A friendly letter to the flying clergy wherein is humbly requested and modestly challenged the cause of their flight. By J. W. priest.

A friendly letter to the flying clergy wherein is humbly requested and modestly challenged the cause of their flight. By J. W. priest.

Table of contents

Title page

To the Reverend and Learned CLERGY, who have left their Cures in this time of Calamity:

To the Reverend and Learned CLERGY, who have left their Cures in this time of Calamity:

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SIRS,

WHat the ſad Effects of your Flight have been is too too evident to thoſe, who only unite to make a breach in the Church, never expreſſing ſuch mirth as when they ſee the Church in mourning; To theſe it hath afforded matter of Contempt, not only of your Perſons, but alſo of your Office: To others, who are the true Sons of the Church it hath been no ſmall cauſe of fear and doubting. I heartily wiſh you had ſtopt the mouths of the firſt, however I beg of you that you will ſatisfie the doubts of the ſecond, whoſe grief I have experienced to be ſuch, that none can heal them, but you that have given the wound: I have a long time expected what is here requeſted, but finding a fruſtration of my Hopes, and an increaſe of the peoples feares, I do by theſe in all humility requeſt you, and if that will not move, I challenge you faithfully to publiſh the cauſe of your flight, whether ſenſe of duty, or fear of danger; If you anſwer the firſt, then tell me what Text in the Sacred Page commands it: Is this to abide in your Calling whereunto you were called? Is this to ſtand upon your Watch? Is this to gird our ſelves, lament and howle, &c. as the Prophet Joel commands, chap. 1. v. 13, 14. Is this to be ready to die for the Cauſe of Christ, with Saint Paul; Or to comfort the feeble-minded, and to ſupport the weak, as he enjoines, 1 Theſ. 5. 14. No, no, it cannot be. 2. Which of the Fathers have either taught or practiſed it: Is not this contrary to the doctrine of the Fathers both ancient and modern, St. Auſtin comparing Mat. [Page] 10. 23. with Job. 10. 12. concludes, that though in ſome caſes Flight may be lawful, yet ſaith he, Quando commune eſt periculum fugiendum non est, ne quiſquam fugere credatur non conſulendi voluntate, ſed timore moriendi magisque fugiendi obſit exemplo quam vivendi proſit officio epiſt. 180. In a common danger we ought not to flie, leſt we ſeem to flie rather for feare of death, then love to live to the good of the Church, and ſo become more hurtful by our example in flying, then we can be profitable by our living. Nay, further, he tells us, ‘If the Calamity be ſo great, that we muſt either all of us flie or die, that its then to be determined by lot, and we ought to take our lot:’ Semblable to this are thoſe words of that learned and religious Prelat, once Biſhop of Exceter, Decad. 4. Epiſt. 9. ‘We, ſaith he, are not our own but our peoples, and are charged with all their ſouls, which to hazard by abſence, is to loſe our own:’ We muſt love our lives, but not when they are Rivals with our ſouls, or with others; Its better to be dead then to be negligent or faithleſs: All ſoules muſt not wilfully be neglected becauſe ſome are contagiouſly ſick: this is the time when good counſel is moſt ſeaſonable and needful; now then, to run away from a neceſſary and publick good to avoid a doubtful and private evil, is to run into a worſe evil then we would avoid. I will not trouble you any further, by inſtancing in the doctrines and practices of others of the Fathers; I know its needleſs: Only one more, and that is the practice of your ſpiritual Father, his Grace the Lord Arch biſhop of Canterbury, who ventures his perſon with us in this common calamity, whom God preſerve in health and honour; Had you troad the ſteps of this holy Father, how might you have refreſhed your [Page] afflicted flock, and ſtopt the mouths of all thoſe who watch▪ for your halting. I have hinted the example and practice of this pious and learned Prelat, not that I judg it leſs unlawful for a Biſhop to remove his Seat, then for any of us to remove from one part of our pariſh to another, (which in truth is ſo far from being unlawful, that in ſome caſes I judge it our duty to do it) But I have thus inſtanced for the encouragement of my fellow-Labourers in the work of the Miniſtry, ſeeing he hath denied himſelf his own convenience for our comfort. The Romans that Fled with Pompey, termed their baniſhment better then their own Countrey, becauſe Pompey was with them: what encouragement then may it be to us that we have our Father with us. 2. To the ſhame of ſom of you that are Fled, notwithſtanding the large taſte you have had of his kindneſſe, in 2 Kings 19. 