Truth made manifest: OR, The Dead Man's Testimony to the Living.  
BEING A Compendium of the Last Say, Dying Speeches, Sentences, and Expressions, of Captain William Bedlow; That pattern of Love to his Country.  
Who Deceased at Bristol, the 20th. of August, 1680. Convincing all, both Deluded Protestants, and wilfully-Blinded Papists, of the Realty of that late Horrid PLOT; with his Endeared Caution both to his King and Country, showing the Eminent danger that still Threatens.  
With a Sermon made upon this Text, Preached at his Funeral by a Reverend Divine, Mr. THOMAS PALMER.  Romans Chap. 14. Ver. 12, 13. 
●o than every one of us shall give an account of himself to God: Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, That no man put a Stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall in his Brother's way.  
Printed for P. Brooksby, in West-smithfield. 1680. 112 Octob   

The Righteous Evidence, Witnessing the TRUTH.  Romans Chap. 14. Ver. 12, 13. 
So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God:  
Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, That no man put a Stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall in his Brother's way.  
BY this Text it plainly appears, that judgement alone belongs unto God, that is, The judgement of the pure immortal Soul; and that whosoever undertakes to lay any censure there, whether right or wrong, audaciously presumes to Rob the Almighty of his Prerogative; and not only so, but arrogates to himself what does not in the least appertain unto any Mortal to Intermeddle with; for every one of us must give a particular account for himself, before the great Tribunal of the God of all the Earth, who is the descerner of all hearts, and thoughts, who ●rys like the Refiner, and only knows the Dross from the purest Gold: He who is clothed with Righteousness, whose eyes run to and fro in the earth, who knows all Bosom-thoughts, and can pry into the deepest secrets of the Soul: he it is alon● to whom judgement belongs, who has proclaimed himself a God slow to Anger, of long patience and forbearance, therefore most fit to be our judge, whom neither Interest nor passion can any way oblige to swerve, either to the right hand or to the left; yet infinite to pardon all that will confess their faults, and in time come unto him; nay, so good, that he has freely promised, That whensoever a sinner turns away from his wickedness and forsakes his sin, his Soul shall Live; and that by so doing he shall save his Soul alive, which our Saviour well noteth in the Parable of the Prodigal, who after he had taken his portion of Goods, and as it was in disobedience to his Father's Will, departed into a far Country, where long he lived Riotous, and ran into all Excess till his large store was spent, and then was forced to feed on Husks, pinched with Poverty and Hunger, quite forsaken of his Luxurious Companions, who like the Swallows, only sing to our Morning wakes, and bask themselves in the Sun beams of our prosperity, but when the Winter storms come on, soon vanish, I say, he being quite forsaken, and finding all good things departed from him, began to reflect upon his former folly, and then had thoughts, and not till then, of returning to his Father. So fares it often with poor Sinners here on earth, who after a long course in Sin, at last look back and view their dreadful paths they carelessly have trod, and then bethink them whether they are hurrying, to what a fatal place those broad paved ways do ●end, which consideration mixed with the thoughts of vast Eternity, often causes them to bemoan themselves, and stop their full Carrier, laying hold of Sacred promises, to stop them from falling ●nto the deep Gulf of Everlasting Woe; such ●s our blessed Saviour freely pronounces to the worst of men, excepting none, but is wil●ing that all should be saved: Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you ●est. And again, Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast him off: Nay, the Triumph is greater in Heaven for one sinner Converted, then for Ninety and nine Just ●ersons that need no Repentance. So that ●eeing it is the Almighty's pleasure who made ●s out of the dust, and can with the breath of his Nostrils, turn us into the same to save us from misery: why shall any one presume to judge ●is Brother, when Heaven has expressly commanded to the contrary? saying, Judge not, lest thou be Judged: For sure it is, no man nor Angel has that power given into his hands, no, 'tis the sole Prerogative of our wise Creator: or say they had, which cannot be possible: how can they give rightful judgement who can go no farther than the outward actions? for 'tis certain none but God can see into our thoughts nor pry into the Cabinets of our Souls, to draw from thence an Indictment against us, and charge us with unbosomed Sin: And again, those that look fair on the outside, and are guilded over with a specious gloss of good and pious Deeds, may lodge black Hypocrisy within, and cloak all their actions with the same, thereby to deceive the world: so like the fruit that grows about the Lake where wicked Sodom once stood, they may shine bright & bear a Golden Rhine, which being broke, encloses nought but Ashes and Cinders, to delude those that imagine them, before they are Plucked, most pleasant and delicious.  So then, every one of us shall give an account of himself to God: Let us not therefore Judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a Stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall in his Brother's way. 
