forth and give glory to him by a full and ingenious Confession and find mercy ere she went hence and should be seen no more Taking my leave of them hoping another day to see them in Heaven I departed the Chamber As I was going out the Nurse pulls me by the Coat desiring private conference with me This very much surprized me conceiving that she began to relent and that Satan was a falling But I was miserably mistaken when with Tears in her eyes she intreated me to deal effectually with the Maid to declare who set her upon it to accuse her that she might know them that contrived her death I told her I had already and in Three conferences could never find her to vary one tittle That I saw the Maid ingenious and Penitent but had not the least token of true Repentance from her That she was a Brazen Impudent Hypocrite thus to dissemble with God and Man to pretend Innocency when her own Conscience convinces her of the Guilt of so much blood That she should not deceive her self God would not be mocked as she had Sown so she should Reap She kept the Devils Counsel and to the Devil she would go I had spent my time and Spirits for the good of her Soul but I saw no good issue thereof and therefore look to it Woman Look to it that this do not make thy Hell hotter than Ordinary And then added one word Prethee tell me whether thou hast no sin at all upon thy Spirit that troubles thee No Sir none it all I thank God I never wronged any one in my life I never hurt my Mistris nor took a Needle of Threed from her I asked her father Whether she had not the Gold which her Brother stole from Master Northam She said No. I told her my Intelligence came from her own Father who avowed that her Brother gave it her in a Paper to take to his Child and that she took it indeed to the Child but then immediately took it from him again All which she stiffly denies maintaining she never saw nor knew of One Farthing of that Money either Gold or Silver That her Brother was too wise to intrust it to her a poor Woman for his Child who had a Child of her own But this is downright Lying and aequivocation as you will hear at the day of her Execution Coming down in the Court of the Jail the Prisoners flock about me to whom I addressed my self in short SOme Thirteen years ago in my first Imprisonment I was confined unto this place but blessed be God for no evil that I had done unless to work in my place and calling be an evil However I learnt from that day to this to compassionate all Prisoners And the mercies being a stranger and Prisoner I found by the good Providence of my God in this House have made me pay yearly some Vows and Thank-offerings to him within these Walls That I would leave something with them which should be better than Money if they would aceept it Some of you are now Reprieved others Burnt in the Hand and to be discharged Take heed Sin no more lest a worse thing befall you If you do not go out of a Prison new Men and new Creatures your old sins will return again upon you and the Devil that brought you hither will enter once more into you with Seven worse Devils and your latter end will be worse than your beginning If you do not mend your Lives avoid and abhor your former sins obey serve and fear God labor diligently in your callings keep your Church and wait upon Gods Holy Ordinances If you do not leave all your wicked Company and wicked Courses ' I le assure you God will never bless you you do but get loose from a Prison in Earth to be clapt up at last everlasting Prisoners with the Devil in his Gaol of Hell Whilst my affairs called me Home-wards it pleased God to stir up the Hearts of many Ministers in the City of Exon to visit these Prisoners and to Prosecute that good work which was begun in them I am sorry that no Memorials of their Pious Labors and Divine Discourses are fallen into my Hands that might have enricht the Soul of my Reader and been an embellishment to this course Paper Something occurred in Two Letters which craving pardon of my worthy Friends for inserting it without their Privity I here offer to the World I Have yours of the Nine and twentieth instant and immediately made it my work to inquire after the Ministers which visited the Poor Prisoners Condemned for Poysoning Mistris Weeks c. And after my best Inquiry can only learn in the General that several have been with them and that the Girl seems more Penitent than the Nurse who stifly denies the Fact I do not hear that either the one or the other have been absolved or received the Sacrament Master Treasurer-Hall was Ordinary but I have not spoken with him My affairs and business which called me out of Town would not permit me to see them till this day I tarried an hour and half at least with them and upon my entring into the Room where the poor wretches were kept I found the young Girl with a Bible and another Prisoner with a Book I presume reading to them for he told me he did use to do so Directing my self to them both I did the best I could to represent their sad condition and the demerits of their sins especially of that horrid one for which they were Condemned The Girl seemed somewhat sensible but I saw no relenting in the Nurse which made me afterward direct my discourse chiefly unto her But after all I could say I perceived it had little effect upon her which made me tell her at my departure that I was sorry I had not the least word of Comfort for her But however I told her I did hope my discourse would prevail with her for a Confession if so I should be very glad of it and upon any other notice from her would readily come to her though it were at midnight She seemed most sensible of these last words and as I think told me for she spake low that she would Consider of it Exon March 27. 1676. I am Sir Your Brother and Servant From another I had this Dear Sir ALL the times I was with them I could discern no great alteration in any one of them the Nurse still refusing to confess any thing and the Girl indeed uttering some good expressions but I could not discern that they proceeded from any great sence within or were accompanied with any affection I hope God may have succeeded your endeavors there with them better than he hath ours here Mr. D. was with them thrice since I was but could do no great good upon them nor discern any thing in them Yet I have heard the Nurse should desire to speak with him again but to what purpose I know not
