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
convinced as well he may be by such Texts of Scripture as cannot with any tolerable Sense be otherwise interpeted that our Blessed Saviour is truly God and truly Man What need such a Person to see the Opinions and weigh the Arguments of Arians and Socinians against this fundamental Point of our Christian Faith To him whose Belief is already grounded upon the infallible Word of God being rightly understood the sight of different Opinions and the Arguments for them signifieth nothing such a Man doth not need the confutation of heretical Cavils to confirm that Faith of his which is already bottomed upon a Rock which is immoveable And as the sight of different Opinions and the examination of Arguments pleaded for them is not needful to confirm a strong and well grounded Faith so it is dangerous and tends to impair and shake a weak one For well meaning Christians bred up in the true Religion being of too easie Belief of slender Judgments and not well acquainted with the Word of God may probably be perverted by heretical Books as being unable to discern the Fallacies contained in them and to cite such Texts as might confute them But here it may be demanded Who must judge whether such or such an Opinion be justified or condemned by such or such a Text I answer where Texts are plain and obvious every discreet and intelligent Person may judge for himself but when Texts are somewhat abstruse and difficult when knotty Questions and Controversies are raised about them then the Judge must be no single Person no nor any small Party of Men who are byassed prejudiced and wedded to their own Opinion but the Judge must be the Catholick Church I mean its Representative in the four first general Councils which consisted of Men not over-aw'd by Authority nor tempted by Interest but Men as Religious as they were Learned as well Versed in Holy Writ as able Interpreters of Scripture as any sort of Men born since those early days And this I think to be the greatest human Authority to warrant the Sense of such and such Texts and prove the Doctrins grounded on them Now Since we of the Church of England are blest with the free use of our Bibles and favoured with the judgment of the best Expositors about the sense of those Texts which tend most to determine those Disputes which have arose betwixt Protestants and Papists betwixt Trinitarians and Anti-Trinitarians we can have no need of any search for Truth to consult the printed Papers of this Age many of which do tend to promote Error much rather than discover Truth And verily when the Licenser of Books doth reject and suppress Heretical Papers he doth good service both to God and Men and if such Papers chance to Steal the Press they ought to be treated like other Thieves who to prevent their doing any future mischiefs are Apprehended Condemned and Executed And so I quit this Argument and proceed to the next SECT V. 3. THIS Authors third Allegation against the restraint of the Press runs thus The Restraint of the Press hinders Truth from having any great influence on the minds of Men which is owing chiefly to examination because that which doth not convince the Understanding will have but little or no effect upon the Will I answer thus What this Author doth here assert in relation to the influence of the Understanding upon the Will and Affections is true in general nor can it be justly denied that a strict examination of Religion is the proper means to convince the Understanding of its Truth But although the subject matter of this Allegation be true in the general yet here it is misapplied and very impertinent to the Case now in hand For this Argument as the former did doth proceed upon a false Hypothesis for it supposeth that if the Press should chance to be restrained for time to come Men would be deprived of all sufficient means for the due examination of their Religion 'T is St. Paul's Command Prove all things 'T is St. John's Command Try the Spirits whether they are of God These Commands must needs suppose that in those days there was a certain Rule by which Religions might be tried and the same Rule in its full force and vertue is standing still Tell me then are our Bibles out of Print or taken from us Have we no Catechisms no Systems of Divinity left amongst us Nay are there not Books of Controversies exposed to Sale in our Cities greater Towns and both our Universities Nay more are there not Popish and Socinian Catechisms to be had in England Do not these Books already Extant contain the strongest Arguments which the most learned Men of all Parties were able to urge in favour of their respective Opinions And may not Men by weighing these Reasons which are already made publick give a judgment which Religion is true and which is false as well as by any new Papers yet to be printed But although there be a great variety of Books which may help to guide us in our searching after Truth yet I must still mind my Reader that