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<DATE>2008-10-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080855.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">s1783</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52528960</BIBNO>
<VID>179037</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="royal proclamation">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 14 -->
<HEAD><HI>A PROCLAMATION</HI> For a National Fa&s;t.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SIGNED><HI>WILLIAM</HI> By the Grace of GOD, King of <HI>Great Britain, France</HI> and <HI>Ireland</HI> Defender of the Faith;</SIGNED>
<SALUTE>To Macers of Our Privy Council, Me&s;&s;engers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and &s;everally, &s;pecially con&s;titute Greeting:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>Fora&s;muchas</HI> the Holy and Righteous Di&s;pen&s;ations of the Almighty GOD, in &s;ending &s;o cold and un|kindly a Sea&s;on and Seed time, after two years Scarcity and Dearth; As al&s;o the great Death of Cattle through mo&s;t part of the Kingdom, and growing Dearth and Famine threatned, do all expre&s;s His high Di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t this Land, and provoke him to multiply and inflict the&s;e and heavier Judgements as the ju&s;t De&s;ervings and Effects of the Sins aboun|ding in this Nation, and of the great Security and impenitency under them, and therefore do certainly call aloud for our own and our peoples deep Humiliation, under the mighty hand of GOD, and our mo&s;t earne&s;t and &s;olemn Application, by fa&s;ting and Prayer for His gracious Pardon, and removing and averting the fore&s;aids Judgements, and turning us &s;in|cerely to the LORD. Upon which Con&s;iderations, the provincial Synod of <HI>Lothian</HI> and <HI>Tweddale</HI> with a Commity of the Commi&s;&s;ion from the General A&s;&s;embly, have likewi&s;e ad|dre&s;&s;ed the Lords of Our Privy Council, that a Day of Humiliation may be appointed and keeped for the&s;e Cau&s;es, and others mentioned in their &s;aid Addre&s;s, throughout the whole Kingdom: <HI>Therefore,</HI> We with the Advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, Command and Appoint a Day of Humiliation, Fa&s;ting and Prayer, to be keeped and ob&s;erved with|in the Bounds of the Provincial Synod of <HI>Lothian</HI> and <HI>Tweddale,</HI> upon Tue&s;day the &s;even|teenth Day of this current Moneth of <HI>May,</HI> and upon the twenty fifth Day of the &s;aid Moneth for the re&s;t of the Kingdom upon this &s;ide of the River of <HI>Tay,</HI> and throughout the re&s;t of the whole Kingdom, upon the fir&s;t Day of <HI>June</HI> nixt to come: Upon which Days re&s;|pective, We and Our People are to be deeply humbled before GOD, for the manifold Sins and Provocations, that &s;o openly abound in the Land, and in which men &s;till continue &s;ecure and hardned, notwith&s;tanding of GOD'S great Mercy and Deliverance wrought for us, and of frequent Confe&s;&s;ions and former Fa&s;ts, which yet have produced no Amendement or Reformation, and therefore to deprecat his de&s;erved Wrath, and to implore his Mercy and Grace, and that the LORD may turn unto us; and turn Us and Our People to Him, and avert the Judgement hanging over Us, and other Evils wherewith we are &s;o eminently threatned, and &s;end kindly Weather to cheri&s;h the Fruits of the Earth for Food to man and Bea&s;t: Which re&s;pective Days of &s;olemn Humiliation and Prayer above appointed; We with Advice fore&s;aid Require and Command, to be mo&s;t religiou&s;ly and &s;eriou&s;ly ob&s;er|ved by all our People by publick Prayer, Preaching and all other Acts of deep Humiliation and Devotion, &s;uitable to the fore&s;aids Cau&s;es and Occa&s;ions. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE and We Charge you &s;trictly and Command, that incontinent thir Our Letters &s;een, ye pa&s;s to the Mercat Cro&s;s of <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> and to the remanent Mercat-Cro&s;&s;es of the head Burghs of the &s;everal Shires and Steuartries within this Kingdom, and there in our Name and Authority make Publication hereof, that none pretend Ignorance; And We ordain Our Solicitor to di&s;|patch Copies hereof to the Shireffs of the &s;everal Shires, and Stewarts of Stewartries and their Deputs or Clerks, to be by them publi&s;hed at the Mercat Cro&s;&s;es of their head Burghs upon receipt thereof and immediatly &s;ent to the &s;everal Mini&s;ters, to the effect the &s;ame may be intimat and read in their &s;everal Paroches-Churches, upon the Lords Day immediatly preceed|ing the re&s;pective Days above-appointed. And ordains thir pre&s;ents to be printed. And allowes the Cau&s;es of this Fa&s;t given in to the Lords of Our Privy Council, by the Provincial Synod of <HI>Lothian</HI> and <HI>Tweddale,</HI> to be al&s;o printed and tran&s;mitted herewith.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given under Our Signet at <HI>Edinburgh</HI> <DATE>the tenth day of <HI>May</HI> one thou&s;and &s;ix hundred ninety and eight years, and of Our Reign the Tenth Year.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. <HI>GILB ELIOT,</HI> Cls. Sti. Concilii.</SIGNED><LB>
GOD Save the KING.</CLOSER>
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<P><HI>Edinburgh,</HI> Printed by the Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors of <HI>Andrew Ander&s;on,</HI> Printer to the KING's Mo&s;t Excellent MAJESTY, <HI>Anno Domini</HI> 1698.</P>
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