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A58493
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Remarks on The life of Mr. Milton, as publish'd by J.T. with a character of the author and his party : in a letter to a member of Parliament.
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R. E.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing R933; ESTC R13741
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33,766
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88
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sorts must be the Preliminaries It 's very reasonable to think that it will be a long while ere a People zealous for the Christian Religion express'd in the Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England can think of coming to a Treaty with those who are for a Common-wealth It 's pleasant to find those who have so well and so justly baffled the Doctrine of the Jure Divino-ship of Kingly Government exclusive of all others fall into the same dotage themselves as to a Commonwealth And thus J. T brings in Mr. Milton p. 120 saying That Christ forbad his Disciples to admit of any such Heathenish Government as that of Kings from that Scripture The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors but you shall not do so This Text hath been often and properly urg'd against Lording it over the Faith of Christians and domineering over God's Heritage which the Apostles themselves disclaim 2 Cor. 1. 24. but there seems no reason with deference to Mr. Milton's Judgment to apply it against Kingly Government any more than against that by States for whereas Luke calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kings Matthew calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies any other Princes or Rulers Mark calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who are accounted to Rule and great ones so that at this rate of arguing no sort of Magistrate must be allowed at all not so much as a Mayor in a Country Corporation who in respect of the Inferiour Burgers and Townsmen may well be accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then let J. T. see to it how he will be able to defend any Commonwealth that ever was or haâ—… now a Being in the World against this Anarchical Interpretation or how he can justifie any sort of Magistracy amongst Christians which alone shews the Principle to be absurd destructive of Human Society and Introducive of Confusion whereas God is a God of Order Besides it is ridiculous to call Kingly Government Heathenish when it was the Government of the Jews and approved of by God himself who gave a Law to direct their Kings in their Administration Deut. 17. v. 14. Our Saviour commanded Tribute to be paid to Gaesar and did not disown but plainly confess his Right to be King of the Jews himself tho' he declared that his Kingdom was not of this World And the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. commands submission to every Ordinance of Man whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours without any surmise or hint that when Nations became Christian they should reject Kingly Government On the contrary it is a plain and Authoritative Injunction to Christians to behave themselves peaceably under whatever Form of Government Providence should cast their Lot not to use their Liberty for a Cloak of Licentiousness but to Fear God and Honour the King than which there can be nothing that more directly condemns the Practice of J. T. and those of this Kidney who speak and write reproachfully of all Kings witness their Healths that the Thrones of Kings may be upon their own Heads and their Crowns under the Peoples Feet and their sly and malicious Inclinations in their Pamphlets about Standing Armies and others against His present Majesty's Person and Administration tho' the best King that ever England had It 's scarcely to be supposed That one of J. T 's changeable Temper is capable of good Advice but it were to be wish'd that those who think a Commonwealth the best Form of Government would consider that the time wherein Mr. Milton liv'd and ours is different the Constitution was then dissolv'd the King beheaded his Issue banish'd the Bishops and their Form of Church Government pull'd down so that the People had then a fair Opportunity to form themselves into a Commonwealth without any further Bloodshed or Trouble and therefore Mr. Milton and other Men might less scruple to do all that in them lay to erect that sort of Government here but the Case is now altered our Kingly Government is administred by the greatest Prince of the Universe the Champion and Restorer of our Religion and Laws both of which have their free Course every Man may sit under his own Figg-Tree secur'd in his Property the Bench is filled with upright and learned Judges â—…ost of the Episcopal Sees are adorn'd with Persons of Learning and Probity and Dissenters have their Liberty to worship God as their own Consciences direct So that to disturb such a Government as this by endeavouring to set up another Form must unavoidably throw us into an Intestine War which would quickly prove more fatal to us than the tedious War which we are just now come out of If the Commonwealth Party had been able to have effected any thing their Season was when the late King run away and before the present Government was establish'd by the Convention but to offer to disturb a Government settled upon so good a Foundation and with which the People are so well satisfied is certainly contrary to all Laws Humane and Divine Another Reason J. T. had to promote the publishing Mr. Milton's Life was his pleading for Liberty to Lutherans Calvinists Anabaptists Arians Socinians and Arminians And his disapproving the Terms of Trinity Trinunity Coessentially Tripersonality and the like as the Notions of Scholasticks who make a Mystery of that in their Sophistick Subtleties which is in Scripture a plain Doctrine P. 144 145. A little lower he brings him in commending the Authors and late Revivers of all these Sects or Opinions as Learned Worthy Zealous and Religious Men. This pleases J. T. so much that he is in a perfect Extasie and says He never met with any Person who spoke with so much disinterestedness and impartiality of our various Sects except Thomas Firmin Tho' at the same time Mr. Firmin as I am informed was so much dissatisfied with him that he refus'd to give him any Countenance But J. T. thinks this stroke of his Pen necessary to conciliate a Respect to himself and his Books among those to whom Mr. Firmin's great Charity rendred his Name Savory He is however so just as to quote Mr. Milton's Restriction too viz. That the best Method to prevent the increasing of Popery in this Nation is by the Toleration of all kinds of Protestants or any others whose Principles do not necessarily lead them to Sedition or Vice But what will J. T. say if it be proved that his Principles and those of his Party do necessarily lead them to Sedition and Vice I am afraid they will scarcely be able to evince the contrary from their Practices We have heard already what loose Principles as to the dissolving of Marriage J. T. has endeavour'd to propagate Nor do I see what good Morals we are to expect from such as deny the Godhead of Jesus Christ by which they make him a Lyar who
