Murder of King Charles and that he who reviles Church-of England-Men Presbyterians and Independents nay all that prosess Christianity in general Socinians excepted with so much freedom is as fit to be treated with Contempt as he that wrotâ—… against the Rump Parliament especially when they consider the Learning and Reputation of Salmasius and how much Inferior J. T 's Character is to his in every Respect and that as I have said already he is engaged in a Party who prefer Mahometism to the Christian Religion as establish'd in this Nation which gives but too Just Cause to suspect the Truth of that Saying formerly charg'd upon him That he hop'd to be at the Head of as Great a Sect as ever Mahomet was and in truth it were no loss to this Nation if he were sent as a Present to the Grand Signior to see whether the Mahometans think fit to make him their Mufti For I am of Opinion he will scarcely according to Mahomet's Example be able to deceive any rich Man's Wife to forsake her Husband and furnish him with Money for advancing his Heresie in this Nation His loose Doctrine about dissolving of Marriage whâ—…n he shall be pleas'd to think the Match unsit or to accuse his Wife of Indisposition c. is a good Caveat for our English Women not to trust him nor do I hear that he is in any Condition to come to a good Composition with them for Damages in such a Case as he proposes p. 56. There are many other things in this pretended Life that deserve a Remark as his Vanity and Affectation in mixing his own Thoughts and Commenâ—…s fâ—…sooth throughout the whole his â—…ulsome Flatterie of many Gentlemen now a'ive whom he pulls into his Narratiâ—… By Head and Shoulders some of whom I am satisfied don 't thank him for his Commendation his new fangled way of denying the ordinary Title of Mr. which the Civility of England prefixes to the Names of any Gentlemen or others whom they design to treat with the least sort of Respect But this perhaps he hath done to please the Quakers many of whom are a sly and precise sort of Socinians all of which tho' but minute things may serve to discover his Foppâ—…shness and Affectation and that he is â—…itter to be contemned than any way regarded were it not that there are some Fools who admire him and perhaps some of a worse Character that support him as finding him a Tool fitted to thier purpose It were to wished that those in Authority did more narrowly Enquire after such Incendiaries it being no ways improbable that such Persons who by their Principles think Turks and Jews nearer to Salvation than Christians and allow themselves a Liberty to joyn with all Parties to carry on their Designs of bringing the Doctrines of the Trinity and Christ's Satisfaction into doubt as Leonardus Abbas Busalis Laelius Socinus Bernardinus Ochinus and about Forty others of the Italian Combination did about 1546. as we are inform'd by Wissowatius's Compend Biblioth Antitrin p. 18. It is no way improbable I say that such Persons may be set on by the Court of Rome it self to overturn the Reformation as well as Valentinus Gentilis and Servetus were discharged by them and suffered to publish their Blasphemies openly as soon as they understood that their design was to oppose Calvin as we are told in Luben Hist. Refor Polon This is so much the more probable that J. T. and those he can seduce are the loudest in their Clamours against the Administration of His present Majesty who is under God the chief Pillar of the Protestant Interest and therefore finding that it would be too bare-fac'd to attack him under an open Profession of Popery they now assume the Form of Socinians and would give themselves out for the chief Asserters of Liberty and Property To conclude Whatever J. T. may have quoted in his Life of Mr. Milton to favour a Liberty to the Socinians it 's hardly supposeable that any Nation truly Christian will ever suffer such poysonous Vipers to nestle among 'em as Compare the Mystery of the Trinity to the Aegyptian Hieroglyphicks say that the Mystery is foolish and their Hieroglyphical Language as false and contridictory as vain and trifling that the Doctrine of the Trinity is the very Genius and Spirit of the Old Mystical Hieroglyphicks that is to say partly foolish and partly false That what Cato said of the Roman Augurs is applicable to the Aâ—hanasian Doctors i. e. those who teach the Doctrine of the Trinity that tho' their Religion be established by Law warranted by Custom and Prescription for all that 't was a Cheat so gross and palpable that he could not but admire they were such stark Fools or such perfect Knaves that meeting they could carry a grave Look upon one another These are the handsome Reflections they make on the establish'd Religion in a Book call'd The Trinitarian Scheme p. 7. Then as to the Sacraments they treat them with a Contempt equally blasphemous and irreligious as may be seen in the Trinitarian Scheme consider'd Let a Man in Black say they sprinkle you with the Churches Water or give you a bit of Bread or a sup of Wine over which he hath pronounc'd the Wonder-working Words prescrib'd in Mother Churches Ritual tho' by Nature you are as bad as