The Life and Death of Thomas Tregosse, Section 4
SECT. IV. Mr Tregoſſe's laſt Tryals, and dying Speech to his Friends.
AFter Mr. Tregoſs came to reſide at Penryn, he hired a Houſe for a Meeting on the Lords day in the Pariſh of Mabe, where he exerciſed without interruption, from Midſomer 1669, to the 10th of May 1670. After which day, there were two debauch'd perſons turned Informers, hoping thereby to get fuel for their luſts: who having obtained a Warrant, required the Officers to attend them every Lords-day, and made oath againſt Mr. Tregoſſe, and others, for a breach of the Statute then in force againſt Conventicles. This ſacred away moſt of his Hearers, eſpecially thoſe who had any conſiderable Eſtates. Though there were divers Fines laid on him, which amounted to 220 l. yet the Lord ſo ordered things, as nothing he had was ſeized upon. This Meeting being thus broken, he reſolved to drive the nail that would go, and to preach the oftner unto a Statute number: herein his labours were ſo many and great, as if his body were of Steel, he could not hold out long; He preached five times every Lords-day, and in the evening made repetition of ſome part; He alſo continued the Tueſday and Thurſday duties, beſides other Exerciſes. He was often adviſed by his friends to favour himſelf, and moderate his pains; but the great zeal he had for the keeping on, and advancing the work of God, did ſtop his ears againſt all diſſuſives of this kind. Having at laſt worn out himſelf, and exhauſted his Spirits, he fell into a griping of the Bowels, occaſioned by a Flatus hypochondriacus, (as his Phyſician affirmed) which brought him ſo weak, as his friends ſuſpected him to be paſt recovery, and he himſelf expreſſed a longing deſire to be diſſolved. But the Lord was pleaſed to reprieve him a little longer, and put him once more upon his feet, though he took not the air. As ſoon as he perceived a ſmall recruit of ſtrength, he began to fall upon his work again; this continued but a very ſhort time, till a Fever ſeized on him, and in a few days did ſet and end to all his Labours and troubles. His his deportment during both his ſickneſſes, was like his life, very ſweet and heavenly. Upon the 18th. of January, obſerving the hour of his diſſolution at hand he took his farewell of his friends in a long ſpeech, whereof you have a part, as followeth.
I though I ſhould have had ſome more turns with my Lord in his Gallery; but he hoth turned his back, and is gone, and calls me to come after him: Indeed, though I had ſome diſtemper of Body, yet I did not think death was ſo nigh, till putting my hand on my brow, I felt the tokens thereof. Think, think not therefore 'tis a fooliſh phantaſie that moves me to ſpeak; for I know it to be right reaſon. And ſeeing the Lord hath left with me a few mouthfuls of breath, Let me, who am your faithful Paſtor, at the taking my farewell of you, drop a few words among you, before he calls away this breath of mine, and ſay, breath no more through that body, but lay it in the duſt.
O my friends! my friends! you know that I have often warned you of an evil day, and now I muſt once more tell you, that there is a dead day, a dark day coming. O! what will this poor people do? O my Friends, did we think, that after ſo many Faſting and Humiliation days, after ſo many Thankſgiving days, after ſo many Sacrament days, we ſhould ſee ſuch a day as this? O, but it may be you will ask me this queſtion. Do you really believe that you ſhall dye? Indeed, friends, there is nothing but Omnipotence can bear me up. And if you ask me, what I think of my ſelf? Truly, friends, I can ſay that I have walked among you by the pure copy of the Holy Scriptures, and Life of Chriſt; and through the Grace of God in Chriſt Jeſus, I ſhall be preſented ſpotleſs to the Father. Indeed, when I was young, I had my youthful vanities; but in the year 1664 upon a New-years day, the Lord was pleaſed to meet with me, and then, even then, did he ſet all my ſins in order before me: And theoſe very ſins which were ſmall to me before, were by the Spirit of the Lord in that Rod, made as bitter as death it ſelf. My ſleight childhood-ſins, my ſlender youthful ſins, were to me very hainous and abominable. Wherefore, my friends, I charge you to make a conſcience of thoſe ſins, yea, of the leaſt of them which I have warned you of.
