Gods revenge against murther containing the confessions, prayers, discourses, and last dying sayings of Mr. Edward Harrison, who was try'd, convicted, and deservedly sentenced the sixth and ninth of this instant April, 1692. for the late unheard of murther of Dr. Clench; and accordingly executed in Holborn, on Friday the fifteenth following. Licensed according to order.

God's Revenge against Murther: Containing the Confessions, Prayers, Discourses, AND Last Dying Sayings, OF Mr. Edward Harrison, WHO WAS Try'd, Convicted, and deservedly Sentenced the Sixth and Ninth of this Instant April, 1692. for the late unheard of Murther of Dr. Clench; and accordingly Execu∣ted in Holbourn, on Friday the Fifteenth following.

Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall,

1 Cor. 10.12.

Licensed according to Order.

SECT. I.

Containing serious Advice to all those Young Gentlemen and others, whose Vitious Extra∣vagancy and Debauchery, make them the Prodigy of the Age; especially such as were Mr. Harrison's Acquaintance, and were Spectators of his Execution.

SIRS,

YOU that were Mr. Harrison's Friends and Acquaintance, (and without Reflection, let me add, sometimes perhaps Companions in Riot and Extravagancy;) you, whose Vitious Pra∣ctices have first prevail'd to make you wish there were no future State of Re∣ward or Punishment, and farther Conti∣nuance in Sin, so scar'd your Conscien∣ces, stupified your Understandings, and degraded your Reasons: As with the Food in the Psalmist, To say in your Hearts there is no God: Here, by this late Sad Exam∣ple, you may behold how Empty and Idle, how Pernicious and Frightful, how Loath∣some and Detestable such Conceits appear;

when once Serious Apprehensions of Death approach, opening the Self Blinded Eyes of the Soul, and taking off those Vain I∣maginations, which the Depravity of Na∣ture, the inconsiderateness of Youth▪ the madness of Wine, or a Proud Fantastick Humour of Singularity have raised, and which tend no less to the Disturbance and Distraction of Humane Society in ge∣neral; than in the particular Ruin and Destraction, (as well Temporal as Eter∣nal,) of all these that suffer themselves to be infatuated by them.

There is not certainly a more effectual Way to revive the Drooping Spirit of Christian Religion in the World, than se∣riously to contemplate upon, and consi∣der our Latter End, that we must shortly dye, and come to Judgment, and then receive a Reward according to our Deeds. If we were possess'd with a warm and constant Sense of these things, we should in all probability, endeavour to walk cir∣cumspectly, not as Fools, but as Wise, to be Holy in all manner of Conversation. Such is the Advantage of a Religious Conside∣ration. Alass! were there but mature Thoughts, would but Men be wrought upon to act as reasonable Creatures; would they but juniciously and soberly weigh things in the Balance of their Understand∣ings, they would s••ldom or never be found wanting in their Duty and Obligation: If Men would once entertain serious Thoughts of Religion, they would soon set open their Ears to its sweet and charm∣ing Language; if they would but fix their Eyes upon it, they would soon be capti∣vated with its incomparable Beauty, it would presently attract their Love and Admiration, and enforce them to imbrace it with all profound Respect and Affecti∣on: A Consideration of our Latter End, a Serious Reflection upon Eternity, this would put the Soul in such a Frame and Posture, as would make it wrestless and uneasy, wrack'd and impatient, till it had made his Peace with an incensed Judge, by Repentance not to be repented of; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prepar'd it self for a comforta∣ble Appearance at his Bar, for a glorious Advancement into an endless State of Bliss and Immortality: Such is the great Ad∣vantage of Considering our Latter End. Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would conside•• their Latter End. Now the Four last things to be continually remembred, are Death, a Judgment to come, Hell, and Caelestial Glory. And what more horribly than Death; What more torrible than such a Judgment? What more intollerable than Eterna•• Fire? And what worthier Object can there be for us to exert our Faculties upon, than God, and the Mansions of Everlasting Feli∣c••ty? How many Sins might we haVe a∣voided in the course of our Lives, if we had the serious Remembrance and Ap∣prehension of these things? And how ma∣ny Sins might we yet avoid if we would but endeavour to have these things, as Belshazard's Hand Writing against the Wall constantly in our Eye? These things, as the Pilat the Ship, would direct and influence our whole Life and Conversa∣tion, would help us to steer our Course, and safely bring us to the Haven of Bliss and Happiness, such would be the great Advantage of considering our Latter End: If Men would but thus consider, no temp∣tation would then take hold of them, no∣thing would ruffle and discompose their

