Answer to Cressys Epistle, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Of Mr. Cressy's Apologie for the sharpness of his Style.
§. 1. MR. Cressy in his PrefacePrefa…e n. 33. p. 23. to Sancta Sophia finding it necessary to put some shew of difference between the pretences to extraordinary illuminations in F. Bakers way, and those of the Fanatick Sectaries among us, hath unhappily pitched upon this for one of them; That the lights here desired and prayed for, are such as do expell all Images of Creatures, and do calm all manner of passions, to the end that the soul being in a vacuity, may be more capable of receiving and entertaining God in the pure fund of the Spirit. Could any one after these words, have expected to have found this recommender of Mystical Divinity, foaming and raging with the violence of passion, and so tormented with the creatures of his own imagination; that he could not forbear expressing it to that degree in his Book, as deserved rather the pitty, than the answer of his Adversary? This the Person of Honour took just notice of, in the beginning of his excellent Discourse, P. 7.and wondered what insupportable provocation was given to him, that he could not restrain so free a vent of his unmanly passions: but upon an impartial view of the places in my Book at which Mr. Cressy was so highly offended, he did at first rather think he was not the Author of the Book he answers,P. 17, 19, …0. than that he should be guilty of so much bitterness and unreasonable passion: but when the reasons were so many to convince him, that he was the Author, he had rather still lay the fault of his manner of writing upon the commands of his Superiours, than his own temper and inclination. Upon this Mr. Cressy makes many Apologies for the sharpness of his style against me; Epistle Apologet… cal sect. 1, 2, 3. from p. 6. to p. 39.and spins out a great part of his Epistle on this subject; which he needed not to have done, with any regard to me, as though I were concerned at it; for I assure him, if I would wish an Adversary to write so, as to do the least prejudice to me, and the greatest to himself and his Cause, I would wish him to write just after that Copy; and I cannot easily think of a provocation great enough to make me follow his example. But he pleads for himself, that Charity it self sometimes requires sharpness of style and even bitter (that is, uncharitable) Invectives. I suppose he means such a sort of Catholick Charity, P. 6.as first damns us, and then brings railing accusations against us: and I do not question, but he that pleads for bitter Invectives out of meer Charity, could make as fine an harangue to shew not only the admirable Charity, but even the Mercy of Fire and …aggot: and he knows the charitable method of the Inquisition is, first to put on the Sanbenits, representing the Persons with Pictures of Devils upon them, and then to carry them to execution. I remember I have read that Machiavils Son being summoned to appear before the Court of Inquisition, to answer to some things laid to his Charge; the grave Inquisitors asked him, Whether he believed as the Church believed; he answered yes, and a great deal more; at which they were not a little pleased, hoping to get from his own words enough to condemn him; and asking him, What that was which he believed more than the Church believed, he gravely told them, it was, That their Worships Informers were a pack of Knaves. So indeed I should think that I believed more than their Church believed, should I believe that they damn us out of meer charity, and write bitter Invectives for a demonstration of their Kindness. Alas! how hath the World been mistaken in them! Their cruelty, is meer pitty; their Invectives, Compassion; and their Railing, Charity.
