1. Whereas Mr. Bl. putteth the vesture of his proposition expresly in one thing he expresly sayes he puts it in another pag. 7. 2. He imposes a false and quite contrary sense on Mr. Bl. his words concerning the damned pag. 11. and 13. 3. He goes about to maintain the falsification by justifying his leaving out the antecedent and subsequent words in that small Paragraph which manifestly put the contrary to what he pretended pag. 12. 4. He sayes the Council of Florence maintains there is fire in Purgatory whereas all the Greek Fathers were against it and the Council contradicted it not pag. 18. 5. He sayes that the whole current of Doctors in the Catholick Church unanimously condemne the opinion which denies fire in Purgatory pag. 19. 6. He accuses Mr. Bl. to say that Christ died not for all whereas take the whole place and he sayes the quite contrary pag. 23. 7. He puts into the citation of Mr. Bl. his words concerning the Sacraments a whole line against the sence of the Author pag. 25. 8. He corrupts the evident meaning of Mr. Bl. his words by his interpretation ibid. 9. He imposes upon Mr. Bl. that he sayes Sacraments as outward works exercise no causality or efficiency against his expresse words and whole discourse pag. 26. 10. He corrupts his intention of writing his grounds of Government pag. 28. 11. He corrupts St. Austin by citing him in a wrong sence pag. 36. 12. He corrupts him again by a false and non-sensical interpretation pag. 37. 13. He corrupts another Saint by making him speak of Purgatory before the day of judgement whereas he speaks of Judgement ibid. 14. He corrupts Mr. Bl. his words of one pretended Vision by applying them generally to all that is to true Visions also pag. 39. and afterwards pag. 4. What truths he will corrupt in his informations against me at Rome which he seems to threaten pag. 42. where there will be no body to answer in my behalf may be expected out of this scantling Taunts and Jeers in his printed Answer 1. What strange fancy humour or genius possessed him pag. 20. 2. That Mr. Bl. his spirit is neither sober nor Christian-like nor peaceable pag. 33. In the second part 1. That Mr. Bl. his conscience semper praesumit saeva p. 6. 2. That Mr. Bl. his understanding is distempered and his conscience disorder'd pag. 7. 3. That Mr. Bl. may rightly be stiled coluber Britannicus or Lubricus anguis pag. 8. 4. That Mr. Bl. gloriously acteth Thomas Albiorum Trinobantum a bragging Captain pag. 11. It seems the good Doctor thinks that Trinobantum is the Genitive case of a participle from a Verb Trinobare which should signifie to triumph or brag or some such thing agreeing with the substantive Albiorum both by his expression of bragging and by the wrong Grammar he makes which he finds not in Mr. Bl. his books and by his often pleasing himself with this Jeer 5. The Doctor sillily clubs as he calls it Mr. Bl. his opinions into Heresies pag. 14. 6. The Doctor condemneth Mr. Bl. of open blasphemy pag. 21. 7. That Mr. Bl. acts the Serpent that hissed poyson into Eve in Paradise pag. 33. 8. That Mr. Bl. is blown up with the dreams of his own troubled fancy ibid. 9. He calls Mr. Bl. his Doctrine impious and blasphemous pag. 35. 10. That Mr. Bl. hisseth poysonous words pag. 35. 11. He stiles him our all knowing Thomas Albiorum Trinobantum and falsly adds that he stiles himself Thomas Albiorum Trinobantum in his printed books pag. 36. 12. He sayes Mr. Bl. commits a sin against the Holy Ghost and flagitium profanitatis pag. 37. and 38. 13. He sayes Mr. Bl. his opinion is branded by St. Austin with impudency pag. 40. 14. He sayes Mr. Bl. is civil to the Devils and the damned pag. 5. of his Letter to two 15. To these may be added his calling every opinion he dislikes a prophane novelty 16. Also his witty Epiphonema's whereof let his Grammarians look whether the rest be Latin excepting that which he took out of the Apostle which signifies onely sapâ—re moderatè But perhaps his Partials who make no distinction between the same language by one justly concluded and necessarily pronounced and by another calumniating and speaking upon slight grounds at random will think him not blameable at least not more than I am for this extravagant language in his Reply because I occasion'd it by my sharpnesse in my answer as they conceit Let us see then whether his first Letter against me when I medled not with him and which began all this stir be more moderate than his Reply That the spirit of the man as yet untouched may be discerned and whether I was not forced to discover it whom it concerned and still leave him inexcusable for beginning first without cause given to write to his brethren against me in such an insolent and calumniating manner I present them therefore out of his first Letter which I have under his own hand and which himself owns in his second part pag. 4. with these His first Provocations and un-occasion'd Reproaches 1. That Mr. Bl. teacheth Diabolical Doctrine 2. That he is not from God 3. That he hath made the Clergy odious to all Christian Princes 4. That he is void of common sence reason and Religion in delivering his Rules of obedience 5. That he is excommunicated 6. That he sleights Decrees from Rome 7. That his books are condemned 8. That he is an unworthy Member of the Society he is of and that it is high time to discard him 9. That by the judgement of a man of great esteem and Authority he would be the cause the pension would be taken from the Doctor's Colledge which two judgements by likely-hood sprung from the Doctors own information 10. That in the same mans judgement the chief heads and Members of the