From which Words I shew'd, That it is a certain Rule in general, that all Men are subject to Death, and must die; (which is most evident from the daily Experience of all Mankind.) And, That immediately after the Souls departure out of its Body, it will receive Sentence either of Absolution, or Condemnation; the Body itself remaining unjudged till the last Day, when it shall be re-united to the very self-same Soul that once dwelt in it while in this World, and shall be made Partaker with it of that Eternal State either of Weal or Woe, to which it was adjudged before, in the other World.

From this Doctrine, which I (then) more largely explain'd, I drew some pressing Arguments to invite Sinners to Repentance; shewing,

I. That this present Life is the only Time allotted us by Almighty God to prepare for Eternity.

II. That our Day of Grace (if not pass'd before) is certainly at an End, whenever Death has given the final determining Stroke: For after this it will be impossible for the Obstinate Sinner ever to repent to any good purpose.

III. and lastly, That as we die but Once, and this Once is for Eternity, so ought we carefully, and in due time, to make Provision (by a good Life and penitent Death here) for a State of Bliss and Glory hereafter; which State of the Blessed (as well as that of the Undone Wretches, who would not repent) is Eternal and Unalterable.

All this I proved both from Scripture and Reason, and endeavoured to make all that heard me sensible of the mischievous and dismal Consequences of a Wicked Life, and the Necessity of their applying themselves to God for a lively Faith, without which it is impossible to please Him; and for a True sincere Repentance, without which also there can be no Pardon nor Salvation.

Again, On the last Lord's Day, the 20th instant , I preach'd (both in the Morning and Afternoon) to the Prisoners, and others there present, who were many, yea too many; and my Text was taken out of the Gospel for the Day, viz. Joh. 1. 23. I am the Voice of One crying in the Wilderness, Make straight the Way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.

This Text, with the Context, I did explain in general; shewing, That to the Question which the Priests and Pharisees put to St. John the Baptist, asking him What he was, he answer'd;

1. Negatively, That he was not the Christ; And,

2. Positively, That he was Vox Clamantis in Deserto, the Voice of One crying in the Wilderness, &c. i. e. calling aloud unto Men (lulled asleep by Satan in the Wilderness of Sin) and endeavouring to awaken them out of their Spiritual Lethargy, unto Repentance and Amendment of Life.

This is an Old Theam, on which the Ministers of Christ ought still to preach, as Christ himself, this his Precursor (or Forerunner) and all his Apostles did. As long as there are Sinners; as long as Sin reigns in the World, God's Servants must preach, That Men should repent. Therefore I here again insisted upon this great and important Duty of Repentance, and to that end chose this Text, which thus occurr'd to me, (as being part of the Gospel appointed for the Day) that from hence I might have an opportunity to inforce my former Arguments by some New One's, relating to this great and important Duty. Which I did, by laying before them;

The absolute Necessity of Repentance, in order to our avoiding the Misery, and obtaining the Felicity of the other World: And this I proved and preed upon them from what the Scripture tells us of a Judgment to come, that shall be most exast, strict, and impartial.

This Doctrine I illustrated by several Particulars which cannot come in here. And then I concluded these my Discourses, as I had done the other two before, with earnest Exhortations and Admonitions, suitable to the Condemned Persons; of whom (I mean those ordered for Execution) I shall now give the following Accounts, which I had from them concerning their past Sinful Lives, and present Penitential Dispositions. And,

1. Arabella Thomas< no role > This name instance is in set 4700. , alias Isabella Jones< no role > , alias Bolton< no role > , alias Wildman< no role > , alias King< no role > , &c. She was at this time (as she had formerly been) condemn'd for Shoplifting: And this Fact, for which she is now to die, was her privately stealing 62 yards of Sarsenet, value 6 l. out of the Shop of Mr. Philip Bass< no role > , on the 27th of