A modest plea for the due regulation of the press in answer to several reasons lately printed against it, humbly submitted to the judgment of authority / by Francis Gregory, D.D. and rector of Hambleden in the county of Bucks.

SECT. XI. (Book 11)

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 distin∣ction being premised, I shall resolve this Hypothetical Pro∣position 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 fur∣nish such Christians with any such Reasons,

'Tis notoriously known that there are amongst us vast numbers of Persons, who are of weak Judgments, not firm∣ly 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 Men to peep into Heretical Books, cannot be law∣ful, because they do thereby run themselves into a very dangerous Temptation.

* 1.1 Our Lord hath left us this Caution, Beware of false Pro∣phets; it seems they are dangerous Men; so we are told again and again: They creep into houses, and there find success, for, * 1.2They 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 Fa∣milies.

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 Ar∣guments, drawn either from Humane Reason, or abused Scri∣pture, 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 Consci∣ence was pleaded for, and granted by a Declaration upon a de∣sign

to bring in Popery; so now an universal Liberty of the Press is contended for by those Men, whose design it is to in∣troduce 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, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 only by the way,

In short, the substance of my Answer to this Allegation is this, 'Tis 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 se∣curity could be given that they should never come into Vulgar hands.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matth. vii. 1••
• * 1.2

  2 Tim. iii. 6▪ 2 Tim. ii. 18 Tit. i. 11.