Reply to a Book, Observations
His obſervations upon the proteſtation reveivved.
WHat care I had of his credit and peace himſelfe declareth in the firſt lines of his obſervations, when he ſayth, upon the coming forth of the booke of complaints againſt him, Mr. D. immediately ſends out a proteſtation againſt it, and ſignifyes he could have no reſt in his ſpirit untill he had reſolved upon this proteſtation. I did ſo indeed, and in ſo doing I ſhewed my ſelfe more tender of him, then he was of himſelfe, or of me, and thereby deſerved better uſage at his hands then I have found in many bitter paſſages of his booke. The ſpeciall matters contayned therein. he ſayth, are a three fold Proteſtation, and a threefold Confeſſion, & a threefold Quaere, & a threefold Requeſt. It ſeemeth in deed ſo it fell out occaſionally, without affectatiō on my part, either of obſerving odd numbers (as of 3) or of making them aequall (by being caſt into 4 rancks or orders) or of putting my diſcourſe into ſuch a mold or frame.
1. For the threefold proteſtation.] The ſumme of it was, that I, neither conſented to, nor knew of, nor approved of the publiſhing of that pamphlet. There is nothing in his five obſervations worth minding, and that hath not bene already anſwered by me. OnelyOnly the third is an obſerveable character of the Anſwerers ſpirit, who fiercely ſtricketh at me for ſtriving to ſave him from the ſtroke of his Antagoniſt. For, he propoundeth it for an obſervation of a juſt reward of the inordinate affection which the publiſher ſhewed, in contending for me, in that by me, ſentence is pronounced againſt him unknowne, for his injury done in printing. Any ingenious man would rather have obſerved my ſincerity and aequanimity, who, without reſpect of perſons, witneſſed againſt evills in whomſoever, & my love of truth, which I praeferred above particular reſpects to freinds, when I was called to declare my ſelfe, and my tender reſpect of him, in that, paſſing by all perſonall injuries received from him, I made haſt, as the occaſion required, to interpoſe, in favour of him, againſt thoſe, who, he ſayth, contended for me. And that their contending for me, in that caſe, was no evidence of their inordinate affection towards me, hath bene already ſhewed. And, by this paſſage, the Reader may ſee how neceſſary it was that I ſhould ſpeake, ſo farr as I might juſtly, in defence of the ſubſcribers and others in this cauſe, leaſt, in his next booke, he ſhould ſtile it a juſt reward of theyre in ordinate affection to me, in that I had now deſerted them, and minded onelyonly mine owne defence, as he traduceth me for giving ſentence againſt the publiſher of the pamphlet unknowne.
As for that he ſpeaketh of giving way to contentious ſpirits, with which title he brandeth both the publiſher and all the ſubſcribers, enough hath bene ſpoken, for the clearing of them, in the firſt and ſecond Sections.
2. For the threefold Confeſſion.] The ſumme of it was that, upon much neceſſity and importunity of freinds, I ſet downe in wrighting ſome breife anſwers to falſe reports ſpread abroad, which I left with a freind or two, to communicate, in a private way, to thoſe who were any way praejudiced unjuſtly againſt me.]
His 11. obſervations, upon this paſſage, make a great ſhew, but have no ſubſtance in them.
1. He ſayth, the complaints are already ſhewne to be unjuſt.] They may ſeeme ſo to ſome, till my Reply ſhall be examined, & then they will be found, &, by all indifferent Readers, acknowledged to be juſt.
2. He ſayth, Injurious reports did not prevayle with him to anſwer them in wrighting.] The firſt part of this ſpeech is true. For I know not of any injurious reports that were ſpread concerning him, and therefore things that were not, could not provoke him to wright. But the ſecond part is untrue, as I have ſhewne already, in that he wrote a large letter to a freind of his in England, about the ſame time, when I wrote my breife anſwers, which containes the ſubſtance of this booke, ſo farr as concernes matters of fact.
3. He admoniſheth men to beware of importunity of freinds.] Sollicitation of freinds, in ſome caſes, is to be regarded, and followed, as in caſes of this nature, when freinds ſollicite a man to diſcharge a bounden duety, ſuch as the declaring of the truth is, for the clearing of his owne innocency, neceſſity compelling thereunto.
