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
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
apple that hath a dram or a whole gile of beer that hath a gallon of strong poyson in it For Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Sprig they are very well able to answer for themselves onely this we gather that they are the more violent as we conceive against Mr. Sprig for being the Authour of Anglia Rediviva or the History of the war while Sir Thomas Fairfax was Generall by whose success the Presbyterian tyranny began to be abated We are not violent against Mr. Sprig but we think zealous against his blasphemy and that onely because it is blasphemy and though it never can pull the sun of righteousness out of the firmament yet it indangers the total eclipsing of it in our horizon And as for the Presbyterian Tyrannie to be begun to be abated by Sir Thomas Fairfax it 's a silly fiction the glorious Reformation that Presbytery purports though ever since the dawning of Reformation earnestly pray'd for by all the godly judicious Protestants nicknamed Puritans yet it was never exercised publickly before Sir Thomas Fairfax was Generall and by means of his success against the great enemies of Presbytery And not to this day much less while he was Generall did Presbytery in any part of this Nation do any thing that might have the least shew of Tyrannie a foolish picture of a bugbear that you paint upon good and wholsome Order in the Church of God And pray whence did you gather that we were violent against Mr. Sprig because he was the Authour of that History when as one of us the Subscribers hath the vending of that particular book Now the truth is this party of men make an appearance of zeal against Papists and popish books the better to disguise their designes when as their malice and spleen is against the well affected whom they stile Independents and Sectaries You cannot forbear being bitter and censorious our zeal with you is but an appearance of zeal and to disguise their designes and their malice and spleen is against the well-affected Is this Christianly done reade our Beacon fired do we give you any occasion of these expressions and do we so much as name Independency or Sectary in all the book Your Catalogue of books we said before is such that the most of them were complained of formerly and one or other punish'd for them viz. The History of Independency Mr. Walker the supposed Authour died prisoner in the Tower The Plea for Non-scribers complained of and a Bookseller imprisoned for it The same was done for Bonds and Bounds Mr. Loves Sermons the Epistle whereof you say hangs a flag of defiance charg'd upon Mr. Calamy a notorious untruth as at the beginning is proved Manus Testium Lingua Testium with a Narrative of the mysterie of State long since complained of and the supposed Authour many months imprisoned for them with others And for all these books they are unjustly charg'd upon us or the Presbyterian party let the Authours answer for them if they have not alreadie do we deal so with you or any others do we charge the Armie or Independency with popish with Mr. Sprig's Mr. Hobs's or the rabble of Ranters books These books we should not have mentioned but through a necessity of quenching the fire of this Beacon Which does it no more then if you should throw oyle into the fire but does make good what we chiefly intended by the firing our Beacon to wit the necessity of the Parliaments regulating the exorbitancy of the Press as the onely way to prevent the publishing of such books as tend to the dishonour of God and disturbance of the State And of what more dangerous consequence such books are then any other sorts of books whatsoever we leave to all true lovers of their Country to judge Popish and blasphemous books are of more dangerous consequence not in the least to justifie treasonable ones by how much the more God is provoked by them We humbly hope the Parliament will not restrain any peaceable spirit from the liberty of professing nor shut up the Press from any godly persons having due regard to the honour and peace of the Parliament and this Common-wealth For your last hope or wish or prayer we will but mend it a little and so conclude with an Amen viz. We humbly hope that the Parliament will not restrain any peaceable spirit that is a Prophet from the liberty of prophecying nor shut up the Press from any godly persons while they write godlily having due regard to the honour and peace of the Parliament and this Common-wealth Amen FINIS De Antichristo p. 110. * Read Jus Divinum The Assertion of the Government of the Church of Scotland The Provincial Assembly of Londons Vindication of Presbyterian Government and see if any tyrannical or heretical principles be in them Athan. Optatus
THE Beacon Flameing WITH A NON OBSTANTE OR A JUSTIFICATION OF The Firing of the BEACON By way of ANIMADVERSION Upon the BOOK entituled The BEACON'S Quenched Subscribed by Col. Pride c. LONDON Printed by Abraham Miller and Published by the SUBSCRIBERS of the Beacon set on fire 1652. To the READER IT is said Revel. 18. one of Babylons names is MYSTERY It hath been an ordinary custom with Antichrist when he hath been unable to do his work in his own appearance to put on a Disguise To that end the Romish Emissaries have several times come into the Reformed Churches under pretence of being converted some of them acting the parts of Arminians as in the Low-Countreyes to the almost ruine both of that Church and State Some of other Sects according to their instructions and as their Design required that they might widen the Breaches and foment the diseases of Protestant Churches like Sanballat and his Complices they pretend to joyn in the Building that they may more effectually hinder it Nor hath this Design been wanting among us as is too too evident from their foot-steps They have brought things to this passe that Antichrist is exalted by railing upon him while the name is spoken against but the thing hugg'd divers Popish Opinions being already embraced