A BOLD CHALLENGE OF AN ITINERANT PREACHER Modeſtly Anſwered BY A Local Miniſter to whom the ſame was ſent and delivered: AND Severall letters thereupon.
Printed in Year, 1652.
AS there are diverſities of gifts, ſo are there different Adminiſtrations; ſome are eminently qualified after the meaſure of the Sanctuary, others have their competency, and yet both uſefull miniſters in the Church of God. It were to be wiſhed, that as God hath diſtinguiſhed them into ſeverall formes, ſo they would keep their ranks and ſtations, and ſerve in their warfare according to his diſcipline, not their own ambitions. Theſe few letters will afford examples of either kind, here you may ſee the way and deviation; the Writers in all things diſparate, the one a yong bold Challenger, a pretender more to infuſed habits than acquired learning, (though I could never read, that any having the gift of tongues, ſpoke falſe Latin; the immediate works of the Deity are alwayes obſerved the moſt excellent in their kind; and indeed, if the matter were from above, God would have aſſiſted the author [though not perhaps to an elegant, yet ſure] to an intelligible phraſe:) the other, his ſtile and Temper beſpeak grave and learned, and if thereby you underſtand him not, you muſt know no more of him, for he no otherwiſe commends himſelf: in ſhort I commit not the men, but their letters to the preſſe: read and judge; onely obſerve, that the young Epiſtoler (to whom ſilence, by the other author was modeſtly promiſed) immediately communicated coppies to his own diſciples, and had their Iô paean: Now, that ſtanders by may know what they laughed at, the whole ſcene is hereby made publick; poſſibly while they make merry, the reſt of the world may piouſly condole, with us, the boldneſſe and Ignorance of our teachers.
THE queſtions underneath (or underwritten) are humbly offer'd to any Miniſter or Scholler, that oppoſe us or the way we walk in.
1. Qu. Whether your Calling or ours (which you ſo much ſpeak againſt) be moſt warrantable and neareſt the word of God.
2. Qu. Whether your mixt ways or our wayes of ſeparation be neereſt the word of God.
This I or ſome of my Brethen will be content in the Spirit of love, to diſpute publikely or privately.
ACcepi hodiè chartulam ſtylo tuo exaratam tuoque nomine ſubſcriptam, ſed non tam mihi, quam cuivis alii Scholari aut miniſtello tradendam In eâ duas exhibes quaeſtiunculas, tandem aliquando ſi Deus dederit, fortaſſe diſcutiendas: unam de Vocatione miniſtrorum Evangelicorum, alteram de Separatione diſcipulorum Schiſmaticâ. Importunè ſanè et intempeſtivè mihi jam valetudinario, liberalem te exhibes, fateor, quod digneris ſaltem per〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉neſcio quem, nobiſcum in arenam deſcendere, et quod nobis copiam five optionem feceris, ut vel Diſputatio publica, vel collatio amica privatim inſtituatur; ſed in hoc lubricum, et nimis incertum, quod neque tempus, neque actores, neque ſcenam, neque apparatum deſignaveris. Quod ad me attinet, Neutram detrecto, condictâ lege, ſcilicet, Si diſputationem inſtituis, ut habeatur more Academico, ſtrictim, punctim, preſſis Argumentis ſub Moderatore gravi aliquo Theologo Orthodoxo: ſin Collationem privatem velis, amice amplector, modo codem amico animo ſtatuatur, idque coram uno et altero cordatis teſtibus, ne vel mihi vel tibi tuiſve injuſtè ſparſis rumoribus imponatur. Interim ne moleſta videatur mora, ſi quid habes, quod videri poſſit vel vocationem meam convellere, vel tuam (ſi quam habes ā meâ diſtinctam) ſtatuminare, ſi quam habes gregi meo aſpergendam labem, vel tuo ſchiſmati, h.e. ſeparationi praetendendum patrocinium, ſriptis manda; reſcribam, eoque animo et ſtylo, quibus decet
