MR. JOHN ELIOT, Called, Doctor of Medicine, HIS LAST Speech and Advice TO THE WORLD, At his Suffering, March 9. 1694.
TIME will not allow me to give you or the World, a particular Deſcription of my Life; but I ſhall endeavour (God aſſiſting me) to give you and the world, a brief Survey of the moſt material parts of it.
In the Firſt place, My Parents did moſt carefully, and diligently Educate me at Schools: where I was grounded in the Fundamentals of the Proteſtant Religion. After I had finiſhed my Courſe at Schools, my Father and Mother in Law (my2 own Mother being dead ſome Years before did bring me along with them to Edinburgh, and put me to the Univerſity; where I continued till I finiſhed my whole Courſe of Philoſophy; and it is known to many in the World, that I did improve my Studies to the beſt advantage, as to what could have been judged external: But at that time (and it is not without Regrate I ſpeak it) I had my own ſecret Faults and privat Debauches; which I covered with all the care imaginable, leſt they might have been brought to my Fathers knowledge, whom then I had a fear to offend: never conſidering that the Eye of the Almighty was upon me, and that my moſt ſecret intrigues were not hid from Him. After this I proſecuted the Study of Anatomy, in this Kingdom, And then, to my infallible loſs, I was withdrawn by evil Company, to act and commit things that were heinous in the ſight of God; and that not privatly, but publikly, as if the Laws both of God and Man, had approven ſuch baſe and unworthy Actions: For then I had begun to throw off the Fear, and Reverence I had always had for my Father (as thinking it a Childiſh thing) and conſequently that Fear and Regard I owed to the great God of Heaven; and ſo gave my ſelf to a more looſe way of living than I had formerly done; which occaſioned great Grief to my Father, and many ſcandalous Reports, whereof ſome I do confeſs and acknowledge (and that with an hearty Sorrow) were too too true; the real commiſſion of them have been the ſource and fountain, from which all I have now met with, hath ſprung.
My Father, after many private Rebukes, and pious Exhortations, ſound that nothing could prevail, nor no Argument was of that force, as to make me relinquiſh the Company I then haunted; ſo to prevent farther Evil, he deſigned to ſend me Abroad: Which accordingly he did, where I continued for3 Three Years; in which time my Life was very remarkable, and that upon ſeveral occaſions; which the brevity of time will nor allow me to rehearſe: But the Company I moſt converſed with were a Cabal of People, that went generally under the Notion, of Witts: Our ordinary Converſe was Debates of a high Notion, viz The proving that there was not a God: The Irrationality of the Trinity, and Incarnation of our Bleſsed Savior; And that the Scriptures were compoſed by a number of aſpiring Brains, who deſigned to make the World ſubject to their captious Humour; and to be ſhort, That Religion was but a Foppry, and Religious Perſons a number of Hypocrites and Sycophants; thus was their Humour to expreſs themſelves of what was Divine; but I do not believe that they entertained theſe Thoughts for a Truth, for my own part I never did. In any other Diſcourſe of Natural Things, abſtracting from Divinity, they were moſt rational and pleaſant: But to my Sorrow I am now ſenſible, that the intertaining of ſuch Company, together with my former Sins, and the other Sins I then committed, (which were moſt grievous in the ſight of God) was the reaſon that the Lord tryſted me with a ſignal Misfortune, the Marks whereof are too viſible to the World.
After the receiving of this Misfortune, ſo ſoon as Strength could allow me, I came for Scotland; where I was a conſiderable time in great Affliction and Trouble, my Father, nor few of my Friends not knowing where I was: During this my Affliction, I had ſome Convictions of Spirit, by looking back upon the Tract and former Courſe of my Life: but, to my great Grief and Shame, I acknowledge, that thoſe Convictions continued no longer than my Afflictions: For at that time the Infirmity of my Mouth was, by all appearance, perfectly Cured, and that without the leſt blemiſh: So that then I began to forget4 the Convictions of Spirit I formerly had, together with the many Vows and Promiſes of Amendement I had made to God during my Affliction, and returned as the the Dog to the Vomit and the Sow to the wallowing in the Myre.
But I had not many Days continued in this flagitious Courſe of Life, before I received a caſual Stroak upon my Mouth, which rendred me more miſerable than ever; and then I found, to my ſad experience, That God would not be mocked; but as He is Righteous in all His Ways, ſo He is Just in all his Diſpenſations: Which made me (by reflecting upon my many broken Vows and Promiſes made to Him) cry out. Have mercy upon O God! for against Thee, and Thee Only have I ſinned, and done Evil in Thy ſight. Thir Raptures and Motions of Spirit, did continue during the extremity of my Trouble: but as my Trouble began to be mitigated and aſſwaged, ſo theſe Motions and Raptures of Spirit did likeways gradually ceaſe, which I was not altogether unſenſible of at that time.
