Imprimatur Ex AEd. Lamb. Oct. 29. 1664. Geo. Stradling S.T.P. Rev in Christo Pat. D. Gilb. Archiep. Cant. Ã Sac. Do. Mr RICHARD HOOKER Author of those Learned Bookes of Eoclesiasticoll pollitie W. DolleF THE LIFE OF Mr. RICH. HOOKER The Author of those Learned Books of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity Prov. 2.15 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge rightly LONDON Printed by I. G. for Rich. Marriott and are to be sold at his Shop under the Kings-head Tavern over against the Inner Temple gate in Fleetstreet 1665. To the Right Honourable AND Right Reverend Father in God GEORGE Lord Bishop of Winchester Dean of His Majesty's Chapel Royal and Prelate of the most Noble Order of the Garter MY LORD THere present you with a Relation of the Life of that Humble man to whom at the mention of his Name Princes and the most Learned of this Nation have paid a Reverence It was written by me under your Roof for which and more weighty Reasons you might if it were worthy justly claim a Title to it But indeed my Lord though this be a well-meant Sacrifice to the Memory of that Venerable man yet I have so little Confidence in my Performance that I beg your Pardon for Supscribing your Name to it and desire all that know your Lordship to receive it not as a Dedication by which you receive any Access of Honour but rather as a more humble and a more publick Acknowledgment of your long-continued and your now daily Favours to Your most Affectionate and most Humble Servant Nov. 28. 1664. IZAAK WALTON The Copy of a Letter writ to Mr. Walton by Dr. King Lord Bishop of Chichester THough a Familiarity of almost Forty years continuance and the constant experience of your Love even in the worst times be sufficient to indear our Friendship yet I must confess my Affection much improved not onely by Evidences of private Respect to many that know and love you but by your new Demonstration of a Publick Spirit testified in a diligent true and useful Collection of so many Material Passages as you have now afforded me in the Life of Venerable Mr. Hooker Of which since desired by such a Friend as your self I shall not deny to give the Testimony of what I know concerning him and his learned Books but shall first here take a fair occasion to tell you that you have been happy in chusing to write the Lives of three such Persons as Posterity hath just cause to honour which they will do the more for the true Relation of them by your happy Pen of all which I shall give you my unfeigned Censure I shall begin with my most dear and incomparable Friend Dr. Donne late Dean of S. Pauls Church who not onely trusted me as his Executor but three days before his death delivered into my hands those excellent Sermons of his now made publick professing before Dr. Winniff Dr. Montford and I think your self then present at his bed-side that it was by my restless importunity that he had prepared them for the Press together with which as his best Legacy he gave me all his Sermon-Notes and his other Papers containing an Extract of near Fifteen hundred Authors How these were got out of my hands you who were the Messenger for them and how lost both to me and your self is not now seasonable to complain but since they did miscarry I am glad that the general Demonstration of his Worth was so fairly preserv'd and represented to the World by your Pen in the History of his Life indeed so well that beside others the best Critick of our later time Mr. Iohn Hales of Eaton College affirm'd to me He had not seen a Life written with more advantage to the Subject or more reputation to the Writer than that of Dr. Donnes After the performance of this task for Dr. Donne you undertook the like office for our Freind Sir Henry Wotton betwixt which two there was a Friendship begun in Oxford continued in their various Travels and more confirm'd in the religious Friendship of Age and doubtless this excellent Person had writ the Life of Dr. Donne if Death had not prevented him by which means his and your Pre-collections for that Work fell to the happy Menage of your Pen a Work which your would have declin'd if imperious Persuasions had not been stronger than you modest Resolutions against it And I am thus far glad that the first Life was so impos'd upon you because it gave an unavoidable Cause of Writing the second if not 't is too probable we had wanted both which had been a prejudice to all Lovers of Honour and ingenious Learning And let me not leave my Friend Sir Henry without this Testimony added to yours That he was a Man of as Florid a Wit and Elegant a Pen as any former or ours which in that kind is a most excellent Age hath ever produced And now having made this voluntary Observation of our two deceased Friends I proceed to satisfie your desire concerning what I know and believe of the ever-memorable Mr. Hooker who was Schismaticorum Malleus so great a Champion for the Church of Englands Rights against the Factious Torrent of Separatists that then ran high