The Speech of Col. Hugh Grove, on Munday laſt, at the place of Execution upon the Scaf­fold, immediatly before his head was ſevered from his body.

AFter he came upon the Scaffold, kiſſing the Block he ſaid, I hope there is no more but this block between me & heaven; and I hope I ſhall neither tire in my way, nor go out of it: and turning to the Rail, he ſpake to the People as followeth; Chriſtian Gentlemen, and Friends, Should I be ſilent in this great Work, and not act my part like a Chriſtian upon this bloody Scaf­fold, ſome might be ſo exaſperated as to expoſtulate why this great Judg­ment is fallen upon me; but know I am able to give a better accompt of my moral honeſty, judgment, and execution, then my Judgers themſelves, or you are able to give; It is Gods wrath upon me for fins long unrepent­ed of, many judgments withſtood, and mercies ſlighted; therefore God has whipped me by his ſevere Rod of Correction that he might not loſe me; I pray joyn with me in prayer that it may not be a fruitleſ•Rod, that when by this Rod I have laid down my life, by this ſtaff I may be comforted, and received into glory.

And I deſire that God Almighty would confer of his infinite and ineſti­mable grace and mercy to thoſe that are the cauſe of my coming hither to pay this violent death, as much mercy as their hearts can wiſh; and truly,4 for my heart, I ſhall not accuſe any one of them of malice, truly I will not, nay I will not think there was any malice in them; what other ends there is I know not, nor I will not examine, but let it be what it will, from my very ſoul I forgive them every one: and ſo the Lord of Heaven bleſs you all, God Almighty be infinite in goodneſs and mercy to you, and direct you in thoſe ways of true obedience to his Commands, our great and glorious King, that ſo he may ſend down his Spirit of Peace and Concord, & unite the hearts of all his Subjects on Earth.

I take it for an honour, and I owe thankfulneſſe to thoſe under whoſe power I am, that they have ſent me to a place, however of puniſhment, yet of ſome honour to die a death, ſomewhat worthy of my blood, anſwerable to my birth; and this courteſie of theirs hath much helped towards the pacification of my mind.

I am not the firſt that hath ſuffered in this kind, it is the common porti­on of us all while we are in this life to err, Righteous Judgment we muſt wait for in another place, for here we are very ſubject to be miſ-judged one of another.

For my Death, I here acquit all the world, and beſeech the Lord God of Heaven heartily to forgive them that are acceſſary to it. As for my Native Countrey, I wiſh it all the proſperity and happineſs in the World, I did it living, and now dying it is my wiſh, I do moſt humbly recommend this to every one that hears me, and deſire they would lay their hands upon their hearts, and conſider ſeriouſly whether the beginning of the happineſs and reformation of a people ſhould be written in Letters of blood: conſider this when you are at your homes, and let me be never ſo unhappy, as that the laſt drop of my blood ſhould riſe up in Judgment againſt any one of you, but I fear you are in a wrong way.

That debt I owe to Nature, to pay it upon the ſcore of a ſubject, doth hold forth ſomewhat of Innocency: O what a ſad thing it is, when Loy­alty muſt be accounted not onely a Sin, but a Crime! may, a Crime of ſo vaſt and boundleſs extent, that nothing can appeaſe and ſatisfie the wrath and indignation thereof, but Life it ſelf.

Bleſſed be God, that he hath thought me worthy to ſuffer for my inte­grity and faithfulneſs towards my Maſter; and bleſſed be his Name who hath filled me with ſuch extaſies of Heaven, that I thing long till I am ar­rived at Tabernacle, which leads to Eternal Glory.

As touching my Religion, I profeſs that I die a true and obedient Son5 to the Church of England, wherein I was born, and in which I was bred: peace and proſperity be ever to it. I have alwayes been fearful of offending Almighty God, according to the grace he hath given me, and my Alle­geance hath been incorporated into my Religion. Bleſſed be Almighty God that hath called me to the knowledge of him, and this ready Obedi­ence which I pray, and mercifully accepting of my Saviour, and patient Death: And I beſeech you all whatſoever you are, That you will accom­pany me with your prayers, whereby my ſoul may be aſſiſted within me, in that paſſage to my Saviour, whither I am a going. And turning to two Miniſters upon the Scaffold, ſaid, I have a good Cauſe, and a gracious God on my ſide.

O Moſt bleſſed Lord, I thy poor and un­worthy ſervant come unto thee, preſume­ing in thy infinite mercy, and the merits of Jeſus Chriſt, who ſits upon the Throne; I come fly­ing from that of Juſtice, to that of mercy and tenderneſs, for his ſake which ſhed his blood for ſinners, that he would take compaſſion upon me, that he would look upon me as one that has redeemed me, and ſhed his blood for me; that he would look upon me, as one who now calls and hopes to be ſaved by his Alſufficient merits. For his ſake, glorious God, have compaſſion on me in the freeneſs of thy infinite mercy, that when this ſinful ſoul of mine ſhal depart out of this7 frail Carcaſs of Clay, I may be carryed into thy everlaſting Glory; O Lord, my, God, and my Redeemer, hear me, take pitty upon me, take pitty upon me, gracious Father, and ſo deal with with my ſoul, that by thy precious merits I may attain to thy joy and bliſs; O Lord remember me, for thy Names ſake, and receive me into thy own bound of mercy; O Lord, I truſt in thee, let me not be confounded, but grant me a man­ſion in my fathers houſe. O hear me ſweet Jeſus, even for thy own goodneſs, mercy, and truth; O glorious God, O bleſſed Father, O holy Re­deemer, O gracious Comforter, O holy and bleſſed Trinity, I do render up my ſoul into thy hands, and commit it with the Mediation of my Redeemer, praiſing thee for all thy diſpenſati­ons that it has pleaſed thee to confer upon me, and even for this, praiſe, honour, and thanks, from this time forth for evermore.

8Having ended his prayer, he prepared himſelf for the fatal ſtroke; and pulling off his Doublet, and putting on his Cap, the Miniſter again ſpakes Now, now, Sir, lift up your eyes unto Jeſus Chriſt, and caſt your ſelf into the everlaſting Arms of your gracious Redeemer.

Col. Sir, I thank you, to Paradiſe am I now going. And laying his head over the Block, to try it; the Miniſter concluded with theſe words:

Then riſing up, and taking his leave of his friends and acquaintance, ſa­luting them with a courteous valediction, caſting his eyes up, and fixing them very intentively upon Heaven, ſaid, When I ſay Lord Jeſus receive me, Executioner do thine Office; th•n kiſſing the Ax he laid down, and with as much undanted, yet Chriſtian courage, as poſſible could be in man, did he expoſe his throat to the fatal Ax, his life to the Executioner, and commended his ſoul into the hands of a faithful and merciful Creator, through the meritorious paſſion of a gracious Redeemer; and upon giving the ſign, at one blow his head was ſevered from his ſhoulders; which was taken up by his friends, and (with his body) put into a Coffin and carry­ed away.