scarely thank him for this Vindication of the â—…resbyterians That the Fact of cutting of King Charles I. was not Theirs Nor will it be very easie for him to reconcile those two Positions That the Presbyterians were the King 's mortal Enemies and yet angry at his Death They that know the History of those Times are not ignorant that the Presbyterians whilst they had any Interest in the Parliament or Army always expressed themselves with Honour of the King's Person and that they Voted his last Concessions a sufficient Ground to Treat with Him and were altogether against his Trial and Death as having taken Arms for the Defence of their Liberties and Religion and not the Destruction of their Prince But J. T 's Friends the Independents and Anabaptists had other Designs in view nothing less than his Blood could pave the Way to their projected Anarchy in Church and State And therefore as J. T. says himself in the History of Standing Armies which he is proud to have thought his Oliver who was the Head of the Faction came into the Parliament-House with an armed Force behaved himself like a mad Man turn'd them out of Doors and modell'd the House according to his own Mind or to this Effect Page 77. He discovers the Plot and the Reason of aâ—…l this invenom'd Malice against the Presbyterians viz. Because they warmly joined with others the last Parliament to promote Penal Laws against the Socinians and therefore says he finds few People will believe that those in England differ from their Brethren in Scotland about Persecution nor that their own sufferings of late have made them more tender to the Consciences of others This naturally leads Men to think that they have not repented of their Rigour in the Civil Wars and that should the Dissenters once more get the Secular Sword into their Hands they would press Uniformity of Sentiments in Religion as far as any other Protestants or Papists ever yet have done witness their inhumane Treatment of Daniel Williams a sober Man and judicious Divine for no Cause that I can discern but that he made Christianity plainer than some of his Collegues in the Ministry This is Bogtrotters Sense and Gratitude twisted together This is J. T 's Reward to the Presbyterians for maintaining him at his Studies beyond Sea and as profound Sense as ever was spoke in Teagueland Every Body knows that 't was the Independents that treated Mr Williams in that barbarous manner and that it was the Presbyterians who did then and do still espouse Mr. William's Cause And therefore to argue from this Passage That the Dissenters in General or Presbyterians in Particular are of a Persecuting Spirit is like the Admirable Wisdom of J. T 's Country-man who ask'd his Fellow Lackey By my Shoul dear Joy do ye think I shall overtake my Master's Coach before I come at it Such another proof of J. T 's Wit and Ingenuity we have Page 60. where he falls foul upon the Presbyterians because Mr. â—…aryl an Independent gave his Imprimatur to an Answer to Mr. Milton's Book about Divorce Yet this is the mighty Man that sets up for Reformer General of Church and State tho' some are of Opinion that he is fitter to teach his Country-men to gut Oysters VVe must follow him a little too beyond Tweed but shall first take Notice of another Bogtrotting Trip Page 75. He tells us That he hopes the Bulk of those now called Presbyterians in England some few leading Men excepted are no such Enemies to a Toleration and that they understand no more of the Consisâ—…rian Clâ—…ssical or Synodical Judicatories than they allow of the Inquisition or Hierarchy Well first to admit thâ—…t the Bulk are no Enemies to a Toleration and then to except some few is a very good Irish Distinction But then again Page 78. He tells us That few will believe that the English Presbyterians differ from their Brethren in Scotland about Persecution so that here 's both Nonsense and Contradictions But we must pardon him his Passion was in a ferment upon the Remembrance that Aikenhead one of his Brethren in Blasphemy was hang'd by the Presbyterians in Scotland some time ago and therefore he Vows Revenge upon the whole Bulk of those of that Name in both Nations That you may the better judge whether the Scotch Presbyterians deserve the Character of Persecutors or not for hanging that Fellow I shall give you an Account of what was prov'd upon him at his Trial as follows viz. That he denied the Existence of a Deity maintaining that God Nature and the World were the same thing that Divinity and the Doctrine of Christianity was a Rhapsodie of fansied and ill-invented Nonsense patch'd up partly of the Moral Doctrines of Philosophers and Poetical Fictions and Extravagant Chimera's He call'd the Old Testament Ezra's Fables saying That Ezra was the Inventer thereof He affirmed the New Testament to be the History of the Impostor Jesus Christ who he said had learn'd Magick in Egypt by which he made the Ignorant believe he wrought Miracles He also cursed our Holy Saviour and did affirm That the Doctrine of Redemption by Jesus Christ was a proud and presumptuous Device and that the Inventers thereof are damned if after this Life there be either Reward or Punishment He likewise affirmed That if ever there was such a Man as Moses he was a Magician and Impostor also and preferred him and Mahomet as having more Skill in their Arts as he termed it than the blessed Jesus He said That he hoped to see Christianity much weakned and that he was consident in a short time it would be utterly extirpated Now let any Man judge whether such a Monster of Blasphemy deserved to live and what sort of a Man J. T. is who is so angry at the Scots Presbyterians for hanging that Wretch and at the English Presbyterians for concurring last Sessions of Parliament to have Penal Laws enacted against Socinians whose Doctrine overturns the very Foundation of Christianity This gives me ground to suspect That J. T has indeed more than ordinary Reason to be concerned at the Fate of that Scotch Blasphemer for if he durst freely speak out his Mind P. 91. He seems to Ballance mightily towards Aikenhead's Opinion That the New Testament is a Forgery for there he tells us from the Instance of Eicon Basilicé That he ceases to wonder any longer how many supposititious Pieces under the Name of Christ his Apostles and other great Persons should be publish'd and approv'd in those Primitive Times I confess my self to be but slenderly Vers'd in Antiquity and therefore the discovery of my Ignorance in that Point is the more pardonable but at the same time I must needs say That I don't remember of any supposititious Piece alledg'd upon our Saviour his Answer to Abgarus's Letter excepted I know that the Divine Authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Revelations and others have been objected against by some