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<DATE>2012-02-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B120113.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B10225">
<STC T="W">V77</STC>
<STC T="C">R233015</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]61297185</BIBNO>
<VID>180687</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT SIR HENRY VANE INTENDED To have &s;poken upon the Scaffold on TOWER-HILL, at the time of his Execution, being the 14^t^h^. of <HI>June</HI> 1662.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed to prevent fal&s;e Reports.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the Year, 1662.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="3">
<P>THe work which I am at this time called unto in this place (as upon a publick Theater) is to Die, and receive a di&s;|charge once for all, out of pri&s;on, to doe that which is but once to be done; and the doing or not doing of which <HI>well</HI> and as becomes a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> does much depend upon the life we have been taught of God to lead before we come to this: they that live in the faith, do al&s;o die in it; Faith is &s;o farre from leaving them in this houre, that the work of it breaks forth then into its greate&s;t power, as if till then it were not enough at freedome to doe its office, that is, to look into the things that are un&s;een with mo&s;t &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s, certainty, and delight, which is the great &s;weetner of death, and remover of its &s;ting.</P>
<P>Give me leave therefore in a very few words, to give you an account of my life, and of the wonder|full great grace and mercy of God in bringing me home to him&s;elf, and revealing his Sonne in me, that by the knowledge of the onely true God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom he hath &s;ent, I might even whil&s;t here in the body be made pertaker of eternall life in the fir&s;t fruits of it, and at la&s;t &s;it down with Chri&s;t in glory at his right hand.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P>Here to mention &s;ome remarkable pa&s;&s;ages and changes of my life.</P>
<P>And in particular, how un&s;ought by my &s;elf I was called to be a member of the long Parliament; what little advantage I had by it, and by what &s;teps I be|came &s;atisfied with the Cau&s;e I was engaged in, and d d pur&s;ue the &s;ame: what the Cau&s;e was did fir&s;t &s;hew it &s;elf in the fir&s;t Remon&s;trance of the hou&s;e of Commons.</P>
<P>Secondly, in the Covenant.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in the more refined pur&s;uit of it by the Commons hou&s;e in their actings &s;ingle, with what re&s;ult they were growing up, into was in the brea&s;t of the Hou&s;e and unknown; or what the three pro|po&s;als mentioned in my charge would have been at la&s;t, I &s;hall not need now to repeat them. But onely from all parts together to a&s;&s;ert that this Cau&s;e which was owned by the Parliament, was the Cau&s;e of God, and for the promoting of the kingdome of his deare Sonne Je&s;us Chri&s;t, wherein is comprehen|ded our liberties and duties both as men and as Chri|&s;tians.</P>
<P>And &s;ince it plea&s;ed God who &s;eparated me from the womb to the knowledge and &s;ervice of the Go&s;|pel of his Sonne, to &s;eparate me al&s;o to this hard and difficult &s;ervice at this time, and to &s;ingle me out to the defence and ju&s;tification of his Cau&s;e, I could not con&s;ent by any words or actions of mine, that the innocent blood that hath been &s;hed in the de|fence of it throughout the whole warre (<HI>the guilt and morrall evils of which mu&s;t certainly lye &s;omewhere</HI>) did lye at my door or at theirs that have been the faith|full
<PB N="2" REF="2"> adhearents to this cau&s;e, which is with &s;uch evi|dence upon my heart that I am mo&s;t freely and chearfully willing to put the greate&s;t Seal to it I am capable, which is the powring out of my very blood in witne&s;s to it, which is all I &s;hall need to &s;ay in this place and at this time, having &s;poken at large to it in my defence at my Trials and had intended to &s;ay more the la&s;t day, as what I thought was rea&s;onable for the arre&s;t of the judgement, though I was not permitted then to &s;peake it. Both which may with time and Gods providence come to light.</P>