§. 2. But Mr. Cressy wants not great examples for this; for he brings in no meaner than of Moses and the Prophets, P. 7.St. John Baptist, Christ and his Apostles, and several Fathers of the Church for it. It seems then, the practice of railing hath Antiquity, Universality, and Consent for it; which is much more than they can shew for many other of their practices; and which is the greatest wonder of all, they have Scripture too: and that, not one single passage, like Hoe est corpus meum; but Moses and the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, nay, S. Iohn Baptist too, do all bear witness to it. Any one would think, if Mr. Cressy say true, the Bible were the railingest Book in the World. What not Moses the meekest man upon earth forbear such bitter Invectives? not our Blessed Saviour, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatned not, 1 Pet. 2. 23.but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously! not he, who hath threatned Hell-fire to him that uses contumelious expressions against his Brother! such as Zani, Mat. 5. 22.or Scarron, or the like. Not he,11. 29. who bids his Disciples learn meekness from him, and was the most incomparable pattern of it, that ever appeared in humane nature! Not his holy Apostles! who charge all Christians to put away all bitterness and wrath, Eph. 4. 31.and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking! And would they indeed, do that themselves, which they so severely forbid in others? Where is Mr. Cressy's Charity for them the mean while? While he produces these examples to justifie his own bitterness, he makes the most bitter Invective not only against them, but even Christianity it self. But what will not men do, or say, to justifie their violent passions? If he had stabbed me, he might as well have made Phinehas his precedent; and if he had cursed me, have quoted some passages in the Fsalms for it. If Moses was so angry that he brake the Tables of the Law; Exod. 32. 19.doth Mr. Cressy think, it was at any that spake against the Idolatry of the Golden Calf? no; it was at those who committed it: and it is probable he might have been so, at those who would have struck the second Commandment out of those Tables, or eluded the force of it by vain and idle distinctions. The great anger of the Prophets was against those who drew the people to Idolatry: and Mr. Cressy is so pertinent in his proofs as to bring this to justifie his rage against me, for writing against the Idolatry of the Roman Church: P. 11, 12, 13, 15, 16.for so much he expresses in several places. Our Saviour and S. Iohn Baptist do express great zeal against the Scribes and Pharisees: but let Mr. Cressy consider, they were a sort of sowre, ill-natured hypocrites, that would allow none a good word, nor so much as hopes of salvation that were not of their way; that were full of malice, and envy, and all evil passions, and at the same time pretended highly to mortification and more devotion than others. I find nothing like Invectives in all the writings of the holy Apostles; unless it were against the opposers, or corrupters of Christianity; and when Mr. Cressy proves me to be guilty of either of those, I will lay my self open to the darts of the most Venomous Tongue among them. But instead of that I know no other cause in any Books I have written, that should expose me to the rage of these men, beside the zeal I have therein discover'd for the honour and purity of the Christian Religion, against the fopperies and corruptions of the Roman Church. And for such a Cause as this, I am prepared to suffer, whatever their fury and malice can raise up against me. This, this is the Cause, which I hope I should not be ashamed nor afraid to own and defend, although Mr. Cressy's Power were as great as his Charity. The Church of England I do from my heart honour and esteem, (notwithstanding all the base suggestions of Mr. Cressy to the contrary, even in this Epistle Apologetical) but I do therefore so much esteem it, because in it the Christian Religion is preserved free from the frantick heats of Enthusiasm and the dotages of Superstition. If they will undertake to convince me, that the things I condemn in the Church of Rome, were any parts of the Christian Religion delivered by Christ or his Apostles, I shall diligently weigh and consider what ever they have to say; but if they only give hard words, and betray impotent passions; if they shuffle and shew tricks instead of reasoning; if all their charity towards me lyes only in bitter invectives, they will do but little good upon me, and I think not much to their own Cause.
§. 3. But I am mistaken all this while, Mr. Cressy doth not write this Apology to give me satisfaction, P. 7.but the Person of Honour, and the genuine Learned Protestant Clergy of the English Church; and if these, he saith, after impartial considering the motives and grounds of his invectives shall determine, that in his late, to him (alas!) unusual manner of treating with me he hath offended against Christian Charity, or purposely intended to fix any dishonourable brand on the English Protestant Church or Discipline of it established by Law, he will be ready without any reply to suffer whatsoever censure or punishment they shall think fit to inflict upon him.Mr. Cr…s…. Ep. Dedicat. What! no offence against Christian Charity to charge me with deriding and blaspheming the Saints in glory; with having a hatred horribly poysonous against the Catholick Church militant; and that will not spare the Church Triumphant:P. 35. no offence at all, to call me Theological Scarron, and to say, that I act the Theological Zani;P. 52. that all my Book except twenty or thirty pages consists of Scurrilous Buffoonries, petulant revilings of Gods Saints; and in effect by his Epigram out of Martial to charge me with downright Atheism; P. …2.and twice in the same passage with impiously and profanely employed wit: none at all, to say, That I had a heart brimful of the Gall of bitterness,Postscript. p. 1…1. P. 2. P. 3. that I writ with Ink full of Gall and poyson; that I gave free scope to all unchristian and even inhumane passions! That my Book wholly composed of malignant passions and new-invented Calumnies against Gods Church,Epist. ded…c. was only the private design of a malicious brain on purpose to feed the exulcerated minds of a malevolent party among us:Preface to the Rea… der. that, all the weapons I make use of, pierce into the very bowels of the persons, fortunes and condition of English Catholicks, whose destruction I seem to design. What! none at all, to charge me so often with prevaricating with the Church of England, and designing to destroy her, under a pretence of defending her! These are some of the flowers of Mr. Cressy's Charity towards me, which I have picked out of some few pages of his Book; and he hath taken abundant care to prevent any unlikeness in the parts of it. And doth Mr. Cressy in good earnest think, it is no breach of Christian Charity to charge me upon such pittiful grounds, with no less than carrying on blasphemous, Atheistical, treacherous and cruel designs? But if this be his Christian charity, what would the effects of his malice be? Let now any indifferent person judge, whether the Person of Honour had not reason to say, That he never observed so many personal reflections and invectives,P. 63. fuller of causless passions, and of bitterness and virulence in so little room in any Book.