the Devil you shall be presently inclin'd to as much Good as will save you from Hell and qualifie you for Heaven else the Churches Incantation produces only a momentary Effect and a false Appearance of Good no less certainly I say than by tying the Norman Knot you may gain the Love of the Person you desire If a party that thus ridicules and blasphemes our Saviour and the Doctrines of the Gospel ought to be tolerated let the Christian World determine THE CHARACTER OF J. T. c. I Design'd to have made an end here but it coming into my Thoughts how much J. T. values himself upon the invective Characters of Men Books Sects Parties and Opinions which he hath scrap'd together in his pretended Life of Mr. Milton I thought it might not be disserviceable to repay him a little in his own Coin For his own Character it 's scarce worth the drawing yet any Man who has a good Faculty at describing Ignorance Impudence Ingratitude and Libertinism might go a great way towards it in a few Words and besides what may be prov'd from his Writings there 's Evidence enough to be found amongst his Acquaintance to instruct the Particulars So that if any Painter would be at the Pains to draw his Head and any Author bestow a few Minutes upon his Life it might serve as a Little Supplement to the next Edition of Râ—…s Pansebâ—…ia where if they pleas'd they might describe Ariâ—…s vâ—…iding his Bowels together with his stinking Heresies and J. T. licking them up at which Imployment I shall lâ—…ave him and take the Character of the Party whose Antâ—…-signanus he would seem
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 Flectere si nequeant superos Acheronta movebunt LONDON Printed and sold by J. Nutt near Stationers-Hall Price One Shilling 1699. THE PREFACE TO some it may seem impertinent to usher a Letter into the World with a Preface as to which I shall make no other Apology but that the Importunity of those who prevail d with me to make the Letter Publick is likewise the Cause of this piece of Informality Those Gentlemen being of Opinion That the following Remarks might do some Service they are exposed to the Censure of the World in hopes that as in a General Assault the Endeavours of the Weak as well as the Efforts of the Strong are taken in good Part the Author may escape the Censure of having been too Officious No Man can be so little acquainted with the Posture of Affairs in this Nation as not to know that our Religion and Civil Liberties have suffered many Attacks from Persons of different Interests and Principles But perhaps we Labour under the Influences of one of the strangest Conjunctions at present that ever we did since form'd into a Regular Government Any Man that would have offered to fore-tell some Years ago That those who were for having Property swallow'd up by Prerogative should in so small a Revolution of Time set up for Patriots to their Country and that so many of those who complain'd of Innovations in Church and State should have joyned with them against a Government founded upon the Peoples free Choice would have been look'd upon as an Enthusiast or Brain sick Person Yet such is our Misfortune That we have seen the Church of England not only deserted but accused of Apostacy by some who pretended to be her most Zealous and Dutiful Sons meerly because she hath Recogniz'd the Title of a Prince who generously rescued her from the devouring Jaws of Popery in opposition to that of another who made all the haste he could to offer her up in Sacrifice to the Church of Rome And at the same time we have seen too many of those from whose Mouths nothing was to be heard but Complaints of an insupportable Tyranny in former Reigns ingratefully joyn with those who were the Tools and Promoters of it to make the Throne of a King who Gloriously knock'd off our Fetters unstable and uneasie And now which is strangest of all a third Party is taken into the Combination who under pretext of joining with them to assert our Liberty not only strike at the Foundation of the Civil Government but have boldly laid the Axe to the Root of the Tree and avowedly endeavour the subversion of the Christian Religion dealing their Blows indifferently amongst those of the Church of England and Dissenters This is plain from many Instances but from none more than the Life of Mr. Milton latelâ—… published by J. T. where he endeavours to turn the Gospel against Kingly Government as a piece of Gentilism forbidden by our Saviour and seems to question the whole of the N. Testament as a Forgery like that of Dr. Gauden's Eicon Basilicé he represents Bps. as Goutâ—… Feet Gulphs of Benefices and dry Pits of Spiritual Devotion the Ministry as useless for the most part to their Flocks as to the Sheep in Smithfield Pens and to be meer Hireâ—…ings if they have any Benefices Marriage he would have dissolvable for as trifling Causes as I have heard it was sometimes in his own Country as pissing the Bed And abundance of other things equally destructive to Religion and Civil Society Yet he takes mighty Care to recommend the Establishment of a Liberty to the Socinians who treat the Godhead of our Saviour with as much Contempt