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Comfortable State! of all those who in Truth and Sincerity endeavour to discharge their Duty, when they come to die, they can look into the other World without Terror, where they behold, not a Court of Juftice, but a Throne of Grace; where they fee a Father, not a Judge; a Saviour who has died for them, and redeemed them with his own Blood What a bleffed Calm and Serenity poffefs their Souls? What Joy and Triumph transport them? How do their Souls magnify the Lord, and their Spirits rejoice in God their Saviour, when they fee him ready to pronounce them Bleffed to all Eternity! What wife Man would not endeavour to live the Life of the Righteous, that his latter End may be like his; that while he is in the Agonies of Death, no disturbed Thoughts may difcompofe him, no guilty Fears distract him, but leave the World with all the joyful Prefages of everlafting Felicity. Death puts an End to the Sorrows of the Poor; of the Oppreffed; of the Perfecuted. It is a Haven of Reft after all the Tempefts of a troublesome World; it knocks off the Prisoner's Fetters, and fets him at Liberty ;. it dries up the Tears of the Widows and Fatherless: it eases the Complaints of a hungry Belly, and naked Back, it tames the proudest and most cruel Tyrants, who by their merciless Behaviour difturb the World. It puts an End to all our Labours, and fupports us under all Calamities and Adverfities, having before us the glorious Profpect of an unbounded and eternal Joy. There we fhall fee God, and admire, adore and fing eternal Allelujah's to him and therefore, nothing can fo difpofe and prepare us for Heaven, as to have our Hearts ready to speak, and fing the Praises of God, ravished with his Love, tranfported with his Glory and Perfections, and our Thoughts elevated with the moft profound and humble Adorations of him.. L 2 When

When we are going into another World, we fhould have our Thoughts there, and confider what a bleffed Place that is, where we fall be delivered from all the Fears, and Sorrows, and Temptations of this World, where we fhall fee our glorious God, and converfe with Angels and glorifiedSpirits, and live an endless Life without fear of dying, where there is nothing but perfect Love and Peace, no erofs Interefts and Factions to contend with, no Storms to ruffle or difcompofe our Joy and Reft to Eternity; where there is no Pain, no Sicknefs, no Labour, no Care to refresh the Weariness, or to repair the Decays of a Mortal Body, where there is a perpetual Day, and an eternal Calm : Where our Souls fhall attain their utmoft Perfection of Knowledge and Virtue; where we fhall ferve God with Life and Vigour, with Ravifhment and Transport; in a Word, where there are fuch Things as neither Eye hath feen, nor Ear heard; neither hath it entered into the Heart of Man to conceive.

Prepare, me Lord, for that Transparent Place,
E ternity will come, and Time must cease,
Then I beseech thee, grant to me thy Grace.
E vermore fill my Heart with Thoughts fublime,
Reward me with thofe Things which are di-

vine.

B right happy Place where Pleafures do abound,
R efplendent Angels do thy Throne furround,
Eternal Songs do make the Heavens refound.
'Thought can't conceive, nor can our Speeches tell
The Happiness of those who there da dwell.

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A concile Account of fome particular Archbishops and Bishops of the King-dom of Ireland, fince the building of the Cathedral Church of Armagh, by St. Patrick.

HE Cathedral Church of Armagh was built by St. Patrick, and made a Bishop's See Anno Domini 445, but according to the Annals of Ulfter 444, it hath been often ruined and destroyed by Fire, and as frequently repaired and enlarged by the Archbishops thereof: But efpecially about the Year 1262 by Patrick O Scanlain, who had had been then lately tranflated from the See of Rapho to Armagh. His next Succeffor was Fryar Nicholas Mac-moliffa. The Chapter is compofed of five Dignitaries, and four Prebendaries. The Dignitaries are a Dean, Chanter, Chancellor, Trea furer, and Archdeacon. There are eight VicarsChoral, two of which are Priefts. They were anciently fewer, but in the Year 1720, Primate Lindsay obtained a new Charter for enlarging the Number of the faid Vicars to Eight, and laid out upwards of Four Thousand Pounds on a Purchase, in Augmentation of the Eftate of the Choir.

