A New Martyrology, Introduction 2 · Life 5
Mr. Richard Nelthrop.
HIS Name is often enough met with in Wests and Rumseys Plot, and good reason too, he being not near to answer for himself. As to what he was Accused, Outlawed, and Executed for, his being concern'd in a Design for the Assassination of the King and Duke, he solemnly avers, as may be seen below in his Speech, [That he was always highly against it, and detested any such thing, was never in the least concern'd in it, neither in Purs… or Person; never knew of any Arms bought for that intent, nor did believe there was any such Design.] Than which, what Words could be more full and satisfactory? He went away in the Heat of Swearing, and return'd with the Duke of Monmouth, thinking it his Duty, as he says, to hazard his Life for the preservation of the Protestant Religion and English Liberties; but as to the Duke of Monmouth's being declar'd King, he was wholly passive in it. He was at first committed to Salisbury Prison, where he had several Disputes with a learned and good Man, whose Opinion then differ'd from his, concerning the lawfulness of Defending our selves by Arms against illegal Violence, which was his firm Judgment. Thence he was brought to London, and imprison'd in Newgate. He rejected there with scorn some Offers made him of saving his own Life by taking away other Mens; and tho' he was under inexpressible Trouble during his close Confinement there, which at length arose to Distraction, and the impair of his Reason; yet 'tis remarkable that he, as Bateman before him, before he came to die, after Sentence was very calm and lively again, the entire Exercise of his Judgment and Understanding returning, with more Joy and Comfort than he had before Pain and Misery. He writ one Letter to his Parents, another to his Children, here inserted, together with his last Speech at his Execution the 30th. of Octob. 1685. at 2 in the Morning, he wrote the Letter to his Parents, &c.
Wherein he speaks much of his Brother, and Fellow-Sufferer Mr *This Pious and couragious Man, Mr. Ayloff suffer'd Martyrdom in London, about the same time that Mr. Nelthrop did.Ayloff, if I mistake not, whom he says, [He could embrace with more Joy in the Field of Suffering, than ever he could have done, had he met him in the Field, crown'd with Victory and Laurels.]
Mr. Richard Nelthrop's Letter to his Parents, Brothers and Sister.
Dearest Parents, and ever loving Brothers, and tender hearted and beloved Sister,
THrough the infinite goodness of God, the nearer I approach my End, the more Joy and Comfort I find in my suffering Estate, (that I may so call it:) I can through mercy say, that I have found more true Delight and Content this Night, than in all the Days and Nights of my whole Life; and I hope the Lord will continue it, that his Name may be glorified by me the meanest and poorest of all his Servants, but through Free-grace faithful unto the end: My Soul is ravished, I can hardly write, and my Comforts are more unspeakable than my Terrors were. I did this Evening see my dearest Brother and Companion; his Face was to me as that of an Angel, and he gave me that Comfort, that I cannot but say my Love to him is beyond what I ever had to my dearest Relations. When God comes, every thing hath a beauty and lustre upon it, here is a… Answer of Prayers, and such an Answer, as dearest Relations, must engage you all to be constant in the performance of that Duty, which like Jacob's Ladder, though it stand upon the Earth, yet it reache… up to Heaven: Here's the Love of God made ma…if…st to a poor Sinner at the last hour, like the Thief upon the Cross, he that never knew before what the Love of God was to his Soul, finds it now filled with it, and running over. Now …less the Lord, O my Soul! yea, all that is within me, Bless his holy Name for this Dispensation. …ow Light appears out of Darkness in the Face of Jesus; now all worldly Joy and Comforts seem to me (as they are) things not hard to part with; Father, Mother, Brothers, Sister, Wife, Children, House and Lands are (as my dear Saviour saith) to be parted with for him, or we are not worthy of him: I bless his Name, I find no reluctancy to do it; he hath brought me to his Foot stool, and I can say heartily, the Will of the Lord be done in this matter. I never before but saw a Beauty in worldly Comforts, but now those seem so faded by the greater Lustre and Beauty, that I see in God in Christ Jesus, that I am astonished where I have been wandring all my days, spending my time and my mony for that which is not Bread. O strive to get a taste of this Love of God in Christ Jesus! and it will perfectly wean you from this deceitful foolish World. What is worldly Honour and Riches! O set not your hearts upon them, but get a Treasure in Heaven, that your hearts may be there also. O lose no time! for if you ever knew the sweetness of it, you would never be at rest till you found him whom your Soul loved; it will be more, yea infinitely more than all worldly Injoyments can afford you, tho' in their greatest Perfection; it will make your Life sweet, and your Death most comfortable: It is the Bread which this World knoweth not of, and therefore maketh little or no inquiry after it. Dearest Relati…ns, whilst you and my other dear Friends are like Aaron and Hur, holding up the Hands of Moses, I am through Grace, getting Victory over the Amalekites. I can embrace my dear and beloved Brother and Companion with more Joy in the Field of suffering, than ever I could have done, had I met him crowned with the Laurels of Victory: Oh the mercy to die with such a …riend, and such a valiant Souldier of Jesus, who hath kept his Garments clean. I now begin to pity you that stay behind, who have many Temptations to conflict with; for a little, yea a very little time, and my Warfare will be accomplished; and if God continue his Love and Influence upon my Soul, it will be both short and sweet. I have little of this World about me, I leave you all the Legacy of what was ever dearest to me, the best of Wives, and five poor Children, who must pass through an evil and sinful World; but I have committed them to God, who hath commanded to cast our Fatherless Children and Widows upon him. Dear Parents, Brothers, Sister, all adieu, my time draws on, my Paper is finished, and your dying Child and Brother recommends you all to him who is All-sufficient, to the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant, who will make you perfect in every good work to do his VVill, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be Glory for ever and ever, Amen.