and rests upon it and trusts unto it that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners Of whom she is chief Thou art willing that all should be saved Therefore thou art willing she should be saved also Thou hast put these words into her mouth and into our mouths for her That if Jesus Christ hath not merits enough to save her she and we also will be contented that she should be Damned for ever But Blessed be our God! The merits of our Saviour are Infinite Oh! Lord make application of them unto her poor Soul Oh! Take away for Christs sake all her sins Blot out her iniquities at a Cloud and her Transgressions as a thick Cloud Though her sins have abounded unto her Condemnation yet let thy grace much more infinitely more abound unto her justification Enter not into judgment with her Oh Lord Deliver her from blood guiltiness Oh God thou God of her salvation And her Tongue and our mouths shall sing aloud of Christs Righteousness and of thy Faithfulness Oh take away whatsoever may hinder the Communications of thy Love favor and salvation unto her Purge sin out of her Give a broken contrite and truly Peritent heart unto her She is Mourning for her sin and misery Oh wash her in the blood of the Lamb in that Fountain opined for sin and for Uncleannesses in the lavor of Regeneration Oh sanctifie and renew her by thy Holy Spirit Take away all the spots and blots of her sin Though she be defiled and deformed with innumerable and those the most abominable yet canst thou rense and cleanse her in a moment No unclean thing shall enter into thy Kingdom Without Holiness none can see the Lord. Now the Lord Sanctifie her throughout in her whole Soul Body and Spirit And though she hath been by the wiles of the Devil cheated of her life and is now to suffer Justly for her evil deeds give her to bear patiently the indignation of her God because she hath sinned against thee and to accept of the punishment of her iniquity Though she must burn in Temporal flames yet let her not burn in Everlasting flames Oh Let the streams of Christs blood quench out the flames of thy wrath Though she die in Earth Lord Save her from Hell Oh Give her Faith the Faith of Gods elect And the Lord strengthen her Faith Oh Confirm her hope Oh Give her to abound in hope through thy Holy Ghost given to her Oh Grant that Faith Hope and patience may have their perfect work in her Give in some token some pledge of thy good will unto her if it be thy good pleasure Oh revive support and comfort her drooping Spirits Though she be in the Valley and shaddow of death do not forsake her Oh do not forsake her Say unto her thou art her Salvation Tell her that after she hath suffered a little while she shall be with thy self in Heaven perfect with thee in Glory Say unto her as unto the Thief upon the Cross this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Oh keep off Satan from her He is never more busie â—han when thy poor Worms are weakest and least able to defend themselves from him Lord Jesu Fight for her against him Keep her pretious and immortal Soul from him Oh Be with her now in these her last agonies Give thy Holy Angels to wait upon her and in that very moment that her Soul shall go out of her Body let those Glorious Angels carry it into Abrahams bosome Into thy hands do we commend her Into thy hands doth she commit her Spirit Dear Jesu Save it For thou hast loved redeemed and died for it And now Lord though earth will loose a bloody Sinner yet let Heaven be augmented by one saint more O Look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness and Glory upon this numerous Assembly Oh let them not be idle Spectators of these dreadful Providences Oh That they may be Ordinances for this good for their Conversion and Reformation Oh That every Soul that is gazing here may smite upon his Breast and lament that Universal corruption which is in our nature and the woful effects of our sin Sin having once conceived bringeth forth death We have the root of the matter in us the very causes of those sins for which these Malefactors suffer had we the same temptations we might be Guilty of the like transgressions And were it not for the Cords and Curbs of thy Restraining Grace we should be in their Condition Blessed be God we are not 'T is thou only that hast made us to differ Oh That all Masters of Families Parents of Children would see that they in their own Persons and with their Families do serve the Lord Oh Let there be no ' Prayerless Families no uncatechized Children in this Place Look once more we pray thee with mercy upon this thy poor Creature She is very low very miserable yearn upon her with bowels of compassion and embrace her with arms of everlasting lave Be her God and her Guide unto death and her Saviour from everlasting death And all we beg in and for the sake of our dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who sits on