The Appeal of Injured Innocence, Part 1 · Chapter 3 – Chapter 6
CHAP. III. That after serious Debate the Author found himself Necessitated to make this Appeal in his own just Vindication.
HAving perused the Books of the Animadvertor against me, it bare a strong Debate within me, whether I should pass it over in silence, or return an Answer unto him, and Arguments on both sides presented themselves unto me.
Silence seemed best, because I lacked leisure solemnly to confute his Animadversions, having at this time so much and various Imployment: The Cow was well stocked with Milk, thus praised by the *Virgill Eg.Poet;
Bis venit ad Mulctrum binos alit Ubere faetus.
She suckles Two, yet doth not fail
Twice a day to come to th' Pail.
But I justly feared, who twice a Lords-day do come to the Pulpit, (God knows my Heart I speak it not to Ostentation) that I could not suckle my Parish and the Press, without Starving or Short-feeding of one: Whereas the Animadvertor in his retired Life gives no other Milk then following his own private Studies.
Secondly, I suggested to my self, that the second blow makes the Frey, and should I rejoyn, probably it would engage me in an endless Contest, with which my declining age could ill comport. I remembred the Man who moved in Chancery for a Gelt Order which should beget no more; but knew not when any such Eunuch-Answer should pass betwixt us, to put a period to the Controversie.
Lastly, our Saviours counsel came into my mind, Matth. 5.39. Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right side, turn to him the other also. And although some Divines make this Precept but Temporary (as a Swadling-cloath to the Church, whiles in the Infancy thereof, under Persecution;) yet others make it alwaies Obligatory, and of perpetual Continuance.
On the other side, the Distinction came seasonably to my Remembrance, of a Mans RIGHTING and REVENGING himself; the latter belongs to God alone, *Rom. 12.19.Vengeance is mine, I will repay it; the former Men may, and in some cases must do, in their owne fair defence, without Breach of our Saviours Precept lately alledged.
I called also to Mind, how in our Common Law, MUTES at the Bar, who would not plead to the Indictment are Adjudged guilty, and therefore justly suspected I should from my Silence be concluded Cast in the Court of Religion and Learning, for such Faults and Errors as the Animadvertor hath charged on me.
But most of all it moved me, that Ministers of Gods Word and Sacraments ought to Vindicate their Credits, that so they may be the more Effectual Factors for Gods glory in their Vocation. When our Saviour went about to Heal the Mans withered hand on the Sabbath day, Mar. 3.4. Is it lawful (said he) to save Life, or to Kill? Where I observed, that our Saviour accounted not healing to be hurting; yea, not curing to be killing, in that person who had Ability and Opportunity to do it. And by the same Proportion, not plaistering is Killing of ones wounded Credit, and so consequently I should be FELO DE SE, and by my sinful Silence be the Wilful murtherer of my own Reputation.
These last Reasons did preponderate with me; and I resolved on two things; to return a Plain, Full and Speedy Answer; and to refrain from all Railing, which is a Sick Wit (if not the Sickness of Wit;) and though perchance I may have something tart to Quicken the Appetite of the Reader, yet nothing bitter against the Credit of the Animadvertor. This my Answer I have here Entituled, The APPEAL unto the RELIGIOUS, LEARNED and INGENUOUS.
But before I close with the Animadvertor, Comminùs, Hand to hand; let us first, Eminùs, try it at Distance, and entertain the Reader (to his Profit and Pleasure, I hope) with my General Defences, before I proceed to Answer each Particular.
CHAP. IV. The Author's first General Answere taken from his Title-page and Word ENDEVOVRED.
MEn may be ranked into three Forms, of INTENDERS, ENDEVOURERS and PERFORMERS.
INTENDERS are the first and lowest Form, yet so far favoured by some Papists, that they maintain, That a good Intention though embracing ill Means, makes a good Action.
PERFORMERS are the third and highest rank, to which my Thoughts dare not aspire, but leave this upper room empty, to be filled by Men of better parts and ability.
The middle Form consists of ENDEVOURERS, amongst whom I took my station in the Title-page of my Book, The Church-History of Britain, ENDEVOURED by Thomas Fuller. And as I did not hope that any Courteous Reader would call me up higher, so I did not fear that any Caviller thereat could cast me lower, but that I might still peaceably possess my Place of an ENDEVOURER.
For, what though I fall short of that which I desire, and strive to perform, I did neither belie my self, nor deceive the Reader, who neither was the first, nor shall be the last, of whom it may be truly said, Magnis excidit Ausis. The Fate of many, my Betters, who have undertook to compass high and hard Matters.
But it may be objected against me, that being conscious of my owne weakness with the weight of the burden, I should have left the Work for some stronger back to bear, and quitted it to those who would not only have endevoured but performed the same.
