Lives of John Donne, Henry Wotton, Rich'd Hooker, George Herbert Part 21

"North Tidworth,

"March 5, 1677-8."

[Footnote 1: Sir, I pray note, that all that follows between inverted commas are Dr. Sanderson's own words, excellently worthy, but no where else extant; and commend him as much as any thing you can say of him.

T.P.]

[Footnote 2: Arriba.]

[Footnote 3: This learned nonconformist was born at Reading about 1575, and educated at Winchester School, and New College, Oxford. He had been Chaplain to the Princess Elizabeth. He died at Newbury, July 20, 1646. Wood says, "his plain preaching was esteemed good; his solid disputations were accounted better; but his pious life was reckoned best of all."]

THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN'S LETTER.

[Sidenote: Sanderson's Life]

[Sidenote: Erroneous doctrines]

MY WORTHY FRIEND, MR. WALTON,

I am heartily glad, that you have undertaken to write the Life of that excellent person, and, both for learning and Piety, eminent Prelate, Dr. Sanderson, late Bishop of Lincoln; because I know your ability to know, and integrity to write truth: And sure I am, that the life and actions of that pious and learned Prelate will afford you matter enough for his commendation, and the imitation of posterity. In order to the carrying on your intended good work, you desire my a.s.sistance, that I would communicate to you such particular pa.s.sages of his life, as were certainly known to me. I confess I had the happiness to be particularly known to him for about the s.p.a.ce of twenty years; and, in Oxon, to enjoy his conversation, and his learned and pious instructions while he was Regius Professor of Divinity there.

Afterwards, when (in the time of our late unhappy confusions) he left Oxon, and was retired into the country, I had the benefit of his letters; wherein, with great candour and kindness, he answered those doubts I proposed, and gave me that satisfaction, which I neither had nor expected from some others of greater confidence, but less judgment and humility. Having, in a letter, named two or three books writ (_ex professo_) against the being of any original sin; and that Adam, by his fall, transmitted some calamity only, but no crime to his posterity; the good old man was exceedingly troubled, and bewailed the misery of those licentious times, and seemed to wonder (save that the times were such) that any should write, or be permitted to publish any error so contradictory to truth, and the doctrine of the Church of England, established (as he truly said) by clear evidence of Scripture, and the just and supreme power of this nation, both sacred and civil. I name not the books, nor their authors, which are not unknown to learned men (and I wish they had never been known) because both the doctrine and the unadvised abettors of it are, and shall be, to me apocryphal.

[Sidenote: "De Conscientia"]

Another little story I must not pa.s.s in silence, being an argument of Dr. Sanderson's piety, great ability, and judgment, as a casuist.

Discoursing with an honourable person[1] (whose piety I value more than his n.o.bility and learning, though both be great) about a case of conscience concerning oath and vows, their nature and obligation; in which, for some particular reasons, he then desired more fully to be informed; I commended to him Dr. Sanderson's book "De Juramento;"

which having read, with great satisfaction, he asked me,--"If I thought the Doctor could be induced to write Cases of Conscience, if he might have an honorary pension allowed him to furnish him with books for that purpose?" I told him I believed he would: And, in a letter to the Doctor, told him what great satisfaction that honourable person, and many more, had reaped by reading his book "De Juramento;"

and asked him "whether he would be pleased, for the benefit of the Church, to write some tract of Cases of Conscience;" He replied, "That he was glad that any had received any benefit by his books:" and added further, "That if any future tract of his could bring such benefit to any, as we seemed to say his former had done, he would willingly, though without any Pension, set about that work." Having received this answer, that honourable person, before mentioned, did, by my hands, return 50_l_. to the good Doctor, whose condition then (as most good men's at that time were) was but low; and he presently revised, finished, and published that excellent book, "De Conscientia:" a book little in bulk, but not so if we consider the benefit an intelligent reader may receive by it. For there are so many general propositions concerning conscience, the nature and obligation of it, explained and proved, with such firm consequence and evidence of reason, that he who reads, remembers, and can with prudence pertinently apply them _hic et nunc_ to particular cases, may, by their light and help, rationally resolve a thousand particular doubts and scruples of conscience. Here you may see the charity of that honourable person in promoting, and the piety and industry of the good Doctor, in performing that excellent work.

[Sidenote: A good casuist:]

[Sidenote: his equipment]

And here I shall add the judgment of that learned and pious Prelate concerning a pa.s.sage very pertinent to our present purpose. When he was in Oxon, and read his public lectures in the school as Regius Professor of Divinity, and by the truth of his positions, and evidences of his proofs, gave great content and satisfaction to all his hearers, especially in his clear resolutions of all difficult cases which occurred in the explication of the subject-matter of his lectures; a person of quality (yet alive) privately asked him, "What course a young Divine should take in his studies to enable him to be a good casuist?" His answer was, "That a convenient under of the learned languages, at least of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and a sufficient knowledge of arts and sciences presupposed; I there were two things in human literature, a comprehension of which would be of very great use, to enable a man to be a rational and able casuist, which otherwise was very difficult, if not impossible: I. A convenient knowledge of moral philosophy; especially that part of it which treats of the nature of human actions: To know, _'quid sit actus huma.n.u.s (spontaneus, invitus, mixtus), unde habet bonitatem et malitiam moralem? an ex genere et objecto, vel ex circ.u.mstantiis?'_ How the variety of circ.u.mstances varies the goodness or evil of human actions? How far knowledge and ignorance may aggravate or excuse, increase or diminish the goodness or evil of our actions? For every case of conscience being only this--'Is this action good or bad? May I do it, or may I not?'--He who, in these, knows not how and whence human actions become morally good and evil, never can (_in hypothesi_) rationally and certainly determine, whether this or that particular action be so.--2. The second thing, which," he said, "would be a great help and advantage to a casuist, was a convenient knowledge of the nature and obligation of laws in general: to know what a law is; what a natural and a positive law; what's required to the _'latio, dispensato, derogatio, vel abrogalio legis;'_ what promulgation is antecedently required to the obligation of any positive law; what ignorance takes off the obligation of a law, or does excuse, diminish, or aggravate the transgression: For every case of conscience being only this--'Is this lawful for me, or is it not?' and the law the only rule and measure by which I must judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of any action; it evidently follows, that he who, in these, knows not the nature and obligation of laws, never can be a good casuist, or rationally a.s.sure himself or others, of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of actions in particular."

