as to inform it that M. Calamy called the Members speckled Vipers Murtherers c. For the sake of your souls learn to be more honest And you our dear Countriemen learn from hence not to believe every bold and scandalous report that is cast upon the Ministery Speckled Vipers Murtherers Traitors Rebels Blasphemers c. We wish that those who have used such Language had better manners more love to the Commonwealth and care of their own welfare But what is all this to the Subscribers or to the Presbyterian Party as for us we know no Presbyterian that hath used any such language to or of the Parliament Your Honours have lately been Alarm'd with the noise of Popish Books Blasphemous Books c. and had we heard and seen no more but such fair Grasse without a Snake and the Plots of our constant Powder-Miners we had held our peace We easily believe that had you heard and seen no more then the noise of such Books you would have been no more offended at it then you are with the fair Grasse of Summer but the Magistrates Sword drawn out to suppresse them you cannot endure to hear of that 's the Snake in the bottom that so much scares you We cannot but in faithfulnesse tell your Honours the Plot is to amuse you with the noise of Popery and Blasphemy and in the interim to spring their Mines to blow up your Selves the Councel and Army c. This you say and we deny and none is the wiser by either except to perceive how skilful you are in plotting meer fictions your proofs are two viz. 1. For they hope yet for the day to steal the Sword out of your hands 2. For can your Honours imagine that such Licensers who write such Language above-said will ever set your Honours Imprimatur to any lines but of the same unclean and treasonable Spirit We appeal to your selves Whether these be clear demonstrations to prove the Plot you pretend to discover As for M. Calamy we beleeve he might challenge all his ill-willers to name one Popish Blasphemous or Treasonable Book that ever was Licensed by him and others can say of him that he hath Licensed as many excellent Books for his time as any that ever in this Nation were imployed in that trust And for the Stationers subscribing to the Beacon do all those golden Characters of Zeal and Holinesse spell any more then plain Presbytery By your own acknowledgement they spell as much And do the golden Characters of Zeal and Holinesse spell Presbytery Now well fare your hearts you have said more in praise of Presbyterie then our modestie would permit us And blessed be God that Presbyterie Zeal and Holiness are acknowledged at least to accord even by our adversaries themselves Is not the sale of Popish books the greatest part of the trade of some of them and p. 13. who did lately quarrell with one of their neighbour Book-sellers because he would not exchange the Holy Court for some of their Presbyterian Books No it is not nor are Popish books in English sold by any of them except very rarely to a learned pious friend whom they know to be sound in the faith and able to handle the snake without being stung which manner of selling may very well stand with a zealous desire that such books might never be published And this being true is answer enough about the exchange mentioned Who are also strongly reported to have a factor in Rome it self This charge cannot reasonably be fastned on any of the Subscribers except one whose Trade indeed is partly beyond the Seas but yet so farre from having any Factour at Rome that neither he nor his Predecessours before him in the place and Trade that he is in ever had any dealings in any part of Italy Nor is there any need of sending to Rome for Popish English Books of which the Beacon gives warning for they are too numerous here at home Hath not the most treasonable book that ever was printed against the State been certainly bought at the shop of some of them even since they fired the Beacon to the Parliament They know no such thing And that any such book was so sold by any of the Subscribers or by any for or under them with their knowledge or consent they are ready and willing to deny upon oath before your and their betters if called do you prove the contrary if you can Do not these Mercenaries know that a faire current for sober disputes and writings in matters of God controversall ingageth more Authours to write then a stop and stifling to the Spirit of God and men To make you more charitable then to judge us Mercenaries we leave you to the sanctifying Spirit of God to work in you the grace of Charity and are sorry you have so good an opinion of Idolaters and Blasphemers whose Arguments are attended where they are predominant with Halter and Faggot as to expect from them any sober Disputes and Writings No man that is but meanly versed in history and hath but competent intellectuals would expect such things from the hands of Papists witness but one passage which Mr. Squire relates in those Sermons wherein he proves the Pope to be Antichrist among many other sad instances of the Duke of Alva who professed publickly that he killed by torment 18000 of the Protestants in six yeers space for the very cause of Religion And yet religious Vargas one of that tribe that must be admitted to dispute complained that he had made the Netherlands worse by shewing them too much mercy And for your laying before us the consideration of