But whatever the Person of Honour thinks, Mr. Cressy makes his appeal to the genuine Learned Protestant English Clergy. If he had been a Clergy-man who had done me that great kindness, then Mr. Cressy would have appealed to Persons of Honour; and surely such are the most competent Judges in cases of affronts and injuries: but herein lyes Mr. Cressy's art which runs throughout his Epistle, that he would fain separate me from the Church of England, and make my cause distinct from hers: I do not wonder, that they would part me from my company, and deprive me of my shelter, when they have such a mind to run me down. But these arts are easily understood: and the design is too fine to hold, and too apparent not to be seen through. Mr. Cressy knows very well, the Use that was made at Athens of the Fable of the Dogs and the Sheep; and what good words and fair promises the Wolf made to the Sheep; if they would but consent, that the Dogs might be given up to be destroyed. And no doubt the crafty Wolf would have made a very fine speech to the Sheep, to have perswaded them, that he had no manner of ill will to them; for he had known them long and loved them well, and alwayes looked upon them as a company of very innocent and harmless creatures; but for those Dogs that were set to watch them, he knew how different their principles were, and how destructive to them, if occasion served; and for all that he knew, these Dogs might have Covenanted together to worry them, upon a fair opportunity; and therefore for his part, he could not but wonder at their patience, that some of the stoutest Rams among them, did not set upon those pestilent Currs; or at least, he hoped, they would not be so regardless of their own safety, as not to suffer some well-wishers to the flock, to take them quietly and destroy them. For alas! at the best, they do but make a noise, and disturb the repose of the Sheep; and if they were gone, there would be nothing but unity and love left. I need make no application of this to Mr. Cressy; and I am far from the vanity of supposing this capable of being applyed to my case, any farther than as I am one of those, who are at present engaged in the Defence of our Church against that of Rome. It is the happiness, and honour of our Church of England, that it hath in it at this day such store of persons both able and willing to defend her Cause (as, it may be, no Church in the World hath ever had together more persons of excellent abilities, great Learning, and unaffected Piety;) and I look on my self as one of the meanest of them: but it hath been my lot to be engaged more early and more frequently in this Cause than others; which hath drawn so great a hatred of my Adversaries upon me; but I thank God, I have a good Cause and the testimony of a good Conscience in the management of it, and so long I neither fear the waspishness of some, nor the rage of others.
