That the Saints hear our Prayers, and "That Images are to be worshipped, "That we ought to pray to the Dead and "In all these notwithstanding, you may "profefs your teachableness, if by found rea"fons out of God's Word, you fhall be con"vinced of the truth of them: And because "we know not how far it will please God to "call us to make resistance against fin, whe"ther unto Blood it felf, or not; it fhall be "Wisdom for us to prepare our felves to the laft care of a godly life, which is to die godly. This the Apoftle Paul calleth Sleep "ing in Jefus, implying thereby our Faith in "him, our being found in his Work, and our "committing our Souls into his Hands with « peace; fuch a sweet and heavenly Sleep << was that of St. Stephen, whofe laft words "for himself were, Lord Jefus receive my Spirit, and for his Tormentors, Lord lay "not this fin to their charge; wherewith I "will end this Writing, and wish to end my "Life, when the will of God fhall be, to "whofe gracious protection (dear Sifter) I "do heartily commit you. November. 23.1641; Thefe Advices fhew in what temper that holy Man was in this his extrémity. They had had a very good effect on the Lady; for as by reading them over very often, she got to be able to say them all without Book, fo fhe did that which was much more, the lodged them in her heart, as well as in her memory. While this good Man was now every day waiting for his Crown, the Rebels fent to him, defiring him to difmifs the company that was about him; but he refused to obey their cruel order, and he refolved to live and die with them; and would much more willingly have offered himself to have died for them, than have accepted of any favour for himself, from which they should be shut out. And when they fent him word, That though they loved and honoured him beyond all the English that ever came into Ireland, because he had never done wrong to any, but good to many, yet they had received orders from the Council of State at Kilkenny, that had affumed the government of the Rebels, that if he would not put away the people, that had gathered about him, they fhould take him from them; he faid no more, but in the Words of David and St. Paul, Here I am, the Lord do unto me as feems good to him, the will of the Lord be done: So on the eighteenth of December they came and feized on him, and on all that belonged to him, and carried him, and his two Sons, and Mr. Clogy prisoners to the Caftle of Lochwater, the only place of ftrength in the whole County. It was a little Tower in the midft of a Lake, about a Mufquet fhot from any fhoar: And though there had been a little If land land about it anciently, yet the water had fo gained on it, that there was not a foot of ground above water, but only the Tower it felf. They fuffered the Prifoners to carry nothing with them; for the titular Bishop took poffeffion of all that belonged to the Bishop, and faid Mass the next Lord's Day in the Church. They set the Bishop on Horseback, and made the other Prisoners go on foot by him: And thus he was lodged in this Castle, that was a moft miferable dwelling. The Castle had been in the hands of one Mr.Cullum, who, as he had the keeping of the Fort trufted to him, fo he had a good allowance for a Magazine to be laid up in it, for the defence of the Country: But he had not a pound of Powder, nor one fixt Mufquet in it, and he fell under the juft punishment of the neglect of his truft, for he was taken the first day of the Rebellion,and was himself made a Prifoner here. All but the Bishop were at first clapt into Irons, for the Irish that were perpetually drunk, were afraid left they should feize both on them and on the Castle. Yet it pleased God so far to abate their fury, that they took off their Irons, and gave them no disturbance in the Worship of God, which was now all the comfort that was left them. The Houfe was extreamly open to the weather, and ruinous: And as the place was bare and expofed, fo that Winter was very fevere; which was a great addition to the mifery of those that the Rebels had stript naked, leaving to many not fo much as a garment to cover their naked nefs. hefs. But it pleafed God to bring another Prifoner to the fame Dungeon, that was of great ufe to them, one Richard Caftledine, who had come over a poor Carpenter to Ire land, with nothing but his tools on his back, and was first imployed by one Sir Richard Waldron in the carpentry work of a Castle, that he was building in the Parish of Cavan: But Sir Richard wafting his Eftate before he had finished his Houfe, and afterwards leav ing Ireland, God had so bleft the industry of this Caftledine, during thirty years labour, that he bought this Eftate, and having only Daugh ters, he married one of them, out of grati tude, to Sir Richard's youngest Son, to whom he intended to have given the Estate that was his Father's: He was a Man of great virtue, and abounded in good Works, as well as in exemplary Piety: He was fo good a Husband that the Irish believed he was very rich; fo they preferved him, hoping to draw a great deal of Money from him: He being brought to this miferable Prifon, got fome tools and old boards, and fitted them up as well as was poffible, to keep out the weather. The Keepers of the Prison brought their Prisoners abundance of Provifion, but left them to dress it for themselves; which they that knew lit tle what belonged to Cookery were glad to do in fuch a manner as might preserve their lives; and were all of them much fupported in their fpirits. They did not fuffer as evil doers, and they were not afhamed of the Cross of Chrift; but rejoiced in God in the midst of all all their Afflictions; and the old Bishop took joyfully the fpoiling of his goods, and the reftraint of his perfon, comforting himself in this, That these light afflictions would quickly work for him a more exceeding and eterpal weight of Glory. The day after his imprifonment, being the Lord's Day, he preached to his little flock on the Epiftle for the day, which fet before them the pattern of the humility and fufferings of Chrift; and on Christmas day he preached on Gal. 4. 4, 5 and adminiftred the Sacrament to the fmall Congregation about him; their Keepers hav ing been fo charitable as to furnish them with Bread and Wine. And on the 26th of December, Mr. William Bedell, the Bifhop's eldeft Son, preached on St. Stephen's last Words, which afforded proper matter for their meditation, who were every day in expectation when they should be put to give fuch a teftimony of their Faith, as that first Martyr had done: And on the fecond of January, which was the laft Sunday of their imprisonment, Mr. Clogy preached on St. Luke 2. 32, 33, 34. During all their religious exercises, their Keepers never gave them any disturbance; and indeed they carried fo gently towards them, that their natures feemed to be fo much changed, that it look'd like a second stopping the mouths of Lions. They often told the Bifhop, that they had no perfonal quarrel to him, and no other caufe to be fo fevere to him, but because he was an Englishman. But |