<P>And I mu&s;t &s;till a&s;&s;ert, that I remain wholly un&s;a|tisfied, that the cour&s;e of proceedings again&s;t me at my tryall were according to Law, but that I was run upon and de&s;troyed contrary to right, and the Liber|ties of <HI>Magna Charta</HI> under the form of Ju&s;tice: which I leave to God to decide who is the Judge of the whole world, and to clear my innocency. While&s;t in the mean time I be&s;eech him to forgive them, and all that have had a hand in my death; and that the Lord in his great mercy will not lay it unto their charge.</P>
<P>And I doe account this lot of mine no other then what is to be expected by tho&s;e that are not of the world, but whom Chri&s;t hath cho&s;en out of it; for the &s;ervant is not greater then his Lord, and if they have done this to the green tree, they will doe it much more to the dry.</P>
<P>However I &s;hall not altogether excu&s;e my &s;elf, I know that by many weakne&s;&s;es and failings. I have given occa&s;ion enough of the ill u&s;age I have met with from men, though in the main the Lord knows
<PB N="4" REF="3"> the &s;incerity and integrity of my heart, whatever a&s;per&s;ions and reproaches I have or do lye under.</P>
<P>I know al&s;o that God is ju&s;t in bringing this &s;en|tence and condemnation upon me for my &s;ins, there is a body of &s;inne and death in me de&s;erves this &s;en|tence. And there is a &s;imil<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">tude and likene&s;s al&s;o, that as a Chri&s;tian God thinks me worthy to beare with my Lord and head in many circum&s;tances in+ference to the&s;e dealings <HI>I</HI> have met with, in the good <HI>I</HI> have been endeavouring for many years to be do|ing the&s;e Nations, and e&s;pecially now at the la&s;t in being numbred among&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, and made a publick &s;acrifice through the wrath and contradicti|ons of men. And having fini&s;hed my cour&s;e, and fought the good fight of faith, and re&s;i&s;ted in a way of &s;uffering (as you &s;ee) even unto blood.</P>
<P>This is but the needfull preparation the Lord hath been working in me to the receiving the Crown of immortality which he hath prepared for them that love him. The pro&s;pect whereof is &s;o chearfull that through the joy (in it) that is &s;et before the eyes of my faith, I can through mercy endure this cro&s;&s;e, de|&s;pi&s;e this &s;hame, and am become more then conque|rour through Chri&s;t that hath loved me.</P>
<P>For my Life and E&s;tate, all is not &s;o dear to me as my &s;ervice to God, to his Cau&s;e, to the Kingdome of Chri&s;t, and the future wellfare of my Countrey; and I am taught according to the example, as well as that mo&s;t Chri&s;tian &s;aying of a <HI>Noble Per&s;on that lately dyed after this publick manner in Scotland,</HI> How much better it is to chu&s;e Affliction and the Cro&s;&s;e, then to
<PB N="5" REF="4"> &s;inne or draw back from the &s;ervice of the Living God into wayes of Apo&s;tacy and Perdition.</P>
<P>That Noble Per&s;on who&s;e Memory I Honour, was with my &s;elf at the beginning and making of the <HI>Solemne League and Covenant,</HI> the matter of which and the holy ends therein contained, I fully a&s;&s;ent unto and have been as de&s;irous to ob&s;erve; but the Rigid way of pro&s;ecuteing it, and oppre&s;&s;ing unifor|mity that hath been endeavoured by it, I never ap|proved.</P>
<P>This were &s;ufficient to vindicate me from the fal&s;e A&s;per&s;ions and Calumnies which have been laid up|on me of Je&s;uiti&s;me and Popery, and almo&s;t what not to make my name of ill Savour with <HI>good men,</HI> which dark mi&s;ts do now di&s;pell of them&s;elves, or at lea&s;t ought, and need no pains of mine in making an Apology.</P>
<P>For if any man &s;eek a proof of Chri&s;t in me, let him read it in this action of my Death, which will not cea&s;e to &s;peak when I am gone; and henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not de&s;ire in this place to take up much time, but only as my la&s;t words leave with you: That as the pre&s;ent &s;torme we now lie under, and the dark Clouds that yet hang over the Reformed Churches of Chri&s;t, which are comming thicker and thicker for a &s;ea&s;on, were not un-fore-&s;een by me for many years pa&s;&s;ed, as &s;ome writings of mine declare.</P>
<P>So the coming of Chri&s;t in the&s;e Clouds in order
<PB N="6" REF="5"> to a &s;peedy and &s;udden revivall of his Cau&s;e, and &s;preading his Kingdome over the face of the whole Earth is mo&s;t clear to the eye of my Faith, in that Faith in which I Dye, whereby the Kingdome of this world &s;hall become the Kingdome of our Lord and of his Chri&s;t, Amen. Even &s;o come Lord Je&s;us.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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