chaplains of the Bishop of Winchester, and by Mr. Durell, the rector of
St. Saviour’s parish. These two clergymen have each given public and
repeated testimony to the state of mind in which they found Jolin. The
visit of Mr. Dallas was chiefly occupied in an endeavour to search out
the reality of the foundation upon which the hope of the penitent rested,
and he viewed it as most satisfactory. Mr. Durell visited Jolin at the
request of the Dean of Jersey, in whose parish the prison is situated.
Mr. Durell says in his little work, “I came to perform a difficult and
unpleasant duty, which, indeed, I could not refuse. I mention this
indifference,” he adds, “to show, that when I first repaired to this poor
man’s dungeon, there must have been something very powerful to have
affected me to such a degree.” He at first brought Dodd’s Prison
Thoughts with him to read to Jolin; but, on the suggestion of a friend,
he changed this book for the Bible. Mr. Durell visited Jolin many times:
and he has published an account of each visit. His remarks are candid,
kind, and very clear as to his belief of the real change of Jolin’s
character. The facts which he narrates are some of them in the highest
degree interesting. “I have sympathised,” he says, “in Jolin’s cell, in
all the horrors of his situation. I have shuddered at his nefarious
parricide; I have rejoiced in his unfeigned repentance; and I have been
soothed by his delightful anticipations of a blessed immortality.” He
adds, on one occasion, “I never saw a man more free from enthusiasm. All
his religion centred in the atonement of Christ.” On another, “I never
heard him complain of the evidence against him, nor of his sentence;
never did an expression of murmur or of invective escape from him.” He
says again, “This visit lasted three hours; than which none ever made a
deeper impression on me, or will perhaps be more conducive to my own
spiritual improvement.” He adds again, “It may, perhaps, be supposed,
that it was the dread of death which had excited his religious fervour;
on the contrary, those apprehensions ceased from the moment that holy
principle originated in his heart: neither was it that instinctive fear
of dying that drove him into religious inquiries and self-examination.
That fear may, indeed, have caused a wicked man to be sorry for his sin;
but the growth in knowledge, in grace, and in so many gifts of the
Spirit, was so extraordinary and so unprecedented, that I cannot account
for it as having been the result of natural causes operating on an ardent
and distracted mind. I am not only impartial, but am conscious that I am
as free from superstition and enthusiasm as any man; yet I feel inwardly
convinced, that Jolin’s conversation had something in it more than human;
and that Providence assisted him with an imperceptible, though equally
miraculous, working of the Holy Spirit; to the end that his edifying
repentance might operate like a distinguished example to open the bosom
of many an infidel to an examination of the sacred truths of
Christianity, and to persuade the thoughtless and profligate, that,
unless they abandon their dangerous course, they will be doomed to
certain destruction.”
But it may be interesting to lay before your readers the last
communication of this kind friend, when Jolin was about to be executed.
It was in a letter to one of the ministers then with him in the prison.
St. Saviour’s, Oct. 3, 1829, 9 o’clock in the morning.
“Sir,—The deep, the Christian interest, which I feel for our
departing brother, induces me to write you a short note. Tell him
that I pray that the strength which is imparted from on high may not
fail him in his last hour, and that the sufferings of the Saviour may
inspire him with religious courage to bear his sufferings. Tell him
also, that since we are not to meet again on earth, he departs with
my blessing and my prayers; and that, I trust, we shall meet again
where every tear shall be dried from every eye. The sixteenth
chapter of St. John is most particularly adapted to his awful
situation. The thirty-third verse is a glorious precept and example
for him: ‘These things have I spoken to you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but, be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.’
“I am, sir, yours truly,
“E. DURELL.”
On the last Sunday of his life, Jolin had many visitors. His mind seemed
gradually to ripen for eternity. He gained every day clearer views of
his sinful nature, of the power of Divine grace, of the nature of faith,
of the immensity of the love of Christ, and of the offer of a free
salvation made to himself. He could now trace very distinctly, in the
various events of his life, the manifestations of the great mercy of God
in his favour. The returning prodigal (Luke xv.) he felt more and more
to represent himself and his own case. He saw his heavenly Father
waiting to be gracious to him. He had scarcely time to offer up his
supplications, when he found, that before he called, God had answered,
and while he was yet speaking, He had heard. There was one circumstance
connected with the visit of this day which is, in itself, striking. The
last trial was to take place on the morrow. He had, under the direction
of his legal adviser, prepared a paper, which was to be read to the jury.
