The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confessions, and Last Speeches of the Criminals that were Executed at Tyburn, on Wednesday the 21st of June, 1704 .

AT the Sessions held at Justice-Hall in the Old Baily, on Thursday the 1st . and Friday the 2d . Instant, three Persons receiv'd Sentence of Death; whereof one being found with quick-Child was Repriev'd, and the other two, viz. Thomas Hunter< no role > and Sebastian Reis< no role > , are ordered for Execution.

On the Lord's-Day, the 4th Instant , being the Day of Pentecost, I preached to them and others that then came up to the Chappel in Newgate ; taking my Text out of the Epistle for the Day, viz. Acts 2. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them Utterance.

Which Words having chosen, as proper for the Solemnity of the Day, I first open'd them, and then from them took Occasion to discourse upon these following Heads, viz.

I. The Effusion, or Pouring out of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost, according to Christ's most gracious Promise at his Ascension, of sending them the Comforter, and enduing them with Power from on high.

II. The happy Disposition the Apostles were in (by their Love, Unity, Faith, and Patience) to receive that inestimable Gift of the Holy Ghost.

III. The Divine, and Wonderful, and Blessed Effects thereof.

IV. The great Motives we have to believe and obey the Doctrine of Christ, which was preached and established with so much Authority, and the Truth thereof attested and confirmed with so many infallible Proofs and Miracles wrought by the Apostles and their Followers.

Here I particularly apply'd my self to shew the Inexcusableness of our rejecting, or living contrary to that Divine Doctrine; and the high and indispensable Obligation we were under of departing from all Iniquity, and leading holy Lives, conformable to the Rules and Precepts, as well as the Practice of our Saviour and his Apostles.

Those were the principal Points on which I discoursed, both in the Morning and the Afternoon of that Day; Concluding (at both times) with an Exhortation suitable to the Auditory in general, and to the Condemned in particular.

On the Lord's-Day following, being the 11th Instant , I preached to them again, both in the Forenoon and Afternoon, upon Joh. 3, 3. Part of the Gospel for the Day, and the Words these. Jesus answered, and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a Man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

From which Words (spoken by our SAVIOUR to Nicodemus, a Ruler of the Jews) I shew'd,

I. What it is to be born again; viz To be regenerated and renew'd by the Spirit of God, transforming us, and changing our Inclinations and Affections from Evil to Good, &c.

II. What is meant by the Kingdom of God, viz. 1st, The State of Grace, into which we are brought by the Gospel and the Spirit of Christ. And 2dly, The State of Glory and Happiness in Heaven, which is consequent thereupon; and will be the Portion of those who in this World shall have lived and died in that State of Grace. This is the Kingdom of God, which we shall see, that is, come to the Possession and Enjoyment of, through Regeneration and Sanctification, which is the New-Birth and Life of our Souls.

On these two Heads I enlarged, and then proceeded to discourse upon the following Particulars: Wherein I shew'd,

I. How habitual Sin is opposite to the New-Birth, and deprives Men of the great Priviledges and Advantages of it. And therefore.

II. How much it concerns Men earnestly to call for the Divine Grace, and thereby recover themselves out of that miserable State into which they are brought by Sin; and in which, if they should continue, they must unavoidably perish for ever.

After I had treated of these, and by many pressing Motives and Considerations, inforced the Duty of Faith and Repentance; I, in the Conclusion, made a particular Application to the Condemned Persons, whom I visited, taught, and pray'd with every Day, both Morning and Afternoon, whilst under this Condemnation. And indeed, I must (though with Dissatisfaction) say, that they appear'd very little concern'd for their future State, and were very stupid and hard to be wrought upon, when I came first to attend them, and prepare them for Death: though afterwards they seem'd to be somewhat awaken'd out of their spiritual Lethargy, and soften'd and dispos'd to receive the Means of Salvation, which they express'd their Desires of.

On the Lord's-Day, the 18th Instant , I likewise preached again to them, upon part of the Gospel for the Day, viz. Luke 16. 23, & 24. And in Hell he lift up his Eyes, being in Torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his Bosom. And he cry'd, and said, Father Abraham, have Mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the Tip of his Finger in Water, and cool my Tongue; for I am tormenced in this Flame.

