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1104 
goodnesse of the lord who hath 
caused my lott to fall in a good 
ground, who hath fed me in a plea. 
sant pasture where the wellsprings 
of life flow to all that desire to 
drinke of them. And this is no 
small favour, if consider how many 
poore people perish among the 
heathen, where they -never heare 
the name of Christ; how many 
. poore christians spring up in coun. 
tries enslaved by Turkish and 
antichristian tirants, whose soules 
and bodies languish under miser- 
able slavery. None knowes what 
mercy itis to live under a good and 
wholsome law, that have not con- 
sidered the sad condition of being 
subject to the will of an unlimited 
man, and surely it is too universall 
asin inthis nation, that the com- 
mon mereies of God to the whole 
jand, are’so slightly regarded and 
so unconsiderately past over; cer- 
tainely these are circumstances 
which much magnifie God’s loying- 
kindnesse and his speciall favor to 
all that are of English birth, and 
eall fora greater returne of duty 
from us then from all other people 
of the world. 
‘* Nor is the place only, but the 
time of my comming into the world 
aconsiderable mercy to me, Jt was 
not in the midnight of poperie, nor 
in the dawneof the gospell’s restor- 
ed day, when light and shades were 
blended and almost undistinguisht, 
but when the sun of truth was ex- 
alted in his progresse and hastening 
towards a meridian glory.. It was 
indeed early in the morning, God 
being pleased to allow me the pri- 
velledge of beholding the admirable 
growth of gospell ligat in my dayes : 
andoh! that my soule may never 
forgett to blesse and prayse his 
name for the wonders of power and 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
goodnesse, wisdome and truth, 
which have bene manisfested in this 
my time. 
‘* The next blessing I have to 
consider in my nativity is my pa- 
rents, both of them pious and ver- 
tuous in their owne conversation, 
and carefull instructors of my 
youth, not only by precept but ex. 
ample. Which if f had leizure and 
abillity, I should have transmitted 
to my posterity, both to give them 
the honor due from me in such a 
gratefull memoriall, and to encrease 
my children’s emproovement of the 
patterns they sett them; but since 
I shall detract from those I would 
celebrate, by my imperfect com. 
memorations, I shall content my- 
selfe to summe up some few things 
for my owne use, and let the rest 
alone, which I either knew not, or 
have forgotten, or cannot worthy- 
ly expresse. 
‘¢ My grandfather by the father’s 
side was a gentleman of a compe- 
tent estate, about 7 or 800/.a yeare, 
in Sussex. He being descended of 
a younger house, had his residence 
att a place called Pulborough; the 
famely out of which he came was an 
Apsley of Apsley, a towne where 
they had bene seated before the cons. 
quest, and ever since continued, til 
of late the last heire male of that el- 
dest house, being the sonne of sir 
Edward Apsley, is dead without 
issue, and his estate gone with his 
sister's daughters into other fame- 
lies. Particularities concerning my 
father’s kindred or country, I never 
knew much of, by reason of m 
youth, at the time of his death, and 
my education in farre distant places, 
only in gencrall 1 have heard, that 
my grandfather was a man well re- 
puted and beloved in his country, 
and that it had bene sucha asa 
: ans. 
