THE CHURCH

ADVOCATE & MAGAZINE.

JULY, 1845.

tutored people, who knew but little, and cared still less about the forms of religion. And it therefore became necessary that these sacerdotal instigators of treason should adopt some means by which they could alienate the people from the Church of Ireland, and from the authority of England, by whose power it was established.

these countries. The Desmonds* were in arms, the cry of battle was heard in all the deep recesses of Ireland, the clans were gathered under their respective chiefs, and a war of extermination proclaimed in all her borders. His holiness the pope was not a particle less unprincipled in the motives which he held forth for the enTo this end it was requisite (and couragement of rebellion. He thus they were agents not particularly addresses himself to the rebels, a. D. scrupulous as to the means to be em- 1575. “We exhort all and singular ployed,) that they should act on the of you, by the bowels of the comignorance, the superstition, the re- passion of God, that discerning the ligious prejudices and national an- seasonableness of this opportunity, tipathies of the people, against every you will each, according to his power, thing English, as associated with re-aid the piety and valour of this noble ligious debasement and national con- general (James Geraldine, the leader quest. They therefore traversed the of the rebel army), and fear not a land, preaching that Elizabeth was woman, who, being long since bound excommunicated and deposed, and with a chain of anathema, and growthat all her ordinances, whether civil ing more and more vile every day, or ecclesiastical, were invalid as the has departed from the Lord, and the acts of an heretical person. The Lord from her; and many disasters equipment of the armada was then in will deservedly come upon her; and contemplation, to constrain England that you may do this with the greater from without; an insurrection in alacrity, we grant to all and singular Ireland was in considerable forward of you, who, being contrite and confessness to weaken her power within;ing, shall follow the said general, and while factions and intrigues were rife in England, through the agency of Campion and Parsons. While the political horizon was thus darkened,

these men conducted their measures among the Irish priests with success, and produced, what in those dark times was deemed equally authoritative with the law of God,-the papal bull for the formal excommunication and deposition of the queen. Hatred to England as an invader, and hatred to Protestantism as a heresy, now burst forth and spread like wild-fire through the length and breadth of the land.

The real object of these intrigues was to depose Elizabeth, and thereby bring these realms under the dominion and within the grasp of the pope; thus preparing the way for the effectual subversion of the Reformation in

torian O'Sullivan, that in the year 1575,

We are informed by the popish his

Geraldine of Desmond, plotting an insurrection upon a grand scale, was desirous to concert his measures with pope Gregory, and proceeded to Rome for that purpose. He found there Cornelius O'Melrian, an Irish Franciscan, who had been recently appointed Bishop of Killaloe, and who at once became a principal in the councils of Desmond. To their united solicitations for assistance, his holiness readily consented, and granted to the BANDITTI, then desolating Italy, a free pardon, on condition of their undertaking an expedition to Ireland. At the head of these missionaries, the Bishop of Killaloe landed in Ireland; distributed arms and indulgences among the rebels who flocked to his standdevice of the keys, because he fought ard, and inscribed upon his banners the for Him who had the keys of the kingdom of heaven."

join themselves to his army in maintaining and defending the catholic faith; or shall forward his purpose by council, arms, provisions, or any other means-A PLENARY INDULGENCE OF

ALL THEIR SINS.

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the people, to all the worst passions of mankind. It was to these feelings, which rankled in the hearts of the people; these antipathies against England which arose from association of ideas connected with conquest and

Such were the measures employed to subvert the reformation in Ireland; rebellion, treason, and blood. The popish priests were the movers and instigators of all this mass of crime,

the people were, and still are, the unhappy victims; and just as the work of the gospel was then stifled by the ignorant prejudices and national hatred to England, its laws and its religion, so the work is still restrained by the same means and the same parties. The priests still excite the worst passions of their deluded followers against all that emanates from the sister land.

Here was encouragement to rebel-national dishonour-it was to these, lion with a vengeance! "A plenary combined with the absolution from all indulgence of all sin," to all those who sin, that the pope appealed, when should assist in this atrocious treason dealing with one class, while all his by arms or any other means;" and motives were connected exclusively while this bull appeals to the gross with religion, when dealing with the ignorance and superstition of the other. people, the next alludes to another motive, namely, hatred to the English, A. D. 1580: "Whereas by our letters of former years, we exhorted you that for the purpose of recovering your liberty, and maintaining it against the heretics, you would join with James Geraldine of happy memory, who strove zealously to shake off from you the yoke of the English (the deserters from the holy Roman church,) and whereas, that you may more vigorously second him in his efforts against your enemies, and the enemies of God, we granted unto all who, confessing and being contrite, should join his army, the plenary remission of all their sins," &c. Again, his holiness writes to the rebel O'Neil, A. D. 1601, after he had acomplished the treason thus consecrated by the pope: "We have derived great joy from these tidings, and have given thanks to God, the Father of mercies, who has still left in Ireland many thousands of men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. For these have not gone after impious heresies, or profane novelties, but have fought manfully in detestation of them, for the inheritance of their fathers, for the preservation of the faith, for the maintenance of unity with the one catholic and apostolic church, out of which there is no They, and each of them, do and salvation." Now the motive to which doth acknowledge the king's majesty the appeal is here made, is to the aforesaid, to be their natural and national antipathies and prejudices of liege lord; and will honour, obey,

In pursuing the history of these times, two of the most extraordinary circumstances have been brought before us that can well be imagined; we have seen all the aristocracy of the country coming forward as one man, in proclaiming Henry VIII. king of Ireland, and supreme head of the Church; and in the most solemn manner agree, consent, and engage, jointly and separately for themselves, their heirs, tenants, and followers, that they will hold and perform all and singular articles, pledges, and conditions, which are contained on their part in said indenture,"