There was still, therefore, a possibility of his escape from the
punishment of death. This latter circumstance became a subject of
conversation, and an earnest hope was expressed on the part of his
visitor, that, if he was set at liberty, he would be supported by Divine
grace, and that he would be enabled to live to the glory of God. His
answer to this observation clearly showed how well he understood the
power of the grace of God, and how entirely his heart was stayed upon
that as his only support in every emergency of his life, whether he were
to escape from prison, or be led to the scaffold. He observed, “Sir, the
man that is fit to _die_, is fit to _live_. I have known what it is to
have a heart as hard as a diamond; but I now feel I have a heart of
flesh.” His persuasion was thus very clearly expressed, that the same
power which had changed his heart from stone to flesh, could and would
keep him on his way; and that, depending upon Divine grace, he need not
fear whether life or death were presented to him. In this calm and
confiding posture of mind, he seemed continually to rest. All his hope
and trust were grounded on his Saviour. He had come to the full
experience of the psalmist—“It is good for me to draw near to God.”
A hymn of Cowper’s, which had been given to him, seemed very much to have
arrested his attention this day. It is on the subject of the fountain
opened for sin, and for uncleanness. (Zech. xiii. 1.)
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he,
Wash’d all my sins away.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Then, in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
Lord, I believe thou hast prepared
(Unworthy though I be)
For me a blood-bought free reward,
A golden harp for me.
’Tis strung and tuned for endless years,
And formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears,
No other name but thine.”
This hymn he was very fond of, and he repeated it on his way to the
scaffold. It had been an object to store the mind of Jolin with subjects
which might, by the Divine blessing, be sources of encouragement and of
comfort to him when left alone with his Bible, or in the silent hours of
the night. The following points, in addition to those already
enumerated, had been dwelt upon; and now, as the opportunities for
visiting his prison by the individual who proposed them, had drawn to a
close, some of them were at this time again earnestly pressed upon his
attention. These were, the “tender mercy” of God, (Luke i. 78,) by which
alone the Day-spring from on high visits the soul, and by which it is
brought out of its state of natural darkness; the view of Christ touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, (Heb. iv. 15, 16,) and encouraging
us to go with boldness to the Throne of grace; the invitation to ask with
importunity for the Holy Spirit (Luke xi. 1–11); the intercession of
Jesus for his people (Rom. viii. 34); the promise, that God who had not
spared his own Son would with him freely give us all things (Rom. viii.
32); the remedy against all trouble to be found in faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ (John xiv. 1); the parting address and prayer of Christ
(John xiv. xv. xvi. xvii.); and the engagement that nothing shall
separate the believer from the love of Christ (Rom. viii. 35–39). To
this was added, as much examination as to the working of these doctrines
on his heart, the degree in which they were felt, and their practical
bearing, as the time and circumstances would admit. All these subjects
Jolin appeared to understand and to receive; and if he could not
enumerate them as distinct articles of his religious creed, yet he seemed
fully to comprehend and to receive them as the testimony of God.
Monday, the 28th, was the day fixed for his second trial; and here he
exhibited the character of a real Christian. His defence he had written
before, and it was as follows:—“Gentlemen, whatever may be my fate, I
shall not die without having to reproach myself for not having quitted my
father’s house. By so doing, I should have avoided being the victim in
different unhappy affairs that often took place between my father and
mother, in which I was generally the object upon which the weight of
their discontent fell. I was often obliged to submit to being beaten
most severely, and to hear language unworthy of being uttered by either
father or mother. Now, left to myself in the solitude of a dungeon, I
reflect on times gone by, remembering that I was the only child,
abandoned to the most deplorable fate. Yet I ought to have been wiser,
and not followed the example of my nearer relations, the source of my
misfortune. But now that respectable ministers of the Gospel have taken
the trouble to visit me, and point out my duty towards God and towards
man, I rest contented. I pray to God to pardon the horrible, but never
premeditated crime of which I am guilty. If I ever had an intention of
killing my poor father, I had a very favourable opportunity of doing so,
when he was stretched upon a bed of sickness, unable to help himself. I
was then the only person who took care of him, and administered to his
wants, as there was no other person besides myself in the house. I beg
pardon of all those whom I may have willingly or unwillingly offended.
