The Levites Scourge, Section 17
SECT. XVII. Testimonies of forraign Divines.
Amplissimo praesuli Johanni Kingo, Petrus Molinaeus S. P. D.
QUantum recreatus sum (praesul ampl…ss.) consuetudine & amiciti… D. Featlei, tantum ojus abitum graviter molestèque tuli; est enim vir perpaucorum hominum, & quem cum penitus inspex…ri… non possis non amare vehementor. Non vulgaris est in homine doctrina, ingenium comptum & in numerato, tum morum integritas, & pietas condita est mir… suavitate. Quem quia Monachi & Sacrificul… vestrates qui hic sunt senserunt gravem adversarium, non dubito quin ejus discessu laetentur summopere. Solent enim Anglos generosos Lutetiae agentes excipere insidiis, & quasi septos indagine in fraude… inducere. Cum quibus Featleius non semel congressus opima spolia retulit, & infirmos confirmavit in fide, deditque experimentum, quantum intersit vestratis ecclesiae habere hic ministrum Anglum, qui se tam perniciosis ingeniis tam fortiter opponat. A talis viri complexibus avelli, quam mihi grave fuerit facile aestimabit, qui sciat quanta hic sit paucita… ejusmodi virorium. Sed quia vocatur ad majora, & apud vos inventurus est majorem segetem quā metat, aequum est privatam meam voluptatem posthabere amici commodis, & ecclesiae utilitati: nolui tamen, ut discederet absque literis, quae testentur quanti faciam (vir magne) pietatem tuam, & doctrinam singularem: quae te gubernaculis tantae ecclesiae admovit; quam quia pascit feliciter, summaque fide, & diligentiâ, ut Christi servum deceat; optamus ut Deus te servet incolumem, & tuos labores suo faevore prosequatur. Vale. Lutetia prid. cal. Junii, 1613.
A haut & puissant Seigneur,Guillaume Herbert in the Epistle dedicatorie, prefixed to his translation of Doct. Featley's Handmaid of devotion into French. Messire PHILIPPE HERBERT, Conte de Pembroke & Montgomery, Baron HERBERT de Cardiffe, Baron de Parre & Rosse, en Kendall, Fitz-Hugh Marmion & S. Quintin; Baron HERBERT de Shurland; Grande Chamberlaine du Roy de la Grande Bretagne, &c.
I En'ose passer outre de peur de perdre mes paroles, car scachant que l' Autheur s' est rendu fameux en France, par ses doctes disputes avec plusieurs Docteurs de l'Eglise Romaine; & en ce pais par ses predications, & par plusieurs beaux livres qu'il à mis sous la presse, i'estime que mes loüanges n'adjousteroint, non plus à sa reputation qu'un verre d'eau à l'ocean. Ie diray seulement qu'en son Ancilla pietatis, dedie à cette noble, illustre & vertueuse princesse la Duchesse de Buckingham belle mere du Baron de Shurland vostre fils aine, qui en espousant Madame Marie de Villiers, heritiere des beautez de sa mere, & des vertus de son pere, à alliè deux maisons qui ne cedent à aucune autre en noblesse, antiquitè, grandeurs, richesses & vertu, il s'est rendu tout admirable, pourtant au dedans de ses discours le suc & la moële, & au dehors la douceur & la grace; qu'il est tout verdoyant en fueilles, plaisant en fleurs, & abundant en fruits:
Utque viret semper laurus, nec fronde caducâ
Carpitur, aeternum sic habet ille decus.
Ad Lectorem.
COmme l'autheur de ces prieres est un homme docte & devot, il à si bien conjoinct la devotion & la doctrine, qu'un coeur glace peut estre rechauffé, & un entendement offusqué peut estre illuminé, s'il jette les yeux sur ce livre, & le lit avec attention; car toutes ces prieres sont autant de Sermons, qui luy preschent journellement la pratique de quelque vertu, & luy exposent quant & quant les mysteres de Religion. Qu'est il besoin d'en dire tant? Li' les mon cher Lecteur, & tu diras, que comme le Soleil ne demande point tant nos loüanges que nos yeux, (car qui le peut voir sans le loüer) ainsi ce livre ne peut estre leu plustost que loüe.
Salutem à salutis authore.