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and serve him, and the kings his suc- lapse into Popery upon the Jesuits, cessors, against all creatures of the assisted and directed as they were by universe. And they will accept and the powers of Rome, whose energies hold his said majesty, and the kings | seem to have been then (as they are his successors, as the supreme head on now,) concentrated upon what they earth, immediately under Christ, of conceived the true interests of Ireland. the Church of England and Ireland, But candour obliges us to acknow&c. And as far as lieth in their ledge that all their efforts, thus aided power, jointly and separately, they and supported, would have fallen will annihilate the usurped primacy powerless before the power of truth, and authority of the bishop of Rome, and the armour of righteousness, had and will expel and eradicate all his not the wretched policy of England favourers, abettors and partizans, and fatally combined with the plans of her maintain, support, and defend all enemies, to arrest the progress of the persons spiritual and temporal, who Reformation. An act passed in the shall be promoted to church benefices twenty-eighth year of Henry VIII., or dignities by the king's majesty or chap. xv., entitled, “An act for the other rightful patron; and will ap- English order, habit, and language," prehend and bring to justice, to be &c. was the first heavy blow which tried according to the laws made in the infant reformed church received : such behalf, all who apply for pro- that act directed that the Irish habit vision to the bishop of Rome, or who and apparel should be abolished, and betake themselves to Rome in quest the peculiar form in which the Irish of promotion."* wore their hair should be discontinued. It provided further, that spiritual promotions should be given only to such persons as could speak the English language, and none other. And that every archbishop, bishop, &c. at the time of the admission of any

And in Queen Elizabeth's day, the laity are everywhere found frequenting the parish churches; multitudes of the priests adopting the prescribed changes, and the majority of the prelates leading or following the popular opinion, retaining their sees, and ex-person to spiritual promotion, should ercising other functions according to the reformed ritual. And again, after a period of nearly thirty years of continued opposition to Rome, the whole body of the people, at the instigation of the Jesuits, return to the Romish Church, having imbibed the most rancorous hatred to England, and the ordinances of the reformed religion. How can all this be accounted for? Perhaps after what has been alleged, it might reasonably be expected, when answering this question, we should throw the whole blame of this unexpected re

* Cox, 272, quoting from the council

book at Dublin Castle.

administer an oath to the person promoted, that he would endeavour "himself to learn, instruct, and teach the English tongue to all under his rule, cure, order, and governance; and further, that he should keep, or cause to be kept, within the place, territory, or parish, where he should have rule, benefice, or promotion, a school to learn English, &c.

And again, in an act of uniformity passed by Queen Elizabeth, the preamble runs thus:-"And forasmuch as in most places in this realm, there cannot be found English ministers to serve in the churches or places appointed for common prayer, and that if some good means were provided,

that they might use the prayers, &c. in such language as they might best understand, the due honour of God should be thereby much advanced; and for that, also, THAT THE SAME

MAY NOT BE IN THEIR NATIVE LAN

GUAGE; we do therefore most humbly beseech your majesty, that it may be enacted by the authority of the present parliament, that in every such church, where the common minister hath not the use of the English tongue, it shall be lawful to say or use all their common and open prayer in the LATIN tongue." Which was accordingly enacted by the statute, 2nd of Elizabeth, cap. xiii. anno 1559-60.

a state of greater ignorance and spiritual destitution than their Romish forefathers, deprived of all means of grace, and stung to the quick by the dishonour cast upon their national dress and language. Can we then wonder at the effects produced? effects which England too justly feels the bitterness of even at the present day.

For so far in the history, the iron haud of power had been stretched forth, unfurling proclamations as subversive of the true principles of policy as they were of the true principles of the Reformation.

THE

SACRAMENTS A BARRIER
AGAINST HERESIES.

(From Dr. Waterland's Works.)

[CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST.] IX. About the year 360 rose up the sect of Macedonians, otherwise called Pneumatomachi, impugners of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost. They were a kind of Semi-Arians, admitting the Divinity of the second Person, but rejecting the Divinity of the third, and in broader terms than the Arians before them had done. However, the Sacrament of Baptism stood full in their way, being a lasting monument of the true Divinity of the third Person as well as of the second: and by that

Had the great enemy of truth been the concoctor and passer of these parliamentary and royal enactments, not surer method could have been devised to arrest at once the progress of the Reformation in a country, whose prejudices, feelings, and best interests were thus alike insulted. The interfering with non-essential customs, long habit had made a second nature, would of itself have unsheathed the sword of resistance in the hands of a half-civilized and enthusiastic people. But as if this were not enough, every avenue of light and knowledge, under the withering statute-book of England, was at once closed up by their being deprived of in-chiefly were the generality of Chrisstruction in their native language, and either the hateful English, or the equally unintelligible Latin being substituted in its place.

tians confirmed in the ancient faith, and preserved from falling into the snares of seducers.

X. About the year 370, or a little Can we suppose any thing less than sooner, the sect of Apollinarians began judicial blindness to have prompted to spread new doctrines, and to make measures calculated at once to exas- some noise in the world. Among perate prejudice, and to involve in sundry other wrong tenets, they had midnight darkness a people wedded this conceit, that the manhood of our to their own customs, and fond to ex- Saviour Christ was converted into or cess of their own language? One absorbed in his Godhead. For they generation of professing (but alas un-imagined, that by thus resolving two instructed) Protestants passed away, distinct natures into one, they should and another succeeded, brought up in the more easily account for the one