but I will not say it was malice it might be zeal but it was rash zeal which caused me to be sentenced to this place The God of Mercy pardon and forgive them all And truly as I am a member of the Church and as a member of the Community where on behalfe I have been speaking I cannot but doe as our Saviour himselfe did for his Disciples when he was to be taken from them he blessed them and ascended up to Heaven My trust is in the mercy of the Most High I shall not miscarry and however my dayes are shortned by this unexpected doom and shall be brought untimely to the grave I cannot goe without my prayers for a blessing upon all the people of this Land and cannot but blesse them all in the name of God and beseech God to blesse them in all their wayes and his blessing be upon them all and upon me that am to suffer an ignominious violent death but my confidence is in the most high and here is my hope that I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine therefore come Lord Jesus come quickly Let us Pray O Most glorious Lord God thou whose dwelling is so far above the highest Heavens that thou humblest thy selfe but to looke upon the things that are in Heaven and that are in Earth thou who dost whatsoever thou wilt both in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and in all places In thy hands are the Hearts of all Men and thou turnest them which way soever thou wilt O Lord looke in mercy and compassion we beseech thee on this great and numerous people of this Land with an eye of pity not with an eye of fury and indignation O looke not on all those great and grievous sins that have provoked thee most justly to wrath and displeasure against us But gracious God! who can stand in thy sight when thou art angry when thou with rebuke dost correct Man for sin thou makest his beauty to consume away like as it were a Moth fretting a Garment O Lord thy indignation and wrath lies heavy upon us and thou hast vexed us with scourges thou hast made us a reproach and a by-word amongst our Neighbours and the very Heathen laugh us to scorn Oh that thou wouldeâ—t turne us againe O Lord God of Hoâ—ts that thou wouldst shew us the light of thy countenance that we may behold it that thou wouldst humble us for all those sins and grievous transgressions that are amongst us for those Atheisms for those infidelities horrid Blasphemies and Prophaneness for those Sacriledges for those Heresies for those Schisms Errors and all those blindnesses of heart pride vain-glory and hypâ—crisie that leades us from thee it perswades us it will bring us to thee O humble us for that envy hatred and malice and all uncharitableness that hath set us one against another that we are so dashed one against another even to destroy each other Ephraim against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah This thou hast done to us to make us a skurge unto each other O Lord because we have rebelled against thee O how greatly and grievously have we sinned yet for all this thou haâ—t not reqvited us according to our ill deservings for thou mightest have brought us to desâ—lation and destruction Fire might have come downe from Heaven and destroyed us our forreigne Enemies and the Enemies of thee and thy Christ our Saviour might have swallowed us up What have we not deserved Yet O the long-suffering and patience and goodness of our God! O Lord our God! we pray thee that thy patience and long-suffering might leade to repentance that thou wouldst be pleased thou who delightest not in the death of a sinner but rather that he should turn from his sins and live that thou wouldest turn us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Draw us and we shall run after thee Draw us with the Cords of love and by the bands of thy loving kindness by the powerfull working of thy holy spirit in our souls worke contrition in our hearts and a godly sorrow for all our sins even a sorrow to repentance and a repentance to salvation never to be repented of O Lord breake these stony hearts of ours by the hammer of thy word molifie them by the oyle of thy Grace smite these rockie hearts of ours by the Rod of thy most gracious power that we may shed forth Rivers of teares for the sins we have committed O that thou wouldst make us grieve because we cannot grieve and to weep because we cannot weep enough That thou wouldest humble us more and more in the true sight and sence of all our provocations against thee and that thou wouldest be pleased in the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all our sins Lord let his blood that speakes better things than that of Abel cry louder in thine eares for mercy then all those mischiefes and wickednesses that have been done amongst us for vengeance O besprinkle my polluted but penitent soule in the blood of Jesus Christ that I may be cleane in thy sight and that the light of thy countenance may shine upon me Lord be pleased to seale unto mine and all our soules the free pardon and forgiveness of all our sins Say to each of our soules and say