Holy Things for Holy Men, Title page – To the reader
Holy things FOR HOLY MEN: OR, The Lawyers Plea Non-ſuited, his Evidence proved inſufficient, his foul mouth civilly wiped, and his arrogant railings admoniſhed, and bridled;
IN Some Chriſtian Reproofe and Pitie expreſſed towards Mr PRYNN'S Book; Intituled, The Lord's Supper briefly vindicated, (or rather indeed by him therein expoſed, vilified, and profaned: and the Conſcientious Miniſtry therein abuſed, injured, and affronted.
By S. S. Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Titus 1. 13. Rebuke them ſharply, that they may be ſound in the faith.
… Tim. 3. 14. But continue thou in the things which tho… haſt learned, and hast been aſſured of: knowing of whom thou haſt learned them.
Mr. W. Pryn. Perpetuity, pag. 344. The Sacraments do never convey any inward and ſpiritual grace, which may truly regenerate and engraft men into Chriſt: but where there is a hand of Faith to receive them, and the grace conveyed by them.
Cupio propitiis auribus quid ſentiam dicere, ſin minus, dicam & iratis, Sen. Epiſt. 59.
London, Printed for Tho. Parkhurſt, at the three Crowns, at the lower end of Cheapſide, over-againſt the great Conduit, 1658.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, And more eſpecially to Mr Will. Prynne Eſquire.
A While ſince I met an abſurd ignorant Pamphlet, under the name of one Dr Swadlin, pleading for a Promiſcuous receiving the Lords Supper, by promiſcuous ſinners: (a Term as new, as unſound and ſilly.) I meant to have ſaid ſomewhat to his madneſs; But perceiving by a later Pamphlet of his own, that he is Fame, & infamia periturus: and that 'tis likely he writeth ſuch trifles to get a miſerable living, I waved him; not thinking it ſtrange to read what I found there, becauſe they were his. Neither hath it coſt me any great expence of patience, to hear ſuch a Spittler as Joh. Spittlehouſe (in name and deed) call us Judaſſes, and all the ill-names that his worſe heart hath invented, and his loathſome throat ſpit forth againſt us. Neither have I regarded the ignorant blarings of ſo baſe and ſilly an Almanack-maker as Will. Lilly (not worth his worthleſs profeſſion.) I can as eaſily ſlight the ravings of Papiſts, Anabaptiſts, and pitiful Jeſuited Quakers, as the Lion the bawlings and yappings of a little Cur,
But to ſee a petty-martyr, an old Profeſſor, and a learned one, even a Mr. Prynne to fall from his own ſtedfaſtneſs, to behold him watching over us like a Leopard, and helping the Sons of Lot; and hear him, even him, uſing (as Mr. John Goodwin called it) the very language of Dragons againſt us, this grievs once for all! and ſick as I am, I cannot but ſay to him, as dying Caeſar to his Brutus, Etiam & tu Prynne! What is our Saul amongſt ſuch Prophets? even ſuch Prophets as the old Prophet was, 1 Kings 13. will he bring us into a praemunire againſt God, and our high truſt and calling; whilſt he tells us a fair tale of what is our duty to do and indure, when we find not one word for it in our Commiſſion
When I firſt ſaw Mr. Prynns book of the Lords Supper vindicated (in the Title), (which came to my hand ſome few daies ſince) I beheld it with ſuch a ſpirit as Paul the Athenians Altar to the Unknown God; for I perceive Mr. Prynne doth adore a conceit of he knows not what, whilſt under the Inſcription of Vindication, hee defameth, profaneth, and proſtituteth the bleſſed Sacrament. Therefore whilſt he gives the empty name of a Vindication to his book: let him give me leave to do the thing, to vindicate the Lords Supper indeed, from all wicked, unholy, bold intruders and uſurpers: and wherein he ignorantly miſtakes himſelf I will declare unto him: (if he Pleaſe to truſt me as willingly in mine, as I would him in his Profeſſion.)
