Historical Defense of the Reformation, Title page – Preface
An HISTORICAL DEFENCE OF THE Reformation: In Anſwer to a Book Intituled, JUST PREJUDICES AGAINST THE CALVINISTS.
Written in French by the Reverend and Learned Monſieur CLAƲDE, Miniſter of the Reformed Church at Charenton: AND NOW Faithfully Tranſlated into Engliſh, By T. B. M. A.
LONDON: Printed by G. L. for John Hancock, at the Three Bibles over-againſt the Royal Exchange in Cornhil; and Benj. Alſop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultrey. 1683.
THE PREFACE.
HOwſoever Men fall into the Miſery of being deluded by Errors, nothing appears Amiable under that Name; and whatſoever carries the name of Reformation, is therefore thought Honourable and Glorious, becauſe it profeſſes to caſt out thoſe. The Romaniſts themſelves applaud a Reformation, and will therefore own Ours to be no other then Pretended; and plead that their Religion is Actually a Reformation, that they may more confidently urge the Unneceſſarineſs of another. But we cannot be ignorant how the Name has been abuſed, and Experience has ſhew'd us what Reformation They have made in the Goſpel of our Saviour; what Truths they have expunged, how they have perverted and depraved, and indeed made it quite another Goſpel then what was at firſt delivered: They have Reformed it, only to make it ſerve their Intereſts, and elevate their God, both which it ſo much oppoſes and condemns. As this raiſed a Generous Indignation and an Heroick Zeal in thoſe whom God had prepared to diſcover and overthrow their Abuſes, ſo it made them ſee the high Neceſſity of another Reformation, and to endeavour it with that Succeſs which the Proteſtant World juſtly admires and bleſſes God for at this day. Our Fathers have to their Honour and Praiſe taken care to inſtil the Principles and the Love of a true Reformation into their Poſterity, and it has been ſo ſtrong as to increaſe with freſh vigour and more largely to diffuſe it ſelf in our times. But how many are there even among our ſelves, who owe their Religion to little elſe then their Education, and cry up ſtill loudly for the Reformation, without being able to give ſolid Reaſons and Grounds of their Profeſſion? They have ſuck'd it in with their Milk, and as they took it up without their own foreſight, ſo they have thought it needleſs to take a view of the Juſtice and the Reaſons of it, if they did but profeſs themſelves Proteſtants. The moſt have a Zeal, but not according to Knowledge, which were highly commendable if it were joyned with it. Indeed, if we take a view of all who unite under the Name of Proteſtants, and the divers Parties who have little elſe common between them, we muſt ſadly acknowleged our ſelves like the Epheſians, who when they had made an Inſurrection in the City, and for two hours ſpace cried up their Diana, yet 'tis hard to define which excelled, their Zeal or their Ignorance, when a far greater part of them knew not ſo much as why they were come together. Therefore it is high time for us to be inſtructed in what we ſo much talk of▪ that we may be ſenſible Reformation is ſomewhat more than a Pretence, and that our Adverſaries are not to be vanquiſhed as ſome Armies have been, by the great Noiſe and Clamour before the Engagement: No, there muſt be ſolid Argument, and well temper'd Truths, to aſſert our Religion; and our Reaſon, as well as our Faith, muſt be able to remove thoſe Mountains which the Deluge of Errors in the Church of Rome will be ſure to raiſe in our way; as ſome impute the Origine of Natural Hills to the Univerſal Flood, which cauſed even the Ararat on which the Ark reſted. There are Alps to be paſt, before we can enter Italy by way of Conqueſt; and if we would paſs them, we have no other way to do it, but by cutting through them. Conſiderations like theſe, made me firſt Read, and conſequently admire this Author, whoſe cauſe was the ſame with ours, and he maintained it, not without ſucceſs, and I expected ſomething extraordinary of Courage and Conduct, from a man, who had ſo well defended himſelf even in the Enemies Country, where he had no advantage but his Cauſe; the only Conqueſt he could pretend to, was, not to be overcome; and he could expect no aſſiſtance from men, but what our Saviour himſelf found, when he was aſſaulted with Swords and Staves, his Diſciples forſook him and fled. Yet notwithſtanding all theſe ſeeming Inconveniences and Diſcouragements, they gave him only greater occaſions of ſetting forth his Makers Glory, and