There came a company of Lutherans to Dublin, whe were afraid of joining in communion with the church of Ireland, and when they were cited to answer for it to the archbishop's consistory, they desired some time might be granted them for consulting their divines in Germany: And at last letters were brought from thence concerning their exceptions to communion with that church, because the presence of Christ in the sacrament was not explained in such a manner as agreed with their doctrine. The Archbishop of Dublin sent these to our Bishop, that he might answer them; and upon that he wrote so learned and so full an answer to all their objections, and explained the matter so clearly, that when this was seen by the German divines, it gave them such entire satisfaction, that upon it they advised their countrymen to join in communion with the church.

Bishop Bedell was exactly conformable to the forms and rules of the church; he went constantly to commonprayer in his cathedral, and often read it himself, and assisted in it always, with great reverence and affection. He preached constantly twice a-Sunday in his cathedral on the epistles and gospels for the day, and catechized always in the afternoon before sermon; and he preached always twice a-year before the judges, when they made the circuit. His voice was low and mournful, but as his matter was excellent, so there was a gravity in his looks and behaviour that struck his auditors. When he came into church, it appeared in the composed manner of his behaviour, that he observed the rule given by the preacher, of keeping his feet when he went into the house of God; but he was not to be wrought on by the greatness of any man, or by the authority of any person's example to go out of his own way; though he could not but know that such things were then much observed, and measures were taken of men by these little distinctions, in which it was thought that the zeal of conformity discovered itself.

He preached very often in his episcopal habit, but not always, and used it seldom in the afternoon; nor did he love the pomp of a choir, nor instrumental music, which he thought filled the ear with too much pleasure, and carried away the mind from the serious attention to the matter which is indeed the singing with grace in the heart, and the inward melody with which God is chiefly pleased. And when another bishop justified these things, because they served much to raise the affections, he an

swered,

swered, “That in order to the raising the affections, those "things that tended to edification ought only to be "used:" And thought it would be difficult otherwise to make stops; for upon the same pretence an infinity of rites might be brought in. And the sense he had of the excesses of superstition, from what he had observed during his long stay in Italy, made him judge it necessary to watch carefully against the beginnings of that disease, which is like a green sickness in religion.

He never used the common-prayer in his family; for he thought it was intended to be the solemn worship of Christians in their public assemblies, and that it was not so proper for private families.

So far I have prosecuted the relation of his most exemplary discharge of his episcopal function, reserving what is more personal and particular to the end, where I shall give his character: I now come to the conclusion of his life, which was indeed suitable to all that had gone before. But here I must open one of the bloodiest scenes that the sun ever shone upon, and represent a nation all covered with blood, that was in full peace, under no fears nor apprehensions, enjoying great plenty, and under an easy yoke; under no oppression in civil matters, nor persecution upon the account of religion: For the bishops and priests of the Roman communion enjoyed not only an impunity, but were almost as public in the use of their religion, as others were in that which was established by law; so that they wanted nothing but empire, and a power to destroy all that differed from them. And yet on a sudden this happy land was turned to be a field of blood. Their bishops resolved in one particular to fulfil the obligation of the oath they took at their consecration, of persecuting all heretics to the utmost of their power; and their priests, that had their breeding in Spain, had brought over from thence the true spirit of their religion, which is ever breathing cruelty, together with a tincture of the Spanish temper, that had appeared in the conquest of the West Indies, and so they thought a massacre was the surest way to work, and intended that the natives of Ireland should vie with the Spaniards for what they had done in America.

The conjuncture seemed favourable; for the whole isle of Britain was so embroiled, that they reckoned they should be able to master Ireland, before any forces could be sent over to check the progress of their butchery. The Earl of Strafford had left Ireland some considerable

considerable time before this. The parliament of England was rising very high against the king; and though the king was then gone to Scotland, it was rather for a present quieting of things that he gave up all to them, than that he gained them to his service. So they laid hold of this conjuncture, to infuse it into the people, that this was the proper time for them to recover their ancient liberty, and shake off the English yoke, and to possess themselves of those estates that had belonged to their ancestors: And to such as had some rests of duty to the king it was given out, that what they were about was warranted by his authority, and for his service. A seal was cut from another charter, and put to a forged commission, giving warrant to what they were going about. And because the king was then in Scotland, they made use of a Scotch seal. They also pretended that the parliaments of both kingdoms being either in rebellion against the king, or very near it, that the English of Ireland would be generally in the interest of the English parliament; so that it was said. that they could not serve the king better than by making themselves masters in Ireland, and then declaring for the king against his other rebellious subjects.