Conscience, it would be void of Offence both towards God, and towards Men. But alass! In this laps••d and degenerate Age, in this miserable and naughty World, how many are there that have languish'd luke-warm and Feeble Opinions of Religion? If Judgment may be formed according to their Vicious and Immortal Conver∣sation, what a Deluge of Prophaness and Impiety, Ath••ism and Infedelity over∣flows this Sinful Land, this poor Nation? How many live, as tho' they believed that Vertue and Vice, that God and the Devil were Words signifying nothing, as if they were the extract of some Melan∣cholly and Pregnant Brain, as if they were invented mearly for Mens Terror and Af∣frightment? The Halter, the Gibbet, and the most terrible of Temporal Punish∣••••••••s, to have as little Influence upon Mens Lives, makes as small an Impression upon the Minds of Men, as those which which are Eternal: How many have suf∣fered as Murtherers, as Thieves, as Evil∣doers? And yet Men will not take Warn∣ing and Example; Men will not be de∣terred from Committing the like abomi∣nable, vile and enormous Offences. Eve∣ry Sessions gives us too many fresh and sad Instances of this Truth. O that Men would become Wife, and consider not on∣ly Temporal but Eternal Punishments! Such a Consideration would, if any thing, oblige them to follow the important Bu∣siness of Religion, To hu••t no Body by Word or Deed, to keep their Hands from shedding Innocent Blood, and from Picking and Steal∣ing: Such a Consideration would enforce them to labour truly to get their own Living. an to do their duty in that Station which Divine Providence hath allotted to them.

SECT. II.

Containing his Behaviour in Prison, and a•• the Place of Execution; with his Confe∣rence with Dr. H —, and several o∣ther Divines.

ON Wednesday January the 6th. Mr. Harrison was seized in White Fryers, by a Warrent from the L••rd Chief Justice Holt; and committed to Newgate for the Murther of Dr. Clench, where he conti∣nued till the 6th Instant; on which said Day, being brought to the Old Baily, he was there arraigned and tryed for the wil∣ful Murther of the said Doctor; where, upon hearing the full Evidence, he was found Guilty.

Before his Tryal and Conviction he was not so much affected with the Thoughts of another World, but being now under a Sentence of Death, he began to consider of his Latter End; and by the Christian Charity of many Divines, particularly the the Reverend Dr. H—; He was much assisted by their Spiritual Comfort and Advice. Yet all they could do, while in Newgate, could not perswade him to a Confession of the Murther, saying that no Person could possibly prove it upon him. He was told that his Conscience was Ten Thousand Witnesses, and that if he did not confess it before he Dyed, (being concious of it) there could not be any Hopes of his Salvation, he was told, that he should take heed how he falsly appealed to the Heart searching God, for this would aggravate his Guilt. He often declar'd, that he had been a very great Sinner, and deserved this, and Ten times worse Punishment from God, and did ex∣pect no less than Death, and therefore

was willing to prepare for it. On Sunday the 10th Instant, the Ordinary read Pray∣ers, and Preached a Sermon to the Con∣demned Malefactors in the Chapple, where Mr. Harrison attended and was ve∣ry attentive, seeming very much affected with th••se Preparity Exercises for his Death, but after the Sermon was ended and before Mr. Ordinary began his last Prayer, Mr. Harrison spoke to him and said he had made a good Discourse, and that as to what related to Blood guiltiness if any one of Dr. Clench's Murtherers were there, they could not but be tauched the Heart, and be forced to a genuine Confession. (or Words to that Effect) And now good Reader, we come to the last Acts of Moments of unhappy Mr. Edward Harrison; who pursuant to the Sentence he received in the Old Baily was this Day about the Hour of Eleven, carried from Newgate to Holbourn, against Furnivals-Inn, where a Gibbet was Erected, for his Execution, before he was turned off he Prayed a considerable Time by him∣self.

The PRAYER during the Time of his Imprisonment, before his Execution.

OH! most dreadful God, for the Passion of thy Son, I beseech Thee to give a sinful and miserable Wretch leave to prostrate himself before the Throne of thy Crace, and implore that Mercy which I have formerly de∣spised and abused: I am not Worthy, I confess, to lift up my Eyes towards Hea∣ven, for I have fallen from Thee by mine Iniquities, and am by Nature the Son of Death, and a Thousand fold more the Child of Hell by my Wicked Practises, and it becomes me in the greatest dejection of Spirit, to Sigh and Groan under the load of my Sins, which have been so great and many, so bold, so presumptuous and shameless, that when with an awakened Mind I reflect upon them, I am ready to sink into Hell, and despair of any Mercy; but of thy infinite Grace, thou hast promised Mercy to me in Christ, if I will turn to Thee with all my heart; There∣fore, upon the Call of the Gospel I am now come in, and throwing down my Weapons, submit my self to thy Mercy: And because Thou requirest, as the condition of my Peace with Thee, that I should put away my Idols, and be at defiance with all Thine Enemies, whom I acknowled I have wickedly sided with against Thee: I do here, from the bottom of my heart, renounce them all; O that I could hate and abhor them more than that Death which I expect very shortly to Suffer for them. Bestow on me, O Lord, that ingenuous and godly Sorrow, which worketh Repentance, and unfeigned purposes of amendment of life. They come too late indeed, I may justly think, to find acceptance with Thee, and therefore, not without fear and trembling, and a great sense of my undeservings, I look up unto Thee, acknowledging Thy infinite Goodness, if thou wilt vouchsafe me but the smallest hope of Mercy: Strengthen me, good Lord, in the hour of Death, that I may not fall through the Temptations of Satan, but receive me through the Merits of thy only Son, and my alone Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

FINIS.