4. He ſayth, that to give a wrighting to two, might be as much as to give it to twenty.] It might be ſo, and it might be not, as the men might be. But, in this caſe, I am certaine, it was not ſo.
5. He ſayth, that my retayning of the originall copy doeth not more excuſe me, then if he that made a libell, &c.] Nor did I alleadge it for an excuſe (for the fact needeth no excuſe, it being a manifeſt duety) but to ſhew that errours, and miſtakes might be in the printed copy, which I could correct by the originall, which J had in mine owne keeping, and ſo there were miſtakes indeed not a few. But how cometh he to compare this to a libell ſeing my name was to it againe and againe expreſſed?
6. He denieth that it was done, in a private way, becauſe I ſay, let the Reader judge, and that, it was done for the ſatiſfaction of the members of the Engliſh Church, &c.] Seing I profeſſed to wright it for ſatiſfaction of thoſe Dutch or Engliſh, who were cauſeleſly praejudiced, it muſt neceſſarily be ſuppoſed that ſuch muſt read it, and that I intended ſo: elſe, why did I wright it? And what hindred but this ſatiſfaction might be given in a private way, notwithſtanding that? VponUpon this occaſion, he deſcants upon a picture printed in the title page of that proteſtation, which ſuits with my dealing in that matter, he ſayth. A thing which J never obſerved in mine, till I read it in his booke, and enquiring into the reaſon of it, J found that the Printer dwelleth at the ſigne of the Fame, and hath ſuch a picture before his dore, & his manner is to print it alſo, as his ſigne, in the bookes which he printeth. Was not the Anſwerer well imployed, when he ſpent his thoughts upon ſuch deſcants? How eaſily might I anſwer him (if I affected ſuch vanityes) with a like deſcant upon the firſt letter of his praeface, which is a great C. the firſt letter of Contention (as well as of Chriſtian) where a man ſtands like a Champion with his military weapons and troupes, and thereupon fall into a veine of conjecturing, 1. who that Champion is. 2. what thoſe troupes meane. 3. who thoſe two are at the foote of the C, and divided from it by the lower ſtroke of it. 4. Why that dominering Champion pointeth with his finger one way, and caſteth his countenance another way, as it were, giving direction, concerning thoſe two men at the foote of the C, to one who ſeemeth to ſtand ready at his beck, and then tell him that his dealing ſuites well with this embleme, in theſe contentious paſſages. But I affect not to feed my ſelfe or others with froth and ſcumme.
7. He ſayth, the more private the way was, the greater was the injury to him.] He ſayth true, if it had bene an untrue or needleſſe report. But it was true, and being ſo, the more publick it is, the worſe it will prove for him, I feare, in the iſſue of the printed conteſts, but it is his owne fault.
8. He ſayth, I aught much more to have written for ſatiſfying the members of my pariſh-Church in London about my leaving them.] Thus he muſt kick, becauſe he is ſkittiſh. For, what is this to the proteſtation? I let paſſe his ſcornefull gird at my pariſh-Church in London, which (that I ſay no more) was in no reſpect inferiour to his pariſh-Church in Nantwijch; neither will I anſwer by retorting a cenſure upon his Church in Amſterdam: nor indeed doe ſuch ſtrivings become the ſervants of Chriſt. But, how knowes he whether I have written to them, or not? And what need is there of my ſatiſfying them about my leaving them, which was done with their conſent? And, if others diſliked it, he ſhould have ſaid, who they are, and upon what grounds they diſliked it, or have ſent them to me, or directed me to them, that I might have ſatiſfyed them, as I thought I had done him, and doe perſuade my ſelfe, that I did, though his paſſion hath thus diſtempered him cauſeleſly, at preſent.