And fearing leſt God might tryſt me with a farther Affliction, I bended my Reſolutions to an Married Life, as a Remedy againſt many Inconveniences: This Deſign was in a little time afterwards effectuat. Being Married, I lived a retired Life for ſome Years, wherein I had ſome Reflections and Convictions upon my former Courſe of Life, but, to my great Sorrow, they were ſhort of what was needful. My Marriage was carried on and done, without the knowledge of my Father, which with other Circumſtances of my Life, was the occaſion of an open Breach betwixt us; but by the Interpoſition of Friends and my Mother in Law (who is a good kind Woman) all Differences were taken away.
This being done, my Father and ſome particular Friends together with my Wife, did daily ſolicite me to take advice anent5 the Curing of my Mouth, which accordingly I did, and in order the e•o, came to Edinburgh, where I was ſeveral Months under Cure during which time my Wife did viſit me twice. The firſt time I was extreamly Sick, the next time ſhe came; I was pretty well recovered: There was nothing paſt betwixt us, but Love and Kindneſs, and in this manner we parted It pleaſed God ſhe Conceived with Child at that time: Yet notwithſtanding I have never ſeen her ſince, which is near two Years. In this time I received two Letters from her, wherein ſhe ſignified, ſhe would not Co-habit any longer with me, ſhe gave me no Reaſon for it, neither do I know any ſhe could have ſince our laſt parting: As to the Infirmity of my Mouth ſhe knew I had the ſame ſome Years before I Married her: but the Reaſon I judge is, ſhe has thought that my Cure would be too expenſive and I judge it has been concerted betwixt her and ſome of her Friends, that this ſhe ſhould do, to be a hinderance of her paying the Cure; I ſhall paſs this, and its my deſire to God that he may pardon her Sins, and make her ſenſible of her Error: For ſhe hath been no ſmall Inſtrument in bringing me to this deplorable End, as the ſequel of my Diſcourſe ſhall make more clear.
My Father at this time was under Trouble himſelf; beſide I was aſhamed to diſcover to him the Reality of the Matter, that my Wife had ſo Treated me, and my ſo neceſſitous Circumſtances, in regard I had Married without his Conſent. However by thir Actings of my Wife I was redacted to ſuch Straits and Wants, that I was neceſſitat to apply to ſome of my Friends, whereof the deceaſt Mrs, Pringle was one, who Entertained me kindly, and was not wanting, as I thought, in truly commiſerating my Condition. But ſhe deſigned another thing at that time; which I could not then fathom; the truth of this I find now to my own Ruine.
6This is the way and manner, I was brought to ingage in this unhappy Buſineſs, for which I now am to ſuffer: How this deſign was carried on, I have ſufficiently declared to the World, eſpecially to Their Majeſties Advocat and Solicitor, and publickly in the Criminal Court: However you ſhall know that I was firſt imployed by the deceaſt Mr. Nicolſon and Mrs. Pringle, to Poyſon the Wife of the ſaid Mr. Nicolſon, which I did undertake to do, and made them likeways believe that I actually did it, but had done it ſo dexterouſly that it would require ſome time before it had its deſired effect. And I told them it would gradually ſpend her Body, ſo that the World could judge no other, but that ſhe had Died of a Decay. Notwithſtanding all this, I never ſo much as endeavoured the Acquaintance of the ſaid Miſtris Nicolſon, as ſhe her ſelf hath Deponed.
