in medling more then they needed or in not affording me what mercy and priviledge by the law of the land I might have had in my sad case the Lord forgive them and graciously set home convincement upon their hearts of their evil and wrong I forgive them I blesse God I have not the least prejudice against any I take it out of his hand that is righteous and infinitely merciful in punishing me with less then Hell fire for ever and be you all warned in time to flee from sin as from the Devil for it will lead you captive to the Devil flee to Christ for help and strength against it for sin brings shame it must be owned and acknowledged and Gods Judgement submitted too the sooner and the more voluntary the better for Whore-mongers and Adulterers God will judge Oh that such as have sinned as I have done would make hast to confess their sins and take shame turn at his reproofs in time that you may escape the damnation of Hell that is infinitely worse then this Therefore to day while it is called to day the Holy Ghost saith harden not your hearts if ye would hear his gracious voice harden not your hearts against the reproofs of his instruction to day even to day off that this spectacle may be a warning to you all and that God would set home to your hearts these broken words of a dying woman oh that they may be laid to heart now in time Take heed especially all ye that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity flee it as from a Serpent void evil lascivious wanton company chamring wantoness provoke lust lead into further snares I had thought I had been strong enough to withstand dally not with him take heed of dallying with the temptation it will get dominion at last it bites like a Serpent make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof for he that soweth to his flesh shall of it reap corruption and God will more severely judge them on whom his name is called that all may know he cannot endure iniquity he will least of all eudure it in them that come nigh him he will magnify his name and will be sanctifyed of all that come near him Take heed all of you that none of you harden your harts against him and his voice by his pretious people because of me but hear and attend to the Gospel know them that call on the name of the Lord in truth God is in and with them of a truth though I have sinned against God and them and therefore am thus corrected with the rods of men and they are permitted to use extremity upon me I have sinned the Lord is righteous let others take heed of despising the grace of God or hardning their hearts against it and against the way of truth because of what I have done for even that Grace of God bringing salvation to all men is the true grace of God and doth truly teach and powerfully work It doth in its appearing to us teach that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world it did teach me but I wanted a Ioseph like spirit to have reasoned from all the Grace appearing in Christ how then shall I commit so great wickedness and sin against God oh that I had harkned but I rebelled and hardned my heart therefore he was fain to bring down my heart withall this labour and in all love to my soul and to warn and admonish others not to harden their hearts be not mockers or despisers least your bands be made strong do not for lying vanities for sake your own mercies for there is eternal mercies life redemption in Christ prepared for you whether you beleive it or beleive it not it is prepared in him for every one of you given with him that you might know and beleive and 〈◊〉 made pertaker of it in and with him â—he King the God of glory hath made a marriage for his Son the marriage is made the feast prepared and ready for you all the servants are sent to the bidden guests and they make excuses some their Farmes Oxen Wives and such things for lying vanities for sake their own mercies and some complement themselves out they say I have sinned and am so vile a sinner so unclean and so polluted I am not fit I must first wash my self or make my self clean or be washed by my tears or works of the law before I may come to him to eat of his bread and drink of the wine that he hath mingled take heed of this let none complement themselves out here câ—me as ye are 'T is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners sinners as sinners he came to save but not to save them in their sins but to save from them to redeem us from all iniquity and unless he save and wash us we cannot be clean he knew what we were before he called us and he called and gave himself for us that he might wash us and unless he wash us we can have no part with him come therefore in his calls and drawings come as thou art he will in no wise cast thee away how sinful and vile soever but he will wash thee with the washing of water by his word for consider how great things he hath done for thee while thou wast dead in sins and trespasses and altogether filthy and polluted in thy blood and while such he calls thee and such were some of those that are now made accepted in the beloved even such as I have been Whoremongers Adulterers c. But they were washed in their coming to him washed in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God they did not wash themselves first or were washed by any other means before they came oh come therefore to the