The Trial of Henry Vane, Part 16 – Part 17
Some Paſſages of his PRAYER on the Scaffold.
THe Heaven is thy Throne, O Lord, and the Earth is thy footſtool, but to this man wilt thou look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite ſpirit, and trembleth at thy Word. Thou, O Lord, art the great God of Heaven and Earth, thou filleſt all places with thy preſence, art the Judge of the whole World, and doſt Righteouſneſs. We are poor unworthy ſinful creatures, by nature children of wrath as well as others: We are wiſe to do evil, but to do good we have no knowledge. If to will be preſent with us, yet how to perform and go through with that which is good, and not be weary of well-doing, we find not.
Bring us, O Lord, into the true mystical Sabbath-ſtate, that we may ceaſe from our own works, reſt from our labors, not think our own thoughts, find our own deſire, or walk in the way of our own hearts, but become a meet habitation of thy Spirit by the everlaſting Covenant, the place of thy Reſt. Let the Spirit of God and of Glory, that is greater than he that is in the world, reſt upon us, work in and by us mightily, to the pulling down of fleſh and blood, the ſtrong holds of Sin and Satan in our ſelves and others, cauſing us ſo to ſuffer under the Fire-Baptiſm thereof, as that we may ceaſe from ſin for ever, or from that fleſhly, mutable, & temporary ſtate of life and righteouſneſs, which at beſt is liable to roul back into ſin again, to be intangled, overcome, and finally triumphed over by the pollutions of this world. Deliver us, O Lord, from the Evil One, deliver us from our ſelves, take us out of our own dispoſe, our own liberty and power, the freedom, the mutable holineſs and righteouſneſs of the ſons of men, at its beſt, and bring us into the most glorious Liberty, the moſt holy immutable and righteous ſtate of the ſons of God, a freedom to Good only, and non at all to evil, attended and accompanied with a power in us, through thy Spirit, of doing all things for the Truth, and a diſability brought upon us as to the doing of any thing againſt the Truth, in the ſingle power and freedom of our own ſpirit. Then the prince of this world coming to us, will find nothing in us; at leaſt, no prevailing activity of ſelf, nature or fleſh, which at beſt, is capable to be made by him an ergin of oppoſition to the Kingdom of Chriſt, and our own true bleſſedneſs. Thou haſt laid on thy Son the iniquities of us all; by his ſt…ipes we are healed. We muſt all ſtand before the Judgment-Seat of Chriſt, to give an account of what we have done in the body whether it be good or whether it be evil. He will bring every ſecret counſel to light; things that are wrought in darkneſs, he maketh plain and evident. Thine eyes, O Lord, run to and fro through the whole earth. Thine eyes do behold, thine eye-lids try the children of men. The wicked and him that loveth violence, thy ſoul hateth. But thou upholdeſt the poor and needy, him that is of a broken heart and of a contrite ſpirit. The humble and lowly thou wilt teach, the meek thou wilt guide in Judgment; thou wilt beautifie the meek with Salvation. Thou art the ſupream dispoſer of all the Kingdoms of men, giving them to whomſoever thou wilt. Whatever croſs-blows thou ſufferest to be given thy People for a ſeaſon, thou ordereſt all, to thy own glory, and their true advantage. But thou haſt a ſet time for Sions deliverance, in which the greatneſs of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven, ſhall be given unto the beſt and choiceſt of men, the people of the Saints of the moſt high, whoſe Kingdom is an everlaſting Kingdom. Let the exceeding near approach of this, bear up the ſpirits of thy poor deſpiſed ones, in this day of extremity and ſuffering, from ſinking and deſpondency. Carry them through their ſuffering part, with a holy triumph, in thy Chariots of Salvation. How long, O Lord, holy and true? make haſt to help the Remnant of thy People. Break the Heavens and come down, touch the Mountains of prey, the Kingdoms of this evil world, and let them ſmoak. Let the mouth of all Iniquity be ſtopped. Silence every one that ſtands up againſt thee. Rebuke the debauched prophane ſpirits of men, that ſet themſelves to work wickedneſs, running with greedineſs into all filthineſs and ſuperfluity of naughtineſs. They eat thy People as they eat bread. They are profound to make ſlaughter, skilful to deſtroy, though thou haſt been the rebuker of them all. But, Lord, be this dispenſation of what continuance it will, for the ſerving of thy moſt gracious and wiſe deſigns, let the ſpirit and reſolution of thy Servants be ſteady and unchangeable, that whether they live, they may live to the Lord, that died for them; or whether they die, they may die to the Lord, who lives for ever to make interceſſion for them, that they may glorifie thee with their bodies and ſpirits, whether by life or by death.
