The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confession, and Last Speech of the Malefactor that was Executed at TYBURN on Saturday the 21st day of APRIL, 1711 .

AT the Sessions held at Justice-Hall in the Old-Baily, on Wednesday the 11th , and Thursday the 12th instant , Two Men and Two Women being found Guilty, received Sentence of Death, One of the Women excepted, who was then (upon account of her Pregnancy) respited by the Court, and afterwards Reprieved, with the other Woman, and One of the Men, by HER MAJESTY's gracious Mercy; which I wish they may (as it is their great Duty and Interest they should) carefully improve: And I hope, that not only they, but other Offenders, taking Warning by him, who is now order'd for Execution, will earnestly sue for God's Grace, that they may transgress no more; but live such a good Life in this World, as may prepare and dispose them for a better in the next.

While they were under this Condemnation, I constantly visited them, and had them brought up (twice every day) to the Chapel of Newgate, where I taught them publickly; and on the last Lord's Day preach'd to them, both in the Morning and Afternoon, upon Jam. 4. 8. being part of the Evening Second-Lesson for that Day, and the Words these: Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to You: Cleanse your Hands, ye Sinners; and Purify your Hearts, ye Double-minded.

In my Explanation of which Words, I shew'd, that they are a pathetick Exhortation to Repentance and a Holy Life, which (as an indispensable Duty) the Apostle presses upon Men, Wicked Men especially, whom he denotes here by this two-fold Appellation, viz. 1. Sinners. 2. Double-minded: Meaning by the former, all such Persons as are openly Profane, notoriously Vicious, whose Wickedness manifestly appears in their Lives and Conversations, and ordinary Practices; And by the latter, all Hypocrites, i. e. those that endeavour to dissemble with God and Man, who being inwardly full of Iniquity, would fain appear outwardly to be Good and Righteous Persons. And by both, all sorts of Wicked Men, whom he admonishes to repent, by these three metaphorical and most important Precepts, viz.

1. Draw nigh to God: Which is to be done, 1st, By a lively Fath. 2dly. By sincere Repentance. 3dly. By fervent Prayer.

2. Cleanse your Hands; i. e. Reform your Actions: Amend your Lives, &c.

3. Purify your Hearts: Which is as if he had said, Purge out the Filth of Sin, which pollutes and defiles your Souls: Strive (by the help of Grace) to be Sanctify'd, to overcome that old Corruption and vicious Habit that is in you, and effectually make clean all those inward foul and impure. Thoughts, and unholy carnal Affections, from which all outward evil Actions that are deliberate; do naturally proceed; as our Blessed Saviour tells us, Mat. 15. 19.

To each of these Particulars I spoke distinctly; and then inlarg'd my Discourse upon the great Subject of Repentance; shewing them,

I. What Sin is, and how insensibly it breaks in upon Men.

II. What Temporal and Eternal Miseries it involves them in.

III. What means Men may use to prevent their falling into any gross Sin.

IV. How (when committed) it may be repented of.

V. and lastly, What are the blessed Effects of true Repentance.

Having gone through these several Heads and Particulars, and herein endeavour'd to make my Auditory sensible of the Baseness, as well as dreadful Consequences, of a Sinful Life, and exhorted them to leave that Wicked and Dangerous Course; I did (at both times) conclude my Sermons with pressing Admonitions to the Condemn'd, That they would consider these Things, and how greatly it concern'd them to understand the true State of their Souls, viz.

1st. What that miserable State was they were in heretofore, when actually engag'd in the Devil's Service.

2dly, What their present State is, with respect to their inward Dispositions; Whether or no they hate and detest Sin, thro' a real Love and filial Fear of God.

3dly, What their future State will be, and what Hopes they have of being deliver'd from the Wrath to come.

These weighty Things I left with them to consider, and gave them such a Directions, as I thought most suitable both to their Capacities and sad Circumstances.

In my private Examination of them, they laid open to me their Sins and Fears. And he who is now to suffer, gave me the Account of himself, which I have here set down (in substance) as follows.

Edward Paine< no role > , Condemn'd for a Felony in stealing a quantity of Portuguese Coin and Silver, with some Gold-Lace, of about the value of 500 l. on the 2d day of March last . He said he was 33 years of age, born at a Place call'd Walsgrove, within two Miles of Coventry , in the County of Warwick : That while his Father liv'd (who was a Farmer) he follow'd the Trade of Husbandry with him; and after his Death, he went to Service ; Wherein, having (in some few years time) got a little Money, he set up for himself with it, and turned a Carrier : That he had not been long in that Business, but he met with great Crosses and Losses, which (together with his vicious Inclinations and habit of Sin) prompted him to things not only unlawful in themselves, but hurtful to honest Men: That being suspected of a certain Robbery (which he said could not have been prov'd upon him) he was committed to Warwick-Goal, out of which he broke. And then his great Necessities, and want of Grace, made him presently engage in those more daring Crimes, which the Devil tempted him to, and which have deservedly brought him to this his sad and shameful End. Thus he acknowledged himself to have been a very great Offender; but he did not make this Confession till he saw there was no more hope for his Life here: For before that, he seem'd to be very obstinate and harden'd in his wicked Way; saying, That the World should never be the wiser for any thing he should declare. In which obstinate disposition he continu'd a long time, notwithstanding what was said to him concerning the absolute Necessity of clearing his Conscience, by making those Discoveries he was able to make, which might prove useful to the World, and of some satisfaction (especially) to them that were wrong'd by him. All that I could then get from him, was, That he promis'd he would give such Informations to Persons concerned, as might (perhaps) be of use to them: But still (I perceiv'd) he would fain have been thought a better Man, or greater Penitent, than he really was; being very unwilling to be undeceived in this his great mistake, That though he was publickly Condemned, and publickly to suffer for his Crimes; yet his private, Confession to God alone was sufficient for his Repentance. The Mischief of which Error was represented to him, not only by myself, but another