TO

OUR GRACIOUS AND BLESSED MOTHER,

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND;

THE MEANEST OF HER CHILDREN DEDICATES THIS HER APOLOGY,

AND WISHETH ALL PEACE AND HAPPINESS.

No less than a year and an half is past, reverend, dear, and holy Mother, since I wrote a loving monitory lettera to two of thine unworthy sons, which I heard were fled from thee in person, in affection, and somewhat in opinion, supposing them yet thine in the main substance; though in some circumstances their own.

Since which, one of them hath washed off thy font-water as unclean, and hath written desperately both against thee and his own fellows.

From the other, I received, not two months since, a stomachful pamphlet, besides the private injuries to the monitor, casting upon thine honourable name blasphemous imputations of apostasy, antichristianism, whoredom, rebellion.

Mine own wrongs I could have contemned in silence, but for Sion's sake I cannot hold my peace: if I remember not thee, O Jerusalem, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth. It were a shame and sin for me that my zeal should be less hot for thine innocency than theirs to thy false disgrace.

How have I hastened therefore to let the world see thy sincere truth and their perverse slanders!

Unto thy sacred name, then, whereto I have in all piety devoted myself, I humbly present this my speedy and dutiful labour, whereby I hope thy weak sons may be confirmed, the strong encouraged, the rebellious shamed. And if any shall still obstinately accurse thee, I refer their revenge unto thy glorious Head, who hath espoused thee to himself in truth and righteousness let Him, whose thou art, right thee.

In the mean time, we, thy true sons, shall not only defend, but magnify thee. Thou mayest be black, but thou art comely. The daughters have seen thee, and counted thee blessed, even the queen and the concubines, and they have praised thee: thou art thy Well-beloved's, and his desire is towards thee. So let it be, and so let thine be towards him for ever, and mine towards you both, who am the least of all thy little ones.

a See Decade III. Ep. i. vol. vi. p. 186.

b Smith and Robinson.

c Meam injuriam patienter tuli: im

JOS. HALL.

pietatem contra Sponsam Christi [Deum] ferre non potui.—Hieron. ad Vigilant. [Ed. Ben. t. iv. pars 2. Ep. 36. p. 278.]

A COMMON APOLOGY

AGAINST

THE BROWNISTS.

SECT. I.-The entrance into the work.

IF Truth and Peace, Zechariah's two companionsa, had met in our love, this controversy had never been. The severing of these two hath caused this separation; for while some unquiet minds have sought truth without peace, they have at once lost truth, peace, love, us, and themselves.

God knows how unwillingly I put my hand to this unkind quarrel. Nothing so much abates the courage of a Christian as to call his brother, adversary. We must do it. Woe be to the men by whom this offence cometh b.

Yet by how much the insultation of a brotherly enemy is more intolerable, and the grief of our blessed mother greater for the wrong of her own, so much more cause I see to break this silence. If they will have the last words, they may not have all.

For our carriage to them: they say when Fire, the god of the Chaldees, had devoured all the other wooden deities, that Canopis set upon him a caldron full of water, whose bottom was devised with holes stopped with wax, which no sooner felt the flame but gave way to the quenching of that furious idole. If the fire of inordinate zeal, conceit, contention, have consumed all other parts in the separation, and cast forth (more than Nebuchadnezzar's furnace d) from their Amsterdam hither, it were well if the waters of our moderation and reason could vanquish, yea abate it.

This little Hin of mine shall be spent that way. We may try

a Zech. viii. 19.

b Matt. xviii. 7.

e Otho Frising, ex Philon. Ur Chal

dæorum. Ruffin. Eccl. Hist. 1. ii. c. 26. [Paris. 1580. p. 245.]

d Dan. iii.

and wish, but not hope it; the spirits of these men are too well known to admit any expectation of yieldancee. Since yet, both for prevention and necessary defence, this task must be undertaken, I crave nothing of my reader but patience and justice; of God, victory to the truth: as for favour, I wish no more than an enemy would give against himself.

With this confidence I enter into these lists, and turn my pen to an adversary, God knows whether more proud or weak.

SEPARATIST.

"It is an hard thing even for soberminded men, in cases of controversy, to use soberly the advantages of the times: upon which, whilst men are mounted on high, they use to behold such as they oppose too overly, and not without contempt and so are ofttimes emboldened to roll upon them, as from aloft, very weak and weightless discourses, thinking any slight and slender opposition sufficient to oppress those underlings whom they have, as they suppose, at so great an advantage. Upon this very presumption it cometh to pass, that this author undertaketh thus solemnly and severely to censure a cause whereof, as appeareth in the sequel of the discourse, he is utterly ignorant: which had he been but half so careful to have understood as he hath been forward to censure, he would either have been, I doubt not, more equal towards it or more weighty against it." As this epistle is come to mine hands so I wish the answer of it may come to the hands of him that occasioned it; entreating the Christian reader, in the name of the Lord, impartially to behold without any prejudice of cause or respect of person what is written on both sides, and so from the court of a sound conscience to give just judgment.

SECT. II. The Answerer's Preamble retorted, confuted.