Gentlemen, after this declaration, I submit myself entirely to your
wisdom. It is you who are going to decide my fate. I am ready to meet
it, and I will submit to your judgment without a murmur.—PH. G. JOLIN.”
This paper is a translation from the French, in which language it was
originally written. Whether it is accurately translated, or whether it
was written by Jolin himself, or by his advocate, it is impossible to
judge. The passage in it which relates to his parents, if his own, is
liable to objection. The faults of a parent, especially faults so
awfully punished, ought not to have made a part of his defence. If the
language is that of his advocate, it is only the language of legal
justification, and the facts are both true and of much weight for the
extenuation of his crime.
It is said, that during his trial, his calmness was remarkable. His lips
apparently were employed in prayer, and this he afterwards confessed was
the case. He prayed for himself, that he might be strengthened to go
through his trial, and also for his judges and his jury. There was no
effrontery in his look; but, on the contrary, the appearance of deep
humiliation. For four hours, during which time his trial lasted, he
never lifted his eyes from the ground. On his return from the trial, he
had to encounter the indignation of the populace against his crime. On
the former occasion, a woman had cried, “Ah, le scelerat!” which had a
good deal affected him. This time he addressed the people from the
prison gates, and when they observed that he was half dead from fatigue,
he said, amongst other things, “I have a strength within me ye know not.
This supports me. Weep not for me, weep for yourselves.”
During the following days of his life, he received continual visits from
a variety of persons. On the 28th, the Rev. P. Filluel; on the 29th,
from both the chaplains of the Bishop of Winchester; Mr. Dallas was
indeed as assiduous in his attendance at the gaol, as his many other
duties at that time would permit; and all these gentlemen expressed the
strongest conviction of the reality of Jolin’s conversion. Many
ministers, and others beside, very kindly came, desiring to impart to him
some spiritual gift. He received all gladly; but more especially those
whose conversation led him to believe that they came to him in the
fulness of Christian love. His discernment on this point was a striking
evidence of the clear views of doctrine which he had attained. He
perceived and felt the inadequacy of those religious systems which were
not connected with deep and experimental views of personal corruption;
and with exclusive dependence for salvation upon the atonement of Jesus
Christ. With a sense of gratitude for the instruments made use of in
awakening his mind, Jolin appeared remarkably independent of any outward
help. He was by no means like a man who hung upon another’s teaching,
but upon that of God. It was on this account that he was, perhaps, able
to bear without injury the multifarious instruction which he received.
His own language was most satisfactory; he always spoke of the salvation
procured for him as a free and unmerited gift of God; and dwelt upon the
peculiar manifestation of God’s grace to himself, inasmuch as he had
twice saved him from shipwreck when he was in an entirely unprepared
state to meet death, and now he had been brought to that prison that he
might learn the way of salvation. His expressions of the sense of his
own unworthiness were clear and strong. He told one of his friends that
he had nothing to offer to God, but his heart; that all his repentance,
all his resolutions, all his short conflict with the carnal heart, could
never expiate his sin. On another occasion he said, that he was not
worthy to pick up the crumbs under his Master’s table; and on another,
that Christ was his only hope; that He had paid his ransom, and that He
would receive him into glory. With another class of visitors, those of
his family and friends, he was equally decided in declaring what great
things God had done for his soul, and what necessity there was that they
should turn and repent if they would be saved. Indeed, a discourse of
this kind had made some of them think him insane. He had told his
relations who had come to him, that he was formerly unclean and unholy;
that they were so at that moment. He therefore entreated them to apply
to _Him_ who had cast out the unclean devils into the swine, to cleanse
their souls. On all occasions, when he could, he manifested the same
desire to instruct others, and lead them to that refuge which he had
found so precious to his own soul.