9. He quarrelleth my profeſſion of my hoping and praying for that which I have long expected, to wit, that God would ſweetly order and diſpoſe the ſpirits of paſtor and people, in that Church, to unity and concord, pretending that the wrighting, which I made in myne owne defence, ſerved to provoke unto further contention]. That wrighting ſerved, in my intention, onelyonly to declare the truth, upon urgent provocation and compulſion: and therein I was ſo farr from irritating any mens minds to ſtrife, that I forbare the report of ſome things, and mentioned other things ſparingly, & favourably, contenting my ſelfe onelyonly with ſhewing that he did not deſire me, but concealing how he hindred my ſetling there, to prevent inconveniences. As for their complaining, which he ſayth, they learned by myne example: he cannot forget that this was not the firſt cauſe, or time of their complaining, but that they had ſhewne their greivance for the like ill uſage of others, before my coming to Amſterſtam: nor was he forced thereby to publiſh an Apology, ſeing a private anſwer might have bene ſufficient in that caſe, as hath bene ſhewen.
10. He ſpeaketh ſuſpiciouſly of thoſe concluſions, and wayes which, I hoped, might be agreed upon, for their mutuall peace and concord. What I meane by them, he ſayth, he knoweth not.] It was not my purpoſe to propound any concluſions, or wayes, for that purpoſe, but my hope was that God would direct them, after he had prepared their hearts to humble themſelves for former miſcarriages, and made them more pliable to his revealed will, then hitherto they have ſeemed to be. He blameth the order of my proceeding in this buiſenes. 1. That I did not admoniſh the ſuppoſed offender alone, or with witneſſes. But enough hath bene done that way both by my ſelfe and others, to draw him from the errour of his way, without any good ſucceſſe. Nor did I ſubſtitute any talebearers (ſuch courſes I abhorr) but furniſhed two freinds with Anſwers for my defence, in caſe any ſhould traduce me, or miſreport matters. The other paſſages in that anſwer have bene already examined elſewhere, and declared to proceed from no other cauſe, then needleſſe and cauſeleſſe jealouſies, in his owne mind.
2. Whereas I profeſſe my utter diſlike of that pamphlet, both for the unſeaſonablenes of the worke, and for the unreaſonable, and uncharitable bitternes of the publiſher, he ſeemes to be diſcontented that I ſpeake not againſt the matter of the booke, nor againſt the authors thereof.] But how unjuſtly and vainely will be evident to him that ſhall conſider 1. That my proteſtation was onelyonly againſt the publiſhing of it, with ſuch a title page, and poſtſcript, in which reſpects I called it a pamphlet 2. That the matter of it, ſo farr as it concerneth me to examine, hath bene proved to be true in this Reply. 3. None of thoſe men (whom he mentioneth) had a hand in printing of it, but W. B. onelyonly.
3. For the threefold Quaere.] His firſt obſervation is, that theſe three Quaeres are confuſed and indiſtinct. Indiſtinct? when Paul confeſſed that he had bene injurious, 1. Tim. 1.13:did he meane that he had bene a buiſy body? when the Apoſtle Peter warneth beleivers that none of them ſuffer as buiſy-bodies in other mens matters, 1. Pet. 4.15.doeth he meane nothing elſe but as injurious perſons, or ſowers of diſcord? when Salomon reckoneth up, among the things which God hateth,Pro. 6.19 him that ſoweth diſcord among brethren, doeth he meane nothing elſe then one that is injurious, or a buiſy-body? How ſlight is this chalenge! But how proveth he that theſe termes are ſo indiſtinct? Becauſe they all expreſſe the ſame thing But that doeth not prove that they are indiſtinct, unleſſe they expreſſe the ſame thing under the ſame reſpect. Nay rather, for that reaſon, they are diſtinct, becauſe they ſerve to expreſſe the ſame thing, in different reſpects, and ſo cauſe the apprehenſion to diſcerne diverſe evills in one, according to the diverſe conſiderations of it, every one of which ſerveth to aggravate it. But, is this a juſt reward of my pleading for him? Is this his kindnes to his Freind?
His ſecond obſervation is to ſhew wherein the publiſher was injurious. This the publiſher himſelfe hath already anſwered, in print.
His third obſervation is to charge me with injuriouſnes many wayes, and this, he ſayth, according to my threefold Quaere. But, if my threefold Quaere doe indeed deſcribe many wayes of injuriouſnes, then the termes are diſtinct, and not ſo confuſed, as in his firſt obſervation he pretended, ſo that he hath already contradicted himſelfe. But we will examine the particulars.
