Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A70380
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Mr. Johnson's speech which he deliver'd to his friend to be printed (as he mention'd at the place of execution.)
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Wall, John, Saint, 1620-1679.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing J774; ESTC R213233
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36,140
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26
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well I do not intend you shall dye at least not for the present until I know the King 's further pleasure I was not I thank God for it troubled with any disturbing thoughts either against the Judge for his Sentence nor the Jury that gave in such a Verdict nor against any of the Witnesses For I was then of the same mind as by God's grace I ever shall be esteeming them all the best Friends to me in all they did or said that ever I had in my life or ever shall have except upon the like occasion And I was I thank God so present with my self whil'st the Judge pronounced the Sentence to deliver me to Death that without any concern for any thing in this world I did actually at the same time offer my self and the world to God After the Judge was gone from the Bench to the other end of the Hall I stayed with the Keeper in the Hall where several Protestant Gentlemen and others who had heard my Tryal came to me though Strangers and told me how sorry they were for me To whom with thanks I replied that I was troubled they should grieve for me or my condition who was joyful for it my self for I told them I had professed this Faith and Religion all my life-time which I was as sure to be true as I was sure of the truth of God's Word on which it was grounded and therefore in it I deposed my Soul and Eternal Life and Happiness and therefore should I fear to lose my temporal life for this Faith whereon my Eternal life depends I were worse than an Infidel and whosoever should prefer the life of their Bodies before their Faith their Religion or Conscience they were worse than Heathens For my own part I told them I was as ready by God's grace to dye to morrow as I had been to receive the Sentence of Death to day and as willingly as if I had a Grant of the greatest Dukedom So we sate talking half an hour and I returned to the Prison there to remain as long as it pleased God and the King whom God long preserve in all happiness There was another Objection which I forgot to put in until I had finished the former Writing and it was an Objection which the Judge was pleased to put against me himself and it was that I had changed my name and went in several places by several names To which I answered the reason was Because in Cromwel's time in the great Troubles our Family suffered much my Father was imprisoned and a Fellow-Prisoner with Sir Thomas Ashton both confined together which Sir Thomas is now one of His Majesties Admirals of the Fleet. And for my own part I going Beyond Sea to Travel I changed my name and then coming into England again before the King's Restauration I was glad to conceal my self and go by several names as many others of the King 's Loyal Subjects did the better to be able to do His Majesty the best service I could which according to my small ability I did endeavor both before and since the King came into England like a dutiful Subject and like the rest of our Family who all endeavored to serve His Majesty For I have two Brothers served Him the one a Voluntier at Sea in Sir William Reeve's Ship which Sir William was killed in the last Engagement with the Dutch and the other Brother had a Command under his Royal Highness the Duke of York at Land therefore I hope the changing of my name on such an occasion as I did could not be imputed as a guilt upon me nor speak me other than a dutiful Subject which I could have made further appear before the Bench but I did not judge it convenient to say any more to the Judge there in publick But before his Lordship went out of VVorcester I presented him with a Petition to acquaint his Lordship that I having had the honour to kiss His Majesties Hand before His Restauration in the Low-Countries as also I have had the honour to be one of those whom His Majesty was pleased to grace with being entertained by us His then best Subjects His Majesty was pleased to make us a Gracious Promise that when it should please God to restore Him to His Crown we should not live so in Banishment as then we did Of this in my Petition I did acquaint the Judge and beseeched him that he would be pleased by declaring this to the King to endeavor to obtain some gracious Favor from His Majesty for me my condition now being such that I could never have greater need to be Partaker of His gracious Promise and Clemency The Judge promised me he would make an Address to His Majesty for me in this behalf which whether he hath done or no I wish some body may put him in mind to do it for me I do not here mention the place where in particular nor the other persons to whom His Majesty made that Promise but if you remember you know I did tell you with several other particular circumstances which I need not here make any further mention of THE Last SPEECH OF Mr. Francis Johnson Priest of the Order of St. Francis who was Executed as a PRIEST onely at Worcester upon the 22d of August Anno Dom 1679. Which he spake for the most part upon the Ladder immediately before his Execution but being interrupted and that which he did speak being taken by an unskilful Scribe was Printed by the halves and so imperfect that it was in some places Nonsense To correct that Abuse this which he left written with his own Hand is publish'd by Friend ALmighty God out of his infinite Goodness to this World through the merits of his Son Christ Jesus ordained or made choice of three Virtues whereby we must walk which are these viz. Faith Hope and Charity First by virtue of Faith we are to believe all things that are done in this World Secondly by virtue of Hope we are to believe and hope for all things in another World And the reason why Christians do believe this Hope is to bring and conduct them to salvation in the other World And if we hope in God we cannot but believe God for with the mouth Confession is made but with the heart and through Faith we must believe unto salvation so that Faith is not to be troaden under foot or to be hid under a bushel but to be set upon a candlestick Luke 12 Whosoever doth confess me before men him will I confess before the Angels of God And therefore all are bound to believe that there is but one Faith and if but one Faith then but one Christian Faith There is but one Faith one Lord one Baptism if it be so how can this stand with so many Sectaries as there are If there be but one Faith how can this be I believe the Creed of St. Athanasius which is in your Common-Prayer Book there it
