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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79473	Chillingworthi novissima. Or, The sicknesse, heresy, death and buriall of William Chillingworth. (In his own phrase) Clerk of Oxford, and in the conceit of his fellow souldiers, the Queens arch-engineer, and grand-intelligencer. Set forth in a letter to his eminent and learned friends, a relation of his apprehension at Arundell, a discovery of his errours in a briefe catechism, and a shorr [sic] oration at the buriall of his hereticall book. By Francis Cheynell, late fellow of Merton Colledge. Published by authority.	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1644 (1644)	Wing C3810; Thomason E36_7; ESTC R13256	46,148	66

Reason in the chaire in stead of Antichrist is dead and gone publish it not in the streets of Askelon that he who did at once batter Rome and undermine England the Reforming Church of England that he might prevent a Reformation is dead lest if you publish it you puzzle all the Conclave and put them to consider whether they should mourne or triumph If any man enquire whether he hath a Tombe-stone as well as an Elegy let him know that we plundered an old Friar of his Tombe-stone and there is roome enough for an Epitaph if they please to send one from Oxford if not give us leave to say we have provided a Sepulchre and it is your fault if you doe not provide a Monument for as Laurentius Valla the master of Elegances observes a Monument is nothing else but a speaking Sepulchre Vixque Monumentum dixerim nisi literae aut alii tituli appareant quae si desint magis sepulchrum quàm monumentum erit Laur. Vall. Elegant lib. 4. cap. 75. If there be any man yet unsatisfied that this great Philosopher Mathematician Oratour and any thing but what he pretended to be a Divine hath had no more honour at his death then a plaine Tombe-stone and such a song of lamentation as was taken up for Saul let him read this following Catechisme and if he be either Papist or Protestant he will be satisfied if he be true to his owne principles A Prophane Catechisme collected out of Mr Chillingworths Works Question HOw shall I be able to prove to an Atheist that there is a God and that the Books of the Old and New Testament are the word of God Answ. When Protestants affirme against Papists that Scripture is a perfect rule of Faith their meaning is not that by Scripture all things Absolutely may be proved which are to be beléeved for it can never bée proved by Scripture to a gain sayer that there is a God or that the Book called Scripture is the word of God for as he saith a little before nothing is proved true by being said or written in a Book but only by Tradition which is a Thing credible of it selfe chap. 1. p. 55. Sect. 8. the first Edition approved at Oxford Doubtlesse the Atheists and Papists will give him hearty thanks for this answer which doth preferre Tradition which the Atheist vilifies before Scripture which the Papists vilifie he hath pleased them both The Papists will bee well pleased to see this doctrine licensed by the Protestants of the University of Oxford that Tradition is more credible then Scripture for Tradition is credible for it selfe but the Scripture when it is to be proved a perfect Rule to us is credible only by Tradition in Mr Chillingworths conceit pag. 96. and where shall we meet with this universall Tradition 2. But I finde another answer pag. 53. Tradition may be helped out by naturall Reason Controversies wherein the Scripture it selfe is the subject of the question cannot be determined saith Mr Chillingworth but by Naturall Reason the only principle beside Scripture which is common to Christians cap. 2. sect. 3. And in his marginall observations on a passage of Mr Hookers he layes downe this as a Rule Naturall Reason then built on principles common to all men is the last Resolution pag. 65. Nay Reason is in some sort Gods word see his answer to the Preface pag. 21. How then will the Atheist say is Reason credible for it selfe since Mr Chillingworth saith that Gods word is not credible for it selfe Surely these answers will never bring a man to divine faith for to rely upon Tradition is but to rely upon Humane testimony and such as the testimony is such is the faith if the testimony which is the ground of faith be humane then the faith cannot be divine Againe naturall Reason is not infallible nor is it able to judge of truths which are above Reason now it is cleare that supernaturall truths are above naturall Reason Finally faith is not grounded upon Reason but upon Authority He gives a third answer chap. 1. pag. 36. God hath confirmed the doctrine of the Scripture by miracles but then he saith we have nothing to assure us of the truth of those miracles but Tradition and therefore we are not got one steppe nearer faith or Heaven by that shift and if he flie back to Reason then consider what he saith pag. 117. God hath no where commanded men to beleeve all that Reason induceth them to beleeve Qu. But if this great point must be tried by Reason what Reason can you produce to prove the Scripture to be the word of God An. There is as good reason for it as there is to beléeve other stories or matters of Tradition He requires men to yeeld just such a kinde or degree of assent to the Gospel of Christ as they yeeld to other stories or matters of Tradition chap. 1. pag. 37. for God desires us only to beleeve the conclusion as much as the premises deserve ib. sect. 8. p. 36. And the Chronicle of England joyned with the generall tradition of our acquaintance deserves as much credit in Mr Chillingworths conceit as the Gospel of Christ for his words are these chap. 2. sect. 159. p. 116. 