HISTORY OF CHRISTOPHER LOVE, M.A. BY T.H. THOMAS
Christopher Love, M.A., was born in Cardiff in the year 1618. He came at an early age under the influence of Erbury, who encouraged him to study at Oxford, where he entered into Orders; but refusing to subscribe to the canons enjoined by Archbishop Laud, he was expelled the congregation of Masters, and went to London, where he eventually became one of the most eminent of Presbyterian Divines of the time. Love was one of the Commissioners for the Parliament at the Treaty Uxbridge, one of the Assembly of Divines and chosen minister of St. Lawrence Jewry; yet he signed the declaration against the execution of King Charles. His distrust of the action of Cromwell deepened, and his house in London became the resort of many sympathisers with the Scottish Presyterians even after the battle of Dunbar. He, with others frequenting his house, were tried for high treason before the High Court of Justice in Westminster Hall under certain Acts of Parliament bearing date 29th March, 1650, and other then recent dates. The President of the High Court was Judge Keeble, and Attorney-General Prideaux prosecuted. After a trial of six days, in which he made his own defence until the fifth day, when Mr. Hales was assigned his counsel upon points of law, Love was found guilty of treason in having been cognisant of letters passing between supporters of the Scottish Presbyterians and of Charles Stewart with the view of combining their forces, and other offences. He was sentenced to be beheaded, and the sentence was carried out on Tower Hill August 22nd, 1651.
Owing to the form of his trial, the acuteness and pertinacity of his defence, his high reputation, and the affecting events of his last days, Love was looked upon as a martyr by the whole of the Presbyterian party.
From the voluminous accounts of the trial many facts concerning the life
of Love may be extracted which may form a brief autobiography. He speaks
as follows in the "speech at his death":-
"Though I am a man of an obscure Family, of mean Parentage, so that
my blood is not as the blood of Nobles ". . . yet it is innocent blood
also".
"I desire this day to magnifie God, the riches of His Glorious Grace,
that such an one as I, born in an obscure Country (in Wales), of obscure
Parents, that God should . . . single me out from amongst all my kindred
. . . that when as the first 14 years of my Life I never heard a Sermon,
yet in the 15th year of my life God (through his Grace) did convert me
. . . yet it is my glory that I die a despised Minister."
A reference to Erbury occurs in Love's "Cleare and Necessary Vindication,"
a pamphlet of 43 pages, written 14 days before his death, to clear himself
from aspersions upon his personal character
He says:-
" It is reported that I neglected Mr. Erbury, who was the means of
my conversion and education, that when he was plundered in Wales and came
to England in a necessitous condition that I would not relieve him. As for
Master Erbury, though he is fallen into dangerous opionions, yet, he being
my spirituall Father, I do naturally care for him, as Timothy did for Paul,
my Heart cleaves to him in Love, more than to any one man in the World;
I speak to the praise of God, he was the instrument to my conversion, near
twenty years agoe, and the means of my education also in the University,
for which kindness, the halfe I have in the World, I could readily part
with for his reliefe. It is true, about eight or nine years since, he was
plundered in Wales and did come to see me at Windsor Castle, but a sonne
could not make more of a Father than I made of him . . . when I had not
Twelve pounds in all the World, I let Master Erbury have six of it, indeed
he afterwards gave me a horse, for which I received not much above forty
shillings; yea, I procured him a place in the Army, to be Chaplaine to Major
Generall Skippon's Regiment, where he had 8 shillings a day."
As to his sympathy with the cause of the Parliament, he says:-
"I was . . . more than many . . . I did not only deem it my duty
to preach for the lawfulness of a Defensive War, but, unlesse my Books and
wearing apparel, I contributed all that I had in the World, and that was
no small sum, considering the meaneness of my condition."
"Touching my sufferings," he continues, "I may say that my
whole life hath been a time of affliction, either of body or mind, God sees
my Heart to be a tuffe and knotty piece, that it needs so many blows to
break it,"
and he recites that he was the first Oxford Scholar to publicly refuse subscription to Archishop Laud's "Canons." On arrival in London the bishop opposed his obtaining the lectureship to "Ann Aldersgate." Then in 1640, he was "imprisoned in New Castle for a protest against 'the errors of the service book,' and wes removed by habeas corpus to King's Bench, London, where he was acquitted." He was accused of treason for maintaining the lawfulness of a defensive war at Tenterden, but was acquitted, with costs against accuser; was accused by the King's Commissioners for a sermon at Uxbridge, but was discharged by the House of Commons. After the change of government he was cited before the "Committe of Plundered Minsters," but disharged.
"But now last of all this great and last tryal and trouble is come upon me!"
Some time elapsed between the sentence and the execution. Great efforts were made to save Love, and in the pamphlet "Love's Name Lives" petitions presented on his behalf to Parliament by his wefe "Mistris Love" are given, together with "Severall letters that interchangeably passed between them a little before his death. These open to the reader most affecting circumstances.
"The Humble Petition of Mary, the Distressed Wife of Christopher Love," sheweth:-
"That whereas the Hight Court of Justice hath lately sentenced to death her dear and tender Husband . . . in the execution of which sentence your poor hand-maid should become an unhappy widow and the Miserable Mother of two young fatherlesse children; and shee being so near her appointed hour, having sorrow upon sorrow, be forced, through unexpressable grief, to bow down in travell, and give up the ghost; and so with one blow, there be destroyed both Father, and Mother, and Babe in one day," &c., &c.
Upon this, on the 15th July, 1651, the Commons voted a respite of one month, during which Mrs. Love continued to petition, without further effect. Meanwhile a series of letters passed between husband and wife. He writes:-
"More deare to me than ever . . . I dare not think there is such a Creature as Mary Love in the world; for Kit and Mall I can leave them without trouble, leaving them so good a God and so good a Mother."
She writes:-
"My Heavely Dear, I call thee so, because God hath put heaven into theee, before he hath taken thee to Heaven. O lift up they Heart with Joy, when thou layest thy dear head on the block . . . that thou art laying thy head to rest in thy Father's bosome . . . Now, My Dear, I desire willingly and cheerfully to resign my right in thee to they Father and my Father."
On the day of his execution Love writes:-
"My Most Gracious Beloved" I am now going from a prison to a Palace . . . I am going to Heaven, where are two of my Children, and leaving thee on earth where there are three of my Babes; those two above need not my care, but the three below need thine . . . I know thou art a woman of a sorrowful spirit . . . yet be comforted, though thy sorrow be great for thy Husband's going out of the World; yet thy paines shall be the lesse in bringing thy child into the world; thou shalt be a joyful Mother though thou beest a sad widow," &c.
He closes with eight paragraphs of "practical Councels."
"Mr. Love was brought from the Tower . . . to the scaffold on Tower Hill about two o'clock in the afternoon" accompanied by the Ministers Ash, Calamy and Manton, personal friends. He asked for liberty to speak and pray, which was given. He made a long exculpatory speech which makes seven pages quarto, and prayed.
"When he was preparing to lay his head upon the block Mr. Ashe
said to him:- Dear Brother, how dost thou find thy heart?
Mr. Love: I bless God, Sir, I am as full of joy and comfort as ever
my heart can hold.
The last words he was heard to speak were these: 'Blessed be God for Jesus
Christ.'
"Then he laid himself down upon the Scaffold with his head over the Block, and when he stretched out his hands, the Executioner severed his head from his body at one blow."