THE

Gentleman's Magazine.

MARC H, 1739.

An APPEAL to the PUBLICK. Men' moveat cimex Pantilius? aut crucier [quod Vellicet abfentem Demetrius? HOR. Laudat, amat, cantat noftros mea Roma libellos,

Meq; finus omnes, me manus omnis habet. Ecce rubet quidam, pallet, ftupet, ofcitat, [odit. Hoc volo, nunc nobis carmina noftra placent.

MARTIAL.

dence which the Unwary may mistake
for Confcioufnefs of Truth.

In order to fet the Proceedings of these
Calumniators in a proper Light, it is ne-
ceflary to inform fuch of our Readers as
A are unacquainted the Artifices of Trade,
that we originally incurr'd the Displa
fure of the greatest Part of the Bookfel-
lers by keeping this Magazine wholly in
our own Hands, without admitting any
of that Fraternity into a Share of the
Property. For Nothing is more criminal
in the Opinion of many of them, than for
an Author to enjoy more Advantage
from his own Works than they are dif
This is a Principle
pofed to allow him.
fo well established among them, that we
can produce fome who threatned Printers
with their higheft Difpleafure for their
having dared to print Books for thofe
that wrote them,

B

T is plain from the Conduct of Writers of the firft Clafs, that they have efteemed it no Derogation from their Characters to defend themselves against the Cenfures of Igno- C rance, or the Calumnies of Envy,

It is not reafonable to fuppofe that they always judged their Adverfaries worthy of a formal Confutation, but they concluded it not prudent to neglect the feebleft Attacks; they knew that fuch Men have often done hurt, who had not Abilities to do good; that the weakest Hand, if not timely difarm'd, may ftab a Hero in his Sleep; that a Worm, however fmall, may deftroy a Fleet in the Acorn, and that Citadels, which have defied Armies, have been blown up by Rats.

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In Imitation of thefe great Examples, we think it not abfolutely needlefs to vindicate ourselves from the virulent Afperfions of the Craftsman and Common E Sanfe, becaufe their Accufations, tho' entirely groundlefs, and without the leaft Proof, are urged with an Air of Confi

Hinc ira, hinc odia.

This was the firft Ground of their Ani mofity, which, for fome Time, proceed ed no farther than private Murmurs, and petty Difcouragements. At length determining to be no longer debarr'd from a Share in fo beneficial a Project, a Knot of them combined to feize our whole Plan; and, without the leaft Artempt to vary or improve it, began with the utmoft Vigour to print and circulate the London Magazine, with fuch Succefs, that in a few Years, while we were printing the fifth Edition of fome of our carlieft Numbers, they had SEVENTY THOUSAND of their Books returned unfold upon their Hands.

It was then Time to exert their utmost Efforts to put a Stop to our Progrefs, and nothing was to be left unattempted that Intereft could fuggeft. It will be eafily imagined, their Influence among thofe

of their own Trade was greater than ours, and that their Collections were therefore more induftriously propagated by their Brethren; but this being the natural Confequence of fuch a Relation, and therefore excufable, is only mentioned to fhew the Difadvantages against which we are obliged to struggle, and to convince the Reader, that we who depend fo entirely upon his Approbation, fhall omit nothing to deferve it.

They then had recourse to Advertise ments, in which they fometimes made faint Attempts to be witty, and fometimes were content with being merely fcurrilous; but finding that their Attacks, while we had an Opportunity of returning Hoftilities, generally procured them fuch Treatment as very little contributed to their Reputation, they came at laft to a Refolution of excluding us from the News-papers in which they have any Influence; by this Means they can at prefent infult us with Impunity, and without the leaft Danger of Confutation.

A

The other, who feems yet more to rea femble this Writer, was one Goodman a Horfeftealer, who being asked, after having been found guilty by the jury, whar he had to offer, to prevent Sentence of Death from being paffed upon him, did not attempt to extenuate his Crime, but entreated the Judge to beware of hanging a Good-Man.

