the World I do now heartily forgive Set a Watch before the Door of your Lips against all Swearing Lying Idle Talking or Foolish Jesting Slandering or Censuring any that you offend not with your Tongues See that you be diligent in whatsoever Imployment God shall assign to you for the gaining a Livelyhood in this World obey those that shall have Rule over you as Masters Mistresses c. in all things Lawful for the Lords Sake And beg time from them yea Redeem time by your Diligence from their Business wherein you may serve God every day Shun all unjust ways of getting tho' for the Supply of mere Necessity In a word get Gods Commands into your Heads and hide them in your Hearts that you may not sin against him Remembring always you are not of your selves sufficient so much as to think any good thing as of your selves but believe it upon my sad Experience who fail'd and fell by trusting to my own strength for performing the good Resolutions I took up Without Christ you can do nothing That all your Sufficiency is of God whose Spirit and Grace you must therefore beg as you would do Bread when you are ready to starve of your Parents Since Christ hath told you if Parents tho' evil give good Gifts to their Children how much more will not your Heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that ask it and continue asking it Oh Children would you live happily and dye so take the Advice of your Dying Mother Would you not have it to say at last How have we hated Instruction and despised Reproof Wou'd you not have God laugh at your Calamity and mock when your Fear cometh Oh then take my Advice as here given you Would you be Blessings to your Generation the Love of Good Men the Delight and Care of Heaven Read then over and over Ponder and Practise my Advice Bind these my Precepts on your Heads Hands and Hearts an Ornament of Grace they will be unto you even as Chains about your Neck and Bracelets on your Arms. Oh what a Peaceful Happy and Joyful Life had I lead if I had ever chosen these ways of Wisdom these ways of Pleasantness which I mark you out Oh what an Honourable Death should I have dyed what a Sweet Flourishing and Blessed Memory should I have left behind me whereas now Woe is me my Life is going out like the Snuff of a Candle cut off in the midst of my Years the Proud Waters are come in unto my Soul Oh what would I now give Ten Thousand Worlds surely if I had them that I had lead my Life as I am persuading you the Dear Fruit of my Womb to lead yours Oh had I my past Life again would I barter it away for Toyes for Vanity or sinful Pleasures Should the World or the Devil again impose upon me as I find they have done No surely No Yet alas had I kept the Precepts I have recommended to you from my Youth upward as exactly as I would beg of you to keep them or as you would wish you had kept them did you stand in my present Circumstances yea allowing these Precepts to contain a perfect Rule of Life yet would there be one thing lacking and chargeable upon me even a Satisfaction for the Guilt of my Sin in and from Adam Nor can my present Prayers Tears Penitent Confessions Promises of future Obedience c. expiate that Guilt much less attone for all the Violations of Gods Laws thro' my past Life Oh no I must have the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus to cover my naked Soul withal before the Barr of God in order to my Acceptance and Salvation Where 's any room then my Children for that vain Conceit think you that Persons may be too diligent exact or abounding in the Way and Works of God When you have done all must you not own your selves unprofitable Servants But oh how much short of the whole will you fall when you do all you can of whatever I have counselled you Believe me then for 't is undoubted Truth never any repented of too much Diligence in Gods Service whilst they liv'd much less when they came to dye Oh that I could draw forth the present earnest Pantings of my Soul before you Sure they would put your Souls into the like or better motion Hear Children the Prayers of your Dying Parent for her own Soul which she puts up with infinitely more Earnestness if it were possible than she could pray for her Release from the present Chains she wears the Dungeon she lyes in the Shame and approaching Death she is to undergo Yea hear the Prayers and pray them whilst you live which your Dying Mother makes for you not for Riches Preferment Esteem Ease or Plenty in this World No let the World enjoy the Gods they dote on May you my Children who are born with Souls naked before God and so ought to be asham'd have the Cloathing of Christs Righteousness to cover your sinful Nakedness May you who have Souls expos'd to the Wrath of God for the Sin of your Natures and the Sins of your but as it were newly begun Lives have Christs Righteousness as Armour against the second Death Armour of Proof to keep off all