N00729:159
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital…
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital crimes. : With some of their dying speeches; collected and published, for the warning of such as live in destructive courses of ungodliness. : Whereto is added, for the better improvement of this history, a brief discourse about the dreadful justice of God, in punishing of sin, with sin. : [Two lines from Deuteronomy]
printed by B. Green for Samuel Phillips, 1699
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Mor. I hope I am sorry for all my sins, but I must especially bewail my neglect of the means of Grace. On Sabbath days I used to lye at home, or be ill employed elsewhere when I should have been at Church. This has undone me!
Mor. I hope I am sorry for all my sins, but I must especially bewail my neglect of the means of Grace. On Sabbath dayes I us'd to lye at home, or be ill imploy'd elsewhere when I should have been at Church. This has undone me!
Min And let me seriously tell you, your despising of Christ is a most dreadful sin indeed. You have for whole years together had the Call of Jesus Christ to seek an Interest in him, and you would now give all the world for that Interest, but you would take no notice of him. ⟨p. 77⟩The Jews of Old put him to a worse death than yours will be this afternoon; and by your contempt of Christ you have said, the Jews did well to do so. How justly might he now laugh at your Calamity? And for these sins of yours, besides the direful woes and plagues that have already come upon you, you are now exposed unto the Vengeance of eternal fire. You are in danger of being now quickly cast into those exquisite amazing Torments, in comparison of which, the anguishes which your body ever did feel, or shall feel before night, or can ever feel, are just nothing at all; and these dolorous torments are such as never have an End; as many sands as could lie between this earth and the Stars in Heaven would not be near so many as the Ages, the endless Ages of these Torments.
Min And let me seriously tell you, your despising of Christ is a most dreadful sin indeed. You have for whole years together had the Call of Jesus Christ to seek an Interest in him, and you would now give all the world for that Interest, but you would take no notice of him. ⟨p. 77⟩The Jews of Old put him to a worse death than yours will be this afternoon; and by your contempt of Christ you have said, the Jews did well to do so. How justly might he now laugh at your Calamity? And for these sins of yours, besides the direful woes and plagues that have already come upon you, you are now expos'd unto the Vengeance of eternal fire. You are in danger of being now quickly cast into those exquisite amazing Torments, in comparison of which, the anguishes which your body ever did feel, or shall feel before night, or can ever feel, are just nothing at all; and these dolorous torments are such as never have an End; as many sands as could lie between this earth and the Stars in Heaven would not be near so many as the Ages, the endless Ages of these Torments.
Mor. But is there not Mercy for me in Christ?
Min. Yes, and its a wonderful thing that I have now further to tell you. Mind, I entreat you. The Son of God is become the Son of Man; the Lord Jesus Christ is both God & Man in one Person, and he is both sufficiently able & willing also, to be your Saviour. He lived a most righteous life, & this was that such as you and I might be able to say before God, Lord, accept of me as if I had lived righteously. He dyed at length a most cursed death, and this was that we might be able to say unto God, Lord, let me not dye for Sin, since thy Son ha's dyed in my room. ⟨p. 78⟩This glorious Redeemer is now in the highest Heaven, pleading with God for the Salvation of His Chosen ones. — And he pours out his Spirit continually upon them that do believe on him: might you then be enabled by his Grace to carry your poor, guilty, condemned, enslaved, ignorant Soul unto Jesus Christ, and humbly put your trust in him for deliverance from the whole had state which you are brought into. Oh then his voice is to you the same that was to the penitent Thief, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
Min. Yes, and its a wonderful thing that I have now further to tell you. Mind, I entreat you. The Son of God is become the Son of Man; the Lord Jesus Christ is both God & Man in one Person, and he is both sufficiently able & willing also, to be your Saviour. He lived a most righteous life, & this was that such as you and I might be able to say before God, Lord, accept of me as if I had lived righteously. He dyed at length a most cursed death, and this was that we might be able to say unto God, Lord, let me not dye for Sin, since thy Son ha's dyed in my room. ⟨p. 78⟩This glorious Redeemer is now in the highest Heaven, pleading with God for the Salvation of His Chos•n ones. — And he pours out his Spirit continually upon them that do believe on him: might you then be enabled by his Grace to carry your poor, guilty, condemned, enslaved, ignorant Soul unto Jesus Christ, and humbly put your trust in him for deliverance from the whole had state which you are brought into. Oh then his voice is to you the same that was to the penitent Thief, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
Mor. Oh that I might be so! Sir, I would hear more of these things: I think, I can't better fit my self for my Death than by hearkening to these things.
