"Thy Christian principle for liberty to tender consciences being maintained and stood by, against persecution, the pillar of popery, the Lord will stand by and defend thee and thy royal offspring; for surely, 'mercy and truth do preserve the king, and his throne is upholden by mercy.' Remember what the Spirit of the Lord spake by king David in his last words: 'He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God; and he shall be as the light of the morning, even a morning without clouds,' &c. "The Lord the God of hosts be thy defence, thy Guide, and Counsellor, and replenish thy heart with his wisdom, whereby kings reign and princes decree justice; for in that wisdom true dominion stands. “That thou, O king, mayst be a blessing in the hand of the Lord to these nations, and enjoy a safe, a peaceable, and prosperous reign in this life, and a crown of righteousness in that to come, is the hearty prayer of an ancient servant of Jesus Christ, and "A truly loving and faithful subject, 66 London, the 25th of the 8th In the following year, at the age of eighty, he again waited on the king with a deputation from the Society, to present to him a congratulatory address on the suppression of the rebellion. He introduced the address to the king, by a speech which proved that he still preserved his faculties and his loyalty. It was to the following effect. "That in their annual assembly, held for the religious concerns of their Society, endeavouring to promote and put in practice the duties of religion professed by them, the sense of the great deliverance had such a weight upon their minds, that they were willing to express it in an address to king George, whom God by his providence had brought hither and preserved, so that he could well say, he was George by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, &c. And that as men carried that saying stamped on the money in their pockets, so it was to be wished it might be imprinted in the hearts of the subjects." Though George Whitehead had now become very feeble in body, yet he continued to attend the meetings of his friends both for religious worship and for discipline; bearing his testimony “to the virtue and excellency of that Divine Grace, which had supported him from his youth upward; imparting in most sensible expressions such choice fruits of his own experiences, that an attentive hearer could not depart unedified. And even in meetings about Church affairs, where sometimes diversity of sentiments may arise, he would express his thoughts with a convincing force and solidity of reasoning, no less admirable than the unspotted integrity of his grey hairs was honourable." When in his eighty-sixth year he wrote a lively address to his friends, which was printed and circulated amongst them. He died in great peace in the year 1722-3, at the age of eighty seven. For the account of his close, see "Introduction," p. of vol. I. xxxvi. SENTED, AND VINDICATED FROM SOME MISTAKES IN THE LOWER HOUSE OF CONVOCATION, &c. &c. III. THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND SOCIETY OF THE PEOPLE CALLED QUAKERS, &c. &c. |