furious Discharges of Gods Law upon you May you who have Souls miserably poor by Nature void of all saving Knowledge and Grace which are the true Riches have your Souls made Rich by Christ Jesus with his Gold try'd in the Fire Rich in Faith Rich with all the Graces of his Holy Spirit dwelling richly in you Rich in the Love of God manifested to your Souls and Rich thro' Christs Purchase in your being united to him having a sure Reversion of Eternal Glory These mighty Blessings may you seek after may God give you them early Had I look'd after them as I advise you now to do I might once more easily have attained and secured them I might have had the Use and Comforts of them thro' my Life Oh that I may not now fail of these Blessings at Death Alas that I have driven it to this doubtful Point God and Christ waited on me with these Offers ever since and are ready always to bestow them upon you if you are but ready to receive them Well shall I shew you the way wherein you are to seek these Blessings wherein seeking ye shall find yea wherein only seeking I hope my self to find them why truly 't is in the way of Repentance and Faith on the Lord Jesus Christ The World think they can as easily Repent and Believe almost as I can write the Words but alas they 'l find themselves desperately mistaken if they don't alter their Minds mistaken to their endless Ruin Oh how hard is it for me to believe my Heart which was but some Weeks ago in deep Love and League with Sin and with this World to be now absolutely unalterably irreconcilably set against all Sin and set fixedly to mortify
FAIR WARNING TO Murderers of Infants BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE Tryal Codemnation and Execution OF Mary Goodenough AT THE Assizes held in Oxon in February 1691-92 TOGETHER With the Advice sent by her to her Children In a Letter Sign'd by her own Hand the Night before she was Executed with some Reflections added upon the whole Printed for the Publick Good LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Sign of the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-yard 1692 TO THE READER IT would grieve a Man to think how many's Curiosity will tempt them to buy this Paper how few's Consideration will lead them to make useful Application of it to themselves how many more will through a vainly censorious Wit charge the Publishing this Letter as a Trick to pick Pockets how few's Wisdom will conduct them to fall in with the direct Tendency it hath to enrich and ennoble their Minds whilst most it 's to be fear'd read such things with no more concern than Persons in Health read Quack-Doctors Bills and make no better use of them Yet he that hath an Ear to hear let him hear this Letter speaks by strong Consequence at least to the highest concerns of Mankind in general it lays open Mens greatest Mistakes about and misconducts of them Oh that they were wise that there were in all that shall read an heart to consider this In this Letter is wrap'd up most suitable Persuasions to the Youth of these Kingdoms to consider thoroughly of and engage themselves heartily in their Baptismal Covenant It gives an awakening Alarm to negligent Parents to instruct their Children in and conduct them diligently into the Paths of Heavenly Wisdom lest they deeply mourn at last as this poor Woman did their fatal Cruelty to their Childrens Souls This Letter suggests a Warning to Adulterers and Adulteresses to repent of and forsake their Crimes lest God bring them to repent by open shame as he did this poor Creature or suffer them to go on in a covert way to Hell It 's a Cry after the Backsliders in heart those who have had strong Convictions taken up good Resolutions and follow'd them for a while with a course of Amendment but are return'd with the Dog to his Vomit that they return to God from whom they have fallen lest he in Judgment give them up to commit enormous Sins to fali under dismal Punishments yea the most dismal of all final Impenitency Here 's a discharge to all their Hopes of the Favour of God and everlasting Life who are but formal hypocritical heartless Pretenders to Religion till their Hearts are renew'd as well as the Face of their Conversation reform'd And who amongst the dissolute profane and profligate part of Mankind can say but here 's a most passionate Cry to them that break and shake off the fatal Chains wherein the Devil is leading them down to the Chambers of Eternal Death In short there 's that in this Letter which may lead all to the most intimately acquainting themselves with their own Mortality There 's that by which all Persons may determine whether they belong to the Kingdom of Light or that of Darkness the Letter of a Dying Persons Tryal of the Truth and Life of her Repentance Faith Love and Obedience Reader will you not use what you have bought do you know all this Letter tells you already Oh be persuaded now to