Some may think me paſſionate, and ſome may think me ſevere and uncharitable; but now I repent that I had not dealt more plainly with you. However, in the truth of the Lord; according to mine ability, I have walked among you; and I hope you will not think it tedious if I drop a few words upon my grave before I dy. Then the Phyſician ſteeping to him, with an intent to deſire him to leave off ſpeaking, leſt he ſhould ſpend his ſpirits too much, M. Tregoſſe ſaid, Give me leave to ſpeak, for I am upon the borders of eternity; and I think you all look upon me as a dying man, therefore may ſuffer me to ſpeak as much as I can. Then he proceeded; I am going to my great God, to my dear Father, to my beſt Friend; to him in whom I have believed: His face I hope to ſee, in his boſom I hope to lye down this day. Oh! what unſpeakable glory is it to ſee the glory of mine everlaſting God? O, my Friends! I muſt tell you the truth; though ſometimes there have been upon my phantaſie ſtrange black clouds, which made me to ſpeak ſomewhat inconſiſtent, and were ſuddenly blown off again; yet little doth any one know the reviving in-comes I had then, even then from my God. And the laſt Lords day at night, the Lord gave me ſweet turns with himſelf. Oh! it was a pleaſant night with me, I was up with God, and God was down with me. Oh! it was to me as the going up to Paradice. Oh! how ſweet was it to me? And now my friends, I muſt tell you, that through many tribulations you muſt enter into the Kingdom of God. Some of you have told me your thoughts concerning me, that I have walked in all good Conſcience towards God and M…. Oh friends, whatſoever things ye have ſeen in me that were honeſt, whatſoever things were juſt, whatſoever things were pure, whatſoever things were lovely, whatſoever things were of good report, purſue thoſe things. Rely not upon the world, for the world will leave you could and helpleſs. And now friends, I muſt go to ſee the Lord, and this Body of mine muſt be laid in the duſt and never ariſe more, till the Reſurrection-day. And muſt many of you go from this place, and come naked before the face of God? (though I hope better of ſome of you.) Oh friends, if there be any hope, if there be any love, if there be any conſolation in you, think on theſe things; You know I have. When I came to this town, ſome may think my deſign in coming was to fill an empty bagg, and to get a livelihood amongſt this people; but God is my witneſs I had not this in my eye; I ſought not yours, but you. And now friends, fleſh and bloud will ſay; It is hard to part with dear friends, to part with a dear Wife, to part with dear Children. But as the Lord hath given them to me, ſo I now leave them with the Lord. And I call you to witneſs, that I leave this dear Wife of mine with the Lord, and my dear Children with the Lord, to be protected by him, to be maintained by him, to be kept blameleſs to the day of his appearance. Though Men may prove unkind to them; as I ſuppoſe they will, yet I know the Lord will not. I muſt into Eternity; the Prophets cannot live for ever; neither can they Propheſie for ever: I have been but a young branch, and you ſee the Lord is cutting me down this morning. O bleſſed Lord God? ſhall there not be a meeting in Paradice? ſhall not thy ſervant ſee thee, and love thee, ond be embraced by thee? O Lord give a good evidence to thy ſervant, that he may know that he belongeth to thee. Lord thou haſt given him the working of an holy faith; and of an heart-purifying ſpirit: And are not theſe tokens of thy free grace, and of thine eternal love in Chriſt Jeſ…s? And now Lord God, thy ſervant muſt away and be about other work, thy ſervant muſt away to holy Angels; and to the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect: He muſt away to ſerve his Lord in the upper Chambers: He muſt away, Lord, and never look on theſe earthy things more. And now, O friends, one thing I tell you, I ſhall come again with my Lord, in moſt excellent Glory; and you then muſt come before him: But I fear, I fear, that ſome of you will be found then to be in a very low, and poor, and miſerable condition. Well, I commend you to the love and grace of God, the Eternal Father, in Jeſus Chriſt. And I pray you to get your hearts full of love to God; and of the grace of God; and full of the holy Ghoſt. And now think on theſe things, that I have delivered to you, in the name of the Lord. I muſt go, and deliver up my accounts to God: And on that I might deliver them up freely! that I may be able to ſay, I have run my race; I have finiſhed my courſe; I have fought the good fight; I have kept the faith; and what remains but that I receive the Crown, that the Lord Jeſus, the righteous Judge, hath prepared for me. And now I commit my ſelf to the Lord; and my Wife and Children to the Lord— I commit my ſpirit to thee, O Father of ſpirits; I commit my ſoul to thee O deareſt Lord: Keep theſe that do believe on thee.
Theſe words he ſpake with a more audible and plain voice, than he was wont to do, in his ordinary Preaching: And about an hour and half after he had ended his ſpeech, he departed this life, Jan. 18. An. 1670.