against Church-Discipline and in his unanswerable Books continues to be so against the unquiet Disciples of their Schism which now under other Names still carry on their Design and who as the proper Heirs of their Irrational Zele would again rake into the scarce-closed Wounds of a newly bleeding State and Church And first though I dare not say that I knew Mr. Hooker yet as our Ecclesiastical History reports to the honour of Ignatius that he lived in the time of S. Iohn and had seen him in his Childhood so I also joy that in my Minority I have often seen Mr. Hooker with my Father from whom and others at that time I have heard most of the material passages which you relate in the History of his Life and from my Father received such a Character of his Learning Humility and other Virtues that like Jewels of unvaluable price they still cast such a lustre as Envy or the Rust of Time shall never darken From my Father I have also heard all the Circumstances of the Plot to defame him and how Sir Edwin Sandys out-witted his Accusers and gained their Confession and could give an account of each particular of that Plot but that I judge it fitter to be forgotten and rot in the same Grave with the Malicious Authors I may not omit to declare that my Fathers Knowledge of Mr. Hooker was occasioned by the Learned Dr. Iohn Spencer who after the Death of Mr. Hooker was so careful to preserve his unvaluable Sixth Seventh and Eighth Books of ECCLESIASTICAL POLITY and his other Writings that he procured Henry Iacksow then of Corpus-Christi College to transcribe for him all Mr. Hookers remaining written Papers many of which were imperfect for his Study had been
by which and no other everlasting life and blessedness is attainable and these two ways he demonstrates thus they be his own words that follow That the way of Nature This the way of Grace the end of that way Salvation merited presupposing the righteousness of mens works their righteousness a Natural ability to do them that ability the goodness of God which Created them in such perfection But the end of this way Salvation bestowed upon men as a gift presupposing not their righteousness but the forgiveness of their Unrighteousness Iustification their Iustification not their Natural ability to do good but their hearty Sorrow for not doing and unfeigned belief in him for whose sake not doers are accepted which is their Vocation their Vocation the Election of God taking them out of the number of lost Children their Election a Mediator in whom to be elect this mediation inexplicable mercy this mercy supposing their misery for whom he vouchsafed to dye and make himself a Mediator And he also declareth there is no meritorious cause for our Iustification but Christ no effectual but his Mercy and says also we deny the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ we abuse disanul and anihilate the benefit of his Passion if by a proud imagination we believe we can merit everlasting life or can be worthy of it This belief he declareth is to destroy the very essence of our Justification and he makes all opinions that border upon this to be very dangerous Yet nevertheless and for this he was accused Considering how many vertuous and just men how many Saints and Martyrs have had their dangerous opinions amongst which this was one that they hoped to make God some part of amends by voluntary punishments which they laid upon themselves because by this or the like erroneous opinions which do by consequent overthrow the merits of Christ shall man be so bold as to write on their Graves such men are damned there is for them no Salvation St. Austin says errare possum Haereticus esse nolo And except we put a difference betwixt them that err Ignorantly and them that Obstinately persist in it how is it possible that any man should hope to be saved give me a Pope or a Cardinal whom great afflictions have made to know himself whose heart God hath touched with true sorrow for all his Sins and filled with a Love of Christ and His Gospel whose eyes are willingly open to see the truth and his mouth ready to renounce all error this one opinion of merit excepted which he thinketh God will require at his hands and because he wanteth trembleth and is discouraged and yet can say Lord cleanse me from all my secret sins shall I think because of this or a like error such men touch not so much as the Hem of Christs Garment if they do wherefore should I doubt but that vertue may proceed from Christ to save them no I will not be afraid to say to such a one you err in your opinion but be of good comfort you have to do with a merciful God who will make the best of that little which you hold well and not with a captious Sophister who gathereth the worst out of every thing in which you are mistaken But it will be said The admittance of Merit in any degree overthroweth the foundation excludeth from the hope of mercy from all possibility of salvation And now M. Hookers own words follow What though they hold the truth