The Trial of Henry Vane, Part 14
Saturday June 14. 1662, being the day of his Execution, on Tower-Hill.
He told a Friend, god bid Moſes go to the top of Mount Piſgah, and die; ſo he bid him now, go to the top of Tower-hill, and die.
Some paſſages of his Prayer with his Lady, Children, and other Friends in his Chamber.
MOſt holy and gracious Father, look down from the habitation of thy Holineſs; viſit, relieve and comfort us thy poor Servants, here gathered together in the Name of Chriſt. Thou art rending this Vaile, and bringing us to a Mountain that abides firm. We are exceeding interrupters of our own joy, peace and good, by the workings and reaſonings of our own hearts. Thou haſt promiſed, that thou wilt be a Mouth to thy People in the hour of Tryal: for thou haſt required us, to forbear the preparatory agitations of our own minds, becauſe it is not we that are to ſpeak, but the Spirit of our heavenly Father that ſpeaketh in us, in ſuch ſeaſons. In what ſeaſons more, (Lord) than when thou calleſt for the Teſtimony of thy Servants to be writ in Characters of Blood? Shew thy ſelf in a poor weak Worm, by enabling him to ſtand againſt all the power of thy Enemies. There hath been a battel fought with garments rouled in blood, in which (upon ſolemn Appeals on both ſides) thou didſt own thy Servants, though through the ſpirit of Hypocriſie and Apoſtacy, that hath ſprung up amongst us, theſe Nations have been thought unworthy any longer to enjoy the fruits of that Deliverance. Thou haſt therefore another day of deciſion, to come, which ſhall be wrought by fire. Such a battel is to begin, and be carried on by the Faith of thy People, yea, is in ſome ſort, begun by the Faith of thy poor Servant, that is now going to ſeal thy Cauſe with his Blood. Oh that this deciſion of thine may remarkably ſhew it ſelf in thy Servant at this time, by his bold Teſtimony and ſealing it with his Blood. We know not what interruptions may attend thy Servant, but Lord, let thy Power carry him in a holy Triumph over all difficulties.
Thou art the great Judge and Law-giver; for the ſake of thy Servants therefore, O Lord, return on high, and cauſe a righteous Sentence to come forth from thy preſence, for the relief of thy despiſed People. This, thy Servants with Faith and Patience wait for. The working of this Faith in us, cauſeth the Enemy to give ground already. If Death be not able to terrifie us from keeping a good Conſcience, and giving a good Teſtimony againſt them, what can they do but ſtumble and fall backwards? The day approaches in which thou wilt decide this Controverſie, not by Might nor by Power, but by the Spirit of the living God. This Spirit will make its own way, and run through the whole Earth. Then ſhall it be ſaid, Where is the fury of the Oppreſſor? Who is he that dares or can ſtand before the Spirit of the Lord, in the mouth of his Witneſſes? Ariſe, O Lord, and let thine Enemies be ſcattered. Thy poor Servant knows not how he ſhall be carried forth by thee this day, but, bleſſed be thy great Name, that he hath whereof to ſpeak in this great Cauſe. When I ſhall be gathered to thee this day, then come thou in the Miniſtry of thy holy Angels that excel in ſtrength. We have ſeen enough of this World, and thou ſeeſt, we have enough of it. Let theſe my Friends, that are round about me, commit me to the Lord, and let them be gathered into the Family of Abraham the Father of the Faithful, and become faithful Witneſſes of thoſe principles and Truths that have been diſcovered to them, that it may be known, that a poor weak Prophet hath been amongst them, not by the words of his mouth onelyonly, but by the voice of his Blood and Death, which will ſpeak when he is gone. Good Lord, put words into his mouth that may daunt his Enemies, ſo that they may be forced to ſay, God is in him of a Truth, and that the Son of God is in his heart, and in his mouth. My hour-glaſs is now turned up, the ſand runs out apace, and it is my happineſs that Death doth not ſurprize me. It is Grace and Love thou doſt ſhew thy poor Servant, that thou haſteneſt out his time, and letteſt him ſee it runs out with Joy and Peace. Little do my Enemies know (as eager as they are to have me gone) how ſoon their breaths may be drawn in.
But let thy Servant ſee Death ſhrink under him. What a glorious ſight will this be in the preſence of many Witneſſes, to have Death ſhrink under him, which he acknowledgeth to be only by the power of the Reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt, whom the bands of Death could not hold down? Let that Spirit enter into us that will ſet us again upon our feet, and let us be led into that way, that the Enemies may not know how to deal with us.
Oh! what abjuring of Light, what Treachery, what meanneſs of ſpirit has appeared in this day? What is the matter? Oh! Death is the matter. Lord, ſtrengthen the Faith and Heart of thy poor Servant, to undergo this dayes work with Joy and Gladneſs, and bear it on the Heart and Conſciences of his Friends that have known and ſeen him, that they alſo may ſay, the Lord is in him of a truth.
