'Enemies, I thought not of them, neither hath the Sun almost set upon my Displeasure; but I have been as a Dove, free from Superfluity of Maliciousness. Thy Creatures have been my Books, but thy Scrip6 tures much more. I have fought Thee in the Courts, 'Fields and Gardens, but I have found Thee in thy Temples. THOUSANDS have been my Sins, and ten ⚫ thousands my Tranfgreffions, but thy Sanctifications have • remained with me, and my Heart (through thy Grace) ⚫ hath been an unquenched Coal upon thine Altar. ་ 'O LORD, my Strength! I have fince my Youth met with Thee in all my Ways, by thy Fatherly Compaffions, by thy comfortable Chaftifements, and by thy moft vifible Providence. As thy Favours have ' increased upon me, fo have thy Corrections; fo as 'thou hast been always near me, O Lord! And ever as my wordly Bleflings were exalted, fo fecret Darts from Thee have pierced me; and when I have af'cended before. Men, I have defcended in Humiliation 'before Thee. And now when I thought most of 'Peace and Honour, thy Hand is heavy upon me, and hath humbled me according to thy former Loving. kindness, keeping me ftill in thy fatherly School, not as a Baftard, but as a Child. Juft are thy Judgments ་ upon me for my Sins, which are more in Number than the Sands of the Sea, but have no Proportion to thy Mercies; for what are the Sands of the Sea? Earth, Heavens, and all thefe, are nothing to thy • Mercies. Befides my innumerable Sins, I confefs before Thee, that I am Debtor to Thee for the gra'cious Talent of thy Gifts and Graces, which I have neither put into a Napkin, nor put it (as I ought) to Exchangers, where it might have made beft Profit, but mifpent it in Things for which I was leaft fit: So I may truly fay, my Soul hath been a Stranger in the Course of my Pilgrimage. Be merciful unto me, () Lord, for my Saviour's Sake, and receive me unto thy Bofom, or guide me in thy Ways.' 6 Ote, Bollane, cerebri Felicem Aiebam tacitus, cum quidlibet ille -Hor. Would I were like rough Manly in the Play, N° 268. Tuesday, December 26, 1710. AT From my own Apartment, December 25. T my coming Home laft Night, I found upon my Table the following Petition or Project, fent me from Lloyd's Coffee-houfe in the City, with a Prefent of Port Wine, which had been bought at a late Auction held in that Place. To Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq; Cenfor of Great Britain... W E the Customers of this Coffee house, obferving that you have taken into your Confide, ration the great Mifchiefs daily done in this City by • Coffee-houfe Orators, do humbly beg Leave to reprefent to you, That this Coffee-house being provided with a Pulpit for the Benefit of fuch Auctions that are, frequently made in this Place, it is our Custom, • upon. the firit coming in of the News, to order a Youth, who officiates as the Kidney of the Coffeehoufe, to get into the Pulpit, and read every l'aper with a loud and diftin&t Voice, while the whole Au dience arepping their refpective Liquors. We do therefore, sir, humbly propofe, that there be a Pulpit erected within every Coffee-houfe of this City and the "the adjacent Parts; That one off he Tami "Coffee-house be nominated a teaser it t "pit; That after the News of me Day lifhed by the faid Lecturer, fome Pizza & y Note do afcend into the ac rig 25 E ving chosen for his Tex ary Ancé à se as that he do establish me Atom á la clear the Doubts that may ale sex "it with Parallel Texs in me the race red : 'wholesome Points of Doce a ra lutary Conclufions for the Best as all that hear him Wes See That upon any fach P.: ' he shall be fucceeded by any Tre • himself moved by the ae 252 21 'be at full Libery enter a micr the other has faid before 'Manner be fucceeded by ane with the fame Libery corny sex ftrengthen or iade Ca his Schemes, or er new se 'do likewife forta poyi, Tu és ་ mediately orden is made by ' whether it be app 'mons, Bafines of borry, the. to take his Place in the Fun THIS, S, weg ge ་ Measure put a boy to tak ⚫ would not dare to hand A long and teon Haaga es they daily enter a paz Can 'many hone Traseine, te veca d'eux nent Citizens, me Varig off with sh tents, and to the ya intan ato is Majefty's Subje Ote, Bollane, cerebri Felicem Aiebam tacitus, cum quidlibet ille Would I were like rough Manly in the Play, N° 268. Tuesday, December 26, 1710. AT From my own Apartment, December 25. T my coming Home laft Night, I found upon my Table the following Petition or Project, fent me from Lloyd's Coffee-houfe in the City, with a Prefent of Port Wine, which had been bought at a late Auction held in that Place. To Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq; Cenfor of Great Britain... Lloyd's Coffee-boufe, Lombard Street. Dec. 23. W E the Customers of this Coffee house, obferving that you have taken into your Confide, ration the great Mifchiefs daily done in this City by • Coffee-houfe Orators, do humbly beg Leave to reprefent to you, That this Coffee-houfe being provided with a Pulpit for the Benefit of fuch Auctions that are frequently made in this Place, it is our Cuftom, upon the firit coming in of the News, to order a. Youth, who officiates as the Kidney of the Coffeehoufe, to get into the Pulpit, and read every l'aper with a loud and diftin&t Voice, while the whole Au dience arepping their refpective Liquors. We do therefore, sir, humbly propofe, that there be a Pulpit erected within every Coffee-houfe of, this City and ⚫ the "the adjacent Parts; That one of the Waiters of the Coffee-house be nominated as Reader to the faid Pul"pit; That after the News of the Day has been publifhed by the faid Lecturer, fome Politician of good: Note do afcend into the faid Pulpit; and after having chofen for his Text any Article of the faid News,. that he do establish the Authority of fuch Article,. clear the Doubts that may arife thereupon, compare it with Parallel Texts in other Papers, advance upon it 'wholesome Points of Doctrine, and draw from it falutary Conclufions for the Benefit and Edification of all that hear him. We do likewife humbly propofe,. That upon any fuch Politician's quitting the Pulpit, 'he fhall be fucceeded by any other Orator that finds himself moved by the fame publick Spirit, who shall be at full Liberty either to inforce or overthrow what 'the other has faid before him, and may in the fame Manner be fucceeded by another Politician who shall "with the fame Liberty confirm or impugn his Reasons, 'ftrengthen or invalidate his Conjectures, enlarge upon : his Schemes, or erect new ones of his own. We do likewife further propose, That if any Perfon, of what Age and Rank foever, do prefume to cavil at any Paper that has been read, or to hold forth upon it longer than the Space of one Minute, that he be immediately ordered up into the Pulpit, there to make ' good any Thing that he has fuggefted upon the Floor. We do likewife further propofe, That if any one plays 'the Orator in the ordinary Coffee houfe Conversation,.. whether it be upon Peace or War, on Plays or Sermons, Bufinefs or Poetry, that he be forthwith defired i to take his Place in the Pulpit. 6. ་ ་ THIS, Sir, we humbly prefume may in a great: Measure put a Stop to thofe fuperficial Statesmen who would not dare to ftand up in this Manner before a whole Congregation of Politicians, notwithstanding the long and tedious Harangues and Differtations which they daily utter in private Circles, to the Breaking of: many honeft Tradefmen, the Seducing of feveral eminent Citizens, the Making of numberless Malecon-tents, and to the great Detriment and Difquiet of her Majefty's Subjects." |