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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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Murder of King Charles and that he who reviles Church-of England-Men Presbyterians and Independents nay all that prosess Christianity in general Socinians excepted with so much freedom is as fit to be treated with Contempt as he that wrotâ—… against the Rump Parliament especially when they consider the Learning and Reputation of Salmasius and how much Inferior J. T 's Character is to his in every Respect and that as I have said already he is engaged in a Party who prefer Mahometism to the Christian Religion as establish'd in this Nation which gives but too Just Cause to suspect the Truth of that Saying formerly charg'd upon him That he hop'd to be at the Head of as Great a Sect as ever Mahomet was and in truth it were no loss to this Nation if he were sent as a Present to the Grand Signior to see whether the Mahometans think fit to make him their Mufti For I am of Opinion he will scarcely according to Mahomet's Example be able to deceive any rich Man's Wife to forsake her Husband and furnish him with Money for advancing his Heresie in this Nation His loose Doctrine about dissolving of Marriage whâ—…n he shall be pleas'd to think the Match unsit or to accuse his Wife of Indisposition c. is a good Caveat for our English Women not to trust him nor do I hear that he is in any Condition to come to a good Composition with them for Damages in such a Case as he proposes p. 56. There are many other things in this pretended Life that deserve a Remark as his Vanity and Affectation in mixing his own Thoughts and Commenâ—…s fâ—…sooth throughout the whole his â—…ulsome Flatterie of many Gentlemen now a'ive whom he pulls into his Narratiâ—… By Head and Shoulders some of whom I am satisfied don 't thank him for his Commendation his new fangled way of denying the ordinary Title of Mr. which the Civility of England prefixes to the Names of any Gentlemen or others whom they design to treat with the least sort of Respect But this perhaps he hath done to please the Quakers many of whom are a sly and precise sort of Socinians all of which tho' but minute things may serve to discover his Foppâ—…shness and Affectation and that he is â—…itter to be contemned than any way regarded were it not that there are some Fools who admire him and perhaps some of a worse Character that support him as finding him a Tool fitted to thier purpose It were to wished that those in Authority did more narrowly Enquire after such Incendiaries it being no ways improbable that such Persons who by their Principles think Turks and Jews nearer to Salvation than Christians and allow themselves a Liberty to joyn with all Parties to carry on their Designs of bringing the Doctrines of the Trinity and Christ's Satisfaction into doubt as Leonardus Abbas Busalis Laelius Socinus Bernardinus Ochinus and about Forty others of the Italian Combination did about 1546. as we are inform'd by Wissowatius's Compend Biblioth Antitrin p. 18. It is no way improbable I say that such Persons may be set on by the Court of Rome it self to overturn the Reformation as well as Valentinus Gentilis and Servetus were discharged by them and suffered to publish their Blasphemies openly as soon as they understood that their design was to oppose Calvin as we are told in Luben Hist. Refor Polon This is so much the more probable that J. T. and those he can seduce are the loudest in their Clamours against the Administration of His present Majesty who is under God the chief Pillar of the Protestant Interest and therefore finding that it would be too bare-fac'd to attack him under an open Profession of Popery they now assume the Form of Socinians and would give themselves out for the chief Asserters of Liberty and Property To conclude Whatever J. T. may have quoted in his Life of Mr. Milton to favour a Liberty to the Socinians it 's hardly supposeable that any Nation truly Christian will ever suffer such poysonous Vipers to nestle among 'em as Compare the Mystery of the Trinity to the Aegyptian Hieroglyphicks say that the Mystery is foolish and their Hieroglyphical Language as false and contridictory as vain and trifling that the Doctrine of the Trinity is the very Genius and Spirit of the Old Mystical Hieroglyphicks that is to say partly foolish and partly false That what Cato said of the Roman Augurs is applicable to the Aâ—hanasian Doctors i. e. those who teach the Doctrine of the Trinity that tho' their Religion be established by Law warranted by Custom and Prescription for all that 't was a Cheat so gross and palpable that he could not but admire they were such stark Fools or such perfect Knaves that meeting they could carry a grave Look upon one another These are the handsome Reflections they make on the establish'd Religion in a Book call'd The Trinitarian Scheme p. 7. Then as to the Sacraments they treat them with a Contempt equally blasphemous and irreligious as may be seen in the Trinitarian Scheme consider'd Let a Man in Black say they sprinkle you with the Churches Water or give you a bit of Bread or a sup of Wine over which he hath pronounc'd the Wonder-working Words prescrib'd in Mother Churches Ritual tho' by Nature you are as bad as the Devil you shall be presently inclin'd to as much Good as will save you from Hell and qualifie you for Heaven else the Churches Incantation produces only a momentary Effect and a false Appearance of Good no less certainly I say than by tying the Norman Knot you may gain the Love of the Person you desire If a party that thus ridicules and blasphemes our Saviour and the Doctrines of the Gospel ought to be tolerated let the Christian World determine THE CHARACTER OF J. T. c. I Design'd to have made an end here but it coming into my Thoughts how much J. T. values himself upon the invective Characters of Men Books Sects Parties and Opinions which he hath scrap'd together in his pretended Life of Mr. Milton I thought it might not be disserviceable to repay him a little in his own Coin For his own Character it 's scarce worth the drawing yet any Man who has a good Faculty at describing Ignorance Impudence Ingratitude and Libertinism might go a great way towards it in a few Words and besides what may be prov'd from his Writings there 's Evidence enough to be found amongst his Acquaintance to instruct the Particulars So that if any Painter would be at the Pains to draw his Head and any Author bestow a few Minutes upon his Life it might serve as a Little Supplement to the next Edition of Râ—…s Pansebâ—…ia where if they pleas'd they might describe Ariâ—…s vâ—…iding his Bowels together with his stinking Heresies and J. T. licking them up at which Imployment I shall lâ—…ave him and take the Character of the Party whose Antâ—…-signanus he would seem