On Thursday, October 1, Mr. Durell records a very interesting visit which
he paid the prisoner: interesting, as it showed the state of mind in
which he found him. “As we approached the passage,” says Mr. Durell, “we
could hear the loud ejaculations of the prisoner’s prayers.” The gaoler
observed, that he always found him thus employed when he was left alone
in the cell. Mr. Durell read to him the account of our Saviour’s death,
from Matthew xxvii., and concluded with a prayer, at the end of which
Jolin was much affected. He exhibited, on this occasion, the deepest
sense of gratitude to all about him; and Mr. Hammond, his advocate, who
was also present, bore witness to the calmness and the change of Jolin’s
state of mind. To the latter gentleman, he, on that occasion, expressed
his sense of the great services rendered to him on his trial. He sat up
on his bed, and clasping both his hands together, said most earnestly,
“Mr. Hammond, I thank you over and over again for the pains you have
taken for me. I regret that I have nothing to give to reward you as you
deserve.” This same sense of gratitude led him constantly to express his
thanks to his gaoler, whose kindness and attention, those who were so
often going out and in the prison can fully testify. But it was not on
this occasion alone, for the evidence afforded to his state of mind was
very remarkable. The acting lieutenant-governor, the dean, the mayor, a
leading medical man who came to inquire into his insanity, clergymen,
dissenting ministers, his advocate, his relations, his attendants, all
appear to have come away from the prison with a common conviction, that
the power of God had been at work in producing the wonderful change which
they witnessed.
On the day previous to his execution, the event to which I have referred
with regard to his relations occurred. They, not understanding the
nature of the change which had taken place in him, and, judging from
reports of blows which he had received, and other circumstances,
endeavoured to establish the plea of insanity; and they brought a very
eminent medical practitioner to examine into his state. But this
interference was followed by the best consequences; for, whilst on the
one hand it was clearly ascertained that Jolin was in no state of
derangement, or delusion, or enthusiastic fervour; on the other, the
clearest and most satisfactory evidence was given of his real state of
mind. After this, the Dean of Jersey kindly attended to administer the
sacrament to him. Before he received the holy communion, he underwent an
examination; and to the dean, and three other clergymen, he gave, in
answer to their questions, a reason of the hope that was in him. He
explained with such clearness the object and the nature of his faith,
testified so deep a sense of his own unworthiness, and showed so good a
feeling towards all his fellow-creatures, that they had not, any of them,
a doubt of his fitness to partake of the feast prepared for the penitent
sinner. This examination, which was peculiarly solemn and affecting to
Jolin, looking, as most of the people of that island do, with deep
veneration on the high and sacred office of the dean, was remarkably
calculated to detect any thing which might be suspicious in his views, or
in his real state. Throughout this day, Mr. Hall reports, that Jolin was
longing to depart, and to be with Christ, saying, “The hours pass
slowly.” It was remarked that he must wait God’s time, who had yet work
for him to do in his vineyard. And most faithfully was every hour
devoted to the duties of his immediate calling. He warned, rebuked,
exhorted, with all long-suffering and patience. He said he thought it
would be better for him to die on the scaffold, than quietly in his cell,
as he might thereby glorify God by his patience, and be an example to all
of the fatal consequences of indulgence in sin.
Mr. Durell has given an account of his last visit to Jolin on the evening
of this day. He chose the same subject to read to him as on the day
before, but from another Evangelist. It was Luke xxiii., the account of
our Saviour’s crucifixion. During the reading, Jolin’s sensibility was
greatly excited, and his half-broken sobs were heard. Mr. Durell,
thinking it proper to check this state of mind, pointed out the
sufferings of Christ as a matter of holy joy, and threatened to lay down
the book, and read no more, if Jolin continued to feel so much. Mr.
Durell, wishing to avoid any thing which might discompose Jolin,
carefully omitted making any comment on the most affecting part of our
Saviour’s sufferings. He, on the other hand, sought to comfort him by an
application of the promise, that “they who sow in tears, shall reap in
joy;” and by the prospect of paradise held out to the penitent thief. He
adds, in conclusion, “In the course of my profession, I have seen many
individuals on the brink of the grave; but never before did I witness
such coolness and such self-command—a scene so holy, so edifying, so
sublime. Had he been in the full bloom of human prosperity, and with the
prospect of adding half a century longer to his existence, he could not
have been more collected. I was myself almost falling into a delusion
contrary to the evidence of my own senses. I could not believe that one
so near his end could retain so much courage, or such contempt of
ignominy and death. I could not believe that one so gentle, and now so
well instructed in religious duties, could have been ever capable of
committing a crime for which he deserved to die—that he could have been a
murderer.”