sincerely in all other parts of Christian Faith although they have in some measure all the Vertues and Graces of the Spirit although they have all other tokens of Gods Children in them although they be far from having any proud opinion that they shall be saved by the worthinesse of their deeds although the onely thing that troubleth and molesteth them be a little too much dejection somewhat too great a fire arising from an erronious conceit that God will require a worthinesse in them which they are grieved to find wanting in themselves although they be not obstinate in this opinion although they be willing and would be glad to forsake it if any one reason were brought sufficient to disprove it although the onely cause why they do not forsake it ere they dye be their Ignorance of that means by which it might be disproved although the cause why the Ignorance in this point is not removed be the want of knowledge in such as should be able and are not to remove it Let me die sayes Mr. Hooker if it be ever proved that simply an Error doth exclude a Pope or Cardinal in such a case utterly from hope of life Surely I must confesse that if it be an Error to think that God may be mercifull to save men even when they err my greatest comfort is my error were it not for the love I bear to this error I would never wish to speak or to live I was willing to take notice of these two points as supposing them to be very material and that as they are thus contracted they may prove useful to my Reader as also for that the answers be arguments of Mr. Hookers great and clear reason and equal Charity Other exceptions were also made against him as that he prayed before and not after his Sermons that in his Prayers be named Bishops that he kneeled both when he prayed and when he received the Sacrament and says Mr. Hooker in his defence other exceptions so like these as but to name I should have thought a greater than fault to commit them And 't is not unworthy the noting that in the manage of great controversie a sharper reproof than this and one like it did never fail from the happy pen of this Humble man That like it was upon a like occasion of exceptions to which his answer was Your next argument consists of railing and of reasons to your Railing I say nothing to your Reasons I say what follows And I am glad of this fair occassion to testifie the Dove-like temper of this meek this matchlesse man and doubtlesse if Almighty God had blest the Dissenters from the Ceremonies and Discipline of this Church with a like measure of Wisdome and Humility instead of their pertinacious zele then Obedience Truth had kissed each other then Peace and Piety and flourished in our Nation and this Church and State had been blest like Ierusalem that is at unity with it self which can never be expected till God shall blesse the common people with a belief That there may be offences taken which are not given and That Lawes are not made for private men to Dispute but to Obey And this also may be worthy of noting That these Exceptions of Mr. Trevers against Mr. Hooker were the cause of his transcribing severall of his Sermons which we now see printed with this Books of his Answer to Mr. Trevers his Supplication and of his most learned and useful discourse of Iustification of Faith and
or in words to this purpose that her Husband had made up or finisht Mr. Hookers last three Books and that upon her Husbands Death-bed or in his last sickness he gave them into her hand with a charge they should not be seen by any man but be by her delivered into the hands of the then Archbishop of Canterbury which was Dr. Abbot and that she did as he injoyn'd her I do conceive that from Doctor Spencers and no other Copy there have been divers Transcripts and were to be found in several places as namely Sir Thomas Bodlies Library in that of Doctor Andrews late Bishop of Winton in the late Lord Conwayes in the Archbishop of Canterburies and in the Bishop of Armaghs and in many others and most of these pretended to be the Authors own hand but much disagreeing being indeed altered and diminisht as men have thought fittest to make Mr. Hookers Judgment suit with their Fancies or give authority to their corrupt designs and for proof of a part of this take these following testimonies Doctor Barnard sometime Chaplain to Doctor Usher late Lord Archbishop of Armagh hath declar'd in a late Book called Clavi Trebales Printed by Richard Hodgkinson Anno 1661. that in his search and examination of the said Bishops Manuscripts he found the three written Books which were supposed the 6.7 and 8. of Mr. Hookers Books of Ecclesiastical Polity and that in the said three Books now printed as Mr. Hookers there are so many omissions that they amouut to many paragraphs and which cause many incoherencies the Omissions are by him set down at large in the said Printed Book to which I refer the Reader for the whole but think fit in this place to insert this following short part of them First as there could be