waters he that hath no money come ye and do not complement your selves out well but the bidden guests refused and the King was forced to look for guests where he could he sent out to the high wayes and hedges and that once and again to call draw into the house that the house might be filled and when many were come in the King looking among those come into the house finds one without a wedding garment and said to him friend he calls him friend for Christ had been a real friend to him But how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment loe he was speechless he had not that to say for excuse that there was none prepared for him or he had no way on means offered to come at it he was speechless nothing to say for himself There is certainly a wedding garment provided for you all in and by Christ t is made ready loe all things are ready and with him tendred a perfect righteousness to cover you and make you acceptable in
her and tend most to his praise I endeavoured then and in my several visits before the Sessions to open and apply that gracious instruction encouragement and warning in Isa 50.10.11 Both shewing who is the Lords servant there spoken off whose voice is to be obeyed in all things and why called Gods servant what his voice is and why called the voice of the Lords servant and how to be obeyed in all things in all it saith or testifieth instructeth reproveth requireth and how therein God is truly feared and worshipped by us and likewise that such true fearers and worshippers of God may sometime walk in darkness and have no light and in what fence that is to be understood and lastly that when so yet they are not left wholly comfortless or as Orphans but bave the name of the Lord to trust in their God to stay upon to lean and depend on and wait for though they know not what to pray for as they ought in such cases not knowing what manner of deliverance may be best for them and tend most to his praise nor see any way of escape looking on the right hand or on the left or which way deliverance should come yet he that knows how to deliver doth also make intercession with God according to his will and hath the tongue of the learned and so knows how to speak a word in due season to him that is weary and is made perfect and infinitely fitted to all his work and office through sufferings this the rest this the refreshing But when we will be in such dayes of darkness kindling a fire and compassing our selves about with sparks we must expect this at the hands of the Lord to lye down in sorrow from them She much rejoyced in the word of the Lord which as she found she did eat and it was to her the joy and rejoycing of her heart yet was she not without some unsettlement and confusion or discomposure upon her spirit between fears and hopes as to this life being encouraged by many to hope for the saving of it and seek't to pervert the hope and perswasion given her in the mercy of God through Christ to an expectation and looking for it in saving her from this judgement and on the other hand by all the instruction and encouragement she met withal from the Name of the Lord and his grace in Christ led to rest and rejoyce in that which gave her hope in Death and therein willingly to resign and give up the hopes and desires of this life and to leave the matter to him quietly as accounting the hope of eternal life which God had given her in Christs infinite mercy and enough to sati-fie The Sessions being past and she condemned to death being found Guilty by the Jury upon little or no certain evidence of her guilt of the fact of which they found her guilty yet without any frowardness or prejudice I could perceive against the instruments she did acquaint herself with the Lord in it and accepted it as from his hand as a righteous and gracious punishment of her iniquity and was much more setled and composed in her spirits than before and so more fit to hear and receive the encouragements and instructions of his name as I found at my first visit of her immediately on her return from the Sessions when she had received her sentence When first I applyed my self to some reminding and further opening of the name of the Lord and particularly of that great instruction and encouragement in it that through and by the means of his death by which peace and atonement is made for sin and he impowered to forgive sins on earth he hath power to save from wrath to redeem from all iniquity to restore and bring back from all their wandrings to God to receive and make accepted on their turning to him in his gracious drawings even such as have sold themselves for their iniquities and for their transgressions are put away from sucâ— nighness fellowship mercy and good things as otherwise they might have enjoyed here and to this purpose be is Annoynted and consecrated for evermore having on his Ascention on high received gifts in the man not only for men as they are sinners in themselves and from their first natural root but from the rebellions also though rebellion be as the sin of witchcraft in which men make a new and personal compliance and confederacy with Satan as if the compliance made with him in their first natural root were not enough and sell themselves for their iniquities as if their being carnal and sold to their hand under sin through the disobedience of one were not