the Right hand making intercession for her and for us Hear us for his sake and gratiously answer us and do abundantly for her and us beyond what we can ask or think To him with thy self Holy Father and Eternal Spirit be Everlasting Glory Dominion Praise and Thanksgiving Amen Prayer being ended I lifted up my hands over her and said Anne the Lord bless thee and keep thee The Lord make his Face to shine upon thee and be gracious to thee The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee and give thee Peace And if thy Repentance be true and thy peace made with God and our Prayers heard as I hope they all are death wont be terrible unto thee Now Farewel Life welcome Death God will send his Holy Angels in a Fiery Chariot to Convey thy Soul into Heaven THis poor wretch weeping and wringing me by the hand Sir saith she I am never able to requite you for all your labor of love care and pains about the Salvation of my pretious Soul but the Lord. will I hope The Lord reward you The Lord recompense you for all these kindnesses I thank you with all my Heart And as I was departing from her she helpake me Sir pray intreat for me that I may not be put to too much torture I answered her in broken words and tears for few there refrained That I would do my utmost endeavor to prevent it And turning my self to the Gentlemen in Authority Gentlemen the English temper abhors Cruelty show same Bowels to this poor Creature I need not intreat it there was such a Clowd of grief sitting upon all their Faces and so much tenderness and companion that they would have done their utmost to have hindred it Two went to the Maid and
Murders and if the Nurse were Innocent she should not for a World accuse her for if she did the Lord might Damn her immediately To which she replied with Tears Sir I am a lost Creature I have no hopes in this World I would not willingly Damn my Soul by drawing upon me the Guilt of more Blood I speak it as in the presence of God I had not put in the Poyson into the Pottage had not the Nurse bid me do it And added My Body is lost but if the Lord would have pitty upon my Soul it is all that I desire And the Nurse hath said she should never confess though she did Hang for it That I might confess what I would she would not confess any thing Upon this I confronted her with Philip Cary she obstinately denies all stands stifly to her Innocency throws all upon the Girl saith Judge Jury and Witnesses are all Guilty of her Innocent Blood and she will lay it at their Doors Whereupon I desired the Maid to go in to Master Holmes and dealt privately with this Vile woman yet to give Glory unto God by confessing of her sin and renouncing all commerce with Hell that if she did hide her sin and keep the Devils Counsel she could never prosper That it was in vain for her to think of concealing it for God knew it the World knew it her Country condemned her for it her own conscience if she had any left in her must needs accuse and condemn her Possibly said I you think of life and feed your self with vain imaginations of escaping death I told her they were foolish and groundless that Justice would have its Course that the whole World could not save her That she was already dead in Law and must be as certainly Executed as she was already Condemned That she stood upon the brink of the Pit and was ready to drop down into the bottomless Gulph of Hell That she might if she would escape it God offered pardon Life Heaven and Salvation to her provided she would but give glory to him by confessing her sin and taking the shame thereof unto her self That it was better to do it now than upon the Gallows She had served the Devil long enough too too long and it was a miracle of mercy if ever the Lord shewed mercy to her at last but yet I would and did assure her in his name as being his Ambassador and sent with his Commission to reconcile her unto God whom she had so hainously dishonored that if she would disclose all this cursed crime who first contrived it who managed it and put her upon it there was hopes For the Lord was a merciful God unto unfeignd Penitents and compassionated her deplorable condition and would bring her out of it That she take care not to Rebel against his grace nor to tear a pardon that was offered her upon such easie terms in pieces nor to refuse Heaven and all its joys and happiness Alas Sir saith she What will you have me say I will tell you all I know of it I am as free from this Crime as the Child that is now Born But the Maid did it For she told me she was weary of her life by reason of her Mistris who was such a Curst Old Woman that there was no living with her and that she was resolved to leave her Service and go away with the Mountebanks and that she told me she would fit her and had bought the Rats-bane of the Mountebanks Boy or Man with whom she was in Love This was all I could get from her then and not one Syllable of it true I told her she should beware of Lying and false Witness bearing and not let the Devil sit upon her heart and Tongue and added when you knew this Girl had an intent to make away her Mistris why had not you discovered it She said That indeed it was her fault if it were a fault I told her consent unto and concealing of Murder was Intentional Murder before God and Man and that she had a real hand in it She told me she had none at all and could give me no other answer Our secret conference being ended I brought the Maid again unto her who avowed her former Confession disavowed all acquaintance with the Mountebanks Servant never to have talked with him but once at the Conduit when she fetcht water and maintained to her face that this