A Voice from Heaven: OR, The words of a dying Minister, Mr. keys, In the County of KENT, at the Town of SUNDRAGE, Eighteen miles from LONDON, near WESTRUM, a Market-Town in the same County: Delivered before those who were then in his Chamber severally present to the things he spoke, who died as he foretold himself, the 19 of November, 1644. Master Rogers, Master Rogers his sister, Richard Thomas Yeoman, The wife of John Overy, The wife of one Ford, Master Pain the elder, Master Pain the younger, Mistress keys the sister of Master keys, The brother of Master keys, Master Saltmarsh Minister in the same County, Nicholas cross, the son of Master Cross. Set forth by John Saltmarsh, Preacher of God's Word in Kent, at Brasteed.  LUKE 16. 31. — Neither will they be persuaded, though one arose from the dead. 

I conceive this Relation fit to be printed:  
Charles Herle.   
London Printed for Robert White, and are to be sold by Giles Calvert, at the Sign of the spread-eagle near the West-end of Paul's. 1644.   

To the Ministers in this Reformation, both in the County of KENT, and elsewhere in the kingdom, who have not yet laid down the mixtures and superstitious forms in the pure worship of GOD.  
SIRS,  
SOme of you know the meetings we have had with this deceased Brother, and the purpose still of all our disputings, as yourselves well know, ended only in this, that you would lay by the forms in practice, and strengthen the hands of our godly brethren in the Reformation, but we could not prevail upon you, either our Arguments were too weak, or your corruptions too strong; my fellow Ministers in these Arguments were Mr. Sheifield of Turnbridge in Kent, Mr. marshal Minister, Mr. Steed Minister in the same County, godly and faithful men, but now you may hear an Argument stronger than ours, the words of your dying brother, which I had concealed from the world, had not the Lord sent down a beam from heaven into the deceased, to give testimony against these mixtures, and corrupt forms, And what am I that I should withstand God? And here I am sorry that you were not present to have seen and heard, you might have seen one whom you knew well, speaking with a power more than his own, For it was not he that spoke, but our heavenly Father which spoke in him: you might have seen the picture of one in another world, a copy of the Resurrection, as if God had raised him from the grave to bear witness unto the truth: you might have heard such expressions as are not to be heard from Pulpits, words that were spirited more than ordinary, as one having authority, and not as the Scribes, and here I shall repeat them, but that heavenly accent they had from him, I cannot: my prayer is, that this paper may breathe out his last speeches so effectually to the world, that all (but those, whom neither the Arguments of the living nor dying can convince) may be persuaded to go to the fountain of living waters, and only to him who hath the words of eternal life.  
His sickness at first was rather an indisposition of body, yet it weakened him in a little time, and prevailed every day upon him, he had some better days, which he thought to be symptoms of recovery, I did visit him sometimes, and I found God had sanctified his sickness, and he cast out some words to me of improving himself more in the ways of God, and the power of godliness; on the last day of his sickness I went to see him by mere a Providence, & found him in bed, he was slumbering, and when I spoke to him, he returned me this answer, That he had called for a blessing, and now would apply himself to rest, for he thought the danger of his fever was over, so I left him for that time, but I had not been an hour from him, when word came to me that he called for me, when I came, I found him sat up in the bed, and speaking very strongly, his understanding clear and apprehensive, his memory firm and faithful, his senses active and waking, his speech sounding not like a voice in this world, and thus he spoke in the presence of divers:  