Oh that thy Servant could ſpeak any bleſſing to theſe three Nations. Let thy Remnant be gathered to thee. Prosper and relieve that poor handful that are in Priſons and Bonds, that they may be raiſed up and trample Death under foot. Let my poor Family that is left deſolate, let my dear Wife and Children be taken into thy Care, be thou a Huſband, Father and Maſter to them. Let the Spirits of thoſe that love me, be drawn out towards them. Let a Bleſſing be upon theſe Friends that are here at this time, ſtrengthen them, let them find Love and Grace in thine Eyes, and be increaſed with the Increaſings of God. Shew thy ſelf a loving Father to us all, and do for us abundantly, above and beyond all that we can ask or think, for Jeſus Chriſt his ſake. Amen.
Several Friends being with him in his Chamber this morning, he oft encouraged them to chearfulneſs, as wel by his example as expreſſion. In all his deportment, he ſhewed himſelf marvellouſly fitted to meet the King of Terrors, without the leaſt affrightment. But to ſhew where his ſtrength lay, he ſaid, he was a poor unworthy wretch, and had nothing but the Grace and Goodneſs of God to depend upon. He ſaid, moreover, Death ſhrunk from him, rather than he from it. Upon the occaſion of parting with his Relations, he ſaid, There is ſome fleſh remaining yet, but I muſt caſt it behind me, and preſs forward to my Father.
Then one of the Sheriffs men came in and told him, There was no Sled to come, but he was to walk on foot.
He told his Friends, the Sheriffs Chaplain came to him at twelve of the clock that night, with an Order for his Execution, telling him, he was come to bring him that fatal Meſſage of Death. I think (Friends) that in this Meſſage was no diſmalneſs at all; After the receipt of which, I ſlept four hours ſo ſoundly, that the Lord hath made it ſufficient for me, and now I am going to ſleep my laſt, after which I ſhall need ſleep no more.
Then Mr. Sheriff coming into the Room, was friendly ſaluted by him, and after a little pauſe, communicated a Prohibition that he ſaid he had received, which was, That he muſt not ſpeak any thing againſt his Majeſty, or the Government. His Anſwer to this he himſelf relates on the Scaffold. He further told Mr. Sheriff, he was ready but the Sheriff ſaid, he was not, nor could be this half hour yet; Then Sir, it reſts on you, not on me (ſaid Sir Henry) for I have been ready this half hour. Then the Shriff, at his requeſt, promiſed him his ſervants ſhould attend him on the Scaffold and be civilly dealt with, neither of which were performed, for (notwithſtanding this promiſe) they were beaten and kept off the Scaffold, till he ſaid, What? have I never a ſervant here?
After this, one of the Sheriffs men came and told him, there muſt be a Sled; to which Sir Henry replied, Any way, how they pleaſe, for I long to be at home, to be diſſolved and to be with Chriſt, which is beſt of all. He went very chearfully and readily down the ſtairs from his Chamber, and ſeated himſelf on the Sled, (Friends and Servants ſtanding about him) then he was forthwith drawn away towards the Scaffold. As he went, ſome in the Tower (Priſoners as well as others) ſpake to him, praying the Lord to go with him. And after he was out of the Tower, from the tops of houſes and out of windows, the people uſed ſuch means and geſtures as might beſt diſcover at a diſtance, their reſpects and love to him, crying aloud, The Lord go with you, The great God of Heaven and Earth appear in you, and for you; whereof he took what notice he was capable in thoſe circumſtances, in a chearful manner accepting their reſpect, putting off his Hat and bowing to them. Being asked ſeveral times, how he did, by ſome about him, he anſwered, Never better in all my life. Another replied, How ſhould he do ill that ſuffers for ſo glorious a Cauſe? To which a tall black man ſaid. Many ſuffered for a better Cauſe; and may for a worſe, ſaid Sir Henry, wiſhing, That when they come to ſeal their better Cauſe (as he called it) with their Blood (as he was now going to ſeal his) they might not find themſelves deceived; And as to this Cauſe, ſaid he, it hath given Life in Death, to all the Owners of it, and Sufferers for it.
Being paſſed within the Rails on Tower-hill, there were many loud acclamations of the people, crying out, The Lord Jeſus go with your dear Soul, &c. One told him, that was the moſt glorious Seat he ever ſate on; he anſwered, It is ſo indeed, and rejoyced exceedingly.
Being come to the Scaffold, he chearfully aſcends, and being up, after the crowd on the Scaffold was broken in two pieces, to make way for him, he ſhewed himſelf to the People on the front of the Scaffold, with that Noble and Chriſtian-like deportment, that he rather ſeemed a looker-on, than the perſon concerned in the Execution, Inſomuch that it was difficult to perſwade many of the People, that he was the Priſoner. But when they knew that the Gentleman in the black Sute and Cloak (with a Scarlet ſilk Waſtcoat (the victorious colour) ſhewing it ſelf at the breaſt) was the Priſoner, they generally admired that Noble and great Preſence he appeared with. How chearful he is! ſaid ſome; he does not look like a dying-man! ſaid others; with many like ſpeeches, as aſtoniſhed with that ſtrange appearance he ſhined forth in.
Then (ſilence being commanded by the Sheriff) lifting up his hands and eyes towards Heaven, and then reſting his hands on the Rails, and taking a very ſerious, compoſed and majeſtick view of the great multitude about him, he ſpake as followeth.