_Author of 'The Religion of Protestants,' 1638._
_Born 1602. Died 1644._
By CLARENDON.
M'r Chillingworth, was of a stature little superiour to M'r Hales (and
it was an Age in which ther were many greate and wounderfull men of
that size) and a man of so grea[te] a subtlety of understandinge, and
so rare a temper in debate, that as it was impossible to provoke him
into any passyon, so it was very difficulte to keepe a mans selfe
from beinge a little discomposed by his sharpnesse and quicknesse of
argument and instances, in which he had a rare facility, and a greate
advantage over all the men I ever knew. He had spent all his younger
tyme in disputation, and had arryved to so greate a mastery, as he was
inferior to no man in those skirmishes: but he had with his notable
perfection in this exercise, contracted such an irresolution and habit
of doubtinge, that by degrees he grew confident of nothinge, and a
schepticke at least in the greatest misteryes of fayth; This made
him from first waveringe in religion and indulginge to scruples, to
reconcile himselfe to soone and to easily to the Church of Rome, and
carryinge still his owne inquisitivenesse aboute him, without any
resignation to ther authority (which is the only temper can make
that Church sure of its Proselites) havinge made a journy to S't Omers
purely to perfecte his conversion by the conversation of those who had
the greatest name, he founde as little satisfaction ther, and returned
with as much hast from them, with a beliefe that an intire exemption
from error was nether inherent in, nor necessary to, any Church; which
occasioned that warr which was carryed on by the Jesuitts with so
greate asperity and reproches against him, and in which he defended
himselfe by such an admirable eloquence of language, and the cleere
and incomparable power of reason, that he not only made them appeare
unæquall adversaryes, but carryed the warr into ther owne quarters,
and made the Popes infallibility to be as much shaken and declyned by
ther owne Doctors, and as greate an acrimony amon[g]st themselves upon
that subjecte, and to be at least as much doubted as in the schooles
of the Reformed or Protestant, and forced them since to defende and
maintayne those unhappy contraversyes in religion, with armes and
weopons of another nature, then were used or knowne in the Church of
Rome when Bellarmyne dyed: and which probably will in tyme undermyne
the very foundation that supportes it.
Such a levity and propensity to change, is commonly attended with
greate infirmityes in, and no lesse reproch and præjudice to the
person, but the sincerity of his hearte was so conspicuous, and
without the least temptation of any corrupt end, and the innocence and
candour of his nature so evident and without any perversenesse, that
all who knew him cleerely decerned, that all those restlesse motions
and fluctuation proceeded only from the warmth and jealosy of his owne
thoughts, in a to nice inquisition for truth: nether the bookes of
the Adversary, nor any of ther persons, though he was acquainted with
the best of both, had ever made greate impression upon him, all his
doubles grew out of himselfe, when he assisted his scruples with all
the strenght of his owne reason, and was then to hard for himselfe;
but findinge as little quyett and repose in those victoryes, he
quickly recover'd by a new appeale to his owne judgement, so that he
was in truth upon the matter in all his Sallyes and retreits his owne
converte, though he was not so totally devested of all thoughts of
this worlde, but that when he was ready for it he admitted some greate
and considerable Churchmen to be sharers with him, in his publique
conversion. Whilst he was in perplexity, or rather some passionate
disinclination to the religion he had bene educated in, he had the
misfortune to have much acquaintance with one M'r Lugar a minister of
that church, a man of a competency of learninge in those points most
contravened with the Romanists, but of no acute parts of witt or
judgement, and wrought so farr upon him, by weakeninge and enervating
those arguments by which he founde he was governed (as he had all the
logique and all the Rhetorique that was necessary to perswade very
powerfully men of the greatest talents) that the poore man, not able
to lyve longe in doubte, to hastily deserted his owne church, and
betooke himselfe to the Roman, nor could all the arguments and reasons
of M'r Chillingworth make him pawse in the exspedition he was usinge,
or reduce him from that Church after he had given himselfe to it, but
had alwayes a greate animosity against him, for havinge (as he sayd)
unkindly betrayed him, and carryed him into another religion, and
ther left him: So unfitt are some constitutions to be troubled with
doubtes, after they are once fixed.
He did really believe all warr to be unlawfull, and did not thinke
that the Parliament (whose proceedings he perfectly abhorred) did
intruth intende to involve the nation in a civill warr, till after the
battell of Edgehill, and then he thought any exspedient or stratagemm
that was like to putt a speedy ende to it, to be the most commendable;
and so havinge to mathematically conceaved an Engyne that should moove
so lightly, as to be a brest-worke in all incounters and assaultes in
the feilde, he carryed it to make the exsperiment into that parte of
his Majestys army, which was only in that winter season in the Feilde,
under the commaunde of the L'd Hopton in Hampshyre upon the borders
of Sussex, wher he was shutt up in the Castle of Arrundell, which was
forced after a shorte, sharpe seige, to yeild for want of victuall,
and poore M'r Chillingworth with it fallinge into the Rebells hands,
and beinge most barbarously treated by them, especially by that Clargy
which followed them, and beinge broken with sicknesse contracted by
the ill accommadation and wante of meate and fyre duringe the seige,
which was in a terrible season of frost and snow, he dyed shortly
after in pryson. He was a man of excellent parts, and of a cheerefull
disposition, voyde of all kinde of vice, and indewed with many notable
virtues, of a very publique hearte, and an indefatigable desyre to do
good; his only unhappinesse proceeded from his sleepinge to little,
and thinkinge to much, which sometymes threw him into violent feavers.
53.