Master keys his several speeches.  
YOu see here a dying man, I know I must die, I shall only live till morning, you may conceive what you will, but it is all in vain, I shall continue thus as you see me till morning, but I shall then die, oh, I shall go down to the grave and be no more, oh, I shall die, I shall go to the earth, I am not here to live, let me die, oh my sins are great, oh Lord Jesus receive me, Justice says, smite, Mercy says, no; my delights and pleasures in the week day soon wasted what I had thought on in the Lord's day, and resolved; I resolved, if God had spared me life, to have gone on in a more holy way than I have done; I have not gone on throughly with the word of God, if the Lord had spared me life, I would have showed them the grounds; I trusted too much to my own memory, I have not used the communion of Saints here; but Lord thou hast many to save, thou mayest cast me off as a poor stinking Goat, but Jesus Christ is willing to receive those that come to him, but I have no full assurance yet; but what do I talk of conscience, a poor vile wretch as I am? Yet Christ Jesus the righteous he is willing to receive.  
I had resolved to have gone on in the power of godliness, and have laid the foundation of godliness, but God hath cut off my thread of life, and I shall be no more: but now Satan is vanquished, the blood of Jesus Christ hath drowned my sins, and will swallow them up, God doth hold in my soul yet, free grace, nothing but Jesus Christ, my soul shall rest with the spirits of just men: I have loved Disputes that did not profit, now the daughters of music cease, and they that look out of the windows begin to grow dark.  
Wife read the Scriptures more, 
〈…〉.  I have put them off sometimes; do not use your father's forms, go on in the power of godliness, nothing but the power of godliness: Master Salmarsh, I desire not the pomp of a funeral Sermon, but that you will tell my people of the power of godliness, and stir them up, and quicken them to it: see that a godly and faithful pastor come after me, and that he come in the rightway.   
Divers prayers he intermingled with these speeches, and he prayed with me, and at the last prayer made with him, he said, my soul is exceedingly comforted: the Lord hath spared my life to be comforted thus in prayer; here I left him resting, and towards morning he drew nearer the grave, and said to some about him, they would not let him go the right way: but would have him on the left hand to heaven, (a good warning to some then near him, who may do well to observe it) and come up more to the Power of godliness, than they do, and about day he died, that very time he had told on so much, having assured both himself and us all of his death, about that hour.  

