There’s such an Uniformity in the Stile, Matter, and Way of Arguing, as sufficiently proves this; so that instead of being the Speeches of the deceas’d Rebels, they plainly appear to be the Composure of others, who endeavour to serve the Cause not only at the Expence of those poor Mens Reputation, but even of their Souls, by prevailing upon them to deliver such Papers as their dying Sentiments, and the Result of their own Thoughts.
This is very plain in the Case of Mr. Hall, who being ask’d at the Place of Execution, if the Paper he deliver’d was writ by himself, he avoided giving a direct Answer, and only said it contain’d his Sentiments; tho ’tis highly probable he never carefully read it, if we consider the notorious Falshood which he is made to assert, That the Rebels conquer’d the King’s Troops at Preston.
Besides, he and Mr. Paul were so far from being stedfast to the Pretender’s Interest, as is given out in the Speeches, and so little fond of what they call Martyrdom, that ’tis very well known they us’d all possible Endeavours to save their Lives, would have disown’d the Pretender’s Claim, and renew’d their Oaths to the Government, could they have obtain’d their Pardon on that Condition. The Speech-makers were not ignorant of this, but they resolv’d to delude the unthinking Populace, and to make those Men pass for Valiant and Glorious Martyrs; tho, in truth, they liv’d and dy’d the most hateful Dissemblers, both with God and Man, that ever were heard of.
But to come to the Speeches themselves.
Mr. PAUL’s SPEECH.
Good People, I am just going to make my Appearance in the other World, where I must give an Account of all the Actions of my past Life: and tho I have endeavour’d to make my Peace with God, by sincerely repenting of all my Sins, yet forasmuch as several of them are of a Publick Nature, I take it to be my Duty to declare here, in the Face of the World, my hearty Abhorrence and Detestation of them.
REMARKS.
’Tis easy to perceive that this Paragraph is calculated to gain Credit to what he was afterwards to say; but the judicious Reader will discover the Artifice, and that the Author is far from being ingenuous. ’Tis very odd, in a Protestant Divine, to talk of making his Peace with God, by a sincere Repentance of all his Sins, and not say one Word of Faith in the Merits of Jesus Christ; without which, Repentance can neither be sincere nor perfect. This looks so like the Popish Doctrine, that Penance is a sufficient Atonement for Sin, as gives every one just Cause to suspect the Author’s Religion.
He takes notice, that several of his Sins were of a Publick Nature, and that he thought it his Duty to declare his hearty Abhorrence and Detestation of them in the Face of the World; but how much he juggled in this Matter, will be evident by the two following Paragraphs, and the Reflections upon them.
The SPEECH.