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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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and that the Liturgies and Canons c. father'd upon some of the Apostles are rejected by many But to question the Divine Authority of any of those Books of the Old and New Testament that by Christians in General are received as Canonical has a dangerous Tendency And we have the more Reason to suspect J. T 's Words because of the Heterodox Opinions he hath already publish'd That another of the Party did sometime ago write a Book call'd The Oracles of Reason with a design to ridicule Revelation and that it is certainly the Interest of the Socinians to do so because they are not able to withstand the irresistible 〈◊〉 Force of those Arguments which are brought against them from the Old and New Testament But in the mean time what Occasion was there for J. T. in his Account of Mr. Milton's Life to advance such Propositions or to trouble the World with his own silly Thoughts and malicious Reflections Mr. Milton's Name is indeed sufficient to procure some Regard to the Text but I don't know any Reason why the World should have the least Esteem for J. T 's Comment We have seen enough of the Vomit that J. T. hath disgorged from his foul stomach against Religion and the Ordinance of the Ministry and shall in the next place take notice of another design he has upon our Morals and that is about the Affair of Marriage and Divorce p. 55. c. where he gives an account of Mr. Milton's Opinion concerning Divorce occasioned by his Wifes refusing to come to him when sent for c. as mentioned before I shall not now enter upon the dispute at large that point being handled by many Authors and of late in a Book call'd Concubinage and Poligamy disprov'd in Answer to Butler's Defence of Concubinage But this is evident that if other Causes be assign'd for Divorce than Adultery and wilful Desertion which are the only two Cases we find mentioned in the N. Testament it will be attended with horrid consequences and especially if the Party be allow'd to be judge in their own Case as J. T. represents Mr. Milton to have been in his and in defence of his Practice to have laid down this Position viz. That Indisposition Unfitness or contrary Humours proceeding from any unchangeable Cause in Nature hindring and always likewise to hinder the main ends and benefits of Conjugal Society that is to say Peace and Delight are greater Reasons of Divorce than Adultery or Natural â—…rigidity provided there be a mutual Consent for Separation Whether J. T. represents Mr. Milton's Argument fairly or not I know not but any one may see that admitting those Causes to be sufficient there 's this great defect in the Position viz. That there 's no mention of having the Allowance of the Church and Civil Magistrate nor indeed of so much as asking it which if neglected in such a Case would quickly fill the Kingdom with Fornication Adultery and a Spurious Issue Many things might be objected against the Position it self as that it is contrary to Scripture which assigns a Meet help and the Propagating of a Godly Seed as the chief ends of Marriage Gen. 2. 18. 1. 2. 8. Mal. 2. 15. whereas Peace and Delight might have been had without it the Man could not have fallen into Strife when there was no other Human Creature for him to disagree with and he had the Perfections of God and himself and all the Beauties of the Creation to delight in without the Woman But this is the mischief on 't when Men will become Wise above what is written they do but discover their own Folly and Weakness Then again for Indisposition to be a cause of Divorce is Unreasonable as well as Unchristian It is unreasonable for at that rate Sickly and Indispos'd Persons must be expos'd to unavoidable Calamities and the hazard oâ—… being neglected by all others when abandon'd by so near a Relation It is an addition unto or rather an overwhelming them with Grief must expose their Children to Contempt and occasion fatal Discord in Families betwixt Children of different Mothers and Fathers and their Relations and by consequence is inconsistent with that Peace and Profit which J. T. says are the main ends of Conjugal Society It would be Unchristian as contrary to our Saviours Rule of doing as we would be done by and of making any other Cause of Divorce but Adultery and Desertion It would be as Unnatural as for a sound part of the Body to neglect a wounded Limb seeing the Scripture tells us that a Man and his Wife become one Flesh. Contrary Humours is yet less tolerable for in that Case either of the Parties when they had a mind to change would be sure to be cross humour'd on purpose Then as to unchangeable Causes in Nature hindring the ends of Conjugal Society they are sooner pretended than determin'd and not always easie to be discover'd As to the Mutual Consent I have already said that it is not enough without the Approbation of the Church and Civil Magistrate and besides it may be obtain'd by force from the Injur'd Party who may be rendred so uneasie that they will chuse rather to Consent than to live in perpetual vexation and danger These are some obvious Objections which occur to me immediately upon reading what J. T. calls Mr. Milton's grand Position as to his own I think them unworthy of a Reply or any further Remark than that he had nothing to do to mix his own Impertinent Jargon with Mr. Milton's Life but it is Natural for one who does all he can to sap the Foundations of Christianity to be a Patron of Immorality He knows how grateful a Doctrine it is to Libertines which he lays down of himself p. 56. That the Marriage Covenant may be undone when the Persons find things otherwise than they promise themselves and that it is Tyranny to punish their so doing The Sparks of the Town will no doubt congratulate his happy Invention for such a plausible way of changing Wives into Misses for at this rate when any distaste arises betwixt them and their Wives there 's no more to do but for both Parties to draw Stakes as he words it and leave Matters as they were before If this be the Purity of the Socinian Doctrine we may rationally conclude it never came down from Heaven Another and which I suppose is his main design is to promote the Cause of a Commonwealth but remember it was objected against the late King James's Regulation that he imployed mean and unfit Persons in the Design and therefore it was generally concluded it would not succeed I am far from thinking that J. T. is imployed by the bulk of the Commonwealth Party whatever he may be by a few but this I think I may venture to say That his Management and Concern will add no Reputation to their Cause If the advancement of Socinianism and Immorality and an unlimited Toleration to Heresies of all