the increase of books by such writings and disputes to abate our zeal against popish and blasphemous books let us tell you that we so little regard increase of Trade by such loathsome ware as that we were quickned up for fear of that temptation to pray against the publishing and increase thereof And whereas you call the stopping and suppressing of popish and blasphemous books a stopping and stifling of the Spirit of God We wish from our hearts you would according to the word of God and judgement of all the Churches that are come out of Babylon and the practice of the Army that have sometimes severely punished Blasphemers consider the punishing of men for their evil deeds and a stopping the course of Idolatry and Blasphemy the proper work of the Magistrate And as to books of Heresie Popery Blaspemy if there be equall liberty of engaging c. We need no other confutation but the sence and experience of these late yeers wherein this equall liberty hath been used O do not our eyes see how strangely Errours of all sorts and sizes have prevailed with the multitude partly through the just judgement of God upon those that receive not the truth in the love of it partly through the craftiness and hypocrisie of deceivers and partly through the naturall aptness of people to imbrace novelties carnall
doctrines and will-worship And though God will keep his own yet there is a necessity in respect of the weal of a Christian State to keep the multitude to the true profession by whose suffrages Councels are form'd and by whose strength the Magistrate rules otherwise we shall quickly be govern'd by Antichristian popish and blasphemous Magistrates and then we have brought our Hogs to a faire market And though it were blasphemy to deny the power and efficacy of Christ in his Word and Ordinances to conquer the greatest of his adversaries yet it must be affirmed also from Scripture and experience that he overcomes and rules by the use of means and particularly by his blessing upon the Power and Strength of Men as his instruments and in office under him How otherwise did God give to Israel the Land of Canaan or to any Christian State deliverance from Romish Errours Superstition Idolatry and thraldome And how otherwise then by his two-edged sword did he pull down Prelacy in these Nations or will he pull down Antichrist will it not be by incensing the Kings of the earth against that Whore and causing them to hate her and burn her with fire By your Doctrine you should have let the Cavaliers alone who fought for their opinions and way of worship as well as any thing else Do you think Jesus Christ was not as able to meet them in the field and quell them without your help as ten thousand Popes and Devils your Doctrine is brave Doctrine to justifie our late war is it not If there be equall liberty of engaging Should we have no better champions then you to dispute with Papists and Blasphemers upon an equall liberty by your mincing their errours and crimes in your late plea for their more then toleration we have cause to beleeve that no more good will come of it then did of the great Disputation at Munster in John of Leydens reign which who will may reade in Sleydens History or the extracts of it in English Yet perhaps you would be accompted valiant champions against Popery because you do upon all occasions vent so much heat without reason against Presbytery for considering how the men of your temper use to call it Antichrist or Antichristianisme we cannot but think that is one of your Poperies that you mean when you pray page 7. line 30. That God would stir up able Writers against all sorts of Poperies which upon the title of your book having painted with the pictures of tyranny and cruelty you affirm to be worse then all other wayes of Doctrine and Worship saying Then which nothing is worse But let us ask which of you did ever convict the Presbyterian Government aim'd at in England by the godly men therof to have any tyrannical or heretical principles in it It s easily affirm'd but when or by whom was it evidenc'd out of the proceedings or writings of the Assembly of Divines or the Petitions or Books of any Presbytery of this Nation or company of men truly Presbyterian * And to make you so ashamed for all your bitterness against the Presbyterians as never to shew your faces more untill you have done penance at least in a printed sheet of retractation we do here for the glory of God and comfort of the Church challenge any of you to shew and declare any one fundamentall errour either in Doctrine or Worship that hath been held forth or owned by any Presbyterie or companie of Presbyterians in any part of this Nation or so much as by anie eminent single Presbyterian This Crown hath God set upon the head of that Partie To him be praise for ever in the Churches Amen Yea can it without amazement be remembred that one of their Lords should proclaim that blasphemous crack Stupor mundi clerus Britannicus The amazement of the world is the Clergie of Brittain We believe it to be true and no crack or blasphemie so beneficent hath that LORD been to this Island who ascended up on high to give gifts unto men as that great hath been the numbers of his Ministers Embassadours i. e. Pastors and Teachers and to his praise we may speak it we think through his blessing upon their labours there are not more