CHAPTER XVII.

Vane's "Exhortation to his Children." - His Parting with his Family and Friends.— Prayer before Leaving the Prison. - Prayer and Speech on the Scaffold. Execution.

He was allowed from Wednesday, when the sentence was pronounced, until Saturday, to prepare for death. After returning to prison, he composed a discourse of considerable length, in the usual manner of the divines of that period, the object of which was to instruct and confirm his children and family in the principles of virtue and piety. The text was from Genesis xviii. 17, 18, 19.*

This discourse has been preserved under the following title; "Some Notes of Sir Henry Vane's Exhortation to his Children and Family,

*"And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blest in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."

(brokenly and imperfectly taken), June 13th, 1662, being the day before his execution." He thus addresses his children.

"Live then in the spirit, and walk in the spirit and faith, of our father Abraham. Listen to the experiences of your father, in this dying hour and season of darkness, who can and doth here give a good report of that heavenly and better country, he is now going to the more free and full enjoyment of. In the midst of these, his dark circumstances, his enjoyments and refreshings from the presence of the Lord do more abound than ever. I can truly say, that, as my tribulations for Christ have risen higher and abounded, my consolations have abounded much more. My imprisonment and hard usage from men have driven me nearer to God, and more alienated and disentangled my mind from the snares and cumbrances of this mortal life.

"You have no cause to be ashamed of my chain or to fear being brought into the like circumstances I now am in, so it be on as good an occasion, for the name and cause of Christ, and for his righteousness' sake. Let this word abide with you, whatever befalls you. Resolve to suffer any thing from men, rather than sin against God; yea, rejoice and be exceeding glad, when you find it given to you, on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his name."

"Amidst the great variety of churches and ways of worship, that this world abounds with, be not by any means induced or forced to observe and become subject to the ordinances of man, in things pertaining unto God. Give unto God the things that are God's; give also unto Cæsar the things that are his. If he unlawfully require more, you may lawfully refuse to obey him. Let him take his course. Wherein any deal proudly, God will be above them. If one church say, Lo, here is Christ; and another, Lo, there; and the trumpet that 's blown in both give but an uncertain sound, look up to Christ himself, with the spouse in the Canticles, and say, O thou whom our souls do love, tell us where thou feedest, and makest thy flock to rest at noon, under the scorching heat of man's persecuting wrath."

As

"This your father hath found joy and comfort in, upon very large and plentiful experiences; but most remarkably, in his prison state. troubles and straits from without have increased upon me, I have been more enlarged within. The more I have been shut up on earth, and from earthly relations and enjoyments, the more have the heavens opened upon me, and let down to me the large sights and tastes of the glory and enjoyments of the world to come."

"God seems now to take all our concerns wholly into his own hands. You will be deprived of my bodily presence, but Abraham's blessing shall come upon you. The Lord revive, and cause to grow up and flourish, whatever is of that faith of Abraham in you, that is in your father; and grant it may more and more appear in my family, after I am gone hence, and no more seen in my mortal body."

On Friday, the day before his death, the friends of Sir Henry Vane were permitted to visit him. He received them with entire serenity and cheerfulness, and they were surprised and delighted with the sentiments he uttered. One of them, in giving an account of the interview, says, "He let fall many gracious expressions, to the very great refreshing and strengthening of the hearts of the hearers." He told them, that, for the two preceding years," he had made death familiar to him; that being shut up from the world he had been shut up with God; and that he had not the least recoil in his heart, as to matter or manner of what had been done by him." A friend remarked to him, "Sir, the Lord hath said, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life; the Lord enable you to be faithful." Sir Henry replied, "I bless the Lord, I have not had any discomposure of spirit these two years; but I do wait upon the Lord, till he

be pleased to put an end to these days of mine, knowing that I shall change for the better; for in heaven there is an innumerable company of angels, the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus, the blessed mediator of the new covenant. There, are holy and just laws, a pure government, blessed and good company, every one doing their duty; here we want all these. Why therefore should we be unwilling to leave this estate and go to that?"

Another friend said to him, "I have delivered you up unto God as a sacrifice, though I have day and night prayed that this cup might pass from you." Sir Henry replied, "I bless God, that I have offered up myself to him, and I rejoice that others have given me up also. And why," said he, turning to the company, "why should we be frighted with death? I bless the Lord, I am so far from being affrighted with death, that I find it rather shrink from me, than I from it."

When his children visited him, the struggle was deep and painful indeed, but the divine energy of his Christian faith enabled him to triumph over the temptation which assailed his fortitude through the dearest affections and ties of nature. When about to part with them, he said, "I bless God, by the eye of faith I can see through all my relations to Mount Sion, and there I shall need none