The Design and Nature of Historical Mistakes Found in Stillingfleet, Title page – Dedication
A MODEST and PEACEABLE INQUIRY INTO THE DESIGN and NATURE OF Some of thoſe Hiſtorical Miſtakes That are found in Dr. Stillingfleet's PREFACE TO HIS Ʋnreaſonableneſs of SEPARATION. WHEREIN The Innocency of Proteſtant Diſſenters is cleared up and Vindicated from the indecent Cenſures of the Doctor.
By N. B.
Out of thine own mouth will: judg thee.
Luk. 19.22.
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Parkhurſt at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapſide, near Mercers-Chappel, 1681.
To the REVEREND Dr. Stillingfleet.
SIR,
'TIS well known unto you, that the Ruin of England, and of the Churches of Chriſt in it, hath been ever ſince the Firſt Reformation, aimed at by the Papiſts, whoſe rage hath not only appeared in the many little Plots that have been from time to time diſcover'd; but even in their Rebellions and Inſurrections in King Edward's days. The Spaniſh Armado in Queen Elizabeth's. The Gun-Powder Treaſon in King James, &c. and this l…te Helliſh Conſpiracy, which was deſign'd for the utter Extirpation of the Proteſtant Religion, and the Univerſal deſtruction of all the Profeſſors thereof, whether Epiſcopal, or Diſſenter. For which reaſon, this is no time to add fewel to the Fire of Proteſtant Diſſentions. Nor is it meet to inſiſt on any matter of Indifference ſo far as thereby to hinder a firm and laſting Ʋnion among Proteſtants. If the Diſſenters can without offence to God, and wrong to their own Conſciences comply with the Terms impos'd by you for Ʋnion, their non-compliance is a ſin, that in its tendencies advances Popery: But if the Diſſenter cannot conſcientiouſly conform to your Impoſitions, as they really cannot, and you can without ſin make ſuch eaſie Overtures for Peace, as may be grateful to Diſſenters, your refuſing in this caſe to comply, doth ſufficiently evince You to be the Divider, and Promoter of the Papacy.
The Diſſenters being ſincerely deſirous to do the utmoſt they can without ſin for Ʋnion, you greatly injure them in repreſenting them as Enemies thereunto. 'Tis true, you cry up Ʋnion, Ʋnion, but you will not part with what you judg but a trifle, for it. You cry down Diſſenters as enemies to Peace and Concord, as Schiſmaticks, Factions and Seditious, as Friends to Popery, expoſing them to the greateſt contempt and rage of your Conſidents, as if their Conſciences were but Humour, their ſenſe of Scripture but fancy, their Sincerity in embracing the Proteſtant Religion but Hypocriſie, their Zeal … Reformation but a blaſting it, and their Oppoſition unto Popery a promoting it. But is this fair and equal? Doth ſuch a Procedure become the Learning, the Gravity and Religion of Dr. Stilling ſleet? Can you in your more cool deliberations reflect on all this with uninterrupted peace? What, without any rebukes or checks of Conſcience?
SIR, Can you conſider, how untrue, as well as how ſevere the charge is with which you load your Diſſenting Brethren? or can you think on the many miſtakes on which you ground your charge, and yet believe that all this may return to your comfortable account another day? Methinks there is a ſmart rebuke attending the method of your Procedure, namely, that in your reproaching the Diſſenters as Promoters of the Papiſts deſigns, you ſhould unawares make a diſcovery of your ſelf as ſuch an one; for certainly you have in your Preface, yea and in your Book, ſaid enough for the advancing the Papiſls Deſigns, juſt as F. Thomas Maria Caraſa, who in his delineating the Excellencies of Pope Pius the Fifth did moſt exactly (though unawares) give the Pourtraiture of Antichriſt: for Dedicating ſome Theſes unto this Pope, he did it thus, PAƲLO V. VICE DEO, &c. ſome Novelles of which, being ſent unto Venice and elſewhere, it was ſoon noiſed about the City, that 'twas the Picture of Antichriſt, for that the Inſcription paƲLo V. VICe Deo, contain'd in the Numerical Letters the number of the Beaſt in the Revelation, 666. Of which my Author Mr. Bedell in his Anſwer unto Mr. Wadſworth's Letter, ſaith, Whom could they blame but themſelves, by their approving of ſuch an Inſcription as unawares by the Providence of God ſhould ſo plainly characterize Antichriſt? In like manner it may be ſaid of you, ſeeing in the management of your ſmart charge againſt Diſſenters, you have unawares (if not deſignedly) clos'd with ſuch Principles, and magnified ſuch Arguments as prove advantageous to none but the Papal Intereſt, whom can you blame but your ſelf? or how can you obſerve the nature of this unwary ſlip, without ſome inward chick?
