The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confessions, and Dying Speeches of the Malefactors that were Executed at Tyburn, on Wednesday, January 28. 1707/1708 .

AT the Sessions held at Justice-Hall in the Old-Baily, on Thursday, Friday and Monday, the 15th , 16th , and 19th , instant, Four Persons being found Guilty of Death, had Sentence pass'd upon them accordingly, and another who should have been executed the last Sessions, but had his Execution then suspended, was now order'd to prepare himself for it. This Person and One of the Four before mention'd being in the Death-Warrant, are the melancholly Subject of this Paper. May their Death be a Warning to those that have receiv'd the QUEEN's Mercy, and to all others, that so they may not stand in need of it, nor bring themselves by their Crimes into Judgment here or hereafter.

On the Lord's Day, the 18th instant , I preached to the Condemned and other Persons, then in the Chappel of Newgate, both in the Morning and Afternoon, upon Exod. 20. 13. Thou shalt not Kill. From which words I shewed;

I. The heinous Nature of the Sin here forbidden.

II. The severe Punishment, due to it.

III. and lastly, How much it concern'd a Man that is guilty of such an Offence (which is irreparable, and indeed the greatest that can be offered to Humane Nature) to grieve bitterly for it, and heartily repent of it.

I enlarg'd upon these, and then proceeded to the Application, which, it seems, gravell'd so much a Person nearly concern'd therein, that he was unwilling (though his Duty and Interest should have oblig'd him) to come to the Chappel again that Afternoon.

On the last Lord's Day I preach'd again to them both in the Morning and Afternoon, and took my Text out of Luke 15. 18, 19. The Words being these, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.

Which having first explain'd in general; I then proceeded to shew from the Example of the Home-returning Prodigal in the Text;

I. That a true Penitent does not hide, nor continue in his Sins; but ingenuously confesses, abhors and forsakes them.

II. That he is so far from extenuating or palliating them, that he aggravates them more than his greatest Adversaries can do.

III. That he passes a most severe Judgment upon himself, and acknowledges that he deserves a greater Punishment than that he is to undergo in this World for them: And therefore does not repine nor murmure at, but submissively acquiesce in God's Providence and the Methods he takes of punishing him.

IV. and lastly, That this Course and Manner of Repentance is, First, most Acceptable to God, and Secondly, most Beneficial to such a Penitent.

Having largely discours'd upon these Particulars, I concluded at both times with a pressing Exhortation to the Condemned Persons, That they would examine themselves with relation to their past Lives, the present State they were in, and the Thoughts they had of another World: And then pray earnestly to God to give them such Faith and Repentance, as might intitle them to an Interest in Christ, and prove available to their Eternal Salvation.

While they were under Condemnation, I constantly visited them, and had them brought up twice every Day to the Chappel; where I pray'd with them, and expounded the Word of God to them; drawing such Inferences, and giving them such Admonitions, to the best of my Ability, as were proper for them in the dismal Circumstances they then lay under. They were all of them very attentive, both those that were reprieved, and those that were to die: Which latter, in my private Examinations of them, gave me an Account of themselves, as follows.

I. Alexander Carroll< no role > , condemn'd for the Murther of Thomas Fenwick< no role > . He said, he was about Twenty-seven Years of age, born of good Parents at Carlough , in Queens-County in Ireland . He confess'd, that he had been a very loose Liver, and very much neglected Christian Duties. He owned he was the Person that killed the aforesaid Thomas Fenwick< no role > ; but he at first endeavour'd to perswade me and others, that he was provoked to it, by his being assaulted by the deceased; and therefore thought much to be under Condemnation for wilful Murther. He spent much of his time, while under that Condemnation, in writing Letters, Petitions, &c. in order to get a Reprieve. and all that could be said and alledged to him, was not forcible enough to take him off from those worldly Concerns, and put him upon thoughts of another Life, and due Preparation for it. But when he found himself in the Death-Warrant, than began he to be sensible of his Folly in having thus mispent his time. He acknowledg'd, he was highly Guilty, both of the Fact for which he was Condemned, and of his Neglect to prepare for Death in good earnest before this Extremity; and he owned the Justice not only of that Sentence by which he was to die here, but of God whom he had grievously offended many and many ways, by doing those things which he should not have done, and omitting to do those things which he should have done. He said, he heartily repented of all his Sins, and begged Pardon of God and Man, and dyed in Charity with all the World. He did at first pretend to be a Protestant, and born of Protestant Parents; but at last he confess'd that he was a Papist, and all his Ancestors were of that perswasion, and therefore he was resolved to die in it. However he said, he rely'd ouly upon Christ's Merits for the Pardon of his Sins and the Salvation of his Soul; and that he did not depend upon the Prayers that might be made for him after his Death, but thought it most Safe for his eternal Welfare to do what he could to repent and be reconcil'd to God, before he left this World. This he express'd to be his Sense. As for other Principles he might have, he did not discover them; neither did he seem to me to be much versed in any Religion; but on the contrary, to have been very ignorant and very defective in the Exercise and Practice of Christian Duties: Which he himself acknowledg'd and express'd great sorrow for. He gave me at the Tree a Paper of his own Writing, of which the Reader may see the Copy at the end of this Account.

II. John Read< no role > , Condemn'd in December last for the stealing of a Horse. He said, he was about 30 years of Age, born in the Parish of St. Giles's in the Fields , and brought up among the Quakers; That by his Trade he was a Silk-Weaver , and would work sometimes at it; but had not so much follow'd it, as he had ill Courses for about these ten years last past: That he had within that time done many ill Facts, besides that for which he was now Condemn'd to dye; And that he first began his wicked Trade with picking of Pockets, and keeping of bad Company, which forwarded his corrupt inclination to the doing of that for which he was now both sorry and asham'd; and of which (as also of other Matters that were necessary for him to discover) he gave a particular Account. He confess'd, That about nine or ten years ago he committed a Burglary, for which he was then try'd; but for want of full Evidence was acquitted; yet he did not reform. He now acknowledg'd the Justice of God in bringing him to this his deserv'd Condemnation and untimely End in this World, and earnestly pray'd, that he might find Mercy in the next.

After he was condemn'd at the late Sessions in December last, he told me he never was baptiz'd, and earnestly desir'd I would baptize him before his Death, which he then expected. I used my best endeavours to prepare him for that Sacrament, and then administred it to him, and I had afterwards the satisfaction to see (as far as I could observe) that he liv'd according to the Promise he had made therein, from the time of his being taken off the Gallows (to which he was already ty'd when he was respited from Execution on the 17th day of December last ) to this day, on which he was effectually Executed.