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of continuing his studies under the guidance of Mr. Hamilton, who was appointed to the first fellowship in the college.

Still pursuing his studies with renewed application and pleasure, he devoted himself to the acquisition of classical and scientific knowledge; and at the age of sixteen had made such progress in ecclesiastical history, antiquity, and chronology, that he completed the first draught of that great work, The Annals of the Old and New Testament, which afterwards spread his fame throughout Europe.

The subjects which principally occupied his thoughts at this period, seemed to shew that he had made choice of the sacred profession of a minister of Jesus Christ, rather than of the law, which his father had wished him to pursue; and on the death of that parent, in August 1598, being left to decide. for himself, he determined without. hesitation to prepare himself for the work of the ministry.

'Soon after the loss of his father, he gave a striking proof of his disinterestedness and brotherly affection. A considerable estate then came into his possession, which he at once proceeded to share with his brother and sisters, reserving for himself only so much as would maintain him at college, and place at his command a small annual sum for the purchase of books.

• Surrounded as he was by popery, having relations who adhered to that faith, and meeting frequently with books which advocated the Romish religion, his attention was naturally turned towards that subject. A book, entitled The Fortress of Faith, written by a Romanist named Stapleton, was much circulated at that time, and came into the hands of our young student, while he was an under-graduate of the university. On the perusal of that work a suspicion was awakened in his

mind, that the author had not fairly stated, or honestly quoted, the opinions of the Fathers; and this suspicion led him to resolve to scrutinize the matter for his own satisfaction, and, with this view, if God should spare his life, to

read the Fathers all over, and trust none but his own eyes in the search of them.' This stupendous undertaking he was spared to accomplish. Commencing at twenty years of age with the Fathers of the first century, he read a certain portion every day in chronological order, till at the end of eighteen years he had completed this laborious task.

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Writing to his uncle, he gave the following account of the studies in which he was then engaged. "The principal part of my study is at this time employed in perusing the writings of the Fathers, and observing out of them the doctrine of the ancient church; wherein I find it very necessary that the reader should be thoroughly informed touching his authors, what time they lived, and what works are truly, what falsely, attributed to them; either of which being mistaken, must of force bring great confusion in this kind of study.”

The authority of the Fathers, and the importance of an intimate acquaintance with their writings, has recently become a subject of much discussion the immense time, however, which the perusal of their voluminous productions, must unavoidably consume, may well induce ordinary readers to pause, before they enter on so extensive an undertaking. Few men have leisure to enter on so extensive a field, and fewer still possess that solidity of judgment, which would enable them to separate the precious from' the vile. The Fathers, be it remembered, were only men. Pious men, it is true, yet men of very defective education, living in trying times, and often adopting and diffusing very crude, hasty, and erro

neous conclusions. As records of facts, their writings are highly important, but their doctrinal, and even practical statements, must be received with much caution and with continual reference to the inspired volume.

Before this period indeed, and when not yet twenty years of age, Mr. Usher had been selected by the Protestants to dispute with a learned Jesuit of the name of Fitzsymonds. 'It was agreed that the disputants should meet once a week in a room in Dublin Castle, which should be open to the public; and the Jesuit entered into the contest without any apprehension of defeat. It appears, however, that after one or two conferences, he retired from the field; and, not liking to own himself vanquished, gave out that he did not choose to waste his time in disputing with a boy. This came to young Usher's ears, and he wrote a letter to Fitzsymonds, in which, after making a reference to the battle between David and the Philistine, he proceeds, "I would fain have you know that I neither came then, nor now do come unto you, in any confidence of any learning that is in me, in which respect, notwithstanding, I thank God I am what I am; but I came in the name of the Lord of Hosts, whose companies you have reproached, being certainly persuaded that even out of the mouths of babes and sucklings he is able to shew forth his own praises." And then, after proposing that the discussion should proceed as at first intended, he concludes his letter by "praying the Lord that both this, and all other enterprises that we take in hand, may be so ordered as may most make for the advancement of his own glory and the kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ."

The discussion does not appear to have been renewed: but that the Jesuit had not a mean opinion of his opponent's talents, may be

inferred from an admission which he afterwards made in one of his works. There came to me once,' he says, a youth of about eighteen years of age, of a ripe wit, when scarce, as you would think, gone through his course of philosophy, or got out of his childhood, yet ready to dispute on the most abstruse point of divinity.' And at a later period he confessed that Mr. Usher was a profound scholar, and pronounced him the most learned person out of the catholic church.'