glorified Saints in heaven called thither since Christs Ascension out of any so little spot of ground in the whole world as out of great Britain and no question the great number of our Ministers so learned pious and successful maugre all the malice of men and devils cannot but be the amazement of the world The good people of the world admire it and praise God for it and those that be enemies are amazed and envie them and the Island for it And yet our Beacons must be fired and the Alarm given to the Magistrates Sword Arm Arm c. for not a man dare stir of our British Clergie to receive the charge of some few often conquered religious Adversaries The visible signs of the enemies approach gives an Alarm to a few that saw their motion those few give warning by setting a Beacon on fire now no man can be blamed for not putting on his Armour before danger appears Our Beacon was intended to give warning not only to the Magistrate but to the Minister also yea to all the Lords people of this Land for your parts you 'l take none but quarrel with us a shrewd sign that you will either be taken prisoners by the enemie or are resolved to revolt to them But for our Ministers they have given such good proof of their skill and zeal in receiving and repelling the charges of the Romish adversaries in time past that we doubt not of them for the future but Ill will never speaks well and the truth is so much hath been said in Print and Pulpit already as thereby it is put out of all doubt That the Romish Religion in those things we complain of and to the practice whereof the Papists labour so much to seduce men is a false Religion made up of Idolatrie Superstition Will-worship and maintained and propagated by hellish crueltie and that the practice or promotion thereof is an abomination to the LORD So that the Ministers have upon the point done their work the Magistrates only remains The like may be said of those opinions we call Blasphemy as to the undoubted and unspeakable wickedness and publishing of them We humbly conceive not presuming to propose that your the States former care of the Printers name and readinesse to produce the Authors or bringers of their Copies together with some convenient Regulations cannot justly by any just man be complain'd against This Model for Regulating the Presse supposes every Bookseller and Printer a competent and able Judge of whatsoever matter is printed which He is not or else suffers him to fall into the pit before he shall be bid Stand It also permits any Popish Blasphemous Treasonable Book to be 1. Printed 2. Sold 3. Read 4. Complained of 5. Debated
Power in matters of Religion which we from Scripture own to be in the Magistrate and which hath been exercised by all the Magistrates that ever were in the world to this day unless they were by death or otherwise hindred And it is most famously known by all that know the Historie of the times that there were never any pleaders for a Toleration of all Religions but they were great persecutors of the contrary minded if they once got into the saddle The Historie of the Arrians is famous who once were enemies to all persecution when they were under the hatehes but when they got power into their hands were more bitter persecutors then the Heathen Emperours The Donatists were great Patrons of a Toleration till under that Apostate Julian they got power into their hands and then they filled Africa with blood and desolation The Storie of the Germane Anabaptists is so famous that it needs no mentioning A Presbyterian Classis would do well but let it have some new name that may pronounce Censures c. and what would this be less then a Spanish Inquisition Some new name to wit a Parliament for to them onely we seek for redress Here you do more then insinuate that if the Parliament shall punish men for or but hinder them from common swearing offering their sons to Molech open rejection of the Lords daie worshipping the Sun or a golden Calf preaching up Mahomet preaching down Christ or maintaining that the Pope hath authoritie to blow up Parliaments change the Government of this Commonwealth discharge the people of Obedience to their Magistrates or they suppress Popish and Hereticall Books all which come under the notion of Religion they are no better then a Spanish Inquisition We beseech our dear Countrey-men that subscribed The Beacon quenched whoever were the Authours of it to consider what brave Doctrine this is and whether they are not of another minde as we are perswaded they are whatever they may say in a passion But they know the Parliament and Armie have often declared against such proceedings to wit as we suppose your meaning is the suppressing Popish and Heretical Books The Parliament hath often declared to maintain the Protestant Religion in opposition to Poperie and that they never intended to let loose the golden Reines of Discipline for men to follow the imaginations of their own hearts and everie man do that which was right in his own eyes commit Idolatry despise Gods Ordinances Blaspheme God Christ and Scripture The weapons of fasting and prayer are more available and Christian then those of force For lesser matters in Religion that are not so clear fasting and praying is the best But for Idolatrie Superstition Heresie and Blasphemie These without controversie God would have the Magistrate exercise his authoritie in suppressing as manifest evils that strike at the foundation Deut. 13. 