It is an hard thing, even for those which would seem soberminded men, in cases of controversy, to use soberly the frowns and disadvantages of causes and times; whereby, while men are dejected and trodden down, they use to behold their opposites mounted on high too repiningly, and not without desperate envy; and so are ofttimes moved to shoot up at them, as from below, the bitter arrows of spiteful and spleenish discourses; thinking any hateful opposition sufficiently charitable to oppugn those adversaries which have them, as they feel, at so great an advantage. Upon this impotent maliciousness it cometh to pass, that this e Vid. Treatise of Certain Godly Ministers against Barrowe.

answerer undertaketh, thus severely and peremptorily, to censure that charitable censure of ignorance, which, as shall appear in the sequel, he either simply or willingly understood not; and to brand a dear church of Christ with apostasy, rebellion, antichristianism. What can be more easy than to return accusa

tions?

Your preamble with a grave bitterness charges me with, first, presumption upon advantages; secondly, weak and weightless discourse; thirdly, ignorance of the cause censured.

It had been madness in me to write, if I had not presumed upon advantages; but of the cause, of the truth, not of the times: though, blessed be God, the times favour the truth and us; if you scorn them and their favours, complain not to be an underling: think that the times are wiser than to bestow their favours upon wilful adversaries. But in spite of times, you are not more under us in estate than in conceit above us: so we say, "the sun is under a cloud," we know it is above it. Wouldf God overliness and contempt were not yours, even to them which are mounted highest upon best desert: and now you, that have not learned sobriety in just disadvantages, tax us not to use soberly the advantages of time. There was no gall in my pen, no insultation: I wrote to you as brethren, and wished you companions: there was more danger of flattery in my style than bitterness. Wherein used I not my advantages soberly? Not in that I said too much, but not enough; not in that I was too sharp, but not weighty enough. My opposition was not too vehement, but too slight and slender so strong champions blame their adversary for striking too easily. You might have forborne this fault it was my favour that I did not my worst: you are worthy of more weight that complain of ease.

The discourse that I rolled down upon you was weak and weightless; you shall well find this was my lenity, not my impotence. The fault hereof is partly in your expectation, not in my

Hier. Marco. Presbyt. [Ed. Ben. t. iv. pars ii. Ep. 15. p 21.]: De cavernis cellularum damnamus orbem. In sacco et cinere volutati, de Episcopis sententiam ferimus. Quid facit, sub tunica pœnitentis, regius animus. Cypr. 1. iii. Ep. 9. [Ed. Fell. Ep. 3. p. 5.] Hæc sunt initia hæreticorum, ut sibi placeant, ut præpositum superbo tumore contemnant. Harrison, once theirs, in Ps.

...

cxxii. of Brown's Antichristian pride and bitterness. Bredw. Pref. M. Brinsly's Pref. to the 2d part of the Watch. Optat. Mil. de Donat. Collegæ non eritis si nolitis, fratres estis, &c. Disclaimed by themselves. Answer against Broughton, page 21. [Non sint college si nolunt: tamen.. .fratres sunt. Opt. lib. i. p. 34. Ed. Paris. 1631.]

letter. I meant but a short epistle; you looked belike for a volume, or nothing. I meant only a general monition; you looked for a solid prosecution of particulars. It is not for you to give tasks to others' pens. By what law must we write nothing but large scholastical discourses, such tomes as yours? May we not touch your sore, unless we will lance and search it? I was not enough your enemy: forgive me this error, and you shall smart

more.

But not only my omissions were of ignorance, but my censures, though severe and solemn. An easy imputation from so great a controller! I pardon you, and take this as the common lot of enemies. I never yet could see any scribbler so unlearned as that he durst not charge his opposite with ignorance. If Dr. Whitaker, Mr. Perkins, Mr. Gyfford, and that oracle of our present times, Dr. Andrews, went away content with this livery from yours 5, how can I repine? If I have censured what cause I knew not, let me be censured for more than ignorance, impudency: but if you know not what I censured, (let all my trust lie on this issue,) take both ignorance, boldness, and malice to yourself. Is your cause so mystical that you can fear any man's ignorance? What cobbler or spinster hath not heard of the main holds of Brownism? Am I only a stranger in Jerusalem? If I know not all your opinions, pardon me; your own have not received this illumination; I speak boldly-not yourself. Every day brings new conceits; and not one day teaches but corrects anotherb. You must be more constant to yourselves ere you can upbraid ignorance or avoid it. But whether I knew your prime fancies appears sufficiently by a particular discourse which above a year since was in the hands of some of your clients, and I wonder if not in yours. Shortly; am I ignorant? If I were obstinate too, you might hope with the next gale for me, your more equal adversary, at Amsterdam. As I am, my want of care and skill shall I hope lose nothing of the truth by you, nor suffer any of your foul aspersions upon the face of God's Church and ours.

But while we strive, who shall be our judge? "The Christian Readers." Who are those? Presume not, ye more zealous and forward countrymen, that you are admitted to this bench. So far are we, mere English, from being allowed judges of them, that

Separat. Schis. "M. Gyfford, an ignorant priest." Bar. p. 63. Confer. of D. And, and M. Hutchins, with Barrow.

h M. Spr. 3. Considerat. Iren. lib. i. Per singulos dies novum aliquod adfectant, &c.