An account of the Death of Philip Jolin: who was executed for the murder of his father, in the Island of Jersey, October 3, 1829Cunningham, Francis
Religion
An account of the Death of Philip Jolin: who was executed for the murder of his father, in the Island of Jersey, October 3, 1829
Cunningham, Francis
Jolin, Philippe, -1829; Trials (Murder) -- Jersey
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
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