RICHARD NELTHROPE. From the Palace of Newgate, Octob. the 30th. 1685. Two of the Clock in the Morning.
Mr. Richard Nelthrope's Letter to his Children.
My Dear Children,
THE Providence of God hath so ordered it, that your poor and ever-loving Father is taken from you in such a manner as may cast both worldly Loss and Reproach upon you; but I charge you let not this be a Stumbling-block to you in the way of God, but that you remember your Creator in the days of your Youth: That you never neglect a day without reading the Holy Scripture, wherein you'll find your Duty both to God and Man; there you'll find the way to everlasting Life; there you'll find Christ Jesus instructing you, and dying for you. Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all other things will be added to you: After your Duty to God Almighty, mighty, your Dying Father charges and conjures you, as you'll answer it at the great day of Appearance of our dearest Saviour, that you be dutiful and loving to the best of Mothers, as long as God shall continue that great Mercy to you: Hearken to her Voice, and be obedient to the Words of her Mouth, for she'll be faithful to your Souls and Bodies; …nd remember that Obedience to Parents hath the promise of this Life, as well as of Eternal Life. Pay a great Duty and Obedience to your Grandfather & Grandmother, Uncles and Aunt, who all of them have not only testified the greatest Love to your Dying Father, but from whom, if you carry your selves as becomes you, you may expect both the good things of this World, and Advice and Counsel for what is beyond all temporal Blessings. Diligence in your lawful Callings to which God shall in his Providence appoint you is both commendable, and a Duty; but let not the eager pursuit of the things of this World justle out the time allotted for better things: Prayer will bless what you get in your Employments, and so at once you obtain Gods Blessing upon worldly Mercies, and find God manifesting himself to you in his dear Son, Christ Jesus, in pardon of your sins, and receiving worldly things in the Covenant. Your tender Years in which I leave you in this wicked and deceitful world, may render you subject to many Temptations; but I commit you to the Father of the Fatherless, who is able to preserve you both in Soul & Body; Your poor Father hath no Legacy to leave you, but the blessing of the great Jehovah, which he begs for you upon the bended Knees of his Soul. The Lord God bless you with the Dew of Heaven, and if he sees good, give you Jacob's Portion, Food and Raiment; and if the Lord bless you with any temporal Goods, remember they are Talents, employ them well to the Masters use: No Duty so acceptable to God as Charity, that's it which your Saviour exalts so far, that he saith, Come ye Blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom, for I was an hungry and ye fed me, naked and ye clothed me, sick and in Prison, and ye visited me. I die and leave you, but if you keep close to God and his ways, he will never leave you, nor forsake you. The Sum of the whole is, Fear God and keep his commandments. Do that to all others, that you would they should do to you, is the golden Rule of the Gospel, and will be a great Preservative to you from offending either God or Man. Eternity calls me away, and I have neither time nor opportunity to add more: Your Duties may be various in the world, as Servants, as Masters, as Husbands, as Wives, as Parents: There is no condition of Life but hath its Comforts and its Troubles; the Lord fit you for whatsoever condition he calls you to, whether Honour or Dishonour, Riches or Poverty; But remember whatsoever it be, it is Gods Providence orders and governs the World. Dear James, as thou art the eldest, strive to be the best, and a good Example to the rest, a dutiful and a loving Son. Whatever thou or the rest have lost by me, God can make up in this Life. My dear Babes, who have been all Pledges of my Love, by the best and most affectionate Wife; I do once more beg it of you, as my last Request, that you obey, love and honour her, who hath been the greatest worldly Blessing to your Father, and will never think any thing too much to do for you. My dear Children, Farewel, I must now take my leave both of you, and all worldly Comforts: I trust and hope I am going to the Eternal Inheritance where sin and sorrow cease; and that I may meet you at the right Hand of my blessed Saviour, is the dying Prayer of,
Dear Children, Your Affectiona…e and loving Father, RICHARD NELTHROPE. Newgate, 29. Octob. 1685.
Mr. Nelthrope's Last Speech.
