government, and the general fidelity and courage of the commanding officers of the British forces in Ulster, the Covenant still continued to make its way, being urged forwards with the utmost violence by the Scotch ministers. These men preached up the Covenant in all places, and pressed it upon acceptance as no less necessary to salvation than the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and would allow no man to receive the one who refused the other. They carried all before them wherever they came, every one complying with it, except at Cole- Refused at raine, a town which had been almost ruined by a Scotch garrison, and of which the chief inhabitants refused to take the test. Coleraine. Derry. Derry, in the mean time, presented a different Tumultuous scene, being too much disposed to receive the Cove- proceedings at nant. That town was full of factious and seditious persons, who had on former occasions torn the Book of Common Prayer, and thrown libels about the streets, threatening every person who should dare to use it. So that the mayor, who had written to the itinerant ministers, with a request that they would refrain from visiting the town, was compelled, when he went to church, to take a strong guard of English soldiers of his own company, and plant them about the reader's desk, to secure himself from being insulted, and the book from being torn, as they threatened, before his face. Two of the Scotch ministers, however, were introduced into the town with a great company, and leave was demanded of the mayor, that they might preach in the church. This being refused, they preached two seditious sermons in the market-place; and their patron, Sir Frederick Hamilton, made an oration to the people, exhorting them to take the Covenant, Correspondenco between the sec and Popish asso ciation. Such were some of the steps whereby the sectarian Covenant tarian Covenant kept pace with the Popish oath of association; the great difference between them being only in the different substitutes, which they proposed to establish upon the ruins of the Church, which both of them were calculated to destroy. The Usurping It was not till the 30th of January, 1649, that the temporary triumph of rebellion and fanaticism was accomplished in England by the martyrdom of King Charles the First: but in Ireland the king's authority had been annulled two years before, and the power had passed into the hands of the Usurping Government, where it continued till 1660, during the first eleven years of the nominal and legal, but not the actual, reign of King Charles the Second. During that interval many events occurred intimately connected with the history of the Church of Ireland: but forasmuch as they occurred under the exercise, not of the kingly, but of the parliamentary, authority, I am induced to take them apart from the reigns of both these sovereigns, and to dispose of them in the following chapter as occurrences during the Usurpation. Royal Power suspended. Dublin surrendered to Parliamentary Commissioners. Order for discontinuing the Liturgy. Declaration of Dublin Clergy. Episcopal Signatures. Memorable examples of continued use of the Liturgy. Personal dangers of Ministers of the Church. Revenues of vacant Bishopricks sequestered. Legalized plunder of Episcopal Property. Opportunities of exercising private malice against the Clergy. concerning the Dublin. REBELLION had been for some years successfully King's orders raging through the country; and the city of Dublin surrender of had been long besieged, and appeared incapable of a protracted defence. Whereupon the king had sent his orders to the Lord Lieutenant, "that, if he could not keep the city, he should rather surrender it to the parliament than to the Irish." The Lord Lieutenant was well acquainted with the sentiments of the Protestants of that kingdom; although some of them were very fearful of the Covenant, and many of them were jealous and suspicious of each other, yet they agreed in mistrust. and abhorrence of the common enemy. He acceded, therefore, to the advice of the privy council, that he would treat with the parliamentary commissioners for the surrender of Dublin, and not expose its inhabitants to the mercy of their cruel and hereditary enemies advice to which he the more listened, Its surrender to the parliamen tary commis sioners, 1647. Lord Lieute nant's exertions because he knew that the design of many in the Rebellion was to alienate Ireland from England, and to extirpate all the English, whatever might be their religious profession. And these evils were probably avoided by the determination. But, so far as the welfare of the Church was concerned, she can hardly be accounted a gainer from the success of the parliamentarian party. With that party, indeed, the Lord Lieutenant for the Church. had exerted his influence in behalf of the Church, her ministers, and services: and had strongly repre Dublin clergy. sented to them the great scandal they would incur from a prohibition of the Liturgy. And of this his paternal care the clergy of Dublin testified their grateful sense for about eighty of the body, together with Benjamin Culme, dean of St. Patrick's, assembled in the castle, and united in an affectionate address to his excellency; wherein they expressed Gratitude of the sincere gratitude for his vigilant care, exercised to preserve, not only within the city of Dublin, but also in out garrisons, the free exercise of the true reformed religion according to the Liturgy and Canons of the Church, at a time when the use of that Liturgy was prohibited both in England and Scotland and withal, say they, "we do ingenuously profess, that out of your piety and nobleness you have vindicated our calling and places from contempt, protected us from personal injuries, and provided for us a subsistence, without which many had undoubtedly starved'." Evil disposition of the parliamentarians. But, notwithstanding the exertions of the Marquis of Ormonde, the ministers of the Church soon became sensible of the evil disposition of those to whose keeping they were consigned, and to some of 1 CARTE'S Ormonde, iii. 493. whose proceedings we have now to turn our attention; and if in so doing we shall see cause to lament the persecuted and desolate condition of the Church, we may find motives to consolation and thankfulness in the conscientious behaviour of some of her faith ful sons. tinuing the On the surrender of Dublin, in 1647, to the Order for discon parliamentary commissioners, an order was issued Liturgy. for the discontinuance of the Liturgy, and the observation of the Directory, in all churches and chapels within the city'. The Directory, it may be The Directory. convenient to be mentioned, was a meagre and latitudinarian code of instructions to the puritanical clergy from the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, generally directing them how to regulate their publick devotions, but not stinting them to the use of a particular form of prayer. In issuing this order, the commissioners had not the warrant of any ordinance of parliament, either for prohibiting the Liturgy, which was the only form of worship established by law, or for introducing the Directory, which had no legal authority. tin, bishop of Meath. At this time Anthony Martin, bishop of Meath, Anthony Marwas Provost of the college. His episcopal palace had been pillaged and burnt by the rebels in 1641, and all his property seized: he retired therefore to Dublin; where, being a member of the privy council, he always with courage and constancy opposed any peace with the Irish until the king's honour was vindicated from their aspersions of being a favourer of the Rebellion, and until more safe and satisfactory terms, than were at first proposed, could be procured for the Protestants. Soon after the flight of the Provost, in conse- |
