Defense Doubts Hopes and Reasons for Refusal of the Oath Imposed, Title page – Letter 2
DEFENSIVE DOUBTS, HOPES, AND REASONS, For refuſall of the Oath, impoſed by the ſixth Canon of the late Synod. With important Conſiderations, both for the penning and publiſhing of them at this time.
By JOHN LEY, Paſtor of Great Budworth in Cheſhire.
— Above all things, my Brethren, ſweare not,
Jam. 5.12.
Falſa Juratio exitioſa eſt, vera Juratio periculoſa eſt, nulla Juratio ſecura eſt.
Auguſt. ſerm. 28. de verbis Apoſtoli.
Hereunto is added by the ſame Author, A Letter againſt the erection of an Altar, written above five yeares agoe: And a caſe of conſcience, touching the receiving of the Sacrament, reſolved.
LONDON, Printed by R. Young, for G. Lathum, at the ſigne of the Biſhops head in Pauls Church-yard. 1641.
To the right Worſhipfull
Sir William Brereton, Baronet.
Peter Venables, Eſquire, Baron of Kinderton
Knights of the Shire for the County Palatine of Cheſter. and
Sir Thomas Smith.
And To the Worſhipfull Francis Gamull, Eſquire.
Burgeſſes for the Citie of Cheſter. John Ley wiſheth the welfare of this, and the other World.
Right Worll. and worthy Sirs,
AS the good providence of God, and the good will of your Countrie have ſorted you together, in the deſigne of publicke ſervice of the Church and State; ſo your united Intereſts in the cauſe and compoſer of this Booke, have joyntly rather claimed as a dutie, then invited as a courteſie, that I ſhould preſent it to publicke view under all your names. It propoſeth and purſueth many (as I hope a judicious Reader will upon ſerious peruſall find them) juſt and weighty exceptions againſt the late Oath of the ſixth Canon; wherein it waiteth upon the wiſdome and juſtice of your Honourable Houſe of Commons, who have voted it, to vaniſh like the ſmoake of a Canon, without a Bullet (making a great ſound, but doing no hurt) to avow your righteous and religious Act therein, againſt the miſ-conceit of ſuch as, either partially or perverſly, miſdeeme the deſerved doome which you have paſſed upon it. And if now (by your hands) it may come to the eyes of your venerable Aſſociates, it may haply find ſuch acceptance in their ſight, that by your common favour it may have the honour to appeare before the right Honourable Lords of the Upper Houſe of Parliament, and to repreſent us (who were moſt expoſed to the perill of the Canonicall Decree) the more capable of the concurrent Grace of you all, in the full and finall abrogation thereof.
And for my ſelfe (beſides my generall engagements, with thouſands who owe you the affectionate obſervance of publicke Patriots and Patrons, in the places to which you are called) the particular favours which I have received from you in ſeverall, oblige mee this or any other way (wherein I may doe you any acceptable ſervice) to expreſſe my ſelfe
Yours, moſt ready to attend you with humble obſervance, JOHN LEY. From my Lodging at the Fountaine in Pauls Church-yard, Febr. 22, 1640.
A Letter, declaring the occaſion of beginning a manner of proceeding for the penning and publiſhing of the Diſcourſe enſuing.
TO The Right Worſhipfull, and Worſhipfull, my very reverend and worthy Friends and Brethren,
Mr. Th. M. D. of Ch.
Dr. D. D. of R.
Mr. R. H. W. of M. and
Mr. Ch. H. R. of W.
and with them, to the reſt of my venerable Brethren of the Dioceſſe of Cheſter.
My worthy and well beloved Brethren and Friends,
BEſides the Doubts of the Oath propoſed in this Booke (whereof wee muſt wait for reſolution from our Superiours) there may bee ſome Doubts of the Booke it ſelfe, to which it moſt belongeth to mee to make anſwer: and therein, partly to give ſatisfaction to you; and partly, to require teſtification from you, ſince to many of you a good part of what I ſhall ſay is very well knowne: and that with the reſt I ſhall reduce to theſe foure particulars; whereof, moſt as yet have either none, or at leaſt but a doubtfull apprehenſion: and wherein it is meet they ſhould be rightly informed.
