Answer to a Jesuit in Ireland, Title page – Dedication
AN ANSWER TO A CHALLENGE MADE BY A IESUITE in JRELAND. WHEREIN THE IVDGEMENT OF ANTIQUITY in the points questioned is truely delivered, and the Noveltie of the now ROMISH doctrine plainly discovered
By IAMES VSSHER Bishop of Meath.
MATTH. 19.8.
From the beginning it was not so.
DUBLIN, Printed by the Societie of Stationers. 1624.
TO HIS MOST SACRED MAIESTIE, IAMES BY THE GRACE OF God King of great BRITAINE, FRANCE, and IRELAND, Defender of the Faith, &c.
Most Gratious and Dread Soveraigne.
WEe finde it recorded for the everlasting honour of Theodosius the yonger, that it was his use aSocrat. lib. 7. hist. cap. 22.to reason with his Bishops of the things contained in the holy Scriptures, as if he himselfe had beene one of their order: and of the Emperour Alexius in latter dayes; that bSuthym. Zigaben. in Praefat. Dogmaticae Panopliae.whatsoever time hee could spare from the publike cares of the Common-wealth, hee did wholly employ in the diligent reading of Gods booke, and in conferring thereof with worthy men, of whom his Court was never empty. How little inferiour, or how much superiour rather, your Majestie is to either of these in this kind of praise, I neede not speake: it is acknowledged even by such as differ from you in the point of Religion, as a matter that hath cIo. Brereley, in his Epistle before S. Augu…tines Religion.added more than ordinary lustre of ornament to your Royall estate; that you doe not forbeare so much as at the time of your bodily repast, to have for the then like feeding of your intellectuall part, your Highnesse table surrounded with the attendance and conference of your grave and learned Divines.
VVhat inward joy my heart conceived, as oft as I have had the happinesse to be present at such seasons, I forbeare to utter: onelyonly I will say with Job; that dIob 29.11.the eare which heard you blessed you, and the eye which saw you, gave witnesse to you. But of all other things which I observed, your singular dexteritie in detecting the frauds of the Romish Church, and untying the most knotty arguments of the Sophisters of that side, was it (I confesse) that I admired most. especially where occasion was offred you to utter your skill, not in the word of God alone, but also in the Antiquities of the Church: wherein you have attained such a measure of knowledge as (with honour to God, I trust I may speake it, & without flatterie to you) in a well studied Divine we would account verie commendable, but in such a Monarch as your selfe almost incredible. And this is one cause (most Gratious Soveraigne) beside my generall duty, and the many speciall obligations wherby I am otherwise bound unto your Majestie, which hath emboldned me to intreat your patience at this time, in vouchsafing to be a spectator of this combate, which I am now entred into with a Iesuite, who chargeth us to disallow many chiefe articles, which the Saints and Fathers of the Primitive Church did generally hold to be true; and undertaketh to make good, that they of his side doe not disagree from that holy Church, either in these, or in any other point of Religion.
Now true it is, if a man doe only attend unto the bare sound of the word, (as in the question of Merit, for example) or to the thing in generall, without descending into the particular consideration of the true ground thereof (as in the matter of Praying for the dead) he may easily be induced to beleeve, that in divers of these controversies the Fathers speake cleerely for them and against us: neither is there any one thing that hath wonne more credit to that religion, or more advanced it in the consciences of simple men, than the conformitie that it retaineth in some words and outward observances with the ancient Church o… Christ. Whereas if the thing it selfe were narrowly looked into, it would be found that they have onelyonly the shell without the kernell, and we the kernell without the shell: they having retained certaine words and rites of the ancient Church, but applied them to a new invented doctrine; and we on the other side having relinquished these words and observances, but retained neverthelesse the same primitive doctrine, unto which by their first institution they had relation.
The more cause have I to count my selfe happy, that am to answer of these matters before a King that is able to discerne betwixt things that differ, and hath knowledge of all these questions.Act. 26.26. before whom therefore I may speake boldly: because I am perswaded that none of these things are hid from him. For it is not of late daies that your Majestie hath begun to take these things into your consideration: from a childe have you beene trained up to this warfare; yea before you were twenty yeeres of age, the Lord had taught your hands to fight against the man of sinne, and your fingers to make battell against his Babel. Whereof your Paraphrase upon the Revelation of S. John is a memorable monument left to all posterity: which I can never looke upon, but those verses of the Pöet runne alwaies in my minde:
Caesaribus virtus contigit ante diem;Ovid.
Jngenium coeleste suis velocius annis
Surgit, & ignavae fert mala damna morae.
How constant you have beene ever since in the profession and maintenance of the truth: your late protestation, made vntounto both the houses of your Parlament, giveth sufficient evidence. So much whereof as may serve for a present antidote against that false and scandalous eMerc. Gallobelgic. ann. 1623.Oration spread amongst forrainers under your Majesties sacred name: I humbly make bold to insert in this place, as a perpetuall testimony of your integrity in this behalfe.
fHis Majesties Answer to the Petition of the Parliament touching Recusants, 23. April. 1624.WHAT my religion is my bookes doe declare, my profession and my behaviour doe shew: and J hope in God, J shall never live to be thought otherwise; sure I am, J shall never deserve it. And for my part I wish that it might be written in Marble and remaine to posteritie, as a marke upon me, when I shall swerve from my Religion. for he that doth dissemble with God, is not to be trusted by man. My Lords, I protest before God, my heart hath bled, when I have heard of the increase of Popery: and God is my Judge it hath beene so great a griefe unto me, that it hath beene like thornes in mine eies and prickes in my sides; so farre have I beene and ever shall be, from turning any other way. And my Lords and Gentlemen, you all shall bee my Confessors; if J knew any way better than other to hinder the growth of Poperie, I would take it: and he cannot be an honest man, who knowing as J doe and being perswaded as I am, would doe otherwise.
As you have so long since begun, and happily continued, so goe on (most renowned King) and still shew your selfe to be a Defender of the faith. fight the Lords battells couragiously, honour him evermore, and advance his truth. that when you have fought this good fight,2 Tim. 4.7.8 and finished your course, and kept the faith; you may receive the Crowne of righteousnesse, reserved in heaven for you. for the obtaining of which double blessing, both of grace and of glory, together with all outward prosperitie and happinesse in this life; you shall never want the instant praiers of
Your Majesties most faithfull subject and humble servant, IA. MIDENSIS.