sufficient they sin after the similitude of Adams transgression yet though they have so done to him belongs mercy forgive ness even for towards them see Dar 9.8.9 with Isa 50.1.3 There is help in him for such as have destroyed themselves Hos 13.9 'T is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners even such sinners as are lawless and disobedient sinners that will not be reformed or reclaimed by the law of grace but prophanely go on hideing and holding fast and allowing themselves in their sins and are murtherers of Fathers murtherers of Mothers Man-slayers Whore-mongers Adulters Abusers of themselves with mankind and if there be any thing contrary to sound Doctrine they are lawless and disobedient in going on in the trade and way of their own iniquities till the laws of God and men say hold on them yet such Christ came into the world to save and not for such only but for blasphemers of the Name of Christ and Persecutors of the Châ—rch of God which are mentioned by the Apostle there as his sins and greater then the former as to matter of fect and as in the sight of God yet such Christ Jesus Came into the world to save not to save them in their sins but from them And God hath exalted him a Prince ' and a Saviour for to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to such He is the propitiation now with God for sins of that nature that might have been prevented and might have been kept from by the Grace of God and that not only for those to whom he hath given an understanding to know him that is true and that are in him but also for the world for them who yet lye under the power of the wicked one that judgement may not be speedily executed but a door of mercy and life may be held open while yet he is by any means calling them that in turning their sins which yet are detain'd in heaven against them while they continue in them may be bloted out c through this man therefore is preached to you the forgiveness of your sins for he came because of that truth to forgive such sins as men cannot righteouslly forgive as in that Jer 3.1 c And can have
compassion where none can have none And by him all that beleive are justifyed from all things from which they could not be justifyed by the law of Moses even for such sins as that afforded not a typical justification from but condemned the sinner to death under the mouth of two or three witnesses yet by him all that believe through this Name in which repentance and remission of sins is preached to them are justified from all things even from all things from which they could not be justified by that law yea this perfection of the righteousness of God and plentuousness of redemption even the forgiveness of sins in and through it is witnessed in the law and Prophets for to him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever beleiveth in him whosoever whatsoever they be or have been yet now beleiving in him that justifyeth the ungodly should namely through the same name of him through which they beleive receive the forgiveness of their sins it s to him not to or of us that the Prophets gave this testimony therefore 〈◊〉 his work and office as through his name his power which the Father by means of his death to blot them out in honour so through the opening of his Name in which they trust to make them partakers of it in their mind and conscience by his knowledge or still in and unto such things and so by or through the knowledg of himself shall my righteous servant justify many Here truly me thought she prevented with her understanding and with great refreshing and delight desired further to hear off express her understanding of this matter how through his name he gives the remission of sins and quickens to and nourisheth a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead and did her self very aptly oppose that name of the Lord to the fire of mens own kindling c. And with gladness still more clearly to see wherein she had exceeded did acknowledge her folly and take shame to her self for her eadiness to caâ—ch at any thing to kindle a fire to her self and compass her self about with sparks for a vain hope of this life when she had such a worthy name to trust in and the grace in Christ was sufficient for her to her to encourage defend and strengthen her in her expectation of the mercy of God unto eternal life so in whatever might most conduce to that which now she was well assured this should or else should not have come upon her but while she was thus with pleasure rejoycing in the name of the Lord and in the discovery of the vanity of other confidences and sparks of her own kindling and with gladness relinquishing them shem et with some tryal of her faith by means of some coming in happily some of them not having well learned the truth as it is in Jesus and so not enough acquainted with such rejoyceing in the Lord and in his name only or not acquainted with her former exercise in the time of her afliction who urged the necessity of seeking some certain evidence and assurance of the forgiveness of her sins and thereunto pressed to a particular confession c To whom she replyed that grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men in its appearance powerfully moves to repentance oh saies she they were her sayings oft and with an appearance of deep sence as having felt and proved the truth