117. Wee have I beleeve as great reason to beleeve there was such a man as Henry the eighth King of England as the Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate The Lord rebuke that spirit of errour which moved the great men of Oxford to license this blasphemy What have I no more reason to beleeve the three persons in the holy Trinity speaking in their glorious Gospel to my heart and conscience then I have to beleeve Stowes Chronicle or the generall tradition of my owne acquaintance or some such other fallible testimony Qu. But what if I cannot be assured that any part of the Scripture is the word of God may I be saved without beleeving this weighty point An. Yes saith Mr. Chillingworth chap. 2. sect. 159. if a man should beléeve Christian Religion wholly and entirely and live according to it such a man though he should not know or not beléeve the Scripture to be a Rule of faith no nor to be the word of God my opinion is he may be saved Excellent Divinity indeed what is not this a principle of Christianity that Scripture is the word of God and rule of faith and if it be how then is it possible for a man to beleeve the Christian Religion wholly and entirely and yet not beleeve this principle Yes I may beléeve the Scripture as I doe Augustins works pag. 114. Qu. But if I am assured that some Scripture is the word of God how shall I know what books are Canonicall and what not An. By universall Tradition I must receive those books for Canonicall of whose Authority there was never any doubt or question in the Church pag. 148. I may then it seems doubt of the Epistle of James the second of Peter

the second and third Epistles of John the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Epistle of Jude the book of the Revelation the books of Job Esther Ecclesiastes c. He saith he cannot in reason so undoubtedly beleeve those books to be Canonicall which have beene questioned as those which were never questioned At least I have no warrant to damne any man that shall deny them now having the example of Saints in Heaven either to justifie or excuse such their deniall chap. 2. sect. 38. pag. 67. Surely here is a pretty tempting excuse for if not a justification of those Libertines who question these books and may upon Mr Chillingworths principles question all the rest if they acknowledge one of the Gospels that containes as much as all the rest Ergo that is sufficient pag. 93. 101. But if they beleeve no booke to be Canonicall and therefore will not assent to any book of Scripture they doe not commit a sinne of derogation from Gods perfect and pure veracity for he onely gives God the lye who denies some book or point which he himselfe knowes or beleeves to be revealed by God chap. 3. sect. 15 16 17. Now it is impossible that a man should know one thing to be true and beleeve the contrary or know it and not beleeve it sect. 18. Whither these and the like principles which frequently occurre in his writings tend let the most sober and charitable men judge The only Fundamentall Errour in Mr Chillingworths judgement is to deny something which the party himselfe knowes or beleeves to be revealed by God and therefore in his judgement none but downe-right Atheists erre fundamentally cap. 2. p. 135. 136. Atheisme then as the Jesuites and Arminians conceive is the formality of an Heretick p. 100. for it is down-right Atheisme for any man to deny that to be true which he acknowledges to be spoken by the God of truth Qu. But if I doe beleeve the Scripture to be Gods word is it necessary to beleeve that controversies are to be decided by that Word An. No saith Mr Chillingworth this is no Fundamentall point his words are full I say that this position Scripture alone is the rule whereby they which beleeve it to bee Gods word are to judge all controversies in faith is no Fundamentall point chap. 2. pag. 115. His intent is by this assertion to make good a dreame of his that some controversies in faith need not be judged or determined at all Mr Chillingworth pretends that he holds the Scripture to be a perfect rule of faith and yet he saith it is not necessary to judge all controversies and those no small ones because they are controversies in faith by that perfect rule It is a perfect rule but we need not be ruled by it in all points of faith Qu. But is there then any other way to decide controversies which hath any colour of probability from the Scripture An. Yes nine or ten severall meanes of agreement offered themselves to Mr Chillingworth upon the sudden and haply more might have beene thought on if he had had time and these that are offered have as much probability from Scripture as that which Papists obtrude upon us And truly he was such a ready blasphemer that he could vent extemporary blasphemies yet such as the Licentious men at Oxford approved chap. 3. pag. 130. 131. First he saith we could if we would try it by lots whose Doctrine is true and whose false for which he cites Prov. 16. 33. It may be this Sophister did cast lots for his Religion and it was his hard lot to draw Popery first then Arminianisme and then his doctrine run lower and lower till it came almost to the very dregs of Socinianisme Secondly we could referre it to the King Prov 16. 10. and 21. 