fall a doing it Will you censure it as being above these Children Oh cast it not away as if it were below you it was calculated as a Guide to them thro' their Lives Will you charge it as too wordy Oh confute not your charge by making it appear there are not Words enow to persuade you to become Pious Well when the Testament of our Dying Jesus nay his last charge in that Testament Do this in Remembrance of me prevails so little with Christians what Effects shall we hope for from the words of a Dying Malefactor recommending him to the World she has so lately left Yet canst not thou Oh God that causest Gibbets to preach make the most Refractory of Rebels hear You that will not hearken to Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles will you not hear tho' one is here rais'd from the Dead a living Witness to the great Truth they taught Was she not dead in Trespasses and Sins Was she not made alive to God thro' Jesus Christ think you before she dy'd to Nature Hear her then Christ Jesus by her that your Souls may live Open thou the Ears Oh God that are deaf to the Voice of Charms Is not Judgment thy strange Work Oh then Reform Multitudes by the Chastisement of this one Criminal who will otherwise by their Rebellions run themselves into great Misery in this World if not also into everlasting Misery in the next Well whether any Person that reads this Letter will give a practical regard to it or no this is certain it will barden where it does not soften They are a Degree nearer Hell by refusing who don't advance towards Heaven by embracing its Instructions And if ever they repent their slight of this Counsel will yield them a most bitter Reflection or if they never repent this reflex Advice will add to the Smart of their Eternal Vexations in the World they 're posting to of Horrour and Despair As to that man who had the first and principal hand in this Womans and her Infants Tragedy I would desire some Neighbours supposing he 'll scarce take pains to read this to ask him seriously some such Questions as these Whether he did not act the Devils part when he tempted this Woman as Satan our Saviour to purchase a Supply for the cravings of her Nature by a Crime tending to the Ruin of her Soul Whether he that serves the Devil in his Life and repents not is not like to fall into his Condemnation and merciless hands at Death Whether he believes God has commanded Thou shalt not commit Adutery If he does not whether he believes or can prove the Christian World Fools or Madmen who also thus believe it Whether God has not own'd this Command as often in History so now by avenging the Breach of it in this his fellow Criminals Death This were easily argued tho' she was Condemn'd at mans Barr for another Crime But if he believes God has forbidden Adultery whether he thinks God will always bear with him in the violating the plain Letter of his Laws Whether he that being often reprov'd hardens his heart shall not suddenly be destroy'd and that without Remedy Whether he does not flatter himself with a secret Thought of future Repentance Whether it be not his best and may not happen to be his only time to repent now or if he has no thought of Repentance how he can think to dwell with devouring Flames or everlasting Burnings And as to the Neighbourhood of this poor Woman if the Judgments of God abroad in the World should teach the Inhabitants
its Members to this World My Heart once flatter'd me the Change was wrought but alas 't was but a Cheat And do not I now want the issue of some time and trying Temptations to prove to me whether its present Pretensions to a Change be true or no Oh my Children don't think of delaying to begin Repentance till the time comes of Sickness or of Death when most begin it indeed but it's odds whether one in an Hundred of them ever end it to a long Eternity Every day you delay it every Sin you commit renders it more difficult to attain Every Delay draws on the Curse of God provoking him to give you up to a Judicial Hardness Begin this great Work betimes which you 'll see occasion never to break off till your Lives end Who would be so Mad as to have the whole Volumes of their Accounts of Sins to call over when they should have nothing to do but dye Lament your lesser Sins now that you may not have greater hereafter to lament Lament your Buding early Sins 't is the way wherein you are likely to prevent gross and more grown Sins resist the first springings of every Motion of Sin in your Thoughts that 's the way to prevent it's growing into sinful Thoughts and yet more sinful Actions Oh that I had thus us'd my self to fight against my Lusts surely thro' Almighty Grace I could not have been thus miserably foil'd by them surely I should have been more then Conqueror When now alas Behold what Shame covers me I am Contemn'd the Scorn of Bad Men and a Scandal to the Good and now whither shall I cause my Shame