open view, when you appear at the awful tribunal above. Therefore, humble, yourselves low at the footftool of divine mercy; and, as forrowful confeffing criminals, intercede with your Saviour for pardon. May our gracious God grant acceptance to your forrow and confeffions! This, we are affured, he will do, if they verily produce converfion..

Converfion, in the fenfe I am now using it, means that change, which is brought about in a man's heart and life, when, from a thoughtlefs finner, he becomes a good Chriftian-when he not only leaves off all those practices, which he knows to be contrary to the will and word of God, but alfo moft cordially hates them; and, in lieu thereof, practises the duties, proper to his ftation, and creditable to his christian name becoming fober, temperate, chafte, honeft, kind, and devout.

You, my poor brethren, who are to be removed hence fo foon, cannot be fuppofed to have the opportunity of thus evidencing your converfion. It may nevertheless, I hope, be equally real and fincere. If you If you fo verily hate: fin, and are in love with holiness, as that, were life to be prolonged, you would ceafe from your evil ways, and perfevere to practife righteoufnefs, then certainly is your converfion real, and fuch as will be accepted, through the mediation of Jefus Chrift.

But, though you are cut off from the exercife of many duties, fome are ftill in your power; G. 5

and

and them you are now exhorted to, as the only tokens, you can give, of a penitent and converted heart.

You are, then, heartily to acknowledge the juftice with which fentence hath been pronounced against you, and patiently to acquiefce in the punishment. Submiffively acknowledge that all is right; and take comfort in reflecting that the fentence of man reacheth only to the body. The jury were equitable in their verdicts; the Fudge did no more than his duty; and his Majesty hath not thought fit to reverse the fentence. Neither against any of thefe, therefore, nor against the witneffes, who came forth to accufe you, fuffer yourselves to entertain any grudges, or to harbour any ill-will.

Should even wrong have been done you, by any one, you must forgive it. "Forgive, as you hope to be forgiven;" and if you have reafon to believe that there are any perfons, who can properly be called your enemies, pray for them. If any of you can restore that, or any part of that, which you have ftolen, it must be reftored, if you have not done it already. If any of you, by confeffion, or impeachment, can prevent the perpetration of more evil, you are bound to do it: it will be one good mark of converfion.

This is the evening, the laft evening of your lives; the day, even the day of your deaths is at hand: watch, therefore, watch and pray. Hufband well the little remnant of your time.

Exercise

Exercise yourselves much in prayer. God, for Chrift's fake, will lend a willing ear to your requests. Pray, that your repentance and con-verfion may be perfected, fo perfected as to fecure the blotting out of your fins. Pray for divine grace, to fupport you, to chafe away fear, and to enable you dauntless to meet the king of terrors. It is in the power of God to fupport you effectually, under all you have to pass through; and, if you are penitent, and converted, and pray to him for fupport, you will experience it. Many doubtlefs have been removed from Newgate to Paradise. God Almighty grant that you may be added to them!

The written affiftances put into your hands. for meditation and prayer, I hope have been,, and will ftill be, ufeful to you. Words are a proper vehicle of prayer; but prayer may be poured forth, without words. The mere lifting up of the heart to God, is, in many cafes, equally acceptable. Only be fure that what ever you ask for, you afk it for the fake, and through the merits of Jefus Chrift.

He is the grand foundation of every hope we can entertain. For this reason, you are invited to commemorate him at his holy table, in obedience to his divine command. Perhaps, to fome, or to most of you, it may be the firft time of your fo doing. If, however, you are penitent, and converted, you will be acceptable. guefts; and his bleffing, attending the ordinance, will give you new strength, for the war fare you have to accomplish.. G 6

What

What more, now, my brethren, can I say unto you? With what additional words of mine, can you be helped forward, in the way you are to go? I can only, with earnestness, entreat you to meditate upon what has been faid; and fervently implore our gracious God to make it effectual to your edification.

Once more, then, let us together bend our knees, and offer up the facrifice of united

prayer.

O almighty and everlasting God, thou glorious and most righteous Judge, we again become humble fuppliants, in behalf of these thy finful creatures; and fervently pray, that thy grace may enable them meekly to receive their fentence, as the due reward of their fins. As their iniquities have brought upon them an untimely and fhameful death, O, let their repentance and converfion, through the merits of our dear Lord and Saviour, fecure the blotting out-the forgiveness of their fins, and bring them to everlafting life. O bleffed Jefu, who didst not difdain to caft an eye on the penitent thief on the cross, defpife not these thy fervants,' who are now fhortly to fuffer a like ignominious death; and who, we hope, repent them of their fins, and fix all their hopes on thee, in their diftrefs, as he did in his. Thou, who for the fins of others, didft thyfelf hang on the curfed tree, by the blood of thy crofs, fave them, who are juftly condemned for their own fins. In thy merits, cause them to truft: into thy merciful

8

ciful hands, we commend their spirits. O, rescue their departing fouls, from eternal mifery. Forgive them, in the abundant riches of thy mercy, and fave them in the hour of judgment. Let the example of their fall be a warning to others, that they come not into the fame condemnation :-and though they tafte thy juftice, in their ignominious death, let them find the sweetness of thy mercy after it.—Amen. Amen.

THE

CONVICT'S ADDRESS

TO HIS

UNHAPPY BRETHREN*.

My dear and unhappy Fellow-prifoners,

CONSIDERING my peculiar circumstances and fituation, I cannot think myself juftified, if I do not deliver to you, in fincere Chriftian love, fome of my ferious thoughts on our prefent awful. ftate.

In the fixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apoftles, you read a memorable flory refpecting Paul and Silas, who, for preaching the Gospel,

*This addrefs was delivered in the chapel of Newgate by an unhappy clergyman a few days before his execution.

were