The next thing I was imployed in, was to affix a Deſign of Poyſoning upon Miſtris Nicolſon and Miſtris Hamiltoun her Siſter. The meaning is this, That Miſtris Nicolſon and Miſtris Hamiltoun ſhould have deſired me to give them ſuch a quantity of Poyſon, as would Poyſon Mr. Nicolſon, this I accordingly did at the deſire of Mr. Nicolſon and Mrs Pringle, I was likeways intreated by both Mr. Nicolſon and Miſtris Pringle to go along with them to their Majeſties Advocat, where I had a formal Story of the pernicious Deſign the two Siſters had againſt the Life of Mr. Nicolſon: Whereupon the ſaid Mr. Nicolſon conſulted Their Majeſties Advocat, how his Life might be ſecured, and the two Siſters taken Red-hand in their wicked Deſign (as he alledged) and accordingly my Lord Advocat drew a Draught of an Receipt, which the Siſters were to give to me Subſcribed before two Witneſſes, and this I was to have from the two Siſters, before I was to give to them the Poyſon. After we were parted from my Lord Advocat, it was concerted7 amongſt us three, viz Mr. Nicolſon, Miſtris Pringle and me how the two Siſters Subſcriptions ſhould be got, and affixed to the Receipt, and Witneſſes procured: Which was done ſome dayes after, in this manner. viz. Mr. Nicolſon brought his Wife's Contract of Marriage to the Houſe of Miſtris Pringle, where her Subſcription was counterfeited and affixed to the forged Receipt by the ſaid Mr. Nicolſon, Miſtris Pringle being preſent; the Subſcription of Mrs. Hamiltoun was counterfeited from off a Diſcharge, granted by her to the ſaid Mr. Nicolſon, her Name was alſo affixed to the ſorged Receipt by the ſaid Mr Nicolſon: This was that which was told me jointly by them both, at the delivering of the Receipt to me: So I procured the two Witneſſes to Subſcribe, their Names being filled up in the Body of the ſaid Receipt. I likeways cauſed the Body of the ſaid Receipt to be written by the Wife of one of the Witneſſes, viz Robert Wiſhart, and I gave it to the ſaid Mr. Nicolſon, who gave back the ſame to me again with the Names of the two Siſters affixed to it, and then I procured the Witneſſes to Subſcribe.
This is the naked Truth, as I have formerly declared, and I take God to Witneſs, before Whom ere long I muſt make my Appearance, that I deſigned the Evil of none Living, neither hath there Evil happened to thoſe perſons againſt whom it was deſigned: For all my Deſign was to have my Straits & Wants ſupplied, without the prejudice of any perſon.
This Buſineſs being the thing for which I muſt now ſuffer Death, I muſt be ſo particular as to let you know, that I was the only perſon that made a perfect Diſcovery of this complicated Affair; which my Declarations, before Their Majeſties Advocat and Solicitor, as likeways before the Criminal Judges in publick Court, doth ſufficiently teſtifie.
8I did in that publick Court make an open Confeſſion and and threw my ſelf at Mercy, I was found Guilty by an Aſſyze, without adducing any other probation, ſave my own Confeſſion, for which I pleaded favour at the Judges Hands; I received ſome: But I expected that the Lords of Their Majeſties Privy Council, upon full Information, would have imitated the Great GOD, Who delighteth not in the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he ſhould Repent and Live: For God, Bleſſed for ever, will not Reject a Sinner upon his due acknowledging of his Sins, and throwing himſelf at the Throne of His Mercy: So I hoped that the Lords of Council, as gods on Earth, would have ſhewn Mercy upon my ingenuous Confeſſion, and throwing my ſelf upon their Clemency; but the Great GOD, Whoſe Ways are unſearchable, and paſt finding out, hath otherways ordered it; and ſo I take it from the Hand of God, and not from M•n: And it is my earneſt deſire, that He may give me a Holy Submiſſion to His Will.
Now to the Glory of God, and my great Shame, I have given you a ſhort Narrative of my wicked and profligate Life, in which I deſire you may take notice of the many and different ways, the moſt merciful God hath taken, to reclaim me from my Sins and Wickedneſs: You may likeways obſerve, the many Vows and Promiſes I have made to God, while His afflicting Hand was upon me; and likewayes the ſeveral Convictions I had; but, as I have ſaid, the Rod of Affliction was no ſooner removed, than my Vows and Promiſes were forgot, and my Convictions ceaſed: But at laſt, by bringing my Body to this Diſgraceful and Untimely End, I hope God in His Mercy hath found out a way to preſerve my Soul from Eternal Death; for my Hope is in Chriſt Jeſus: And as I believe in Him (Lord ſtrengthen my weak Belief) ſo I expect by His Blood and Merits to ſee God in Mercy. In all the Afflictions9 and Troubles I have met with, and what I am now tryſted with, I do from my Heart and Soul acknowledge the Goodneſs and Mercy of God, who, notwithſtanding of my many heinous and aggravating Sins, never drew the Sword of Juſtice againſt me; elſe I had not only been puniſhed with all temporal Puniſhments, but I had, long before this time, been thrown into Eternal Ruine, from which there is no Redemption: So that, I hope, the Great GOD will make me a Monument of His Mercy, and not of His Juſtice. I earneſtly deſire that all perſons may take narrow inſpection of my Sins, which have brought me to be made a publick Spectacle, and that they may be earneſt with God that He may give them His Reſtraining Grace, to preſerve them from falling into the like: For tho' it pleaſed God to deal with me in Mercy, that I am brought to this publick place to be an Example, and a Warning to all Men; for it is juſtly to be feared, that after this ſo ſignal a Caveat, if any ſhall commit ſuch like Sins, that God will draw His Sword of Juſtice againſt them, and cut them off in the midſt of their Sins, and throw them into utter Darkneſs: From which, Good Lord deliver us.