as they do Church and State and make Mahometism and Christianity all one in the main as I have prov'd in the following Sheets The matter being thus it seems highly necessary to enquire by what secret Springs such a Person is acted and whether those of so near an Alliance in Religion with the Turks are not as capable of being Peâ—…sioners to a certain Potentate in Europe as those Infidels and for that same End too If the following Remarks may any way excite those who are concerned to make such Enquiries or be a Warning to well-meaning Persons that are deluded by the specious Pretensions of J. T. and those of his Kidney for Liberty to take heed they be not drawn into a Combination such as that of the Italian Socinians about an Age ago against the Christian Religion and Civil Government I shall think my self abundantly Rewarded May the God of Heaven and Earth by whom Kings Reign and Princes decree Justice direct His Majesty and His High Court of Parliament to such Measures as may secure our Nation and Religion from the Attempts of such blasphemous Incendiaries who are Enemies to all Government deny the Lord that bought them encourage Libertinism and would reduce us again to hateful Paganism under a Pretence of advancing Reason REMARKS ON THE LIFE OF Mr. MILTON As publish'd by J. T. SIR I Wish you had sav'd your self and me the Trouble when you desired my Thoughts of the Life of Mr. John Milton publish'd lately by J. T. You know the Character which that great Man hath left impressâ—d upon the Minds of the learned World is such that his Ashes ought not to be disturb'd nor the History of his Life attempted by an Ordinary and much less by an Obnoxious Pen and therefore in the first place I cannot but bewail his Fate that under the Notion of the History of his Life he should now be represented to the World in such Colours as J. T. hath thought fit to draw him in It is storied of the Italian Painters That they Compliment their Mistresses by drawing the blessed Virgin according to their Features and in truth I am of Opinion that the Author design'd the like Compliment to himself in forming Mrâ—… Milton's Character for his natural and acquir'd Parts Estate Publick Post Great Reputation and Universal Esteem excepted the Parallel seems to be drawn as near as may be This you may perhaps think severe but if you consult the last two Pages of this pretended Life you will find it to be exactly true For there we have an Account That Mr. Milton in his early days was a favourer of the Puritans in his middle Years he was best pleased with the Independents and Anabaptists as allowing of more Liberty than others and coming nearest in his Opinion to the Primitive Practice but in the latter part of his Life he was not a profess'd Member of any particular Sect among Christians he frequented none of their Assemblies nor made use of their peculiar Rites in his Family This I am inform'd is so exactly the Authors own Temper that no Man who knows him can doubt of it for he was formerly a
severe enough and therefore he is very liberal of his own paultry Choler upon that Party as we shall see afterwards P. 116. he gives us an account of his railing at the Independents and upbraiding them with taking that Name whilst they sought to be dependent on the Magistrates for their Maintenance which two things Independence and State-hire in Religion can never consist long or certainly together Thus the Church of England Presbyterians and Independents are obliged to J. T. for raking up Mr. Milton's ashes and blowing them in their faces but this is not enough tho' they be the three great Parties in this Nation J. T. has a nobler Work still to perform and therefore he brings Mr. Milton to lash all Churches in general by saying p. 〈◊〉 That love of Dominion or inclination to Persecution was a piece of Popery inseparable from all Churches It is to be observ'd at the same time that he brings nothing from him against the Anabaptists the reason of which is plain J. T. has a mighty dependance on that Party at present he finds some amongst them that are ready to assist him in propagating his Anarchical Notions to the disturbance of a well-settled Government and therefore he must deal gently with his Friends It 's censure enough for them that Mr. Milton frequented none of their Assemblies and made use of none of their Rites in his Family no more do I suppose will J. T. but so long as he finds the Pence or Porridge a coming they may as soon as they fail in that expect the same Treatment from him that he is now so liberal of to his old Friends the Papists Church of England Meâ—… and especially the Presbyterians who to say the Truth are as apt to play the fool in chusing the objects of their Bounty and Kindness as any Party under Heaven It 's well enough known to the World J. T. is not the first Viper they have hugg'd in their Bosoms the stings of whom methinks should at last teach them something of the Wisdom of the Serpent and make them consider better next time who they are towards whose â—…ducation they contribute The like may be said of J. T 's gratitude to the Church of England and particularly to the Memory