On the night previous to his execution, the kind relation who had first
visited him in the prison, and brought him the first message of
salvation, in bringing him the New Testament, and Mr. Gallachin, an
excellent minister of the church, sat up with him. They endeavoured to
sing a hymn, and, feeling the imperfection of the service, he said,
“To-morrow I shall join in very different singing from this.” At
half-past one in the morning, he fell into a kind of dozing stupor for an
hour, but did not sleep. During that time he was heard repeating the
fifty-first Psalm, and also repeatedly exclaiming, “Glory to the Lamb!
glory to our Lord Jesus Christ!” and when he awoke, he said that he had
seen glorious things in a dream. He also said, between sleeping and
waking, as it appeared, “There is now, therefore, no condemnation for
them that are in Christ Jesus.” At waking he requested that a hymn might
be sung. The next morning Mr. Hall went to him at half-past six o’clock.
When he entered his cell, Jolin said, “Oh, Mr. Hall, I am so glad to see
you; I am so happy. I have slept four hours, and the rest of the night
we have spent in such delightful conversation. I feel so strong, but I
will wait patiently the Lord’s time.” The day before, I have observed,
he thought the hours passed slowly, he was so anxious to depart and to be
with Christ. Mr. Hall took occasion to warn him, that he had still a
work to do. He must not only glorify his Saviour by his conduct, and by
his patient resignation, but he must again speak a word of warning to
those about him. And he assured him that he might be able to do more for
the praise and honour of his Master in his death upon the scaffold, by
bearing testimony to his own exceeding wickedness, and to the
unsearchable mercy and love of Christ, than if he had died in a more
private manner. To this he assented, and took the resolution of doing
all in his power. “Great, indeed,” says Mr. Hall, “were the grace and
support which he enjoyed. He felt sick at breakfast time, and could not
eat; but, to oblige me, he said he would try. About nine o’clock his
irons were taken off; and I could not help thinking of this as symbolical
of that liberty which soon, when passed beyond this life, he would enjoy
for ever in the presence of his Saviour. Jolin immediately proposed to
me to kneel down and thank God for what he had done for him; saying, ‘I
have always before prayed in bed; now I can go on my knees in the proper
posture for a sinner.’ Oh, at this time, how deep were his confessions
of sin, committed both in thought, word, and deed; his acknowledgment of
mercy through Jesus Christ; his expressions of dependence upon Him for
grace, to keep him in his fiery trial, and to open for him the kingdom of
heaven! When he drank his milk, he said, ‘Oh! God, I thank thee that
thou hast been so merciful and good to me, who have been so great a
sinner!’ His hand was never cold, and his pulse was always regular to
the end. I never witnessed one to whom the Lord was pleased to give a
stronger faith, which was proved by his conduct to the last. He sat
calmly speaking and listening till about half-past twelve; when he left
the prison, leaning on me and Mr. Gallachin. An immense concourse of
people presented itself at the prison gates, and their rush and noise
were greater than we expected. The newspaper account says—‘He was calm
and collected, walked with steadiness, and evinced throughout the most
decorous firmness. We could not perceive that he trembled. His mind
seemed quite absorbed in religious exercises; and, from all we can learn,
there was good and satisfactory evidence that he was a true penitent, and
relied on the Divine mercy.’”
As he was leaving the gaol he was heard to repeat the fourth verse of the
twenty-third Psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.” Mr. Hall continues: “The noise of the people
prevented my being heard by Jolin, who walked as firmly as myself: I
therefore opened my hymn-book, and pointed out to him the sufficiency of
the Redeemer, in one of those hymns which I had previously chosen for his
perusal. The hymn chosen was one beginning—
‘He lives, the great Redeemer lives!
What joy the blest assurance gives!
And now, before his Father, God,
Pleads the full merit of his blood.
In every dark, distressful hour,
When sin and Satan join their power,
Let this dear hope repel the dart,
That Jesus bears us on his heart.’