wicked woman the Nurse did oftentimes perswade her to run away from her Mistress and if she would have gone away the Saturday before the fact was committed she would help her to a Riding Suit Unto this she made no reply Returning with them unto Master Holmes he pressed upon them the evil of their sin advised them to Repentance and bespeaking the Nurse Philip Cary said he there is a report and Suspition of your having been unclean with your Master At which she fell down upon her Knees in the midst of us and impricated most direfully upon her self is he ever knew her to be a man or woman more than by giving suck unto his Grand Child Having cleared her Master but not confessing any other thing or sin Master Holmes being desired by me concluded this conference with Prayer and we departed In the evening I returned again unto these Prisoners And dealt with the Nurse to acknowledge her Crime freely to unbosome her self unto me that I might spread it before the Lord in Prayer and intreat him for a broken heart and a new Spirit for her And withdrawing from the Company that crowded on us into a private Chamber I desired her for Gods sake her poor Souls sake with cears in my eyes that she would yet leave sin before sin left her that she would flee from that wrath to come that she would bid defiance unto the Devil who she saw had ruined her and would Damn her everlastingly that she would yet accept of grace and peace and reconciliation with God it was late indeed to return unto him but not too late how ever she must not thus dally with the Divine Majesty to put him off with delays and lies That she should not be afraid of shame that it was the greatest shame and reproach unto her to have committed and concealed this sin but it would be a step to Honor and Eternal Glory to confess it good men would then pitty her pray for her and God would save her And added that if she would not confess it publickly to the World which yet was her duty and if ever the Lord gave her Repentance she would do it more feely and in a more ample manner than I could desire she should at least confess it unto me and I promised her upon the word of a Minister that without her consent I would never divulge it Or if she would not trust me with such an important secret I advised her to single out some Godly Learned Minister or some Judicious private Christian to
they Plow the Rock they do her no good their labor of love is lost their Prayers return into their own bosoms The Relator having visited them several times while they were in the High Goal at Exon thought it convenient to subjoyn the substance and effect of his conferences with them Possibly it may not be displeasing unto his Reader Coming into the Prison early in the Morning he had the Four condemned Persons brought unto him and bespeaks them in these words Miscrable Souls I am heartily sorty to see you in this place and to find you in this Condition You are here Judged of man and you must die but what also if you are Condemned of God and must to Hell for ever You are Sinners are you not You are Guilty of those Crimes for which Sentence is past upon you Three had so much Ingenuity as with Weeping and Trembling to acknowledge it Alas Poor wretches you are weeping because you have offended man and brought your selves to destruction Ah! what a mercy would it be if you could weep unfeignedly for your offences against God and because you have lost his Image and favor which is the greatest Blessing and deserved his wrath and Curse which is the greatest misery What think you of Sin Is it as sweet and pleasing to you now you must die for it as when at first you did commit it Here they were silent and Confounded Ah! Now you see what it is not to believe God speaking to you from his Word and by his Ministers you were told that sin would bring sorrow and shame wrath and death sooner or later The Devil and your own corrupted heart rose up against this Discovery of his will and you made light and slight of it and what have you got by it All the Fruit of your sin is that you are ashamed of it and grieved for it its wages is the loss of Earth Life and Heaven and these you are expecting every moment Man hath cast you off for your sins you cannot stand before your earthly Judge And if God shall cast you out of his blessed presence for ever among the Devils and the Damned Spirits how would you be able to bear it They being somewhat moved he askt them How think you to escape the dreadful wrath of God What means have you to save your pretious Souls from Hell What First do you believe you have Souls to save a being in your Body that doth not that cannote die with your Bodies Do you believe there is a God and Devil a Heaven and Hell and that all the wicked shall be turned into Hell and that you all of you shall be flung into it for your sins against God At this they shrugd up their shoulders and had nothing to answer but their Repentance Your Repentance said I what is that Why our sorrow for our sins we would not commit them again if they were now undone Yea indeed so you say and possibly think you would not but you do not know the wickedness and deceitfulness of your own hearts if you were now as heretofore and under the same temptations I know nothing to the contrary but that you would be Guilty of the same transgressions of as bad or worse Besides suppose your Repentance were true and real what amends is that unto God for the manifold dishonors you have done him You have broken every command of God you are Guilty of innumerable sins your very birth and nature is horribly corrupted and all your life long you have been Rebels against God and you