one Theodatus Artemon and Beryllus and Sabellius in the Fourth Century by Arius Eunomius and some others And in the same Age the Personality and Divinity of the Holy Ghost was denied by Macedonius and some others who were there branded by a particular Name and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oppugners of the Holy Ghost These Heterodox Opinions beginning to spread and disturb the Peace of the Christian Church and some other ill Opinions arising too several General Councils were summoned by several Christian Emperors the Nicene Council by Constantine the Great whose main work was to examine the Opinion of Arius the Council of Constantinople called by Theodosius the First to debate the Opinion of Macedonius the Council of Ephesus called by Theodosius the Second to consider the Opinion of Nestorius and the Council of Chalcedon summoned by the Emperor Martian to consult about the Opinion of Eutyches These Councils consisting of some Hundreds of Bishops having the Glory of God in their Hearts the Settlement of the Church in their Eyes and the Bible in their Hands did after a mature deliberation pronounce the Opinions of these Men to be contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel and the obstinate defenders of them to be Hereticks And certainly the determinations of these General Councils which were made up of Persons exemplary for their Piety and eminent for their Learning who resolved on nothing without mature Advice and Deliberation are of as great Authority and afford as much Satisfaction in Matters of Religion as any thing of Man can be or do For the Truths of God once taught the World by Christ and his Apostles being unchangeable for ever and our Bibles which are the only Rule to measure Religions by continuing one and the same for ever that which was an Error in those early days must needs be an Error still and that which was a Truth then must needs be a Truth now And if we cannot think of any more proper means for the right understanding of Scripture and the discovery of Truth and Error than the deliberate and unanimous Judgment of so many hundred pious learned and unbiassed Men assembled together then certainly the determinations of those antient Councils are very considerable Evidences for Truth and against Error And the rather because they consisted of such Persons who besides their eminent Piety and Learning had the great Advantage of living nearer the Apostles age and thereby were the better able to inform themselves and us what was certainly believed and done in the very infancy of the Christian Church SECT IX 3. THE Writings of the Antient Fathers those especially that lived within the first six Centuries where-ever they agree and are not since corrupted or maimed by the Frauds and Forgeries of the Roman Church are of singular use in this Matter too That Ignatius Clemens Origen Athanasius Cyril Nazianzene Basil Chrysostom Hierom Austin and many others both in the Eastern and Western Churches were indeed Persons of great Piety and excellent Parts our Socinians without breach of Modesty cannot deny And although some of these great Names in some particular Matters had their peculiar mistakes and shewed themselves to be but Men yet in all Points where we find an unanimous Consent amongst them we are to have so much Veneration for their Authority as not easily to suspect or contradict it True it is if we take these Fathers singly Man by Man where we find any of them alone in their Opinions as Origen in reference to the Punishments of Hell and St. Austin in reference to Infants that die unbaptised we are not in this case much more obliged to accept their Judgment than the Judgment of some single Person yet alive But if we take All the Fathers who lived within six hundred Years after Christ together and in a lump where we find them One in Judgment they are enough to make a wiser Council than any hath been since their time they are enough to inform us what is Error and what is Truth But SECT X. 4. BEcause Learned Men whose Fortunes are Mean cannot purchase and unlearned Men whose Intellectuals are weak cannot read and understand the voluminous Writings of the Fathers we have several Systems of Divinity Confessions of Faith short Abridgments of Christian Religion which are especially to unlearned Persons great helps in this matter too And here methinks those antient Creeds of the Apostles Nice and Athanasius which are so generally received by the Church of God are of great Authority to settle our Judgment in the main and most necessary Points of Faith Besides we have many Choice and Excellent Catechisms composed by Men that were Pious Judicious acquainted with Scriptures well versed in the Primitive Councils and Fathers These short Catechisms compiled by Persons of singular Endowments and approved by the Church are little less than contracted Bibles containing in them whatever Man is obliged to know and delivering enough in easie Terms to inform us in Matters of Practice to secure us from Errors and confirm our Judgments in all the great Points of Faith In short the substance of my Answer to this Argument is this since we have the written Word of God to be our Rule and since this Word in some material Cases according to the different Fancies and Interests of Men hath different Interpretations given concerning its true Sense and Meaning 't is our safest way for our better Satisfaction to betake our selves to the most able