And, finally, we must commend and entrust our fouls to HIM, who died for the fins of men; with earnest wifhes and humble hopes, that he will admit us with the labourers who entered the vineyard at the last hour, and affociate us with the thief whom he pardoned on

the cross!

To this great end, you will not refufe to unite with me, on bended knees, and with humbled hearts, in fervent prayer to the throne of grace! May the Father of mercy hear our fupplications, and have compaffion upon

us!

"O almighty Lord God, the righteous JUDGE of all "the earth, who in thy providential juftice doft frequently inflict fevere vengeance upon finners in this "life, that thou mayeft by their fad examples effectu"ally deter others from committing the like heinous "offences; and that they themselves, truly repenting of "their faults, may efcape the condemnation of hell:"look down in mercy upon us, thy forrowful fervants, "whom thou haft fuffered to become the unhappy objects of offended justice in this world!

"Give us a thorough fenfe of all thofe evil thoughts, words, and works, which have fo provoked thy patience, that thou haft been pleased to permit this pub"lic and fhameful judgment to fall upon us ; and grant "us fuch a portion of grace and godly fincerity, that "we may heartily confefs, and unfeignedly repent of

every breach of thofe most holy laws and ordinances,

which if a man do, he fhall even live in them.

"Let no root of bitterness and malice, no habitual "and deadly fin, either of omiffion or commiffion, remain

5

«undif

ce

" undisturbed in our hearts! But enable us to make our repentance univerfal, without the leaft flattering or de"ceitful reserve, that fo we may clear our confciences "before we close our eyes.

"And now that thou haft brought us within the view "of our long home, and made us fenfible, that the time "of our diffolution draweth near; endue us, we hum"bly pray thee, O gracious Father, with fuch christian "fortitude, that neither the terrors of thy prefent dif

penfations, nor the remembrance of our former fins, "may have power to fink our fpirits into a defpondency of thy everlasting mercies in the adorable fon "of thy love.

"Wean our thoughts and affections, good Lord, from "all the vain and delufive enjoyments of this transitory "world; that we may not only with patient refignation "fubmit to the appointed stroke of death, but that our "faith and hope may be fo elevated, that we may con"ceive a longing defire to be diffolved from these our "earthly tabernacles, and to be with Chrift, which is "far better than all the happiness we can wifh for be<< fides!

"And in a due fenfe of our own extraordinary want " of forgiveness at thy hands, and of our utter unwor"thinefs of the very leaft of all thy favours-of the "meaneft crumbs which fall from thy table-Oh! blessed "Lord Jefus! make us fo truly and univerfally chari"table, that in an undiffembled compliance with thy own " awful command, and most endearing example, we << may both freely forgive and cordially pray for our "most inveterate enemies, perfecutors, and flanderers !Forgive

Forgive them, O Lord, we befeech thee-turn their "hearts, and fill them with thy love!

"Thus, may we humbly truft, our forrowful prayers " and tears will be acceptable in thy fight. Thus fhall "we be qualified, through Chrift, to exchange this dif"mal bodily confinement [and thefe uneafy fetters] for "the glorious liberty of the fons of God.-And thus "fhall our legal doom upon earth be changed into a "comfortable declaration of mercy in the highest hea"vens:-and all through thy most precious and all"fufficient merits, O bleffed Saviour of mankind!-"who with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, livest and reigneft ever, one God, world without end. Amen *."

See ROSSELL'S Prisoner's Director :-a work of fome merit→ and which I have endeavoured, in my melancholy hours of leifure, to revife, and (I humbly hope) improve; and mean to leave behind me, in the hands of the Ordinary, as a small teftimony of my fincere, but very weak, endeavours for the beft welfare of unhappy men in confinement; to whom I have written a general Address, to be prefixed to the new edition of RossELL.

PAPERS

PAPER S

WRITTEN BY

DR. JOHNSON

FOR

DR. DODD, DURING HIS IMPRISONMENT.

INTRODUCTION.

WHAT is to be expected in the following papers,

their titles fufficiently indicate. The interest taken by the public in the fentence of the unfortunate man to whom they relate, naturally produced this publication.

He that commits thefe papers to the prefs, defires not to be confidered as approving or condemning. He means to gratify the honeft curiofity of the reader, and hopes that his curiofity may end in useful meditation.

The papers are printed without any alteration, except the omiffion of a few words in one of the letters, which had a personal reference, and which therefore it was proper to fupprefs.

The

The most important of these pieces is the criminal's account of himself, which one of his friends advised him to have dilated more; but the day of execution was approaching, and he may be easily forgiven if he left his ftory imperfect. He had, we ought to hope, other employment.

* Dr. DODD's Account of Himfelf.

THE greatest affliction and oppreffion to my mind at present is, the piercing reflection that I, who have lived all my life in an endeavour to promote the truth of Christianity, should now become an obftacle to that truth, and a scandal to that profeffion :-that I, who have with all my power, and with all fincerity, laboured to do good, and be a bleffing to my fellow-creatures, fhould now become an evil and a curfe. What shall I, can I, ought I to do, to prevent, as much as in me lies, any fuch dreadful confequences of my fhame and my crime? Will a public atteftation of my fincere belief of Christianity, and an ingenuous detail and confeffion of my offences, be of any avail ?-In order to do this, and to acquaint you in few words with a perfect knowledge

Of this account Dr. Dodd may be faid to have only drawn the outlines; the picture, as it appears, was finished by Dr. Johnson.

of