The meaning of the words, That every man shall give an account of himself to God: Is,  
That he shall appear before the judgement seat of God, to answer for all his deeds done in the flesh, whither they be good, or whither they be evil; not that God needs any account to be given of any person, for sure it is he knows the secrets of all hearts, nor that he will take the account of any person as himself shall state it, though as many Divines hold, that then the Conscience of Man is so Powerful, that nothing can be hid or has been done, but what it will reveal and lay open as Noonday: Nay, suppose it did not, yet he that keeps the record of each particular action, nay of our very thought and privatest Imagination, could soon unreveal all, for Behold (as the Prophet saith) his Fan is in his Hand to divide and sift the Chaff from the wheat: Nor can there be any Darkness in him who is the fountain of Eternal Light, and never dwells but in Light unapproachable: He it is that is the only discerner of the heart: Let us not therefore Judge one another any more; which is the second thing to be considered; That is, let not any censure a man by his former actions, for at the last moment God is All-sufficient, and can pardon to the utmost: but rather, as it is in Job 32.3. Lay thy finger upon thy Mouth, hold thy peace, and commit it to God, who shall Judge the world in Righteousness and Truth, by that Man Jesus, whom he hath ordained: For he that thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, deceiveth himself, Gal. 6.3. And again, The Lord preserveth the lowly, and giveth Grace to the Humble, Psal. 34.17. 1 Pet. 5.5. Therefore let none judge what God shall think fit to do, for Man's Wisdom in such cases, is but foolishness, and in such as presume to do it, show their Malicious Spirit, though to no purpose, and show what they would do were it in their Powers, which may justly turn Almighty Vengeance on themselves for such High Affronts, and Divine Wrath may burn implacable against all Uncharitable Wretches. who by so doing, deny the Authority of holy Writ, for there the blessed Apostle commands us to be in Charity with all men, and as God is so Charitable and Meerciful, that he Created no man to Destruction, but is willing that all should come unto him. Why then should we that are but Dust, presume to judge one another? Amongst Protestants it should be a thing most detestable, though Papists hold it as part of their Faith, that they know whether men shall go to Heaven or Hell when they depart this Life, which opinion, their Cannonizing several for Saints doth confirm: and ascribing others Purgatory f●r their Mansion, whilst those that cannot pay their passage, are confined to the lowest Hell: These are their gross Errors and Absurdities, these are the Stumbling-blocks they lay for many thousands to fall at, and ●ew that acknowledge the Roman-Catholique Faith escape: These are the Blind that lead ●he Blind, till both full into the Ditch: for ●s the Prophet David saith, Psal. 62.12. God rewardeth every man according to his works: Therefore it is not as men will, ●ut as God pleaseth, and all his deeds are ●pright and Just, and his Will is his Law, ●ot being confined or Circumscribed to Limits or Bounds, but Infinite both in Wisdom and justice, which brings me to the ●hird part of the Text: But judge this ra●her, that no Man put a Stumbling-block: That is, that no man by making false Interpretations or Comments, upon the Lives ●nd ways of men, and should thereby give ●hers couse to doubt their own state thereby, so to Terrify them, as to make them ●●spair of God's mercies, and with Cain ●●nclude, Their Sins are too great to be forgiven: when the precious Blood of t●● Lamb slain from the foundation of the world is of force sufficient to purge away the vile Pollutions of the most Notorious Sinner and by laying hold upon his mercy's 〈◊〉 Prayer and sincere Repentance, pardon wi●● be found, even at the last moment of Life But I say not this because I would hav● any one defer their repentance till they ar● just going to be pushed off into the Wid● Abiss of Eternity, for that is it the power of Hell, our cruel and Immortal foes, woul● have us do: but I say, it is not impossib●● we may then find mercy, nay, I believ● many thousands have, who now are singin● loud Hosannah, to the God of mercy.  
Another Stumbling-block that the Enviou● have laid to overthrow the Weak, is, T●● point out to them the most strict and sever● Comm … s that the Scripture enjoins, an● putting on them more dreadful Interpret●tions then the Sense itself will bear, telling that if they do not observe those Rules (too strict for Mortal Man) they must Indelibly perish, that without such due Observances there is no Salvation to be purchased which often staggers their Faith and puts them to a stand, who seeing that they cannot g●● forwards, oftentimes let go their hold an● fall into a foul Relapse, which by a steadfast laying hold on the Merits of our Great Redeemer, who was once offered up a Sacrifice for us all might be prevented, for we by Faith are made his Brethren and Fellow Heirs: then sure it is, he will not deny us his Aid in aught, if we implore it, especially with unfeigned hearts and Lips, by Prayer and Supplication; for he hath commanded us to ask and it shall be given, to Knock and it shall be opened unto us, which can be by no other means than what is said in Eccles. 