1. Concerning the occaſion of the diſcourſe enſuing.
2. The preſenting of it at firſt to you; and then to him, to whom it is inſcribed.
3. The addition made in this (I may ſay) ſecond edition, thoughaIt was then not intended for the Preſſe. yet but a manuſcript.
4. The Reaſons, why now I am willing to communicate Copies of it, which before I was not.
Firſt, for the Occaſion, it was this: Some of you, and divers others (my ſelfe for one) met at W. at the monethly Exerciſe ſet up, or upheld (as is confidently delivered by divers perſons of unqueſtionable credit) with the good liking and allowance of our late learned Soveraigne, as a godly and gratefull memoriall of his Majeſties, and the Kingdomes deliverance from the Powder Treaſon.
At one of the Aſſemblies there, the Biſhop of Cheſter that now is, not long before hee was advanced to the Epiſcopall Chaire, beſtowed his paines in the Pulpit one part of the day, and I mine the other. At our premiſed meeting, which was Auguſt 18. laſt paſt, the ſervice of the day was divided betwixt you (Mr. Ch. H.) and mee, and our minds and tongues united in preſſing Peace and Charity, moſt needfull Themes for theſe crazie and diſtracted times.
Our Sermons ended, and ſome of us invited to a place of convenient repoſe, the reſt of our Tribe (who were a part of that Congregation) reſorted unto us, every man accompanying his acquaintance, and ſo making, as it were, a whole chaine of many linkes; and withall, it is not unlike, but that the moſt that there met in perſon, met alſo in perplexity of mind, by reaſon of the late Canonicall Oath, and in their deſires to be reſolved of their Doubts: and they might have ſo much more hope thereof, as there were the more at that time, with whom, in ſuch caſes of conſcience they might conſult.
Howſoever, being ſo met, that which was the common talke of the Laity, and the particular trouble of the Clergy, could not but be a principall part of our diſcourſe at that time; and of that, the moſt that was ſaid, was the propoſall of a Doubt, Whether the Oath were doubtfull, or no? and all of us expreſſing but the ſame conceipt (as I verily beleeve) which every one brought with him, unanimouſly conſented in an Affirmative anſwer.
Our next Quaere was, what courſe ſhould be taken, either that we might not take it, or that it might be ſo cleared and qualified unto us, that our conſciences might not be entangled by it; and for that, wee reſolved to propoſe our Doubts of the Oath to the Biſhop of the Dioceſſe, and by him to advance higher (though in the low and humble way of Petition) if there were cauſe. Then the Queſtion was, Who ſhould draw up our deſires and doubts in writing; and the company aſſembled, preſently agreed to put that taske upon me, which I then undertooke.
This was the worſt of that daies work, which ſome (whoſe place and profeſſion promiſed more charity and diſcretion) have ſlandered, as a Schiſmaticall Conventicle, and a ſeditious Aſſembly; and have added to their calumnies of us, comminations of the higheſt diſpleaſure, and danger againſt us.
To what height would they have raiſed their indignation towards us, if wee ſhould have met of purpoſe to make a common purſe to maintaine our cauſe, as theaBiſh. Godwins Catal. of Biſhops p. 116. Clergy in Henry the thirds time did, againſt Boniface Archbiſhop of Canterbury: or, ſhould have burnt the new booke of Canons, asbHiſt. of the Councell of Trent. l. 1. p. 12 Luther did the Popes Bull and Decretalls; when a meeting, in it ſelfe ſo faultleſſe and inoffenſive, is racked, to make it reach to the height of an hainous crime.
2. The ſecond particular is the preſenting of that, which upon the requeſt of my Brethren I had performed: firſt, unto them; which I did the next Exerciſe after: (notwithſtanding my burthen of other buſineſſe betwixt them both) and received from them ſuch an atteſtation and acceptance, upon the reading thereof, as I may well take for a recompence of greater paines then it coſt mee; and which may embolden mee to adventure it upon the view of other eyes, then of profeſſed friends. From my Brethren of the Presbytery, it was next to be a graduate to the Biſhop of Cheſter: But while that was in deliberation [when, and by whom to be done] I was informed, that a Letter was written by the Archbiſhop of Canterbury to other Biſhops, both of this, and the other Province, not to preſſe the Oath upon any, untill the 13. of October: and for that time it was reſolved by ſome of us (to whoſe diſcretion ſuch conſiderations were referred) it ſhould be reſerved.