of Dr. Hopkins Bishop of Londonderry to whose favour I am inform'd he was not a little oblig'd but the best return it seems he can make to the Order is the raking up a fulsome Simile of Mr. Milton's p. 47. viz. A Bishop's foot says he that has all its Toes maugre the Gout and a Linnen Sock over it is the aptest Emblem of the Prelate himself who being a Pluralist may under one Surplice hide four â—…enefices besides the great Metropolitan Toe which sends a foul stench to Heaven It 's true J. T. calls this an unpardonable Simile but why then would he revive it It must certainly be for no other reason but that he has a mind as far as his Talent will reach to make Clergy-men of all Orders and Denominations ridiculous This will appear undeniable if we consider how p. 66. c. he brings in Mr Milton ridiculing the Office of the Ministry As the Wealthy Mans Factor for Religion to whom he resigns the whole Ware-House of his Religion so that a Man may now say his Religion is no more within himself but is become a dividual Moveable goes and comes near him according as the Minister frequents the House that the Wealthy Man Feasts his Religion Lodges him his Religion comes home at Nights is liberally Supp'd sumptuously laid asleep rises is saluted and after the Malmsey or some well-spic'd Brewage and better Breakfasted than he whose Morning Appetite would have gladly fed on green Figs between Bethany and Jerusalem his Religion walks abroad at Eight and leaves his kind Entertainer in the Shop Trading all the Day without his Religion A Parochial Minister who is at his Hercules Pillars in a warm Benefice is easily inclinable to finish his Circuit in an English Concordance and a Topic Folio a Harmony and a Catena treading the constant Round of certain Doctrinal Heads attended with their Uses Motives Marks and Means out of which as out of an Alphabet or Sol fa mi by forming and transforming joining and disjoining variously a little Book-craft and two hours Meditation he might furnish himself unspeakably to the performance of more than a Weekly Charge of Sermoning And Page 177. It is not necessary to the attainment of Christian Knowledge that Men should sit all their Life long at the Feet of a Pulpited Divine Whose Sheep oft-times sit all the while to as little purpose of benefitting as the Sheep in their Pews at Smithfield No doubt but this was a pleasant Feast to J. T. and his Socinian Friends and to be sure they bless themselves mightily for the Invention that they can thus run down the Office of the Ministry in the borrowed Wit of so great a Man as Mr. Milton but let J. T. and his Abettors remember that our Saviour hath said of his Ministers â—…hat whosoever despises them despises him and they that despise him â—…espise the Father that sent him So that the Transition from despising the Ministry to the crying down of the Godhead of Jesus aâ—…d from Deism to Atheism seems to be very Natural and Easie. It 's true he quotes Mr. Milton saying Page â—…6 That he speaks not this in Contempt of the Ministry but hating the common Cheats of both But that is only like him who throws about Firebrands and Darts and says Am not I in Sport I shall not insist upon his Quotation from Mr. Milton which he makes use of to run down Fathers Councils Universities and Publick Maintenance for the Ministry it suâ—…ces to observe in General That there 's good Ground to suspect that part of J. T 's Design in this Collection is to ridicule the Christian Religion as established in this Nation without any distinction of Conformists or Nonconformists tho' â—…e bears harder upon the latter because he knows he may do so with more safety His Malice against the Presbyterians is very remarkable he thinks as was hinted before That Mr. Milton did not say enough against them and therefore he is resolved to supply that Defect out of his own Stores As Page 64. he says They were more intollerably Rigorous Severe and Tyrannical in the Parliament times than the Bishops were before Page 73. That the Presbyterian Ministers who from the beginning were the Kings mortal Enemies were then enrag'd that the Independents and other Sects should enjoy either Life or Liberty not angry at the Fact but the Faction did tragically declaim in their Pulpits that the King's Usage was very hard that his Person was Sacred and Inviolable and that any Violence offered to him in the Field much less by the Hands of an Executioner was contrary to the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches I am of Opinion That J. T 's new Friends the Independents will
