Great News from the English FLEET: OR, THE Seamens Apology For Adhering to His Highness the Prince of Orange in Defence of the Protestant Religion.  
Dear Countrymen,  
ALthough through Custom, and want of better Conversation, our Natures may have been so far Corrupted and Depraved, as to degenerate into a Sympathy with the unruly Element wherein we Live; yet, since God has, in repeated Examples, signified his Mercy and Providence to all his Works, we who bear an equal stamp of Himself and his Goodness, cannot be altogether Insensible of the Benefits we have at this Time, more especially, received from Him; for, tho' the better part of Us (we may say, the generality) were, in our Hearts, resolved to stand, and Dye, in the Defence of our Holy Established Religion, yet the secret Contrivances (bearing, notwithstanding, the public Mark of an Ill-grounded Authority) of our Enemies, either to Supplant or Displace the best and chiefest of our Commanders, and, by degrees, the rest, had given so material a shock to our Hopes and Resolutions, that, till the Happy News of your Wise and Courageous management of Affairs at Land Arrived, we began grievously to fear, and, in a little time, should have had reason enough to despair of any Success agreeable to our Desires and Expectations. We do therefore first render our Thanks to Almighty God, who has saved us out of the Jaws of our Ravenous Enemies; and next to You, for not only Your Faith and Loyalty to Your Country, Your Laws, and Your Religion, but for the good Example You have shown us, whereby You have encouraged and strengthened our Hands against the worst, the Malice of our Common Enemies can suggest or do. And, to show You our Zeal to the Common Cause, we give You to understand, our Noble Commanders and our Selves, have not been wanting in our Endeavours to purge the Navy, as You have the Army, of all Papists, or others disaffected to the Well-established Government and Church of England: Beside, our Care not only to Guard and Defend our Coasts from the expected Invasions and Injuries of our Enemies abroad, but also to hinder the Escape and Flight of those Villains and Traitors who have been as far as in them lay, the Betrayers of their Country, and our Lives and Fortunes to the malicious Designs of our Irreconcilable Enemies.  
Let us therefore Congratulate the happy Sympathy of our Hearts, and conclude it the peculiar Providence of God that has so universally Inspired and united the Souls and Hearts of the People of this Kingdom in the Defence of our Holy Religion. Let us not be daunted with the ill-grounded Reproaches of our Enemies, who endeavour first to Divide us, that they may the more easily Destroy us. We cannot be Ignorant of the extent of our Duty to our King, since we show ourselves so well-grounded in the knowledge of our Duty to God; for since that is wholly dependant on this, it is manifest we are obliged in Conscience and Nature to prosser the Service of our Heavenly Father, before that of an Earthly Master.   

LONDON, Printed for T. P. 1688.