A Philosophical Commentary on These Words of the Gospel, Luke 14:23, “Compel Them to Come In, That My House May Be Full”. Pierre Bayle

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A Philosophical Commentary on These Words of the Gospel, Luke 14:23,  “Compel Them to Come In, That My House May Be Full” - Pierre Bayle


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united the Man and the Horse, confounds in one Actor the different Parts of a Missionary <4> who argues, and a Foot-Soldier who belabours a poor human Body, and rifles a Cottage. They say there are Taverns already in some parts of Germany with the Sign of the Convertist, dress’d up by the Model of some Cuts of Bernard de Galen, Bishop of Munster, in which he’s represented with half Mitre half Helmet round his Temples; with a Cross in one hand, a Sabre in t’other; half Rochet, and half Cuirass about his Loins, and so on; commanding to sound to Horse in the middle of his Mass, and a Charge at the place where he shou’d give the Benediction. ’Twas by this Model they say, mutatis mutandis, that the Sign of the Convertist to some Inns or Taverns in certain famous Imperial Towns was drawn. Judg then whether Mr. Arnaud2 deserves any Answer on his making so much of what the agreeable Author of the Politicks of the Clergy3 has said by way of Elogy on the Protestants, That they came not into this World on the foot of Convertists. It’s strange our Dutch Artists shou’d let the High-Germans run away with this Whim.

      Having thus resolv’d to form a Commentary of a new kind, on the famous words, Compel ’em to come in; I thought it wou’d be best to draw the Convertists out of their own ground: I mean out of their old beaten common Places, and propose ’em Difficultys, for which they have not yet had leisure enough to find out Evasions. For here’s the main drift of the Writers of this Party; they apply themselves much less to the proving their Point, than to the eluding the Arguments with which they are press’d; like those false Witnesses, Greeks by Nation, whose <5> Picture Cicero has drawn to the life: Nunquam laborant quemadmodum probent quod dicunt, sed quemadmodum se explicent dicendo.4 Accordingly I foresee, that if they attempt to answer me, they’l pass over all my principal Difficultys, and only endeavor to find whether I have not contradicted my self in some part or other of the Work; whether I have not made a trip in my Reasonings; whether my Principles are not attended with some absurd Consequences. If this be all they do, I declare to ’em before-hand, that I shan’t look on it as an Answer, nor on my Cause as less victorious in the main; for the Cause is not lost, because perhaps its Advocate does not always reason justly, because his Notions in one place do not perhaps nicely fall in with his Notions in another; because he pushes his point too far at some times, and loses himself in the chase. All this may possibly have befallen me: but because notwithstanding all these Failings, which are purely those of the Advocate, and not of the Cause, I persuade my self I have said enough to prove my point incontestably; I declare once more, that if the Convertists design to justify their Proceedings, they must answer all that’s reasonable and solid in my Argument, and not think to get off as their Controvertists commonly do, if they can only discover that an Author has perhaps cited a Passage wrong, or employ’d a particular Argument sometimes to one purpose, sometimes to another, and which perhaps may be retorted,5 or committed some other Over-sights of this kind; since there never was a Book, how strong and forcible soever, which may not be answer’d at <6> this rate. One that can pick up some faults of this kind, or separate a Proof here and there from that which in other parts of the Works does sufficiently support it, and from the true end and purpose to which the Author design’d it, fancies he makes a fine Answer to the best Book; which shall triumph in the Judgment of those who don’t compare the two Pieces with Exactness, and freedom from Prejudice. Hence we meet with Answers to every thing; tho, properly speaking, this is not confuting, but rather making the Errata of an Adversary’s Book, and leaving the Merits of the Cause upon the Tenters: And for my part, if my Adversarys do no more than this, I shall look on my self as the Victor.


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