faithful and unbiassed Judges and they are the most antient Councils and the Primitive Fathers whose Judgments are declared in our several Creeds in other publick Confessions of Faith and Orthodox Catechisms set forth or approved by the Church of God And since we are very well stored with these excellent Helps I do once more conclude that no Man whether learned or unlearned can need any new Arguments from the Press to confirm his Judgment in Matters of Religion SECT XI 7. THis Author's seventh Allegation against the Restraint of the Press runs thus If it be unlawful to let the Press continue free lest it furnish Men with the Reasons of one Party as well as the other it must be as unlawful to examine those Reasons To this I answer thus We must distinguish between Party and Party between one who is Orthodox and one who is Heretical this distinction being premised I shall resolve this Hypothetical Proposition into these two Categorical ones That it is not lawful for many Orthodox Christians to Examine those Reasons which Hereticks may urge in defence of their ill Opinions And therefore that the Press should not be permitted to furnish such Christians with any such Reasons 'T is notoriously known that there are amongst us vast numbers of Persons who are of weak Judgments not firmly established in their Faith not able to distinguish Truth from Falshood in a fallacious Argument and therefore are apt to be Tossed up and down by every wind of doctrine now for such
but of one medium and that a false one too for 't is nothing else but a groundless supposition that Men would want due means for the examination of their Religion were the Press any whit restrained I say any whit for we do not plead for a total Restraint but for a just and due Regulation And were the Press so regulated yet would it not be attended with any of these ill Consequences with which this Author is pleased to charge it for since Men have sufficient means for the trial of their Religion if they do it not their fin and folly must be imputed not to the Restraint of the Press but to their own Ignorance or Negligence for as some cannot so others will not But our Author goeth on and so must we SECT VII 5. THis Author's fifth Allegation against the Restraint of the Press takes up more than three Pages but the full Substance of it is this It prevents Acts of Charity to the Souls of Men it invades the natural Rights of mankind and destroys the common Tyes of humanity so he This is Dogmatically and Magisterially delivered and since it is such ◠grievous Charge it had need be very well proved And how doth our Author make it out He tells us That all Men are obliged especially in Matters of Religion to communicate to one another what they think is the Truth and the Reasons by which they endeavour to prove it To which I answer thus That we are indeed concerned not only to profess a Religion but promote it too I think that he who hath one jot thereof will never deny We are bound by several Obligations to instruct and teach our Neighbour in the Principles of that Religion which we own our selves St. Paul commands it Edify one another and so again Teach and admonish one another We are engaged by the frequent Commands of God and that eternal Law of Charity in our Capacities and as occasion is offered to propagate our Religion to plant it where it is not and to water it where it is But then methinks before we do this we should not only think as this Author saith but secure our selves and others too that the Religion which we advance in the World be indeed the Religion of God we must be sure that we plant not Weeds instead of Flowers that we sow not Tares instead of Wheat For to promote a Religion which may possibly be false were a desperate Venture indeed and he that doth it hazards the Honour of God and the Souls of Men. I find that our blessed Saviour and his Apostles taught no Doctrine but what they were sure of We speak that we know saith our Lord and thus St. John We know that we are of the Truth Certainly whosoever undertakes and is obliged to instruct another in matters of Religion had need be very well informed himself For if our Directions should chance to prove wrong What Excuse could we make Suppose we instil into the minds of Men Error and Heresie instead of Truth What were this but to ruin the Souls of Men though we might think to save them It 's true our good Intention and Ignorance may excuse such an ill Act à tanto but though such a mistake may somewhat extenuate the Fault yet can it no way lessen the fatal Consequence that doth attend it Suppose a Physician who really intends to cure his Patient by a mistake of his Remedy should chance to kill him the poor Patient who dieth only by a mistake suffers as great an injury as if his Physician had poysoned him knowingly and with design 'T is indeed an Act of Charity to instruct the Ignorant and lead the Blind but withal the Man who undertakes it must have Eyes in his own Head lest if the blind lead the blind they both fall into and perish in the Ditch Certain it is we are much engaged very strictly to sift the Grounds of that Religion which we are to propagate in the World and teach our Neighbours lest otherwise through our own mistake and his confidence we become guilty of cruel Charity and prove instrumental to damn that Person whom we should endeavour as far as we can to save And as it is a dangerous thing for private Persons to promote any false