I answer; first, I did hope, that what was acceptable to God, would not be contemptible to good Men; having read, If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that *1 Cor. 8.12.a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. Secondly, seeing this my willingness was attended with a competencie of Books, Records, Friends, Intelligence, Strength, Health and Leisure, (be all spoken not to my praise, but Gods glory) I did hope something worth the Readers acceptance might be produced. Lastly, though failing in what I undertook, I hoped to perform what might be usefull and advantagious to abler Pens undertaking the same task, and to use my owne (as who should forbid) Expression, my Beams, might be Scaffolds; my Corner, Filling stones for his more beautiful Building.
The premisses encouraged me to undertake my Church-History; wherein, if I have not done what the Reader expected, let him consider with himself, whether he did not expect what I never promised. Who being unwilling to be Cast by the Verdict of the Ingenuous, for laying my owne Action too high, have not farced the first page of my Book, like a Mountebanks Bill, pretending no higher but to ENDEVOUR.
CHAP V. The Second Generall Answer. That many, especially MEMORY Mistakes and Pen-slips, must be expected in a great Volume.
IT is the Advantage of a Small Book, that the Authors Eye may in a manner be Incumbent at once over it all, from the Beginning to the End thereof; a Cause why they may be more exactly corrected. A Garden hard by ones House is easier Weeded and Trimmed, than a Field lying at some distance; Books which swell to a great Volume, cannot be spun with so even a Thread, but will run courser here and there; yea, and have Knots in them sometimes, whereof the Author is not so sensible as the Reader; as the Faults in Children are not so soon found in them by their own Fathers, as by Strangers. Thus the Poet; Verum opere in Longo Fas est obrepere somnum.
As for MEMORY-MISTAKES, which are not the Sleeping bnt Winking of an Author, they are so far from overthrowing the Credit of any Book, as a speck, (not paring-deep) in the rind of an apple, is from proving of the same rotten to the core. Yea, there want not learned Writers ▪ whom I need not name) of the Opinion that even the Instrumental Pen-men of the Scripture might commit foreign; though open that window to profaneness, and it will be in vain to shut any dores; Let God be true, and every man a lyer: However, I mention their judgments to this purpose, to shew that Memory-mistakes have not been counted such hainous matters, but venial in their own nature, as not only finding but deserving pardon.
I confess when such mistakes become common and customary in an Author, they mar the credit of his Book, and intollerably abuse the Reader. Nothing is lighter in it self than a single crumb of Sand, yet many of them put together are the heavyest of bodily burdens: Heavier than the *Job 6.3.Sand on the Sea. What is slight in it self, if numerous, will become ponderous; but I hope that Memory-mistakes and Pen-slips in my Book will not be found so frequent; and desire the benefit of this Plea to be allowed me but four times, in my Answer to the Animadvertor. A Number low enough, I hope, for the Ingenuous Reader to grant, though perchance too high for me to request.
CHAP. VI. The Third General Answer. That in Intire Stories of impregnable Truth it is facile for one to Cavill with some Colour at Dismembred Passages therein.
IT is an Act as easie as unjust, for one to assault a naked Sentence, as it stands by it self, disarmed of the Assistance of the coherence before and after it: all Sentences (except they be intire and independent) have a double strength in them, one Inherent, the other relative, and the latter sometimes greater than the former; when what in a Sentence is doubtful, is explained; difficult, expounded; defective, supplyed; yea, seemingly false, rendred really true by the Connexion.
We read in the Life of *Cit…d in Cam. Romains. pag. 241.St. Edward, that Harold Cup-bearer to the King, chanced to stumble with the one foot, that he almost kissed the Ground; but with the other Leg he recovered himself: whereat his Father Godwin, Earl of Kent (then dining with the King) said, Now one *Meaning his Brother Alfred whom Godwin had shamefully murthered.Brother doth help another; to whom the King replyed, And so might my Brother have helped me, if it had so pleased you.
Many times when one Sentence in my Book hath had a Casual slip, the next to it out of Fraternal kindness would have held it up (in the apprehension of the Reader) from falling into any Great Error, had the Animadvertor so pleased, who uncharitably cutteth it off from such support, so that one Brother cannot help another; whilest he representeth mangled and maimed Passages, to the Disadvantage of the Sense and VVriter thereof. Thus one may prove Atheisme out of Scripture it self; There is no God. But what went before? The fool hath said in his heart.
I have dealt more fairly in this my Appeal with the Animadvertor; and have not Here and There picked out Parcels, and cut off Shreads where they make most for my advantage; but have presented the whole Cloath of his Book, (as he will find so, if pleasing to measure it over again) Length and Breadth, and List and Fag and all; that so the Reader may see of what Wool it is made, and what Thread it is spun, and thereby be the better enabled to pass his verdict upon it.