Meane while, we had aſſured newes of a Parliament ſhortly to enſue: That (as many of us then conceived) ſo varied the caſe, that it invited us to betake our ſelves to another courſe then wee intended before; and then it was thought fit, neither ſo to ſolicite the Biſhop, as if wee did principally depend upon his favour for our freedome from the Oath; nor yet ſo to paſſe by him, as to give cauſe of ſuſpition, that he was ſlighted by us: and therefore about the 14. of October I brought him the Booke at firſt, eſpecially prepared for his reading; which I told him, I tendred not to him then as an Agent for the Clergy, but as of mine owne private and particular reſpect unto my Dioceſan: which was ſuch, that I would not conſent (though much importuned) that any ſhould have a Copie of what I had compoſed, untill it were firſt offered to his peruſall, for which it was at firſt intended, and by joynt conſent concluded among us.
Thirdly, for the addition now made to it, I may ſay truly, and ſome of my Brethren can teſtifie with mee, that the moſt of it was penned before any part of it was ſent to the ſight and cenſure of the Miniſters at W. and I therefore kept backe divers ſheets of it of purpoſe, that it might not be too long for their leiſure, at their firſt meeting (after it was finiſhed) to reade it together.
And now, ſince upon notice of more they will not reſt content with a part, leſt they ſhould ſort mee tocAct 5.3. Ananias and Saphyra (for a ſacrilegious detention) I am reſolved to communicate the whole firſt unto you, and then by you unto others.
And for this I am now in the fourth place to render ſome Reaſons; and they are chiefly theſe:
Firſt, to gratifie my Brethren and Friends, who importunately preſſe mee, to make them partakers of my private Dictates concerning the Oath.
Secondly, to juſtifie our refuſall of it, which ſome have ſuperciliouſly cenſured, as proceeding of ſimplicity; and ſome uncharitably, as ſavouring of contumacy, or of hypocriſie: as if wee did but pretend a tenderneſſe of conſcience; and therefore that wee would be ſure to take it, rather then ſuffer any thing for ſtanding out againſt it.
Thirdly, to rectifie the miſtaking of divers tranſcripts of my Booke from the firſt Copy (which are ſpread abroad in many places, either without my knowledge, or againſt my will) ſome whereof I have ſeen, and by them have found out a double falſhood: the one of theft, in ſtealing of Copies (without my conſent) the other of lying, in putting their ignorant or curſory ſlips upon mine accompt, as if I had made them.
Fourthly, to cleare the doubt of ſome, and to confute the miſ-report of others, who give out, that I am the Author of a Booke intituled, Englands complaint to Jeſus Christ againſt the Biſhops Canons; wherein I was a meere ſtranger, for the matter of it (untill I ſaw it in print) and am yet for the maker of it now it is printed; and though ſuch as well know mee, will no more beleeve it to bee mine, then minedMr. E. B. ingenuous friend would doe (who with his advertiſement of that miſ-taking, wrote thus unto mee: I am confident, you never wrote it: for, it ſavours nothing either of your ſtile, ſpirit, or judgement. Whereupon, I have made bold in your name to diſavow it) yet for prevention of miſpriſion in others, it will doe well, that this Booke bee extant as well as that; and ſo may ſuch, as will bee pleaſed to compare them, ſee more difference betwixt them, then betwixteMenander fecit Andriam & Perinthiam, qui utramvis rectè norit, ambas noverit; non ita ſunt diſſimili argumento. Terent. in Prolog. in Andr. Menanders Andria and Perinthia, which, though they were compoſed in a various phraſe and ſtile, were yet ſo like, both in their argument and genius of the Poet, that he that knew the one, muſt know them both, as ſiſter-births of the ſame Authors braine, which I dare confidently averre, no well adviſed Reader will ſuſpect of the Book, which modeſtly diſcourſeth of the Doubts of one Canon, and that Booke, which peremptorily condemneth them