Mor. Oh that I might be so! Sir, I would hear more of these things: I think, I can't better fit my self for my Death than by hearkning to these things.
Min. Attend then: The never dying Spirit that lodges within you, must now within a few minutes appear before the Tribunal of the Great GOD; in what, […] in whose Righteousness will you then appear? will you have this to be your Plea, Lord, I experienced many good Motions & Desires in my Soul, and many sorrows for my sin before I died: or will you expect to have no other Plea but This, Lord, I am vile, but thy Son is a Surety for the worst of Sinners that believe on Him; for his sake alone, have MERCY on me.
Min. Attend then: The never dying Spirit that lodges within you, must now within a few minutes appear before the Tribunal of the Great GOD; in what, 〈…〉 in whose Righteousness will you then appear? will you have this to be your Plea, Lord, I experienced many good Motions & Desires in my Soul, and many sorrows for my sin before I dy'd: or will you expect to have no other Plea but This, Lord, I am vile, but thy Son is a Surety for the worst of Sinners that believe on Him; for his sake alone, have MERCY on me.
Mor. I thank God for what He ha's wrought in my Soul.—
Min. But be very careful about this matter: if you build on your own good Affections instead of Jesus Christ the only Rock, if you think ⟨p. 79⟩they shall recommend you to God, He that made you will not have mercy on you.
Mor. I would be clothed with the Righteousness if JESUS CHRIST.
Min. But you can't sincerely desire that Christ should justify you, if you don't also desire that He should sanctify you: those two always go together. Is every lust that has hitherto had possession of your heart become so loathsome to you, that it would fill your Soul with joy to hear Jesus Christ say, I will subdue those Iniquities of thine; I will make a holy, an heavenly, a spiritually minded person of thee.
Mor. I would not Sin against God any more.
Min. But I must deal plainly with you: You have made it sadly suspicious that your repentance is not yet as it ought to be: when men truly & throughly repent of sin, they use to be in a special manner watchful against that Sin which ha's been their chief Sin: one of your principal sins which ha's indeed brought you to the Death of a Murderer, is Passion, unmortified and outrageous Passionateness: Now I have been this day informed, that no longer since than the last night, upon some Dissatisfaction about the place which the Authority hath ordered you by and by to be buried in, you did express your self with a most unruly Passionateness.
Min. But I must deal plainly with you: You have made it sadly suspicious that your repentance is not yet as it ought to be: when men truly & throughly repent of sin, they use to be in a special manner watchful against that Sin which ha's been their chief Sin: one of your principal sins which ha's indeed brought you to the Death of a Murderer, is Passion, unmortifi'd and outragious Passionateness: Now I have been this day informed, that no longer since than the last night, upon some Dissatisfaction about the place which the Authority hath ordered you by and by to be buried in, you did express your self with a most unruly Passionateness.
Mor. Sir, I confess it, and I was quickly sorry for it, tho' for the present I was too much disturbed: ⟨p. 80⟩'Twas my folly to be so careful about the place where my body should be laid, when my precious Soul was in such a Condition.
Min. Truly you have cause to mourn for it. Sec••e the welfare of your soul, and this (now) pinioned, hanged, vile body of yours will shortly be raised unto glory, glory for evermore. And let me put you in mind of one thing more, I doubt you han't yet laid aside your unjust Grudges against the Persons concerned in your Conviction and Condemnation: You have no cause to complain of them: and you are not fit to pray, much less are you fit to dye, till you heartily wish them as well as your own soul: if you die malicious, you die miserable.
Min. Truly you have cause to mourn for it. Sec••e the welfare of your soul, and this (now) pinion'd, hang'd, vile body of yours will shortly be raised unto glory, glory for evermore. And let me put you in mind of one thing more, I doubt you han't yet laid aside your unjust Grudges against the Persons concerned in your Conviction and Condemnation: You have no cause to complain of them: and you are not fit to pray, much less are you fit to dye, till you heartily wish them as well as your own soul: if you dy malicious, you die miserable.
Mor. I heartily wish them all well, I bear Ill-will to none▪ What a lamentable thing is this? Ah this is that which has brought me hither!
Min. What do you mean?