You are to obſerve, that in the Deſcription of my Life I do particularly mention my being ſingularly guilty of Two Sins. The First is, Diſobedience to my Parents, which is a Breach of the Firſt Command, in the Second Table of the Law: All of you ſhould know, that there is a Bleſſing that attends the keeping of this Command; but as I have broken it, ſo I have deprived my ſelf of the Bleſſing that attends it. But beſides, I deſire that all of you may take notice, that when I threw off that Fear and Obedience I owed to my earthly Father. I likeways threw off that Fear and Regard I owed to the Great God: And therefore I earneſtly intreat all you young People, and that for the10 Love of God, I deſire you may ſeriouſly conſider what dangerous Conſequences attend the breach of this Command.
The Next is, That I intertained Company with a number of Men, who denied the Exiſtency of God, mocked at the Trinity, and Incarnation of our Bleſsed Lord and Saviour, and told that the Scriptures were compoſed by a number of aſpiring Brains, who deſigned to ſubject the World to their captious Humors; and in ſumm, that Religion was but a Foppery, and religious Perſons, Hypocrites and Sycophants. The frequent Converſe I had with thoſe debaucht Company, had almoſt extinguiſhed the true Conception I had of a God; but the only thing that interrupted this dangerous Opinion, was, That from my younger Years I had always private Converſe with God, though imperfectly, it not being with that Sincerity as was requiſite; yet I ſtill payed a certain kind of Homage to that Supreme Beeing, and even at that time when I moſt haunted that Company: And if at any time I had omitted that Homage I gave to God, I could have no peace of Mind until I had diſcharged my ſelf of that Duty, which was the Onely and Great Motive which hindred me from intertaining the dangerous Principles of theſe Men.
Yet notwithſtanding their daring and blaſphemous Diſcourſes, there was one of them who told me, That he had occaſion ſometimes to be alone, but was afraid to continue ſo for any time: For he ſaid, That he felt ſomething in himſelf (this is his own Expreſſion) that did strick him with ſuch terror and horror, and threw him into ſuch Melancholy Fits, that he was afraid to be by himſelf, and therefore ſought all occaſions of Company, This Gentleman was as roaring a Gallant as any the Age produced, but otherways as well accompliſht as moſt Men What may be the Ends of ſuch Men is greatly to be feared; nay,11 even the worſt: For I my ſelf am too evident an Example of the ſame. I do therefore deſire that all here preſent, and to whoſe knowledge this may come, may be earneſt with God, that He may direct them in ſuch a Holy Courſe of Life, as that they may not fall into the Company of ſuch Men, whoſe Principles are attended with ſuch dangerous & fatal Conſequences.
There is one Thing that doth not a litle trouble me, and that is, The neglecting the taking of the Sacrament, which I was never Partaker of, notwithſtanding the falſe and malicious Stories and Reproaches that paſs on me on that occaſion: And I ſhall aſſure you, that the omiſſion of that Holy Duty has been no ſmall Mean in bringing me to a Scaffold: So that as you regard the Eternal Wel-being of your Souls, and deſire to ſhun the Dangers that are before your Eyes, do not ſlight the Opportunity of taking the Holy Sacrament.
There are ſome here preſent and ſome abſent, who have ſpoke moſt falſly and contemptibly of me, for which I forgive them and all Men (as I deſire to be forgiven) yet I muſt tell you, you have not done like Chriſtians: For whatever my Sins have been, you ought in Chriſtianity to have ſpoke of me with Commiſeration and Regrate for my Failings; and you ſhould have conſidered, That it is the reſtraining Grace of God, and nothing in your ſelves, that hath preſerved you from falling into worſe. This I ſpeak for your good, do not think I have any Reſentments of what has been ſpoken of this nature.
