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A62842
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An apology for Mr. Toland in a letter from himself to a member of the House of Commons in Ireland, written the day before his book was resolv'd to be burnt by the Committee of Religion : to which is prefix'd a narrative containing the occasion of the said letter.
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Toland, John, 1670-1722.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing T1761; ESTC R10393
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18,667
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54
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their mutual Peace and Security against the Violence or Fraud of others And as reasonable it was that they should agree upon certain Rules or frame Constitutions which were to be the known Standard of every bodies Actions and might serve for the Decision of all their Differences That there should be Magistrates or indifferent Persons appointed to preserve those Laws and see 'em put in execution not leaving every Man to be his own Judg is not less reasonable still And that all due Honour and Obedience should be paid to those Governors by their Subjects is likewise most highly reasonable so that I fancy we must necessarily conclude all just Dominion to be founded in Reason At length comes from the North a finish'd Master of such Politicks and he doubts not but Mr. TOLAND after all is a Iesuit But his Book utterly destroys all the Principles of Popery and Superstition That 's nothing for Iesuits to unsettle us will preach against their own Religion Now if Mr. TOLAND be a Iesuit he 's certainly the most dangerous of the Order and begun extremely betimes He was not sixteen Years old when he became as zealous against Popery as he has ever since continu'd and by God's Assistance always will do From Redcastle near Londonderry he went in 1687. to the College of Glasco in Scotland and upon his departure from it the Magistrates of that City gave him Recommendatory Letters wherein they took particular notice of his Affection to the Protestant Religion The day before the memorable Battle of the BOINE he was created Master of Arts at Edenburgh and receiv'd the usual Diploma or Certificate from the Professors Then he came into England and liv'd in as good Protestant Families as any in the Kingdom till he went to the famous University of Leyden in HOLLAND to perfect his Studies and upon his return from thence lodg'd in a private House at Oxford till about two Years ago he came to London where 't is well known his Company and Conversation were the farthest in the World from being Iesuitical Notwithstanding the whole series of his Education as well as his own Genius did thus run in the most opposite Channel to Popery yet in Ireland that malicious Report gain'd upon some few because his Relations were Papists and that he happen'd to be so brought up himself in his Childhood which was no more an Action of his own than that he was born there So his Countrymen treated him in this respect like his Majesty's good Subjects of Guernsey who when they are in France are call'd English Rogues and in England French Dogs The last Effort except the charge of Socinianism to blast him was to make him pass for a rigid Nonconformist Mr. TOLAND will never deny but the real Simplicity of the Dissenters Worship and the seeming Equity of their Discipline into which being so young he could not distinctly penetrate did gain extraordinarily upon his Affections just as he was newly deliver'd from the insupportable Yoke of the most pompous and Tyrannical Policy that ever enslav'd Mankind under the name or shew of Religion But when greater Experience and more Years had a little ripen'd his Judgment he easily perceiv'd that the Differences were not so wide as to appear irreconcileable or at least that Men who were sound Protestants on both sides should barbarously cut one anothers Throats or indeed give any disturbance to the Society about them And as soon as he understood the late Heats and Animosities did not totally if at all proceed from a Concern for meer Religion he allow'd himself a latitude in several things that would have been matter of scruple to him before His Travels increas'd and the Study of Ecclesiastical History perfected this Disposition wherein he continues to this hour for whatever his own Opinion of those Differences be yet he finds so essential an Agreement between the French Dutch English Scotish and other Protestants that he 's resolv'd never to lose the benefit of an Instructive Discourse in any of their Churches upon that score and it must be a Civil not a Religious Interest that can engage him against any of these Parties not thinking all their private Notions wherein they disagree worth endangering much less subverting the Publick Peace of a Nation If this makes a Man a Nonconformist then Mr. TOLAND is one unquestionably And so he is if he thinks the Dissenters ought not to be molested in their Goods or Persons nor excluded from any of their Native Rights because they have a different Set of Thoughts from him or others so long as none of their Principles are repugnant to good Government He believes them likewise to be a true and considerable part of the Protestant Religion for they have demonstrated themselves to be stanch Patriots notwithstanding any Error or Weakness whereof they may be guilty in his Judgment But this same reason will prove him as sound a Member of the establish'd Church of England being perswaded the narrow Sentiments of a few about Communion is not any profest Doctrin of that Church nor would there be any Separation from it in this Realm were all others of his mind 'T is visible this Declaration is not made to curry favour with one as many do while in their Hearts they are devoted to the other side But Mr. TOLAND's Opinion being frequently demanded as to this Point he now delivers it once for all for he will never condescend to court any body of Men with preference to all others further than he sees ground for it and to this as his settl'd Judgment he 's resolv'd to adhere tho it should hazard the inevitable ruin of his Fortune or Reputation with all Parties Atheism is now become so common an Accusation in every Person 's mouth who is displeas'd at the Rudeness of others for not complimenting him with their Assent to his Opinions that altho in it self it be the most atrocious and unnatural Crime whereof a reasonable Creature can be guilty yet is it not otherwise minded than as a word of course which indicates a world of Inconsiderateness and Rancor When Mr. TOLAND us'd to be traduc'd in Ireland for Deism with many other Opinions and his Friends demanded of his Accusers where they made those Discoveries in his Writings the ready Answer always was that truly they had never read the Book and by the Grace of God never would but that they receiv'd their Information from such as were proper Judges of the thing O how inseparable is Popery from Ignorance And what is the source of all Popery but Implicit Belief where-ever it is found As to what the Author of the Letter to a Convocation-man says of a Congregation de propaganda Infidelitate no body needs be asham'd of so good Company as the present Bishop of Salisbury the late Archbishop of Canterbury and the Commons of England themselves whom he not only libels with most false and vile Insinuations but even his Majesty's own Person as