think to put off Gods wrath with your pittiful Repentance a late Repentance and it may be no other than the very Reprobates have that are now in Hell Is this all the satisfaction you can make to God They knew no other Then it was told them that God was a great and terrible God that would not put up the affronts and wrongs had been done him without satisfaction that he would by no means acquit the Guilty That they had sinned and must die eternally and if ever they were redeemed from Eternal wrath they must make God full a mends and bring him a Ransome and if they had none nor knew where it was to be had they must expect as soon as they died to be damned for ever I asked of them in particular who or what Jesus Christ was and what it was he had done for them To which there was this answer made they could not tell None that knows a Goal will conceive this a Fable Hardly any but Atheists and the most ignorant wretches in the whole County are clapt up there and for one sin they brought with them into it they carry away Cart-loads out of it Our County Prisons being the Common Sinks of the Country and a Shop wherein all impiety is soonest learned and attained Their ignorance of Christ his Person Natures Offices and Undertakings for poor Souls made me to aggravate their wickedness and to tell them they had wretchedly mispent their time and that now they were going out of the World they must learn the Principles of Christian Religion and I questioned whether they had any Repentance that was pleasing unto God for they had no Faith nor knowledge even of the most necessary Truths without which they could not be saved And for my part I must not flatter you you are nearer Hell than Heaven Upon this there was a discourse made of Christ adapted to their capacities as also of his wonderful love and condescension in becoming man and dying for sinners and satisfying the Justice of God and holding forth his death as the price of Redemption unto all Penitent believers and that this was now offered unto them upon these terms of confessing and abhorring their sins and themselves for their sins and that if they came to God with a sence and feeling of the insupportable burden of the horrid nature and infinite number of their sins and threw themselves at his feet prostrate before him imploring his mercy for the passion of his dear Son the Lord would be merciful to them and he would not cast them off but would pardon and forgive their hainous and grievous offences In the close of this conference Master Holmes Chaplain to the High Sheriff came into the Chamber and after some words with the Malefactors we joyntly parted the Prisoners I withdrawing into another Room with the Nurse and Maid and having pressed them to a free ingenious confession of their Guilt the Girl with tears in her eyes gave me for substance the same confession and not varying in a circumstance from that which at her first apprehension she had made unto the Major and Justice of Plymouth I adjured her in the name of the All-seeing and heart-searching God who hated a Lye and would cast all Lyars into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone for ever to declare nothing but the Truth That she had sinned enough already and had been Guilty of two
them I also visited them again and renued my assaults and batteries against this strong hold of the Devil but she resists stands out against God and all his Counsels she resolves from first to last whatever parleys she hath with Heaven let the Lord humble himself never so much unto so base a Murderer she may treat with him but unless she can obtain her own Terms her own Articles and Conditions she will not surrender Sill she hideth her sin as Adam still concealeth she the secret of Hell as if she had been sworn Privy Counseller unto the Devil She will sooner bite out her Tongue and spit it out of her Mouth or seal up the door of her Lips than let the deposiâ—um Satan have vent and see the Sun So that I could sigh unto my self as that German Philip The old Satan is too hard for young Melancthon It was high time to leave her upon whom no good impressions could be wrought I then betook my self to the poor Penitent and asking her how she did How it went with her Soul She answers me Never was a poor Creature so cheated out of her life But I forgive the Nurse front my Heart And Sir Though my sins are many yet Gods mercies are more and if Christ bath not merits enough to save me I will be contented to be damned eternally And afterward inquiring of her into the grounds and reasons of this her confidence she told me she saw her sin she was unfeignedly sorry for it and not only that it was committed against her Mistresses and had ruined them and her self here but chiefly this grieved her that she had thereby dishonored God her Heavenly Father who had made her and Jesus Christ who had died for her and God the Holy Ghost who had sanctified her to become his Servant That however she would not despare of mercy For the Thief upon the Cross found mercy from our Saviour at the last hour and I Question not that he my Saviour hath mercy for me Reader I give thee her very words neither adding to them nor substracting from them and if they do do not melt thee in reading I must assure thee they did me in heating them Her Sisters being come to her weeping and crying she was desired to speak to them and urged because her time was short she answered My time is short indeed and I am drawing near unto Eternity but I hope in God to an Eternity of Happiness My great work now was to settle her Spirit and to corroborate her Soul against the horrors of her death and told her after many