the Scripture is the only Adequate and Authentick Rule whereby the Truth or falshood of any Religion must be determined And certain it is that those Convictions of Man's Understanding which arise from the Immediate word of God are like to have a more powerful influence upon the Will and Affections than any other Convictions arising from any such Arguments as are no more than the Dictates and Collections of humane Reason which is fallible and may deceive us whereas the word of God well understood cannot do so And this I think is a sufficient answer to this Authors third Allegation SECT VI. 4. THE Fourth is this The Restraint of the Press is that which tends to make Men hold the Truth if they chance to light on any Guilty and the Reason which he gives is this Because that will not be accepted if it be not the effect of an impartial Examination To which I answer thus I cannot pass by this without observing that this Author hath hitherto much harped upon the same thing and hath hitherto bottomed all his Arguments upon the same Ground and a very slippery one too he hath proposed his Allegations as distinct in their Number but in their Proof there is little or no difference to be found For he tells First That the Restraint of the Press tends to make Men blindly submit to the Religion they chance to be educated in Secondly That it deprives Men of the most proper and best means to discover Truth Thirdly That it hinders Truth from having any great influence upon the minds of Men. Fourthly That it tends to make Men hold the Truth if they chance to light on any guiltily These indeed are very considerable Objections against the Restraint of the Press were they true But how doth our Author prove them so to be To prove them all he hath yet made use
A Modest Plea For the Due REGULATION OF THE PRESS In Answer to several REASON◠lately Printed against it Humbly submitted to the Judgment of Authority Quae est pejor mors animae quà m libertas erroris August in Epist 166. By FRANCIS GREGORY D. D. and Rector of Hambleden in the County of Bucks LONDON Printed for R. Sare at Greys-Inn-Gate in Holborn M DC XC VIII A MODEST PLEA For the Due REGULATION OF THE PRESS c. SECT I. Good Reader IT is not long since I accidentally met with a Printed Paper Entitled A Letter to a Member of Parliament shewing that a Restraint on the Press is inconsistent with the Protestant Religion and dangerous to the Liberties of the Nation This Title at the first view did startle and make me wonder for I could not imagine how the Contents of this Letter could possibly justifie such an Inscription But whether this Letter were really sent or only pretended and by whom I cannot tell for the Writer of it thought it an act of Prudence to conceal his Name as well as his Opinion But if he be not one of the worst sort of Hereticks I mean a Socinian it is his great misfortune and no small fault that he hath given his Reader just cause to think him so For 1. This Author treats our Common People with extraordinary Civilities he pleads for the full liberty of every Man's Conscience and tells us that every Man hath as much right to Communicate his Thoughts to his Neighbour as to think them himself he tells us that every Man is to judg for himself even in the controverted Points of Religion as well as the ablest Divines of our Church Nor can we wonder that a Socinian should thus flatter the Vulgar for they who design to instil their Opinions into the Heads of Men are concerned in Policy by fair words and courtship first to insinuate themselves into their Hearts 2. This Author treats the Church of England with incivility and scurrilous Language he loads its Governours with several Calumnies which are no way deserved he calleth them Imposers upon the Consciences of Men Tyrants Lords of the Peoples Faith but 't is not my business to wipe off his unjust Reproaches but to answer his groundless Arguments But however 't is not strange that a Socinian should thus bespatter the Clergy of our Church to render us odious to the People because they know that our Divines are the most able Men to defend those great Articles of our Creed which they oppose and to confute those detestable Doctrines which they promote but will never be able to maintain so long as the Church of England shall continue as well stored with learned Men as now it is But in the mean time they make it their business to disparage and vilifie our Divines in hopes that our People disesteeming our Persons may shew the less regard to what we plead in defence of Truth 3. This Author sheweth himself yet more manifestly to be a Socinian because according to the known Practice of that sort of Men he highly magnifies Humane Reason exalting it far above its proper Sphere advancing it to that sublime and sacred Office which as now it is it can never discharge For in that Preliminary Discourse which he premiseth as an Introduction to the main Body and Substance of his Letter he tells us that God hath given Man His