a Prince of no Religion which none that had any Religion durst say of a King who is so great a friend to it by his Patronage and Example Mr. TOLAND was once writing an Answer to this Author but he laid aside his Papers when he understood that such able Men had undertaken him as the Reverend Dr. WAKE and the Ingenious Author of the Letter to a Parliament Man But some People not being satisfy'd it seems with all that past and thinking Mr. TOLAND should never have enough on 't concluded at last to bring his Book before the Parliament And therefore on Saturday the 14 th day of August it was mov'd in the Committee of Religion that the Book entitul'd Christianity not Mysterious should be brought before them and accordingly it was order'd that the said Book should the Saturday following be brought into the Committee That day the Committee sat not but the next Saturday which was the 28 th day of August there met a very full Committee wherein this business was a great while debated Several Persons eminent for their Birth good Qualities or Fortunes oppos'd the whole Proceeding being of opinion it was neither proper nor convenient for them to meddle with a thing of that nature But when this Point was without much Argument carri'd against them they insisted that the Passages which gave Offence in the Book should be read so those wonderful Objections were made which are clear'd in the Letter subjoin'd and then the Committee was adjourn'd till the 4 th of September That day after several Gentlemen had spoke to those Objections they urg'd at last according to Mr. TOLAND'S own desire that he should be call'd to answer in Person to declare the Sense of his Book and his Design in writing it But this favour being peremptorily deny'd an Honourable Member went to the Bar and offer'd a Letter to be read which he had receiv'd that Morning from Mr. TOLAND containing what Satisfaction he intended to give the Committee had they thought fit to let him speak for himself But this was likewise refus'd and the Committee came immediately to those Resolutions to which the House agreed after some Debate on Thursday following being the 9 th of September viz. That the Book entitul'd Christianity not Mysterious containing several Heretical Doctrines contrary to the Christian Religion and the establish'd Church of Ireland be publickly burnt by the hands of the Common Hangman Likewise That the Author thereof JOHN TOLAND be taken into the Custody of the Serjeant at Arms which he took care to prevent and be prosecuted by Mr. Attorney General for writing and publishing the said Book They order'd too that an Address should be made to the Lords Iustices to give Directions that no more Copies of that Book be brought into the Kingdom and to prevent the selling of those already imported Their Sentence was executed on the Book the Saturday following which was the 11 th of September before the Parliament-House Gate and also in the open Street before the Town-house the Sheriffs and all the Constables attending One very singular Passage we must not omit which is that the same day the Book was to be condemn'd there came abroad a printed Sheet wherein to terrify any body from appearing publickly for Mr. TOLAND were contain'd the following words Now let those consider this says the Writer of that Paper whether within doors or without and whether the Vindication or even the excusing this Book or the Author or the ridiculing or otherwise baffling the just Prosecution or Censure of it and him be not truly the denying of our Saviour before Men and whether such may not assuredly expect to be deny'd of him in the presence of his Father and the holy Angels and all the World at the last day This strange Denunciation had no effect upon those who all along appear'd in Mr. TOLAND'S behalf tho much out-number'd by those of the contrary Opinion In the Committee it was mov'd by one that Mr. TOLAND himself should be burnt as by another that he should be made to burn his Book with his own hands and a third desir'd it should be done before the Door of the House that he might have the pleasure of treading the Ashes under his feet I forbear making any Remarks here either upon the design of burning Books in general or this in particular nor will I shew as well I might how fruitless this sort of proceeding has prov'd in all Ages since the Custom was first introduc'd by the Popish Inquisitors who perform'd that Execution on the Book when they could not seize the Author whom they had destin'd to the Flames Neither will I insist upon the great Stop and Discouragement which this Practice brings to all Learning and Discoveries but without further Digression I shall now leave the Reader to peruse Mr. TOLAND'S Letter and to judg for himself whether it would have given him satisfaction had he been a Member of the House of Commons Mr. TOLAND'S Letter to a Member of the House of Commons in IRELAND c. Dublin Septemb. 3. 1697. SIR WHen the Christian Religion is attack'd by Atheists and others they constantly charge it with Contradiction or Obscurity and Mr. TOLAND'S design in the Publication of his Book was to defend Christianity from such unjust Imputations as he more than once declares in his Preface and as he thinks it every Christian's Duty to do according to his Ability or Opportunity If we might judg of his Performance by his profest Intentions we should conclude it to be extraordinary good but we must on the other hand reckon it as bad if without further Examination we regard the strange Out-cries that are made against it both from the Pulpit and the Press That a Man should be run down because it is the fashion or by Interested Persons and such as are influenc'd by 'em is nothing strange for one way or other the like happens every day but that a Book should be condemn'd by wholesale without assigning the particular Faults or Mistakes in it and by many that never read it is visibly unjust What has contributed to make Mr. TOLAND whom neither his Age nor Fortune nor Preferment renders formidable the Object of so much Heat and Noise and after what manner his Enemies of all sorts have treated him under a zealous pretence he 's like very speedily to inform such of the World as will please to concern themselves But not considering the Honourable House of Commons or your self in particular among the number of his Adversaries but as his Iudges he thinks convenient to clear those few Points which are reported to afford matter of Exception to some in the Committee of Religion But before this be done he desires that two or three Particulars may be a little consider'd Mr. TOLAND in the first place is of opinion it portends much Happiness to the Nation that the Commons who have all the right imaginable to it should take