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B08843
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A country dialogue between William and James, on the monthly fast-day with reflections on the earthquake which lately happened at Jamaica, and here Sept. 8. 1692.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing C6528; ESTC R171554
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12,007
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8
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and the Prophets Then directing his Discourse to the Earl of Oxford who waited then as Gentleman of the Bedchamber with the same Asseveration striking his Breast he said I will do as I would be done by for that is the Law and the Prophets Then speaking to Sir Henry Firebrace Clerk-Comptroller in waiting he continued his religious Protestation smiting his Breast c. as before I saw and heard all this Billy as I hope for Salvation And his Majesty express'd himself so pathetically that we did see as it were his Royal Soul in his Pious Face Vultus index animi if ever it was true 't was at that time And to confirm he spoke his Sentiments a Great Person who is now alive told me then the King had declar'd in Coucil There was nothing his People could ask of him that he would not do to satisfie them yet I am afraid said he 't is 〈◊〉 too late His Lordship is now in Commission and therefore you need not doubt of his Majesty's Integrity since a Williamite avow'd it A Peer of the Realm doth not swear when he gives his Verdict against his Fellow-Peer only puts his Hand to his Heart saying Vpon my Honour and 'ts sufficient His Majesty King James did it three times calling God to witness I hope you will allow him his Peerage Billy Yet infatuated Englishmen would not believe him How many Millions of Money How many Thousands of Lives How many Hundreds of Ships had we saved What Reproaches What Calamities nay What Sinâ— had we avoided by adhering to our pious Soveraign's Promises and Declarations But we blasphemed the Lord 's Anointed and our Soveraign Lord the King saying He is a Deceiver we will not believe him We will not have this man to reign ever us and yet at the same time embraced the P. of Orange as a Saviour sent from Heaven inspired for our miâ—â—culous Preservation and are still going on in our Lethargick Chimera's altho he hath not made out any thing in his Declarations particularly his bringing over the P. of Wales's Mother a poor Baker's Wife as was pretended tho K. James sent Letters to both Houses to examine narrowly into the Birth of that Prince saying It is not to be supposed at this time of day that the P. of Wales back awny Friends in either House yet it was not insisted on because they know the Proofs irrefragable And tho some say that was not in the P. of Orange's Declaration yet 't is well known that such a Woman was every Night exposed on Horselack in Holland where their Circie of Coaches met as ours do in Hide-Park and publickly declared the P. of Wâ—les Mother who was to go into England with the P. of Orange to confront the Juggle as tâ—â—y call'd it of the Birth of the P. of Wales To confirm the truth of this several Persons of Substance who were then in Holland have deserted the P. of Orange's Interest upon that politick Dutch-Trick You may judge of all other Cheats by this If the P. of Orange's Design had been purely to settle Religion and Property by Law and for preventing Popery and Arbitrary Power and to settle the Succession as 't was pretended Why did he not as King James proposed remain in some part of his Majesty's Dominion with his Troops that a Free Parliament might be called to adjust all Jealousies and Grievances This had been a most glorious Atchievment worthy to be engraven in the Roll of Fame ad perpetuam rei memoriam But inftead of giving an Answer to the King his Uncle and Father-in-law by the Lords whom he had sent to him on that Errand he marches directly for Windsor Castle and thence to St. James's And to shew he came positively for the Crown all his Declarations were in the Royal Stile We c. To pursue which Design after the Guards were set by the King he changed them to Dutch Guards and sent three Lords when His Majesty was in a sound sleep at Midnight who rudely wak'd him tho disswaded from it by the Page and Gentleman of the Bed-chamber who told them the K. was not well and had slept very little in two Nights before to tell him the P. of Orange could not think himself safe His Majesty being so near him and therefore he would have him remove that Night too else they might have staid until the Morning either to ham-House or to Hampton-Court O barbarous Insolence You or I could not have endured it from Servants no not from our Parents Will. Odsooks I would have broke their Heads had any served me so Jam. Well then by this time I hope you do not think the King did abdicate us we do not truly understand the word it signifies a free and voluntary resignation of our Right Now pray consider did K. James freely and voluntarily resign his Crowns or was he not forced to make his escape out of the hands of his Enemies to save his Life For they had put a Dutch Guard upon him by which he was made a Prisoner and Death usually is the next step to Monarchs Will. They must go whom the Devil drives I never heard a word of this before Jam. No nor thousands more but the quite contrary for they are true Children of their Father they delight in and carry on their designs by Lies But what have we gain'd by this Revolution and Rebellion Let us cast up our Accompts Imprimis We have Dethron'd Depos'd Banish'd and for ever as much as in us lies extirpated our Lawful King and his true Heir under whom we enjoy'd Peace Plenty and Prosperity We paid nothing for these Blessings Billy no! not so much as our Prayers and Praises to Heaven for them as we ought if we had God would not have permitted these judgments to fall upon us Our Sins are the cause let us therefore repent and make restitution to our so much injur'd Soveraign Repentance cannot be true without Restitution to repent and yet continue in the same Sin is nonsense 'T is like the Swearing Clergy-men who in the Letany pray From all Sedition privy Conspiracy and Rebellion good Lord deliver us and yet they continue in Actual Rebellion Preaching against their Lawful King and praying for an Usurper Call ye these Prayers and Praises to God No no be not deceiv'd 'T is the sacrifice of Fools and Knaves and God will esteem it no other I fear and tremble at it There were few or no Taxes in K. James's Reign but since this Revolution Rebellion and Usurpation in four years time only more Money hath been drain'd from poor mistaken-abused England than in the two former Reigns from the miraculous Restoration of K. Charles II. more than 28 Years which great Blessing We have quite forgotten too until the Diabolical Abdication of K. James Nay I may safely take in the Reigns of Qu. Elizabeth K. James I. and K. Charles I. In all 129 years in whose Reign what noise did a little Ship-money make
