clothes which you must pawn for bread, because no work is stirring? Will he buy new looms and tackle for you, because yours have been burnt and destroyed? If you fancy so, you are strangely imposed upon indeed. He will have other things to do with his money; or, if he had any to spare, there will be hungry Frenchmen enough about him to snap it up before it comes to you. I will not say any thing to you about the dangers you must run in the course of a civil war, though they are very dreadful, and more horrid than you can possibly imagine, because I cannot think that there is any need of it. I have shown you very plainly, that, if you should be deluded to take arms, you fight for less than nothing, for the undoing of yourselves and families; and if this argument will not prevail upon you to be quiet, I can only pray for you, that God will be pleased to restore you to the right use of your understandings. I am, Your old and faithful friend, THE DRAPIER. THE following Form of Prayer, which Dr. Swift constantly used in the pulpit before his ser mon*, is copied from his own hand-writing. 66 Almighty and most merciful God! forgive us all our sins. Give us grace heartily to repent them, and to lead new lives. Graft in our hearts. a true love and veneration for thy holy name and word. Make thy pastors burning and shining lights, able to convince gainsayers, and to save others and themselves. Bless this congregation * Though the Dean's first and most laudable ambition was to excel as a preacher, he frequently declared that he had not talents for it; and therefore would not publish any sermons, though often pressed by his friends to do it. He was, however, well attended by a crowded audience every fifth Sunday at his cathedral, when the preaching came to his turn, which was well known in Dublin; and his sermons," lord Orrery observes," are certainly curious, for such reasons as would make other works despicable. They were written in a careless hurrying manner, the offspring of necessity, not of choice; so that we see the original force of his genius more in these compositions, that were the legitimate sons of duty, than in other pieces, that were the natural sons of love. They were held in such low esteem in his own thoughts, that, some years before he died, he gave away the whole collection to Dr. Sheridan, with the utmost indifference. 6 Here,' says he, are a bundle of my old sermons; you may have them if you please: they may be of use to you; they have never been of any to me.' The parcel given to Dr. Sheridan consisted of about five-andthirty sermons." Twelve of these, having come to light at different periods of time, are here collected; and a perusal of any one of them must excite a wish for those which we have not been so happy as to recover. N.. H 2 here 814249 A here met together in thy name; grant them to hear and receive thy holy word, to the salvation of their own souls. Lastly, we desire to return thee praise and thanksgiving for all thy mercies bestowed upon us; but chiefly for the Fountain of them all, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name and words we further call upon thee, saying, Our Father,' &c." SERMON |