Selected quad for the lemma: cause_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
|
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
scarely thank him for this Vindication of the â—…resbyterians That the Fact of cutting of King Charles I. was not Theirs Nor will it be very easie for him to reconcile those two Positions That the Presbyterians were the King 's mortal Enemies and yet angry at his Death They that know the History of those Times are not ignorant that the Presbyterians whilst they had any Interest in the Parliament or Army always expressed themselves with Honour of the King's Person and that they Voted his last Concessions a sufficient Ground to Treat with Him and were altogether against his Trial and Death as having taken Arms for the Defence of their Liberties and Religion and not the Destruction of their Prince But J. T 's Friends the Independents and Anabaptists had other Designs in view nothing less than his Blood could pave the Way to their projected Anarchy in Church and State And therefore as J. T. says himself in the History of Standing Armies which he is proud to have thought his Oliver who was the Head of the Faction came into the Parliament-House with an armed Force behaved himself like a mad Man turn'd them out of Doors and modell'd the House according to his own Mind or to this Effect Page 77. He discovers the Plot and the Reason of aâ—…l this invenom'd Malice against the Presbyterians viz. Because they warmly joined with others the last Parliament to promote Penal Laws against the Socinians and therefore says he finds few People will believe that those in England differ from their Brethren in Scotland about Persecution nor that their own sufferings of late have made them more tender to the Consciences of others This naturally leads Men to think that they have not repented of their Rigour in the Civil Wars and that should the Dissenters once more get the Secular Sword into their Hands they would press Uniformity of Sentiments in Religion as far as any other Protestants or Papists ever yet have done witness their inhumane Treatment of Daniel Williams a sober Man and judicious Divine for no Cause that I can discern but that he made Christianity plainer than some of his Collegues in the Ministry This is Bogtrotters Sense and Gratitude twisted together This is J. T 's Reward to the Presbyterians for maintaining him at his Studies beyond Sea and as profound Sense as ever was spoke in Teagueland Every Body knows that 't was the Independents that treated Mr Williams in that barbarous manner and that it was the Presbyterians who did then and do still espouse Mr. William's Cause And therefore to argue from this Passage That the Dissenters in General or Presbyterians in Particular are of a Persecuting Spirit is like the Admirable Wisdom of J. T 's Country-man who ask'd his Fellow Lackey By my Shoul dear Joy do ye think I shall overtake my Master's Coach before I come at it Such another proof of J. T 's Wit and Ingenuity we have Page 60. where he falls foul upon the Presbyterians because Mr. â—…aryl an Independent gave his Imprimatur to an Answer to Mr. Milton's Book about Divorce Yet this is the mighty Man that sets up for Reformer General of Church and State tho' some are of Opinion that he is fitter to teach his Country-men to gut Oysters VVe must follow him a little too beyond Tweed but shall first take Notice of another Bogtrotting Trip Page 75. He tells us That he hopes the Bulk of those now called Presbyterians in England some few leading Men excepted are no such Enemies to a Toleration and that they understand no more of the Consisâ—…rian Clâ—…ssical or Synodical Judicatories than they allow of the Inquisition or Hierarchy Well first to admit thâ—…t the Bulk are no Enemies to a Toleration and then to except some few is a very good Irish Distinction But then again Page 78. He tells us That few will believe that the English Presbyterians differ from their Brethren in Scotland about Persecution so that here 's both Nonsense and Contradictions But we must pardon him his Passion was in a ferment upon the Remembrance that Aikenhead one of his Brethren in Blasphemy was hang'd by the Presbyterians in Scotland some time ago and therefore he Vows Revenge upon the whole Bulk of those of that Name in both Nations That you may the better judge whether the Scotch Presbyterians deserve the Character of Persecutors or not for hanging that Fellow I shall give you an Account of what was prov'd upon him at his Trial as follows viz. That he denied the Existence of a Deity maintaining that God Nature and the World were the same thing that Divinity and the Doctrine of Christianity was a Rhapsodie of fansied and ill-invented Nonsense patch'd up partly of the Moral Doctrines of Philosophers and Poetical Fictions and Extravagant Chimera's He call'd the Old Testament Ezra's Fables saying That Ezra was the Inventer thereof He affirmed the New Testament to be the History of the Impostor Jesus Christ who he said had learn'd Magick in Egypt by which he made the Ignorant believe he wrought Miracles He also cursed our Holy Saviour and did affirm That the Doctrine of Redemption by Jesus Christ was a proud and presumptuous Device and that the Inventers thereof are damned if after this Life there be either Reward or Punishment He likewise affirmed That if ever there was such a Man as Moses he was a Magician and Impostor also and preferred him and Mahomet as having more Skill in their Arts as he termed it than the blessed Jesus He said That he hoped to see Christianity much weakned and that he was consident in a short time it would be utterly extirpated Now let any Man judge whether such a Monster of Blasphemy deserved to live and what sort of a Man J. T. is who is so angry at the Scots Presbyterians for hanging that Wretch and at the English Presbyterians for concurring last Sessions of Parliament to have Penal Laws enacted against Socinians whose Doctrine overturns the very Foundation of Christianity This gives me ground to suspect That J. T has indeed more than ordinary Reason to be concerned at the Fate of that Scotch Blasphemer for if he durst freely speak out his Mind P. 91. He seems to Ballance mightily towards Aikenhead's Opinion That the New Testament is a Forgery for there he tells us from the Instance of Eicon Basilicé That he ceases to wonder any longer how many supposititious Pieces under the Name of Christ his Apostles and other great Persons should be publish'd and approv'd in those Primitive Times I confess my self to be but slenderly Vers'd in Antiquity and therefore the discovery of my Ignorance in that Point is the more pardonable but at the same time I must needs say That I don't remember of any supposititious Piece alledg'd upon our Saviour his Answer to Abgarus's Letter excepted I know that the Divine Authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Revelations and others have been objected against by some