them by his forbearance Will. Truly we are a very wicked and obdurate People yet God is pleased still to Warn us What a terrible Trepidation had we this 8th day of Seprember at Two of the Clock in the Afternoon Which shews God can shake this Terra firma so much relied on by insensible Wretches Jam. Yea and shake it to pieces worse than at Jamaica if we do not Repent and make Restitution There is a memorable Passage in the sixteen Chapter of the Acts almost synonymous but very pertinent to our Transactions here in England and the Earthquake this day I will insert it and enlarge upon it Paul and Silas the Apostle and Disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ were for Preaching the Gospel and working a Miracle Acts xvi beaten with many Stripes and cast into Prison And that they might be kept more secure they were thrust into the Stocks Our Archbishop and several Bishops and Ministers Ver. 23 24. are violently thrust from their lawful Habitations and just Rights and Possessions and confined with the Fetters of Poverty and Penury and were it not for the Charity of well-disposed Christians they and their innocent Families would starve because they refuse to act against their Consciences But Paul and Silas Prayed and sung Praises unto God and suddenly there was an Earthquake and the Foundation of the Prison was shaken and the Doors were opened and their Bonds loosed and the Keeper fearing the Prisoners were fled would have killed himself But Paul cried with a loud Voice Do thy self no harm for we are all here Then when he had called for a Light and saw the wonderful effects of the Earthquake he trembled As many of us God be thanked did at this days Earthquake and brought Paul and Silas out and said Sirs What must I do to be saved And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house Ver. 25. to 34. And he took them the same hour and washed their Stripes and and was baptized he and all his And when he had brought them into his house he set meat before them and rejoyced believing in God and all his house Three things are very remarkable in this Man's Conversion Faith Repentance and Restitution 1. Faith Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ vers 29. And that he did believe is plain for he was baptized vers 33. 2. Repentance He trembled and fell down before them vers 29. He was sorry and grieved for his past Sins and resolved to turn from them and lead a new life walking in God's holy Commandments for the future if he could find the true way and therefore he cries out with great earnestness in a mighty Agony of Spirit Sirs What must I do to be saved 3. Restitution He did as much as lay in his power He could not take off the Indignity Affront Smart and Pain that the Stripes and Stocks gave them and with which he had so cruelly and with great inveteracy but a little before loaded them but he washed their Sores bath'd their Bruises bound up their Wounds and brought them into his House set Meat before them and rejoyced and believed in and praised God O happy change From a Jaylor he became free-born in Christ Jesus O blessed Earthquake thus to shake and change the hearts of Sinners from a hardened Adamantine Persecution of Christ's Apostles and Disciples to the tenderness of a divine Repentanee and an invincible Charity God grant the Earthquake this day may have the same Eâ—ects with us that we may wash the Stripes of those we have scourged and with this Keeper of the Prison repent and make Restitution without which no Repentance can be true God hath shaken his Rod over us and if we do not amend our Lives he will let it fall heavy upon us He warned Jamaica with such Tremblings as we have seen this day several times before his Judgments poured down upon them O let us heartily reslect on our past wicked Lives and with unfeigned Sorrow and effectual Repentance turn from our ways with loathing and detestation chusing rather to dye than commit or continue in any known Sin And tho Earthquakes are caused by the Air being compressed or pent in the Bowels or Caverns of the Earth and proceed from natural Causes as Thunder and Lightning do are bounded by God's omnipotent Providence and cannot hurt without his Permission yet if the Punishment of our Neighbours and his threatning Rod which he hath this day held over us in great mercy will not move us to forsake the crying Sins treated of at large in the Premises of which we are so notoriously guilty he will suffer his Anger to break forth into Fury and consume Us our Wives our Houses and our Children in the twinkling of an eye and not only punish us temporally but hurry us into Perdition with the eternally tormented Souls in Hell-fire Will. God forbid we should provoke his Mercies by continuing in our Sins Verily your Discourse and this merciful warning from Heaven hath so touch'd my Soul that I do now and will always pray that God would grant us true Repentance and loyal Hearts to restore our Deposed King Amen Jam. Fellow-Subjects dear Brethren and Christians for Jesus Christ's sake consider If we persist an intestine War will inevitably follow Pray reflect on the Miseries of Ireland and 't is but just that we who would not know our own Happiness should be made so miserable If we continue obstinate and not restore King James in his life-time yet an indisputable Right to the Crown lives as long as the Prince of Wales survives or other Sons which the Queen may still have There will be an entail'd War upon the Nation so long as any Interest can be made to soment and support it Pray reflect on the bloody Contentions of the Houses of York and Lancaster and tell me if it is morally possible that we can be happy whilst a just Dispute continues amongst us between a Dispossest Right and an Vnjust Possession God of his infinite Mercy give us true Repentance loyal Hearts and discerning Souls that we may see and pursue the things which make for our Peace here and our eternal Welfare hereafter Amen Sept. 8. 1692. FINIS