THE PREFACE To the AUTHOR of CHARITY MAINTAINED: WITH An Answer to his Pamphlet, entituled A Direction to N. N.

SIR,
UPon the first news of the publication of your Book, I
used all diligence, with speed to procure it; and came
with such a mind to the reading of it, as S. Austin, before
he was a setled Catholique, brought to his conference
with Faustus the Manichee. For, as he thought
that if any thing more than ordinary might be said in
defence of the Manichean Doctrine, Faustus was the
man from whom it was to be expected: So many perswasion concerning you
was, Si Pergama dextra Defendi possunt, certe hac defensa videbo. For I
conceived that among the Champions of the Roman Church, the English
in reason must be the best, or equall to the best, as being the most expert
Masters trained up purposely for this war, and perpetually practised in it.
Among the English, I saw the Jesuites would yield the first place to none;
and men so wise in their generation as the Jesuits were, if they had any Achilles
among them, I presumed, would make choice of him for this service.
And besides, I had good assurance, that in the framing of this building,
though you were the only Architect, yet you wanted not the assistance of
many diligent hands to bring you in choise materials towards it; nor of
many careful and watchful eyes, to correct the errors of your Work, if any
should chance to escape you. Great reason therefore had I to expect great
matters from you, and that your Book should have in it the Spirit and Elixir
of all that can be said in defence of your Church and Doctrine; and to
assure my self, that if my resolution not to believe it, were not built upon
the rock of evident grounds and reasons, but only upon some sandy and
deceitful appearances, now the wind and storm and floods were coming,
which would undoubtedly overthrow it.
2. Neither truly were you more willing to effect such an alteration
in me, then I was to have it effected. For my desire is to go the right way
to eternal happiness. But whether this way lie on the right hand or the
left, or straight forwards; whether it be by following a living Guide, or
by seeking my direction in a Book, or by hearkning to the secret whisper
of some private Spirit, to me it is indifferent. And he that is otherwise affected,
and hath not a travellers indifference, which Epictetus requires in all
that would find the truth, but much desires in respect of his ease, or pleasure,
or profit, or advancement, or satisfaction of friends, or any humane

