Plain Evidences the Church of England is Apostolical, Preface
THE PREFACE.
AVTHORS of new deuices are ſelfe pleaſing, they are conceited and like onelyonly their owne inuentions: I perceiue it is in vaine to perſwade. Eaſier it is to draw a profane perſon from Hell gates, then to remoue an opinion from a wilfull minde. Schiſme is the Ship whereon goe aboard malecontents, the Windes that ſet it forward are violent paſſions, Will is the Rudder, Obſtinacie the Anchor. Schiſmatickes are headſtrong, they will not ſee euident conuiction: ſelfe-louelove maketh them iudge the beſt of themſelues, but their want of Charitie very badly of others. They beguile themſelues with ſhew of pietie, heat of affection, and with a ſtrong apprehenſion of things greatly amiſſe in others. Theſe can they ſee with both eyes, themſelues with neither. No Church can paſſe them, wherein they cannot ſee a rocke of offence, and a ſtone to ſtumble at. They keepe a loofe off from all, they leaue one Church, and come not at another; alone they louelove to be; ſingularitie is their path-way. The common roade of the beſt reformed Churches is too foule for their ſinceritie. Our arguments againſt them are paper ſhot, as they hold: but their weakeſt reaſons againſt vsus (if themſelues may iudge) are ſhot of Cannon. They deſpiſe eueryevery mans endeauour againſt them, and are in admiration with their owne workes. Let any conferre with them, and they ſhall heare it, I my ſelfe ſufficiently hauehave experience of it. By this might I be moued to ceaſe this ſecond labour; but I am not hopeleſſe to hold ſome men back, & to gaine ſome alſo, though I cannot recouer what is wholie already loſt. If I might ſpeed in both I would be glad, if but in one, I am content: in both to looſe my labour, I cannot doubt.
Thou haſt here (gentle Reader) an Anſwere of mine, and alſo a Reply vntounto an Anſwere made by one by Mr. Ainſworth the Doctor, ſo called, of the Schiſmaticall Church of Brouniſts at Amſterdam. His anſwere is, to my booke called the Separatiſts Schiſme: what wee both ſay, I pray thee iudge after tryall. Let it pleaſe thee to reade my former booke, to diſcerne what I hold, and here ſtill maintaine. If thou haſt hap to light vponupon this Anſwerers booke, ſo read it, as thou alſo compare mine and it together. Much hath he omitted in my booke, the Epiſtle wholy, and all the Counſels of Peace: wherein are ſomethings, peraduenture, in the reading whereof thou ſhalt not iudge time loſt. This Anſwerer in his booke onelyonly once doth mention them, but with this his Comment vponupon me, that perhaps I knew no more then CAIPHAS what I ſaid. It is well yet, that the worke is approued, though hee iudge the Author ignorant of his owne inuented labour. He hath alſo paſſed ouer very much in the matter of the Booke, touching the chiefe points betweene vsus and them: and therefore the better to iudge of his anſwere, and to ſee the truth, read my other Booke.
I obſerue an humour in men ariſing of idleneſſe, or of careleſneſſe, or of louelove onelyonly of nouelties, or of them all, to reade the laſt onelyonly, and to neglect what before hath bene written, ſo take they opinions without tryall, iudge without ſearching, but ſo can hold nothing certaine. A reaſon to diſſwade men from writing in matters of controuerſie, except wee doe write all on both ſides, and make a great volume of a penny Pamphlet, which is too toyleſome, and alſo ſuperfluous, when bookes may be compared together.
When I was writing ouer my reply to this Mr. Ainſworth: which I had thought ſhould hauehave gone forth ſo alone, I receiued by Gods good prouidence the Se-baptiſts booke, I meane Mr. Smiths anſwere alſo, that ſo it might not boaſt like an Heatheniſh Golias, againſt Gods Church, without an encounter, I hauehave therfore placed him, and ranked him in his due order as he came, & made anſwere therto as is meet, leſt this wofull man ſhould ſtill miſlead others, as he doth his owne ſelfe, by his braine-ſickneſſe: I heare of Mr. Robinſons anſwere alſo; if it had come in, hee ſhould alſo hauehave beene replyed vponupon. Though I be a weake man, and my weapons be againſt theſe three Captaines of three Companies, and but a ſtone in a ſling, yet ſhall Iſrael preuaile: the truth is ſtrong againſt all enemies whoſoeuer they be.