by mockings and stripes they were in chains and prisons they were stoned they were hewed they were tempted they died in the slaughter of the sword they were so persecuted and impoverished that they were fain to go about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins needy in distress afflicted wandring in desarts in mountains in dens and caves of the Earth Dear Catholicks now in your present persecution think of this and be willing to follow these examples that you as in the same place it followeth being appointed as they were by the testimony of your Faith may receive ere long those better things which God as 't is there writ provides for you Happy those that have this Faith but thrice more happy those that suffer these persecutions for Faiths sake because by this Faith as St. Paul saith Gal. 3. 11. the just man lives and those that have not this Gal. 3. 11. Heb. 11. 6. Faith are dead to God because as 't is written Heb. 11. 6. Without faith 't is impossible to please God and yet though we have this Faith except we joyn when God requires our works of sufferings to this Faith both we and our Faith are dead to God because as St. James saith chap. 2. ver 17. Faith is to be shewed by works because Faith Jam. 2. 17. Jam. 1. 25. without works is dead And he further shews us in his first chap. v. 25. 't is the works make a man happy although there can be no good work without a firm Faith in nothing doubting as he saith ver 6. Christian Faith is a firm established and an infallible Faith because it is grounded upon a Rock against which the gates of Hell shall not prevail Matth. 16. v. 18. This Faith is firmly established by such Authority of God and his Church that he that will not own the Authority is as a Heathen and a Publican God hath declared him so and what the Church binds on Earth God binds in Heaven This Church and Faith is firmly establisht because our Saviour hath promised That the Holy Ghost the Mat. 18. 17. John 14. 16. Spirit of Truth should teach the Believers all Truth remain with them for ever shew them things to come to be believed and should cause the Believers to remember all things which Christ had already taught which you read in John 14. and 16. chap. This Faith is firmly established because it was believed and published from the beginning throughout the whole world as St. Paul proclaims Romans the first where he speaks thus to all that be in Rome Beloved of God called to be Saints first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your Faith is published throughout the whole world Finally this Faith is established and infallibly confirmed that it can never decay till the worlds end because our Saviour hath promised to be with the Believers unto the worlds end Matth. 28. 19 20. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Mat. 28. 19 20. baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with you alwaies even to the end of the world Thus much briefly concerning my Christian Faith in which I truly believe in all points infallible and in confirmation of which one only Faith and Catholick Church I will and do lay down my life and whosoever will as he ought consider the Text that proves this Faith and Church of the Living God to be the pillar and ground of Truth as 't is evident it is 1 Tim. 3. 15. I question not but who I say considers this will believe the same our Faith being assisted by our second Divine Vertue which is our Christian Hope This Hope is that Vertue which assures us that for the reward of our Faith and the profession and due practice of it as we ought there are those heavenly gifts laid up for the Christian Believers which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor the heart of man can conceive or comprehend as St. Paul declares This Hope gives such confidence that death cannot overcome it because as the Prophet saith Although he shall kill me yet I will hope in him Why then shall any fear to die for his Faith having this Hope 'T is for want of making due reflection and use of this Hope that causes so many to be fearful to suffer and makes them fly the field of persecution and forsake the banners of their Christian Faith that all ought to fight under and would still fight under would they make use of the divine hope of Gods promises which are such that as David saith Psal 125. That he that hopes or trusts in our Lord shall be as Mount Sion which cannot be removed but remain for ever As the Mountains saith God by the mouth of David are about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people that is such as will place their hope in him as the Prophet did and exhorts Psal 130. 5 6. us to do the same saying Psal 130. 5 6. My soul hath hoped in our Lord from the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in our Lord that is from the beginning of the day of our life till the night of death as well in the morning of prosperity as in the evening of adversity because 't is also writ God is my Hope for ever and whosoever can truly say with David Psal 31. 1. In thee O Lord have I plac'd my Hope shall be assured of what there follows Not to be confounded for ever because as St. Paul saith Hope consoundeth not There is a contrary Vice to this Virtue a worldly Fear that brings all things to confusion it makes Worldlings swear and forswear and perjure For which Perjuries and False Oaths as the Prophet saith Judgment springs up as Hemlock in the Furrows of the Field And therefore Dr. Thorndick in his Book of just Weights and Measures saith That Coaction of Oaths is the crying Sin of this Nation to call down the wrath of God upon the Kingdom What better remedy than to secure our selves against all worldly Fears and these ensuing Dangers but by relying on the hope of future blessings which God if we fight and suffer for his sake hath promised God is the God of Hosts and we fight under him and if we trust in him we are happy as David saith Psal 84. 5. O Lord of Hosts blessed is the man that trusts in thee in whom to hope is to be secured and therefore David Psal 84. 5. also saith Psal 91 He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wing shalt thou hope especially if we fight for our Faith and therefore he adds in the same verse His truth shall be thy shield and buckler if we will hope in him and his reward For if we hope for our great wages we shall easily undergo our little work As for