Observations.  
I shall observe some few things concerning him and his speeches.  
In the beginning of his weakness he left off the forms of Common prayer he used, more than before, whence I observe, these mixtures in the worship of God must needs be uncomfortable and unwarrantable, which dare not abide the trial of a grave.  
II. He used but little of these forms of late, for he had almost laid them by before his sickness, and yet so much as he used was a burden, now we may observe, that it is no dallying nor trifling in the worship of God, and the least mixtures will be thorns and briers in the conscience of a tender Christian, when he gives up his account, little sins will be great ones at that day.  
III. He spoke still in the assurance and full perswas●on of his death, and the time of it, an evidence not ordinary to departing souls, as if God had raised him up higher than others to see his grave, and to argue from heaven for the power of godliness.  
iv. His speeches carried a strength and spirit in them more than natural, and deeply pierced the better affected that were present, and could not but convince the other, We may observe that the children of God the nearer they come to Glory, the more of it they take in, and their last breathings are purest and strongest.  
V. The time of his persuasion that he should die was after the slumbers he had: Thus God did as it were awaken him from another world, and truly all the words that he spoke were me thought like the words of one that had engaged himself to die, when he had reported something he had to say from God▪ to the world.  
VI. In the first part of his speech he sadly and passionately spoke of his dying, and his certain going down to the grave about the morning, or very time he departed, we may observe that the revelations of God concerning his purposes and decrees are unchangeable, and have their just accomplishment, in the things he foretells.  
VII. In the next passages of his speech you may see his spiritual conflict with sin and sathan, justice says smite, mercy says no, And here his words were like the words of one that had seen a vision of the attributes of God, of his justice and mercy pleading for him, and his carriage was like one that had looked onto see the issue of that glorious pleading in Heaven for a poor soul; and here I observe further, that while we are in this body of sin, justice will sparkle into the soul, that mercy and free grace may be more exalted, and thouh there be no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, yet the soul stands not always in so clear a view of this free justification, we see but in part, and darkly as in a glass.  
VIII. In his spiritual conflict we may observe by the interminglings of fears and comforts, that God will have the souls of his to see what he could do against sin, and what in justice they might expect, and yet in all these he holds forth so much of Christ, as may bear up the soul, and their comforts and faith work still higher than their fears and doubtings, as we observe in his speeches, for the free grace of Chr●●●●●d his assurance in that, kept him above all.  
Ix.. In his reasonings he had with his own actions, he could not find in the best of them any thing he could make up a soul cordial on, for speaking of conscience, oh says he, but what do I speak of conscience? and thus he threw off his own righteousness as a menstruous cloth, and nothing would hold out to him but free grace, and Christ Jesus, there only he grasped and held, as you may see in his expressions.  
X. He was sorry that he lived not to perfect some holy resolutions in his ministry in the Power of godliness, We may observe that when good purposes are kept too long at home, God lets them not stir abroad when they would, it is good performing while it is in the power of the hand to do it.  
XI. He was much grieved that he sought no more the Communion of Saiats' (as he says) here below, we may see that the nearer any soul draws to the communion above, the more they see into the precious society of the Saints below, and the communion here, and we see it is a comfort to a soul that they can be here in the Kingdom of grace, with those, with whom hereafter they shall be in the Kingdom of glory, this would be well observed by those who account slightly of godly meetings, or cast notions of scandal, or Conventicle upon them.  
XII. It grieved him that he spent time in disputes that did not profit, when the soul is preparing for another world, no other thing can give it any proportionable comfort, but something that hath more communion with glory, the purest and highest learning and reasonings are but vanity and vexation of spirit, the soul that is for Heaven finds no advantage in any thing, but what hath the Power of God in it to salvation.  
XIII. His speeches did much tend to the advancing the Power of godliness in his ministry, if God did restore him, we may observe, that the emptiness of man's inventions in the worship of God are then only discerned to be emptiness and folly, when the soul is nearest God, and most spiritual, no wonder that mixtures and forms of men in the ordinances of God are so little discerned by so many Neuters and Malignants, for the more carnal they are, the darker is their judgement in the things of God, he that is spiritual only discerneth.  
XIV. He spoke against the forms of his father in Law, who it seems is not now of so pure a practice in worship; who can desire a stronger evidence next to Scripture, than the judgement of a Divine whose learning was now more gloriously sanctified, from the immediate light of God, to a clearer discerning; though carnal reasons may plead strongly for mixtures and corrupt forms, yet when Heaven opens to convince the soul, and to argue against them, which of them or their Abettors are able to appear against such an argument, and mighty evidence.  
XV. He spoke against not coming in the right way into Benefices, which corrupt Patrons, and Ministers, that are as easy to give, as the other to take, may do well to observe, and all such who come in by other ways of contract, or bargain, or marriage simony.  
I observe the several expressions in his speeches give a clear and undeniable testimony to these Scriptures.  
I. His certain persuasion of his death, and the very time, to this Scripture. Joel 2. 28. I will power my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.  
II. His conflicts with sin and Satan, to this Scripture, Ephes. 6. 12, 13. we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.  
III. His doubtings and fears, to this Scripture, Philip. 2. 12. work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  
IV. His overcoming temptations through free grace in Christ Jesus when he thought himself vildest, to this scripture, Zach. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4. And he showed me Joshua the high Priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and sathan standing at his right hand to resist him, and the Lord said unto sathan, the Lord rebuke the oh sathan, now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel, and he answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, take away the filthy garments from him, and to him he said, behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.  
V. His renouncing his own best actions as filthy and not to be rested, on to this scripture. Rom. 3. 20, 21, 22. therefore by the deeds of the Law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, but now the righteousness of the Law is made manifest even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe.  
VI. His being sorry that he lived not to perfect his better resolutions in his ministry for advancing the Power of godliness, to this scripture, Ecclesiast. 12. 1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the ●eeres draw nigh when thou shalt say, i have no pleasure in them.  
VII. His sorrow for not enjoying more the Communion of Saints here below, to these scriptures. Act. 2. Psal 119. 63. and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship, and all that believed were together: I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.  
VIII. His grief that he spent time in any disputes that did not profit, to these scriptures, Tit. 3. 9 Coloss. 2. 8. but avoid foolish questions and genealogies, and contentions and strivings about the Law, for they are unprofitable, and vain, beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men, and not after Christ.  
ix.. His speaking against the corrupt forms and mixtures in worship, and in particular, by the name of one that used them formerly, to this scripture. 1 Tim. 6. 3, 5. if any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness, from such withdraw thyself.  
His speaking against not coming in the right way of coming into livings, to this Scripture, John 10. 1. He that entreth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.   

Conclusion.  
1. You have the sum of the passages of his life, in that short time of his going to his long home, there are two circumstances most eminent in this, the Power he spoke in, and the evidence of his death, and these two make all the rest that he delivered more observable, the use I have made of it is this, a revealing an heavenly Testimony against mixtures in worship, which I durst not conceal.  
2. An application of it to those who are of a judgement, that such things are indifferent in the Ordinance of God.  
3. That some soul secrets might be seen and better studied and observed.  
4. That the judgement of one so enlightened and inspired, concerning these things, might be consulted with more by those that are carnally and superstitiously minded.  
5. To justify the truth of certain Scriptures, against careless and atheistical souls that either regard not, or believe not.  
6. To preserve the memory of a deceased brother, whose Piety and Learning were commendable in his life, but in his death incomparable.  
And to satisfy the desire of some eminent in the assembly, who presumed it of public use, through God's blessing.    
FINIS.