That you ſhould expoſe your ſelf in ſuch circumſtances without any provocation, doth abundantly ſuprize, and that in ſo many a particular inſtance, beſide what I have mention'd under the third head in the following Enquiry, is conſiderable: For,
1. You ſay, That 'tis no improbable that the Jeſuits were the firſt ſetters up of ſpiritual prayer; you mean of its publick exerciſe, or ſpeak not to the purpoſe, ſeeing 'tis that the Diſſenters plead for in their Debates with the Epiſcopal, and 'tis that by which they gain ſo much in the eſteem of the people. But this the Jeſuits are againſt, they agreeing with you in that they are only for the exerciſe of free Prayer in private and not in publick, juſt as the famous Mr. Hooker, who ſpeaking of Private Prayer, ſaith,Hooker. Eccleſ. Poii…. …ib. 5. pag. 223, 225. Ed. ult. That '…s a duty perform'd by us as men, and that we are at our own choice, both for time, and place, and from, according to the exigence of our own occaſions in private. — But publick Prayer muſt be according to ſome preſcribed form. Which exactly agreeth with that of Bellarmine, Azorius, and Filliucius; all Jeſuits.
2. You charge your Brethren as if they had oppos'd an Abſolute, or an Apoſtolical Antiquity, becauſe they believe not your Hierarchy to be ſuch; but you unawares have fallen in with Bellarmine in exalting ſuch an Antiquity he pleads for, ſupporting it with ſuch arguments as are ſetcht out of the Jeſuits Storehouſe, to the great diſſatisfaction of the old Epiſcopal Proteſtants, as I have ſhewn out of Mr. Chillingworth.
3. You inſiſt much on the Hierarchy, as if it had been the Bulwark of the Proteſtant Religion, but unawares have ſo far gratified the Jeſuit, as to be freed from their black Character of Hereſie; for 'tis obſerv'd by ſome Epiſcopal Divines, De Deſper. Calvin. cauſ. …. 11.that Cudſemius the Jeſuit ſaith, That the Calvinian Sect in England, may either endure long, or be ſuddenly chang'd in a trice, in regard of the Catholick Order there, in a perpetual line of their Biſhops, and the lawful ſucceſſion of Paſtors received from the Church; for the Honour of which we uſe to call the Engliſh Calviniſts [i.e. the Epiſcopal] by a milder term, not Hereticks, but Schiſmaticks.
4. You repreſent the Diſſenters as ſubſervient to the Papal intereſt, becauſe they are not for uninſtituted ceremonies, yea you ſuggeſt as if a Ceremony had been in greater eſtimation with you than the peace of truly tender Conſciences; whereby you do unawares furniſh the Jeſuit with a ſtrong argument for the neceſſity of a Ceremony; for ſaith …ellarmine, Ceremonies are a momentous parts of worſhip, becauſe there have been great Deſſentions in the Church about Ceremonies, which ought not to be about leſſer matters.
5. You ſay the Diſſenters by their Nonconformity have blaſted the Honour of the firſt Reformation; But as this is untrue, even ſo you have by inſiſting on it unawares advantaged the Papiſt.
1. That the Diſſenters do judg honourably of the firſt Reformation, may appear from the account we give of it thus:
As it muſt be acknowledged, that there were in theſe Lands many concern'd for a Reformation about Tranſubſtantiation, and ſome other things before Henry the Eighths, even ſo in his time a Reformation of the Hierarchy and Ceremonies began, which was carried on by Edward the Sixth that Pious Prince, the wonder of his age; in whoſe time, although the Reformation went on gloriouſly, yet very ſlowly, becauſe of the many Hindrances were in its way. For,
1. Many of the Epiſcopal Clergy being zealous for their old Superſtitions, yea even the Biſhops of London and Wincheſter, did much miſchief in impeding the Reformation.
2. The generality of the people devoted to the Traditions of their forefathers, would rather run the hazard of the loſs of their lives, than of one ceremony. As appears,
1. By the many Inſurrections and Rebellions in ſeveral Counties, eſpecially in Cornwall, and Devonſhire.
2. From the great Neglect ſhewn concerning his Majeſties Injunctions, and Proclamations, Acts of Parliament, and divers Letters ſent from the Council unto the ſeveral Juſtices of every County for the promoting Reformation.
