Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit

It is noteworthy how many saints of old (and sometimes their enemies) have died with the words of Christ upon their lips. The words of David ("Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth," Ps. 31.5) were uttered by Christ on the cross ("And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost," Luke 23.46). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, likewise, when he was dying, said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7.59). Others who emulated this example are listed below.

January 1, 379 -- Basil the Great's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
January 28, 814 -- Charlemagne's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
December 29, 1170 -- Thomas Becket's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
July 6, 1415 -- John Hus died repeating the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
May 30, 1416 -- Jerome of Prague died uttering the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
May 20, 1506 -- Christopher Columbus' last words were "Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
May 4, 1535 -- John Houghton died after reciting Psalm 31.
June 22, 1535 -- John Fisher died reciting "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
July 28, 1540 -- Thomas Cromwell's last words were "Lord into Thy hands I commend my Soul, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, Amen."
February 18, 1546 -- Martin Luther's last words were "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth."
March 1, 1546 -- George Wishart's next-to-last words were "O Thou Saviour of the world, have mercy upon me! Father of Heaven, I commend my spirit into Thy holy hands."
February 12, 1554 -- Lady Jane Grey's last words were "Lorde, into Thy hands I commende my spirite!"
February 23, 1554 -- Henry Grey's (father of Lady Jane Grey) last words were "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" ("Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit").
February 9, 1555 -- John Hooper's last words were "Into Thy handes I commend my spirite; Thou haste redeemed me, O God of truthe."
October 16, 1555 -- Nicholas Ridley's last words were "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum; Lord, Lord, receive my spirit."
July 11, 1556 -- Julian Palmer recited Psalm 31 as he died.
September 21, 1558 -- Charles V's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth."
April 19, 1560 -- Philip Melancthon on his deathbed was attended by Veit Winsheim, who repeated the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; O Lord, thou hast delivered me, thou righteous and faithful God!" He was asked if he heard those words. Melanchthon's last word on earth was "Yes!"
June 5, 1568 -- Lamoral, Count of Egmont's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
June 5, 1568 -- Philip de Montmorency's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
November 24, 1572 -- John Knox on his deathbed said "Come, Lord Jesus; sweet Jesus, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 8, 1587 -- Among the last words of Mary, Queen of Scots' was "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 21, 1595 -- Robert Southwell's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
April 25, 1595 -- Torquato Tasso's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
March 1, 1633 -- George Herbert's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
December 22, 1666 -- Hugh M'Kail sang from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter at his execution, "Into thine hands I do commit / My spirit; for thou art he, / O thou, Jehovah, God of truth, / Who has hast redeemed me."
July 27, 1681 -- Donald Cargill's last words were "Into thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 26, 1686 -- Francois Teissier's (first martyr of the 'Church of the Desert') last words were "My God, to Thee I commend my spirit."
February 17, 1688 -- James Renwick's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth."
July 22, 1794 -- Among the last words written by Louise de Duras (née Noailles)'s was "Accept, O Lord, the sacrifice of my life, Into Thy hands I commend my spirit. My God, haste Tee to help me. Forsake me not when my strength faileth me."
October 16, 1812 -- Among the last written words of Henry Martyn was "So closes the easy part of my life; enriched by every earthly comfort, and caressed by friends, I may scarcely be said to have experienced trouble; but now, farewell ease, if I might presume to conjecture. 'O Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit! Thou hast redeemed me, Thou God of truth!' may I be saved by Thy grace, and be sanctified to do Thy will, and to all eternity; through Jesus Christ."

Pharaoh, Haman, Judas and Herod

His life was like a shooting star, that burned brilliantly but briefly. Hugh McKail, a young minister for only about five years, the reason he died a martyr's death can largely be traced to certain comments in his inaugural sermon on September 1, 1662, in Edinburgh, and the revenge that was exacted for those remarks.

John Howie, The Scots Worthies, p. 453:

From the last sermon which [Hugh McKail] delivered at that time, in the High Church of Edinburgh, from Song i.7., may be dated the commencement of his sufferings. In this sermon he fearlessly showed that it was no new thing for the church to be involved in persecution; and, amplifying the subject, he said, -- a Pharaoh on the throne, a Haman in the state, and a Judas in the church, had done the work in former times; and although in his allusion to Haman and Judas he made no application, yet [Archbishop James] Sharp and [John Maitland, Duke of] Lauderdale thought their portraits had been very accurately drawn; and therefore M'Kail was singled out as a very proper person to be put to silence.

The Coltness Collections, p. 47, add that he said:

Let Pharoah, let Haman, let Judas, let Herod, let each of them speak their expeience of God's faithfulness! Let all that have ears to hear, and hearing acknowledge, that these that made themselves remarkable for persecution God stigmatized by his judgments.

Following this sermon, McKail became a hunted man, and was forced to flee to Holland for 2-3 years. After his return, though he had little involvement in the Pentland Rising, upon his capture, he was made an example, and suffered excruciatingly under the Boot, before uttering his famous dying words on the scaffold on December 22, 1666:

Farewell father and mother, friends and relations; -- Farewell the world and all delights; -- Farewell meat and drink; -- Farewell sun, moon, and stars; -- Welcome God and Father; -- Welcome sweet Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant; -- Welcome blessed Spirit of grace, and God of all consolation; -- Welcome glory; -- Welcome eternal life; -- and, Welcome death!

Although not all applications are precise, the following are the leading candidates corresponding to the references made, and it is well known that Archbishop Sharp never forgave nor forgot that 1662 sermon and personally ensured that McKail paid the price.

Pharoah -- King Charles II (subscribed the National Covenant of Scotland and the Solemn League and Covenant at Spey on June 23, 1650, and at Scone on January 1, 1651, and after the Restoration had copies of the latter burned by the hangman all over England on May 22, 1661). He was the king during the Killing Time.

Haman -- Commissioner John Middleton, Earl of Middleton (served the king's interests in Scotland, appointed commander-in-chief of the troops in Scotland and Lord High Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament); John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (Maitland was a former Covenanter and served as a member of the Westminster Assembly, but switched loyalties and ingratiated himself with King Charles, becoming his close confidant, a member of the Cabal Ministry, and a persecutor of the Covenanters).

Judas -- Archbishop James Sharp (once a leader of the Scottish Resolutioners, during his negotiations with King Charles, he secretly switched sides, forsaking the Covenanters for preferment by the king, he adopted a policy of persecution towards his former friends). He survived one assassination attempt in 1668, but was killed by a group of Covenanters in 1679.

Herod -- James, Duke of York (brother of King Charles II, he later became King James II during the final phase of the Killing Time until he was deposed by the Glorious Revolution).