Wesley Corpus

And how should we defend ourselves against these, if they made a general insurrection?” This is worth considering. It is certain, it is undoubtedly plain, it is beyond all contradic tion, if they gave a large dose of laudanum to all His Majesty’s liege subjects; if every man, woman, and child in the four pro vinces fell fast asleep all at once; if they all continued to sleep till the insurgents had brought their matters to bear in every city and town in the kingdom; if then the conspirators came all in the same hour, and cut off their heads at a stroke; the nation certainly, without all doubt, would be in a very fearful condi tion | But till this is the case, you need no more be afraid of ten thousand White Boys, than of ten thousand crows. 10. There is no need at present that an handful of men should oppose themselves to a multitude. Blessed be God, there are still within the kingdom some thousands of regular troops, of horse as well as foot, who are ready to march wherever they shall be wanted; over and above the inde pendent companies at Birr, at Mountmellick, at Bandon, and at Cork; at which city alone no less than six of these companies are formed already; which it is supposed, when they shall be completed, will contain at least two thousand men. And as they exercise themselves every day, they are already expert in the whole military exercise. So that were any so mad as to attempt making an insurrection, it would be crushed in its very infancy. 11. “But is there not another ground of fear? Is there not ‘a God that judgeth the earth?’ And have not England and Ireland (to speak in the language of Scripture) “filled up the measure of their iniquity?’” I answer, (1.) I allow that wickedness of various kinds has overspread the land like a flood. It would be easy to enlarge upon this melancholy truth; it cannot be denied that, The rich, the poor, the high, the low, Have wander'd from his mild command: The floods of wickedness o'erflow, And deluge all the guilty land: People and Priest lie drown'd in sin, And Tophet yawns to take them in.