Mr. Usher took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at the usual time, and in the year 1600 proceeded Master. In the same year he was appointed Catechist Reader in the college, an office which he discharged with advantage to his pupils and credit to himself. About this time also he was diligently employed in collecting and arranging the papers which were afterwards published in his Body of Divinity. In consequence of the scarcity of preachers, Mr. Usher with two other young men, were appointed to preach in Christ Church Cathedral before the State, and he was especially desired to treat of some of the Popish errors.

But he soon after désisted, from a conviction of the impropriety of thus ministering in public, without having received ordination. His manner, however, of performing the duty thus imposed upon him, and his lectures as catechist reader, seemed to hold out such promise of his usefulness as a divine, and his character as a Christian seemed now to be so well established, that his friends importuned him to defer no longer to offer himself a candidate for holy orders. He appears to have hesitated at first to comply with their wishes, on account of his youth. But after a while he determined to devote himself to the service of his Master and Saviour, and was set apart for that sacred

purpose by his uncle, the archbishop of Armagh.'

Mr. Usher's reputation as a scholar and a divine was now well established; and his general knowledge of literature was so highly appreciated, that when, in 1603, the English army in Ireland subscribed £1800. towards the Library of the University, he was appointed to accompany Dr. Chaloner, another of the fellows, to London, and in conjunction with him to lay out that sum to the best advantage. It is singular enough that, while executing this commission in the English metropolis, they chanced to meet Sir Thomas Bodley, who was also in search of scarce and valuable books for his newlyerected library in the university of Oxford.

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This visit he afterwards repeated about once in three years, when he usually passed a month at Oxford, another at Cambridge, and the remainder of his time in London; and wherever he went, he obtained access to the best public and private collections.'

In 1613, Mr. Usher took his Doctor's degree; about which time he was offered the important office of Provost of the college, which he declined. In the following year he published his first treatise on the state and succession of the Christian churches, with especial reference to the Popish inquiry, Where our religion was before Luther? In this work he proves from authors of undoubted credit, that even in the darkest and most ignorant times, Christ has always had a visible church, untainted with the errors and corruptions of Romanism, and that these islands do not owe their Christianity to Rome. This learned disquisition has been of great service to all later writers; its main positions have never been refuted; and further investigation has confirmed many of his opinions,-particularly that there exist several Christian

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churches, which have always rejected the doctrines of Popery, refused admission to its authority, and escaped extermination or apostasy under its persecutions.

Dr. Usher's work was only carried down to the latter part of the fourteenth century. In a letter written a few years after its publication, he speaks of his intention of filling up what is wanting to complete the work. I purpose,' he says, to publish the whole work together, much augmented, but do first expect the publication of my uncle Stanyhurst's answer to the former, which I hear, since his death, is sent to Paris to be printed.' The remaining period, however, was never completed, owing in some measure to the loss of his papers, during the unhappy disorders which rent society in the latter part of his life.'

The Protestant church in Ireland was at this period in a very feeble state. A large majority of the inhabitants were firmly attached to the Romish faith, and as the Irish language then generally prevailed, with which few Protestant ministers had any acquaint

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ance, there was very little prospect of recovering the poor Romanists to a purer faith. Attempts were indeed made to induce English and Scotch ministers to settle in Ireland; but the dangers were great, and the prospects of usefulness so small, that very few were induced to engage in so arduous an undertaking. Most of those who complied with the invitation were Puritan ministers who acceptedbenefices in Ireland, in order to avoid the difficulties they had to contend with in England. These persons were desirous of adopting a confession of faith which should be still more decidedly Calvinistic than the Articles of the Church of England, and Dr. Usher, as Divinity professor at Dublin, assisted in its preparation. This confession of faith passed both houses of Con

vocation and Parliament with great unanimity, though its adoption excited considerable suspicions in the mind of King James against Dr. Usher, so that all prospect of further promotion appeared at an end. But in 1619, Sir Oliver St. John, then lord deputy of Ireland, sent Dr. Usher over to England with strong recommendations to his Majesty, who was so pleased with his conversation that he nominated him to the bishopric of Meath, observing that Dr. Usher was a bishop of his own making, and that although indeed the knave puritan was a bad man, the knave's puritan was an honest

