The declaration and profession of the Reverend Mr. John Kettlewell, (who departed this life, April 12. 1695.) / Made by him at the receiving the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. March 23. 1694/5.

THE Declaration and Profession OF THE REVEREND Mr. John Kettlewell, (Who Departed this Life, April 12. 1695.) Made by him at the Re∣ceiving the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. March 23, 1694-95.

LOoking upon my self under my present Weakness, as having but little time to continue in this World, and waiting patiently for my Change sooner or later, as it shall please Almighty God, in whose hands my times are, and I desire they should be, to send it; I think fit to make, and leave be∣hind me, this DECLARATION and PROFESSION following.

I profess firmly and steadfastly, to Believe the Creed whereinto I was Baptized, the Holy Catholick Faith, in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In which Blessed Godhead, I humbly believe, and Religiously adore, both the Unity in Trinity, and also the Trinity in Unity.

I Profess to Continue Firm and steadfast, in the Unity and Communion of Christ's Holy Catholick Church. Being freely and heartily ready, to joyn with all sound Members in the Communion thereof, in all Holy and Divine Offices, as the Providence of God should bring them to me, or me to them; to demean my self towards them in all things as my Brethren; and to be affected with what befalls them, as one Member ought to be with the Joy or Grief of another. And as for those who are broken off from the True and Saving Faith, Worship or Ʋnity of this Body; I heartily pity them, and Pray for their Recovery and Re-Union.

And having been not only made a Member, but, by my Blessed Master Jesus Christ's inestimable Vouchsafement, called to be a Minister of His in the Church of England; I do Profess and Declare, That as I have Lived and Ministred hitherto, So I do still Continue Firm, in its Faith, Worship, and Communion.

And as for my Deprivation of my Living since this late Revolution, in Compa∣ny with many other Excellent and Pious Persons, for not taking the New Oath of Allegiance to those who Claim'd the same; As I did, so I still do firmly believe, That it was on many Great and dreadful Acounts, my Bonnden Duty absolutly to refuse the same: And that such Refusal was, and is, a most righteous and rewarda∣ble Cause of Suffering I bless my God, who was pleased to Call me, and Enable me thereby to give a Proof of the Sincerity of my Love, and Preference of him before this World, by Willingly, and Gladly Quitting a worldly Livelihood for his sake. And as upon this Righteous Account, I parted with my Living, with much more Satisfaction and Pleasure of Mind, than I at first received it with; So, Blessed be God's Holy Name, I take the same Comfort and Satisfaction therein still.

And as for the most unhappy and lamentable Breach of Church-Unity and Com∣munion among Us, By setting up Bishop against Bishop on account of this New-Oath of Allegiance, and for the Continuance and Confirmation of the matter there∣of

in the Publick and Daily Offices and Ministrations of Religion; making both Oaths, and Holy Offices, as much as may be in all Points subservient to this New-Allegiance: In this most sorrowful Breach of Church-Society; I profess, That as I have done hitherto, so I do still heartily and firmly Embrace and Continue in the Communion of those Orthodox and Rightful Bishops, and the Clergy and People Ad∣hereing unto them, who have Suffered, as I belleve for their Steadfastness to the Rules of Righteousness in the Refusal of this New-Oath, and who keep their Divine Of∣fices and Ministrations Free from all those things, which my Conscience sticks at in the same; being now about to Receive the Benefit of Absolution, and the Blessed Eucharist, from the hands of One of them. I heartily and earnestly Pray for the Cure, of this most Great and Grievous Breach. And whensoever the time of Healing shall come, The Lord, who purchased his Church with his own Blood, put the work of Healing and Re-Union into wise and good Hands, who, without Passion, or Personal Prejudices, or any regard to past Wrongs, or private Inte∣rests, shall faithfully, and unbyassedly pursue the Blessed work of Christian-Union, and be willing and Glad to see those Truths which make for Unity, and will have nothing else in their Eyes, but how to Re-Settle this poor Broken Church in Truth, Purity, Ʋnity, and Peace.

{inverted ⁂} 1.1 As for the Books which I have writ since this Revolution, to keep up among my Christian Brethren, a Sense of truly Apo∣stolical and Primitive Morals at a time when most seem'd bent to Start, or take up with any Shifts or Salvo's to set the same aside; for their worldly Safety: Or, to direct them a∣bout their Civil Obedience, and Comfort, and Support them under any worldly Dan∣gers or Sufferings for the same; Or to guide them in their way of Worship, that they may perform the same with Purity, and in the Unity and Communion of Christ's Holy Church: I bless God, my sincere design in Writing, and Publishing them, was with much Pains, and some Hazard, to serve my Blessed Master; and as I thought, the Great and Pressing Needs of his Church and Peo∣ple amongst us. And as I truly, and sin∣cerely believed all the Points I have Taught, and Delivered therein, when I Wrote and Published them: So I do now Profess, That after all the time I have had to Con∣sider them since; and after all that I have heard or met with in opposition to any Matters contained therein, which I think I have duly weigh'd and look'd through, I do truly and sincerely believe them all to be true still.

And all this, I have here Solemnly Professed and Declared, for the Benefit and Satisfaction of those, who shall be desirous to know, whether I continued in the Belief and Practice of the same things at my Death, which I Professed, Taught, and Practised in my Life.

And to this Profession and Declaration, I set my Hand, this 23 of March, 1694-95.

JOHN KETTLEWELL.

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Notes

• {inverted ⁂} 1.1

  The Books which He means are En∣tituled, as followeth. Of Christian Prudence, or Religious Wisdom, not degenerating into irreligious Craftiness in TRYING TIMES. London, 1691.

  Christianity a Doctrin of the Cross, or Passive Obedience under any pretended In∣vasion of Legal Rights and Liberties.

  The Duty of Allegiance settled upon its true grounds, according to Scripture, Reason, and the Opinion of the Church in Answer to a late Book of Dr. William Sherlock, Enti∣tuled, The Case of Allegiance due to So∣vereign Powers.

  A Companion for the PERSECUTED, Or an Office for those who Suffer for Righte∣ousness. London, 1694. To which may be added, His Companion for the Penitent, and for Persons Troubled in Mind. Also, His Book Entituled, Death made Comfortable, Or, The way to Die well. 1695. Of CHRISTIAN COMMUNION to be held in the Unity of Christ's Church, and among the Professors of Truth and Holiness. 1693.