Clergy if not all were Schismatical All these some of which are the highest provocations which can be given to a Christian who hath any care of his good name are pure fictions of his own brain without any other ground more than his own falsifications and his own bare word as hath been shown yet sent by him to be published to the whole Clergy as concerning them all Let now any indifferent man judge whether I was not forced in my answer to speak the truth of his wrong in plain words I omit another passage in the same Letter against me which manifestly aimed at bloud if it had had any ground to work the effect It were not amisse to subjoyn some of his His seditious imprudent and malicious carriages in this Pamphlet 1. His vilifying the Consult at London by expressing them by unworthy and contemptible terms To omit his calumny against them in this and his framing and spreading a report against them in his former Letter that they are Schismatical 2. His denying and disgracing the Sub-dean-ship which two acts of his utterly break asunder all that little Union they have amongst them which was sound and entire till upon his Letters and informations some of his began to dissolve it 3. His bringing to light unnecessarily businesses concerning the Government of the Chapter 4. Naming the names of the chiefest Members of the Clergy about London 5. His expresse plotting of division betwixt his brethren in the Countrey these in London pag. 3. of his Epistle to two 6. His sending his Pamphlet to Lay-men whom it concern'd not by expresse order of his Letters hither and that to increase division by which means it is gotten into the hands of Protestants and a Gentleman now in London affirms that he heard of the businesse first from a Protestant who had seen Dr. Leyburn his Pamphler I might add another head were it not too tedious of his self-praises and professions of his own sanctity integrity patience zeal and other vertues applying the sayings of Saints importing Heroical acts of vertue meeknesse charity and humility to himself which though they seem fine flowers of piety yet wanting the lap of Truth in his dealings and being blasted with so many falsifications open calumnies and other injurious and insolent carriages quickly fade into Hypocrisie And are onely sufficient to take weak men and Fools not wise and prudent persons who will consider what he does shows and proves not what he talks pretends and professes Mr. Bl. concluded that either this letter of his was sufficient to shew the Dr. had neither learning enough to censure nor conscience in slandering any that he concieved stood in his way nor truth in his hypocritical expressions nor prudence or charity in his actions or that nothing would do it If it was sufficient he had done his businesse which was that under opinion of learning and piety the Dr. would not be able to make a schism and division in the Clergy If nothing were sufficient that he had a Supersedea's from further pains and therefore was resolved to lose no more time upon him but to sit down quietly as he hid done so many years how bold shamelâ—s soever he proves in calumniating Whereas Dr. Layb. in his Letters hither hath expresly ordered that his Pamphlet against Mr. Bl. may be communicated to the Laity to the end they may know who he is Mr. Bl. on the other side requests those of the Clergy who shall come to have this Reply of his not to communicate it to the Layty except those whom it may much concern to the end they may not know Dr. Layb. and thence conceive a prejudice against his house FINIS
supposal But most of all he wonder'd that the Doctor living amongst Catholicks should think there is but one particular Spirit in the Church Is St. Hierome of the same Spirit with St. Austin or did he not use another way against those who opposed him irrationally than St. Austin did Doth not every Regular order pretend a several Spirit under the common Spirit of God How carelesse then and over-seeing is this Doctor in his Discourses I proceeded and read the Doctors words how he was forced in a manner out of England to engage in the Government of the Colledge affairs and how not long after an Army of accusations was forged against him and presented to the Nuncio at Paris and from him remitted to Brussels and he after mature examination acquitted Mr. Blacklow when the Doctor said he was forced to that Government smil'd and asked me whether I thought the Doctor knew not that we understood how both himself and his Agents at Rome did accuse an innocent man whom both my Lord and the Clergy desired for the Office of Jansenisme and hinder'd all satisfaction to be received though the party professed neither to have read Iansenius nor to know what his Doctrine was As for the army of accusations he speaks of Mr. Blacklow wonder'd at the strange information the Doctor hath or at his vein in forging For first the Letter was never sent to Paris Secondly there were no accusations in the Letter it meerly informing the Nuntio of certain reports cast out against him and very prejudicial to his Colledge withall desiring his Lord to seek out the truth and amend them if he found them as was reported But what is most to the purpose is that those who wrote had good information of the truth of what they inform'd and some things were so evident that there was no possible denying them However he found means to cast a mist before the Internuncio's eyes which useth to be by getting Letters from men of Quality who know not particulars but commend the person in common By which any sleight answers usher'd in easily finde acceptance I read further how he