other discourses Anne thou art happier than many here for I hope before Twenty four hours be past thou wilt be in Heaven Hold fast thy hope and confidence in Gods mercy which shal have a good recompence of Reward No matter for thy punishment since thou hast a pardon Yea Sir saith she I believe and receive this true and faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief Having got a little silence and very little indeed it was the noise and tumult of the people ever and anon drowning my voice I prayed with these Malefactors and wished them a good Night But sleep they did not Every hour increaseth their fears The day of their Execution is now come and early in the morning I gave them another visit comforted and confirmed the poor Maid who desired me not to leave her at her sufferings and dealt again with the Nurse though to as little purpose as formerly and then sought God by Prayer in their behalf That duty finished Turning my discourse to the Maid Anne said I Thy time flies away thy end is very near take off thy heart wholly from the world Be dead unto thy Relations tell them the best service and kindness they can do thee is not to see thee but pray for thee and let all thy thoughts and desires be unto God to be at home with him long now to be in Heaven and Glory turn thy Face to the Wall since thou hast no private Room and power out thy Soul before the Lord and wait yea wait earnestly for his Salvation Do not fear the Fire God will carry thee thorough it it can only hurt thy Body it shall not singe thy Soul Though thy Flesh and thy Bones be consumed thou wilt have many Mourners and God I hope will gather thine Ashes and grant thee a Glorious Resurrection I want words to tell thee what the Joys of Heaven are but thou wilt see and feel and tast and injoy them very shortly I hope this day thou wilt be with the Lord and all his blessed Saints and glorious Angels in Paradise She said Amen Notwithstanding my ill success and many repulses hitherto yet I would not leave the Nurse I reasoned still with my self who knoweth but that Grace may be given and Satan may loose his hold fast and the Prey may be taken out of the Paws of the spoiler out of the jaws of the Devourer Satan hath fallen as a flash of lightning before the Ministry of Gods Holy word God hath him in a Chain and though she hath not listened to the voice of former admonitions it may be she shall now unto the last Addressing my self therefore once again unto her I told her Nurse this is the last conference that ever I will have with thee on Earth about thy Soul and nothing but my real sence of its worth and lothness that it should be lost for ever would ever have ingaged me to it That I got nothing but trouble grief and loss of time thus to wait upon her and not to be able to do good I knew indeed my reward was with the Lord and my work with my God but yet I demanded this poor satisfaction of her now at parting that she should not send me away with the sad thoughts of her damnation To which she very civilly replyed Sir I thank you for all your love to my Soul I believe that what you have done and spoken hath been in order to my Eternal good Well then I added shall you and I have a little private discourse together She agreed Desiring therefore the people to withdraw at a distance I askt her in her Ear whether she were Guilty or not Sir saith she I will tell you all I know Then stopt at length the repeats again I will tell you all I know And then stops Whereupon I told her Nurse the Devil is leaving thee God is coming in with mercy do not now at the last hour refuse it tell me what you know of this business and I assure thee upon the word of a Minister that without thy consent I will not disclose it Do not fear shame shame the Devil and give Glory to God Sir I confess I did put the Spider into the Cup and bad the Girl to squat it abroad but it was a Foolish and vain word
asked her what Faith and what Repentance were And one of them proceeded to instruct her in the nature of Faith that it was to take Christ as Lord and King and to submit unto all his Laws to be Governed by them and in particular to this of suffering the punishment inflicted on her for her sin At which putting them off with my Hand I replied Gentlemen do not trouble her 't is unseasonable now to Catechize her in Doctrinals she stands in need of some Soveraign Cordials to revive and support her drooping Spirit in these her last Agonies with death and conflicts with the Devil And Addressing my self once again unto her Anne said I fear not but cast thy self upon the everlasting mercies of God in the blood of Christ Jesus and thou shalt be saved Since thou must die die upon this that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom thou art chief And 't will be but a quarter of an hour and thou shalt be freed from all sins and torments Say Into thy hands I commit my Spirit Lord save it For thou hast died for it Lord Jesu thou Son of David have mercy upon me Oh Thou Lamb of God receive my Soul I left her expecting no answer The Rope is now drawn close unto her Neck and the Hangman would have set Fire unto the Fuâ—ze before she was strangled but some more charitable and tender-hearted cryed to him to take away the Block from under her Feet which having done she soon fell down and expired in a Trice And it was observable that all the skill and diligence of the Executioner and his Assistants could not make either Powder Wood or Fewel to take fire till she had been dead a Quarter of an hour as also that as soon as the fire was kindled the Wind which blew before in the back of the Nurse immediately shifted and drove the smoke