them: And how fhall one man be able to obtain the pardon of millions, or repair the injuries he hath done to millions? How fhall thofe, who, by a most destructive fraud, got the whole wealth of our neighbouring kingdom into their hands, be ever able to make a recompence? How will the authors and promoters of that villainous pro ject, for the ruin of this poor country, be able to account with us for the injuries they have already done, although they fhould no farther fucceed? The deplorable cafe of fuch wretches, muft entirely be left to the unfathomable mercies of God. For thofe who know the leaft in reli gion, are not ignorant, that without our utmost endeavours to make reftitution to the perfon injured, and to obtain his pardon, added to a fin cere repentance, there is no hope of falvation given in the gospel.

Laftly, All offences against our own country, have this aggravation, that they are ungrateful and unnatural. It is to our country we owe thofe laws, which protect us in our lives, our li berties, our properties, and our religion. Our country produced us into the world, and continues to nourish us, fo that it is ufually called our mother; and there have been examples of great magiftrates, who have put their own children to death, for endeavouring to betray their country, as if they had attempted the life of their natural parent.

Thuss

Thus I have briefly fhewn you, how terrible a fin it is to be an enemy to our country, in order to incite you to the contrary virtue, which at this juncture is fo highly neceffary, when every man's endeavour will be of ufe. We have hitherto been just able to fupport ourselves under many hardships; but now the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and nothing but a firm union among us can prevent our utter undoing. This we are obliged to, in duty to our Gracious King, as well as ourselves. Let us therefore preserve that public spirit which God hath raised in us, for our own temporal intereft. For, if this wicked project should fucceed, which it cannot do but by our own folly; if we fell ourselves for nought, the merchant, the fhopkeeper, the artificer, muft fly to the defart with their miserable families, there to ftarve, or live upon rapine, or at least exchange their country for one more hofpitable than that where they were born.

Thus much I thought it my duty to fay to you, who are under my care, to warn you against thofe temporal evils, which may draw the worst of spiritual evils after them; fuch as heart-burnings, murmurings, difcontents, and all manner of wickedness which a defperate condition of life may tempt men to.

I am fenfible that what I have now faid will not go very far, being confined to this affembly; but I hope it may ftir up others of my brethren to exhort their feveral congregations, after a

more

more effectual manner, to fhew their love for their country upon this important occafion. And this, I am fure, cannot be called meddling in affairs of ftate.

I pray God protect his moft gracious Majefty, and this kingdom, long under his government, and defend us from all ruinous projectors, déceivers, fuborners, perjurers, false accufers, and oppreffors; from the virulence of party and faction; and unite us in loyalty to our king, love to our country, and charity to each other. And this we beg for Jesus Christ his fake: To whom, &c.

'A

A

PROPOSAL,

THAT

All the LADIES and WOMEN of IRELAND fhould appear conftantly in IRISH MA

NUFACTURES.

Written in the year 1729...

HERE was a Treatife written about nine

TH

years ago, to perfuade the people of Ireland to wear their own manufactures*. This Treatife was allowed to have not one fyllable in it of party or difaffection, but was wholly founded upon the growing poverty of the nation, occafioned by the utter want of trade in every branch, except that ruinous importation of all foreign extravagances from other countries. This Treatife was prefented, by the Grand Jury of the city and county of Dublin, as a fcandalous, feditious, and factious pamphlet. I forget who

* See vol. iii. p. 327.

was

A

was the foreman of the City Grand Jury; but the foreman for the county, was one Dr Seal, register to the Archbishop of Dublin, wherein he differed much from the fentiments of his Lord. The Printer was tried before the late Mr-Whitshed, that famous Lord Chief Juftice; who, on the bench, laying his hand on his heart, declared upon his falvation, that the author was a Jacobite, ⚫ and had a defign to beget a quarrel between the two nations. In the midst of this profecution, about 1500 weavers were forced to beg their bread, and had a general contribution made for their relief, which juft ferved to make them drunk for a week; and then they were forced to turn rogues, or strolling beggars, or to leave the kingdom.

The Duke of Grafton, who was then Lieutenant, being perfectly ashamed of so infamous and unpopular a proceeding, obtained from England a noli profequi for the Printer. Yet the Grand Jury had folemn thanks given them from the Secretary of State.

I mention this paffage (perhaps too much forgotten) to fhew how dangerous it hath been for the best meaning perfon to write one fyllable in the defence of his country, or discover the miserable condition it is in.

And, to prove this truth, I will produce one inftance more, wholly omitting the famous cafe of the Drapier, and the proclamation against him, as well as the perverfenefs of another jury

.I

against