Wolsgangus Meyer in his Epistle dedicatorie before his Dutch translation.REverendiss. & clarissime domine Doctor Featleie; miraberis, sat s…o, literarum mearum conspectu; ac sanè tenuitatis meae mo…estiaeque fuisset, iis potius supersedere, quam sanctas viri tanti occupationes interturbando in publica commoda peccare. Verum ea est nobilissimi Equitis, D. Flemingi, serenissimi regis vestri apud nos Helvetios Oratoris apud me▪ authoritas, ut potius fama, quàm in obedientiae periculum subire maluerim. Ejus jussu suasuque non modò dignitatis tuae amicitiam praesentibus ambire, sed Pietatis quoque Ancillam Germanica civitate donare ausus fui. Si absque offensione tua id abs me factum intellexero, digito coelum attingam. Mirantur nostri homines devotionis aculeos, quos precationes tuae, in cordibus fidelium exerunt, & post se relinquunt. Mentiar, si iis quicquam legerim simile, Perge (vir clarissime) hujusmodi scriptis seculum hoc beare; haec itur ad astra. Quid verò in Polemicis quoque valeas,The Grand Sacriledge, printed Lond. 1630. Magnum Ecclesiae Romanae Sacrilegium, tuaeque cum Pontificii… habitae disputationes indicant. Si per humanitatem tuam alios quoque genii & ingenii tui foetus exosculari licuerit, beatum me praedicabo. Fatentur nostri transmarini▪ se mihi ob translationem Perkinsii, Willets, Downami, Squirii, aliorumque scriptorum Anglicanorum, plurimum debere: sed longè plus propter translationem precum tuatum ▪ Versor ego jam in Apocalypseos explicatione. Antequam verò lucubrationes meas judicio doctorum ventilandas exponam, eas prius, cum uno vel altero Anglorum, qui postremi hoc profundum marc transiverunt conferre lubet. Bene mereberis, vir praestantissime, si me eorum participem reddideris, gratitudinem aliam non polliceor quàm quae à mea tenuitate, & amore gentis Anglicanae fluere potest: vale pancraticè vir excellentissime, & salve;
Datam die Paschatis, Anno 1641. Ab eo, qui te fert in oculis, Wolfgango Meyero, S. Th. D. & ecclesiae Cathedralis, quae est Basileae concionatore.
Viro reverendo ac clarissimo Domino Francisco Taylero Ecclesiae Claphamensis Rectori vigilantissimo.
NE omittas clarissimi Doctoris Featleii opera, quae à doctissimo viro Domino Spanhemio, Professore Genevensi, prae aliis laudantur.
Datum Basileae, Martii 13. 1640. Joannes Schaevarenus.
Idem in literis dat. Basileae 4. Septemb. 1641. Doctor Featleius quoad acumen, & singularem in meditationibus suis profunditatem, videtur certè vel celebratissimis omnium aevorum hoc in genere scriptoribus palmam disputare. Quod si quae alia ejus extent praeter Clavem Mysticam, & Ancillam Pietatis, me quaeso fac rescire.
Viro venerando, Domino Francisco Tayler…, verbi divini praeconi fidelissimo.
UT unicum addam, quaeso, proximis significa an Doctor Featleius adhuc sit in vivis, anque volumen suum meditationum publicarum nondum praelo submiserit: de cujus praestantia nullus dubito, est enim mihi ad manum ipsius Ancilla Pietatis, quaem dominus Oliverius propriae manu dono dedit, & dominus Wolfgangus Meyerus in lingua… nostram vertit v…rnaculam: Sic ipse coram testatus est.
Datum Brugis, Decemb. 10. 1641. Tuus ex asse, & besse, Iohannes Henricus Homalin, indignus Christi servus.
To the right reverend father in God, IOHN KING, Lord Bishop of London, Peter Moulin wisheth, &c.
THe greater content and delight I received in the friendship and society of Dr. Featley, the greater cut it was to me to part with him; for he is such a man, as you shall meet with but few; and whom, when you know throughly▪ you cannot but love entirely. He is a man of choyce learning, of a nimble and ready wit, of an honest and religious disposition, seasoned with marvelous sweetnesse: at whose departure, your English Priests and Jesuits, because they found him a sore adversary, no doubt did greatly rejoyce: for their manner is to hancker about Paris, and to lye in wait for English Gentlemen that travail thither, that they may catch them in their nets, and engage them in the Romish quarrell▪ with these Doctor Featley often encountred, and striving with them, carryed away the prize▪ and confirmed those that were weak in the faith; and gave proof how much it concerned your Church to have here an able English Minister to make strong opposition against such pestilent wits. To be deprived of the company of such a man, & to be pluckt out of his bosome, how grievous a thing it was to me, any man may judge, who knows the scarcitie of such men h…re: but because he is called to an higher place, and shall reap a more plentifull harvest with you, it is fit for me for the publike good and profit of the Church, to forgoe my private interest.