37▪ in ſtead of the word [...] in the Original we finde the Vowels ſet in the Text without their Conſonants; To intimate, that for the Kings own ſons to lay violent hands upon their father in the Temple, at his devotion, though it was to a falſ god, was ſcelus infandum a wickedneſs too monſtrous to be expreſt; If theſe were not worthy to have their Names written in the Book of God, becauſe they had ſlain their father, who was a Worſhipper of a falſe god, then what is due to you to leave your Father, who even in this time of danger, not only by doctrine, but example, teacheth the Worſhip of the true God. 3. Pray tell me if it be your duty to Fly, who have Curam Animarum upon you; how then is it lawful for your Curates to ſtay, nay, is it not a ſin in you to requeſt other Miniſters to ſtay, if it be a Miniſters duty to Flie: Neither can you argue a double Cure; the ableſt Patient needs the beſt Phyſician, according to that of our Saviour, They that [Page] are whole need no Phyſician, but they that are ſick; Now I take it for granted, that your abilities ſurpaſs thoſe of your Curates, or elſe its pity you ſhould enjoy ſuch preferments; but it may be you will be more ingenuous and faithful, and confeſs that fear was the cauſe of your Flight; Conſider then 1. The ſad doom of thoſe who betray the truth out of fear: 2. How much better were it for men of your ſpirits, to content your ſelves with more private Benefices, whence your Flight at ſuch a time as this might be leſs offenſive and prejudicial to the publick; If the Magiſtrates and other Officers of this place had followed your footings, would not this in all probability have induced two greater Judgments, Famine and the Sword, which I fear is wiſhed for by the plague-Parents of this place, Sectaries and Rebels; for ſo you finde them Numb. 16. 42. &c. If Magiſtrates had Fled, how ſhould we have been protected? if inferiour Officers, how ſhould the poor have been relieved? Further, beſides that it conduces to the publick good, how much might a timely Reſignation of your livings in this place, have conduced to the Glory of God, and quiet of your own Conſciences; Though I believe you are fearful, yet I dare not think that you are ſo far void of affection, as not to be troubled at that poiſon which may be ſuckt in by your people, from the mouths of Sectaries, who have not only crept into your pariſhes, but alſo (as I am credibly informed) into ſome of your Pulpits: Thus Gentlemen I have writ to you with all plainneſs, in order to the ſatisfaction of the publick, and not out of vain oſtentation, though I confeſs I glory in this, that God hath given me courage to execute my Office, notwithſtanding the great mortalitie that is in this pariſh where I am an unworthy Miniſter: [Page] I well hope you will either render an [...] return to your Charge, that ſo the mouths of thoſe Gainſayers may be ſtopt, (who, like Nero, would be glad to ſee the Church on fire, that they might warm themſelves at the flame) that the dubious may be ſatisfied, and the Truth may be Vindicated, which is the dailie and fervent prayer of your Brother and Servant,

J. W.

Dated, Sept. 6. 1665.

FINIS.

§

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A FRIENDLY LETTER TO THE Flying Clergy, WHEREIN Is Humbly Requeſted and modeſtly Challenged the Cauſe of their FLIGHT.

By J. W. Prieſt.

ROM. 8. 7.

Let him that is a Miniſter wait on his Miniſtry, and he that Teacheth on Teaching.

LONDON, Printed in the Year 1665.

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Title statement

A friendly letter to the flying clergy wherein is humbly requested and modestly challenged the cause of their flight. By J. W. priest.

J. W.

Edition statement

1665

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Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2007-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A67370

ID [STC]

Wing W56

ID [STC]

ESTC R217620

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99829278

ID [PROQUEST]

99829278

ID [VID]

33715

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A67370)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 33715)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1940:14)

Source

— A friendly letter to the flying clergy wherein is humbly requested and modestly challenged the cause of their flight. By J. W. priest., J. W..

Extent

[2], 5, [1] p.

[s.n.],. London :: printed in the year 1665.. (Reproaching the clergy for their abandonment of their charges during the Plague.) (Copy cropped at head with slight loss of text.) (Reproduction of the original in the Bodleian Library, Oxford University.)

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