full in her Face as if God had spoken to her The Smoke of my Fury and Flames of my Fiery Vengeance are now Riding upon the Wings of the Wind towards thee And now for Two hours the Nurse feeds her eyes and feasts her thoughts with the sad spectacle of this poor Maids burning The flames being well allayed several Ministers and worthy Gentlemen indeavor yet the Repentance Conversion and Saving of her Soul But All succeeds as formerly She denies her guilt pleads her Innocency accuseth Judg Jury Witnesses Country and all of her Murther that she is Murthered that they take away her Life unjustly Nay that they kill too she is with Child expects to be delivered about Midsummer What will you Murther one that is unborn And a great deal more of the like stuff That she was not with Child we heard evidenced upon Oath at her condemnation And a skilful Hand-Woman searching her but a night before her Execution could never discover any such thing Most probable the true ground of all her denials was a foolish hope of Life the Hangman as it is commonly noised having promised never to execute her Whatever familiarities had past between them Two in Jail I know not This is certain the Hangman brought the under Sheriff to terms just as they were leaving Plymouth and going to the place of Execution And the Girl being dispatched he ran away with the Halter under the Clifts and when he was brought back lay asleep at the Foot of the Gallows or at least pretended sleep and so deserted Execution Besides another Accident intervened which put a stop for a time and had it not been prudently and presently composed upon the place would have totally suspended for that day at least her Execution All these Circumstances jumping in one upon the other contributed to the strengthening of her Heart in the false hopes of Life For what she would have it was an easie matter to perswade her to believe and hope But at length she hath worn out all patience both of God and Man And the Halter is fastened to the Gibber and put about her Neck Now Ministers ply their work with her because she is upon the brink of Destruction and in view of Hell No sin she acknowledged no guilt as to the Fact for which she is condemned Indeed she confesseth She had been a Swearer Lier and Sabbath breaker but none others trouble her As to Money that her Brother stole and was in hers or her Husbands hands she now chargeth upon a dead Person having wronged her in her life the must mischief her at her death too No Bond nor Bill can she produce nothing under the Deceased's hand can she show for her having received it yet doth she charge Mr. W. to look that it be restored unto the right Owner Ministers however lament her deplorable condition especially since just as she is going out of the World she cryes Judg and Revenge my cause O Lord Which made this Relator tell her He now saw what he formerly feared viz. That God was departed from her that the Devil was already in her heart for he sat upon her tongue that troops of Devils were upon the Ladder by her all gaping for her and that within in a few moments they would have her wretched Soul into Hell with them and then and there she would be soon sensible of her madness in dying with a Lye in her Mouth and confess and mourn for her folly and madness in rejecting Heaven and Salvation but it would be too late and to no purpose For her condition whatever it might be here would infallibly be there unalterable and irreversible That she was going into a Lake of Fire and Brimstone there to be tormented for ever and ever and when she was in the midst of those Eternal torments she would remember that I had told her of it A Psalm was called and part of the Twenty fifth sung Never did I see but one in that heavy condition Whilst the people sing she cries and weeps bitterly the very terrors of death are upon her she cries as if her Heart would break Indeed her Soul was overwhelmed with unmeasurable horrors and fears she had no mind to die nor could she be vouchsafed Life What hopes could she have in her departure who never laid any sollid basis for good hopes during life The Psalm is now sung out and yet is she summoned to confess but it is as good speak to the stones or to the Deaf Adder that stops his ear she will never be charmed let the Charmers Charm never so wisely At last being demanded whether she would have any Prayers or any Person Pray for her she said yes and pointed to this Relator desiring him to perform that Office for her Who replied that he was most willing to serve and save her Soul But in as much as she made no Confession of her Crying sins of Murther and of her Theft and Uncleanness and other Villanies whereof me knew her selt Guilty he durst not take the name of God in vain tor
her sake Besides he should but tempt God to ask a pardon for her Who resolved never to take it upon Gods Terms In short if she would be yet ingenious and give Glory to God by adoring his Justice and shameing her self and renouncing her sin and the Devil there Was no person more willing to pray with her and pray for her than himself To which she making no reply Mr. R. the Minister conceived a pithy and pertinent Prayer lamenting the depravedness of our Nature the horribleness of Gods wrath the possibility of Salvation refused by desperate sinners and as we feared in particular by this Malefactor his dear Sister now ready to be turned over He petitioned that if it were not yet too late that God would give her Repentance and break her stony heart and cause her to glorifie him at the last by an ingenious and full Confession Prayer being ended she is once again asked whether she would confess