purchaſing his own; for though he came to them fairly in the Name of the Living God, and they Armed with Helmets of Braſs, and Spears like Weavers Beams; his ſmooth Stones taken out of that Current of Living Water, ſtrikes down the haughty Gathites, and ſinks into their Foreheads, the certain Fate of all thoſe, who defy the Armies of the Living God. And we may gueſs at the compleatneſs of his Victory, by the Grandeur of his Triumph, for he put them to their laſt Reſerve, their Cenſure; they condemned what they could not Confute, and when their School-Divinity failed, the Flames (as I have heard) were called in to their aſſiſtance. This is the Infallible and Catholick Argument, and whatſoever oppoſeth the Popes Supremacy, muſt expect to feel that of the Faggot. And to ſhew that this way is antient enough, the Perſians by the ſame, proved the greatneſs and Univerſality of their Deities, becauſe it conſumed all the Images of the other Gods, till Canopus his Water Retorted the vain Sophiſtry upon them, and with a more powerful Pitcher, quenched their pretenſions and their Numen together. But Books have Souls as well as men, which ſurvive their Martyrdom, and are not burnt but crowned by the Flames that encircle them. They quickly found that there was nothing Combuſtible in it, but the Paper; The Truth flew upward, like the Angel from Manoahs Sacrifice, untoucht by the fire, and unſullied by the Smoak, and found a ſafe Refuge at the Footſtool of the God of Truth. And ſure whatſoever Received ſo ſevere a Doom from our Adverſaries, may challenge from us a kind Reception; They have taught us to value, what they thought not below their Malice, and it will be the greateſt Commendation amongſt Proteſtants, that the Papiſts knew it worth the Burning. This likewiſe may ſupply the place of a Panegyrick upon the Author, then whom none has done or ſuffered more in ſo glorious a Cauſe, and ſeeing we give ſo great a welcome to numbers of French Proteſtants that daily arrive amongſt us, let us receive Mr. Claude as one of them, and uſe him no better, nor any worſe then he deſerves. It is the Prerogative of a Tranſlator, to make him an Engliſhman, to give him all the Immunities our own Authors enjoy, and to make him equal in Liberty and Property with the beſt of our Native Writers. And indeed no man can wonder why he has now croſſed the Seas, and appears in this dreſs, with half the reaſon I do, that he appeared in it no ſooner; I have heard it has been the wiſh of ſome Great Divines, but their own Employments hindred them from Effecting it; and it might have been expected that it ſhould have moved ſomebody to have attempted it upon that very account, becauſe they deſired it. For ſince the Gift of Tongues is ceaſed, and thoſe Inſpired Linguiſts have been long ago ſilenced, Tranſlation is none of the worſt ways of ſupplying that abſent Grace; neither can it be accounted beneath any man by his Induſtry to retrieve a departed Miracle. I could wiſh he had come forth in all the Ornaments of our Language, as he did at firſt in thoſe of his own: Thoſe Ceremonies of Speech, though in themſelves not abſolutely neceſſary, and add not much to the Subſtance, yet they contribute not a little to the Decency and pleaſing part of an Author; for there is a Delightful Proſpect ariſing from the Agreeable Mixture of the Colours of Language, without which a Book is never the leſs ſolid, but with which it is much more perſwading. However, he appears the more in his own Dimenſions, the thinner his Garments are, and the cloſer they ſit about him. I ſhall make no Apology for the Author, becauſe I know nothing in him that needs it, unleſs ſome ſhould miſtake ſome of his expreſſions about Epiſcopacy. Where if he has let fall any thing that may offend, he has theſe two things at leaſt for his excuſe: Firſt, that he lived under an external conſtitution of a Church that did not exerciſe that way of Government: Secondly, he himſelf tells us, thoſe that he mentions were only ſuch who were of the Popiſh Communion, and only as ſuch he uſes them. I ſhall not detain the Reader any longer from the Book it ſelf, only I am to deſire him, that, whatſoever faults he finds in the Preface, may not be imputed any further to the Book it ſelf: For the more miſtakes there are in it, the more proper it is for that Perfect Piece it is ſet before; as the Errors of the Church of Rome had no ſmall ſhare in the occaſion of our Religion, and may in ſome ſenſe be ſtiled, The Preface to the Reformation.