35.17. The Prayers of the Humble shall pierce the Clouds, and will not departed until the highest regard it. Prayer and Meditation being the only Armour against all the fiery Darts of Satan, for as it is said Mat. 19.4. Humble thyself as a little Child: and when God sees thee lie low at his Footstool, he will raise thee up and Exalt thee above thy Fellows; that is, he will pour his Grace into thy heart, and make it fit to bring forth Seed of Everlasting Life: for as St. Chrisostom observes, he always flies from the Proud and Lofty, but with the Lowly and Meek delighteth to dwell, for unto such his Grace is freely bestowed, nor do they fear what man can do unto them, since they have built on a sure Foundation, a Rock that will never decay, no Powers of Death or Hell are able to remove it, for like to jacobs' Ladder, its top reaches to Heaven, and from thence benign Influenced, descends as the Dew of Hermon, to refresh their Souls, and to make them stand against all Temptations, prepared always for the Bridegrooms coming: they fear not the going out of their well-furnished Lamps, but smile on the Ghastly King of Terror, and with the Holy Apostle falling into Rapture, and cry, O Death where is thy Sting? O Grave where is thy Victory? For after Death they are far happier than whilst they Live: yet these are they the world often passes their Censure on, because they once were disobedient to the Laws of God, which is a strong Argument they doubt the All-sufficiency of an Infinite being, and that his mercies are not greater than our Sins, imagining with judas, He is not able to forgive, or at the least, he will not: when Holy Scripture makes mention of many pious men who had led Evil Courses, and Lived Wickedly, till they saw their Follies, and then returned from their Evil ways, by the assistance of Divine Grace. For Note, That Man barely of himself, has not the power to do Good, though Popish Superstitions blind the Ignorant with Merits, persuading their Proselytes, that leave is gained thereby, and that they may depend on that for Salvation, only adding to them, to believe as their Church does, though they know not many times themselves what she believes, 〈◊〉 what she does preofess, by reason so many Traditions of men's making, have been lately thrust in, under the pretence of the POPE'S Infallibility, the which are laid as so many Stumbling-blocks, or to come home to my Text, as occasions to fall in his Brother's ●ay: That is, to lay any thing in his way ●n purpose for him to fall over, or to impose ●pon him things that does confound his Reason, and stagger his Capacity, as Rome ●gain holds in her Power of Transubstantiation, which is that the Priest has power ●y mumbling over a few Formal Prayers, ●o turn a Wafer made of Wheat-flower, ●nto the Corporal Body of our Blessed Lord: ●ay, and they go on farther, to aver 'tis ●he same Body that once was Nailed to the Cross, and that by the same power, Wine ●uch as is usually drank in Taverns, is ●urned into the self same Blood that once was shed for the Redemption of the World. With these, and such like Fables, they have ●ong deceived the Nations. This I mention the rather, because this our deceased Brother was once subject to the same Delusions, till Heaven opened his Eyes, by giving him Wisdom from above, to discern their vain and Foolish ways, and in abhorrance to their Black and Hellish Crimes, to break the Chain of Superstition, and get lose from those Bloody Philitians, who endeavoured to Sacrifice three Kingdoms, and commit murders and rapines, under a pretended Zeal for to Propagate Religion, which is quite contrary to Holy rules laid down in Scripture for our Learning: for all the Apostles of Ald fought only with the Sword of the Spirit, and not the Sword of Persecution: and our Saviour himself commanded Peter to put up his Sword, though drawn in his behalf, saying, Those that smite with the Sword, shall perish with the Sword: which Scripture has partly been fulfilled since the beginning of this late Hellish Plot: For by the Sword of justice several of the Black Conspirators have justly fell, for contriving their Dire Projects against the best of Kings, which no doubt had took effect to the utter Ruin of himself and People, had not Heaven's providence prevented it by timely raising up such faithful discoverers, as removed the Stumbling-blocks they had laid in all our ways, amongst which, this departed Gentleman, Mr. William Bedlow, was not the least 〈◊〉 Loyalty and free discovery, to break the cockatrice's Egg, that Hell and Rome had ●●ng sat Brooding on, and laid their Horrid murders and secret Villainies quite open to ●●e world, and encouraged by that power which ●●st Inspired him to Reveal the Dark Designs the Scarlet Beast, that long time has De●●ived the Nations: He staggered not, but as faithful Witness, to the last affirmed his testimony to be Just and True, nor could be ●●ken neither with Bribes nor Threats, scorning the former with disdain, and smiling at the ●●tter, as knowing that Heaven would defend ●●m from their snarling rage, till his appointed ●●me was come: At which he made a Pious ●●d Christianlike end, repenting him of no●●●ng more, then of having spent so much of 〈◊〉 days in Romish Superstitions, and Idolatry, yet Praying for his Foes, wishing that ●od would turn their hearts, that they might their Errors, and repent the Evil they ended, not only to him, but against the King 〈◊〉 Kingdom: And so Commending his Spi●●● into the Hands of his Eternal Redeemer, 〈◊〉 Great God of Souls, and Everlasting ●●ince of Life, he yielded up the Ghost, and 〈◊〉 no doubt is happy, let the Papists ●nsure as they please by his former actions: the thoughts of which, made me choose purposely this Text, to let them understand tha● it is the Repentance, though late, wil● find acceptance with God; and that he wh● came into the Vineyard at the Elevent● Hour of the day, received as much as h● who had born the Heat. And thus much ma● suffice for this occasion.  
Now to the God of all Glory and Power be Honour, praise, Might, Majesty, an● Dominion, henceforth and for evermore.  
Blessed are the Dead which Dye in th● Lord, they rest from their Labours, an● their Works do follow them.  
FINIS.