But being obstinate in her refusals she prayed for her self in the words of the lords Prayer said the Creed and being yet exhorted to Remember the merciful nature of God who would save her as we yet hoped provided she would come unto his Terms of Confession and Repentance She tells us She cannot confess that whereof is not Guilty Being asked whether she could die in Charity with her Witnesses and Accusers She said I forgive all the World And a while after without any visible tokens of Religion Grace or Devotion without any observable preparedness or willingness for death by any of those many Divines that had painfully dealt with her or Christians that beheld her she was turned off the Ladder and went into that other World She went out like the Snuff of a Candle leaving a stench behind her And if it be asked what is become of her Soul I answer the Question is idle needless over-curious and unprofitable 't is not for saucy Creatures poor crawling Earth-worms such at our selves are to pry into the deep secrets of Gods Eternal Counsels nor to peep into the sacred Ark of his bottomless decrees These inscrutable purposes of God by reason of their inexplicable difficulties will amaze and puzle us nor can we ever possibly attain unto any infallible certainty or satisfaction concerning her I know the absolute and uncontroulable Soveraignty of Divine Grace and mercies and that God can come in if he please between the Bridge and Water the Cup and the Lip But who can inform or assure me that God did so to her She is gone unto her Judge hath undergone her Doom and if she be saved it is a Thousand mercies unto the World that the World neither doth nor can know it But did she not protest her Innocency to the very last I know she did and is she Innocent because she said so Dying persons are indeed to be credited But then they must be persons of credit and serious and if Condemned Malefactors such as are most Eminent and exemplary for their Repentance Can any one Man or Woman living that Converst with her from first to last from her Imprisonment to her Execution avow upon her knowledge that she saw so much as one poor token of a broken heart of a sincere Penitent in her Produce it and it shall be Thankfully accepted Had she been Innocent she could not have been so much concerned for life as she was I told her in ' Plymouth and Exon and she was told the same by a Reverend Divine that Innocency was a Wall of Brass it would carry a Person above the fear of Death make her to outbrave Death she could go triumphantly into the presence of the Eternal Judg and bless him that she was condemned unjustly Besides her Innocence as to this Fact would have ingaged her to a more curious and exact scrutiny into her life past to have found out the true cause of Gods anger in shortning her days and to a most holy life and religious preparation of her Soul for death during the whole time of her imprisonment None of which she had done unless looseness prophaneness and uncleanness must be expounded and taken for it Finally I lookt upon her as a desperate and Forelorne wretch and told her it was no new thing to find her such 'T is no new thing tor the worst of sinners to be desperate Were not Cain Saul Abimelech Achitophel and Judas desperate This Relator heard a man Condemned to be Hanged utter upon the Ladder these words Gentlemen I value not my life of a Rush I fear not death and without any more Ceremonies or ado and Soldiers are none of the most Religious He willfully leapt off of the Ladder at Crimble-passage Where had not others shown his body more mercy than he did hi own Soul he might have perisht everlastingly I know not whether she had as much Courage Sure I am Death never struck unto her Spirits till the Psalm was a Singing and it was a doleful Tune unto her Her heart was then up in her mouth If it were not broke with the sence of sin and near approaches of Divine wrath it was with the very horrors of death Others Sang she did but howl and yell Methought the expressions of her grief and vehemency of her passions raised strange resentments and compassions in the Spectators One and but one have I known in her condition a big and tall Fellow that upon the score of his strength could have affrighted the King of Terrors Yet after Sentence and for Burglary was he Sentenced unto death his heart failed him his Spirits sunk his Soul died within him All his Language and that too in groans and Floods of Tears with blubbered Cheeks and wringed hands was I shall die I shall die I shall die I shall die Woe is me I shall die I shall die Though I came to him into the Jail took him by the hand intreated him upon my knees not to be so much concerned for the loss of his Natural Life But to look after another a better Life after the life of his miserable Soul Yet no Arguments no motives could prevail upon him He was Deaf in that ear A stone might have heard and answered but this wretch would give none other answer than I shall die I shall die Woe is me I shall die I shall die The terrors of death like an opiate Medicine had quite stupified him that he could not listen unto the best Counsels for his Souls welfare But what and if this vile woman had been Guilty of some other Capital Crimes I know of the dead rue best must be spoken but then those dead persons should not be Impenitent Criminals It is no pleasure to me no pleasing task to Rake in Dunghils Would to God all Vices were Buried together with hers though under the Gibbet It were no difficult matter nay a man might with a wet Finger prove her Guilty of soul and frequent Adulteries of Debauching Young persons of prostituting her self in