A Survey of Dialogical Discourses, Survey 11
A Survey of the Eleventh Dialogue.
The firſt part of this Dialogue is the ſinke of all the former, being nothing elſe but a Recapitulation of them:page: 339: we hauehave proued the ſeuerall channels vnſauory ynough: I meane not heere to ſtyr thē afreſh. The ſecond part is a Patheticall perſwaſion: Patheticall indede both to him that would reioyce at the infirmity of others, for it would make him to laugh: and alſo to him that greeveth at their harmes, for it would make him to pitty you.page. 347. It is no diſcredite you Diſcourſers, that I am afrayd of, No ſcandall to zealous profeſſours, No ſuſpition of Conspiracy, No confirmation of the B. nor any other ſuch fōd reſpects, that cauſeth me to be fliff in opinion. I hope the Lord will aſſiſt me (it is my prayer that he will) that I ſhall treade all theſe vnderunder my feete, and greater matters then theſe if neede be, for his truthes ſake. But if any can diſproue the actions that hauehave bene done for matter of fact, or any thing that I hauehave deliuered or taught, by ſound doctrine out of the truth of God his worde, I will giuegive glorie to the Lord, & confeſſe my ſelf to hauehave erred and bene deceaued, although for deceauing, the God of heauen & earth is witnes it neuer came into my harte. As for loſſe of mayntenance, & depriuation from Eccleſiaſticall dignity, neyther doe theſe moue me one whit. This is your ſilly cunning vnderunder pretence of alleadging for me, to write your owne Apologie. You comfort your ſelues with a Diſcourſe, That no man is able to make a flat nullitie in any mans miniſtery. pag. 349. 350Deceaue not your ſelues M. Deacon & M. Walker: The Church may depriue of their miniſtery ſuch as by erronious crimes deſerue it. …ay not the Church make a Miniſter that hath greuouſly offended the congregation, & continueth obſtinate, as one that is a Publicane & an heathen? Math: 18.17.Doe you thinke an Heathen may houlde the place of a Miniſter ouer the Church of God? Againe, ſuch as making ſhipwrack of a good conſcience are deliuered to Sathan, can they during their ſubiection be fit captaines againſt him,1 Tim: 1:10: to the people of God? The ſalt that hath loſt his ſauour, with what ſhall it be ſeaſoned? It is good for nothing but to be caſt forth, Math: 5, 15:& to be trodden vnderunder foote by men. How ſhall he reproue others, that is reprooued by all? How ſhall he which teacheth not himſelfe, teach an other?Rom. 2, 21.22 How ſhall the knowne Adulterer commaund others not to commit Adultery? Let a Biſhop be vnblameable, ſaith the Apoſtle:1 Tim: 5.2. which charge hath not onelyonly place in his firſt Election, but alſo the whole time he contynueth in his office.Pſal. 50, 16 VntoUnto the wicked (ſaith God) what haſt thou to do to declare mine ordinaunces, that thou ſhouldeſt take my couenant into thy mouth, Seeing thou hateſt to be reformed, and haſt caſt my wordes behinde thee? For when thou ſeeſt a theefe thou ru…neſt with him, and thou art partaker with the Adulterers. Therfore this conſolation of yours will deceaue you.pag: 340 But you ſay, where God doth continue his gratious guifts in any, there ought to be alſo continued the execution of the guifts. This alſo is a rotten foundation. I doubt not but the falſe Apoſtles retayned ſtill their guift of ſpeach, wherein they ſeemed to ſurpaſſe S. Paul. Beeſides a man may faſly iudge of his owne guifts. When went the Spirit of the Lord from mee, 1 King: 22, 24 Mica, 3, 6to speake vntounto thee, ſaid Zidkyah vntounto Michaiah? Indeede the Lord doth threaten that night ſhalbe to falſe prophets for a viſion, and darknes for a diuination: that the Sunne ſhall go downe ouer them, & that the day ſhalbe darke. And I beſeech you weigh but with indifferency (if it be poſſible in your own caſe) if in theſe diſcourſes, The ſworde of the Lord hath not beene vponupon your right eye. Zacha: 11.17.All theſe things conſidered, ſtand not (I beſeech you) in defence of errour and wickednes. Regard I hauehave ſtricken you, rather vponupon the garments, then vponupon the bare ſkin. Indignation ſomtimes hath wrung from me ſharpe ſpeach, yet ſuch as hath wounded no further, then for Schoole matters, except your ſelues will.
Receaue therefore the word of exhortation. Let your defence be confeſſion: your reply, teares: your inueighing againſt others, I hauehave ſinned: your ſuite for preferment, to be in the number of Gods children. VVhat if the Church ſleepe in doing her duty? He that keepeth Iſraell neither ſlumbreth, nor ſleepeth. VVhat if the Lord alſo for a time keepe ſilence? Indeede, ſaith he, I held my tongue: & thou thoughteſt I was like thee: Pſal. 50, 21but I will reproue thee, & ſet thy ſinnes in order before thee. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God. Who ſhall pleade for vsus, when all ſhall ſtand at the ſame barre with vsus? The Lord graunt my wordes may hauehave due place with you, that inſteade of prouing me a counterfeyt (which your diſcourſes intend) you may gaine your ſelues true Chriſtians, whereby your loſſe in fayling of your purpoſe may turne to your aduantage, & my griefe in ſuſtayning ſo many reproches, may in the ende yeild me & all the angels of God, great matter of ioy.