This Writer we thought, however injudicioufly, worthy, nor indeed of a Reply, but of fome Correction, and in our MaB gazine for December, 1738, and the Preface to the Supplement, treated him in fuch a Manner as he does not seem inclined to forget.

Their last, and indeed their most artful Expedient, has been to hire and incite the weekly Journalists against us. The D first weak Attempt was made by the Univerfal Spectator, but this we took not the lealt Notice of, as we did not imagine it would ever come to the Knowledge of the Publick.

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Whether there was then a Confederacy between this Journal and Common Senfe's, as at prefent between Common Senfe and the Craftsman, or whether Understandings of the fame Form receive at certain Times the fame Impressions from the Planets, I know not; but about that Time War was likewife declared againft us by the redoubted Author of Common Senfe; an Adverfary not fo much to be F dreaded for his Abilities as for the Title of his Paper, behind which he has the Art of fheltering himself in perfect Security. He defeats all his Enemies by calling them Enemies to Common Senfe, and filences the strongest Objections and the cleareft Reafonings, by affuring his Rea ders that they are contrary to Common Senfe.

I must confefs, to the immortal Ho nour of this great Writer, that I can remember but two Inftances of a Genius able to use a few Syllables to fuch great and fo various Putpofes. One is, the old Man in Shadwel, who feems, by long Time and Experience to have attain'd to equal Perfection with our Author; for, when a young Fellow began to prate and be pert, fays he, I filenced him with * my old Word, TACL is Latin for a Candle.

From that Time, lofing all Patience, he has exhaufted his Stores of Scurrility upon us; but our Readers will find, upon confulting the Paffages above-mention'd, that he has received too much Provocation to be admitted as an impartial Critick.

In our Magazine of January p. 24, we made a Remark upon the Craftsman, and in p. 3. drop'd fome general Obfervations upon the weekly Writers, by which we did not expect to make them more our Friends. Nor, indeed, did we ima gine, that this would have inflamed Caleb to fo high a Degree. His Refentment has rifen fo much above the Provocation, that we cannot but impute it more to what he fears than what he has felt. He has feen the Solecifms of his Brother Common Sense exposed, and remembers

that

Tua Res agitur, Paries cum proximus ardet. He imagines that he fhall foon fall under the fame Cenfure, and is willing that our of our Refentment than our Judgment. Criticifms fhall appear rather the Effects

For this Reafon I fuppofe, (for I can find no other) he has join'd with Common Sense to charge us with Partiality, ard to recommend the London Magazine as drawn up with lefs Regard to Interest or Party. A Favour, which the Authors of that Collection have endeavoured to deferve from them by the most servile G Adulation.

But as we have a higher Opinion of the Candour of our Readers, than to believe that they will condemn us without Exami nation, or give up their Right of judging for themselves, we are unconcern'd ar this Charge, tho' the most atrocious and H malignant that can be brought against us. We entreat only to be compared with our Rivals, in full Confidence, that not only our Innocence, but our Superiority will appear.