Religion though they themselves being mistaken do think it true so to permit other Men to publish heretical Doctrins cannot be the Duty of those Persons who have Authority and should have Zeal to prevent it To restrain this unchristian Liberty of the Tongue Pen and Press is not as this Author doth boldly assert To invade the natural Rights of mankind nor to destroy the common Tyes of humanity For if it be a Man's natural Right to persuade his Neighbour either by his Tongue or his Pen to entertain an Opinion really heretical whether he thinks it so or not 't is also his natural Right to draw him into Sin for if he prevail that will be finis operis though not operantis it will be the issue of the Act though it were not the intention of the Agent We cannot doubt but that St. Paul very well understood what natural Right every Man hath to use his Tongue and in what cases he ought to do it and thereby to communicate his Thoughts to his Neighbours but suppose a Man's Thoughts be wild and his Opinions heretical must he be left at Liberty to impart such Thoughts and vent such Opinions even as he pleaseth See what St. Paul saith concerning Hereticks Their mouths must be stopped i. e. they must not be permitted by personal Conferences to communicate their ill Opinions to inform or which is all one to corrupt the Judgments of other Men so thought St. Paul Now he who pleads for an universal Liberty as the natural Right of all Mankind to communicate to other Men whatever they think to be a Truth whether it be so or not must censure St. Paul as a Man either ignorant or else an invader of Men's natural Right since he so positively declares that some Men's Mouths must be stopped And in order to this the same Apostle gave Bishop Titus this Direction A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject i. e. excommunicate him cast him out of the Church and certainly if the Person of an obstinate Heretick must be rejected his Books may not be admitted for as to his Person his Breath is infectious His words eat like a Canker and as to his Writings there is in his Ink more Poysons than one Now since there are so many heretical Pens at work amongst us there is great need now if ever that some spiritual Argus should attend and watch the Press lest more venemous Doctrins should steal from thence to infect and kill the Souls of Men. And this I think is a sufficient Answer to this Author's fifth Allegation SECT VIII 6. THis Author's sixth Allegation against the Restraint of the Press
of all Opinions and Practices in the Matters of Religion is contrary to the Judgment and Practice of particular Learned Men in the Primitive Church Tertullian indeed tells us Non Religionis est cogere Religionem quae sponte-suscipi debeat non vi the owning of any Religion ought to be free not forced and 't is best that it should be so but lest this Expression should be made use of as Pamelius words it ad sectarum licentiam as a License to Hereticks the same Tertullian saith elsewhere ad officium Haereticos compelli non inlici dignum est it is fit the Hereticks should be compelled not allured to do what becomes them St. Hierom saith of Heresie scintilla statim ut apparuerit extinguenda est the very first spark of it should not be cherished but extinguished and how far he was from countenancing ill Opinions is evident from his Epistle to Riparius where he calleth his opposing the Heresies of those times Christi bellum the War of Christ And Fevardentius tells us Gloriatur Hieronymus se haereticis nunquam pepercisse St. Hierom glorieth that he never spared any Hereticks That great Man St. Austin who was very tender of punishing Men for their Opinions did yet write several Epistles to the Governours of several Provinces which bear this Inscription De moderatè coercendis Haereticis wherein he doth beseech them to Restrain Hereticks not by Capital Punishments but by some gentler Corrections That Sentence which Dulcitius pronounced against the Donatists St. Austin thought too severe and so do we noveritis vos debitae morti dandos know that ye must die as ye deserve such sanguinary Courses are very improper means to reduce Hereticks they are inconsistent with our Lord's Designs and cannot be reconciled to that Command of his Compel them to come in that my house may be filled the Compulsion here required must be such as tends to recover Men not to destroy them and certainly to send them out of the World by bloody Laws were a strange way of bringing them into the Church That Expression of St. Paul will never warrant such a course Galathians 5. 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you He doth not wish they were killed with the Sword but only cut off from the Church by Excommunication But although sanguinary Laws may not be executed unless it be in case of professed Atheism gross Idolatry or downright Blasphemy yet for the restraint of other Opinions and Practices which corrupt the Doctrine and disturb the Peace of the Catholick Church some gentler Punishments have been used and in St. Austin's Judgment still ought to be In short all those Learned and Pious Men who were so renowned in former Ages Athanasius great St. Basil Irenaeus and many others have declared to all succeeding Generations that they did not approve of a general Toleration of all Opinions and Practices in the Matters of Religion For why else did they write so vehemently against the ill Opinions of Arius Eutyches Nestorius and other Hereticks concerning whom Cyril of Jerusalem gave every Orthodox Christian this Advice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abhor them avoid them do not so much as once salute them so he 2. 