all: and yet, if not onelyonly private fancy, but publicke fame ſhould father it upon mee, I ſhould not take the matter much to heart, ſince the other day, The moſt reverend father (and for his rare learning, conſtant preaching, and conſonant living, the moſt renowned Archbiſhop of Armagh) told mee of an egregious impoſture, putting his name to a late Pamphlet (whereof not ſo much as one line was his) which paſſed abroad a while as a Manuſcript, but was preſently by printing to proceed to more publick notice, if he had not opportunely procured an Order (from the Honourable Houſe of Commons in Parliament) to the Maſter and Company of Stationers to prevent the impreſsion; whereof (giving me ſomefAccording to the Tenour ſet downe, as hereafter followeth. printed Copies of it) he willed mee, to give an Advertiſement thereof to the Readers of my Booke, that neither himſelfe nor others might be any more abuſed by ſuch a fraudulent forgery, and I might ſay impudent alſo: for, what impudence was it to impoſe ſuch a diſcourſe upon his Fatherhood, a perſon ſo well, ſo generally knowne, and not more knowne, then honoured throughout the Chriſtian world, and yet not by death tranſlated to another life, but alive and lively, in very good health, nor (for the preſent) at a remote diſtance in Ireland, but in England, in London, where hee might be ſure to be ſoone informed of the wrong, and find a ready way to right himſelfe? Which may be a conſiderable occaſion and motive, to all men of eminent Abilities (of whoſe worth the world hath taken notice by their workes) to leave a perfect Regiſter of the legitimate iſſue of their ingenious and ſtudious conceptions (intended and prepared for publicke uſe) that when they are dead, no ſuppoſitious brats may bee thruſt in among them, to claime a childes part of their fathers reputation.
To conclude (for, this ſhort digreſſion ended) I have done with this Introductory Diſcourſe: If while I endeavour to avoid the inconveniences fore-mentioned, I expoſe my ſelfe (by a more generall view of this diſcuſſion of the Oath) to more variety of cenſures, which from ſome are like to bee ſevere enough (for ſuch as have thought us worthy to be undone, if wee dare not ſweare, no doubt will entertaine theſe Doubts and Reaſons with diſtaſte) I ſhall not need any other cordiall againſt their miſ-conceits, then to reflect firſt upon the integrity of mine intentions, and the fidelity of my performance of this ſervice; and then upon the conſiderate ſubſcriptions of ſuch unto it, as for their quickneſſe of conceit, and ſoundneſſe of judgement (ſo farre as I can judge) are as well qualified for thegVocabantur Critici quidam docti, qui de ſcriptis aliorum judicabant reponendáne effent in Templo Apollinis, an rejicienda. Er…ſio in Epiſt. Hieron. ad Ruſtic. tom. 1. pag. 52. Criticall Chaire, as I can conceive them to be, who with a daſh of their pen would cancell what you and many others have confirmed with your hands. To whom, with the reſt of my reverend Brethren, I moſt willingly remaine
A moſt entire and affectionate Brother, to love and ſerve you, JOHN LEY. From my Lodging at the Fountaine in Pauls Church-yard, Febr. 23. 1640.
Die Martis, 9. Febr. 1640.
WHereas complaint hath been made unto us by James Lord Archbiſhop of Armagh, and Primate of all Ireland, that a certaine Pamphlet hath been lately moſt injuriouſly fathered upon him, and ſpread abroad under the falſe title of The Biſhop of Armagh's direction to the houſe of Parliament, concerning the Liturgie and Epiſcopall Government: It is this day ordered in the Commons Houſe of Parliament, that the Maſter and Company of Stationers, and all others whom it may concerne, ſhall take ſuch courſe for ſuppreſsing of the ſaid Book, that they ſhal not ſuffer it to be put in print, or if it be already printed, not permit the ſame to be divulged. And if any ſhall preſume to print or publiſh the Booke above-mentioned, That he, or they, ſhall be then liable to the cenſure of the ſaid Houſe.
H. Elſynge Cler. Domus Comm.