A True Account of the Behaviour, Confessions, and last Dying Speeches of the Condemned Criminals, that were Executed at Tyburn on Friday the 16th of this Instant July, 1697 .

On the Lords-Day, after the Condemnation of the Condemned Criminals, a Sermon was Preached on this Text, Prov. 8. 36.

But he that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own Soul: All they that hate me, love Death

The Doctrinal Observation.

TO neglect and despise, much more to reject Christ who is offered to us of God, to be made Wisdom for our Folly, Righteousness for our Guiltiness, Sanctification for the Pollution of our Nature, and Redemption for our voluntary Subjection to Sin and Satan, is a very great provoking Sin. Such cannot wrong Christ, God blessed for ever, whose essential Glory and Self-contentment is above their Affronts. They Sin against their own Souls, drawing on themselves the remarkable Effects of God's just Severity.

Sinners are afraid of Punishment, which is only Sins shadow; yet they decline not to run into the Excesses of Wickedness, which is the Hell of Hell. They Virtually make a Covenant with Satan to fullfil all Iniquity with greadiness, and Seal it with their Blood: They make their Souls a Prey to the Fiends of Hell, which might be everlasting Lamps of Glory to garnish and brighten Heaven, were they willing to submit to the Scepter of Christ's Righteousness. This informs us that there is not so much regular Self-love as Men pretend. It is Natural to desire happiness; yet most Men make the Gratification of their Lusts to be the very Design of their Lives, and Self-willfullness the Rule of their Conversation. Some will pretend that they Love you as they Dove their own Souls; yet they cast these away for a Triffle into the Abyss of Hellish Darkness. Such is the Folly of most Men, That they chuse a Self-destroying Sinner to be their familiar Friend: Can they be faithful to others who break Covenant with God himself, who bur in sunder all the Bones of Natural Affection? If this may promote their worldly Self-Interest; when wicked Men change their Nature and Course of Life, they will be fit Company; otherwise you take a Viper into your Bosom.

Second General Head.

Christ hath many pretended Friends only, because most Men are Foes to themselves.

Qu. Who are such?

1. All who beg not Wisdom from Christ, to order their Conversation aright; who chuse to remain Ignorant of his Will, because they have no mind to please him.

2. Who do not obey his Divine Commands, tho' they are convinced of their Equity and the Reward of fulfilling them.

3. Who do not renounce their Lusts with Abhorrence, but indulge them to the gratifying of Satan, who breaks not off a Compliance with Sinners, but delight to strengthen a Combination in Wickedness.

4. Who court worldly Vanities, as if these were the very Essence of their Felicity.

5. Who hate the Ministers of Christ, because they preach his Laws to bind them to their good Behaviour, and to discipline their Conversation.

What could God do more in a moral Way, than to court Men to accept of Blessedness in the Ways of Holiness? Therefore all such who hate Christ the Son of God, the Lord of Life and Glory, deserve to perish Eternally.

Characters of such who presume that they are Christ's Friends while they hate him.

1. If you have a less Degree of Love to Christ, than for your Natural Lives, or Worldly Interest.

3. All Men-pleasers who readily transform themselves into a Compliance with such Examples of Sinning, which are made modish by customary Prescription.

4. All self-justifying Pharisees; these being full of their own Righteousness, by a fulsom Pride of Heart, sacrilegiously derogate from Christ's Divine All-sufficiency to sanctify and save them. This is as great Folly, as if a drowning Man should catch hold on Weeds, which will the more entangle him; and refuse to get on a Rock, which may preserve him.

5. Such hate Christ secretly who fear the Reproaches of Sinners, if they quit and renounce their Fellowship, as if this were to bid Adiu to all the Comforts of human Conversatson.

6. All such are Haters of Christ who study to advance carnal Reason, above or against the Authority of divine Revelation; who doubt of, much more deny, the Divinity of Christ's Person. This will in Time prevail on such to despise, yea renounce, the whole Contexture of Christ's Doctrine, as if it were a fabulous Invention.

The Causes of hating Christ.

He comes from God his Father, inviting Sinners that they would be Reconciled to him, in the change of their corrupt Nature, and to declare it in the resigning their Hearts for Universal Obedience to his sacred Laws. Christ comes to call Men to Repentance, to Severities in the Mortifying of their Lusts. This is very grevious to a carnal Mind and Heart. Christ presses Self-denial, the love of Enemies, and the Renunciation of worldly Pomp and Grandeur. Christ injoins us to submit to his Yoke of Discipline; to take up his Cross and to follow him under it; denying our selves to the very Death, in the justifying of his sacred Institutions. Therefore most Men hate Christ's Doctrin, and thereby his Person.

The Cure of Hatred to Christ.

Renounce the Indifferency of Love to him. This will soon cool and dwindle away unto the Remisnes of Affection. And this decay will soon determine in contempt and the hatred of Christ: Therefore covet to enjoy the Effusions of his Love, in the Communication of his Graces, as the Pledges of eternal Glory.

The conclusion was thus Directed to the Condemned.

You have heard that he who Sins against Christ, the Wisdom of God his Father, wrongs his own Soul; yet you have been possest with the depth of this Phrensy. Have you not made a Sport of sinning, and thereby Crucified the Lord of Life and Glory? What deplorable madness is this, That sinners Descend to Hell with a merry Security, upon Presumptuous Hopes of eternal Blessedness! You have exclamed against the ways of Holiness and Self-denial, as tedious and very grevious. Yet you have studied to gratify Satan in the indulgence of your Lusts: You have hated to be Reformed, tho' every Sessions you have had exemples of God's just severity, fresh bleeding before your Eyes. The least breath of God's Displeasure should blast the Animosity of the stoutest Sinner, and spoil his Mirth in sinning.

Yet so strong is this Witchcraft that your Hearts have been Insatiable in persuing prodigious Out-rages in Wickedness. It is just with God that such Sinners should at last be as Drunk with the Fury of the Lord, as they have Stupified themselves with the Fumes of Sensuality. O dread! least after long striving to silence the Convictions of your Consciences, you should now be so smitten with an Apoplexy in your Understandings, as not to be able to make any reflexive Sorrow for offering Violence to your own Souls; as if you were Covetous in Treasuring up divine Wrath against your selves into Eternity. But I hope you are not so confirmed in a course of Sinning; yet do not presume that you can by a sudden skip from Prophaness, and betaking your selves to somespecious Formalities in Religion; be made new Cretures in Christ. If you sincerely Repent, and your corrupt Nature be changed, God will be Reconciled to you. Thus you shall be above the fond Love of this World, and may hope to be transported to the Celestial Vision of God; which is the Essence of blessedness to Eternity.

I proceed to give an Account of the Behaviour and Confessions of the Condemned Criminals.

I. Margaret Martel< no role > , A French Woman, Condemned for the Barbarous Murther of Elizabeth Pullen< no role > , the Wife of