in Natural Bodies no Motion of any thing unless there were some first which moved all things and continued Unmoveable even so in Politick Societies there must be some unpunishable or else no man shall suffer punishment for sith punishments proceed always from Superiors to whom the administration of Iustice belongeth which administration must have necessarily a Fountain that deriveth it to all others and receiveth not from any because otherwise the course of Iustice should go infinitely in a Circle every Superiour having his Superiour without end which cannot be therefore a well-spring it followeth there is a Supreme head of Iustice whereunto all are subject but it self in subjection to none Which kind of Preheminency if some ought to have in a Kingdom who but the King shall have it Kings therefore or no man can have lawful power to Iudge If Private men offend there is the Magistrate over them which Iudgeth if Magistrates they have their Prince if Princes there is Heaven a Tribunal before which they shall appear on Earth they are not accomptable to any Here says the Doctor it breaks off abruptly And I have these words also attested under the hand of Mr. Fabian Phillips a man of note for his useful Books I will make Oath if I shall be required that Doctor Sanderson the late Bishop of Lincoln did a little before his Death affirm to me he had seen a Manuscript affirmed to him to be the hand-writing of Mr. Richard Hooker in which there was no mention made of the King or Supreme Governors being accomptable to the People this I will make Oath that that good man attested to me Fabian Phillips So that there appears to be both Omissions and Additions in the said last three printed Books and this may probably be one Reason why Doctor Sanderson the said Learned Bishop whose writings are so highly and justly valued gave a strickt charge near the time of his Death or in his last Will that nothing of his that was not already Printed should be Printed after his Death It is well known how high a value our Learned King Iames put upon the Books writ by Mr. Hooker as also that our late King Charls the Martyr for the Church valued them the second of all Books testified by his commending them to the reading of his Son Charls that now is our gratious King and you may suppose that this Charls the First was not a stranger to the pretended three Books because in a discourse with the Lord Say when the said Lord required the King to grant the truth of his argument because it was the Judgement of Mr. Hooker quoting him in one of the three written Books the King replyed they were not allowed to be Mr. Hookers Books but however he would allow them to be Mr. Hookers and consent to what his Lordship proposed to prove out of those doubtful Books if he would but consent to the Iudgement of Mr. Hooker in the other five that were the undoubted Books of Mr. Hooker In this relation concerning these three doubtful Books of Mr. Hookers my purpose was to enquire then set down what I observ'd and know which I have done not as an ingaged Person but indifferently and now leave my Reader to give Sentence for their Legitimation as to himself but so as to leave others the same Liberty of believing or disbelieving them to be Mr. Hookers and t is observable that as Mr. Hooker advis'd with Doctor Spencer in the design and manage of these Books so also and chiefly with his dear Pupils George Cranmer whose Sister was the wife of Doctor Spencer of which this following Letter may be a Testimony and doth also give authority to some things mentioned both in this Appendix and in the Life of Mr. Hooker and is therefore added GEORGE CRANMERS Letter unto MR. Richard Hooker February 1598. WHat Posterity is likely to judge of these matters concerning Church-Discipline we may the better conjecture if we call to mind what our own age within few years upon better Experience hath already judged concerning the same It may be remembred that at first the greatest part of the Learned in the Land were either eagerly affected or favourably inclined that way The Books then written for the most part favoured of the Disciplinary Stile it sounded every where in Pulpits and in common phrase of mens speech the contrary part began to fear they had taken a wrong course many which impugned the Discipline yet so impugned it not as not being the better form of Government but as not being so convenient for our State in regard of dangerous Innovations thereby like to grow one man alone there was to speak of whom let no suspition of Flattery deprive of his deserved Commendation who in the defiance of the one part and courage of the other stood in the gap and gave others respite to prepare themselves to the defence which by the sudden eagerness and violence of their Adversaries had otherwise been prevented wherein God hath made good unto him his own Impress Vincit qui patitur for what contumelious indignities he hath at their hands sustained the world is witness and what reward of Honour above his