1. Mr Chillingworth might make merry with his owne prophane doctrine but I admire that he should dare to sport himselfe with the Majesty of Scripture and the Majesty of the King But truly I am afraid that some are so indifferent in point of Religion that they are content not only to referre it to the King but to the Queene It were proper for them to vent such Doctrine who have as the old Tradition and proverbe hath it taken an oath to be of the Kings Religion Thirdly to an Assembly of Christians assembled in the name of Christ Math. 18. 20. Let them not then blame the Parliament for consulting an Assembly of learned and pious Christians and most of them Ministers of the Gospel assembled in the name of Christ Fourthly to any Priest Malach. 2. 7. This makes well of the Queens side Fifthly to any Preacher of the Gospel Pastour or Doctour Math. 28. 20. Sure Mr Chillingworth was more independent then they that are commonly so called Sixthly to any Bishop or Prelate why not then to the Bishop of Rome for it is written Obey your Prelates Heb. 13. 17. Mr Chillingworth since his pretended conversion was very apt to be seduced by the vulgar or Rhemish translation or some version received at Saint Omers but this was a voluntary and devised meanes as he saith in the same page Seventhly to any particular Church of Christians seeing it is a particular Church which is called the house of God a pillar and ground of truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. and seeing of any particular Church it is written He that heareth not the Church let him be unto thee an Heathen Matth. 18. Mr Chillingworth is sometimes Prelaticall and sometimes Congregationall Eighthly we might referre it to any man that prayes for Gods spirit for it is written every one that asketh receives this is one steppe beyond the Brownists Matth. 7. 8. James 1. 5. Lastly we might referre it to the Jewes for without all doubt of them it is written My spirit that is in thee c. Isaiah 59. 21. And why not to the Socinians they have naturall reason a very competent Judge in Mr Chillingworths conceit What wonder is it that so many blasphemies and quibbles for every quibble upon Scripture is a blasphemy should be licensed by grave and learned Professours of Divinity what if Papists take liberty to blaspheme and put the Scripture upon the rack to force it to confesse what makes for their turn must Protestants or such a one who undertakes the common Cause of Protestants though he was no Protestant bee permitted to blaspheme by the Licence of an University Repent deare Doctors once more repent and I will proceed Qu. But how shall I know the true sense of Scripture there being such variety of conceits which passe for Interpretations Answ Here help mee Reason again and Implicit Faith For the last Resolution of my Faith in his conceit must be into Reason page 65. 96. and still he labours to prove that Reason is Judge and he frequently jeares at Knot for accounting it an absurdity for every man and woman to rely upon their Reason in the interpreting of Scripture p. 98. Reasons drawn

rather Doctor it is unreasonable for the Head to neglect the preservation of it selfe and the body but it is very reasonable for to lift up both armes to defend the head and the whole body and therefore reasonable for both houses to take up armes and lift up their armes put forth their whole strength to defend the King and themselves Doctor Ferne talkes of a Fundamentall constitution which hath provided this temper of three Estates as the reasonable meanes of our safety But I must confesse that it cannot enter into my dull pate to conceive that our Government is of any setled temper or that we have any reasonable meanes provided for the safety of this Kingdome by that fundamentall constitution if the King may doe what he pleases seize on our goods 't is Doctor Fernes supposition imprison our persons kill us outright and which is worse overthrow our Lawes our ●iberties our Religion and all at once and by consequence enslave not onely the bodies but the consciences of our posterity and there is no more power in both houses of Parliament to protect us by force against force then if we had no such remedy provided as the government of three Estates Are we not subjected to an absolute Monarch if the other two Estates have no legall power to releeve our neglected or oppressed Common-wealth how are we secured by the temper of three Estates or how can it be called a temper or a temper of three Estates if the first of the three may oppresse us and the other two have no power to releeve us Sure I am that by this account there is but one Estate that hath a true power and therfore that Estate must be an estate of absolute Monarchy which Dr Ferne himselfe seemes to abhorre and yet so vaine is that Doctor as to call the Power of Supply legally placed in both Houses of Parliament a Conceit nay a vaine Conceit his words are these The Conceit of Supply by the two Houses in case the King refuse to preserve the Kingdome is a vaine Conceit and if that be true then I must conclude that this provision of a Temper of three Estates is no Temper no provision two of the Estates are no Estates or else this provision is in the phrase of Doctor Ferne a lame provision which argues the first contrivement of our Ancestors very inconsiderate because then it followes that there is no Reasonable Meane of safety provided for this Kingdome by that Fundamentall Constitution which provided