of what she said that melts and breaks the heart it turns all the inwards of a man as it were within him that not only teaches that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world but when through forgetfulnesse and departing from it we have sinned and sinned grievously yet it admonisheth and moveth to repentance and when the heart is turned again to that oh what sorrow and melting it works in the sight of such infinite grace to be so abused and shame with encouragement to hope that yet God should wait to be gracious to such she oft repeated and asserted that it did so work even to all such things in truth as they pressed too only upon the account of duty and as a work of the Law and for knowledge of the truth of her faith and repentance without declaring any certain ground that might be as a foundation for it and move to it and work it and told them it had so taught her though she had sinned against it and though she was a vile wretched sinner yet this grace of God was exceeding abundant to her with faith and love which was in Christ Jesus and she could not but desire oh that all other sinners knew this grace of God and the gift by grace For it is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom said she I am the cheif I am the cheif Howbeit he hath mercy on me for a pattern to others this grace is sufficient for me I have found it sâ—icient oh it is sufficient for you all oh that all knew it when some told her of what evidences some in her condition had sought and found of the truth of their repentance and graces and thence and from other like means got assurance of the forgiveness of their sins she replyed she knew no other sign or witness but the sign of the Prophet Jonah even him whom God had given for a witness to the people nor needed she any other for to him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosever believeth in him shall receive the forgiveness of sins his name through faith in it had healed and made her strong when others urged she must take heed of resting in a false faith she again replyed 't is a faithful saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners no false faith 't is the true grace of God that bringâ— salvation to all men and she could not but wish for them that they all knew it when again they replyed upon her that it was not others concernment but her own that was now to be minded by her and that there was something necessary to be found in her faith and repentance more then in all cases was necessary to evidence the truth of it she pleaded that there was but one Faith she knew but one and that she knew nothing she had to do but now to believe on him that justifyeth the ungodly that imputes righteousness without works and that it is to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifyeth the ungodly that ceaseth from his own works to believe c when to this reply was made true this was one thing needful to be found in her repentance a ceasing from her own works that is said they from her evil works but this not all necessary in her case she again replyed nay from all my own works for the best of them are dead
the instructions thereof to her but she called for her Bible and did consider and ponder on what was said and then desired the woman that brought me to leave her chamber and when she was gone out told me I had spoken that which went to her heart and discovered to her all that she had done and yet in shewing where her help was and that now she would freely and fully telâ— me all that was in her heart that accidentally she killed her Husband she beleived but not wittingly intentionally and that was not it that had provoked God to bring her to this judgement but something else that she had done hidden and allowed her self in which lay much upon her but now something had touched her heart that made her willing to acknowledge it as perceiving though it was vile there was for giveness and washing and therefore she was free to confesse her sins and declare her wayes to me and desired me to pray for her telling me others had been with her urging and pressing her to confess her self guilty of what she knew her self clear off and because she could not confess what they would have her judged and condeâ—ned her and left her as hopeless but as they set nothing before her of any ground or door of repentance opened for such so it wrought nothing upon her but wrath but after she was instructed she repented and sorrowed after a godly sort even unto life to the hope of which she was quickned and strengthned by the resurrection of Christ who was delivered for our offenses c. And retained that hope in him even unto death as was discerned and believed by some that continued with her to this I adde no more in this place nor unto this relation of Rose VVarnes but that she meâ— with more such tryals in the two or three dayes time she lived and was in like manner strengâ—hned to resist the tempter in them and not moved from the faith and hope of the gospel but waxed more strong therein by occasions of tryalls Some broken remembrances of Mrs Rose VVarnes speech at her execution containing the summe of it with some supplyes of words where her spirits and strength failed according to what her self had expressed oâ—t in the Prison and before many witnesses You are gathered together a great company to