to go Well for all this I once thought I had repented Beware then rest not in Sorrow for some single Sin alone rest not in present Pangs of Grief for or hasty Resolves against Sin in general Pray Strive and wait upon the Grace of God in Gods way to have your Hearts deeply touch'd with Shame and Sorrow for with loathing of your natural Aversion from God and what is good Labour to see an evil in Sin greater than all you can suffer for Righteousness sake Labour to feel it an intolerable Burden which therefore you are glad to throw off on any Terms and by which you are brought to admire Gods Terms of Pardon through Christ I needed a Saviour Christ Jesus as soon as I was bron and so did you yea and every day you live your need of him greatly Encreases Is it too soon to look after an Interest in him or can you do without it You have an Interest in Christ if you unseignedly consent to have him on the Terms in your Covenant of Baptism for which see Mr. Allein's Book again Page 135. But Oh Fool that I was whilst I was Well at Ease in Business I saw no need I had of a Saviour Or if I thought I wanted him upon the sight of some affrightful Sin or in some serions Fit I took him for that time and banished him again when I had done with him I thought I could have him with a wet Finger almost A Lord have Mercy upon me an outward Reformation some cold Prayers now and then going to Church repeating my Creed I thought I could have serv'd my turn of Christ without any cordial Affection or sincere Consent I was for having him with the World and my Sins or when I could have these no longer But these Shadows are fled away now the Deceit lyes plain Christ Jesus is indeed to be had without Mony and without Price but I must give up my self to him if I will have him and that 's no Price neither for I am my self the Purchase of his Blood tho' I have unjustly detain'd it from him Now I am convinc'd I must Love Honour and Obey Christ Jesus and so must all that will receive him to the saving of their Souls And oh Blessed Jesus how can I be sure that I love thee now who a while since lov'd not thy Ways nor thy People for the sake of thine Image on them nor thy Laws the Image of thy self who was for the most part of my Life doing those Works which thou camest to destroy How can I assuredly know that I Honour thee who lately slighted and trampled under Foot thy Blood the Blood of the Covenant contemn'd the Methods of thy Government despis'd in my Heart the Mean and Garb of thy Subjects even the chief Glories of thy Person whilst on Earth viz. thy Deep Humility Extensive Charity Heavenly Mindedness Readiness to do thy Father's Will Faithfulness to advance his Glory Thy Submission and Pray'rfullness to him thy Patience thy Purity of Heart and Life thy strong Faith even under strong Hunger These I despis'd in that I endeavour'd not the Practice of them nay practis'd contrary to them How know I in short that I Honour thee now who know to my Sorrow a while since I prefer'd Sin my Name yea the Devil in Disguise before thee Oh my Lord how know I that I now have a fix'd and unalterable Disposition to obey thee when before I came into this Prison yea before I came into these condemned Circumstances other Lords had Dominion over me my Practice was quite contrary to thy Commands What have I learn'd the Christian Exercise and Discipline so soon learn'd habitually to deny my self that always us'd to please my self even to the Refusal of my self to thee Have I learn'd to Watch and Pray in good earnest that I enter not into Temptation whose Aim and Endeavour was chiefly for Profit Pleasure or Esteem in this World before What! have I learn'd to resist the Devil that never understood his way of Fighting his Baits and Snares before Have I learn'd to despise all this World for Christ Jesus that could not a while ago deny a lustful Thought sinful Word or Action for thee How do I forsake this World for thee from which I 'm forced by the Punishment of my Sins against thee Have I learn'd to believe all thou sayest practically that scarce a while since could give any reason why I believed any of it historically Oh Good God! what a Change is this who amongst my Neighbours will believe it 's wrought in my Heart Or how can I believe at least how can I be assured of it Only the Almighty Grace of God can effect and the Spirit of God assure this Change Thus thus it must be with me and every one before they dye if ever they be admitted into the Kingdom of Glory Did the World know and believe this would they not be startled at it But who hath believed this Report Children will you also be numbered amongst the Deceived and at the next Remove the Damned Multitude Oh be Wise be Instructed Kiss the Son of God lest he be Angry and ye Perish from the way when his Wrath is kindled but a little Blessed are all they who place a rightly grounded Trust in him Oh learn betimes to