e*»5 
 
 I3tn, 
 
 JZ mo 
 
 Duke University Libraries 
 
 Drinking, disob 
 Conf Pam 12mo #682 
 
No. 104. 
 
 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, 
 AND DEATH: 
 
 The condemned soldier's cell made 
 
 A PALACE. 
 
 [The facts related in the following tract are both alarming and 
 encouraging. They are alarming, because the events of our war 
 prove what Washington, in his day, found to be the case, that drink- 
 ins among soldiers is the chief occasion of insubordination, incapa- 
 city, and capital offences. Already it is known to have led to the 
 execution of six of our brave soldiers, four of* whom made solemn 
 appeals to their fellow soldiers to take warning from their melan- 
 choly fate and shun the intoxicating bowl. These facts prove, also, 
 the possibility of repentance and salvation in the uttermost ex- 
 tremity, and for the chief of sinners.] 
 
 John Jenny was born at Nottingham, on the 9th of 
 January, 1793. His father dying at an early period of 
 his life, he became solely dependent on his mother; and 
 from a letter of hers, which he showed to me in his 
 confinement, it is evident that she had taken some con- 
 siderable pains to lead him to a due attention to religion 
 and propriety of conduct. She there charges him to 
 remember the many instructions he had received, and 
 the early vows he had made " before the sacred altar of 
 God." 
 
 When in his native land, however, notwithstanding 
 his mother's admonitions, he was led astray by loose 
 
2 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DKATH. 
 
 company and intoxication: which so unsettled his mind 
 from the business to which she had apprenticed him, 
 that he resolved to enter upon a soldier's life; and, 
 though only sixteen years of age, enlisted into the 2d 
 battalion of H. M. 73d regiment, and was transferred 
 into the 1st battalion in 1811. 
 
 The same causes which operated to bring him into 
 the army continued to influence him afterward, and 
 procured him the merited character of an unsteady, dis- 
 solute, bad man. The foundation of all this was his 
 inclination for evil company and intoxication, as he 
 himself assured me; and added, u O, warn my com- 
 rades against bad company and drunkenness. It was 
 that which began my ruin." His evil propensities often 
 involved him in troubh- ; at which times of distress he 
 was not without serious thoughts of his awful condition, 
 and resolutions to amend his life. But thes^ salutary 
 impressions wore ofT from forgetfulness ; and the influ- 
 ence of temptation led him to break his resolutions as 
 often as he had made them. 
 
 The circumstances which led to his last crime were 
 as follows : Having dishonestly come into the possession 
 of money, he had spent some days in incessant intem- 
 perance; and was detected in selling part of his neces- 
 saries, when his money was expended, in order to 
 continue his vices still longer. In consequence of this, 
 he was ordered by his captain to be confined in the 
 guard house. Enraged at his detection, and stupefied 
 by the effects of intoxication, he had the temerity to 
 draw back his hand upon his captain, and to strike him 
 a violent blow on the face. 
 
 So outrageous a defiance of discipline could not be 
 passed over in silence. The criminal was ordered into 
 confinement; and a general court martial having been 
 summoned, examined into the affair, and transmitted 
 their verdict to His Excellency the, Governor, the late 
 .Sir Robert Brownrigg. It was generally expected that 
 the sentence of death would be executed upon him. 
 With this expectation, he remained a prisoner in the 
 stocks; and, abandoned by man, he began to think it 
 was now high "time to seek the Lord." 
 
DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE. AND DEATH. • 
 
 Actnated by the most commendable impulse, two 
 pious Wesleyan comrades — a sergeant and a corporal in 
 the same regiment — paid him an unsolicited visit in his 
 solitary room. " Blessed is lie that considereth the 
 poor." Their conduct is worthy of high commendation, 
 as they had never any previous acquaintance with the 
 unfortunate man. His trouble was the foundation of 
 their friendship; and, as the event will prove, the means, 
 in the hands of God, of his salvation. "Go thou and 
 do likewise." They found him rather desirous than 
 otherwise of religious conversation ; and the former sent 
 us out a short note, requesting that the Rev. B. Clough, 
 my miss onary fellow-laborer, and myself, -would see 
 the prisoner, which we regularly continued to do until 
 the moment of his execution. Tile manner in which 
 he received the visits of his religious comrades cannot 
 be better described than in the language of one of 
 them : 
 
 "Soon after his trial, I was informed that he began to 
 have serious thoughts about his future state; and being 
 desired by one of my friends, I accompanied him to see 
 him. On inquiring of him if he knew how the pardon 
 of his sins was to be obtained, his answer was, that he 
 was very ignorant. I found him, however, willing to be 
 taught; of which the acknowledgment of his ignorance 
 I considered to be a proof. In the best manner that I 
 could, I therefore endeavored to impress upon his mind 
 a sense of his great ingratitude to God, by laying before 
 him the wickedness of his past life; and then compar- 
 ing it with the goodness of God to him, in creating and 
 redeeming him, and in continuing to preserve him, while 
 at the same time he was persevering in sinning and 
 rebelling against His divine authority and goodness. I 
 further exhorted him to repent of Ins sins, and turn to 
 God with all his heart, by faith in a crucified Saviour; 
 and that without any delay ; urging that, in all proba- 
 bility, the sentence of the court martial would be death; 
 and that his time in the world would likely be very 
 short. I was greatly encouraged in thus speaking to 
 him, as he listened to it all with the greatest attention. " 
 
 When Mr. Clough and I first visited him, we felt it a 
 
4 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 
 
 • 
 
 painful duty to assure him there was not the least rea- 
 son to hope for a pardon from his earthly superiors; of 
 which we were glad to observe him fully sensible, as. it 
 left him to pursue the principal object without distract- 
 ing hopes or fears. We lent him two or three suitable 
 books to read, with a Bible and Hymn-book he had 
 received from 'he corporal; and were in the habit, at 
 our evening visitations, of catechising him on divine 
 subjects, as well as expounding to him some portion of 
 God ? s word which particularly related to experimental 
 religion — that being most adapted to his situation. 
 Ours was an awful task! He seemed to devour every 
 word ! And such was his desire for salvation, that, 
 could it have been accomplished by manual labor, I am 
 persuaded every nerve would have been gladly and 
 strenuously brought into exercise. But still his mind 
 appeared to be dark, and his ideas very confused, on 
 religious subjects. He always, however, manifested 
 great thankfulness to us when we went to see him ; and, 
 on parting, would grasp our hands with much affection- 
 ate fervor, as though to acknowledge his grateful sense 
 of obligation. 
 
 At the expected time, his sentence was read to him 
 by the judge-advocate. He was to suffer the dreadful 
 sentence of the law on the 27th of October; and was 
 accordingly removed to a condemned cejl. The time of 
 his residence in the cell was about a fortnight. On his 
 being sent there, the fort adjutant, Baron Mylius, at the 
 desire of the prisoner, politely wrote us an official re- 
 quest to attend him during his last days; which we 
 assured him we should do with the utmost pleasure. 
 And it was in this outwardly melancholy little room 
 that the Holy Spirit of God appeared to work more 
 powerfully upon his soul. His views of himself and of 
 religion rapily improved, and his feelings likewise : for 
 he seemed to be a man who had but one business to 
 attend to— the salvation of his soul!" The pleasing 
 change in his condition is thus described by the same 
 religious comrade: 
 
 " T continued my visits to him as often as duty woul 
 permit, while he remained in the guard-house; and was 
 
DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 5 
 
 much pleased to see him always listen with att. ntion to 
 any person who came to converse with him about the 
 concerns of his soul. It is true that he was not so 
 serious when alone.as he ought to have been: but this 
 may be accounted for, when we consider the tempta- 
 tions or Satan, and sometimes the tendency of worldly 
 conversation, with the natural forgetfulness and depra- 
 vity of the heart of man. These were all hindrances 
 winch kept him from turning to the Lord with all his 
 heart. But wnen the time came that he was amoved 
 from the guard-house to the condemned ceil, he set 
 about the concerns of his immortal soul with more ear- 
 nestness than ever. I believe he then began to seek 
 the Lord with all his heart. I still had opportunity to 
 attend h.m in the cell, and never failed to press upon 
 mm to use all -diligence in preparing to meet his God 
 "One evening, when I went to see him, on inquiring 
 into the state of his mind, and how he had spent the 
 ? H y>. 4 °; sald h «* 'this is the happiest day that ever \ 
 
 had. Mr. has been here a considerable time, 
 
 and has written a letter for me;' which he then brought 
 me to read. Afterward he also brought me a small 
 tract: I think it was 'Serious Thoughts on Eternity,' 
 from which he said he had received much profit* 
 *roin that time there was a visible change in his coun- 
 
 * This tract was published by the Religious Tract Society in Lon- 
 don, and was made particularly useful to Jennv. One day he men- 
 troned to me the following anecdote, related in it. which had been 
 po.nted out to him by Mr. Clough, and had made a very powerful 
 impression on his mind: "A lady, who had spent the evening at 
 cards, and in gay company, returning at night, found her servant- 
 man! reading a religious book.. She looked over her shoulder, and 
 said, 'Poor melancholy soul! what pleasure canst thou find in porin- 
 so long over that book V That night the lady could not sleep, bu°t 
 lay sighing and weeping. Her servant repeatedly asked what was 
 the matter. At length she hur>t into a flood of tears, and said, 'Oh' 
 it was one word I saw in your book that troubles me: there I saw 
 that word-ETERMTY! O how happy should I be, it I were prepared 
 for eternity.'" 
 
 104-2 
 
6 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 
 
 tenance ; and, I have no doubt, a real change in his 
 heart also." 
 
 The letter referred to was one to his mother, which 
 Jenny had expressed a desire to write. And the com- 
 mandant of the garrison, Colonel Young, of the Royal 
 Artillery, having humanely sent him paper and pens 
 and ink, for that purpose, I made it my business to be 
 present with him while he performed this last act of 
 filial duty. When all things were ready, and I had 
 mended his pen for him, the poor man remained silent 
 and thoughtful for some time; at last bursting out into 
 a flood of tears, lie told me that he felt unable to write, 
 at the same time requesting I would do it for him. I 
 freely confess this was the most pathethic and moving 
 circumstance of the kind I ever had to encounter, and 
 I am persuaded I shall never forget my feelings on that 
 occasion while I live. 
 
 When we had both sufficiently recovered our firm- 
 ness, ] conversed with him most particularly, in order 
 to become intimately acquainted with the sentiments he 
 wished to communicate ; and, taking up the pen, wrote 
 what I conceived a faithful expression of his feelings; 
 suggesting to him sentence by sentence, as it was writ- 
 ten, to which he assented. And, after reading the 
 whole over, wiili many tears, and falling back on his 
 bed, and crying very bitterly, he summoned up his cou- 
 rage, and signed it with his own hand. 
 
 It appears that tin's letter gave utterance to the newly- 
 formed emotions of his heart, and was instrumental in 
 improving his views of the way of salvation ; for he 
 always named the period of writing it as the memor- 
 able time when his gloomy fears of futurity were re- 
 moved, and he was first enabled to look upward to 
 God with humble, penitent, believing confidence in his 
 mercy, through Jesus Christ Under the Divine bless- 
 ing, there is every reason to believe that it was made a 
 means of grace to his repentant soul. To the Lord be 
 all the praise ! 
 
 As it was thus so essential-. y his own language, an 
 extract of the letter shall be given ; only omitting those 
 parts which were purely of a domestic and private na- 
 ture. 
 
DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 7 
 
 "Colombo, October 22tf, 1817. 
 "My dear and affectionate Mother, 
 
 " Mr. , one of the missionaries in this place, 
 
 has promised me lie will give you every particular of 
 my present situation. When I think how you will feel 
 at hearing of my awful case, my heart grieves; and I 
 wish, with all my heart, that I had paid more attention 
 to your good advice and prayers for me. But 1 hope 
 that. God will support your mind, and comfort you witli 
 the assurance that' we shall meet in a better world. I 
 can say, with truth, 'It is good for me that I have been 
 in trouble;' for, before I was in trouble, I went astray; 
 but, I trust, I am now brought back to God. 
 
 "When I was put into confinement, the missionaries 
 visited me; and by their instiuctions, and reading the 
 *V\ 7 ord of God, I have been led to see and fve\ myself a 
 wretched sinner; and, indeed, this I have been, especi- 
 ally since I saw you. But I repent of my sins before 
 God, with all my heart: I can say I hate them, and 
 would sooner die than live to sin against God as I have 
 
 done. I have opened all my feelings to Mr. , who 
 
 writes this letter. He will tell you all about me. 
 
 u I am a sinner — a great sinner; but, by the grace 
 and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, I. have a comfort- 
 able hope of heaven; and, on this account, I do not 
 fear to die. I am at peace with all the world. My 
 affection is the same as ever it was to you, my dear 
 
 mother, and my brother. I have begged Mr. to 
 
 write him some good advice; which [ hope he will 
 follow. Farewell, my dear mother. Meet me in heaven, 
 
 by the. merits of Christ, there to sing his praises for eve 
 with your affectionate son, John Jenny." 
 
 After his removal to the cell, he was visited by the 
 -Rev. T. Griffiths and the . Rev J. Chater. He was 
 always ready to hear Christian conversation; and when 
 his cell door was opened, he seemed glad to find it for 
 the admission of any one who would come to speak to 
 him on the salvation of his soul. 
 
 The letter to his mother was written on the Wednes- 
 
8 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 
 
 day before his death. As lias been already observed, 
 from that day a very considerable change was visible 
 in him. Me appeared,. in general, calm and composed 
 ever afterward; frequently blessing God for his m^rcy 
 toward him. 
 
 On the Friday, making him our usual visit, 1 was 
 greatly surprised to find him engaged in writing. He 
 immediately rose, and with a cheerful, placid Counte- 
 nance, presented me with a paper containing his u con- 
 fession •/' which was afterward read to the troops in 
 Ceylon by military authority. 
 
 Confession of John Jenny, as it was written by himself* 
 
 "I am committed for a crime which will affect my 
 life; but, though it is a serious matter, I am far more 
 concerned about my genera! conduct and character. I 
 have lived in a very bad way. There are many sins 
 which human laws do not punish; and the crime for 
 which L am committed is but a small part of my nrmlt- 
 My life has been full of evil. I wish, therefore, to think 
 of it all, and to know the best way of preparing myself 
 to meet my great account. And every night, when I am 
 in my cell, my wHoIh life comes into my mind ; and 
 thousands of things, which I have not thought of for 
 many years past. O God ! be merciful to me a sinner. 
 But how can I expect mercy, who went on in sin till 
 justice laid hold of me, and who came to God only be-'* 
 cause I had nowhere else to go to ? I have hopes! — 
 Christ died for the worst of sinners.- I think God had 
 thoughts of mercy toward me; else why did he brin^ me 
 here? Why has he given me so long time to think of 
 my state? 'What brought me to my captain's place, [ 
 cannot tell. I had no business there. It was that I 
 might be brought hither, to be taught the way of salva- 
 tion. I bless God, night and day, that I ever entered 
 the" walls of this prison. This little hope I feel, that I 
 shall obtain mercy: it gives an happiness to which none 
 of the pleasures of sin can ever be compared. I never 
 
 *The original confession, in his own handwriting, was given to 
 the commandant, at his own desire. 
 
DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 9 
 
 knew anything of happiness till now ! O that I may but 
 be saved at the last ! I confess the justice of my sen- 
 tence; and I warn all my comrades against evil com- 
 pany and drunkenness, by which I brought myself to 
 this unhappy end which I now must suffer. I had 
 rather die this death .than be set at my liberty, and left 
 to myself and my own wicked heart, to run into\he 
 temptations of the wicked world again ! God, who 
 knows the secret thoughts of my heart, knows that this- 
 is the truth; and I hope God?will R give me true repent- 
 ance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ ! I beg you 
 will with me unite in prayer to God Almighty. I die in 
 peace with God and all the world. 
 " Colombo, 2Vh day of October, 1817. 
 
 "Given under my hand, far from my home. 
 
 "John Jenny." 
 
 On perusing the paper, I commended him for his 
 openness and honesty of confession ; and we had some 
 interesting conversation together, about the things of 
 God and of salvation. 
 
 As his end approached, his spiritual improvement 
 daily became more and more evident. He was truly a 
 wonder to all who came to see him. When some supe- 
 rior staff officers visited him, who supposed, from his 
 serenity, that he was buoying himself up with the hopes 
 of pardon, he assured them, in the most modest manner, 
 that that was not the case; and added: "Gentlemen, 
 this cell has been more than a palace to me. I bless 
 God that ever I was brought in here! I would rather 
 take my sentence to-morrow, with the humble hopes I 
 have, than have a pardon, and live to sin against God as 
 T have done in my past life." 
 
 The day before his death, the late honorable and ven 
 erable Dr. Twisleton, archdeacon of Colombo, visited 
 him, as he expressed himself, "to behold a man who, at 
 the close of a wicked life, has repentant feelings, and to 
 congratulate him;" and was much struck .with admira- 
 tion at his case. He was not a man of many words; 
 but what he said, clearly displayed the state of his 
 mind. 
 
10 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 
 
 Feeling a holy jealousy for him, we were careful to 
 examine him in the most scrutinizing rnanner, setting 
 before him the awful danger of a miscarriage in a work 
 which, in his situation, could be done but once. He 
 always answered our inquiries as to his real feelings of 
 heart with the most child-like openness; and we are 
 satisfied that he had found peace with God, and expe- 
 rienced the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 The testimony of his pious friend, already spoken of, 
 is likewise satisfactory on this head. He observes: 
 "I had still some fears on my mind, lest he should be 
 taken up with a false peace; and one day I asked him, 
 in a very solemn manner, on what grounds he built his 
 hopes of heaven. He paused for a little, and then said, 
 'I have been a great sinner; and all my hope and trust 
 is in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ.' This 
 was a satisfactory answer; and 1 think I could not de- 
 sire a plainer. I was with him a considerable part of 
 the day before his death — when we joined in prayer 
 several times; and one time 1 pressed on him to pray 
 himself. He was rather unwilling to begin, being afraid 
 lest he could not express himself in a proper manner; 
 but I told him that God did not look for fine words, but 
 at the sincerity of the heart. Then he began to confess 
 that we had done many things which we ought not to 
 have done, and that we had left undone those things 
 which we ought to have.done ; and went on to pray that 
 the Lord would have mercy on us, and that he would 
 strengthen and support him in his hour of trial; and so 
 concluded. During the evening, when 1 was with him, 
 I asked him if there was any part of the Word of God 
 that he could apply to himself. ' Yes,' said he : 'Come 
 unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I 
 will give you rest/ At another time, 1 inquired whether 
 he would be willing to accept of his pardon, and live the 
 life he had done, or whether he would rather suffer. His 
 answer was that he would rather suffer." 
 