look upon me I hopâ— none with any joy at my shamefull death I am perswaded there is none rejoyce at it but that you do pitty me sympathize with me and I pray God make it of good use to you all The Lord is righteous in all that is come upon mâ— even unto this shamhful death I suffer it justly from his hand for I have sinned against him greivously sinned and sin brings shame it must have punishment yea I may say what profit had I of those things of which I am now ashamed the end of those things is death there fore let all take heed and be warned in time not to dally with sin God hath condemned sin in the flesh in condemning his own Son in the flesh for our sins he was made the banished One for us his Fathers wrath lay hard upon him he was in an Agony and under the power of darkness and sweat as it were greae drops of blood and water trickling down to the ground and was hung on a tree and all this as our surety he suffered in the flesh for our sin sin therefore must still be judged and condemned in the flesh and if we sin against him that was hung on a tree for us all if we sin against his grace that brings salvation to all men in due time for he by the grace of God tasted death for every man he shead his blood for every one of you for every Creature of mankind on the earth and gave himself a randsome for all and is the true light that lighteth every man that comes into the world a testimony in due time therefore if we sin against this grace especially those that name the name of Christ and that have tasted that the Lord is gracious as I have done he can by no means in clearing clear the guilty he will not let sins go unpun shed it must be judged in the flesh and if judgement be not received and â—ubmitted to now that we judge our selves it must be judged in the flesh for ever for ever in the wrath to come where their worm dyeth not and their fire is not quenched oh that is a hundred thousand sold worse then this shameful death this will be over presently and the sting is taken out of it by him that was hung on a tree for us but no end of that when a thousand times a thousand years are past its never a white shortned it s still for ever and ever therefore God is gracious as well as rightteous infinitely gracious in judgeing me thus here that he may not condem me in the world to come I have all my punishment here though far lesse infinitely lesse then my iniquity deserves yet here I have all and all this is nothing to the lake of fire the second death and whatever I could have suffered less then that had been infinite mercy yet such his mercy I might have escaped this too had I received reproof and judged my self in time but I heardned my heart against many reproofs of instruction the reproofs of this Gospel they are the way of life they powerfully reprove and melt the heart though I did not turn at them I was as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoak nothing less then all this would bring me down I made mention of the name of the Lord but in late times not in truth nor in righteousness I walked with a blessed pretious people I tell you they are a blessed people think not the worst of them nor of the way of truth they walk in or as if the word of the Gospel of the grace of God that brings salvation to all men were without efficacy because I so sinned for I walked close with God and with his people and hid his word in my heart which I heard among them I had been preserved from so sinning against him but it was not heeded by me I did not hide it in my hart that I might not sin against him I went sometime to hear and of these late years when my iniquities had prevailed over me I went but seldome and when I heard I heard overly overly overly I did not in hearing hear I did not do what it was working in me to will and to doe I heardned my heart against the reproofs of instruction and would not take shame I thought to hide my self as Adam but with pitiful coverings when I had greviously sinned against God in turning aside to another then my Husband I thought to have concealed it that I might not take shame and that brought me to this in which God is righteous and if men have done me any wrong
good exhortations and instructions given them which they said they koped they should never forget some said they profited by it more then by many Sermons and much to that purpose yet as the elder Brother of the prodigal murmured at his too good and speedy entertainment by his Father and servants so their wanted not some that murmured against her to the mâ—st of which their murmurings sufficient answer may be found in my discourse about the reception of the Prodigal yet I shall ad something here with particular reference to her that was not so proper there to be made Object 1. Some thought her not humbled enough judgeing its likely by their not seeing her weep at the bar or as she went to execution or the like Answ To this let it be received what I say of the humbling God approves of in my said discourse and what is said in the passages in these papers related of her It s evident by them that she did ingeniously acknowledge her guilt and filth with many expressions of loathing her self with great detestation of her self and sins yea and that in the prison with many years whereof I my self was a witness yea she so loathed her self and saw and confessed her vileness as to take up no hope or confidence for deliverance no where but in the free and rich grace of God and the precious blood of Iesus which 〈◊〉 much and greatly magnifyed rejecting all other things that could be done by her as much to weak and vile to give her any release from her so great guilt or any boldness or hope towards God and she willingly and cheerfully yeilded her self to accept and bear the chastisement of her iniquity which is that which God himself gives as the product of an humbled heart in Levit. 