They would ouer-loade me with number, but as Eliſha ſaid, moe are with vsus then againſt vsus. Indeede I want the help of my brethren: yet I neither doe nor will bid, curſe Meroz, the Lord forgiue them theirIudg. 5. 23. careleſneſſe, if not the hypocriſie of men herein. If we be the Lords people, why ſuffer we the Lord to be blaſphemed by theſe men? if we be not, why halt we betweene two opinions? If our ſtanding be of God, let vsus maintaine it; if theſe men be in the true & onelyonly way, let vsus make a ſeperation; why ſtand wee idle in the market place? Here is worke, let vsus labour in the Lords Vineyard, if (in our iudgement) it be the Lords Vineyard; els let vsus be going. If I were not perſwaded in my ſoule, that here is the true Church of God, I profeſſe vnfainedly (by Gods help) that I would renounce my ſtanding, whatſoeuer wicked and vncharible hearts cenſure to the contrary.
But ſay ſome, theſe men will neuer be anſwered. No more will the great Aduerſarie (hee and his inſtruments are importunate) yet muſt hee and they be euer reſiſted, till they flye from vsus. Men feare the end, before they beginne: remoue careleſneſſe and idleneſſe, and behold the iſſue. If thou wilt not be publike, write in priuate. They raile (ſome ſay) and abuſe men, what then? God will be auenged on Rabſhakehs: and their cauſe gaineth nothing by their bitterneſſe. For my part, I will endeuour to further the truth, as farre as I ſhall be able to giuegive anſwere to what may be ſaid againſt it; for their ill carriage, I will as well as I may beare it patiently. I hope I hauehave in this, publiſhed ſufficiently to the world my Faith and reſolution, in this particuler truth of the Church, in contending with theſe our aduerſaries. In time, if time may be granted me, I hauehave a purpoſe to ſet downe, ſo the truth of this point, concerning a true, and a falſe Church, by definitions, and diſtributions, declaring the properties and priuiledges of the Church inuiſible and viſible, and ſo of the militant and triumphant, as the order with the ſeuerall members thereof ſhall require: and thereto as an euident plaineneſſe of the ſame to all, I will adde an Hiſtorical narration of the Church out of the Scriptures, from the creation of the world, and ſo farre as the Scriptures euidently declare it: wherein I will, by Gods help, obſerue the matter of the Church, the Worſhip, the Gouernment, and the Gouernours of the ſame, as may giuegive indifferent men a godly ſatisfaction in this point of controuerſie, if other more fit for this, doe not performe it. In the meane ſpace, I iudge that herein I hauehave performed on my behalfe, what I ought, and what was expected at my hands to diſcharge, for the honour of God, the reuerence of our Church, the credit of mine owne miniſterie, the veritie of my vndertaken cauſe againſt theſe Schiſmatikes, and withall for a iuſt defence of mine owne perſon, wickedly traduced by ſome. I looke not to ſatisfie the Separatiſts, much leſſe the ſtrange man Mr. Smith the Se-baptiſt; how can a man quiet them that louelove contention? I hauehave endeuoured to performe a duety, whereunto I hauehave beene iuſtly called, as I hauehave ſhewed in my former Booke; what men may imagine I know not; how they will iudge of my good purpoſe, I much reckon not; let conſcience acquite mee, though all condemne me, I much care not, albeit I deſire the approbation euer of thee a godly and iudicious Reader: if ſo thou beeſt.
I leaue thee friend to peruſe this labour, I commend the cauſe, as of great moment, to thy conſideration: weigh well the matter, iudge of our reaſons, anſweres, and the reply without partialitie; let thine vpright heart effect, as thy right knowledge in eueryevery thing ſhall ſettle thy iudgement and conuince thy conſcience. I leaue eueryevery one to their owne liking, approue or diſallow, doe their owne wils, ſo will men in theſe dayes, I am one in my ſelfe, to them indifferent: let Truth preuaile and God receiue glory.
Amen. Farewell.