In the meane ſeaſon, I humbly thanke the Lord which yet at laſt hath opened your mouthes to acknowledge the truth in ſome parte. For proccedinge in your courſe, and comming to ſpeake of a precompacted confederacy, towards the ende you giuegive euident teſtimony of mine innocency,page 352. affirming that Howſoeuer others eſteeme of any compact, for your owne partes (you aſſure mee) you are very far from ſuch a ſuſpition, yea & this alſo you dare ſay for ſo many beſides, as hauehave bene acquai…ted with my former ſincerity, and vpright carriage, they are eueryevery of them free from ſuch a perſwaſion. And this onelyonly, ſay you, is that which we entertaine, & very confidently hould for a truth, Namely that the graceleſſe boy, did graceleſly counterfeyt, & knaviſhly beare the world in hand, he was really poſſeſſed of Sathan, when there was no ſuch matter at all. But as concerning your ſelfe, we doe vndoubtedly thinke, that the ſame was ſimply your errour in iudgment, but no purpoſed errour in your practiſe at all. This is your teſtimony. Seeing therefore you are ſo perſwaded of me in your conſciences, how cōes it to paſſe, that through your whole diſcourſes you hauehave traduced me as a deceauer? And namely in your Anſwer, pag: 39. 40. where ſpeaking of Somers his ſupernaturall knowledg, you ſhift that of, by aſcribing his predictions &c: to ſome cunning confederacyes with me. Why ſhould we wonder at all (ſay you) that two cunning companyons conſederate togither before, ſhould conclude ſuch a courſe betwene thē ſelues, as the one (by the helpe of the other) ſhould prognoſticate ſuch ſtrange & incredible euents, &c. HaueHave you there ſtriuen againſt conſcience? Or hath the truth heere preuayled againſt your willes? Surely it is wonderfull that men ſeeking fauour by ſoothing, and hoping for ſome great aduantage by iuſtifying other mens indirect courſes, ſhould notwithſtanding the B. his violent dealing, whether by impriſonment, or by pretence of law whatſoeuer, notwithſtanding alſo M. Harſnets authenticall booke, written for confirmation of the ſayd proceedings, yea notwithſtanding their owne endes, and long tedious paynes to compaſſe them, ſhould I ſay, notwithſtanding all theſe, after many diſcourſes cleare me altogether of the pretended crīe and thereby withall ſhew that the Biſhop hath dealt vniuſtly, M. Harſnet falſly,1 Cor. 3, 19. and they themſelues wickedly in ioyning hands to oppreſſe the guiltleſſe. It is the Lord which catcheth the wiſe in their owne craftyneſſe. Neither doe I onelyonly in this your confeſſion behold the victory of truth ouer your ſelues, but am forced to prayſe the Lord for his great goodneſſe, which hath made the BISHOPE himſelfe (the greateſt Aduerſary to this cauſe) to ſubſcribe to my vprightneſſe in it. Your booke comes forth by his priuiledge. No doubt it was peruſed, & peruſed againe. It lay a long time in his handes. And who can tell whether this teſtimony be not his owne wordes ſet downe vnderunder your names? It may be the Lord hath touched his heart for that he did againſt me. And howbeit publique cō feſſion were requiſite in publique wrongs, yet it is ſome eaſe to ſōe mens conſciences to make confeſſion couertly. whatſoeuer therfore other men may thinke, That he would be farre from ſuch acknowledgment, yet I wlll hope the beſt, as knowing there is nothing vnpoſſible vntounto the Lord. Neyther ſkills it greatly whether he writt theſe very wordes or no, conſidering he hath allowed & approued them at leaſt, in giuing them publique paſſage and priuiledg to thē. And therefore though S. Paul, when the Serieants were ſent vntounto him, refuſed to depart ſecretly out of priſon, but as by publique authority he was caſt in, ſo by the ſame authority he would be brought forth: yet I being beyond compariſon inferior to him, will reſt my ſelfe content in hauing my open iniuries ſatiſfied, though but in this ſecret manner. How good and gratious is the Lord which bringeth forth the righteouſneſſe of his ſeruants as the light, & their iudgment as the noone day. As he dealt with our heade Chriſt in cauſing Pilat to pronounce him a iuſt man, ſo he dealeth with his poore members accordinge to their ſeuerall degrees. Hee made Saul acknowledg Dauid more righteous then him ſelfe, & Agrippa & Feſtus to ſay of Paule, He had done nothing worthy of bonds. To this therefore onelyonly wiſe, & gratious, & Mighty Lord God, the father, the Sonne, & the holy ſpirit, be all honor & praiſe for euer & euer.
Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Darrell, A Survey of Dialogical Discourses (1602)