THE MODEST VINDICATION OF HENRY WALKER. In answer to certain scandalous Pamphlets, forged and vented abroad in his name (without his privity.)  
Against which, as also the authors thereof, together with the popular aspersions of many other turbulent spirits, He doth protest; and before Almighty God, clear himself to all the world.  MAL. 3. 16. Then spoke they that feared the Lord, every one to his neighbour, and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written. Augustin in Psal. 31. prae. 
Vnusquisque audiat, & sicut sibi conscius fuerit, ita vel doleat corrigendus, vel guadeat approbandus.  
Let every one hear, and as he is conscious to himself, so let him either grieve being to be corrected, or rejoice being to be approved.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year of our Lord, 1642.   

The Epistle Dedicatory▪  
O Pierce my heart with fervent love of thee! 
God.   
The beauty of thy face, Lord, let me see!  
Rise from thy cloudy Eastern cloisters black,  
Spread forth thy glorious beams and be not slack,  
To thaw my Icy heart, which sin hath frozen,  
Assure my conscience, Lord, I am thy chosen.  
And thou my Sovereign, 
The King.  Charles, all Europa's splendour,  
Thine enemy's terror and true Faith's Defend●r,  
Thy love preserved my life, not heathenish fate,  
In thy Majestic face, true Princely state:  
When malice plotted mischief every hour,  
Thy clemency prevented all their power:  
That God which graced thee with a Royal Crown,  
Crown thee with grace, thy Honours with renown.  
* All you poor souls whose ears have been abused, 
People.   
With scandalous reports and eyes traduced  
With charms of turbulent spirits; new take and view,  
This Declaration honest, plain, and true.  
Per Henry Walker Cantab.   

The modest Vindication of Henry Walker.  
IT is an ancient saying of the learned. 
The Cynic Philosopher  If a man would be in safety, and partaker of happiness, he must of necessity have good friends, or sharp enemies, that the one by good and wise admonition, or the other by notable injuries may cause him to withdraw himself from doing of evil. They from the instinct of nature, but we by the Law of God are taught to govern ourselves with the reason of a true Academical prudence, who being Christians are bound to show forth the effect of that title which we bear. And I pray God, that I (with the Philosophers industrious Bees) may gather the driest, 
Xenophon.  and most precious honey of faith, and patience, from the bitter time of these my troubles, 
As Theophr●stus saith.  not desiring revenge, (for that would hurt me more than them) but praying for their conversion who causelessly have sought my ruin, bequeathing unto them Antistines blessing: even all the good in the world, except valour, which may make them rashly to venture upon my life. 
As Lisander Admiral of●● of the Laced●moians be●●●i reviled with many bitter speeches said to him who offered him that inj●●●ry.  And I could heartily wish, that all those who have spewed out their envy against me, may, (by humble contrition before Almighty God) empty their souls of that wickedness wherewith they appear herein to be replenished;  
Concerning a foolish ridiculous Pamphlet of Toby & his dog, put by the author into Tailor's hands, and (by him) bastardly fathered upon me, hoping thereby to advance the profit of the press: As also another, (as false as foolish) of my life and conversation, composed by, and printed for those who never knew a reason of what is therein maliciously forged: with Sermons printed, pretended to be mine: and many other inveterate fictions so far from modesty, Religion, or humanity, that (however some poor souls may be traduced to believe them yet) upon mature deliberation, I am confident, that any rational understanding may easily perceive the guilded poison of invective lies wherewith I am therein maligned, by such who have not only fathered their own filthiness most impudently upon me, but have so far abused others, that they have gloried in the vast conceit of prevailing to make such men odious to the world, who indeed are happy patterns of Piety: amongst whom I am no ways worthy to be named, though their enemies have now been mine. 
●hil iniquius ●●am ut ode●●t homines ●●●os ignorant ●●omsi res me●●ur odium, ●●ertull.  Nothing is worse (saith a Reverend Father) then to hate men whom they know not, though they deserve to be hated. But what would that good man have said, had he now lived to see Religion thus maligned, and Peace violated, whereby so great a distraction is raised, both in Church, and state? the settling whereof who can expect whilst so many are separated from, and will not be reconciled to God? for (as Bernard saith) how shall man's Peace be ratified before God, 
●●aenam mo●●stabit pax ●●minum co●● Deo, si to apud ho●●nes non po●●tua esse sua ●●ria?  when God's glory is violated with men: his worship despised, his faithful Ministers contemned, and the fruit of the Altar, and the meat of it not regarded? Mal. 1. 12.  
Concerning the Petition to the King's Majesty, for which the Law hath passed on me, I do not, neither did I ever deny, that the written copy was mine, 
〈◊〉 Epist. 〈…〉. 1. 12  with which how the printed Pamphlet agreed, and wherein it differed, I pass by it with a modest silence: the law hath passed on me, and I freely submit to the censure of the Court of Justice, 
●●●gust. on 〈◊〉. 8 5.  knowing the truth of Augustine his words, justice and Peace, are two friends. Yet can I not pass by the providence of God herein, rendering thanks to my dread Sovereign, that his gracious Majesty would be pleased to cast the eyes of his clemency on so poor a subject, 
pleased 〈◊〉 Majesty to 〈◊〉 a special 〈◊〉 to the age's, not to ●●●ddle with life, or any 〈◊〉 or mem●●● of my body  (when so distressed) to limit the fury of my adversaries; which gracious favour of his hath obliged my subjection to the highest pitch of Loyalty: and soared my affection so high, to love and honour him, that could I lay down my life to do him service, I should think my death a blessed sacrifice.  