Anſ: 1. For injuriouſnes &c.
Reply. Here I may returne upon him juſtly the accuſation, which he unjuſtly layed upon me of confuſed, and indiſtinct expreſſions. For, he ſayth, the firſt way of the many, wherein I have bene injurious is, 1. for injuriouſnes. Is this an elegant expreſſion, and worthy of him who is ſo quick in cenſuring? But I take no pleaſure in ſuch jejune criticall trifling. I mention it onelyonly to ſhew how unjuſtly he reproacheth me with confuſed and indiſtinct Quares, wherein himſelfe hath found ſome diſtinction: elſe his wholl enſuing diſcourſe is confuſed and immethodicall. But, to come the matter.
He ſayth that I have bene injurious, and a ſower of diſcord, and a buiſy-body for framing that wrighting, and leaving it in the hands of thoſe two perſons.
Reply. 1. VponUpon what neceſſity I wrote it, and how W. B. publiſhed it, without my privity, hath bene ſhewne already. Now, that it may appeare how ſophiſtically he reaſoneth, we wil frame it into a Sylogiſme.
He who leaveth in wrighting, with a freind or two, a neceſſary & ſhort defence of his owne innocency againſt injurious reports, which afterwards is ſhewne to others, for their private ſatisfaction, by his appointment, or publiſhed by any, without his conſent, is injurious, a fower of diſcord, and a buiſy-body.
But Mr. D. hath left ſuch a wrighting, which hath ſo bene ſhewne, and publiſhed. Therefore Mr D. is injurious, a ſower of diſcord, and a buiſy-body.
Is not this deepe accuſation, according to the threefold Quaere, ſoundly proved? In his next booke I expect that he prove his major Propoſition, which is falſe, and, till that be done, he lyeth bound (as by a threefold cable) in the guilt of a threefold ſlander.
2. In that the Anſwerer laboureth to caſt the blame of every mans miſcarriage upon me, and ſtriveth to have me blamed, at leaſt, as the occaſion, if not as the cauſe of publiſhing that pamphlet, againſt which I proteſted, the Reader may ſee how far he is from the ſpirit of Beza, who dealt more favourably in a caſe far more offenſive. For, a ſcandalous booke which Eraſtus made againſt Eccleſiaſticall excommunication, was publiſhed, after the authours death, and with it ſome private letters of other men. What did Beza in this caſe? Did he fall foule upon thoſe men for wrighting ſuch things, and for giving occaſion thereby of having them publiſhed? No, but, in the praeface of his booke againſt Eraſtus, he laboureth to free him from all ſuſpicion of cauſing it to be publiſhed, till his widdow…s affirmation, that upon his death-bed he commanded her, and bound her with an oath to publiſh it, made that impoſſible to be hidden. Yet, even then, Reverend Beza carryed the matter, as one that ſuſpected rather her truth, then her huſbands guilt. And, whereas the evidence againſt him might ſeeme ſufficient to ſome, yet he would ſuppoſe that, if his hand was in it, it was done by him, non ſatis jam ſibi conſtante, when he was not himſelfe, but diſtempered in his head, and ſharpeneth his ſtile, not againſt Eraſtus the authour, but againſt Caſtelvetrus the publiſher for publiſhing that, & with it, privatas magnorum virorum literas aliquot, certaine private letters of worthy men. Thoſe worthy men were Bullinger & Gualter, whom he honoureth with the title of great men, (as he did Eraſtus alſo ſtiled by him, vir clariſſimus) notwithſtanding their difference from him in judgment, about that particular. And he giveth a good reaſon of his tartnes againſt the publiſher. Becauſe, to divulge ſuch private wrightings quid aliud eſt quam tollere è vitâ, vitae ſocietatem, et amicorum abſentium colloquia. What is it elſe but to take from the life of man the ſociety of his life, and the conferences of abſent freinds? With what joy would Beza have imbraced ſuch an occaſion of clearing thoſe men, as was put into the Anſwerers hands, if any of them had printed a proteſtation againſt the publiſhing of that booke, or of thoſe printed letters, though they had not ſhewne any diſlike of the matters contained in it! But from contrary principles what can be expected but contrary actions?
