Слике страница
PDF
ePub

Together."-And is it poffible, that fo much reluctance to punih, and fo much tenderness, as is every where expreffed through the facred volume towards our once happy nation, fhould on a fudden, and for no apparent caufe, entirely defert us? and we should be thus caft off from his favour, as we now are, and fubjected to fuch unfpeakable ruin, as hath befallen the whole nation, from the days of Vefpafian and Titus ? such as never any other nation under the fun has undergone and fuffered, in our fieges and battles, by feditions, and famines, and peftilence, and captivity, and maffacres, and difperfion? Is it poffible, that all our hopes in his indulgent care and love fhould thus at once be blafted, for no caufe? and all his promifes to our fathers fail us; and the bright and glorious profpect, the birthright of our nation, that in the feed of Abraham all the families of the earth fhould be bleffed, thus end in eternal darkness and oblivion? Surely, if fome amazing act of wickedness has not been perpetrated by our whole nation beyond what other nations have committed; our prefent ftate and condition, for fo many ages, is unaccountable; and our fcriptures incredible. And, what is the moft melancholy of all reflections, as we are ignorant of the cause of these afflictions, fo we fee no end of them; nor any means how to avert them.

In this dejected and forlorn ftate, fifted into all nations and become the fcorn of all mankind, there yet remains one hope, and but one, that can fupport and relieve us; and this we have been blindly endeavouring, for many ages, to invali date and overturn: I mean, the authenticity and truth of the Christian fcriptures. If Jefus is indeed the visible Jehovah, and Angel of the Covenant, whom our fathers have flain; we want no farther explanation, how we have offended him; or in what manner we may expect deliverance from our evils. For he, whofe mercy and loving kindness hath fo often pardoned the fins of our fathers; delivering them from the diftreffes, with which he vifited and chaftifed them; who could pray for his enemies, in the midst of his fufferings, apologizing for their wilful ignorance; and ufe that power, which he gained by his patient refignation under afflictions, for the falvation of thofe by whom he was diftreffed and flain: he will without doubt return to us also, in mercy and loving-kindness, and will fave us, according to his promife, even in the latter days; if we turn to him with forrow and repentance, as to the Angel of the Covenant whom we delight in; and be obedient to his voice. For that such a time will come, when we fhall be again received into his favour, we are well affured both by the prophecies of Jews and Chriftians."

The three laft letters are advertised to be published with all convenient speed,

ᎪᎡᎢ.

ART. III. Defiderata Curiosa Hibernica: or, a felect Collection of State Papers; confifting of Royal Inftructions, Directions, Difpatches, and Letters. To which are added, fome hiftorical Tracts. The Whole illuftrating and opening the political Syftem of the chief Governors and Government of Ireland, during the Reigns of Queen Elizabeth, James the Firft, and Charles the Firft. 8vo. 2 Vols. 12 s. bound. Dublin printed, 1772; and fold by Robinfon, &c. in London.

STAT

TATE-PAPERS,' fays a late Hiftorian †, who was more converfant with memorials of that fort, than any other writer of this country, are the very chart and compass of hiftory. While we fail by their direction, we fail with certainty, as well as fafety; and when thofe lights fail us, we are forced, in a great degree, to grope and guefs our way, • and to content ourselves with probability only.'-This is undoubtedly true; and yet, as the fame author hath farther obferved, the bulk of readers, in all ages, require no more than a fmooth, even, flowery tale; and are never more disgusted than when their courfe is interrupted by a labyrinth of thwarting facts and arguments, which it equally puzzles them either to investigate or pafs over.'-Men, however, who have experience of the world, and who do not chufe to become the dupes of credulity, have a different way of thinking, and love to tread on furer ground. With them declamation and reprefentation, will pass for no more than they are intrinfically worth; and a few important facts, well afcertained and established, will outweigh all the fine writing that ever dazzled the eye, or delighted the imagination, of fuperficial readers.

With refpect to the papers before us, although the Editor hath not thought it proper to give us the fatisfaction of knowing to whom we are obliged for their publication, or even to inform us from what repofitory of records, or literary storehouse, these materials have been drawn, we, nevertheless, entertain very little doubt of their authenticity.

As to the importance of the feveral papers inferted in this collection, which, in the title, is ftiled felect, we think there is great inequality among them, in this refpect. Some of them are, undoubtedly, curious and valuable; while others will, by moft readers, be regarded as frivolous. Several of the principal tracts are written by perfons of the Roman Catholic party; or by moderate men, fuch as the poet describes,

Papist or Proteftant, or both between,

Like good Erafmus, in an honeft mean.

+ Ralph.

Faithfully transcribed from their originals, or authentic COPIES,' is the whole of the Editor's declaration, on this head.

The

The papers here alluded to, will afford confiderable infor mation to those who have only been converfant with the Proteftant writers on the affairs of Ireland; and all men, we know, will lie for their party. Here, then, the impartial byeftander will, in fome measure, be enabled to judge of the merits of either fide, and to ftrike the balance between truth and falfehood, in this account of religious and political claims and encroachments, bigotry and craft, fubterfuge and violence. In a word, we, in this heretical country, know fo little of the Catholic fide of the queftion, in regard to the troubles of Ireland, during the period to which these volumes relate, that any authentic accounts, from that quarter, muft, we prefume, be acceptable to the curious inquirer.

The principal papers in this collection appear to be the following:

I. Royal Inftructions, Difpatches, &c. to the Lords Deputies of Ireland, &c. in the reign of Elizabeth.

II.

A brief Declaration of the Government of Ireland, opening many Corruptions in the fame, &c. wrote in the Government of Sir William Fitzwilliams, who was Lord Deputy from 1588 to 1594.' In this ample detail of grievances, are many curious particulars relating to the celebrated Tyrone, through which great light is thrown upon the Earl's character and conduct, with refpect to the famous rebellion, in which he made fo diftinguished a figure.

