A88579:40
A clear and necessary vindication of the principles and practices of me Christopher Love,…A cleare and necessary vindication of the principles and practices of me Christopher Love,…
A clear and necessary vindication of the principles and practices of me Christopher Love, since my trial before, and condemnation by, the High Court of Justice. Whereby it is manifested, that a close prison, a long sword, a High Court, and a bloody scaffold, have not in the least altered my judgment. Whereas also the cruelty of the sentence, the insufficiency of the proofs, and my own innocency, are demonstrated. As also my grounds and reasons of giving in a narrative, and the lawfulness of the matter and titles of my petitions (though to usurpers) manifested and maintained. Together with a declaration of my judgement concerning Cromwells unlawful invasion of the kingdom of Scotland. Written by me Christopher Love, Master of Arts, minister of Lawrence Jury, London; penned by me the eighth of August, fourteen days before my death.A cleare and necessary vindication of the principles and practices of me Christopher Love, since my tryall before, and condemnation by, the High Court of Iustice. Whereby it is manifested, that a close prison, a long sword, a High Court, and a bloody scaffold, have not in the least altered my judgment. Whereas also the cruelty of the sentence, the insufficiency of the proofs, and my own innocency, are demonstrated. As also my grounds and reasons of giving in a narrative, and the lawfulness of the matter and titles of my petitions (though to usurpers) manifested and maintained. Together with a declaration of my judgement concerning Cromwells unlawfull invasion of the kingdom of Scotland. Written by me Christopher Love, Master of Arts, minister of Lawrence Iury, London; penned by me the eighth of August, fourteen days before my death.
London : s.n., Printed in the year 1651
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Fourthly, when I say I prostrate my self at your feet, acknowledging I have offended against the Acts of this Commonwealth, and thereby am fallen under your sore displeasure, of which I am very deeply sensible and sorrowful also, I desire the Reader to observe, 1. I call their Laws the Acts of this Common-wealth, to distinguish them from Acts of Parliament. 2. By these words you may understand my intent in the foregoing Clause, where I said I was sorry for my offences done contrary to their Laws, these words explain those, that my sorrow is that I have fallen under their sore displeasure (which I feel by Imprisonment and sentence of death) rather than transgressing their Acts; I have more cause of grief that their Laws are not abolished, than that they are broken.
Fourthly, when I say I prostrate my selfe at your feet, acknowledging I have offended against the Acts of this Commonwealth, and thereby am fallen under your sore displeasure, of which I am very deeply sensible and sorrowfull also, I desire the Reader to observe, 1. I call their Laws the Acts of this Common-wealth, to distinguish them from Acts of Parliament. 2. By these words you may understand my intent in the foregoing Clause, where I said I was sorry for my offences done contrary to their Laws, these words explain those, that my sorrow is that I have fallen under their sore displeasure (which I feel by Imprisonment and sentence of death) rather than transgressing their Acts; I have more cause of grief that their Laws are not abolished, than that they are broken.
This is all I have to say about the narratory part of the first Petition, the narratory of my second Petition is as followeth:
Most humbly showeth, That your Petitioner doth with all thankfulness acknowledge it a singular Providence of God, and special favour of the Parliament, that a door of hope is yet open, and opportunity once more offered to prostrate himself at your feet for a grant of his life, which if you vouchsafe, he shall accept as an Act of great grace and mercy. It is no little grief of heart to your Petitioner, that through unadvisedness and weakness he is fallen under your sad and heavy displeasure, and hath offended against the Laws of this Commonwealth, for which he is unfeignedly sorrowful; And now by the sentence of the High Court (to which he submits with all Christian meekness and humble acknowledgement of Gods and therein) is in inevitable and sudden danger to lose his life, without your merciful interposition. And whereas there is surmise of a plot continued against the peace and welfare of this Commonwealth, he doth protest in the presence of GOD, the searcher of all hearts, that he knoweth of no plot or design against the present Government, nor it privy in the least to any preparations or intendments towards any intestine Insurrections, or foreign Invasions, or to any Correspondency now held with any in, or of the Scottish Nation, or any other whatsoever. He is not ignorant how much Malignants will triumph at his death, nor is he without natural affections to his dear Wife and Children, nor without real desires of life to do GOD and his Country service, which are powerful persuasives to him to do what ever he can, without wounding his Conscience. In which words I desire the Reader to take notice, 1. That by using the word Parliament, I do not own them as a real, but as a titular Parliament. 2. When I mention unadvisedness and weakness, I understand it in the manner of management of such a business, that is, was without that caution and care that became a business of such a nature. It was my unadvisedness and weakness, I confess, that I ever met with such persons who were some of them so false, others so fearful, most of them so undiscreeet, yea it was my unadvisedness to meet with so many of them. 3. When I say I am unfeignedly sorrowful, it is not singly for offending against their Laws, but conjunctly, because I am fallen under their sad and heavy displeasure, and offended against their Laws.