A Mild and Just Defense of Certain Arguments, Title page – Abstract
A MYLD AND IVST DEFENCE OF CERTEYNE ARGVMENTS, AT THE LAST SESSION OF Parliament directed to that moſt Honorable High Court, in behalfe of the Miniſters ſuſpended and deprived &c: for not Subſcribing and Conforming themſelues etc. AGAINST AN INTEMPERAT AND VNIVST CONSIDERATIon of them by M. Gabril Powell. The chiefe and generall contents wherof are breefely layd downe immediatly after the Epiſtle.
G. Powell.
Let there be no ſtrife I praye thee betweene thee and me, for we be brethren: Gen. 30:8.
Reply.
The wordes of his mouth were ſofter then butter, yet warre is in his heart: His wordes were more gentle then oyle, yet they were ſwords. Pſal: 55, 21.
Out of one mouth proceedeth bleſſing & curſing: my brethren theſe things ought not to be ſo. Iames 3.10.
My litle children let vsus not louelove in word neyther in tongue only, but in deed and in truth: 1 Ioh: 3:18:
Imprinted, 1606.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND MOST CHRISTIAN HIGH COVRT OF PARliament which lately was, and ſhortly agayne is to be aſſembled.
RIght Honorable and moſt Chriſtian Senat, as at your laſt Sesſion, there were certayne Arguments directed unto You for the quickening of your godly Zeale to ſpeake, not onelyonly boldly, but alſo in all humilitie to the Kings moſt excellent Maieſtie, for the Miniſters ſuſpended and deprived for not Subſcribing and Conformyng themſelues to ſome preſent Conſtitutions, and as ye did graciouſly accept of the ſayd Arguments, and moſt worthily acquite your ſelues to the utmoſt of your powers, touching the matter pleaded for by them: ſo now vouchſafe (I moſt humblie beſeech you) the like favorable acceptance of a ſober, modeſt, and iuſt defence of the ſame Arguments againſt a late uncharitable, unchriſtian, bitter, calumnious, and cavilling anſwer, publiſhed under the title of A conſideration of them by M. Gabril Powel. I am bold in ſteed of the author himſelfe of the Arguments, to take the defence of them upon me, and to preſent them to your Honors, becauſe M. Powel himſelfe in his ſaid pretended anſwer unto them, hath ſo often referred the iudgment of the Arguments of his conſideration of them, and of the whole cauſe, to your moſt graue and gracious company. Yea, there is nothing that I am more willing unto, or which I doe more earneſtly deſire, then that the cauſe betwixt M. Powel and all thoſe for whom he pleadeth on the one parte, and the author of the Arguments and me the defendant with all other in whoſe behalfe we ſpeake on the other parte, might be iudiciouſſy and equally heard at the barre of your moſt Chriſtian Court. But the truth is, becauſe we deſire and endeavor this, hinc illae lacrymae. Hence is their chiefe hatred of us, their great contention with us, and their bitter writing againſt us. Notwithſtanding though now we be uniuſtly charged as writing from Cimerian darknes, for concealing our names; yet if publike libertie might be granted to both parts, to ſtand before your iudgment ſeat, there freely to plead & debate the cauſe by the word of God, and that neither the worldly might and pompe of our adverſaries, nor our meannes and baſenes might be reſpected, but the truth it ſelfe ſimplie conſidered and regarded, we would alſo accoumpt it as a ſingular mercy of God, and as a ſpeciall favor of you towards us in that behalfe.
In the meane time, I doe in all humility referr the Argumēts, togeather with the defence of them to your graue and iudicious conſideration againſt your next meeting in Parliament: not doubting but that the equitie of the cauſe, and the innocencie of our ſelues will therby be ſo apparant unto you, that though before ſom perhaps among you, did thinke the one not to be ſo iuſt, and the other not ſo free from all blame, yet when ye ſhall agayne aſſemble, ye will all with one mouth as one man, both iuſtifie the cauſe, and alſo ſpeake more then ever before ye hauehave don, for favor unto vsus, and to our people: betwixt whom the bond before made by the Church, and ſealed by the holy Ghoſt in the effects of our Miniſtery, cannot by any Lordly Epiſcopall ſeverity be iuſtly diſſolved.
I doe further likewiſe humblie craue your Honorable lawfull favor more ſpecially towards me (if at any time I ſhall be diſcovered) againſt all thoſe that ſhall not well brooke the ſober and modeſt taxing of their corruptions in this defence: eſpecially conſidering the ſame is not done of any contentious minde; but onelyonly in louelove of the truth, to ſupport it againſt thoſe that deprave it: and in regard of our owne good names, to mainteyne our owne innocency againſt thoſe that under the name of brethren, doe moſt unbrotherly diſgrace us.