this Temper of three Estates so the Doctor loves to call it though he make one Estate so praedominant that as there is no Temperamentum ad pondus so there will bee no Temperamentum ad justitiam neither by his conceit How say you Sir John are not you of my perswasion or are you ashamed to tread in the steppes of your learned Countrey-man The Lord open your eyes and cleare your eye-sight you are naturally sharp-sighted but if your eye look red or yellow you know your disease by the symptome It sball be my prayer that your eye may neither be dimme nor blood-shotten Consider that the blood of the 70 was laid upon Abimelech their brother who slew them and upon the men of Shechem which had ayded him by strengthning his hands to kill his brethren Whether you have strengthned their hands who slew their Brethren only for being too zealous in the maintenance of that Religion which you professe I appeale to God your Conscience and the evidence of the fact If you have dealt truly and sincerely with this * Reforming Parliament nay with your owne party rejoyce and flatter your selves with hope of a desired successe but if not then take heed the curse of Iotham doe not fall upon you there may be an evill spirit sent between the Irish and English the French and Spanish factions nay fire may come out from the Queen and consume the Prelates and fire from the Prelates and consume the Papists or else there may come a fire from the North a fire to purge and refine not to destroy which is my prayer and will be your happinesse I will not hold you any longer upon the racke Learne the first lesson of Christianity Self-deniall deny your owne will and submit your selves to Gods deny your reason and submit to faith Reason tells you that there are some things above reason and you cannot be so unreasonable as to make reason judge of those things which are above reason Remember that Master Chillingworth your friend did runne mad with reason and so lost his reason and religion both at once hee thought he might trust his reason in the highest points his reason was to be Iudge whether or no there be a God Whether that God wrote any Booke Whether the bookes usually received as Canonicall be the bookes the Scriptures of God What is the sense of those books What Religion is best What Church purest Come doe not wrangle but beleeve and obey your God and then I shall be encouraged to subscribe my selfe Your Friend and Servant FRANCIS CHEYNELL A briefe and plaine Relation of Mr Chillingworths Sicknesse Death and Buriall together with a just Censure of his Works by a Discovery of his Errours collected out of his Book and framed into a kinde of Atheisticall Catechisme fit for Racovia or Cracovia And may well serve for the instruction of the Irish Welch Dutch French Spanish Army in England and especially for the Black Regiment at Oxford I Am very religious in observing that old proverbe if it be taken in its right sense Nothing is to be spoken of the dead but good If that be true which Quintilian saith adversus miseros I may better say adversus mortuos inhumanus est jocus that man is void of humanity who makes sport with the dead Mr Chillingworth was looked upon by me at the first sight as a conquered man and therefore I was not only civill but as he confessed charitable unto him and now he is dead I cannot deale with him as a Asinius Pollio did with Plancus set forth an Oration to which no answer is to be expected unlesse according to the desire of Saul or Dives a messenger should arise from the dead to give me an answer as full of terrour as satisfaction It is no glory to triumph over one that is conquered nay dead for that of the Poet is true Nullum cum victis certamen * aethere cassis But I consider that Mr Chillingworths party is alive though he be dead and though one of his Books is buried there are many hundred Copies divulged and therefore though I speak not of his humane frailties or personall infirmities and imperfections which died with him yet I may speak of his Hereticall Book and of some destructive policies he used which doe yet survive in their sad and lamentable effects Iudge what I say put the case a man commits notorious crimes

you a sufficient discharge The subscription and name was torne away I need not make any observations upon this Letter it speakes for it selfe and it speaks so bad English and such perfect policy that I beleeve the man that writ it was no Englishman borne There was a Commission found there likewise which doth declare their good intentions directed to Sir Edward Ford c. to secure the persons of all men in Sussex who had contributed to the Parliament and to seize their estates and sell their goods to the utmost value for the best advantage of his Majesty and the Commissioners were to give an account of their service to the field-Marshall Generall Baron of Stratten Commander in chiefe of all his Majesties forces in Surrey Sussex Kent c. Now their intentions are as you see And as touching the meanes used Master Chillingworth himself would not say that the Queen and her adherents Prelates Papists Delinquents Malignants of the French conspiracy the Spanish faction or the Irish Rebellion and their confederates doe take better courses and use more lawfull meanes to accomplish their intentions and bring about their designes then the Parliament of England the Kingdome of Scotland and the Protestants in Ireland since then Master Chillingworth did as all ingenuous and active spirits doe detest