'T is certain that an universal Liberty of Conscience an unlimited Toleration of all Opinions and Practices in the Matters of Religion is directly contrary to the Decrees and Canons of antient Councils and that we may see in a few Instances as 1. The Decrees and Canons of Councils did not leave Men to the Liberty of their own Consciences as to the use of both the Sacraments The Council of Carthage established this Canon in reference to Baptism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whosoever demeth that little Infants newly born ought to be baptised let him be accursed or excommunicated And as to the other blessed Sacrament there is a Canon ascribed to the Apostles themselves which runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Christians who come to the Publick Assemblies and there hear the Scriptures but stay not to receive the Holy Communion ought to be Excommucated and so thought the Council of Antioch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They who turn their Backs upon the Holy Communion ought to be cast out of the Church And the Council of Sardica as Zonaras tells us did by a Canon of theirs Excommunicate all Persons who abstained from the Holy Sacrament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for three Lords Days together 2. The Decrees and Canons of Councils did not leave Men to the liberty of their own Consciences as to the observation of the Lords day Concerning this the Council of Laodicea thus Decreed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no Christian ought to act like a Jew and rest upon the Saturday but to prefer our Lords days and rest in them and as for such as should transgress this Canon the Council passed this Sentence upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let them be accursed of Christ nor was it left as a thing Arbitrary for Men commonly to Fast upon the Sunday if a Clergy-man did it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him be deposed or degraded if a Lay-man did it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him be Excommunicated so say the Apostles Canons 3. The Decrees and Canons of Councils did not leave Men to the liberty of their own Consciences as to the use of Publick Churches and the frequenting of Sacred Assemblies held therein The Heretick Eustathius in the fourth Century despising Publick Churches taught his Followers to Pray and perform other Acts of Divine Service in private Conventicles Against this Practice the Council of Gangra Established their Canons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If any Man teach that the Church and Solemn Assemblies met therein are to be despised and if any Man shall set up Private meetings for the Worship of God without Licence from his Bishop let him be accursed These Canons and many more to the like effect are undeniable Evidences that the Councils of the Primitive Church were far enough from being favourers of a general Toleration of all Opinions and Practices in Matters of Religion 3. 'T is certain that an Universal Toleration of all Opinions and Practices in matters of Religion is contrary to the Judgment and Practice even of the Roman Church itself What their judgment is in this case we are informed from the Learned Men of their Communion Lorinus one of their Jesuites intimates his Opinion as well as his Authors when he saith Haereticos rectè Clemens exterminandos praecipit Clemens did justly command Hereticks to be rooted out Thomas Aquinas their angelical Doctor delivers his Opinion concerning Hereticks very roundly thus Non solùm ab Ecclesia per Excommunicationem separandos sed etiam per mortem à mundo excludendos Hereticks deserve not only to be excluded from the Church by Excommunication but also from the World by
Death Bellarmine their most illustrious Cardinal spends a whole Chapter in proving that Hereticks posse ac deberi temporalibus poenis atque etiam ipsa morte mulctari that incorrigeable Hereticks not only may but must suffer Temporal Punishments yea and Death itself But there is no Man that speaks more fully to this than Maldonate another Jesuite who expresly saith Comburendi tanquam proditores transfugae discedentes Haeretici Hereticks who depart from the Church are to be burnt as so many Traitours and Renegadoes And whom he means by these Hereticks he elsewhere tells us Calvinistos Lutheranos Haereticos esse quis non videt nullus nunquam Haereticus fuit nullus Haereticus esse potest si illi Haeretici non sunt who doth not know that Calvinists and Lutherans Protestants of both Denominations are Hereticks If they are not no Man ever was nor can be such 'T is boldly spoken but never was never will be prov'd And 't is worth our Observation that the same Jesuit hath left the Kings of the Christian Church this advice Admoneo non licere illis istas quas vocant Conscientiae libertates nimiùm nostro tempore usitatas Haereticis dare I put Princes in mind that it is not lawful for any of them to grant Hereticks i. e. Protestants any Liberty of Conscience of which he complains as a thing too often done These instances are enough to teach us what are the Principles of the Roman Church whereunto their Practice hath been so sutable that it may be a matter of dispute whether Rome Pagan or Rome Papal hath shed the greater quantity of Christian blood And certainly their Persecuting Impopoverishing Imprisoning Tormenting Banishing and Massacring so many Thousands in England Scotland Ireland France and other places barely upon the score of Religion are very sorry Arguments that they do really like any Toleration what Hand so ever the Men of that Religion may have in ours 4. 