by those that would be called Protestants As a skilfull Gamester is willing to lose a Pawn at Chesse that he may take a Queen And in this Design we believe many move out of the simplicity of their hearts Like a Bird that hasteth to the snare and knows not that it is for his life In which rank we place some of those with whom we have to do It is not long since a Book was made A Beacon fired to give notice to the State of divers Popish and Blasphemous Books printed and published in England It was hoped and expected that the work would not displease any sober Protestant but rather that it would awaken all out of that strange Security and Lethargy wherein they were But behold there appeared some yea of those that have given up their Name to the Protestant Cause that rendered us evil for good and writ a bitter Answer and took upon them to plead the Cause of the vilest of men expresly desiring an Universal Toleration and as it were making a Proclamation Ho all ye Jesuites Blasphemers come into England preach write what you will we fear you not There are some men it seems that hate Presbytery worse then Popery Thus what was thought to be a slander is now verified That strong endeavours are used to tolerate Popery Blasphemy c. and what not It was strange to us that after the Parliament had appointed a Fast to direct them in the Suppression of Errours any of their servants should plead for a General Toleration When we first saw the Book we stood amazed But after serious consideration we beheld and adored the wisdom of God that hath brought secret things to light and hath discovered the Design before it was fully effected we hope in mercy that our Parliament may have the honour to prevent it and that all the people of the Land may be the more wary It was also another piece of Divine Providence that so wretched a Cause should be managed with as much weaknesse as could be desired We thought it our Duty that such a Text should not want a Commentary and such a Design of Darknesse a Light that all men may see the Mystery and loath it and Arm against it This is the great aim of our Answer God who knows our Hearts can witnesse and that this may be effected is the Prayer of Luke Fawne Samuel Gellibrand Thomas Underhill John Rothwell Joshua Kirton Nathan Webb THE BEACON FLAMING WITH A Non Obstante THe Humble Information of divers Officers of the Army and other well-affected Persons to the Parliament and Commonwealth of England The Authors of this Book could not be the Officers of the Army in charity it may be thought because they have professedly to all the world fought for the Maintenance of the true Protestant Religion in opposition to Popery as the Declarations of Parliament and Commissions of Officers do most clearly evince Nor can they be well-affected persons to Religion for they plead for Baal Or to the State for they idolize it by preferring the Parliament really or feignedly above God making it farre more vile to publish Books against the State and the Lord General than against the jealous Lord of Hosts provoked thereby to destroy the Parliament and Army as he did Herod when the people magnified him as God Cncerning the Machiavilian Design of the Presbyterians now carrying on by the Stationers of London We shall try how you will make this good and whose side Machiavil is on we hope before we have done He that shall reade Mr Calamy and his party in their late writings cannot but reade your glorious Titles to be Speckled vipers murtherers c. and pag. 14. more particularly M. Calamy in his late Epistle before M. Love's Seventeen Sermons hangs out a flag of Defiance to the State c. Why stumble you at the Threshold a bad beginning presages no good end You were very unfortunate in soaring so high at first as to strike at the precious Name Person and Ministery Liberty if not life of M. Calamy That Epistle prefix'd unto M. Love's Seventeen Sermons where you say such bad language is used is not M. Calamies it 's not his style hath not his name himself hath disclaim'd both the Imprimatur and Epistle to that Book before the Committee of Plundred Ministers and to a sub-Committee of that the Bookbinder that printed the said book did affirm that M. Calamy had no hand in either the Licensing or Epistle thereof which that it may be fully believed by all that shall reade these lines we will subjoyn his own confession as he gave it in writing unto the Sub-committee The Humble Acknowledgement of George Eversden Stationer Sheweth That whereas I placed the Imprimatur of M. Edmund Calamy before the Seventeen Sermons of M. Love which should have been only before M. Mantons Sermon preached at M. Loves Funeral and whereas I put the Letters E. C. at the later end of the Epistle of the said Book wherein I gave occasion to the Reader to believe that it was written by M. Edmund Calamy and finde it accordingly charged upon him in a late Book called The Beacon quenched I do hereby acknowledge that herein I have greatly wronged M. Calamy that he was not the Author of the Epistle that I added his Imprimatur to the whole and subscribed the Letters E. C. to the Epistle not out of any malice to him but meerly and only to make the Book sell the better and therefore humbly desire this Honourable Committee to pardon this great offence George Eversden By this it appears how farre you have abused the Parliament and wronged that Reverend Minister of the Gospel