re-called Marriage to its Primitive Institution condemned those frivolous Causes of Divorce in the Jews which J. T. would now revive again and taught such a resin'd Morality that he censured a lustful look as Adultery If Jesus Christ was a Lyar in owning himself to be the Son of God God himself and equal with God which the Jews charg'd him with to prove their Indictment against him for Blasphemy we have no Reason to believe that sublime Chastity which he teaches in the Gospel but may safely return to Poligamy and Concubinage as practis'd among the Jews Let J. T. prove if he can That this is not the natural Consequence of denying Jesus Christ to be God And if it be so it must be granted That the Socinian Principles have a vicious Tendency and therefore according to Mr. Milton's own concession ought not to be tolerated But much more will it appear that they are not to be suffered when we consider their other Doctrines such as that of Wolzogenius who in his Commentary on Mat. 20. v. 28. says There is no such Justice in God as doth exact Vindictive Punishment for sins and the same is maintain'd by Crellius in his Answer to Grotius de Satisfactione and by Socinus in his Theological Prelections Then the Opinion that Socinus and others of them broach about Death Eternal that it is nothing but a perpetual continuance in Death or Annihilation that Everlasting Fire is so called from its Effect which is the Eternal Extinction or Annihilation of the Wicked who shall be found alive at the last Day must necessarily be an incouragement for Men to indulge themselves in the pursuit of all sensual Pleasures and cannot have any influence to deter them from the greatest of Villanies to reach their ends provided they can but escape the Sword of the Civil Magistrate Their denying of secret Assistances and the certainty of God's fore-seeing all future Events that depend upon the Freedom of Man's Will must needs also have a tendency to incourage Immorality I shall only add that certainly no Christian Magistrate would ever allow the Mahometans to form themselves into Societies erect Mosques and write Libels against the Christian Religion in their Dominions under pretence that they think themselves oblig'd in Conscience to do so and therefore there is much less reason to suffer such as call themselves Christians to undermine the Foundations of our Religion and to teach That the Jews and Turks who believe and worship the One True God are in a nearer proximity to Salvation than we who believe the Trinity and that Mahomet meant not his Religion should be esteem'd a New Religion but only tâ—…e Restitution of the true Intent of the Christian Religion and this the Sociniâ—…ns do as may be seen in their Book called An Exhortation to free Enquiry p. 3. and the Resolution concerning the Trinity and Incarnation p. 18 19. which verifies the old Prophesie of Siâ—…ler That the Socinian Doctrine would prepare the way for Mahometanism and bring ruine upon those flourishing Countries where it is sown as may be seen in Cloppenâ—…urch's Preface to his Confutation of Compendio'um Socinianismi It were to be wish'd that most of those who have embrac'd that pernicious Sâ—…cinian Error would examine their own Consciences fairly and try whether a loose Conversation and Love to an uncontrolable Pursuit of their sensâ—…al Pleasures which makes up the best part of Mahomet's Paradise did not at first beget in them a good Opinion of that Heresie and to consider whether the dissoluâ—… Lives of most of their Fraternity â—…e not a just Judgment upon them 〈◊〉 Godâ—… for growing Vain in their Imaginations and rejecting all those Principles of Religion which they cannot fathom with their shallow and corrupted Reason according to that of the 1st of the Romans Because they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became Vain in their Imaginations Their foolish Heart was darkned and professing thâ—…mselves to be wise they became Fools Wherefore God also gave them up to Vile Affections and Uncleanness through the Lusts of their own Hearts to dishonour their own Bodies Let J. T. mock this as a Pulpit-System if he please but he would do well to remember that it is the Censure of the Holy Ghost by the Mouth of the Apostle I think it is evident enough that his Practice in writing Pamphlets against the King's Administration subjects him to the First Part of Mr. Milton's Censure as Seditious and therefore he ought not to be tolerated Then as to the Principles he advances I have said before that closely pursued they will allow of no Magistracy at all an Error that some of his new Friends the Anabaptists have been formerly tax'd with and he seems to be riding Post towards it As to a Liberty for Arrians and Socinians which he presses so much I must beg leave to dissent from Mr. Miltâ—…n in that Point Mutual Forbearance in things indifferent as Meats Drinks and Days is enjoyn'd by the Apostle Rom. 14. 16. 15. 17. Col. 2. 16. but at the same time he commands Hereticks to be rejected by the Church after the first and second Admonition Tit. 3. 10. and calls the denying of the Lord that bought them whereof those that deny the Godhead of Jesus Christ are certainly guilty a damnable Heresie In the 2d of the Revelations the Church of Ephesus is commended for trying false Apostles and finding them Liars and for bating the Nicolaitans who are commonly suppos'd to have maintain'd the lawfulness of a Community of Women towards which J. T. seems to be making Advances The Church of Pergamos is blam'd for suffering those that taught the Doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans as is the Church of Thyatira for suffering Jezabel a false Prophetess to seduce People to commit Fornication yet there 's no doubt but all these pretended to Conscience Liberty and good Precedents as the Nicolaitans are said to have done from the Example of Nicolas who expos'd his Wife to be commâ—… and as Mr. Butler laâ—…ely did from the practise of the Jewish Patriarchs in defence of Concubinage If J. T. object that those People were Vicious I reply that Blasphemy of which the Socinians are guilty is as great a Crime as any here mention'd and therefore to be punish'd but not permitted by the Magistrate Nor is it consiâ—…ent with Christian Zeâ—…l to suffer any such Persons as call themselves Christians and yet at the same time entertain such Principlâ—…s as must necessarily if our blessed Saviour were now upon â—…arth oblige theâ—… to murder him as the Jews did and upon that very same account too viz. because as they thought he being a Man made himself God John 10. 3â—… Then certainly it must be the Duty of Kings and Queens and other Magistrates who are promis'd to be Nursing Fathers and Mothers to the Church under the Gospel Isa. 49. 2â—… to protect her from such pernicious Enemâ—…es as would administer Poyson to the