Neutrality hee might have seene for hee had light enough to see the way of Jesus Christ I desired him to tell me whether the highest Court of justice in the Kingdome may not compell Delinquents who are protected by force against Law to come in by force of Armes that they may be tryed according to Law First hee acknowledged that the Parliament is the highest Court and therefore I conclude not to be controlled by some few of the Kings Councell or by a pretended Assembly consisting of Fugitives and Delinquents Secondly saith he I must deale plainly with you though the Parliament hath voted some to be Delinquents and the Queen her selfe to be a Traitour yet I doe not beleeve that their judgement is infallible I was able to answere him out of his owne booke that the judgment of a Court or person especially where there is evidence of the fact may be certaine though that Court or person be not infallible Secondly though the judgment of the highest Court be not infallible yet it is finall and therefore we cannot appeale from the judgement of the Parliament to any Court but the Court of heaven True saith Master Chillingworth but this is it which stickes with me that there is no fundamentall constitution for the government of this Kingdome by a standing Parliament To which I had many answers to returne first there is a fundamentall constitution for the government of this Kingdome by the three Estates secondly there is a Law for the frequency of Parliaments and thirdly the vertue and strength of every Parliament continues in the Acts of every Parliament by which the Kingdome is governed even after the dissolution of that Parliament every Parliament doth live in its unrepealed Acts and therefore lives even after its dissolution and in that respect wee have many Parliaments yet standing some old Elisabeth-Parliaments doe as yet live breath move and operate with strength and vigour fourthly there is an Act passed for the continuance of this Parliament by the unanimous consent of all three Estates and the Kings Councell could not find any other probable meanes under heaven for the dis-engaging of his Majesty then the framing and passing of that Act of continuance Master Chillingworth putting off his hat cryed I acknowledge that Act with all reverence and there is your strength He seemed pretty well satisfied with that answere and as touching the way of Jesus Christ I desired to know whether the Saints were not to make warre against the Whore and the Beast Whether it be not an act of charity for Protestants to lay downe their lives for their Brethren Whether it be not an act of faith to waxe valiant in fight for the defence of that faith which was once delivered to the Saints I perceived my Gentleman somewhat puzled and I tooke my leave that he might take his rest My heart was moved with compassion towards him and I gave him many visits after this first visit but I seldome found him in fit case to discourse because his disease grew stronger and stronger and he weaker and weaker I des●red to know his opinion concerning that Liturgy which hath beene formerly so much extolled and even idolized amongst the people but all the answer that I could get was to this purpose that there were some truths which the Ministers of the Gospel are not bound upon paine of damnation to publish to the people and indeed he conceived it very unfit to publish any thing concerning the Common-Prayer-Book or the Book of Ordination c. for feare of scandall I was sorry to heare such an answer drop from a dying man and I conceived it could not but be much more scandalous to seduce or hoodwink the people then to instruct and edifie them in a point which did directly concerne the publike worship of God in this Land When I found him pretty hearty one day I desired him to tell me whether he conceived that a man living and dying a Turk Papist or Socinian could be saved All the answer that I could gaine from him was that he did not absolve them and would not condemne them I was much displeased with the answer upon divers reasons First because the question was put home of a man living and dying so or so Secondly it was frivolous to talk of Absolution for it was out of question that he could not absolve them Thirdly it shewed that he was too well perswaded of Turcism and Socinianism which runne exactly parallel in too many points Fourthly he seems to Anathematize the Socinians in the Preface to the Author of Charity maintained Sect. 28. when Knot had reckoned up some Socinian Tenets Mr Chillingworth answers Whosoever teaches or holds them let him be Anathema I have not Knots Book by me now I meane his direction to N. N. and Mr Chillingworth was so wise as not to reckon up the number of those impious doctrins or name them in particular because they were all fathered upon him and he would not assist Mr Knot so farre in the spreading of his owne undeserved defamation ibid. Sect. 28. I am afraid that Knot reckoned up too many points of Socinianism or did not forme his Interrogations aright and then Mr Chillingworth might safely anathematize and yet be a Socinian in many points which were not reckoned up or not well expressed And yet his Anathema is warily pronounced he doth not say Whosoever teaches or holds them or any of them let him be Anathema Moreover if the Socinians be asked whether Christ be God they will say Yes but then they meane that he is the Sonne of God borne after an extraordinary manner by the overshadowing of the holy Ghost