These things took universally with the whole nation; and the conspiracy was cemented by many oaths and sacraments, and in conclusion all things were found to be so ripe, that the day was set in which they should every where break out; and the castle of Dublin being then as well stored with a great magazine, which the Earl of Strafford had laid up for the army that he intended to have carried into Scotland, had not the pacification prevented it, as it was weakly kept by a few careless warders, who might have been easily surprized: It was resolved that they should seize on it, which would have furnished them with arms and ammunition, and have put the metropolis, and very probably the whole island into their hands. But though this was so well laid, that the execution could not have missed, in all human appearance; and though it was kept so secret, that there was not the least suspicion of any design on foot, till the night before, and then one that was among the chief of the managers of it, out of kindness to an Irishman that was become a protestant, communicated the project to him: The other went and discovered it to the Lords Justices; and by this means not only the castle of Dublin was preserved, but in effect Ireland was saved. For in

Dublin there was both a shelter for such as were stripped and turned out of all they had, to fly to, and a place of rendezvous, where they that escaped before the storm had reached to them, met to consult about their preservation.

But though Dublin was thus secured, the rest of the English and Scotch in Ireland, particularly in Ulster, fell into the hands of those merciless men, who reckoned it no small piece of mercy when they stripped people naked, and let them go with their lives. But the vast numbers that were butchered by them, which one of their own writers, in a discourse that he printed some years after, in order to the animating them to go on, boasts to have exceeded two hundred thousand, and the barbarous cruelties they used in murdering them, are things of so dreadful a nature, that I cannot easily go on with so dismal a narrative, but must leave it to the historians.

I shall say no more of it than what concerns our Bishop. It may be easily imagined how much he was struck with that fearful storm, that was breaking on every hand of him, though it did not yet break in upon himself. There seemed to be a secret guard about his house: For though there was nothing but fire, blood, and desolation round about him, yet the Irish were so restrained, as by some hidden power, that they did him no harm for many weeks: His house was in no condition to make any resistance, so that it was not any apprehension of the opposition that might be made them, that bound them up. Great numbers of his neighbours had also fled to him for shelter: He received all that came, and shared every thing he had so with them, that_all things were common among them; and now that they had nothing to expect from men, he invited them all to turn with him to GoD, and to prepare for that death which they had reason to look for every day; so that they spent their time in prayers and fasting, which last was now like to be imposed on them by necessity. The rebels expressed their esteem for him in such a manner, that he had reason to ascribe it wholly to that over-ruling power, that stills the raging of the seas, and the tumult of the people: They seemed to be overcome with his exemplary conversation among them, and with the tenderness and charity that he had upon all occasions expressed for them; and they often said, he should be the last Englishman that should be put out of Ireland.

He

He was the only Englishman in the whole county of Cavan that was suffered to live in his own house without disturbance; not only his house, and all the out-buildings, but the church and church-yard were full of people; and many, that a few days before had lived in great ease and much plenty, were now glad of a heap of straw or hay to lay upon, and of some boiled wheat to support nature, and were every day expecting when those swords that had, according to the prophetic phrase, drank up so much blood, should likewise be satiated with theirs. They did now eat the bread of sorrow, and mingled their cups with their tears. The Bishop continued to encourage them to trust in GoD, and in order to that, he preached to them the first Lord's Day after this terrible calamity had brought them about him, on the third Psalm, which was penned by David when there was a general insurrection of the people against him under his unnatural son, Absalom; and he applied it all to their condition. He had a doleful assembly before him, an auditory all melting in tears: It requires a soul of an equal elevation to his, to imagine how he raised up their spirits, when he spake to them these words, But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of my head. I laid me down and slept: I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people, that have set themselves against me, round about. And to the conclusion of the Psalm, Salvation belongeth to the Lord: Thy blessing is upon thy people. The next Lord's Day, hearing of the scoffings, as well as the cruelty of the Irish, he preached on these words in Micah, Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? By these means, and through the blessings of GOD upon them, they encouraged themselves in GoD, and were prepared for the worst that their enemies could do to them.

I

While these things were in agitation, the titular bishop of Kilmore came to Cavan; his name was Swiney, he was like his name, for he often wallowed in his own vomit. He had a brother, whom the Bishop had converted, and had entertained him in his house, till he found out a way

of