§. 4. But this is their present design to represent me as one of different principles from the Church of England, and not only different, but such as if well understood, are destructive to it, and therefore they very gravely advise our Reverend Bishops to have a care of me, if they hope to preserve the Church of England. And can we think it is any thing else but meer kindness and good will to our Church, that makes them so solicitous for its welfare? It is a sad thing, Preface to Fa…at.saith Mr. Cressy, that not one Protestant will open his eyes and give warning of the dangerous proceedings of their Champion? Nay, it is no doubt, a very sad thing to them to see that we do not fall out among our selves? I am sure it is no fault of theirs that we do not: for they make use of the most invidious and reproachful terms together concerning me, that if they cannot fasten on one passion they may upon another: but these poor designs have hitherto had but little success, and I hope will never meet with greater. And yet if nothing else will do,…. Mr. Cressy saith, that it is a …hame, that hitherto not one true Prelatical Protestant has appeared as a Defender of the English Church and State against me; but on the contrary even some English Prelates themselves have congratulated and boasted of my supposed successful endeavours against the Catholick Church, though ruinous only to themselves. Alas, good man! his heart is even broke for grief, that our Bishops take no more care to preserve the Church of England. The Church he hath alwayes so entirely loved, and ventured as much for her as any body, while she was in prosperity, and there was no danger; and only forsook her, when she was not able to reward his Love. The truth was, he gave her for gone at that time; and then it was the late Church of England with him; and no wonder when he thought her dead, that he made Court to a richer Mistress; but it was but a swooning fit, she is come to her self again, and I hope like to hold out much longer than that which he hath chosen. And although Mr. Cressy's hands be now tyed, and he hath entred into new Vows; yet he cannot, for his heart, forget the kindness he had to her in her flourishing condition, because she was then very kind to him; he remembers the marks of her favour, and the rich presents she made him; and therefore something of the old Love revives in him towards her, at least so far that he cannot endure to see her ill used; when her Guardians neglect her, and her Sons prevaricate with her. If Mr. Cressy's faith had been as great as his Charity, to have made him believe that she would ever have come to her self again, I cannot think he would have forsaken her so unhandsomely; and left her in a dying Condition: but who could ever have thought that things would have come about so strangely? But what if all this present shew of kindness prove meer collusion and prevarication in him? What if it be only to divide her Friends, and thereby the more easily to expose her to the malice of her enemies? For as long as the Church of England stands, she upbraids him, in his own words, with malignant ingratitude: and it is the plausiblest way for him that was once a Servant and a Lover, to compass her ruine with a pretence of Kindness.
§. 5. But wherein is it, that I have prevaricated with the Church of England, whilst I have pretended to defend her? The first thing he instances in, is, my charging the Church of Rome with Idolatry. Epistle Apologetic. p. 12.In very good time Mr. Cressy! and, is this prevaricating with the Church of England? when I have already,Pr…face to Idolatry. in two set Discourses, at large proved,Preface to the first part of the Answer. that by all the means we can come to know the sense of a Church, this Charge hath been made good against her, from the beginning of the Reformation to 1641. and that even then the Convocation declared the same in the Canons then made. But what must I do with such kind of Adversaries, that will never answer what I say for my self; but do run on still with the same Charge, as though they had nothing to do when they write, but to tell the same story over and over; Let Mr. Cressy do with his Readers as he pleases; for my part,Epist. Apologet. from …. 16. to …. 24. I shall never follow him in that kind of impertinency: For there is not one word there used by him, which I had not particularly answered, before he writ it. The like I may say, of the second Charge, viz. that by the principles laid down by me, I destroy the Authority of the Church of England; Answer, first part from p. 260. to p. 291.which I have already shewed at large to be a very impertinent Cavil, and that I do maintain as much Authority in the Church of England, as ever the Church of England challenged to her self. And to that Discourse I refer Mr. Cressy for satisfaction; If he will not read it, I cannot help that; but I can help the not writing the same things over again: and so this other part of his Epistle Apologetical is wholly impertinent;Epist. Apologet. from p. 72. to …. 84. unless he had taken off, what I had said for my self already in answer to the very same Objections. But all the reason in the World shall never satisfie Mr. Cressy, that I aim not at setting up a Church distinct from the Church of England? If it be any, I assure him, it is a very invisible Church; for it is a Church, without either Head or Members; I declare my self to be not only a Member, but an affectionate hearty friend to the Church of England; I perswade some to it; I endeavour, what in me lyes, to keep others from revolting from it. But where lyes this Dr. Stillingfleet's Church, which Mr. Cressy makes such a noise with? I know none but that of the many thousands in England that have not bowed their knees to Baal: and to prevent any farther suspicion of my meaning, I do declare I am for no other Church, than that Church of England which is established by Law among us. But it must be allowed to those who plead for seeing Visions, that sometimes they may dream Dreams.
Having therefore cut off so much impertinency, I shall reduce the matter yet to a narrower compass,From n. 53. to n. 72. by casting by the large account he gives of the several Books written by himself, in all which tedious Discourse, the wisest thing he saith is, That Books relating to personal things are scarce ever so long-lived, as a yearly …lmanack, and serve only to increase the uncharitableness and injustice of the present Age, in which men will be sure to censure all Books and Persons, and are indifferent whether they condemn the Plaintiff or Defendant or both. I shall not therefore feed so bad a humour by medling with any personal Disputes; but come now, to the main things, which deserve any farther discussion, in the passages between the Person of Honour and Mr. Cressy.