Opposition. Yet Obdurate Sinners exercise much Violence upon their Confidence while they indulge themselves in a sinful sensual course. It is an harder task to please any Lust, than Christ. Usually our temporal Interest, and welfare in the World, falls in with the ways of Holiness, also there is no comparison betwixt the trouble of Obedience, and the pains of Hell. The sorrow of Repentance, and austerities of Mortification, restore to a sound vigorous constitution of Soul, fit for Divine Service. And Christ hath not denied his Saints any Delight which is truly such, but only those Pleasures which are incompetent for us, as rational sober Persons. Yea how useful is the Cross it self to give us the higher sense of Cestial Pleasures.

Upon all these considerations, which attemperate the difficulty of entering into Heaven thorough the strait Gate, it is to be charged upon our foolish sluggish prejudices only, that Christianity is counted a Gloamy Coast, and an unmerciful Task.

Here the condemned Prisoners were Exhorted to repent that they had so much neglected and despised the offer of Grace and Salvation. That in stead of an holy Violence to enter into Heaven by the strait Gate of Repentance Mortification, they had rather striven to Raze out the Natural Impressions of Good and Evil. That they had stifled and resisted the Checks of Conscience, and had striven against their Maker himself, even while he sought to overcomes their Stubbornness with his Goodness. That they had turn'd Gods Grace into Wantoness or Sloathfulness, and hereby judge'd themselves unworthy of Eternal Life: But as yet the Kingdom of Heaven suffres violence, in condescending to beseech you to be Reconciled unto God; yea he waites to be Gracious, as Satan watches to Destroy you. And will not you strive to get your Souls disintangled from his deadly Snares? If you strive sincerely to be saved, it shall not be in Vain; the Redeemer of Souls is Almighty, and will cast our Satan, tho he hath long laid a Claim and prescription to you.

This was the summary of the two Sermons on the Lords Day, which much awakned the Condemned Prisoners from their Security.

On the Munday I Visited them, and after Prayer and Exhortation, Pray?d for them a second time, which prevailed upon them to make freely these Confessions following.

John Dikes< no role > , Condemned for Clipping the Kings Coin, he said that he was now 33 Years of Age, he was an Apprentice in the Minoryes . Afterwards he was seven years in Imployment for himself. Then he left his Habitation and went into the Dutch Wars , in which service he received one wound in his thigh, and in one arm a small shot after which he returned home again, and upon his deliverance from death in the wars, resolved to live a sober Life, which for sometime he continued in; and did not Converse with any bad company. But being brought into Straights and a Low condition, he sell into the above mentioned Crime for supply of his wants, which he is now heartily sorry for, and doth not disown the Fact but beggs of God to make him truly sensible of this and all other his Sins.

He acknowledges, that the Girl arraigned with his was altogether Ignorant in carrying the Clippings to the Goldsmith and his conscience would not suffer him, to lay that to the charge of the Girl which she was Innocent of, and hazard his own Soul in so doing. What small wrong the Girl did to him in the time of her service, he freely forgives her, and begs pardon of the King and all others who have been Injured by his Crime.

He desired the Ordinary to Pray for him, that the Mercy of his Repreive may so Affect his heart that no further distres may draw him to Sin and that he may Live more observent of God and the Kings Laws, when he shall be delivered out of Prison, to follow some honest employment tho never so mean.

John Paine< no role > , Condemned for Horsestealing he said he was borne in Warwickshier , that he is now about 19 Years of Age, that he lived sometime with his Father in the imployment of Husbandry whose good Counsel and Education he refused, and so came from his unto London , where he had the opportunity of falling into bad company, which together with his own evil Inclination, led him to wrong several persons, and thereby to bring himself to