6 8 9 11. Zach. 13. Rom. 13. How simple are these Subscribers to imagine that the truth of Christs holy Religion needs the support of humane Arms to sustain it That Christ can support his Church Truth and Worship without the Ministerie of men or Magistrate is true But that he hath not appointed the Magistrate to punish evil doers and encourage those that do well and that in reference to both the Tables is false as hath been alreadie proved And how distrustfull are these men of Gods Providence It 's no distrust of Gods Providence for men to do their dutie and use the means that God hath prescribed if it were the charge would lie against all war whatsoever just or unjust and all Courts of Judicature yea against the Magistrates cutting off the rottenest Branches in the Common-wealth for the good of the whole Bodie and indeed against all Government whatsoever For is not God able to avenge his people make up their losses preserve a State if he would without the help of any Government at all And doubtfull of our own strength to imagine that any Papist can say or write more then we can answer To do what God requires is no argument of our doubting either of the goodness of our cause or our abilitie to answer gain sayers We desire nothing more then that they and all dissenters should propound their doubts in a Christian way You are verie tender of Papists Idolaters Heretiques and Blasphemers with none else the Beacon meddles these are but Dissenters with you We wish your charitie were a Scripturecharity Do you think such as they will meet in the love of Christ for better instruction Or that those blasphemers that denie the Merits and Divinitie of Christ will meet the Orthodox in the love of Christ What Grolleries are these They forget that at the beginning of July last a Petition was presented to the Parliament by many thousand well-affected persons one Branch whereof was That the press might be open to all What if we had remembred that Petition which moved for so wicked a thing as the gratifying the verie Kingdome of darkness must not we therefore dare to petition for that which is just and good yea so much the rather And indeed that Petition you mention may well be remembred for a Julian spirit put in this Petition among the rest That Tithes might be taken away and no other maintenance established in stead thereof Had those Petitioners put in And that the Tithes might come to those who pay them as their own proper goods they would not be such deceivers of the poor Countryman as otherwise they will be Now if it were worth the examining we might certainly finde many untruths also in a few leaves of that Pamphlet as that 1500. of each book were printed is improbable and that they were all printed in England is doubtfull Have you been thus inraged at us for our Pamphlet as you call it without examining of it more shame for you And that 1500. of each book was printed we assert not but guess because that number is the usuall impression of a book But that they were all printed in England we are readie to make good if the State should judge it worth the while We do not guess at that but are sure of it The Subscribers rank the Christian Moderator among Popish books because it equally rejects Episcopall bondage and Presbyterian slavery We perswade our selves no wise man that reades that book will doubt that he is a Papist though now and then he transform himself into the appearance of a Protestant as the Devil sometimes changeth himself into the shape of an Angel of light It is known and can be proved if need be that Sancta Clara that famous or rather infamous Priest presented one of them to a Ladie who told it to a reverend Minister of this Citie and withall said that he was the Authour of the book Beside the verie designe of the book is to vindicate the Popish Religion it pleads for a generall toleration and especially for a toleration of Popery It pleads against
all settlement of Religion upon which we shall propound but one Quaere by the way Whether the Jesuites who are no fools do not apprehend that a Toleration is their best market and a settlement in Religion the onely way to suppress them Whereas its said the book hath nothing against the State It seems these men are of that Religion that they care not what men say against God and Christ and the truths of God if they are but trueto the State These men would do as the Romane Emperours did If any man forswore himself by their Genius they would be sure to punish them but let him forswear himself by God they would leave him to God to punish So let a man blaspheme God dethrone the Lord Jesus call Moses and Christ Impostors there are some Gallio's that care for none of these things but let men speak but a word against the Parliament let him but whistle against the Armie and these verie men would break him in pieces like a potters vessell But we hope our State will scorn the service of such spirited men We hope they will remember what good Constantius did and said when by a stratagem he had found out the indifferency and carelesness of many of his Courtiers in the matters of Religion he presently dismissed them with this noble speech He that will not be faithfull to God will never be faithfull to me but for his own