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Many Authors differ about the Time wherein he was born, But it is generally believed it was in the Year 373, on the 5th of April, at a Place cal led Kirk-Patrick, or Kil-Patrick, between the Caftle of Dun-britton, and the City of Glafcow; his Father's Name was Calphurnius, a Deacon, his Grand-father's Name was Potitus, a Prieft. He at his Baptifm was called Succath, which fignifies valiant

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Bant in War, but was afterwards by Pope Celeftine called Patrick. At fixteen Years of Age being at Sea, he was taken by Pyrates, and brought Captive into Ireland, where he lived fix Years, tending an Herd of Cattle in the County of Antrim. St. Patrick himself tells us thus, My conftant Business was to feed the Hogs; I was frequently in Prayer; the Love and Fear of God more and more • inflamed my Heart; my Faith was enlarged, and my Spirit augmented; fo that I faid an hundred Prayers by Day, and almost as many by Night. I arose before Day to my Prayers, in the Snow, in the Frofl, in the Rain, and yet I received no Damage, nor was I affected with Slothfulness for then the Spirit of God was warm within me." After his fix Years Captivity, he took an Opportunity of making his Escape; and after all his Sufferings he arrived at last to his Parents, who received him with the greatest Joy; with whom he continued about two Years: This was about the Year 397. He still had an Inclination of endeavouring the Converfion of the Irish, but however, he refolved to travel into foreign Parts, that thereby he might enrich his Mind with Learning and Experience; for accomplishing of which, he spent thirty five Years abroad, in which Time, he was for the moft Part under the Direction of his Mother's Uncle, St. Martin, Bishop of Tours, and St. German, Bishop of Auxere, who ordained him a Prieft, at which Time he called his Name Magonius; which was the third Name he was known by: He then travelled to Ireland, and landed there in 432. He was then in the fixtieth Year of his Age. The firft that was converted by him after his Arrival, was Sinel, a great Man in the Country: He was the Eight in lineal Defcent from Cormack King of Leinfter, and afterwards came to be enumerated among the Saints of Ireland. He Freached with great Power and Success through

the

the Kingdom; and it is reported of him, that at the Approach of Lent, he withdrew unto a highMountain, and there, in imitation of our Saviour, Mofes, and Elias, fafted forty Days, without taking any Kind of Suftenance. Joceline writes, that to this Place he gathered together the feveral Tribes of Serpents and venomous Creatures, and drove them into the western Ocean; and that from hence: our Ifland is exempted from poisonous Thing, as a Poet writes,

Enroll'd in Books, exhauftlefs is her Store,
Of veiny Silver, and of golden Ore ;

Her fruitful Soil for ever teems with Wealth,
With Gems her Waters, and her Air with Health.
Her verdant Fields with Milk and Honey flow,
Her woolly Fleeces vie with Virgin Snow,
Her waving Furrows float with bearded Corn,
And Arms and Arts her envy'd Sons adorn.
No favage Bear with lawless Fury roves,.
No rav'nous Lyon thro' her peaceful Groves
No Poison there infects, no fcaly Snake,
Creeps thro" the Grass, nor Frog annoys the
Lake;

An Inland worthy of it's pious Race,

In War triumphant, and unmatch'd in Peace.

Some affirm of St. Patrick, that he died and was buried at Glaffenbury in England; but the general Opinion of our Irish Writers is, that he died in the Abby of Paul the 17th of March 493, in the 120th Year of his Age, and was buried in Down.

In Down, three Saints one Grave do fill,
Bridget, Patrick, and Collumbkille.

St. Binen, or Benignus, fucceeded St. Patrick in the Primacy of Armagh in 455, refigned in the Year 465, and lived three Years after, and was buried, it is believed, at Armagh,

Jar

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