A Just Defense of Certain Passages, Title page – Table of contents
A IVST DEFENCE OF CERTAINE PASSAGES in a former Treatise concerning the Nature and Vse of LOTS, Against such Exceptions and Oppositions as hauehave beene made thereunto by Mr. I. B. Wherein the insufficiencie of his Answers giuen to the Arguments brought in defence of a Lusorious Lot is manifested; The imbecillitie of his Arguments produced against the same further discouered; And the Point it selfe in Controuersie more fully cleared; BY THOMAS GATAKER B. of D. and Author of the former TREATISE.
LONDON, Printed by Iohn Haviland for Robert Bird, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Cheapside. 1623.
TO HIS LOVING and much respected Friend, Mr. THOMAS GATAKER Bacheler in Diuinitie.
SIR,
I hauehave perused your Answer to Mr. B. his Pamphlet against you; wherein you hauehave so cleared the point in controuersie betweene you; that I much pitty your opponents hard lot to fall vponupon such a subiect and tenet concerning Lots, as afforded him so small store of Obiections against your Opinion, that he was euen constrained, according to the manner of some old Roman▪ Orators noted by Quintilian, Caussarum vacua convitijs implere. Neither the matter in hand, about which learned Protestants may differ in iudgement without breach of Charity, or preiudice to Christian vnity, nor your handling it dog matically and scholastically without any gall at all, could occasion such heats. I cannot imagine therefore, what should so much moue him, but the badnesse of his cause, and the weaknesse of his owne Arguments, which he seeth by your handling them to be like wier-strings ill-nealed, which would not endure the least straining. For albeit I confesse that we are all apt to take too much hold of any point of liberty reached vntounto vsus out of Gods word; and in particular I cannot but deplore sortem sortis, the Lot of Lot it selfe, which hath beene and is too much by the licentious abused, and thereby in a sort defamed, especially in Carding and Dicing: yet Gods truth must not be suppressed because of mans errors; neither is it a safe way to goe about to cure an error in practise, by another error in iudgement; I meane, to reforme the abuse in Lusorie Lots by totally condemning the vse it selfe of them. Though a Surgean meane neuer so well in letting his Patient bloud who needeth it, yet if he strike not the right veine, he had better hauehave spared his paines. The sinne too regnant in sports and games now a-daies is not in vsing the Lot, but in not obseruing those Rules and Cautions in these and other Recreations, which are iudiciously and piously set downe by you in your compleat Treatise of Lots. Let those Cautions be obserued, and set aside the authoritie of some Diuines, whose persons they hauehave in admiration aboue others; what is there in the casuall falling of the Dye, or dealing of the Cards, more than in the fall of a Coyte, or lighting of an Arrow neerer or further, or the turning of a Boule, to ensnare the Conscience? Art more ruleth the one, and Nature the other; Gods prouidence and concurrence being equall in either. For to conclude, that because some Lots hauehave beene consecrated to an holy vse sometimes, therefore all Lots are sacred, is a feeble kinde of arguing. And to impose a speciall and immediate worke of Gods prouidence, vponupon the casuall euent of the Lot, more than vponupon other naturall accidents and deliberate actions of men, is a temerarious and groundlesse assertion. And furthermore to charge all those seruants of God, who moderately vse their Christian liberty in these Games, with so hainous a sinne, as is the prophaning of a thing sacred, or taking in vaine Gods deciding Iudgements, is an vncharitable censure. The Lord open the eyes of all that seeke to serue him in sinceritie and singlenesse of heart, that neither by enlarging their Christian liberty they open a gap to licentiousnesse, nor yet by too much restraining it lay a snare on weake Consciences. To deliuer you my iudgement and aduice in a word; Satis actum est: you hauehave sifted this point of Lots to the bran. Let me aduise you hereafter non reciprocare serram contentionis de ludis sortiarijs, but rather to imploy your able pen against the Sorcerers of Aegypt now abounding in eueryevery place, and making aduantages of the least differences among vsus, who hold the like pretious faith purged from the drosse of their superstition. This aduice, I know, you will take in good part, as proceeding from
Your true affectionate friend and fellow-labourer in the Lords haruest, DANIEL FEATLY▪ Croydon Sept. 2. 1623.
This Discourse or Defence consisteth of three Parts.
1. An Answer to Mr. Bs. Preface, and his Postscript.
2. A Reply vponupon Mr. Bs. Answer to Mr. Gs. Arguments.
3. A Rejoinder to Mr. Bs. Reply in defence of his owne Arguments.
Mr. Bs. intire Context is without omission of ought inserted; as also Mr. Gs. owne Arguments and Answers are out of his former Booke transcribed, that neither of them may be wronged, nor the Reader inforced to run from Booke to Booke, to search for that that is either confirmed or confuted, or otherwise dealt with, hauing all represented here together vntounto his view.