Almighty God and most merciful Father, we miserable sinners do here humbly acknowledge before Thee, that we are unworthy of the least of all Thy mercies. We confess, O Lord, in the bitterness of our souls, that we have grievously sinned against Thee; that all orders of men amongst us have transgressed Thy righteous laws; that we have hitherto rendered both Thy mercies and Thy judgments ineffectual to our amendment. It is of Thy mere mercy, O Lord, that we are not consumed; for which our souls do magnify and bless Thy name. O God, who hast hitherto spared us, to the end that Thy goodness might lead us to repentance, let it be Thy good pleasure to give unto us all that godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; that Thou mayest turn from Thy heavy displeasure against us; and mayest rejoice over us to do us good, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.
There is a third prayer, for Unity. The three were ordered by His Majesty to be printed.
[30] Macpherson (Hist. i. 518) succinctly and completely refutes the assertion.
[31] Gutch, i. 414.
[32] Tanner MSS., vol. xxviii. 153. There is another letter on the same subject, vol. xxvii. 5.
[33] Dalrymple, i. 210.
[34] Ibid., i. 211. Reresby, who sympathized with James, remarks, respecting the invasion: “Neither the gentry, nor the commonalty were under any concern about it: said they, ‘The Prince comes only to maintain the Protestant religion—he will do no harm to England.’” p. 358.
[35] D’Oyley, i. 355.
[36] Compton’s own account. Gulch, i. 443.
[37] The following passage in a memorandum, written by Trelawny, Bishop of Exeter, shows how anxious one at least of these Bishops was afterwards to deny that they had anything to do with bringing William over to England:—“Having in a discourse with Mr. Francis Robartes, a little time after the coronation of King William, resented to him the impudence of the person, whoever he was, that insinuated in the Prince of Orange’s Declaration, as if the Bishops had invited him to come over, &c., which I verily believe to be utterly false; he replied, ‘I took an occasion to discourse Will Harbord about the particular, and asked him whether it was true; his answer was, No, damn ’em, they were not so honest, but I caus’d it to be put in, to raise a jealousy and hatred on both sides, that the King, believing it, might never forgive them, and they, fearing that he did believe, might be push’d for their own safety to wish and help on his ruin.’”—First Report of the Royal Commission on Hist. MSS., 52.