III. A Chronicle of Lord Chichester's Government of Ireland, collected and gathered by William Farmer, Chirurgion.' IV. A Difcourfe of the prefent State of Ireland, 1614. V. Seventeen Letters from James I. and the Council of England, to the Lord Deputy and Council of Ireland.

The above, with a variety of other articles, including a curious account of the parliamentary diffentions in Ireland, in 1614, are to be found in the first volume of this collection. In the fecond volume we have,

I. Inftructions, Remonftrances, Apologies, &c. &c. relating to the Discontents and Disturbances in Ireland, from 1615 to 1641.

II. A Letter from a Proteftant in Ireland, to a Member of the Houfe of Commons in England, 1643.' This is a very fenfible paper, written with great candour, and, as far as we can judge, at this diftance of time, with an intention perfectly honeft, conciliatory, and patriotic. III. Fragmentum Hifloricum: or, the Second and Third Books of the War in Ireland; containing the Tranfactions in that Kingdom, from 1642 to 1647. By Richard Bellings, Efq; Secretary to the Supreme Council of the Confederate Catho lics. Faithfully tranfcribed from the Original, in the Poffeffion

feffion of John Currey, M. D.'-This abounds with matter of information relating to the views and proceedings of that party with which the writer (admitting the, authenticity of the tract) was fo deeply engaged.

IV. A Journal of the most memorable Tranfactions of General Owen O Niell, and his party, from 1641 to 1650. Faithfully related by Col. Henry M.Tully O Niell*, who ferved under him. The information contained in this paper will alfo gratify the curiofity of those who wish to be made acquainted with the most material particulars of the Irish history, during the unhappy period here referred to.

The volume clofes with a furvey of the half barony of Rathdown, in the county of Dublin; by order of Charles Fleetwood, Lord Deputy-1654. The importance of this paper muft, we fuppofe, be merely local.

The obvious tendency of this publication, is to foften the prejudices of the Proteftants against the Roman Catholics of Ireland; but the most complete vindication of the latter with respect to the horrid ftory of the Massacre, in 1641, is to be found in Brooke's Trial of the Roman Catholics: fee Review, vol. xxvii. p. 508.

This Journal is faid to have been fent, by way of letter, to Col. Charles Kelly, of Agharahan.

ART. IV. Confiderations on the Propriety of requiring a Subfcription to Articles of Faith. 8vo. Is. Cadell, &c.

THE

1774.

HE Public, we are told, is indebted for these Confiderations to a very worthy Prelate, of distinguished abilities; and every impartial reader, will, we doubt not, after an attentive perufal of them, readily acknowledge that they do his Lordship credit. It is matter of great fatisfaction to us, and will give pleasure, we hope, to every fincere Proteftant, to fee a perfon of his Lordship's character appear publicly in defence of religious liberty, and fupport the glorious caufe with fo much. ability, at a time when moft of his brethren on the bench fhew fo great an indifference (to speak in the fofteft terms) toward every scheme for promoting a farther reformation of our ecclefiaftical conftitution. If their Lordships feriously confider, and reflect upon their late conduct, both with regard to the Petitioning Clergy and the Diffenters, they cannot poffibly think, one fhould imagine, that the part they have acted does them honour, in the opinion of any judicious, unprejudiced perfon. Great allowances are undoubtedly to be made for the prejudices of their education, their political views and connections, the difficulties attending every fcheme of reformation, &c. It is impoffible,

impoffible, however, by the utmost stretch of candour and charity, to account for their conduct upon any principles that are confiftent with their having a fupreme and prevailing regard to This the honour of Chriftianity and the interefts of truth. will, no doubt, be looked upon, by a certain clafs of men, as very injurious to their Lordships characters; we are neither afraid nor ashamed, however, of declaring our fentiments publicly on this head, with the utmost freedom, as we know that many of the wifeft and beft men that this or any other coun-, try can boaft of are of the fame opinion; and we may venture to challenge, nay we do challenge, the boldeft and warmest of their advocates, to fhew the confiftency of their conduct with what ought to be the diftinguishing character of every truly Proteftant Bishop.-We now proceed to the work before

us.

It is introduced in the following manner :- On a calm, and, as I trust, impartial view of the Controverfy about Subfcriptions, which has fubfifted fo long, and been fupported with fo much zeal; it appeared to me that feveral able writers, who had engaged in this caufe, were even yet hardly got in fight of the main Queftion, concerning the true grounds of civil and ecclefiaftical Polity; and that a few particulars required ftill farther explanation, in order to fet the whole in a proper light.

And though I am very fenfible that what is here offered, having most of them been drawn up fome time ago, must in a great measure be fuperfeded by feveral late publications; yet confidering the fmall effect these appear to have produced, I was tempted to imagine that it might not prove altogether ufelefs, or out of feafon, to enforce them; by reviving fome of thofe original maxims which ought to direct all fuch enquiries, but which in my apprehenfion have long been, and are ftill either too little understood, or too much difregarded.

I have no defign of entering into the subject matter of our Articles; but only beg leave to propofe fome general Obferva tions, concerning the rife and progrefs of a cuftom, which feems to place certain explications of fuppofed Scripture Doctrines on the fame foot with the Scripture themselves;-to enquire how far this practice may be juft and expedient in the prefent times, or in itself defenfible at any time ;-to fee upon what principles it is founded;-what pleas are offered to fupport it ;-and laftly, point out fome of its effects.'

His Lordship's obfervations on these several points are judi cious, liberal, and manly; the following extract may ferve as a fpecimen :

We are willing to allow thofe who have the misfortune of diffenting from us, to think freely for themselves; and difown

the

« ПретходнаНастави »