THE great and inexpressible trouble and distraction I have been under since I came into trouble, especially since my close Confinement in Newgate, hath so broken my Reason, that for many VVeeks last past, till the day my Sentence was passed, I have not had any composure of Mind, and have been under the greatest trouble imaginable: Since my dearest VVife hath had the favour granted her of coming to me, I am at present under great composedness of Mind, thro' the infinite goodness of the Lord. As to what I stand Outlawed for, and am now sentenced to die, I can with comfort appeal to the great God, before whose Tribunal I am to appear, that what I did was in the s…plicity of my heart, without seeking any private Advantage to my self; but thinking it my Duty to hazard my Life for the preservation of the Protestant Religion and English Liberties, which I thought invaded, and both in great danger of being lost. As to the design of assassinating the late King, or his present Majesty, it always was a thing highly against my Judgment, and which I always detested; and I was never in the least concerned in it, neither in Purse nor Person, nor never knew of any Arms brought for that intent, nor did I believe there was any such design, or ever heard of any disappointment in such an Affair, or Arms, or Time or Place, save what after the Discovery of the General Design, Mr. West spoke of, as to Arms bought by him: And as to my self, I was in the North when the late King was at New-market, and the first News I had of the Fire, was at Beverly in Yorkshire. As to my coming over with the late D. of Monmouth, it was in prosecution of the same ends; but the Lord in his Holy and Wise Providence hath been pleased to blast all our undertakings; tho there seemed to be a very unanimous and zealous Spirit in all those that came from beyond the Seas: And as to the D. of Monmouth's being declared King, I was wholly passive in it, I never having been present at any publick Debate of that Affair, and should never have advised it, but complained of it to Col. Holmes and Captain Patchet. I believe the Lord Gray and Mr. F— the chief Promoters of it. As to the temptation of being an Evidence, and bringing either into trouble or danger the meanest Person of his Life, upon the Account for which I suffer, I always abhorred and detested the thoughts of it, both when in and out of danger, and advised some very strongly against it; except when under my Distraction in Prison, that amongst other temptations did violently assault me; but through the goodness of my dearest God and Father, I was preserved from it, and indeed was wholly incapable, and could never receive the least shadow of comfort from it, but thought Death more eligible, and was some time asore, out of my distracted and disquieted condition, wholly free from it; though not without other Temptations far more Criminal in the sight of men. I bless the Father of all Mercies, and God of all Consolations, that I find a great Resignedness of my Will to his, finding infinitely more comfort in Death, than ever I could place in Life, tho in a condition that might seem honourable, every hour seeing the Will of God in ordering this Affair more and more cleared up to me. God hath given, God hath taken, blessed be his holy Name, that hath enabled me to be willing to suffer, rather than to put forth my hand to Iniquity, or to say a Confederacy with those that do so. I am heartily and sincerly troubled for what hath happened, many mens Lives being lost, and many poor distressed Families ruin'd; the Lord pardon what of sin he hath seen in it. He in his wonderful Providence hath made me and others concerned, Instruments, not only for what is already fallen out, but I believe, for hastening some other great work he hath to do in these Kingdoms; whereby he will try and purge his People, and winnow the chaff from the Wheat; the Lord keep those that are his, faithful unto the end.
I die in Charity with all the World, and can readily and heartily forgive my greatest Enemies, even those that have been Evidences against me; and I most humbly beg the pardon of all that I have in the least any way injur'd; and in a special manner humbly ask pardon of the Lady Lisle's Family and Relations, for that my being succoured there one Night with Mr. Hicks, brought that worthy Lady to suffer Death: I was wholly a Stranger to her Ladiship, and came with Mr. Hicks; neither did she (as I verily believe) know who I was or my Name, till I was taken: And if any other have come toany loss or trouble, I humbly beg their pardon; and were I in a condition, I would, as far as I was able, make them a requital.
As to my Faith, I neither look nor hope for merey, but only in the Free-grace of God, by the Application of the Blood of Jesus, my dearest and only Saviour, to my poor sinful Soul. My distresses have been exceeding great as to my Eternal State, but through the infinite goodness of God, tho, I have many sins to answer for, yet I hope and trust, as to my particular, that Christ came for this very end and purpose, to relieve the Oppressed, and to be a Physician to the Sick. I come unto thee, O blessed Jesus; refuse me not, but wash me in thine own Blood, and then present me to thy Father as righteous! What tho' my Sins be as Crimson, and of a Scarlet Dye? yet thou canst make them as white as Snow. I see nothing in my self but what must utterly ruine and condemn me, I cannot answer for one action of my whole Life, but I cast my self wholly upon thee, who art the Fountain of Mercy, in whom God is reconciling himself to the World, the greatest of Sins and Sinners may find an All sufficiency in thy Blood to cleanse 'em from all sin. O dearest Father of Mercy, look upon me as righteous in and through the imputed Righteousness of thy Son; he hath payed the Debt by his own own Offering up himself for sin, and in that thy Justice is satisfied, and thy Mercy is magnified. Grant me thy Love, O dearest Father, assist me and stand by me in the needful hour of Death, give thy Angels charge over my poor Soul, that the Evil One may not touch nor hurt it. Defend me from his power, deliver me from his rage, and receive me into thine Eternal Kingdom, in and through the alone Merits of my dearest Redeemer, for whom I praise thee: To whom with thy self and holy Spirit be ascribed all Glory, Honour, Power, Might and Dominion, for ever and for ever, Amen.
Dear Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit, Amen.
R. NELTHROPE. Newgate, Octob. 29. 1685.