HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PROTESTANT ASSOCIATIONS. AT the present time, when Protestant Associations are, we trust with the blessing of God, being multiplied in our land, a short sketch of those which have been formed at several periods of our history, and of the circumstances which occasioned their formation, may be useful and interesting. It will be found that they have varied in their features according to the emergencies which called them into existence, and that the success with which their efforts were attended has been various; and from a view of them we may learn a varied lesson of warning, instruction, and encouragement. The first association having a Protestant character was formed in 1584, the 27th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was called into existence by the various plots against the Queen, which were commenced, and carried on through the instigation and agency of the seminary priests, and under the authority of the bull of Pope Pius V, 1569, affecting to depose her from the throne of England, and absolve her subjects from their allegiance. Robertsont writes: "In order to discourage the adherents of Mary Queen of Scots, it was thought necessary to convince them by some public deed, of the attachment of the English to their own Sovereign, and that any attempt against her life would prove fatal to her rival;" and he adds on the authority of Camden, that persons of all ranks subscribed this combination with the greatest eagerness and unanimity." It was also confirmed by Act of Parliament, 27 Eliz. c. 1. The instrument or writing of Association, which the Protestants of England entered into "in obedience and defence of the Queen and against those who attempt anything that shall tend to the harm of Her Majesty's royal person, and against all pretenders to the throne," is to be found in Lord Somers' Tracts, vol. i. p. 151; and is in the following terms: "Forasmuch as Almighty God hath ordained Kings, Queens, and Princes, to have dominion and rule over all their subjects, and to preserve them in the possession and observation of the true Christian religion, according to his holy word and commandment; and in like sort, that all subjects should love, fear, and obey their Sovereign Princes, being Kings or Queens, to the * See the trials of Parry, and of Ballard and others, for high treason, in the 1st vol, of the State Trials: the former is given, with remarks thereon, in the first vol. of Criminal Trials, by Jardine, 12mo, 1832. For a history of the seminary priests, see Camden, Annals of Queen Elizabeth, under the year 1580. + History of Scotland, ii. 101. 4to. London, 1771. Annals of Queen Elizabeth, under the year 1584. § Or vol. viii. p. 311, of edition by Sir Walter Scott. utmost of their power; at all times to withstand, pursue, and suppress all manner of persons that shall by any means intend and attempt any thing dangerous or hurtful to the honour, states, or persons of their Sovereigns: 66 Therefore, we whose names are or shall be subscribed to this writing, being natural born subjects of this realm of England, and having so gracious a Lady, our Sovereign Elizabeth, by the ordinance of God, our most rightful Queen, reigning over us these many years with great felicity to our inestimable comfort: and finding lately by divers depositions, confessions, and sundry advertisements out of foreign parts from credible persons, well known to her Majesty's council and to divers others; that for the furtherance and advancement of some pretended title to the crown, it hath been manifested that the life of our gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth, hath been most dangerously exposed to the peril of her person, if Almighty God, her perpetual Defender, of his mercy had not revealed and withstood the same; by whose life, we and all other her Majesty's true and loyal subjects do enjoy an inestimable benefit of peace in this land; do for the reasons and causes above alleged, not only acknowledge ourselves most justly bound with our lives and goods for her defence, in her safety, to prosecute, suppress, and withstand all such intenders and all other her enemies, of what nation, condition, and degree whatsoever they shall be, or by what council or title they shall pretend to be her enemies, or to attempt any harm upon her person; but do further think it our bounden duties, for the great benefit of peace and wealth and godly government, we have more plentifully received these many years, under her Majesty's government, than any of our forefathers have done in any longer time of any other her progenitors, kings of this realm, to declare, and by this writing make manifest, our bounden duties to our said Sovereign Lady for her safety. And to that end we and every of us, first calling to witness the name of Almighty God, do voluntarily and most willingly bind ourselves, and every one of us to the other, jointly and severally in the bond of one firm and loyal society and do hereby vow and promise, by the majesty of Almighty God, that with our whole powers, bodies, lives and goods, and with our children and servants, we and every of us will faithfully serve and humbly obey our said Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth against all States, Dignities, and earthly powers whatsoever:" &c. A few years later (1588-the year of the Spanish Armada,) was formed the Covenant in the Sister Kingdom of Scotland, for the maintenance of true Religion and the defence of the King's person and Government in opposition to all enemies foreign and domestic. It was signed by the king (James VI. afterwards James I. of England), the council, and divers other estates, (that is the nobles, clergy and commons,) and was expressed in these terms: "We under-subscribing, considering the strait linke and conjunction betwixt the true and Christian religion, presently professed within this our Realme, and [our] Soveraigne Lord's Estate and Standing, having both the self same friends, and common enemies, and subject to the like event of standing and decay; and weighing therewith all the imminent danger threatned to the said Religion, as well by forreigne preparations for prosecution of that detestable conspiracie against Christ and his Evangel, called the Holy League;* by outward and inward practices of the favourers and supporters thereof among ourselves, who now, animated by the report of forreign powers repairing to this Realme, begin more plainly to utter and professe their longconceived evil meaning to the truth, and consequently to the standing of his Majestie our Soveraigne Lord; whom they have found and tried to be a constant and inflexible Professour of the same. "The preservation whereof being dearer to us than whatsoever we have dearest in this life; and finding in his Majestie a most honourable and Christian resolution to manifest himself to the world to be that zealous and religious Prince which he hath hitherto professed, and to employ the means and power which God hath put into his hands, as well to the withstanding of whatsoever that forreign force shall meane within this island for alteration of the said Religion, or endangering of the present Estate; as to the repressing of the inward enemies thereto among