Mr

I

Mr URBAN,

Feb. 17, 1738-9. in neither of thefe Accounts is the leaft T gives me a great deal of real Plea- Hint of their going out of their Houses fure to fee, that your worthy Corre- or the City to a River to be dipped. As fpondent, (p. 10.) whofe Notion of adto After-ages, it's well known, that fome miniftring Baptifm by dipping I prefumed were baptized on their Beds; which one to contradict, (v. 8. p. 285.)is a Perfon of fo would fcarce fuppofe was done by dipmuch Candor and Ingenuity, of fuch a ping in any wife. But let any one peruie good and chriftian Temper. It was never what is faid by the learned John Forbes in my Deign to cenfure him as favouring his Inftrati. Hiftorico-Theolog. to prove the Caufe of the Anabaptifts by pleading fprinkling, or pouring on Water the true for Dipping: It was only to fhew, that, Baptifm. Our famous Dr J. Wiclif deas the learned I. Cafaubon expreffed it, termined, as it had been done long before in eo non pofita fit Myfterii hujus Vis et his Time, that it mattered not whether Energia, the Virtue, Force and Energy, they who are baptized are dipped once of this Sacrament is not placed in Dipping: B or thrice, or have Water poured on their Or, that Dipping is not effential to it, fo, Heads, but that we are to do according to that if it be adminiftred otherwise, or the Custom of the Place where we live, by pouring on Water, it is no Sacrament. as well in one lawful Rite as another. For this purpose, I attempted to fhew, Dial. Lib. IV. c. 11. This feems to have that, whatever the native or proper Sig- been faid on account of the Cuftom of nification of the Word baptize is, it is not that Time, which was to fprinkle Water fo ufed by the Writers of the New Te-C on the Child, or dip him into it thrice, ftament as if it fignified only to dip: And or at least once. Manual. Sarisburienfe it is well know that on Ufe depends Jus fol. 44. b. By the first English Liturgy the et Norma loquendi. The Proofs I gave Prieft was ordered to take the Child in of this, I find, I need not repeat, fince his Hands, not by the Child's Hands, and no Exception is made to them. As to that aske the name, and namynge the Childe of Heb. ix. 10. divers Baptifms, your to dyppe it in the water thryfe: and if Correfpondent is fo good as to grant, as the childe be weake to powre Water upI understand him, what I produced it for, D on it as fufficient. Dr John Gerard, a very by allowing that every Application of learned Lutheran Divine, obferved, that Water with the Jews was not by Immer- Forma Baptifmi in Actione confiftit, videfion or Dipping. (See p. 11. G) Was it licet in Merfione Hominis baptizandi in not? Then here is an Inftance of the Aquam, five, quod perinde eit, in AffufiWord Baptifm fignifying an Application one Aqua: To which he added, that this of Water without dipping. And, that Form or Manner of Baptifm by pouring this actually was one of divers Baptifms on Water is to be retained, and no Dif of which the Apoftle fpeaks, feems to me putes raised to the Scandal of the Church and others very plain from Numbersviii. 5, on account of an indifferent Rite. By 6, 7. And the Lord fpake unto Mofes fay- the Laws of Chriftian V. King of Dening, take the Levites from amongst the mark, printed 1710, it is provided thus: children of Ifrael, and cleanse them: And Infantes in Templi Baptifterio vel Pelvi thus fhalt thou do unto them to cleanfe baptizantor. Nay Seckendorf tells us, that them; fprinkle, apipavers LXX, Water of this was the Practice of even the German F Purifying, upon them. As to Matter of Anabaptifts themfelves, to baptize by Fact, it has been often obferved, that it is pouring on or fprinkling Water. Lib. III. highly improbable, if not utterly impof- Sec. XLII. add: That they re-baptize fible, that the three thoufand mentioned grown Perfons in the Name of the Faby St Luke in the fecond Chapter of the ther, Son, and Holy Ghoft, fed non nifi Ats, &c. to be added to the Church, and tribus Aque Guttis Caput Baptizandorum baptized the fame Day, were all dipped, confpergere, but did not fprinkle above or laid wholly under Water by the Bap- three Drops of Water on the Heads of tizers. The History of St Paul's Baptifm the Baptized. The learned Turretin of is, that Ananias entered into the House Geneva fays exprefsly, that nunc Baptiwhere he was, and put his Hands on him, zandi afperguntur Aqua, they who are that he might receive his Sight, and be now baptized are fprinkled with Water. filled with the Holy Ghoft; and that he The Story told of the learned John Bureceived his Sight forthwith, arofe, and genhagius Pomeranus (See p. 11 H) I don't was baptized. So it is written of the fee any Foundation for. Your Corre Jailor at Philippi, that he took Paul and fpondent's late Author does not give unso Silas the fame Hour of the Night, and was much as the Title of the German Book baptized, he and all his flraightway. It to which he refers; nor do Adams appears to others, as well as to me, that Seckendorf, to tar can fee, fay P thi

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