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On his return to Ireland, the newly consecrated bishop considered how he might best promote the interests of the Protestant faith in his new capacity. Union, zeal, and knowledge, were the means of effecting this purpose, which he wished to combine in his clergy. His views of episcopacy were very moderate, and he studied to avoid giving offence to those who had been educated in the church of Scotland, allowing presbyters to participate with him in ordaining them, if they desired to have it so. Nay, he even carried this liberality so far, as not to eject from their benefices those who followed the Scottish system of public worship, and declined to adopt the liturgy of the church. If he had acted otherwise, he must have declared many livings void, without being able to provide ministers to serve them; and even with such assistance his diocese was very unlike the rest of Ireland, if many parishes were not still unprovided with pastors. His views of episcopacy certainly were not so exalted as those embraced by most of his brethren; but he thought that the churches which have no bishops are defective in their government, and therefore desired by some concessions to render that

system less obnoxious to those who had been brought up with other prejudices, and so to strengthen the Protestant cause by union. He bitterly lamented the ill conduct alleged against some of the clergy, and used all his efforts to train up a virtuous, earnest, and learned body of ministers. He took pains to be acquainted with the characters of those who offered themselves for the ministry, and endeavoured to follow St. Paul's injunction to Timothy-" Lay hands suddenly on no man.'

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"I never heard,' says Dr. Parr, 'that he ordained more than one person who was not sufficiently qualified in respect of learning; and this was in so extraordinary a case, that I think it will not be amiss to give a short account of it. There was a certain English mechanic living in his diocese, who constantly frequented the public service of the church, and attained to a competent knowledge of the scriptures, and gave himself to read what books of practical divinity he could get, and was reputed among protestants thereabouts a very honest and pious man. man applied to Dr. Usher, and told him that he had a very earnest desire to be admitted to the ministry; but the bishop refused him, advising him to go home and follow his calling, and pray to God to remove this temptation. After

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some time he returned again, renewing his request, and saying that he could not be at rest in his mind, but that his desires towards that calling increased more and more. Whereupon the lord primate discoursed with him, and found, upon examination, that he gave a very good account of his faith and knowledge in all the main points of religion. He then questioned him further if he could speak Irish; for if not, his preaching would be of little use in a country where the greatest part of the people were Irish, who understood no English.

The man replied, that indeed he could not speak Irish, but that, if his lordship thought fit he would endeavour to learn it: which he bade him do; and as soon as he had attained the language, to come again, which he did about a twelvemonth after, telling my lord that be could now express himself tolerably well in Irish, and therefore desired ordination. Whereupon the lord primate, finding, upon examination, that he spake truth, ordained him accordingly, being satisfied that such an ordinary man was able to do more good than if he had Latin without any Irish at all. Nor was the bishop deceived in his expectation; for this man, as soon as he had a cure, employed his talents diligently and faithfully, and proved very successful in converting many of the Irish papists to our church, and continued labouring in that work until the rebellion and massacre, wherein he hardly escaped with life.'

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To those who were just about to engage in ministerial duty he gave most excellent advice; it was in substance as follows:

1. Read and study the scriptures carefully, wherein is the best learning and only infallible truth. They can furnish you with the best materials for your sermons; the only rules for faith and practice; the most powerful motives to persuade and convince the conscience; and the strongest arguments to confute all errors, heresies, and schisms. Therefore, be sure, let all your sermons be congruous to them. And it is expedient that you understand them as well in the originals as in the translations.

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3. Meddle with controversies and doubtful points as little as may be in your popular preaching, lest you puzzle your hearers or engage them in wrangling disputations, and so hinder their conversion, which is the main end of preaching.

4. Insist most on those points which tend to effect sound belief, sincere love to God, repentance for sin, and that may persuade to holiness of life. Press these things home to the consciences of your hearers, as of absolute necessity, leaving no gap for evasions; but bind them as closely as may be to their duty. And as you ought to preach sound and orthodox doctrine, so ought you to deliver God's message as near as may be in God's words: that is, in such as are plain and intelligible, that the meanest of your auditors may understand. To which end it is necessary to back all the precepts and doctrines with apt proofs from Holy Scriptures; avoiding all exotic phrases, scholastic terms, unnecessary quotations of authors, and forced rhetorical figures; since it is not difficult to make easy things appear hard; but to render hard things easy is the hardest part of a good orator as well as preacher.

5. Get your heart sincerely affected with the things you persuade others to embrace, that so you may preach experimentally, and your hearers may perceive that you are in good earnest; and press nothing upon them but what may tend to their advantage, and which you yourself would enter your own salvation on.

6. Study and consider well the subjects you intend to preach on, before you come into the pulpit, and then words will readily offer themselves. Yet think what you are about to say before you speak, avoiding all uncouth fantastical words or phrases, nauseous, indecent, or ridiculous expressions, which will quickly

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