conjectures these accusations came out of a Letter he wrote to the Assembly of 1653. and takes thereby occasion to tax Mr. Blacklow of a Letter to one before a printed book Mr. Blacklow answered that he wonder'd he could descend to that scrupulosity as to say he could conjecture any thing who had hitherto been so confident of the falsest and most groundlesse assertions that imagination could stumble on and that if his assurances be false his conjectures must needs be weak and so is this For the information sent to the Nuntio proceeded from the reports of those who came from his house and from pure pity of the evil Government of a place so important which they who wrote the Letter apprehended deeply For what he talks of the effects of the Letter to the Assembly concerning Mr. Blacklow he answered that they pleased him very well for they were these that they would not meddle with his Doctrine particularly because my Lord had forbidden them to do so till it were censured at Rome As for his Letter to the joynt-party who subscribed with Dr. Layburn whosoever reads the Epistle it self which he subscribed and Dr. Layburn has put in his Pamphlet will finde that he deserved a sharp reprehension which in the Letter sent to him is tempered with love and honour and so the party himself said by it that he had punished him sufficiently yet forsook not his friendship nor Mr. Blacklow his for he was a man capable of reprehension of wisdom worth and if the Doctor had been such he had had his share in it but taking him for a wilfull man and obstinate in his ambitious way he thought a touch of neglect was fitter for him I read farther concerning a Letter Mr. Blacklow wrote to my Lord some part concerning the Doctor and some part an Irish Bishop who lived and died here to which my Lord made answer and sent him a Copy of the answer some passages of which the Doctor hath set down here He added also a Letter which he conceived to be written against my Lord by Mr. Blacklow and sayes the Original is within his reach and that Mr. Blacklow denied the Letter to be his To these Mr. Blacklow replied that he should have set down the occasion of his Letter to my Lord which was that the Doctor had calumniated the whole Assembly of 1653. to my Lord of being contrary to his Authority and procured a Decree of dissolution without any former inquisition and after that he knew his information to be false yet by his Letters he maintained my Lord in the same opinion and so far inveigled him by his continual Calumnies that generally he neglected the advice of all others to follow his and waving to employ his Officers which were grave men employ'd young men whom the Doctor appointed him This was the occasion of the Letter Now judge you whether in this case he were not bound to speak plainly both to my Lord and his sentiments which by long experience he had of the Doctor which would not have seemed so harsh had the Letter appeared but my Lord as prejudiced gathered out those passages which set alone were invidious and in his Letter to him shewed some effects of passion more as he hoped than he had who was bound to expresse his sentiments in a private Letter to the Doctors Superiour Another piece of Legerdemain is that the Doctor having calumniated the whole Assembly and his Letter relating to this onely he layes disconformity in Doctrine to have been the ground of the difference between them about which there was no controversie between my Lord and him after the Letters above cited As for the Irish Bishop Mr. Blacklow said I wrote what he was informed of him and it was at his first coming when he as yet understood not the wayes of living in this place nor was in good correspondence with his own Order but after some time being better informed he changed his course and lived and died in the respects and love of all who knew him and particularly disliked my Lord's proceeding in publishing a private Letter of information to the parties of whom it was written saying it could not stand with good Government As for the Letter to the Nuncio he wish'd the Doctor had exprest what fault he findes in it Did it little concerne all all the Catholicks of England whether he had Authority over them or no Or was not Mr. Blacklow bound in conscience to get the difficulty cleared if he could Or did he presse any thing but to know the truth of a matter already passed Where then lay his blame His objection concerning his denying the Letter is answered thus He was informed by ocular witnesses that the Copy sent by the Doctor into England was corrupted and so had no reason to engage himself in quarrels upon
have making no distinction between possession and fruition nor understanding that their perversnesse consists in diligere poenas and nolle carere eis which import no pleasure but obstinacy and even in this world are found with grief and causes of grief Neither is there any sence in his rambling into the Apocalypse where it is said that the damned shall cry to the Hills Cadâ—te super nos for who denies fear in the damned His answer likewise to the example of Antiochus strayes totally from the question which was whether his Kingdoms made him happy he not taking content in them as before in stead of answering which the learned Doctor very soberly tells us the reason why he took no content in them never shows that he was happy without this content for the bare having them which onely belongs to the question The next Heresie of denying material fire he would prove from the Council of Florence where just the contrary was agreed upon that both parties Latines and Greeks might continue their own opinions