'T is certain that an unlimited Toleration of all Opinions and Practices in the matters of Religion is directly contrary to the Commands and Edicts of good Kings both in the Jewish and Christian Church 1. The good Kings of Israel and Judah did not permit all their Subjects to do what they pleased in the matters of their Religion We cannot doubt but there were in those days many Men of erroneous Judgments who thought they did well when they Worshipped God by an Image St. Paul mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Conscience of the Idol i. e. a false Opinion that there was some thing of Divinity in it and accordingly did such Men Sacrifice to it But was this Opinion and Practice allowed by any of their religious Kings because it was sutable to the mistaken Consciences of some of their Subjects did Hezekiah did Josiah nay did Jehu grant a Publick Indulgence for the Worship of Idols because many both Laicks and Priests were for it It was so far from this that although a great number of their Subjects were too much inclined and had been too long accustomed to it they took care to root it out 2. Nor was such an Universal Tolleration of all Religions ever known in former Ages in the Christian Church since the Religion of Christ was own'd by Kings and Emperors It s true Socrates tells us that the good Emperor Theodosius did bear with the Novatians but he bore with none besides what he said to Demophilus an Arrian Bishop we have from the same Historian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I command thee to quit the Christian Churches 'T is also true that the good Emperor Constantine the Great did once sign a Royal Edict for such a Toleration the sum of which is thus Recorded by Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Let us give both to the Christians and to all others the free Choice of their Religion And hereunto he added this Charge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no Man disturb his Neighbour in point of Religion but let every one do as his Soul desires This indeed was Constantine's Act and a wise Act it was and all that could then be done considering in what Circumstances he then stood for Constantine and Licinius were then Co-Emperors Constantine favoured the Christian Religion Licinius favoured the Pagan Worship Heathenism was the Religion then Established by Law Christianity was under Hatches the Pagan Religion did not need a Toleration the Christian did In such a juncture of time as this it was very worthily done of Constantine to get the consent of his Colleague Licinius to a General Toleration of all Religions that so the Christian might be Comprehended in it and such a present Toleration did he procure in order to a future Establishment of the Christian Faith And that this was indeed his present Design is Evident from what he afterwards did for when he became the sole Emperor and was well settled in the Throne he made it his great business to suppress all false Religions and Establish that of Christ Eusebius tells us that there was sent out by him a Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Restraining the abominable Idolatries that had hitherto been practised in Cities and Countries and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law Commanded that none should dare to set up any Images The same Historian saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his Command the Gates of Idol Temples were shut up Nay another Historian tells us that he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quite pluck down the Temples of Venus And as he had no kindness for any ill Religions without the Christian Church so did he give no Countenance to any Sects and ill Opinions which arose within it That he Banished Arius though Baronius denies it we have the Authority of Sozomen who saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arius was called back from Banishment not long after the Council of Nice and how he dealt with other Hereticks the same Historian informs us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By a Law he Commanded that the Oratories of Hereticks should be took from them and that they should hold no Assemblies either in Publick or Private places And as this good Emperor took care to root out all false Worship and to suppress ill Opinions so did he by his Royal Authority promote the true Service of God To that end he set forth a Law for the observation of the Lords day So Eusebius tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the same Historian saith in another place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He Exhorted nay by a Law he required the universality of his Subjects to cease from all their worldly business upon the Lord's daies that therein they might attend the Exercises of Religion Certainly these and the like proceedings of his are infallible Evidences that although this good Emperor did once in Christian Policy and for an excellent end Sign a Royal Edict for a General Toleration of all Religions yet when it