From these Words first explain'd with their Context, I shew'd, 1st, That the Soul is capable of an Existence separated from the Body. 2dly, That the Souls of good Men and true Penitents, when they depart from their Bodies, immediately pass into a State of Blessedness. And 3dly, That the Souls of Wicked Men and impenitent Sinners, do, at their Departure out of their Bodies, presently fall into a State of Misery. And then from these Particulars I further proceeded to discourse more at large upon these 3 following Heads, viz.

I. The dreadful Torments of the Damned in Hell, who (like the Rich-man in the Parable, of which the Text is a part) cannot obtain so much as a drop of Water to ease and cool their burning Thirst.

II. The Happiness of the Blessed in Heaven, who (after the Miseries of this Life are over) do, like Lazarus, enjoy perpetual Rest and Felicity in the Bosom of God their Father.

III. The Certainty and Eternity of both these, i. e. the Punishment of the Wicked, and Reward of the Good.

Having gone through these in order, I apply'd my self, in a particular manner, with suitable Exhortations to the Condemned, who in the Sequel of my publick and private Discourses with them, made their respective Confessions to me, as follows.

I. Thomas Hunter< no role > , cast upon four Indictments, viz. for breaking and entring the Houses of Mr. Isaac Bird< no role > , Mr. Samuel Farmer< no role > , and Mrs. Margaret Christian< no role > , and taking several Goods out of those Houses; and also for receiving and carrying away Goods that were taken, by one of his Gang, out of the House of Mr. Henry Gibbs< no role > . All which Burglaries and Felonies he confessed himself guilty of, as likewise of several other ill Facts he had committed; which, he said, he was sorry for, but could make no Amends, either by himself or others, to the Parties thus wrong'd by him. He pray'd, that God would bless them, and forgive him. He told me, he was but 23 Years of Age (a young Man, but an old Offender) born in the Parish of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate : That he had very honest Parents, but would not obey them, nor be ruled by them; and that he would never receive the Christian and Civil Education, which they endeavoured to give him: So that he was a most ignorant Person, that could neither read, nor write, neither did (before now) know any thing in Religion; no, not so much as the Creed, or the Lord's-Prayer, or any Prayer at all. Which he now found to be a very great Want and Loss to him. And this he desired might be (as in some measure it was) supply'd by one that might read to him out of the Bible and other Godly Books, in the Condemned Hold, for the better improvement of his time there, and fixing upon his Mind those Instructions which he daily received both in publick and private, in the Chappel, and in my Closet at Newgate . In those private Discourses that I had with him, he told me, that in his younger Years, he served a Silver-Spinner , who at that time did not live far from his Mother's House without Bishopsgate; and that though he was not bound to him by any Indenture, yet he lived above seven Years with him: But when he came to grow up, & to understand himself better (as he said) he would no longer continue in that Service, because of his Master's great Severity to him. So he left him, and went to serve at an Ordinary or Victualing-House in St. Nicholas-Lane , London ; where his chief Business was to look after the Cellar as a Cooper , &c. In this Service he remained about a Twelve-month, and then removed himself to another Victualing-House in East-Cheap , where he staid but a little while; and went to Sea in the Russel, a 3d Rate Ship, commanded by Captain Townsend, and was on board that Ship, when she went upon her Expedition to Belle-Isle in France . Having been about seven Months in that Service, he ran away from it; and falling upon Thieving (in which wicked Trade, he said, he had been inured by his former Practice of robbing of Orchards) he was in January last convicted of a Felony for privately stealing Goods out of the Shop of Monsieur Mosette, a French man: Upon which he received the Law, and was order'd into the QUEEN's Service, and accordingly listed by Capt. Belford belonging to the Marine Regiment . But after his Captain had taken him out of Newgate , and given him Liberty to see his Mother and other Friends, and dispatch some Business which he pretended he had, instead of returning to him at the appointed time, he betook himself to his old Trade of Thieving; and so having committed those Felonies and Burglaries first mention'd, he was soon brought to Newgate again. Out of which he own'd he deserv'd not to be deliver'd at so cheap a rate as he was before. He confessed, that he had been an incorrigible Sinner, addicted to most Vices, and perfectly averse from any