Moreover, if any thing in this defence following, or in the Arguments themſelues, by the malice of any ſhalbe wreſted and perverted, thereby alſo to wreſt and pervert the law to the danger of the ſeverall authors of the one or the other (being found out) may it likewiſe pleaſe you, in all lawfull and righteous manner to put forth your ſelues for protection of the ſayd authors: as chiefly becauſe ſuch wreſting of words and perverting of iudgment, may procure Gods iudgments againſt themſelues that ſhall ſo offend, and againſt the whole land; ſo likewiſe becauſe to ſpeake in ſuch matters and for ſuch perſons (whatſoever the anſwerer ſaith to the contrary) ſhall not only bring much peace & comfort to ſuch ſpeakers themſelues, but ſhall alſo be beneficiall to the whole land, as is ſhewed in the Arguments, nothing infringed or weakened, by all M. Powels oppoſition unto them.
Yea let this conſideration be a third reaſon to moue you the rather ſo to ſpeake, viz. that if one man had the divinity & knowledge in law, as alſo all other learning, wit and wiſdom of all men, yet could he not ſo warily and circumſpectly write in all things, but that ſome wrangler or other (inſtructed and ſet a worke by the ſerpent, that is more ſubtle, not onelyonly then all beaſts, but alſo then all men now living on the earth) might and would find ſome matter or other, wherby to moleſt and trouble him.
I had thought much more to hauehave enlarged this my preface, but the prolixity of the defence it ſelfe much exceeded my firſt purpoſ, I will here conclude, both humblie and with all thanks to God & to your ſelues acknowledging your moſt religious & gracious endeavors at your laſt Sesſion for the cauſe and for the perſons pleaded for in the argumēts; and moſt heartily & inſtantly likewiſe praying for you & yours as Nehemiah Nehem: 5:19: & 13:4:prayed for himſelfe: viz. that God in goodnes would remember you (and yours) according to all that ye hauehave doone for vsus: and that he will never wype out your kindnes that ye hauehave ſhewed on the houſe of your God, and on the officers thereof.
A BREEFE NOTE OF SOME OF THE CHIEFE generall poynts handled in this defence following.
THat the author of the Arguments is falſly accuſed to impute any diſſembling or equivocating to the Kings moſt excellent Majeſty, but that in all things he hath conceaved and written moſt reverently, Chriſtiantly and duetifully of his Majeſtie.
2 That he is as vntruely charged with any vndutifull ſpeeches againſt the Nobility, or any other that hauehave obeyed his Majeſties procedings
3 That the Miniſters pleaded for are not refractary, ſuperſtitious, or ſchiſmaticall: neyther confronters of the Magiſtrat, or troublers of the ſtate, but that theſe and other the like imputations doe rather belong to their accuſers
4 That our Churches of England are in nothing ſo glorious ſtate as is pretended by M. Powel, and other prelaticall perſons but rather in divers reſpects, and for divers parts thereof in lamentable condition.
5 That the late proceedings of the Prelats againſt ſuch Miniſters for not ſubſcribing, conforming etc: & that many of the late Canons or cōſtitutions are contrary to the word of God, & the lawes of this Realme.
6 That the oth likewiſe Ex Officio is repugnant to the lawes of this Realme: yea abrogated by them, & only inforced by forreyne Canons.
7 That the obedience & loyaltie of the Miniſters for conſcience of Gods word not conforming themſelues, is as good as of the greateſt conformitans, yea that their not conforming thēſelues in that reſpect, maketh more then conformity for the good & ſafetie of his Majeſtie.
8 That the Conſiderer of the arguments, in his inconſiderat conſideration of them, hath moſt unreverently and undutifully cenſured the High Court of Parliament, for their late moſt religious indeavors in behalfe of the Miniſters pleaded for in the ſayd Arguments.
9 That the Miniſters ſoe deprived, doe not forſake their callings.
10 That although the number of the Miniſters ſo deprived be but ſmal in compariſon of other, yet the deprivation of them & the loſſ of their Miniſtery is dangerous for the whole Church in this kingdome.
11 That the Conſiderer of the arguments ofttimes offendeth in thos things which unjuſtly he objecteth unto the author of the arguments: viz: in ſophiſtications in generall, and particularly in begging of the queſtion: as alſo in equivocations, & in vayne repetitions of the ſame things for encreaſing of his volume: and laſtly incontradicting himſelfe, yea ſometyme in one and the ſame place.
12 That he and other the Prelats moſt ſtriving for conformity, doe attribut more to conformitie, then to any more materiall & principall duties of the Miniſtery expreſly commanded by God.