never beliâ—…v'd nor intended and don't care what Methods they make use of provided they can thereby subvert the Doctrine of the Trinity and Christ's Satisfaction This Charge is made plain upon the Italian Combination formerly mention'd by Wissowatius in his Narrat Compend Biblioth Antitrin and Lubienescius's Hist. Reform Polon Calvin in his Theological Tracts c. and is as plainly prov'd against our English Socinians by their Book of the Athanâ—…sian Creed not requir'd by the Church of England wherâ—…in they say the Thirty Nine Articles are not Articles of Faith but Peace tho' in the Title it is declared that those Articles were agreed upon for the avoiding diversity of Opinions and for the establishing of Consent touching true Religion And the Charge given by his Majesty is that no Man shall either print or preach to draw the Article aside any way but shall submit to it in the plain and full meaning thereof and shall nâ—…t put his own Sense or Comment to be the Meaning of the Article but shall take it in the Literal or Grammatical Sense By which it is plain that a Socinian cannot subscribe the First Article where 't is asserted that in the Unity of the Godhead there be Three Persons of one Substance Power and Eternity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost without the groslest Hypocrisie and Dissimulation Then as to the Sacraments according to the Principles they have laid down in the Trinitarian Scheme considered they can joyn in them with Papists Lutherans Church-of England-Men Presbyterians Independants or Anabaptists for say they p. 28. They don't place Religion in Worshipping God by themselves or after a particular Form or Manner but in right Faith and a Just and Charitable Conversation So that if they can but perswade themselves that their Faith is Right and their Conversation Just and Charitable they can with the same Liberty go to the Turkish Mosque the Popish Maâ—…s House and the Meetings of Protestants of all Denominations they don't think themselves oblig'd to have any regard whether the Administration be according to the Word and Institution of God or not The Mahometans and Papists have a Right Faith they believe Jesus to be the Messiah which according to them is the only Characteristick that distinguishes a Believer from an Unbeliever therefore they can frequent their Assemblies And as to the Sacraments they tell us in that same Book that he that is baptiz'd is only to resolve a Newness of Life which by the way destroys Insant-Baptism and declares their falling in with the Anabaptists And in the Lord's Supper they say they are only to commemorate the shedding of his Blood and breaking of his Body So that let it be a meer Layman or a Minister duely ordain'd that Administers or let it be a Consecrated Wafâ—…r or Bread and Wine it is all one to them What a vast deal of Blood and Treasure might this have sav'd to this Nation and to the French and other Protestants had they been so happy as to be thus principled What Millions of Men and Money might Christendome have sav'd had the Gentlemen of this Latitude been of an earlier Rise ' Its all one to them whether the Cross or the Crescent be predominant nay it is much better that the latter should carry it for as we have heard already Mahomet intended only the Restitution of the true Intent of the Christian Religion Nay I have read it somewhere that the Learned Socinians ascribe the Propagation of Mahometism to their Denial of the Trinity and not to the Sword Then let any Christian judge what can be too vile or base for Men of such Principles to attempt or act so they can but attain their Ends of overturning the chief Principles of Christianity that so they may be at Liberty to take a full swinge in pursuing the Lusts of the Flesh and other Impurities in which the Mahometans do so much delight There 's little reason to doubt but J. T. and others of his Kidney how much soever they may be against a Comprehension amonst Protestants in this Nation which they know would strengthen the Reformed Interest throughout Europe would soon come to a Comprehension with the Mahometans as to the point of the Bottle which seems to be the only material Point in difference betwixt them except it be that the Turks as Nicholaus Cardinal de Cusa in his Cribâ—…atio Alcorani informs us have more respect for the New Testament than J. T. for they prefer the Gospel to their own Law whereas J. T. when a Student at one of the Scotch Universities threw away his Greek New Testament because he could not understand the Language as some of his Coâ—…rades have told the Story and in a great Rage cried Damn the Galatians which was the Place where he was then reading and I am informed he now brags that he hath banish'd all Divinity out of his Closet whence 't is to be suppos'd that it was always a Stranger in his Heart yet this is the mighty Man of so great knowledge and Light to whom there is nothing Mysterious in Christianity Another Instance of their Dissimulation is That they good Men have a mighty Esteem for the Church of England they approve of known Forms of Prayers and Praises as also in administring Baptism the Lord's Supper Marriage and the other Religious Offices they like well of the Discipline of the Church by Bishops and Parochial Ministers they communicate with the Church as far as they can and contribute their Interâ—…st to favour her against all others who would take the Chair as they tell us in their Trinitarian Scheme Considered p. 28. yet in the 24th Page of that same Book as I have already hinted they ridicule the Sacraments thus Let a Man say they in black sprinkle you with some of the Churches Water or give you a bit of Bread or sup of Wine over which he hath pronounced the Wonder-working Words prescribed in Mother Churches Ritual and yet they pretend to approve of the Church of England's Form in the Administration of the Lord's Supper tho' by Nature continue they you are aâ—… bad as the Devil you shall presently be inclin'd to as much Good as will save you from Hell and qualifie you for Heaven and this no less certainly if you are one of the Elect for else the Churches Incantation produces only a momentary Effect and a false Appearance of Good No less certainly I say than by tying the Norman Knot you may gain the Love of the Person you desire or by other Devices recorded in the Learned Books so Fools esteem them of Magick you may cause Hatred raise Winds and do a thousand other Feats which have no more Natural or Real Agreement with those Causes that are said to produce them than Faith and Obedience have with a bit of Bread or with a sprinkling of Water Therefore when St. Augustine defin'd a Sacrament to be the Outward Visible Sign of an Inward Invisible