 On the evening before his execution, being the Lord's 
 day, we administered the sacrament of the Lord's sup- 
 per to him and a few religious friends, who felt a satis- 
 faction in communing with him. That cell never saw 
 
DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 1 1 
 
 such a scene before ! It was an awfully pleasing ser- 
 vice ! The poor man appeared greatly refreshed; nor, 
 •1 believe, will the season ever be forgotten by those 
 who survive. Surely, Jesus is present "wheresoever 
 two or three are met together" in His name ! After the 
 sacrament, we sat a short time in religious conversation, 
 each telling something of the goodness of God toward 
 himself; and about twelve o'clock we left poor Jenny, 
 with his two Christian friends, to take a little sleep, and 
 thus be 'the better prepared for the solemn transactions 
 of the approaching morning. On going again, between 
 four and five o'clock, we were glad to find he had slept 
 almost the whole of the time; not- appearing in the least 
 agitated or discomposed, excepting one sudden start 
 during his short sleep, perhaps an involuntary effort of 
 lingering humanity against the dreadful moment which 
 was drawing so near. 
 
 Dr. Twistleton kindly went with us to the cell, in the 
 morning, and prayed with us. The prisoner had no 
 fears; and when the gun fired, as a signal for the troops 
 in the garrison to assemble, he requested the provost 
 marshal to be informed that he was ready, and did not 
 wish any delay on his account. The commandant, Col. 
 Young, displayed much compassionate interest in the 
 case of the condemned penitent, and generously acceded 
 to any request which was made in his behalf. By his 
 express permission, his two religious comrades support- 
 ed him to the awful spot, and performed the last offices 
 for him after his execution. Colonel O'Connell like- 
 wise considerately set them free from regimental duty, 
 for the same purpose. 
 
 Dr. Twistleton. accompanied the solemn piocession 
 along with us, and was greatly gratified with his con- 
 tinued peace and serenity of mind. Under the south 
 gate I observe to him that I hoped he was going out of 
 an earthly gate in order to enter into an heavenly one. 
 He replied, "Yes, glory be to God, I hope I am." 
 After we had proceeded a few paces farther, he lifted 
 his eyes to heaven, and exclaimed, "I shall soon see 
 Him whom I love." When he had got outside of the 
 fort, in view of the parade on which he was to suffer 
 
12 DRINKING, DISOBEDIENCE, AND DEATH. 
 
 death, he commenced, quite unexpectedly to us, repeat- 
 ing the forty-third hymn, "And am I born to die," etc.; 
 which he went completely through, without any mis- 
 take, repeating the last verse with the sweetest expres- 
 sion and emphasis imaginable — 
 
 " So shall I love my God 
 
 Because he first loved me, 
 And praise thee in thy bright abode 
 To all eternity." 
 
 Casting his eyes upward, with humble confidence, he 
 added, "Yes, glory be to God, I shall." 
 
 At Dr. Twistleton's request, he repeated the whole- 
 hymn again in the same manner. It had been pointed 
 
 out to him by Corporal , at the commencement 
 
 of his confinement; and had been rendered so useful to 
 him, that he had committed the whole to memory, most 
 correctly.* 
 
 When the procession approached the line, down which 
 we were slowly to move, it was observed by some in the 
 ranks that his countenance appeared to glisten with joy 
 and composure! tie retained his firmness: while we 
 continued on each side, to assist his remembrance, by 
 repeating portions of Scripture adapted to his circum- 
 stances; to which he, two or three times, returned the 
 most pleasing and satisfactory replies. On reaching the 
 end of the line, we inarched to the centre of the army, 
 when his coffin was placed upon the ground. We 
 kneeled round it, and commended him to God, in solemn 
 prayer; and he was almost immediately dismissed from 
 the body, into an eternal world. His last words were, 
 " Farewell ! Glory be to God ! I am a happy man." 
 
 So died John Jenny, October 27th, 1817, aged nearly 
 twenty-five years. " Is not this a brand plucked out of 
 the fire?" Zech. iii, 2. 
 
 * The hymn may be found in the Weslyan Hymn-book. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRACT SOCIETY. 
 
 Evans & Cogswell, Printers, No. 3 Broad street, Charleston, 8. C. 
 
/ 
 
 Hollinger Corp* 
 P H8.5