of the Beacon have so informed c. Therefore they are enemies to the State We grant the Minor that we have so informed the Parliament but denie your Major which if you make not good and at the same time prove a Hare to be an Owl your Conclusion fals to the ground and you may as truly say men are enemies because they are friends we pray you to consider what rare stuff flows from your pretended Argument supposing it strong viz. You make the Parliament Poperie and Blasphemie to be at such an agreement that for any to seek the Suppression of one of them makes them enemies to the other and whether the Pope or the Parliament be most beholding unto you for such Doctrine we leave you to them to determine But if the Parliament and Armie should though but by silence appear to be of your minde which God forbid and we beleeve not and cause all the Organs and Bels in Rome and all the Romish Churches to make Melodie yet we for our parts and many thousands more would pray God to give them Repentance for frustrating the expectations of those who in the simplicity of their hearts adventured their Liberties Estates Lives All with and under them for nothing so much as to have the true Reformed Religion then in great danger setled in Puritie and fenced against Popish and blasphemous Pollutions For they are true Salamanders in a State and delight in nothing more then in Persecution of tender Consciences by Fire and Sword It is worth observing how much these men stretch the notion of a tender conscience that it may be applied to Idolaters and Blasphemers It is strange that God should appoint that any tender consciences should be put to death Why are you so bitter Did we ask any more then Suppression of Poperie Blasphemie and the maintaining the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints And do you think the Parliament hath not wisdom enough to do these without Fire and Sword i. e. burning heading hanging unlesse men be obstinately bent to be hang'd They are Boutefeux in a Superlative Degree whose chief content consists in making Combustions in all well-govern'd Common-wealths It is no new think for virulent and malicious men to raise scandals and cast aspersions upon guiltless persons And if it were enough to accuse who should be innocent Here is a bold accusation as full of rage and passion as void of sense and reason The authours of it do not so much as offer any evidence or argument to prove it you must take it upon their bare words It is below them to prove any thing and therefore we hold it not worth an Answer Only thus much we shall say If there were no worse Boutefenx then we If all men Souldiers and others were as peaceably minded as we and as resolved to keep within their bounds and stations there would not be such cause of great fear as is all the Land over of destructive Mutations and Alterations in this Commonwealth And that the world may the better know these Subscribers take their Names and places of Abode as followeth The Lord deliver us from wicked and unreasonable men for all men have not faith and keep up our hearts in Gods fear only from fearing man whose breath is in his nostrils and so a Rush for your threats These were the Subscribers of the Pamphlet but the Contrivers and Councellors of it we shall in due time and upon just occasion discover We can help you in this Discoverie better then any others and assure you that the Subscribers were the only men that contrived it but what if others had was that any crime to contrive by way of Information and Petition how the truths and worship of God may be continued and the spreading of Poperie and Blasphemie stopt If you judge this to be criminal then God be thanked you have not the Helm of the State in one hand and the Sword of Supremacie in the other and if ever you should we must change our Thanksgiving into a Praier and say Good Lord be merciful unto us and deliver us from such as you Amen Their Preamble is embelished with much seeming Zeal for Exaltation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which were truly commendable if it came from pure hearts but we have too great an Assurance that Self-interest is their Aim and Hypocrisie their Zeal Oh the hellish nature of pride that would not onely get into the Chair of State but usurp the Throne of God and pretend to know assuredly the secrets of the heart The Lord judge between us and you who proclaim us to be Hypocrites and Aimers at our own carnal Interest not his Glorie in our late Discoverie of Popish and blasphemous Books written and published by the enemies of the Reformed Churches though you prove us not transgressors in any thing They insinuate Proposals for effecting their Desires and so would fain scrue themselves into some Office or Monopoly for Licensing Printing and selling Books It s no Monopolie to have power from the State as their Instruments to execute their Laws yet we desired no such imploiment It s more sutable to the Governors and Officers of our Companie nor were we so foolish or presumptuous as to desire or ask the licensing of Books it s a trust too great for such as we or you either Is it not strange that a Physician cannot use means that none may sell corrupt Physick but he must be judg'd one that would monopolize all Medicine into his own hands But to turn what you say into plainer English though you world seem to speak only of us yet you plainly insinuate that the Parliament cannot ought not by giving power to any suppresse Popish and blasphemous Books nor authorize Licensers though never so godly and sound in the faith But for these things we leave them to the Parliament let that Power plead its own right Their Preamble is embelished with much seeming Zeal for the Exaltation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which were truly commendable if it came from pure hearts Let the Reader take notice that this Passage adjudges the Beacon fired to be truly commendable their onely exception is that it comes not from pure hearts which we leave to him to determine whose Prerogative alone it is The Pamphlet sayes the Parliament well knowing that the common People of this Nation will be of one Religion or other and if by publick Authority they be not kept to the Reformed they will be easily drawn to the Popish Hear they speak plain English and would have a coercive Power in matters of Religion a Presbyterian Classis would do well but let it have some new name that may excommunicate injoyn penance c. What would this be lesse than a Spanish Inquisition Let the Reader judge how true this is by considering our own words by your selves repeated And if by publick Authority they be not kept to the Reformed Religion Here is a coercive