4. For the three fold requeſt.] 1. My requeſt to him was, that he would reſt ſatiſfyed with my ingenuous profeſsion, in this particular. How he hath anſwered that, this booke ſheweth, and the accuſation immediately preceding, in his third obſervation, ſheweth, and his owne words in this place ſhew: For, when he cannot accuſe me of cauſing the publiſhing of it, yet he will miſjudge my intention, as if, for my owne credit, not for any reſpect to Religion, or to him, I would not have it printed.
My ſecond requeſt was to the publiſher, 1. to burne the pamphlet, 2. or to affixe my proteſtation to it, in ſtead of a poſtſcript, which ſeing he did not, I procured 450. as I take it, of the 500. to be bought, and kept up, the reſt having bene ſold before I could prevent it.
5. He addeth that this my printed proteſtation contayneth in it a threefold publick provocation of him to anſwer my wrighting, more then he had before. As the odd numbers which were made even by the method, whereinto my proteſtation was accidentally caſt, are now made odd againe by this intimation of a threefold provocation unjuſtly added thereunto: So the differences which I have many wayes laboured to compoſe and reconcile, he hath, by this contentious booke, and too much obſtinacy in his way, continued and increaſed. That this is added unjuſtly will appeare in examining the ſeverall pretended provocations.
1. By my avouching that I wrote nothing but the truth in my declaration.] Reply. It was neceſſary that I ſhould wright ſo much. Elſe it would have bene thought that I was guilty of ſome untruth in that declaration, and therefore proteſted againſt the publiſhing of it, which alſo the Anſwerer frequently intimateth in his ſuſpicious manner of ſpeaking, concerning traducing men in the darke. And that whatſoever I there wrote is true, this Reply doeth witneſſe ſufficiently. But what was there in that litle which I wrote in that declaration (which, except the letter to the Claſſis, was not halfe a ſheet of paper) to cauſe the publiſhing of a booke of above 20 ſheets of paper?
2. By intimating further matter which I have to add beſides that which I have already written.] Reply. This booke declareth it to be true which I then ſaid, and, upon further provocation, the next booke ſhall ſhew, with Gods aſſiſtance, that I have yet much more to ſay, and that I have but ſparingly replyed in this.
3. Becauſe this printed proteſtation makes all more publick then they were before.] Reply. 1. Both booke and proteſtation were ſuppreſſed, after a few copies of the proteſtation had bene diſperſed, in favour of the Anſwerer, to free him (as much as in me lay) from any hurt that might come by the pamphlet, to which end, I am informed, it was of uſe, and doe not repent of that labour of my love to the truth, though the Anſwerer have thus ill requited me, by rendring evill for good, one while reporting that I made that proteſtation onelyonly for my credit, being aſhamed of what I had written, another while, glorying that I printed the proteſta…on, to keepe him from anſwering my wrighting, but I ſhould not ſo eſcape.
Now if I ſhould ſet downe the provocations which he hath given me to make his reply, I might name 30 for 3. For the booke it ſelfe, whereunto this reply is made, is nothing elſe but a bundle of provocations. But, having thus diſcharged, in ſome weake meaſure, a neceſſary duety, though unwillingly, I reſt, deſiring rather, that, for the future, we may be more proffitably excerciſed in conſidering one another to provoke to love and good workes. And, in that reſolution and deſire, I commend the iſſue of this unpleaſing taſke to the bleſſing of the onelyonly wiſe God, who knoweth how to bring order, out of ſeeming confuſion, and aedification to his Church, out of thoſe very accidents and events, whereby Sathan ſeekes the ruine of it beſeeching him to compoſe the hearts of paſtors and people every where (and in that place ſpecially) to a conſcionable diſcharge of the dueties of their relation mutually, & ſo effectually to recover the Anſwerer out of theſe ſnares, by unfeigned repentance, that his Elder yeares may be a crowne of Glory, being found in the way of righteouſnes, and the flock, over which the Holy Ghoſt hath made him Overſeer, may have plentifull cauſe of bleſſing God for making his old age fat and flouriſhing in the bleſſed fruits of paſtorall faythfullnes acceptable to God by Ieſus Chriſt! Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Davenport, Reply to a Book (1636)