B

consideration, that one way should be true rather than another; it is odds
but he will take his desire that it should be so, for an assurance that it is so.
But, I for my part, unless I deceive my self, was, and still am so affected, as I
have made profession, not willing I confess to take any thing upon trust, and
to believe it without asking my self why; no, nor able to command my self
were I never so willing to follow, like a sheep, every Shepherd that
should take upon him to guide me; or every flock that should chance to go
before me: but most apt and most willing to be led by reason to any way,
or from it; and alwaies submitting all other reasons to this one; God hath
said so, therefore it is true. Nor yet was I so unreasonable as to expect Mathematical
demonstrations from you in matters plainly incapable of them,
such as are to be believed, and, if we speak properly, cannto be known;
such therefore I expected not. For, as he is an unreasonable Master, who requires
a stronger assent to his conclusions then his arguments deserve; so I
conceive him a froward and undisciplin'd Scholar, who desires stronger
arguments for a conclusion than the Matter will bear. But, had you represented
to my understanding such reasons of your Doctrine, as, being weighed
in an eaven ballance, held by an eaven hand, with those on the other
side, would have turned the scale, and have made your Religion more
credible than the contrary; certainly, I should have despised the shame of
one more alteration, and with both mine arms and all my heart most readily
have embraced it. Such was my expectation from you, and such my
preparation, which I brought with me to the reading of your Book.
3. Would you know now what the event was, what effect was wrought
in me, by the perusal and consideration of it? To deal truly and ingenuously
with you, I fell somewhat in my good opinion both of your sufficiency
and sincerity: but was exceedingly confirmed in my ill opinion of the
Cause maintained by you. I found every where snares that might entrap,
and colours that might deceive the simple; but nothing that might perswade,
and very little that might move an understanding man, and one that
can discern between Discourse and Sophistry. In short, I was verily perswaded
that I plainly saw and could make it appear, to all dis-passionate
and unprejudicate Judges, that a vein of sophistry and calumny did run
clean thorow it from the beginning to the end. And letting some Friends
understand so much, I suffered my self to be perswaded by them, that it
would not be either unproper for me, nor unacceptable to God, nor peradventure
altogether unservicable to his Church, nor justly offensive to you
if you indeed were a lover of Truth, and not a maintainer of a Faction, if
setting aside the Second Part, which was in a manner wholly employed in
particular disputes, repetitions and references, and in wranglings with D.
Potter about the sense of some supernumerary quotations, and whereon the
main question no way depends, I would make a fair and ingenuous answer
to the First, wherein the substance of the present Controversie is confessedly
contained; and which, if it were clearly answered, no man would desire
any other answer to the Second. This therefore I undertook with a full
resolution to be an adversary to your Errors, but a Friend and Servant to
your Person: and so much the more a friend to your person, by how much
the severer and more rigid adversary I was to your errors.
4. In this Work my conscience bears me witness that I have, according to
your advice, proceeded always with this consideration, that I am to give a
most strict account of every line, and word, that passeth under my pen: and
therefore have been precisely careful for the matter of my Book to defend
truth only, and only by Truth. And then, scrupulously fearful of scandalizing
you or any man with the manner of handling it. From this Rule, sure
I am, I have not willingly swerved in either part of it; and, that I might not
do it ignorantly, I have not only my self examined mine own Work, perhaps
with more severity than I have done yours, as conceiving it a base
and unchristian thing to go about to satisfie others with what I my self am
not fully satisfied; but have also made it pass the fiery tryal of the exact
censures of many understanding Judges, alwayes heartily wishing that you
your Self had been of the Quorum. But they who did undergo this burthen,
as they wanted not sufficiency to discover heterodox Doctrine, so I am
sure, they have been very careful to let nothing slip dissonant from truth or
from the authorized Doctrine of the Church of England: and therefore
whatsoever causeless or groundless jealousie, any man may entertain concerning
my Person, yet my Book, I presume, in reason and common equity
should be free from them; wherein I hope, that little or nothing hath escaped
so many eyes, which being weighed in the balance of the Sanctuary,
will be found too light. And in this hope I am much confirmed, by
your strange carriage of your self in this whole business. For though by
some crooked and sinister arts, you have got my Answer into your hands,
now a year since and upwards, as I have been assured by some that profess
to know it, and those of your own party; though you could not want
every day fair opportunities of sending to me, and acquainting me with
any Exceptions, which, you conceived, might be justly taken to it, or any
part of it than which nothing could have been more welcome to me yet
hitherto you have not been pleased to acquaint me with any one. Nay
more, though you have been at sundry times, and by several wayes, entreated
and sollicited, nay pressed and importuned by me, to joyn with me
in a private discussion of the Controversie between us, before the publication
of my Answer, because I was extremely unwilling to publish any
thing which had not passed all manners of tryals, as desiring not that I, or
my Side, but that Truth might overcome on which Side soever it was;
though I have protested to you, and sent it under my hand, which protestation
by Gods help I would have made good If you, or any other
would undertake your Cause, would give me fair meeting, and choose
out of your whole Book any argument, whereof you were most confident,
and by which you would be content the rest should be judged of,
and make it appear that I had not, or could not answer it, that I would
desist from the work which I had undertaken, and answer none at all;
though by all the Arts which possibly I could devise, I have provoked you
to such a trial, in particular by assuring you that if you refused it, the World
should be informed of your tergiversation: notwithstanding all this, you
have perpetually, and obstinately declined it; which to my understanding
is a very evident sign that there is not any truth in your Cause, nor
which is impossible there should be strength in your Arguments, especially
considering what our Saviour hath told us, Every one that doth
evill hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved;
but he that doth truth, cometh to the light that his deeds may be
made manifest that they are wrought in God.