WHereas many malignant and de­villish Papists and Jesuits, Fri­ars, Seminary Priests, and other superstitious Orders of the Po­pish pretended Clergy, most disloyally, treacherously, and wickedly conspired to surprize His Majesties Castle of Dublin, His Majesties principall Fort in this Kingdom, the City of Dublin, and all other Cities and Fortificati­ons in this Realm, to massacre us the Lords Justices and Councell, to destroy and root out all the Prote­stant Brittish, and all other Protestants in this Realm; and finally, to deprive His Majesty of this [Page 4] His ancient and rightfull Crown and Soveraignty of this Kingdom, and to possesse themselves there­of; All which was by the said Conspirators plot­ted, and intended to be acted on the 23 day of October, in the Yeer of our Lord God, 1641. A Conspiracy so inhumane, barbarous, and cruell, as the like was never before heard of in any Age or Kingdom: And if it had taken effect in that fulnesse which was intended by the Conspirators, it had oc­casioned the utter ruine of this, whole Kingdom, and the Government thereof.

And howsoever it pleased Almighty God in his unsearchable Wisedom and Justice, as a just punish­ment, and deserved correction to us for our sins, and the sins of this Nation, to permit then, and after­wards, the effecting of a great part of that destruction complotted by those wicked Conspirators, where­by many thousand Brittish and Protestants have been massacred; many thousands of others of them have been afflicted and tormented, with the most exqui­site Torments that the malice of the devill could suggest to the mischievous Rebells, And all mens Estates (as well those whom they trayterously slew, as all others) are utterly wasted, ruined, and de­stroyed: Yet as his Divine Majesty hath in all Ages shown his power and mercy in the miraculous and gracious Deliverance of his Church, and in the pro­tection of Religious Kings and States, so even in the midst of his Justice, he was graciously pleased to ex­tend mercy to His Majesty, and to this His Kingdom, [Page 5] and good subjects therein, not onely in miraculously discovering to us the Lords Justices, that hideous and bloody Treason, not many hours before the ap­pointed time for the execution thereof, but also in preserving the said Castle and City of Dublin, and some other Cities, Towns, and Castles in the King­dom, from the bloody hands of the barbarous Con­spirators; as also in thereby rendring deliverance to the lives of us the Lords Justices and Councell, and of all the Brittish and Protestants in Dublin, and in the said other Cities, Towns, and Castles preser­ved, and of sundry other Brittish and Protestants, faln even into the hands of those Rebellious Con­spirators; and likewise in sending us succours (wher­by with Gods blessing) we have hitherto continued safe under his mighty protection, notwithstanding the unexampled rage, and implacable fury and ma­lice of those mercilesse enemies of Gods Truth.

Wherefore, as we do most humbly and justly ac­knowledge Gods Justice in our deserved punish­ments, in those calamities which from the Counsels and Actions of those Conspirators and their adherents are faln upon us, and this Nation in generall, so we do in like manner acknowledge, That even in ex­ercising of that his Justice, he remembred mercy al­so, and magnified his mercy to us, in those great blessings which we humbly confesse to have pro­ceeded meerly from his infinite goodnesse and mer­cy; and therefore to his most holy Name we do as­cribe all Honour, Glory, and Praise. And to the [Page 6] end this unfained thankfulnesse may never be forgot­ten, but may be had in a perpetuall Remembrance, that all Ages to come may yeeld praises to his Di­vine Majesty for the same, and have in Memory, This joyfull day of Deliverance; We do ordain and establish by this our Act of Councell (in the mean time, un­till by Authority of Parliament it shall be made a Law to be delivered over to Posterity) That all and singular Ministers in every Cathedrall and Parish Church, or other usuall place for Common-Prayer in this Realm of Ireland, shall always upon the 23 day of October, say Morning Prayer, and give thanks unto Almighty God, for this most happy and miraculous Deliverance, and for our preservation hitherto, far above the expectation of those wretched Conspira­tors; And that all and every person and persons, in­habiting within this Realm of Ireland, shall alwayes upon that day, diligently and faithfully resort to the Parish Church or Chappell accustomed, or to some usuall Church or Chappell where the said Morning Prayer, Preaching, or other Service of God shall be used, and then and there to abide orderly and sober­ly, during the time of the said Prayers, Preaching, or other Service of God there to be used and mi­nistred.

And because all and every person may be put in minde of his Duty, and be then better prepared to the said holy Service, We do ordain and establish, by this our Act of Councell, That every Minister shall give warning to his Parishioners publikely in [Page 7] the Church at Morning Prayer, the Sunday before every such 23 day of October, for the due observa­tion of the said day: And that after Morning Pray­er and Preaching, upon the said 23 day of October, they reade publikely, distinctly, and plainly, this our Act of Councell.