Reply to a Book, Reply · Part 17
The anſwer to the ſeaventeenth Section examined, concerning my withdrawing of my conſent firſt made knowne unto him, as is pretended.
THe title of this Section ſuppoſeth. 1. that I had conſented, 2. that afterwards J with drew my conſent: the untruth of both which aſſertions hath bene ſhewen in the foregoing Sections. Here, he ſpeaketh of matters that paſſed betweene us the next Conſiſtory, after this meeting of the Claſſis. The ſtory whereof was thus. A wrighting, wherein the agreement of the Anſwerer with the officers of the Church about my calling, was delivered to me by the Anſwerer, & Mr. A, which whē I had read, I firſt gave them thanckes for this expreſſion of their good eſteeme of me, and then, to omit other paſſages, deſired to be certifyed, whether the order was made in the Conſiſtory which was promiſed. Whereby it appeareth that I ſtill expected that an order ſhould be made, more to my content then yet it had bene. For anſwer hereunto, the Anſwerer told me, that they could doe no more in that buiſenes, then had bene done formerly When I heard this, & perceived, by a clauſe in that wrighting, that, in accepting this call, I ſhould bind my ſelfe to conforme to the orders and cuſtoms of the Dutch Church in this particular, as well as in others, I made ſome demurr indeed, and deſired time for deliberation, and being urged by the Anſwerer to a ſpeedy reſolution, I gave my anſwer to them in the Conſiſtory, in the end of the ſame weeke. But deſiring, & obtayning ſecret conference with the Anſwerer, I acquainted him, in as inoffencive manner as I could, with my ſtill continuing unſatiſfyednes, about the lawfullnes of that conformity which was expected, praying him to helpe me with his adviſe, that my deſiſtance might be ſo ordered as might beſt conduce to the preventing of all diſturbance, and offence. He refuſed to give advice, ſaying he might doe nothing, of himſelfe, in that matter. To omitt other paſſages, ſeing the Elders, and Deacons were now come together, we agreed to ſpeake with them in the Conſiſtory. As for his proceeding to haſten my calling, without delay, upon my ſuppoſed conſent; the examining of the former Sections, hath ſufficiently given light to the intelligent Reader, for the diſcovery of the vanity of this overture.
But if any man thinck I made too ſtrict an interpretation of the words in that wrighting, which the Anſwerer calleth a forme of calling (becauſe, upon the reading of it; I made ſome demurr, deſiring time of deliberation) let him know that, if I had accepted the calling delivered to me in that forme, I had actually bound my ſelfe to conforme to that unwarrantable cuſtom. Nor is this my opinion alone, but the judgment of the Anſwerer, and (as he ſayth) of the Claſſis alſo, which will appeare by his owne words hereafter to be examined,Sect. 28. p. 76. wherein, to prove that M.B. was not of the ſame opinion with me, he produceth theſe words out of the forme of his calling, which was ſent to him in wrighting. For (ſayth he) being called to adminiſter the word and dependances thereof, according to the …rder of theſe Reformed Churches, and eſpecially of thoſe which are combined with the Claſſis of Amſterdam, and making no exception againſt this forme, but reſting therein, after this queſtion had bene propounded unto him, this is taken for an evidence that he was willing to obſerve their order in the adminiſtration of Baptiſme. TO SƲCH AS THEY ƲSE TO DOE, and ſo it was underſtood by the Claſſis.
So that, it is not only the judgment of the Anſwerer but of the Claſſis alſo. Nor was this Mr. B. caſe alone, to have ſuch an expoſition put upon thoſe words, in his forme of calling, but in the ſame ſenſe, the ſame forme was tendred me. Therefore the Anſwerer addeth. And had Mr. D. accepted this call, when it was, in the ſame forme, offered unto him, that would alſo have bene taken for a grant of his profeſſed agreement with us, &c. Now let the Reader judge, whether, my apprehenſions, concerning the purpoſe of thoſe expreſſions, ſo rightly concurring with the intention and meaning of the Claſsis, and of the Anſwerer, and my judgement being ſo ſetled concerning the unlawfullnes of that cuſtom, and all meanes for accommodation being fruſtrated, I had not cauſe to deſire time for deliberation, and to be wholly turned, in my affections, from that calling and imployment, which was ſo clogged with ill conditions.