Reason which is his only light not only to discover that there is a Religion but to distinguish the True from the many false Ones He tell us again p. 15. That God hath given Men no other Guide but their Reason to bring them to happiness and yet again p 17. he saith That the Peoples common Notions are the Tests and Standards of all Truths Now my own Reason such as it is tells me that all these Assertions are as false as bold and daring for what greater Encomiums could have been given to Humane Reason were we still in the state of Innocence though in that state the Reason of Man might shine like the Sun in its full glory not a Cloud interposing yet by and since the fall of Adam the Common Reason of Mankind is become like the Moon lying under though not a Total yet a very great Eclipse Solomon the wisest of Men hath left our Reason no better Title than this the Candle of the Lord. 'T is not stiled a blazing Torch but a Candle which is but a diminutive light and so much the less because 't is full of Snuff 't is clouded with mists and fogs of ignorance and in nothing more than in matters of Religion True it is that this little light of Nature being well attended to is enough to discover to us some Truths which are a sufficient ground for natural Religion the Reason of Man exercising it self in contemplating the Works of Creation and Providence is enough to convince him that there is a God and that this God ought to be worshipped but there are some other Truths absolutely necessary to Salvation which the most improved Reason of Man without some other help could never have discovered In all Cases the Reason of Man is lumen sine quo non a light without which we can discern no Truth at all but yet 't is not a light by which we can discern every Truth which doth concern us Our Lord hath truly said The light of the Body is the Eye and yet this Eye be it never so clear and strong without the help of some other Light beside it's own can see very little or nothing so here the light of the Soul is its Reason and yet this Reason without some other assistances in matters of Religion can discern but very little There were amongst the Heathens many sober vertuous and industrious Moralists Men of raised Intellectuals Men of excellent Parts both Natural and Acquired and yet as to the Matters of Religion they shewed themselves mere Sots and Dunces they became as St. Paul saith vain in their imaginations They exceedingly doted in their Notions concerning the Nature Will and Worship of God there are several religious and necessary Truths whereunto their own Reason though much improved was not only a perfect Stranger but a professed Adversary the Doctrine of the Creation stands opposed by that known Maxim which their Reason entertained as an undoubted Truth ex nihilo nihil fit out of nothing nothing is or can be made And as for the great Doctrine of the Resurrection Men of Reason look'd upon it as Celsus speaks in Origen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a thing impossible and abominable and according to these Notions they took St. Paul who preached this glorious but difficult Doctrine to be no better than a vain babler But whence might this gross Ignorance of theirs arise How came it to pass that Men so acute and lucky in searching and finding out many secret Mysteries both of Art and Nature should be so dull and
Men to peep into Heretical Books cannot be lawful because they do thereby run themselves into a very dangerous Temptation Our Lord hath left us this Caution Beware of false Prophets it seems they are dangerous Men so we are told again and again They creep into houses and there find success for They lead Captive silly women and again They overthrow the faith of some nay They subvert whole houses it seems that Heresie is a contagious Disease apt to over-run whole Families And doubtless this Poyson may be conveyed in a peice of Paper as successfully as any other way this infection may be received as well by the Eye from a Book as by the Ear from a Tongue for when unlearned Men meet with Socinian Arguments drawn either from Humane Reason or abused Scripture since they themselves cannot confute them they are apt to yield up their own Reason and give up those Truths for lost which they are not able to defend And I think that it will be no breach of Charity if I tell my Reader that I am verily persuaded that the great Reason why this Author pleads so many Arguments though no good ones for the unlimited liberty of the Press is this namely that our Socinians may without controul publish their Books full of subtile but fallacious Arguments to Surprize and Captivate the Judgments of illiterate and undiscerning Men. We know that in the late Reign an Universal Liberty of Conscience was pleaded for and granted by a Declaration upon a design to bring in Popery so now an universal Liberty of the Press is contended for by those Men whose design it is to introduce Socinianism the very worst of Heresies for it totally