the one to hold material fire in Purgatory the other to hold none therefore I suppose this Doctor will perswade none but fools of his silly assertion that the whole current of Doctors in the Catholick Church censure the opinion which denies material fire as temerarious or next to Heresie whereas none dares censure it by reason of the Authority of the Council in which after debate neither opinion was forbidden Lastly he noted that the opinion which the Doctor cries out on as Heresie to wit that the pains of the damned are voluntary acts is the common opinion of all Divines For even those who put material fire say that it is elevated to produce acts of the will which they acknowledge to be voluntary acts wherefore he may do well to plead his Scripture and consequences against them and not against Mr. Bl. who condemnes the opinion of God's producing voluntary acts in the damned by the force of fire as well as the Doctor himself And what difficulty that they might be saved if they will if by reason of their obstinacy in wickedness they cannot will it So perfectly is this bold scribler ignorant in all he talks of Yet as ignorance is oft the Mother of confidence he will needs demonstrate his tenet of material fire from Scripture alleadging two places Ite maledicti in ignem aeternum and that of the rich Glutton crucior in hâc flammâ which he urges in a literal rigour without ever thinking of the Rule of Faith the onely certain Interpreter of Scripture in matters of Faith or of Science which interprets it in points belonging to their own Sphear It were enough then to enervate his pretended Demonstration to reply as Catholick Doctors use to do to Protestants that no Scripture is of private Interpretation or to ask him vvith vvhat confidence he presumes to demonstrate upon his own fancy for those most sacred Oracles or how he can demonstrate any thing from Scripture till the sence of that place whence he would demonstratively inferre be concluded and evinced since demonstrations consist in the connexion of notions and sence not of aire and words But let us scan his places in their literal and critical rigour The first is Ite in ignem aeternum after which immediately follow though he omits them paratum Diabolo Angelis ejus Which makes it far from making that place conclude for material and natural fire since it declares it self to speak of that sort of fire which is adapted and fitted to spiritual substances And what kinde of fire this is must in case the Rule of Faith show it not be learn't from that Science which treats of spiritual Natures Besides the Dr. should shew that Hell material fire were made before the damning of the Devils wch is a hard task especially if they were damned in Heaven Again in the last vers of Mat. 25. where the effect is exprest it is said to everlasting punishment and not to material fire now spiritual punishment is known not to be grief as life eternal which is opposed to it in the same verse is known not to be a material or external Kingdom which was opposed to fire vers. 34. and 41. but the internal acts of the blessed to which in good sence the internal acts of the damned must be opposed His second place whence he would demonstrate this is far more pittifull for this if understood litterally as he would have it signifies as well that spirits have real tongues and that water would quench or cool that fire as appears by the Glutton's request to Abraham and so could the Devils come at water all would be well with them according to this Doctrine at least those Devils who possest the Hogs were befriended by our Saviour when they run into the Sea by his permission for I conceive there was water enough in the Sea and not onely drops to cool but deluges to quench all the fire the Dr. assigns them Is not this a grave Divine We acknowledge indeed in St. Austins meaning though not in the Doctors grosse application the Rule of interpreting Scripture literally cum fieri possit sine fidei morum praejudicio for First the Doctor distinguishes not the Grammatical and Rhetorical expression whereas it is rediculous to explicate Metaphors Grammatically as if one should say when the Church sings Flammas amoris excitas the literal sence should be that a Faggot of love was set on fire in our breasts Again it is manifest in St. Austin that whatsoever is against Science he takes it to be in prejudicium fidei as making our faith ridiculous to Philosophers So that if Divels or Souls to be burn't or turn'd into Ashes be against Philosophy St. Austin would account it to be in prejudicium fidei and so the Doctor must show that this is not a Rhetorical expression nor against Philosophy before he can presse the Authority of St. Augustin After this the Doctor comes to discover more Heresies in Mr. Bl. his books And first he objects it is a blasphemy to say that God should be worse if the damned had not been damned and sayes it is as soon confuted as open'd and afterwards putteth an argument to prove it Mr. Bl. reply'd that in this point he pardon'd the Doctor it depending upon too large a discourse for one who doth not peruse his book and yet will needs fall to censure But if truely the Doctor had been able to open the opinon he would have found it to be the greatest honour of God both in his own attributes and in the Government of this world which mankinde esteems of In his own attributes because it taketh God to be essentially wise even to the least circumstance and that he would be worse if he did any thing otherwise than according to the Rule of wisdom and that wisdom in all things is the principle to his Will whence follows that if it