In his Book I am very ſenſible of his change of Spirit, ſince he wrote his uſeful Book of the Perpetuity of the regenerate: had ſome man then ſhewed him ſuch a Book as this of his, and fo…etold him; You ſhall one day write thus, he would have cried out, What, am I a Dogg, that I ſhould do ſuch a thing! Then he would have plucked out his eies, for the godly Miniſters zealous of Reformation: but now they are become his enemies, becauſe we tell him the Truth.
And hereunto I cannot but note his fury, railing, impertinencies, and falſe principles in his book; and have laid down better: not from my own judgment, but from former and later judicious ſound Divines, at home, and abroad.
I have alſo obſerv'd his pomp and confidence the matter and form of his whole book: and to ſatisfie my ſelf, I have dared gently to prick his ratling full blown bladder, to conſider the paint of this Butterfly, the feather of this Oſtrich, or rather the ſquallid wings of this flitter-mouſe: whereby I can eaſily judge (according to the old rule) Qui ſe habet pro ſapiente, hunc Deus & homines habent pro ignaro.
For the profest refutation of the Book, I do not look upon it as my work. I know the Lawyer hath learned and pious Antagoniſts, with whom I number not my ſelf in point of ability, (yet a ſmal meaſure might be ſufficient to anſwer 100 ſuch Pamphlets; or any other that I have had the trouble to ſee upon their ſubject.)
My preſent writing (and further I never intend) is onelyonly to enter my diſſent and proteſt, (and not without good evidence to the truth) againſt Mr. Pryns erroneous conceit: for which I am grieved, and for the reproaches he caſts upon conſcientious Miniſters, (for the reproaches of thoſe that reproached them are fallen upon me) whilſt our enemies rejoice that they have found our friend and Brother to be an Executioner, (rather to grieve then torment us,) that they have gotten our Demoſthenes to write angry Philippicks againſt us; even our own Prynne to implead us, and open his mouth againſt us, with a tongue of falſhood, and compaſſe us about with words of hatred, and fight againſt us without a cauſe: for our love he is our adverſary, but we give our ſelves unto praier! (vide Pſal. 109.) and our praiers return into our own boſome; our hearts are fortified, his ſpittings upon us are wiped off: and ſoul-eſtabliſhing conſolations and promiſes are applied, to the condition, calling, and perſon of every godly Miniſter. They ſhall fight againſt thee, but they ſhall not prevail againſt the; for I am with thee, ſaith the Lord, to deliver thee, Jer. 1. 19. In nothing terrified by your adverſaries, which to them is an evident token of perdition, but to you of ſalvation, and that of God, Phil 1. 28 (vide Genev. & Bezae not as) I know thy works, behold, I have ſet before thee an open door, and no man can ſhut it; for thou haſt a little ſtrength, and haſt kept my word, and not denied my name. Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan; which ſay they are Jews, and are not, but do lie: Behold, I will make them to come and worſhip before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Becauſe thou haſt kept the word of my patience, I will alſo keep thee from the hour of temptation, which ſhall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold I come quickly, hold that faſt which thou haſt, that no man take thy Crown, Rev. 3. 8, 9, 10, 11.
I have no more to add, but Beza's ſhort Epiſtle to his Diallacton, which I ſhall apply to my ſelf in this work.
Pacem aliorum quaerere pulchrum eſt, & habet certam promiſſionem; Beati Pacifici. Sed vereor, hoc dum cupide ſector, ne quod eis qui pugnas diruunt evenire ſolet, idem mihi quoque accidat, Illi dum aliorum ſaluti conſulunt, ipſi reportant vulnera: & ego dum id operam ut diſſidentes redeaent in gratiam, ab i…ſdem fortaſſe nullam inibo gratiam. Id ſi fit, illius exemplo me levabo, qui dixit: ſi hominibus placuiſſem, Chriſti ſervus non eſſem. Vale, ac ſtude Chriſto placere.
S. S.