Thou knoweſt O Lord, that in the Faith of Jeſus, and for the Truth as it is in Jeſus, thy Servant deſires to die, walking in the ſteps of our father Abraham, and for Righteouſneſs and Judgment, following the Lord in all his wayes whitherſoever he goes, worſhipping the God of his believing fathers, Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, in that way which men call Hereſie. In this Faith, dear Lord, I have lived, and in this Faith and Profeſſion I die, as one that hath herein ſtood up for the Teſtimony of JESUS againſt all Idolatry, Superſtition, Prophaneſs and Popery, or whatever is unſound or unfit to be brought before the Throne of ſo great and glorious a Majesty. 'Tis in this Faith that thy Servant dies. Now ſet thy Seal to it, and remove the reproaches and calumnies with which thy Servant is reproached, for thou knowst his innocency. Dear Father, thou ſentest us into this world, but this world is not our home, we are ſtrangers and pilgrims in it, as all our fathers were. We have no abode here, but there is a houſe, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, that when this tabernacle is diſſolved, we may enter into. In our Fathers houſe are many manſions; Oh! whatever the curſes and condemnations of the Law are, be thou near to us, and ſpread the Righteouſneſs of Christ over us, and we ſhall be ſafe. Bleſſed is he, whoſe tranſgreſſions are forgiven, and whoſe ſins are covered. Who wil ſpeak, who will take on him to ſay any thing, or to plead with Thee, upon any other terms but in the Name and Merits of the mighty Redeemer, on whom our help is laid. We deſire to lie low, to be abaſed and take ſhame & confuſion of face to our ſelves, as that which properly belongs to us, that Thou alone maist be exalted and advanced. 'Tis of meer Grace, O Lord, that thy Servant hath now ſome ſign of thy ſpecial Salvation, even thy free-Grace, O God, whereby thou doſt accept him in thy Son. Lay him low and humble & abaſe his ſoul for his ſins, and all his unworthineſſes before thee. Men cannot ſpeak evil enough of our ſins. In this perſwaſion, this abaſement and humiliation, thy Servant deſires to die. And, dear Lord, thou ſeeſt & knowst all things, and art able to witneſs to the truth & integrity of thy Servant. When his blood is ſhed upon the Block, let it have a voice afterward, that may ſpeak his Innocency, and ſtrengthen the Faith of thy Servants in the Truth. Let it alſo ſerve for conviction to the worst of thy Enemies, that they may ſay, Surely the Lord knows, and the Lord owns his Servant, as one that belongs to him. The deſire of our ſoul is to haſten to thee, O God, to be diſſolved, that we may be with Chriſt. Bleſſed be thy Name, that this great ſtrait that we were before in, is now determined; that there is no longer abode for me in this mortal body. Our great Captain, the great General of our ſouls, did go in a way of affliction before us, to Heaven. Come, Lord, declare thy Will, that thy poor Servant may manifest a readineſs to come to Thee; Prepare his heart, that in his acceſs to Thee may, he be brought down at thy feet, in ſhame & confuſion for all the evil is ſo of hul; but Thou art his ſalvation. Let thy Servant ſpeak ſomething on the behalf of the Nation wherein he hath lived; Lord, did we not exceed other Nations in our day? Great things have been done by thee in the midst of us. Oh, that thou wouldst look down in pity & compaſſion, and pardon the ſins of this whole Nation, and lay them not to their charge; ſhew them what is thy good and acceptable Will, and bring them into ſubjection thereunto. We humbly pray thee, O Lord, look down with compaſſion upon this great & populous City, cleanſe away the impurity, ſinfulneſs and defilements thereof; cauſe their ſouls to delight in thy Word, that they may live. Let a ſpirit of Reformation and Purity ſpring up in and amongst them with power; make them willing to lay down all that is dear to them for thee, that Thou mayſt give them a Crown of Life; that they may always deſire & chuſe affliction, and to be expoſed to the worſt condition & hardeſt circumſtances, that can be brought upon them in this world, rather than ſin againſt him that hath loved them and bought them with a price, that they might live to him in their bodies and in their ſpirits.
