True and genuine account of Murdoch Currie (1)

True and genuine account of Murdoch Currie (1) (1840)
3209409True and genuine account of Murdoch Currie (1)1840

TRUE AND GENUINE

ACCOUNT OF

MURDOCH CURRIE,

TAKEN FROM HIS OWN MOUTH,

At the place of Execution in Shorthand being a

PIOUS EXHORTATION

To people of all ranks to take Warning by his

UNTIMELY END.

He was Executed at Dumbarton

ON THE

14th day of June, 1754.



PRINTED THIS YEAR.

DECLARATION or EXHORTATION

OF

MURDOCH CURRIE

Late servant with Stonefield of Levenside,

Being sentenced to Death for the

Breaking of his master’s house.




He was brought from the prison of Dumbarton, about two o’clock, surrounded with a strong guard of armed men, he walked with more courage than ever any man was seen to do in his condition, until he came to the place of punishment. He first sung the 23rd Psalm from beginning to end, and after prayer was ended he addressed himself to the spectators in the following manner:You all came here to-day to look on me a poor sinful boy, my time has been short indeed in this world. Alas! it has been short, and spent in folly and madness: and now you look all upon my case as desperate, and this my untimely end to be without honor. But I bless the great God that created me, that it is my lot to die here this day, and that I did not die when going on in my sinful curse of wickedness, as many have done, and have not got so much as three minutes warning, before they were hurried into eternity. And now for a heart, O for an heart to bless the Lord for the time I have got since I received the sentence of death, O Lord reward my benefactors in this place for the charitable acts towards my soul and my body, during my imprisonment; O God forgive my enemies, this I heartily wish for, as I hope for mercy at thy hand through the merit of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ, on whom thou are well pleased; O be well pleased with my soul for his sake, for I have no righteousness but his, I have no trust but in him; and now if I perish let it be at the feet of my Redeemer where never one perished; O that sweet passage of God’s word. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, I see my sins more greivous in mine own eyes, and I am heartily sorry for they are many, I abhor myself for my wickedness, for my ignorance and revengefulness of my proud haughty heart which caused me to return the second time to do wrong to my master, who always did justice to me which I own I did not do to him. All the reflections have against any, is that some person published that I carried false keys, which I solemnly declare I never did, the Lord forgive them for the falsehoods which they told concerning me. I own I have been a thief in taking away some trifling things; and what I did in breaking into the house of my master was to be revenged of the affront they put upon me in this place, I being whipped by the hangman. I warn all men and women never to give way to revenge, but rather apply to God who knows all things; For Revenge is mine saith the Lord, and I will repay it again. It is the folly and madness of many, and me also, when they have done so, and come to suffer; for when they are asked why they did so, they will answer the devil bade them: O! but this is a poor excuse; but in my opinion it is their own wicked heart which is in them, it is the devil’s nature, but not himself ill as he is. O! sirs never think of revenge. O good God bless Stonefield, his family, servants, tenants, and his relations, and this is what I never thought of saying before yesterday morning: now I can forgive all my enemies, and look upon them as my best friends. I will not be angry with the rod. I know that God is the smiter, whom he loves he corrects and chastens. O ever blessed be his holy name, that has brought me unto this, and he will give me strength to bear it. And now unto you who are Gentlemen’s servants, I advise you to leave off all your sinful practices, that almost all of you pride yourself in, cursing, swearing, whoring, and all manner of wickedness. O how heinous does that sin of taking God’s name in vain, appear unto me this day, The Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain, and now if the Lord mark iniquity who can stand; I know I had no more than original sin, it was enough to condemn me; but the Lord has promised to cure my ignorance, and all my actual sins of ignorance, for suppose I read and heard I did not believe. And now O God strengthen thou my belief more and more: and as for many of you who are Gentlemen you keep no rule in your families, you give your servants no instruction in a goodly manner, ye consider not that the charge of their souls are upon your heads while they are in your service, and the charge of the stranger while he is within your gates; you ought also to make them remember the Sabbath. But alas! few of yourselves regard it. And it is my adviee to all servants whatever station you are in rather break your service than break the Lord’s day; O it is a wounding sin for the conscience of a dying man; if you were to look death in the face as I now do, you would find it so. What would I do if their was not a promise left for such as in my condition to fly to. Yet I can say O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory: I have no hope but in God’s word; I have no trust but in Jesus Christ. For righteousness of my own I have nothing but sin and iniquity; I have enough to damn me eternally If the precious blood of Jesus Christ prevented not; Glory to God in the highest. There is a fountain in the house of David for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for iniquity, and I hope to be washed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And now since time and eternity is come, I have little more to do but die.

What I have said to one I have said to all; I have nothing to say either to Judge nor Jury, the Lord forgive them, if they have done wrong; but they could not do more than what God has decreed. Therefore let no reflection be upon them concerning me. Where could I run from the presence of an all-seeing God, for Judge, Jury, Executioner, and all that surround me this day, are but instruments in his Almighty hand let him do what he will. I will look for mercy and he is a God of mercy, and he gives liberally to them that ask him. And again I desire not to die, till I see that man who catched me in the street of Dumbarton this day eight-days, when I thought to have made my escape from dying on the tree. He being called for came in through the crowd, being in great fear and perplexity, but he most lovingly took him by the hand, and said Robert, do not be troubled for your taking hold of me for the Lord sent you there as a trap to hold me, I forgive you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that the Lord will never impute it to you, his providence brought you in my way. But try to get a sure hold of Christ, and keep him as fast as you did me in the Vennel Street of Dumbarton and in taking leave of him he kissed him three times, with so mild a countenance that the most of the spectators wept and mourned; and turning round to the multitude, he desired that none of them would upbraid that man for what he had done, for I from my heart forgive him, and all those that act his part in the least, they were but helping me on in my journey; therefore I look on them as friends and not enemies. As for the keeper of the prison, I heard that he is looked on as unfaithful to his trust, because he was in prison when I broke out. I desired him to read a certain portion of scripture out of a book, his back was to me while looking on, because of the advantage of the light of the window; and then I broke off unknown to him; therefore he is blameless, and knew not of it in the least. And now my petition is, that my body may get leave to be in the place appointed for the bones to rest, and that the good people in this place may take care of my grave, that it be not lifted. Which being promised him, he threw off his great-coat, went and took the last farewell of his sister and other acquaintances that were standing by the tree, he mounted the ladder with great courage, till he came to the top, then he turned his face to the spectators, who were mostly in a weeping condition, and said, Sirs, do not mourn for my body but pray for my soul, for now is the fatal moment to go to well or woe.

Then he caused the 180th Psalm to be sung, and after that he prayed a little with great fervency and many tears. He looked down on his sister who wept bitterly at the bottom of the ladder and lifted up his head and said, The Lord will be thy comforter and my mother also, whose heart will be broken for what has happened me this day. He then loosed the napkin from his neck; the Executioner was ordered to feel his neck if any thing was about it; when he understood that, he opened the neck of his shirt, and put the rope on his naked neck, then saying, Since time is no more here, farewell world and all that is therein, then pulling the cap over his face, he went over with these words in his mouth, Into thy hands I commit my soul Almighty God. June 14th, 1754, between the hours of 2 and 3 o’clock afternoon.

The like was never known in the Annals of History. And for it Dumbarton lost its Circuit rights since that time.

FINIS.



This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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