And thus much I can safely, and ingenuously protest before Almighty God, (and let my best thoughts fade, and hopes of blessing vanish, if my pen dissemble with my heart) that the uttermost of my intents (therein) extended no further than the glory of God, the honour of His Majesty, and the peace and tranquillity of the Church and State; being confident, that as England was under his Royal father of blessed memory, so is it under His Royal Majesty the happiest nation in the world, in a Prince endued with true Majesty, and piety; 
Humilisspir sedulus cor●● facilis assation &c Forcis i● praelio, mans●●erus in imper●● etc. merito 〈◊〉 go expetirus estab universe populo, ut omnes ad eum venirent descents, ecce nos ossa sua, etc. Ambros. lib. ● Offic. cap. 7.  humble in spirit, diligent in heart, affable in speech, valiant in battle, merciful in government, the Princely qualities commended in David by Ambrose. Who doth not know the lustre of the Throne to be so glorious in His Majesty's pious Reign, that all the Princes in the world, in their greatest glory, are but as shadows before His splendour? O Royal Sovereign, how art thou worthy to be honoured, worthy to be loved, worthy to be desired of all that come unto thee, saying we are thy bones? etc.  
And concerning those clamorous speeches, which are rumoured abroad, that I should throw the said Petition into His Majesty's Coach, upon what grounds or by whom it should be raised I cannot tell, neither can I say any thing of it, only thus much I can ingenuously protest, that I am not only innocent, but ignorant of any such act, and so far clear, that I am absolutely free from all such intention in myself, or privity in others: I took none of them from the Press, because I then apprehended danger in what was printed, and had the Printer put out what I forbade to print (yet never writ) that which was chiefly questioned had not been printed: But for my part because I was not charged with it, neither hear it reported by any credible person of their own knowledge: I doubt the truth of it: yet thus much I say, that if any man did presume to do it, it must needs be censured an high attempt, and worthy of condign punishment.  
But that which strikes me into the greatest admiration, is, to think upon what grounds the imagination of any man's judgement should apprehend mine to be tainted with Brownism, or faction; yet have some malicious turbulent spirits branded me for a Separatist, and scandalised me with preaching in Conventicles, when as God knows I am so clear from any such action, that I was never yet a member of any separated congregation: I pray God so to hear my prayers, as I have been a faithful member of the Church of England, established by the Laws of the Land, and free from conventicling with Papists, Brownists, Anabaptists, or any factious Assemblies whatsoever; I have still laboured to practise that grave advice of Augustine, which teacheth me not only to assemble in divine worship with the Congregation myself, 
●●dduce eos 〈◊〉 domum ●ei tecum, qui 〈◊〉 in domo 〈◊〉 recum. august. epist. ●0.  but also to bring those into God's House which remained under my roof.  
I deny not, but I have, and still do desire, and heartily pray to God, that there may be a Reformation of such things in the Church as by Authority shall be found fit to be reform, according to that direction which God himself prescribeth in his holy word, yet with this caution that it is not for private persons, but belongs to authority to regulate the differences, and dissensions both in Church, and State, 
Rom. 13.  to the guidance whereof every subject is bound to submit because they are the powers ordained of God, Rom. 13. Therefore I say no more of that, only thus much; I cannot but take notice what great cause we have to give thanks to Almighty God, that we have so Religious a King, whose splendour shines brighter amongst the glorious stars of His prudent Senators in the two Honourable Houses of Parliament than all the Princes in the world. When can we expect a through Reformation if not now? Should Gods poor saints expectations in England now be thwarted, how would their glory then be vailed? but God be blessed their hopes, though deferred, are not lost, for the glory is not departed from Israel.  
Others question my calling, which was never yet questioned by Authority, stumbling at my former life, because mechanic, to so holy a function. Give me leave to speak plainly, because truly, it is well known where I was born, that I was bred a Scholar, though taken from the School to the shop; I returned again to that in which I most delighted, namely, learning; and remained a student in Queen's College in Cambridge, till not only by a Certificate from the said College, but also by a Testimony under the hands of several able Divines I was held fit to be received into Orders; after which being examined by the Arch-Bishops Chaplain of these Dioceses, I gave him such satisfaction of my fitness that he subscribed examinavi▪ & approbavi, whereupon the Archbishop gave me a f●●t, under his own hand which produced Letters dimissary out of the Court: Then repairing to the Archbishop of York, than B●shop of Lincoln, I was presented to him by a Minister, who supplied the Arch-Deacons place; and from the said Bishop received the charge of a Deacon, and he laid his hands upon me, at which time almost twenty more Students of the two famous Universities of Cambridge, and Oxford, were also received into Orders. And moreover I am resolved to appeal to Authority so soon as opportunity will permit, by whom if I be not held fit, & to whom if I give not good satisfaction, I will freely submit to their censure, calling upon God to direct both them & me.  
Me thinks I hear those words of S. Augustine (as it were) sounding in mine ears, O homo! in praeceptione cognosce quid debeas habere, in correptione tua te vitio non habere, in oratione quid vis habere. In English thus, O man! acknowledge in every precept what strength thou shouldest have, in every reproof what strength by thine own fault thou wantest, and in every prayer, whence thou mayest have what thou wantest. Lord grant, that I may so pray, so know, and so practise that I may glorify thy name, honour my King, do my duty, practise love, know myself, and discharge my conscience before Almighty God, and all the world, which that I may do, God of his infinite mercy assist me with his holy Spirit. Amen.  
FINIS.