ends And holds forth an absolute incoertion in matters of inward belief See how both the Moderator and you equivocate what do you tell us of inward belief when the question is wicked practices Idolatry Heresie Blasphemie and the spreading of these They say Christians of a different belief are not tolerated to profess their Religion among Papists are they not in France Take all we say without clipping off that part which you had no minde to reminde the world of and let it speak for it self Our words are these viz. For the world knowes that those vertues never appeared in Papists toward Christians of a different belief who are not that we know of tolerated to profess their Religion among them except by the atchievement of the sword taken up in their defence against popish cruelty Nor doth the Moderator in the least demonstrate how the Protestants may be assured of a toleration in case the Papists shall at any time become the major part as being impossible for him or any others so to do untill a popish generall Councell shall cancell some of their points of Faith about the Popes Supremacie and Churches infallibilitie We think you were afraid to meddle with us here As for the popish books mentioned in their Catalogue we do believe upon good information that the greatest part of them onely hold forth Morall Divinitie and rules of good life Is this Morall Divinity to assert that Rome is the onely true Church the Pope Christs Vicar-generall and the infallibilitie of both also Traditions Prayer for the dead Invocation of Saints Purgatorie reall presence in the Eucharist Adoration and bowing to the Hoast Altars Images Reliques a perfect keeping of the Commandments merit of Good Works Latine Service with all the rabble of Popish Ceremonies and fopperies stretching their wits to maintain these by Arguments and is all this Morall Divinity damning all that are not of their belief and is that a point of Morall Divinity so to do If all this Rubbish must be so called pray take in with the rest The Directory for the Mass lately put to the Press and call that Morall Divinity also And if those books have nineteen parts of good matter and the twentieth part Popery it were great pity the much good should suffer for the little evil as was excellently said by a worthy Member of Parliament upon occasion of debate concerning the Racovian Catechisme who upon that reason passed his vote against the burning of it Wo is us that we live to hear Protestants plead for that wicked book which is indeed a verie sink of errours Is it a small thing that it maintains Free-will denies Paedobaptisme Predestination c. Turn in and you shall see greater abominations then these It denies the satisfaction of Christ pleads for justification by works It ungods the holy Ghost And above a quarter of the book is spent in arguing against the Divinity of Christ So that we think these men have done a great dishonour to the Parliament in publishing to all the Nation that there is any there that should either speak in so bad a cause or use such weak and fallacious arguments And it is no credit to the Armie that any of them should speak for so devillish a book and that too after the Parliament had declared their hatred of it and zeal against it for which the hearts of many thousands in England did bless God on their behalf Whether that Gentleman spake excellently in the Parliament House or no we have learned better then to pass our censure especially considering that his speech was against the sence of the House Certainly the time will come that the secret debates of the Members of the Supreme Councell shall not be commended or censured without the walls of the Senate House by private men in publique print But we shall dare to examine in the spirit of meekness whether your notion of the twentieth part poyson be an excellent one or no Our answer therefore is this Things without life or sence are not capable of punishment or pain and so their sufferings no matter of pity further then in relation to the owners or users of them and therefore when nineteen truths of God are transcribed or collected out of the perfect Canon of the Scripture on purpose to put off with them one damnable errour that is shuffled in among them it is no matter of pity to punish the spirit of errour and preserve people from infection by burning all that paper and ink Gods truth for all that as a fountain abides and is not diminished unless the good were separated from the bad and preserved and the bad rejected which may be done no way but by that of Licensing which we desire in our Beacon fired Your selves will grant that a book containing nineteen parts of excellent Divinity or Policy having but the twentieth part seditious and treasonable against the Parliament or Armie ought to be burned and suppressed with a witness If a great mans picture should be drawn never so well in respect of all the parts of it except onely one of the members and that should be so ugly as to present that great man a verie deformed man were it any pity to burn that picture What madness were it to suffer the people of a Town to use infected water while there is enough pure water in the common Town-well or Fountain And if there were true weight and reason in what you say of your twentieth part of Popery it would prove it pity and folly to throw away a roasted