There are likeways many come here to day, rather to Gaze than to take Example: But I Charge you and every one of you, in the Name of the Great GOD (before Whom ere many Moments I muſt make my Appearance) that you ſeriouſly conſider what ye have heard this Day; and if you do otherways, remember I tell you, in the Name of the Moſt High, that it will12 ſtand in Judgment againſt you: For I am perſwaded, that God has not only brought me here for a Puniſhment of my Sins, but likeways that you and all others may take Warning and Example by me, and may be Edified by what ye have heard this day, ſo as that it may be a Mean of your Converſion and drawing nearer to God. That this may be the effect of what ye have heard, is my earneſt deſire to God: So that He may be as much Glorified in my Death, as He has been Diſhonoured in my Life. Thus wiſhing the Lord to give you a true Repentance, and ſaving Fath in Chriſt Jeſus, I ſhall conclude with the Publican in the Goſpel, God have Mercy upon me a poor Sinner.
IN Regard of the wicked Practices of my Life, and that I have had frequent Converſe with debauched Company I think my ſelf obliged (leſt there might be Miſtakes) to give you a brief Account of my Fath, which is this: I Believe God is; and that in Commiſeration of fallen Man, Heſent the Son of his Love Chriſt Jeſus in to the World, who took upon him Humane Nature: I do believe that he ſubjected himſelf to Death; and by that Sacrifice made Attonement for all thoſe that ſhould ſincerely believe in him: I do alſo believe, that he aroſe again from the Dead, and that he now ſits at the right Hand of God the Father, and that he is making continual Interceſſion for Sinnas. I believe that there is a communion of Saints, and that there is a future State: And I believe that God will reward13 the Good and puniſh the Bad: I believe in the Holy Ghoſt, and that there is forgiveneſs of Sins. In ſumm, I believe all that is contained in the Apostolick Creed, and on this I venture my Salvation: For by the ſincere believing of this, together with a previous Repentance, I hope to ſee God in Mercy.
You all ſee of what importance, this Beliefe is; ſo I intreat you again and again to be earneſt with God to give you a true Repentance (for it is the Gift of God) and then a ſaving Faith in Chriſt Jeſus; except you endeavour this, you can never expect to be partakers of thoſe Eternal Manſions of Bliſs, that are prepared for all thoſe that ſincerely believe in Him.
There is one thing I had forgot, Which is, that one of the Witneſſees, viz Mr Joſeph Cleland, denyed his Subſcription in publick Court upon Oath, but I take God to Witneſs I did ſee him Subſcribe Witneſs to the forged Receipt, this I have declared as I am a dying Man, for Exoneration of my Conſcience, and that it may be a mean of his Conviction,
I cannot ommit to tell how Mr Nicolſon and Miſtris Pringle took all poſſible wayes, ſince my coming to priſon to perſwade me to load my ſelf with the whole Guilt, and for this end they gave me innumberable fair promiſes, and Bonds to the value of five thouſand Marks; beſides innumerable other things, And with all told me it was the only way to preſerve their lives and my own. For in me it would be thought no other thing than a pretty invention to ſupply my wants, but in them it would be thought a moſt atrocious and notorious Crime, and that unleſs I took the Guilt upon me they would inevitably periſh. By ſuch like Arguments, I conſented to their deſire, and accordingly Mr Nicolſon and I concerted a Counter - Declaration, which I emitted as come only from my ſelf, and inſtigated ſo to do by a remorſe of Conſcience14 (as I pretended, Lord pardon me for it) I do publickly declare, the ſaid Declaration to be falſe and an untruth.
My friends Kindneſs has been ſo ſingular and ſignal to me on this occaſion, that I cannot paſs it with ſilence: For they have not only taken all lawful means to preſerve my Life, but they have alſo taken all Chriſtian meaſures and methods to preſerve my Soul, for which I do here publickly intreat the Almighty God to reward them with his choiſeſt Bleſſings here and Eternal Bliſs hereafter.
Now I bid you all heartily Adiew, and again and again I deſire that you may imprint on your Hearts what you have heard and ſeen this day, which if you do, as I earneſtly deſire, ſo I hope the Great GOD will make it a Mean of your Eternal Good. Lord remember me in Mercy, for my time draws nigh So I end with the Pſalmiſt, Hid not thy face from thy ſervant, for I am in trouble; Hear me ſpeedily; draw nigh to my Soul and redeem it, Make hast O GOD! to deliver me, make hast to help me O LORD! for I am poor and needy, make haſt unto me O GOD! Thou art my help and my deliverer, O LORD make no tarrying. Into thy hands I commend my Spirit.