BRISTOL: Printed by WILLIAM PINE, in _Wine-Street_. MDCCLXXII.
THE CONTENTS Of the TENTH VOLUME.
_Serious thoughts occasioned by the late Earthquake at Lisbon._
_A Collection of Forms of Prayer for every Day in the week._
_A Collection of Prayers for Families._
_An Address to the Clergy._
_A short Account of the Death of_ Thomas Hitchens.
_A short Account of the Death of_ Samuel Hitchens.
_A short Account of the Life and Death of_ Nathanael Othen.
_Some Account of the Life and Death of_ Matthew Lee.
_Extract of the Life and Death of Mr._ John Janeway.
_Extract of the Life and Death of Mr._ Thomas Haliburton.
Illustration: (‡ decoration)
SERIOUS THOUGHTS Occasioned by the late Earthquake at _LISBON_.
_Tua res agitur, paries quum proximus ardet._
THINKING men generally allow that the greater part of modern Christians are not more virtuous than the antient Heathens: perhaps less so; since public spirit, love of our country, generous honesty and simple truth, are scarce any where to be found. On the contrary, covetousness, ambition, various injustice, luxury and falshood in every kind, have infected every rank and denomination of people, the clergy themselves not excepted. Now they who believe there is a God are apt to believe, he is not well pleased with this. Nay, they think, he has intimated it very plainly, in many parts of the Christian world. How many hundred thousand men have been swept away by war, in _Europe_ only, within half a century? How many thousands, within little more than this, hath the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up? Numbers sunk at _Port-Royal_, and rose no more. Many thousands went quick into the pit at _Lima_. The whole city of _Catanea_ in _Sicily_, and every inhabitant of it perished together. Nothing but heaps of ashes and cinders shew where it stood. Not so much as one _Lot_ escaped out of _Sodom_!
And what shall we say of the late accounts from _Portugal_? That some thousand houses, and many thousand persons are no more! That a fair city is now in ruinous heaps. Is there indeed a God that judges the world? And is he now making inquisition for blood? If so, it is not surprizing, he should begin there, where so much blood has been poured on the ground like water? Where so many brave men have been murdered, in the most base and cowardly, as well as barbarous manner, almost every day, as well as every night, while none regarded or laid it to the heart. “Let them hunt and destroy the precious life, so we may secure our stores¹ of gold and precious stones.” How long has their blood been crying from the earth? Yea, how long has that bloody _house of mercy_², the scandal not only of all religion, but even of human nature, stood to insult both heaven and earth? _And shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged of such a city as this?_
¹ Merchants who have lived in _Portugal_ inform us, that the king had a large building filled with diamonds: and more gold stored up, coined and uncoined, than all the other princes of _Europe_ together.
² The title which the _Inquisition_ of Portugal (if not in other countries also) takes to itself.
It has been the opinion of many, that even this nation has not been without some marks of God’s displeasure. Has not war been let loose even within our own land, so that _London_ itself felt the alarm? Has not a pestilential sickness broken in upon our cattle, and in many parts, left not one of them alive? And although the earth does not yet open in _England_ or _Ireland_, has it not shook, and reeled to and fro like a drunken man? And that not in one or two places only, but almost from one end of the kingdom to the other?
Perhaps one might ask, Was there nothing uncommon, nothing more than is usual at this season of the year, in the rains, the hail, the winds, the thunder and lightning, which we have lately heard and seen? Particularly, in the storm which was the same day and hour, that they were playing off _Macbeth_’s thunder and lightning at the theatre. One would almost think they designed this (inasmuch as the entertainment continued, notwithstanding all the artillery of heaven) as a formal answer to that question, “Canst thou thunder with an arm like him?”
What shall we say to the affair of _♦Whitson Cliffs_? Of which were it not for the unparalleled stupidity of the _English_, all _England_ would have rang long ago, from one sea to another. And yet seven miles from the place, they knew little more of it in _May_ last, than if it had happened in _China_ or _Japan_.
♦ “Whiston” replaced with “Whitson” per Errata