A Good Conscience and a Honest Life, a Sermon, Preached Upon Occasion of the Sentence of Transportation for Life, Passed Upon Certain Convicts, Late Inhabitants of Disley and the Neighbourhood

A Good Conscience And A Honest Life, A Sermon, Preached Upon Occasion Of The Sentence Of Transportation For Life, Passed Upon Certain Convicts, Late Inhabitants Of Disley And The Neighbourhood" by William Marriott. The sermon, delivered at Disley Church on Sunday, September 15, 1811, addresses the disturbance caused by criminal activity in the village and the recent convicts sentenced to transportation for life. Marriott juxtaposes the horrors of crime—robbery, assault, and the brutal treatment of a pregnant woman—with the Gospel’s call to a good conscience and honest living. He argues that Sabbath-breaking and idleness contribute to crime, and urges both the poor and the better?off to exert themselves to cultivate virtue, pursue legitimate work, educate children, and support public order. The text includes exhortations to avoid poaching, to report offences, and to promote Sunday schools and catechism instruction. It also cites executions as moral illustrations, and presents a program for moral reform anchored in Christian faith, personal responsibility, and communal action. The sermon seeks to renew conscience and foster social virtue amid industrial change and crime.