a deriv'd Omnipotence such as they alledge that of our Saviour's is be enough to make a meer Creature as they esteem him a true God And is not an Eternal and Increated Omnipotence which they ascribe to the Holy Ghost sufficient to make him God Are not these Contradictions plain and evident And have not those Masters of Reason as they love to be call'd justly forfeited all Right of Pretension to it when they would impose Mysteries and Contradictions of their own Inventing upon the Wâ—…ld and yet reject Mysteries of Divine Revelation because they are above their Reason Thus Sir you see what sort of Men they are whom J. T. hath rais'd Mr. Milton from his Grave to Patronize and Plead for This is a New Socinian Invention to make the Name of so great a Man subservient to their Cause You have heard they can turn themselves into all Shapes and Sizes of Religion in order to overturn the whole and now they have put on the disguise of true Patriots for our Liberty in order to Cheat us of Christianity But seeing God hath put it into the Heart of his Majesty and the Parliament to put a stop to this impetuous Current of Atheism by strengthning Old and proposing New Laws against Blasphemy it 's hoped they will not be able with all their Subtilty to give any diversion to that good design We have had already too good Proof of the Usefulness of our Laws for preserving our Religion to be prevented by idle and crafty Outcries of Persecution from guarding it further that way It 's an ordinary saying in the Mouths of that Party that all Religion Establish'd by Civil Sanction is Persecution which is Ridiculous iâ—… not Blasphemous The Jewish Religion which was Revealed by God himself was Establish'd by Civil Sanction and the Magistrates were thereby impowr'd to put to Death those that turn'd away to Idolatrie yea Nature it self was laid under a Force in that Case for the very Parents of the Idolaters were obliged to Condemn them and to lay their Hands first upon them in order to Execution Deut. 13. 6 7 8. It is not to be doubted but many of the poor Heathens follow'd their Idols out of Conscience nay it is certain they did so for the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 8. 7. that some People eat with Conscience of the Idol but that Plea was not regarded by God in Apostates at least Nor ought it to be regarded now they have better and clearer means of informing their Consciences now than then but if they be perverse and obstinate the Maxim holds good pertinaciae nullum Remedium posuit Deus Their Objection that the Christian Religion propagated and preserved it self at first without the Sanction of Laws and in a time of Persecution will no more argue against Christian Nations providing for the security of their Religion by Law than the Increase of the Israelites and â—…heir Religion in Egypt argues against their raising a Fence of Laws about it when they came to be settled in the Land of Canaan I have already hinted that Kings and Queens are promis'd to be Nursing Fathers and Mothers to the Church of Christ in the Times of the Gospel that the Church her self is ordered to reject Hereticks and throw them out of her Communion and therefore by natural Reason it will follow that the Christian Magistrate ought to make use of the Sword God hath put into his hand to prevent the disturbance of the Peace of the Church or the poysoning of her Children by Heretical Doctrine seeing they are Nurslings committed to his care by God himself and for whose sake if they neglect or abuse the trust committed to them he hath not only promised to reprove Kings Psalm 105. 14. but also to strike them through in the day of his Wrath Psal. 110. 5. of the accomplishment of which there have been several instances in our own and other Nations of which the late K. James to name no more is a living Monument It cannot be denied but theLaws which we had got enacted by the Providence of God prov'd the chief Instruments to preserve our Religion against the Efforts of the Papists and therefore no just reason can be assign'd why we should not especially now that we have a Prince who invites us to it enact Laws in the same manner to secure it from the danger of being overturn'd by Socinians Deists and Atheists This will not at all countenance or approve the practise of enacting and executing Laws against those who may differ from the National Establishment in things which the Imposers own to be indifferent and for which no Divine Institution can be produced In such Cases the Lord Jesus Christ who is K. of his Church and God over all blessed for ever hath by the mouth of his Apostles commanded a forbearance Rom. 14. and therefore the opposite Conduct is an Invading of God's Throne and a Rebellion against Heaven We have a plain and a positive Law giv'n us as to that matter But the Case is otherwise as to those who bring in damnable Heresies and deny the Lord that bought them or teach Doctrines tending to a dissolution of manners as J. T. seems evidently to do in his Book now in Question and therefore Sir it 's hop'd that you will use your Interest in Parliament to promote such Laws as his Majesty and the rest of our Representatives shall think meet to prevent the growth of such dangerous Opinions He owes his advancement to the Throne and the Establish of it to his Zeal for the Christian Religion in opposition to Antichristian Idolatry and it must be own'd as a grateful Retribution that he shews himself equally Zealous against Blasphemy and Profaness In the Prosecution of which may the Son of God who thought it no Robbery to be accounted equal with the Father strengthen his Hands and those of the Great Council of the Nation now in Parliament assembled I am Sir Your very humble Servant FINIS