The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confessions, and Dying-Words, of the Criminals, that were Executed at Tyburn, on Wednesday, the 30th of December, 1702 .

AT the Sessions held in the Old-Baily, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the 9th , 10th , 11th , and 12th , and on Monday the 14th instant , Ten Persons having been found Guilty of Death, and receiv'd Sentence accordingly, Six of them were Repriev'd, and Four order'd for Execution.

On the Lord's-Day, the 13th instant , I preach'd publickly to them and other Prisoners, both in the Forenoon and After-noon, upon Part of that Scripture appointed to be read for the First Evening-Lesson, viz. Isai. 26. the latter part of the 9th Verse and the 10th; the Words being these - When thy Judgments are in the Earth, the Inhabitants of the World will learn righteousness. Let Favour be shew'd to the Wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the Majesty of the Lord.

In discoursing upon which Words, I shew'd;

1st. That the great Design of God's Judgments, is the Reformation of Mankind; That the Inhabitants of the Earth may learn therefrom to be Righteous, i. e. To be Just, and Honest, and Upright in all their Ways, and truly Religious.

2dly. That as it is the Design, so it often proves the Effect of God's Judgments, (where his Mercies are ineffectual) to bring Men to Repentance and Amendment of Life: Which is intimated in this former Part of the Text; When thy Judgments are in the Earth, the Inhabitants of the World will learn righteousness.

3dly. That as the Temporal Judgments, which God inflicts upon Men in this World, are by him design'd for the just Punishment of their Sins, and for their Reformation; so they are also intended for the Prevention of Eternal Judgments: For though upon the Sinners Repentance God does not always remit the Temporal, yet he certainly will the Eternal Punishment; provided that Repentance be truly sincere, and not too late.

4thly. That the Judgments of God in this Life, if they avail not to some Men's Salvation in the next; will however justify God's Proceedings, and leave the obstinate and harden'd Sinners wholly inexcusable, who most unworthily (and to their own ruin) opposed, even to the last, the gracious Methods which God employ'd to reclaim them from Sin and Endless Misery: So that they shall be forced to assent, That their Damnation is just; and that God is Righteous, and all his Judgments are Upright.

In the After-noon I open'd the latter Part of the Text; Let favour be shew'd to the Wicked, &c. From which Words I shew'd the absolute Necessity of exerting severe Justice upon those unrelenting Sinners, whom neither Mercies to them could invite to their Duty, nor Judgments on others warn from their Sins. And this I illustrated from these Three Observables.

1st. That some such profligate and ungrateful Sinners there may be found, who are so far from growing better, that they rather grow worse, for having favour shewn them; not being desirous to accept of that gracious Invitation to Repentance, and walk worthy of that great Mercy offer'd to them. Let favour be shew'd to the Wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness.

2d. That tho' such Persons live in the Land of Uprightness, i. e. in a Country where true Religion and Righteousness are professed and taught, and by many practised; and where Impiety and Unrighteousness are discountenanc'd and punish'd, (which are great aggravations of their Sins;) yet for all this they will venture to commit all manner of Injustice and Wickedness.

3d. That for a further and still greater aggravation of their Sins, they will not behold the Majesty of the Lord: i. e. That tho' God gives such plain Discoveries of his great Excellency and Goodness, both in his Word, and in his Works, and especially in this glorious and gracious Work of his Patience and Mercy to them; yet they wilfully shut their Eyes against this clear Light, and will not be perswaded to see the things that belong to their peace, before they are hid from their Eyes. They will not learn, nor understand, nor seek after God. They will consider neither his Goodness, nor his Power; neither the tenderness of his Love that should win them, nor the severity of his Judgments, that should drive them to Repentance.

Again on the Lord's-Day, the 20th instant , I preach'd to them, viz. In the Fore-noon, upon the 8th and 9th; And in the After-noon, upon the 12th and 13th Verses of the 30th Chapter of Isaiah.

And on our Blessed Saviour's Birth-day, both in the Morning and After-noon, upon John 1. 14.

And last of all, on the Lord's-Day, the 27th instant, in the Fore-noon, upon Rev. 1. 7. And in the After-noon, upon Rev. 22. 12.

All which Texts, very fit for the Occasion, as well as the Season, to be discoursed upon, were taken out of those Scriptures, that came of course to be read on those Days.

These publick Discourses, (the Heads whereof this Paper will not afford room for) as well as the two former, I concluded with particular Application to the Condemned Persons; whom I most earnestly and compassionately exhorted to REPENTANCE: The great Subject of my constant (both publick and private) Instructions and Admonitions to them, while under this Condemnation: Within which time, I did in my frequent Attendances upon them, receive from them the Account of their past Lives, and their present Hopes, which they gave me, as followeth.

1. John Goffe< no role > , alias White< no role > , alias Gaffney< no role > , Condemned for a Robbery committed in Boswel-Court , about 4 Years ago. He said, he was born at Dublin , and was now above 50 Years old, and had been a Soldier the greatest part of his Life, in the Service of this Crown, viz. first in the Foot-Guard, and afterwards in the Earl of Oxford's Regiment, and of late years in Flanders, and was also for some time, in the Duke of Savoy's Army, and now a Voluntier in her MAJESTY's Service, going for Ireland , at the time of his being apprehended at Bristol . He confess'd, that he was guilty of the Fact, for which he was now to die; but said, that he was trepann'd into it, by Daniel Skanlen< no role > the Silver-smith , and Thomas Fowler< no role > , who were some time after, Executed for it. Those (he said) were the Contrivers and chief Managers of this foul Business, the Odiousness and Baseness of which, I found he industriously endeavour'd to remove from himself, and place it upon them, and three others more, that were concerned with them therein, viz. One Nicholas Moore< no role > , (who was then try'd for it and acquitted) and his Brother James Moore< no role > , and one Fitz-Morris, the former of whom, viz. Nicholas Moore< no role > , he says, was afterwards committed for some other notorious Facts, to Oxford-Goal , out of which he broke, and robb'd the Keeper besides, and is now (as he thinks) in the West-Indies . As for himself, he said, That when he first engag'd in this Affair, he did not well understand what it was; and when at last he saw better into it, he would have declin'd having any further to do with it; but it was not in his power to get off: However, he did as little harm himself, and prevented as much mischief as he could; saying, that he was the cause, that the Persons they had robb'd, were not murther'd, or did not perish in the Cellar, where they had left them bound, both Hand and Foot: For having got the Key of the outward Door of the House, when they had done this their vilanous Fact, he gave it to a certain Porter's Wife, living thereabouts, with Order to make a Fire in the House, and to fetch Coals for it out of the Cellar, though indeed there was none there; but this he said with the intent, that she going to the Cellar, might see those Persons (who were 3 in number) that were bound there, and so cause them to be released. He own'd, he had 26 Guineas for his share in