26.41.42 and if God accepted of this or rather of her in and through his Son so as to speak peace to hir who then may fault her for not being more troubled seeing if he give peace who can cause trouble Job 34 29. she faid indeed as she went toward the place of execution that she thought God had wiped away all tears from her eyes before she dyed for she could not then weep as formerly she had done I might adde the observation and saying of Capt. Stiles a conscientious man so far as I ever heard who was upon some jealousies only upon National accounts all that time and more in the Prison and lodged in the next chamber to her who told me and some others that he thought he was the best witness of her penitency and that he heard her very frequently praying weeping and â—ying to God and that she was seldome alone but she was so exercised or in reading some good book and that he thought her 〈◊〉 very penâ—tent woman and that there waâ— nothing to be said to her but speak comfortably to her c. Object 2. Put should so great a sinner dye like a Saint Answ That 's spoke to in my discourse and there it sheweth both that great sinners may through the grace of God be made real Saints and bâ—ing so made bear their punâ—shment like Saints whether it be death as the malefactor on the cross Luc 23 40 41 42 or some other heavy judgement as David his flight from his son Absolom Psal 3. And truly there were many things in her of like good appearance to these things found in them in those their sufferings as what is mentioned before of her due evidence 1. She rebuked yet with compassion and admonished one whom she discerned or apprehended deciding what was spoken by her and admonished and warned all of sinning and hardning their hearts against Gods grace 2. She justified approved and owned Christ in his truth and people 3. And bear a good testimony to him and his grace and the vertue and preciousness of his death and sufferings 4. She confessed her own guilt and desert of what was ordered to her justifying God therein and confessing herself â—o have deserved ten thousand thousand times worse matters 5. She prayed for Gods blessing upon and testifyed love and charity to all the people and forgave those that had been more busie then they needed against her 6. She submitted to bear Gods chastisement and the punishment of her iniquity quietly and patiently c. 7. Having sought to God much before she then expressed great hope and confidence in Gods mercy and the blood of Christ shell for her c. And truly it is 〈◊〉 to â—y like a Saint so as to be one upon the galloweâ— then to dye as a wicked man without faith and kope in Christ the quietest death upon the bed as many that dye there doe better are like that Male factour on the Cross then as the rich man iâ— Luke 12.19 and 16.22 on his bed though yet in a sence she dyed not like a Saint namely as to the rejoceing and glorying in the cause of her death as they doe and may do when they dye for Christ his truth and righteousness Object 3. Some objected that she dyed like the Kings Judges Answ What the Kings judges mâ—t with from God in their death God best knowes But in this she much differed from them that they many of them justifyed the cause of their death she was much ashamed of the cause of hers and confessed it such as deserved that and far worse punishment Object 4. Some said she speak good things but they were but generals Answ 〈◊〉 Generall thing best become a numerous multitude for they would reach to them all so as particulars might not 2. God and Christ and the holy Ghost and his Apostles and Prophets speak general things two which are not therefore the less but the more useful and profitable as that all have sinned and are justified freely by Gods grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jefus Rom. 3.23 That Christ ayed for all and in the propitiation for the sins of the whole world 2 Cor. 5.14.15 1 Tim. 2.6 John 22. and it s well he did so and is so else 〈◊〉 might be worse for the objectors as well as for others that all shall dye and rise and be judged all that believe are justifyed 3. She spake also many particulars I wish the objector may speak as will when they come to dye as her particular hope for her self in God as well as of her particular guiltiness and submission to him Perhaps some would have â—ad her commended her self and spoken of some particular good things in her self as the ground of her hope and liked not to hear of so much hope and confidence upon the account of Gods mercifulness to sinners and the pretiousness of the blood of Jesus who gave himself a ransome for all if soâ— she did far better then they would have had her for Gods goodness and mercy and the blood oâ— Christ will hold when all particular frames will or may break or crack that 's the Pharisees way indeed