subverts the very Foundation of our Christian Faith and Hope Indeed to my best observation this Author hath not in his whole Letter so much as once named Socinian nor drop'd one plain word in favour of it but yet Latet anguis in herba This was very prudently done to prevent Suspicion but if he be not a Man of that sort why doth he tell us that if the Press must be Regulated it must be done by some Lay-man for which he can have no substantial Reason save only this namely because from a Clergy-man no Socinian Book can ever expect an Imprimatur But this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only by the way In short the substance of my Answer to this Allegation is this 'T is not lawful for Men of weak Understandings to mind subtile Arguments contained in Heretical Books lest thereby they might be ensnared and for that Reason the Press should not be permitted to publish any such Books unless security could be given that they should never come into Vulgar hands SECT XII 8. THIS Authors Eighth Allegation against the Restraint of the Press is this The Press ought not to be Restrained because the Reformation is wholly owing to it I answer There is no liberty denied to any English Press to publish any Book which tends to help the Devotions to reform the Lives or confirm the Judgments of Men in the true Faith of Christ but as for the Established Religion of our Church in matters of Faith and Worship it is so well refined already from the dregs of Popery and Superstition that we do not need another Luther nor the help of any Press to reform and make it better He that would reform our Religion in any of its substantial Parts must reform the Scriptures too for our Church teacheth no other Doctrines in the great Points of Faith and Worship than Christ and his Apostles taught the World if we may believe those Sacred Writings which they have left us But since I have already under another Head given a sufficient answer to this Allegation I need not here say any more about it SECT XIII 9. THE Ninth Allegation which this Author urgeth against the Restraint of the Press is this Our Divines condemn the Popish Clergy for not suffering their Laity to read Protestant Authors We do so and very justly too but what then The Inference which he intends must be this Our Protestant Clergy must be Condemned for not suffering our Laity to Read Socinian Books and for watching the Press to prevent it To this I answer thus this Inference is a Non Sequitur it is wild and extravagant for there is a great difference in the Case the prohibition of Books may be an Act either to be blamed or commended according as the Books prohibited are either really good or really bad to forbid Men the use of such Books as tend to the benefit of Mankind the advantage of True Religion and the Salvation of Souls is an Act Impious and Tyrannical And this is the known Practice of the Roman Church which forbids Lay-men to Read the Bible and the Writings of such Protestant Authors as teach nothing but what the Scriptures teach and for this do we very justly Condemn them But on the other Hand to forbid injudicious Men the use of such Books as tend to promote Errors and Heresies to distract their Readers Judgment and rather to shake their Faith than to confirm it is an Act laudable Charitable and necessary for the Age we live in for those Predictions of Christ and his Apostles false Prophets shall arise and again false Teachers shall be among you are fulfilled in these times for there are amongst us Romish Priests and Jesuits yea and some far more dangerous than they I mean our Socinians who cannot corrupt so many Souls by their Personal Conferences as they may by their Books And is it not high time to watch the Press lest any thing steal from thence which may Poyson the Heads of unwary Men Or must the Press be permitted freely to spread that destructive Heresie which hath been long since Condemned by the Catholick Church and its Representatives met in General Councils But here this Author to justifie his own Opinion Cites a learned Divine of our own Church and borrows this Passage from him They that have a good Cause will not fright Men from considering what their Adversaries say against them nor forbid them to Read their Books but rather encourage them so to do that they may see the difference between Truth and Error Reason and Sophistry with their own Eyes c. That we may see how little service this Passage doth our Author let us view it again They who have a good Cause but who are they We cannot doubt but this good Man meant the Church of England of which he himself was a very worthy Minister but what saith he of this Church of Ours It will not fright Men from considering c. but what Men This eminent Divine was the Lecturer of Gray's Inn where his Auditory did chiefly consist of such Persons as had been blest with a learned Education and might Charitably be presumed to be well skilled in the Law of God as well as in the Law of Man Now that this