that we may heare it that thou art well-pleased with us and appeased towards us Lord doe thou by thy spirit assure our spirits that we are thy Children and that thou art reconciled to us in the blood of Jesus Chriâ—t To this end O Lord create in us new hearts and renew right spirits within us Cast us not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from us but give us the comfort of thy help and establish us with thy free spirit Help us to live as thy redeemed ones and Lord let us not any longer by our wicked lives deny that most holy faith whereof our lips have so long time made profession but let us that call on the name of the Lord Jesus depart from iniquity and hate every evil way Help us to cast away all our transgressions whereby we have transgressed and make us new hearts Carry us along through the Pilgrimage of this world supplying us with all things needfull for us thy grace alone is sufficient for us Lord let thy grace be assistant to us to strengthen us against all the temptations of Sathan especially against those sins whereunto we are most prone either by custome
thy mercy and loving kindness in Jesus Châ—ist our salvation thy true and holy Word our instruction thy Grace and holy Spirit our comfort and consolation to the end and in the end through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Which being finished he applies himselfe to the Executioner giving him thrâ—e pieces in gold out of a Purse Stripping himselfe he being in his shirt askes his Man for his Wastcoat who after a dilâ—gent search not finding of it he tell his Mastâ—r it were lost upon which the Doctor makes answer no matter if I lose a Wastcoat when I am to lose my life afterward it being fâ—und and having put it on with his Cap he put his hair under it himselfe laying himselfe down to fit himselfe to the Block praing a pretty while in which time there were brought a Warrant upon the Scaffold which did not in the least alter Dr. Hewit having done Prayer he arises taking leave of his friends which occasioned the fall of many a tear and prepares himselfe for the Block where giving a sign the Executioner at one blow and a raze severed his Head from his Body which was put in a Coffin brought for that purpose and conveyed to Hunsdon House neer Doctors Commons and afterward enter'd with all descency in the Chancell of Saint Gregories London FINIS AN ELEGIE UPON The most PIOUS and EMINENT Doctor JOHN HEWITT I. NAture and reason both do plainly show After an Ebb we must expect a Flow Our late Experience makes this maxime good A Flood of Tears succeeds an Ebb of Blood HEWITT's departure makes a Tempest rise His ebbing Body left us flowing Eyes II. Come then my Muse let 's labour to distill Thorough the Limback of my mourning Quill Such hearty Tears that truly may invite A Zealot to a perfect appetite Of Love and Pity and let those that never Knew how to weep now learn to weep for ever III. But stay my Genius will these captious Times Indure the touch of our Elorious Rimes Without a prejudice Be therefore wise This Age has reaching Ears and searching Eyes If thou offend'st my Muse be sure to borrow The priviledge to charge it on thy sorrow IV. Since he is dead report it thou my Muse Unto the World as Grief and not as News Hark how Religion sighs the Pulpet grones And Tears run trickling down the senslesse stones That Church which was all Ears is now turn'd Eyes The Mother weeps and all her Children cries V. Does Rachel mourn Oh blame her not for she Has lost her Darling in his Infancy She looks upon it as a signal Cross But knows that he has gained by her loss She grieves and hopes her griefs are understood Her Children that suck'd Milk may now suck Blood VI But hark there 's something whispers in my ear A Famine in Religion now grows near Her Zeal-parch'd Corn hangs down it's drooping head And turns to dirt which might have prov'd good Bread How sad it is that Children must not eat Religion will finde Mouthes but where 's the Meat VII Ah sanguine days When such tall Cedars fall Dangers drawes near and threatens Shrubs and all The sensless Ax that nothing understood Cut off his Life and dy'd it self in Blood When Troy was burnt the neighb'ring Towns did stand Expecting then their doom was near at hand VIII 'T was He whose careful Zeal and zealous Care Was alwayes lab'ring duly to prepare Religious Viands that his Flock might be Not Pamper'd but well led with Charity But now Ah now he 's willingly retir'd Where he 'll be blest as he was here admir'd IX Blast Soul Since thy unhappy happy Fate Hath so soon made thee more than fortunate I will surcease my grief and onely shed Some reall drops onely because th' art dead 'T is Nature not Religion makes us weep Manners forbids a noise whilst friends do sleep X. No more my Muse it is enough we know He is transplanted from this World below Unto a glorious Mansion in whose Quite There is no fear of Plots nor thoughts of Fire That Court of Justice periods all his strife And gives what here he lost I mean New Life FINIS