[Sidenote: Conclusion]

This was the judgment and good counsel of that learned and pious Prelate: And having, by long experience, found the truth and benefit of it, I conceive, I could not without ingrat.i.tude to him, and want of charity to others, conceal it.--Pray pardon this rude, and, I fear impertinent scribble, which, if nothing else, may signify thus much, that I am willing to obey your desires, and am indeed,

Your affectionate friend,

THOMAS LINCOLN.

London, May 10, 1678.

[Footnote 1: Robert Boyle, Esq.]

THE WORKS OF DR. ROBERT SANDERSON.

[Sidenote: Sanderson's Works]

I. "LOGICae ARTIS COMPENDIUM. _Oxon._ 1615." 8vo.

II. "PHYSICae SCIENTIae COMPENDIUM, a ROBERTO SANDERSON, Coll. Lincoln, in alma Oxoniensi olim socio, &c. _Oxoniae_, 1671."

III. SERMONS. "Dr. Sanderson's XII. Sermons, 1632." 4to.--"Dr.

Sanderson's Sermons (including the twelve before printed), 1664."

Folio.--"Ditto, with his Life by Isaac Walton, 1689." Folio.

IV. "NINE CASES OF CONSCIENCE DETERMINED, 1678. 1685." 8vo.

V. "DE JURAMENTI PROMISSORII OBLIGATIONE PRaeLECTIONES SEPTEM: HABITae in SCHOLA THEOLOGICA OXONII, Termino Michaelis anno Dom. MDCXLVI.

a ROBERTO SANDERSON. Praemissa Oratione ab eodem habita c.u.m Publicam Professionem auspicaretur, 26 Octobris, 1646. _Lona_. 1647."

These Lectures were translated into the English language by Charles I.

during his confinement in the Isle of Wight, and printed at London, in 1655--8vo.

VI. "DE OBLIGATIONE CONSCIENTIae PRaeLECTIONES DECEM OXONII in SCHOLA THEOLOGICA HABITae, anno Dom. MDCXLVII." An English translation of the "Prelections on the Nature and Obligation of Promissory Oaths and of Conscience," was published in 3 vols. 8vo. _London_, 1722.

VII. "CENSURE OF MR. ANTON. ASCHAM his BOOK of the CONFUSIONS and REVOLUTIONS of GOVERNMENT, _London_, 1649." 8vo.

VIII. "EPISCOPACY (as established by Law in England) NOT PREJUDICIAL to REGAL POWER. Written in the Time of the Long Parliament, by the special Command of the late King. _London_, 1673."

IX. "DISCOURSE CONCERNING the CHURCH, in THESE PARTICULARS: First, concerning the Visibility of the true Church: Secondly, concerning the Church of Rome. _London_, 1688."

X. 1. "BISHOP SANDERSON'S JUDGMENT concerning SUBMISSION to USURPERS."

2. "PAX ECCLESIae." 3. "BISHOP SANDERSON'S JUDGMENT in ONE VIEW for the SETTLEMENT of the CHURCH." 4. "REASONS of the present JUDGMENT of the UNIVERSITY of OXFORD, concerning the SOLEMN LEAGUE and COVENANT, the NEGATIVE OATH, the ORDINANCES concerning DISCIPLINE and WORSHIP.

_London_, 1678."

XI. A large "PREFACE" to a book written at the command of Charles I.

by Archbishop Usher, and published by Dr. Sanderson, ent.i.tled "The POWER communicated by G.o.d to the PRINCE, and the OBEDIENCE required of the SUBJECT. _London_, 1661."--4to. Second corrected edition of this work was published in 8vo. 1683.

XII. "A PREFATORY DISCOURSE," in defence of Usher and his Writings, prefixed to a collection of Treatises, ent.i.tled 'CLAVI TRABALES, or NAILES fastened by some great MASTERS of a.s.sEMBLYES, concerning the KING'S SUPREMACY and CHURCH GOVERNMENT under BISHOPS.'

The Preface is dated "London, Aug. 10, 1661," and subscribed "The unworthy servant of Jesus Christ, Ro. LINCOLN."

XIII. "PROPHECIES concerning the RETURN of POPERY," inserted in a book ent.i.tled 'Fair Warning: The Second Part. _London_, 1663.'

XIV. "The PREFACE to the BOOK of COMMON PRAYER," beginning with these words; "It hath been the wisdom of the Church"----.