Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-05-21
Nptes Of Trareliu GMrope.
OBSERVATIONS ON IRELAND.
BY REV. r. LATHAM.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.]

| Brice of BrOadiSland. The region OF cOun-
try in which these men labOred for the
welfare of the people among whom. they
dWelt was known at the time as the Diocese
of Down and Connor. The territory en-
braced in this diocese was the counties
Down and Antrim; or to speak more cor
rectly Antrim and Down counties were en-
braced in the Diocese of Down and Connor.
In these counties of Ireland there were,
during the period beginning 1913, and ending
1641, a number of other ministers of the gOs-
pei whose names ought not to be forgotten.
The time in which they lived and labored
forms part of the most important period
in the history of the British Isles, and in
many respects the most important in the
history of the world. It embraces large
part of the reign of James the First and
Charles the First.
Shortly after the settlement of Brice at
Broadisland, and Blair at Bangor, the prov
ince of Ulster, Ireland, was visited by a re-
markable outpouring of Gods Holy Spirit,
the good effects of which are visible in Ire
land to-day, and not only in Ireland, but in
America. This revival or rather, to speak
more correctly, convicting and converting
of sinners, began at place called Oldstone,
near the town of Antrim in County Antrim.
1t had it's origin in rather singular way,
or in a way which was not in accordance
with human wisdom. This, perhaps, is
always the case. Religious revivals, as they
are popularity called are always remarka-
BILE in that they occur at time and under
circumstances when least expected. They
never occur without or in the absence of the
use of means of divine appointment. At
the period of which we are speaking, Ire
land was in a deplorable condition. The
native population was reduced to state
of degradation which language will not de-
scribe. A form of church government mod
eled after that of England had been establish
ed and the poor Roman Catholic Irish were
required to worship God according to the
notions of the English heirarch. They
were prohibited the use of their vernacular
language, and the miserable ministers
who were put over the parishes were re-
ary in English, or, if the people for whose
spiritual good they were ostensibly ap-
pointed to minister did not understand
English, the they were required to con-
duct the service in Latin. The simple fact
in the case is that the overwhelming major
ity of the Roman Catholic Irish under
stood neither the English nor the Latin Ian.
guage and the pastors who had been placed
over them-at least the majority of them.
were men without even the senblance of
piety.
the Irish proper-there was another class of
population which was nominally Protestant,
but in reality, only partly so, if Protestants
means civilized Christians. This nominal
ly Protestant population was a conglomera-
tion of all sorts and conditions of men.
They were foreigners. That is, they were
not natives of Ireland. The larger number
were from Scotland, the rest were from Eng
land. The larger number Of those who had
any religious proclivities atall were opposed
to prelacy, and, if from England, wereInde-
pendents, if from Scotland, Presbyterians.
Some of them had fled from their native
land on account of religious persecution;
They came to Ireland not of choice, but of
escape justice. They were wild, reckless
fellows who neither feared God nor regard
ed man. This class generally came from
Scotland. There were in Ireland, even at
the time of which we are speaking, men of
wealth and refinement, but these generally,
if not always, were those who had been
made rich by the gifts of the English SOW
ereigns. Such was Ireland when Brice and
Blair began their ministerial labors there.
While Blair was preaching at Bangor,
Rev. James Glendinning began to preach or
lecture in Carrickfergus. He was native
of Scotland, and graduate Of st. Leonard's
8
GIendinning was preceded by Rev. Hub
bard who died in 1923. Mr.. Hubbard was a
conforming English clergyman; that is
he was an Independent or English Presby-
terian. The members of the congregation
to which he ministered were. largely from
England. When their pastor died they re-
turned to London. Such being the case the
congregation to which Hubbard preached
was not the same as that among whom
Glendinning labored. Itappears, however,
that they were not Scotch, but probably a
mixture of Irish, Scotch and English. BE
this as it may, Glendinning was, as we say
at present, very popular, which no doubt
only means, as it often does, that great
deal was said about his lectures. While his
popularity was at it's height, Blair was call
ed to Carrickfergus, and while there he went
to hear Glendinning preach or lecture.
Whether he heard him more than once is
not known, but at any rate Blair conclud-
ed that Glendinning's preaching was not
for edification. In the honesty of his heart
he told Glendinning that he was doing no
good and could do no good in Carrickfergus
and advised him to 60 to Oldstone, where
there were some of his own countrymen.
Glendinning, notwithstanding the fact that
he was making some stir in CarrickferguS,
removed to Oldstone about one mile from
the town of Antrim and began to labor
with his accustomed zeal and impetuosity.
So far as is known his preaching consisted
mainly if not altogether in giving utterance
to the threatenings of the law. This, his
contemporaries say, was all he could preach.
In fact, as the sequel will show the man
was really crazy. He had a strong voice
and delivered his sermons or rather the
announcements of the law Of God with
great vehemence. The people became
alarmed. They were terror stricken and
although Glendinning could arouse their
community in and around OldStOne seems
to have been exceedingly goddess. Many
desperate characters went to the place where
Glendinning was preaching for no other
purpose than to meet their companions that
| they might devise new schemes of wicked
ness, but while there they were convicted of
sin and thrown into agony. A kind feeling
which is akin to despair spread over the
whole region for many miles.
The subjects Of this religious impression
were not women and children, but men of
all ranks in society, but more especially
those lawless characters who keep a whole
community in state Of unrest. These
reckless outlaws went to church for purpO-
ses of evil, but they were Frustrated by the
mighty hand of God.
At the town of Antrim, one mile from
| Oldstone, was settled Rev. John Ridge, an
English Dissenter. Mr.. Ridge learning that
the people Whe lived on both sides of the
SiX-Mile- Water, a river which empties into
Lough Neigh, at the town of Antrim, were
in state bordering on despair, invited
Robert Blair of Bangor, Robert Cunning
ham of Hollywood, and James Hamilton
of Bally-W Water, to assist him in conduct
ing monthly meeting at the town of Ant
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