Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A58493
|
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.
|
R. E.
|
1699
(1699)
|
Wing R933; ESTC R13741
|
33,766
|
88
|
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