IN quartum ultimae diem hebdomadae, latinam epiſtolam ate recepi: per quam intelligo, te accipiſſe duas quaeſtiunculas; meo nomine ſubſcriptas: non meo propoſito, ſed ex oppoſito, (quemadmodum tunc coram caetu divulgavi) ut ut per tuam praedicationem, excercitationemque primitus adminiſtranda. Nec non occaſione tuorum auditorum, verbis arrogantibus gloriatunt; ſicut alij eo tempore loquebantur, me invitum timidumque, tecum confabulari. Itaque jam non me piget has quaeſtiones ad manus tanti viri perveniſſe: praeterea nec tecum, neque ullis alijs litem exopto, atqui aequo animo veritates〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉aſſerereque ea quae iampridem a me credenda, atque praedicanda, Particulatim, de vocatione miniſtrorum evangelicorum, atque de ſeparatione noſtra, (quae ſeparatio ſchiſmatica a te vocatur,) (Sed reſtat probandum.) Si veritatem tenes, quando in lucem venerit, ſpero〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; ſi aliter non dubito te〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉At totum dubio de vocatione Epiſcopali, pluſquam ſane haereo vado, de veſtro promiſcuoſo conventu: ideoque veritatis gratia, populique cauſa (iam inter duas claudicantes opiniones) mea ſic fert opinio, (ſi etiam tibi videatur) diſputationem, vel Coldocutionem, eſſe publice habendam: (quia veritas non quaerit angulos,) et admirabile celeritate niſi prohibebit valetudo. De loco, tempore, Moderatoreque tibi poteſtatem nominandi permitto. At ſi placuerit, ad 23 diem Julij, apud Polam: ſi intentionem habeas reſponſionem mittas: ſin minus fiat tua voluntas,〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: non operaepretium ſcribendo litigare nec eſt mihi oportunitas. Denique cujuſqueintereſt tempus prae alijs rebus omnibus de anima operequeſpirituali conterere mea refert diſcendo atquedocendo eſſe occupatum: ideoque quicquid in hoc agitur agatur breviter, & rotundè in amore, &〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉ſic a pectore, eſſuſiſſimoque ſtudio, deſiderat.
His acceptis literis Ju: 23 arrepto ſtatim calamo reſponſum eſt in haec verba.
EHem! quid tandem video? Tuumne, mi Powelle, Reſcriptum? Tuas literas? Eane vero tibi ſcriptitandi prurigo, ut famam negligas, et tam certo inclareſcentis nominis diſpendio reſponſandum putes? Rectiùs ſanè, et tibi, & cauſae cal patrocinium paras, et miſerè vapulanti Priſciano conſuluiſies, ſi omninò tacuiſſes. Vah, vah Barbariem, Soloeciſmos, imperitiam. Haeccine, quam ad congreſtum paras, armatura? Strenuum proculdubiò ſperemus Dialecticum, qui Grammaticam in contemptu habes, nec curaſti olim didiciſſe. Ingenuè fateor, me in promptu non habere, quid regerendum judicârim. Adeo non tantum in phraſi elegantiam, in verbis ſyntaxin (levior eſt in graecis facta accentibus injuria, at facta tamen) ſed in unaquaque fere periodo ſanum ſenſum deſidero; facilè ex his primitiis auguror, quòd diſputationem tuam linguis iſtis Academicis non ſis inſtituturus. Age igitur tuâ, hoc eſt, vernaculâ in gratiam populi ſaltem, ne dicam tui, de caetero agatur. Haec tibi tantum; pudet enim reſponſiunculam tuam eruditis viris, licet amiciſſimis communicare. Nollem tuae per me detractum famae, niſi tuo ipſius opere extorquendum curaveris teſtimonium. Ideo quicquid illud eſt quod tuo nomine ſubſcriptum accepi, ſcriniis aſſervandum trado, donec aliquid amplius et fortaſſe limatius ornatiuſque repoſueris. Si quid in gratiam populi dubitantis tranſigendum curas, eò loci, ubi lis mota eſt, terminetur. Ibidem ad Capellam SS. Trinitatis, ſi Deus O.M. vires & valetudinem dederit ſtato die te opperiar. Alibi non libet, nec jam convenit te convenire; longum eſt iter Polam uſque praeſertim ſeneſcenti & valetudinario. Ignoſcas interim feſtinanti calamo, et fortaſſe primo motu nimium excandeſcenti. Neque enim emerito facile arridere ſolent inſoliti & inexpectati in Epiſtolis eruditorum naevi. Atqui ſpero liberiorem effuſae mentis impetum in tuum ceſſurum commodum〈…〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉Ignoſcat etiam Deus O. M. ſiquid temerè. Det tibi idem Deus Pacis Spiritum Pacis, Eruditionis, intelligentiae, & timoris Domini, ut iis quibus praeditus es donis in honorem ipſius nominis, et ſalutem, non diſtractionem Popelli ſimplicis utaris.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A85697)
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