Salvation in the Author of Salvation.
REverend and most worthy Doctor Featley, I know well you wil wonder at the sight of my letters; and indeed it had stood better with my meanenesse & modesty to have spared them rather, then by interrupting the sacred imployments of so great a man▪ to offend against the publike good: but such is the authority of that noble Knight, Sir Oliver Flemming, his excellent Majesties Ambassador Lieger with us Helvetians, that, I had rather hazard my reputation, then incur the danger of disobedience. At his command and intreaty I have taken the boldnesse not only to renew our acquaintance in these my letters▪ but to translate your Hand-maid to Devotion into the Dutch language: if I may understand that you take no offence at it, I shall think my self very happy: our countreymen very much wonder at the sparkles of devotion, which your prayers doe first kindle in the hearts of the faithfull; and then leave the flame behind them: let no man believe me if ever I read any thing like them: go on most worthy Sir, to make this age happy with such kind of writing; this is the high way to Heaven: besides what your abilities are in controversies, the Grand Sacriledge of the Romish Church▪ and your disputations with the Papists do sufficiently demonstrate; if out of your courtesie I may embrace other fruits of your learning and judgement, I shall acknowlege it as a speciall favour: our countreymen beyond the seas confesse they are much indebted to me for translating the works of Perkins, Willet, Downham, Squire, and other english writers, but far more for the translation of your Devotions. I am now imployed in expounding the Apocalyps: but before I doe expose my labours to be examined here of the learned, I mean to communicate them to one or other of the English, who last crost the seas: worthy Sir, you shall doe me a great benefit, if you shall make me partaker of them; I promise no other thanks then▪ what can proceed from my slender abililities, and the love of the English nation. Farewell most excellent Sir,
From him who hath his eyes ever upon you, Wolfgangus Meyer, S. Th. Doct. and Preacher at the Cathedrall Church which is in Basile.
To the Reverend and Worthy Mr. FRAN. TAYLER, the watchfull Pastor of the Church of Clapham.
FOrget not to send the works of worthy Doctor Featley, which above other are commended by that most learned man Spa…hemius, Professor of Geneva.
Dated at Basile, March 13. 1641. Iohn Schevaren.
The same man in his letters dated at Basile, 4. Sept. 1641. Doctor Featley, for his a…utenesse and singular depth in his meditations, doth seem to put hard for the victory with the most famous writers of all ages in this kind: but if there be any other works of his extant, beside his Mysticall Key, and his Hand-maid to devotion, pray certifie me thereof.
To the Worshipfull M. FRANCIS TAYLER, a most faithfull Preacher of the Word of God.
THat I may adde but one thing: in the next letters certifie me whether D. Featley be yet alive, and whether he hath not yet printed his volume of publike meditations; of the excellency wherof I make no doubt: for I have here present at hand his Hand-maid to devotion, which Sir Oliver Flemming gave me with his own hand, and M. Wolfgangus Meyer hath translated into our mother tongue, so he himself professed before me.
Bruges, Dec. 10. 1641. Yours to the utmost of my estate and power Iohan. Hen. Homalin, the unworthy servant of Christ.
Harlenae, Aprill 11 1644. Charissimo suo Bullo. S. P. D.
VAlde me perculit qui hic rumor percrebuit de arcta domini Featlei custodiâ. Siccine tractari insignem veritatis pugilem de religione reformata optimè meritum? Idque ab iis, qui reform andae ecclesiae palmam aliis praeripere omnibus satagunt? Neutiquam tamen hoc mirum aut insolens discipulo videri debet, cum sciat ipsius magistrum a gente sua & magnis in Israele Rabbinis duriora passum.
Tuus ex animo, Iohan. Stablesius generos. Ger.
From Harlew, to his very loving friend Master Bull, health and happinesse.
I Am sorry to hear of the close Imprisonment of that worthy Dr. Featley; what? He who is▪ and ever hath been so stout a Champion for religion, to be so used by the reformers thereof? But let his own Nation, & not the disciple think it strange, when his Master suffered so much crueltie from the great Rabbins of Israel.
Yours from my heart, Ioh. Stables Gent. Aprill 11. 1644.
These testimonies of forraign Divines I had thought to suppresse, because the rehearsing them cannot but wound the modestie of the party, & may peradventure whet the venomous tooth of envie against him: yet these comming to my hands, and considering in what condition the partie now is, I held it a dutie of Christian charitie and equitie, to impart them to the indifferent reader for the vindicating his person and adding some light to his reputation now labouring in the eclipse.