ourselves, linked with them in the said Anti-christian League and Confederacie: Have therefore, in the presence of the Almightie God, and with his Majestie's authorizing and allowance, faithfully promised, and solemnly sworn; like as hereby we faithfully and solemnly swear and promise to take a true, eaffold and plaine part with his Majestie among ourselves, for diverting of the apparent dangers threatned to the said Religion, and his Majestie's estate and standing, depending thereupon, by whatsoever forreigne or intestine plots or preparations: And to that effect," &c.t Robertsont observes that this national covenant of the Scots * The prospect of the King of Navarre, a zealous Protestant, ascending the throne of France, alarmed all the Papists in Europe, and the Duke of Guise, countenanced by the Pope, and aided by the King of Spain, appeared as defender of the Romish faith, and the asserter of the Cardinal of Bourbon's right to the Crown. In order to unite the party, a bond of confederacy was formed, distinguished by the name of the Holy League. The destruction of the Reformation, not only in France, but all over Europe, seemed to be the object and wish of the whole party.-See Robertson's Hist. of Scotland, ii. 112. + Calderwood's Hist. of the Church of Scotland, p. 223. 1678. Hist. of Scotland, ii., 164-5, 4to, Lond. 1771. was in imitation of the precedent established by the people of Israel, who when roused by an extraordinary event, or alarmed by any public danger, were accustomed to bind themselves, by a solemn covenant, to adhere to that religion which the Almighty had established among them. The solemn league and covenant introduced in Scotland in 1638, and adopted in England in 1643, from which flowed such disastrous consequences, was not only for "the preservation of the reformed religion in the Church of Scotland," and for "the extirpation of popery," but aimed at the reformation of religion in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, and "the extirpation of prelacy." : In the latter part of the reign of Charles II. the attempt to exclude his brother, the Duke of York, from the succession to the throne on account of his zeal for popery, was the great political effort and in 1680 (Dec. 15), the Commons passed a votet that a bill should be brought in for an Association of all His Majesty's Protestant subjects for the safety of His Majesty's person, the defence of the Protestant religion, and the preservation of His Majesty's Protestant subjects, against all invasions and oppositions whatsoever; and for preventing the Duke of York, or any papist from succeeding to the throne. And in the same session (Dec. 20,) they presented an address to the King, desiring therein "that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to assent to an act whereby His Majesty's Protestant subjects might be enabled to associate themselves for the defence of His Majesty's person, the Protestant religion, and the security of his kingdoms." This request was not complied with: the bill of exclusion was rejected in the House of Lords; and the Parliament was dissolved. After the revolution of 1688, we find the following notice of a Protestant association in Ireland, in Sir James Ware's Antiquities and History of Ireland, Gesta Hibernorum, 1695. "About this time his Excellency the Lord Capel, and the Council, on the account of the late conspiracy to assassinate His Majesty, (having issued a proclamation for discovering and taking the conspirators,) signed an association in the council books, there to remain on record, as a testimony of their zealous affection to King William." In England a similar association was in the following year ratified and confirmed by 7 & 8 W. III. c. 27, s. 3, a.d. 1696; and the reason for it and its form are thus stated: "Whereas there has been a horrid and detestable conspiracy, formed and * It is to be seen at full length, as well as the remonstrance of the University of Oxford against it, in the "Reasons of the present Judgment of the University of Oxford, concerning the Solemn League and Covenant, the negative Oath, the Ordinances concerning Discipline and Worship; approved by general consent, in a full Convocation, June 1st, 1647, and presented to consideration." Lord Somers' Tracts, vol. iv. p. 606-626, ed. by Sir Walter Scott. + Commons' Journals, 32 Charles II, carried on by papists, and other wicked and traitorous persons, for assassinating His Majesty's royal person, in order to encourage an invasion from France, to subvert our religion, laws, and liberty: we whose names are hereunto subscribed, do heartily, sincerely, and solemnly profess, testify and declare, that his present Majesty King William is rightful and lawful king of these realms. And we do mutually promise and engage to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our power, in the support and defence of His Majesty's most sacred person and government against the late King James and all his adherents." The following answer was made by the King to the Commons presenting to him their association: "Gentlemen, I take this as a most convincing, and most acceptable evidence of your affection; and, as you have freely associated yourselves for our common safety, I do heartily enter into the same association, and will be always ready with you, and the rest of my good subjects, to venture my life against all who shall endeavour to subvert the religion, laws, and liberties of England."* In this reign the Protestant character of our constitution was matured by statutes disabling a Papist from possessing the Crown; and it continued unimpaired for nearly 100 years. In 1778, however, notwithstanding the rebellions of 1715 and 1745, in which the papists were deeply engaged: "An act for relieving His Majesty's subjects professing the Popish religion from certain penalties and disabilities imposed upon them by an act made in the 11th and 12th years of the reign of King William the third, intituled an act for the further preventing the growth of Popery," was passed. "The act was introduced without previous notice in the most private manner, at the end of the Session, and to a thin house: many of the members having retired to their country-seats on the understanding and in the belief that no new matter of an interesting nature would be taken up at that advanced season of the year. The situation of those at the helm was difficult; it might have been thought dangerous at such a crisis to provoke the resentment of a numerous body of Papists by opposing the bill; they were ignorant of the sentiments of the people; and being surprized, unhappily thought it politic to acquiesce. The bishops had not time sufficiently to deliberate on it; and were tender of appearing enemies to toleration. Thus the mischief was done before the design was made known, and consequently before it could be prevented."+ (To be continued.) * Commons' Journals, 4 April, 8 Will. 3. New edition, 1780. Leave was given to Sir George Saville, and others, to bring in the bill on the 14th May, and it passed the Commons on the 21st; it was brought up to the House of Lords on the following day, and passed that House on the 1st June; it received the Royal Assent on the 3rd June, the day on which Parliament was |