3. The unhappy Diviſions between the Kings Ʋncle the Duke of Sommerſet, the then Protector, and other Lords of the Council. To which add,
4. The Kings being under age, (which was abus'd by the Papiſt) and alſo the ſhortneſs of his Reign. All which duly weighed, it muſt be conſeſt even by the greateſt enemies to our Religion, that 'twas a wonderful Providence that ſo great a Progreſs was made in ſo ſhort a time. Sur… ly 'twas Digitus Dei, and the Inſtruments imploy'd in ſo excellent a work deſerve our greateſt Praiſes, in that they acted ſo wiſely in the management of the work of Reformation, which was carried on thus gradually. For,
1. Though Tho. Dobb was caſt into the Breadſtreet Counter, where he died for ſpeaking againſt the Idolatry of the Maſs, beſide one John Hume, we find no other Proſecution of Poenal Laws againſt Proteſtants.
But, 2. Commiſſioners were ſent out to endeavour a preſent Reformation as to ſome Particulars.
3. A Parliament call'd for the Repealing ſome Poenal Statutes. Free liberty given publickly to profeſs the Goſpel. Many zealous Freachers before Baniſhed, Licenſed to return and Preach.
4. Certain of the moſt Grave, and beſt Learned Biſhops by his Majeſties Order aſſemble at Windſor. Caſtle, who did draw up a form of the Adminiſtration of the Sacraments, which was ſent abroad into the ſeveral Dioceſſes, about which there ariſing great Diviſions and Schiſms among the Epiſcopal Clergy;
5. His Majeſty engageth the Biſhops, &c. to compoſe that Book, Entituled, A Book of Common-Prayer, &c. which was approved of, and eſtabliſhed by the Parliament.
Yet, 6. Though this Service-Book was ſo admirably well ſuited to the capacity of the Vulgar, who were ſo zealous for their old Superſtitions, the People being ignorant, made an Inſurrection in Devonſhire, and Cornwall, to whom his Majesty in a Letter expreſſeth himſelf thus: As for the Service in the Engliſh Tongue, it hath manifeſt reaſons for it. And yet perchance it ſeemeth to you a New Service, and indeed is none other but the old, the ſelf-ſame words in Engliſh which were in Latin, &c. Act. Mon.
Thus the firſt Reformers, as indeed, even ſo in the apprehenſion of the Diſſenters, did their utmoſt in King Edwards days, and in Q. Maries did diſcover a zeal of doing more, might they furvive that Perſecution: In purſuance of which Reſolutions, ſeveral who either ſuffer'd under Q. Mary at home, or were in exile abroad, in Queen Elizabeths time, did ſeriouſly attempt a further. Reformation, for their doing which, they have been branded as Schiſmaticks, Dividers, and promoters of Popiſh deſigns by ſuch as will not ſo far honour the beginnings of King Edwards Reformation by endeavours to promote it. All this you know, and therefore in obliging all to reſt ſatisfied with a Reformation wreſted out of Popiſh hands in a time of the greateſt difficulties, which could …ot then be more than what Popiſh Biſhops, ſuch as Bonner and Gardiuer conform'd unto, you do greatly advantage the Papal intereſt by drawing us gradatim from our greater Reformation, unto what was carried on in King Edwards days, and it may be for the ſame reaſon you will perſwade us to that of Henry the 8th, which is but one ſtep further back, and ſo on.
But whether you have not offended God in this indecent procedure, I leave to your own more ſerious conſiderations, humbly beſeeching you to meditate on thoſe following hints given us by a Reverend Divine of the Church of England (Mr. Down,) who in his Preſervative againſt the contempt of the Miniſtry, expreſſeth himſelf thus, It is a fearful ſpeech of St. Chryſoſtom, Quis unquam Clericum lapſum panitentem vidit? Whoever ſaw a Miniſter recover himſelf after a fall by repentance? And indeed it is but ſeldom ſeen; for the fins that are ſingle in others, being double in him, and an idle word in anothers mouth being as it were Blaſphemy in his; God puniſheth him more rigorouſly than he doth others.—The ſtrongeſt wine turneth into the ſharpeſt vinegar, and the Nobleſt Angels ſinning, became the vileſt Devils. In like manner it is with us.
Reverend Sir,
You cannot but be ſenſible of the dangers we are in, of the neceſſity of Love, Peace and Concord among our ſelves, and conſequently of the evil tendencies of the method you have taken, in the untrue Accuſations you have laid in againſt the innocent Diſſenters, the miſtakes you are guilty of in the proſecuting that your deſign, and the unwary ſlips that prove advantageous to our common enemy the Papiſts, and in fine of the ſervice this inconſiderable tract may be of, in ſetting you right; I ſay you being ſenſible of all this, my concluding requeſt ſhall be, that you will put the moſt candid comment on this eſſay, and joyn with me in this Letany.
From all
Factions and Seditions.
Miſchievous Impoſitions, ſinful Separations, &c.
Ʋnjuſt Cenſurers, and Falſe Accuſers;
Good Lord deliver us. I am Your Faithful Servant N. B.