Ireland under the Stuarts and During the Interregnum, Vol. 3 (of 3), 1660-1690Bagwell, Richard
History
Ireland under the Stuarts and During the Interregnum, Vol. 3 (of 3), 1660-1690
Bagwell, Richard
Ireland -- History -- 17th century
'All the orders of the kingdom,' wrote the new Primate to Ormonde,
'Justices, Council, Convention, Army, City, graced it with their
presence.' The anthem was supplied by the Dean, William Fuller
afterwards Bishop of Lincoln, who sang in very tolerable verse of the
essential unity of Church and Crown. Jeremy Taylor, who had been over
two years in Ireland, was now Bishop of Down and preached the sermon.
Henry Jones of Clogher, who had been Oliver's scoutmaster-general, was
not allowed, or was perhaps too penitent to lay on hands, but held
a Bible and presented it to the Primate. Taylor had no doubts about
the claims of episcopacy, but in another sermon preached three months
later he practically describes his own not very enviable position among
the Ulster nonconformists: 'says the papist, "I will not obey the
protestant kings, because, against the word of God, they command me to
come to church where heresy is preached"; "and I will not acknowledge
the bishops," saith the presbyterian, "because they are against the
discipline and sceptre of Jesus Christ"; and the independent hates
parochial meetings, and is wholly for a gathered church, and supposes
this to be the practice apostolical; "and I will not bring child to
baptism," saith the anabaptist, "because God calls none but believers
to that sacrament"; "and I will acknowledge no clergy, no lord, no
master," saith the quaker, "because Christ commands us to 'call no
man master on the earth, and be not called of men rabbi.'" And if you
call upon these men to obey the authority God had set over them, they
tell you with one voice, with all their hearts, as far as the word of
God will give them leave; but God is to be obeyed and not man, and
therefore if you put the laws in execution against them, they will obey
you passively, because you are stronger, and so long as they know it
they will not stir against you; but they in the meantime are little
less than martyrs, and you no better than persecutors.'[8]
[Sidenote: Attempts to enforce uniformity.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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