We are aſſured Thou knoweſt our ſuffering caſe and condition, how it is with us. We deſire to give no juſt occaſion of offence, nor to provoke any, but in meekneſs to forgive our Enemies. Thy Servant that is now falling aſleep, doth heartily deſire of thee, that thou wouldeſt forgive them, and not lay this ſin to their charge.
Before the ſtroke, he ſpake to this effect; I bleſs the Lord who hath accounted me worthy to ſuffer for his Name. Bleſſed be the Lord that I have kept a conſcience void of offence to this day. I bleſs the Lord I have not diſſerted the Righteous Cauſe, for which I ſuffer.
But his very laſt words of all at the Block, were as followeth; Father, glorifie thy Servant in the ſight of men, that he may glorifie thee in the diſcharge of his Duty to Thee and to his Country.
It was obſerved, that no ſigns of inward fear appeared by any trembling or ſhaking of his hands, or any other parts of his body, all along on the Scaffold. Yea, an ancient Traveller and curious obſerver of the demeanor of perſons in ſuch publick Executions, did narrowly eye his Countenance to the laſt breath, and his Head immediatly after the ſeparation; he obſerved that his Countenance did not in the leaſt change: and whereas the Heads of all he had before ſeen, did ſome way or other move after ſevering, which argued ſome reluctancy and unwillingneſs to that parting-blow; the Head of this Sufferer lay perfectly ſtill, immediately upon the ſeparation: on which he ſaid to this purpoſe, That his Death was by the free conſent and act of his mind; which Animadverſion notably accords with what the Sufferer himſelf had before expreſſed, in differencing a death by rational choice, from that by ſickneſs, which is with conſtraint upon the body. He deſired to be diſſolved & to be with Chriſt.
The Names of the Grand Jury, in the Caſe of Sir Henry Vane.
SIr John Cropley of Clarkenwel, London, Knight and Baronet. Thomas Taylor of St. Martins in the Fields, London, Eſq Francis Swift of St. Gyles in the Fields, Esq. Jonas Morley of Hammerſmith, Gent. George Cooper of Covent Garden, Gent. Thomas Conſtable of Covent Garden, Gent. Edward Burrows of Eaſt-Smithfield, Gent. Michael Dibbs of the ſame, Gent. Edward Gregory of St. Gyles in the Fields, Gent. Richard Freeman of Iſtington, Gent. Thomas Pitcock of the ſame, Gent. Richard Towers of Clarkenwel, Gent. Robert Vauce of Paddington, Gent. Thomas Benning of Wilſdon, Gent. Francis Child of Acton, Gent. Iſaac Cotton of Bow, Gent. Peter Towers of Mile-end, Gent. Thomas Ʋffman of Hammerſmith, Gent. Matthew Child of Kenſington, Gent. Bryan Bonnaby of Weſtminſter, Gent. George Rouſe of St. Gyles in the Fields, Gent. Twenty one in all.
The Names of the Petty Jury.
Sir William Roberts. Sir Chriſtopher Abdy. John Leech. Daniel Cole. John Stone. Daniel Brown. Henry Carter. Thomas Chelſam. Thomas Pitts. Thomas Upman. Andrew Brent. William Smith.
Judges of the King's Bench.
Chief Juſtice Foſter. Juſtice Mallet. Juſtice Twiſden. Juſtice Windham.
The Kings Counſel againſt the Priſoner; (no Counſel being permited to ſpeake one word in his behalf, to the matter or form of the Indictment, or any thing elſe.)
Sir Geoffry Palmer, the King's Attorney General. Sir Henneage Fynch, the King's Sollicitor General. Sir John Glyn. Sir John Maynard. Sir William Wild. Serjeant Keeling.
Witneſſes againſt Sir Henry Vane.
Marſh, a Papiſt, 'tis ſaid; who witneſſed what was accounted moſt dangerous againſt the Priſoner, as to change of Government.
William Dobbins. Mathew Lock. Thomas Pury. Thomas Wallis. John Coot.