A fresh discovery of the high-Presbyterian spirit. Or The quenching of the second beacon fired. Declaring I. The un-Christian dealings of the authors of a pamphlet, entituled, A second beacon fired, &c. In presenting unto the Lord Protector and Parlament, a falsified passage out of one of Mr John Goodwins books, as containing, either blasphemie, or error, or both. II. The evil of their petition for subjecting the libertie of the press to the arbitrariness and will of a few men. III. The Christian equity, that satisfaction be given to the person so notoriously and publickly wronged. Together with the responsatory epistle of the said beacon firers, to the said Mr Goodwin, fraught with further revilings, falsifications, scurrilous language, &c. insteed of a Christian acknowledgment of their errour. Upon which epistle some animadversions are made, / by John Goodwin, a servant of God in the Gospel of his dear Son. Also two letters written some years since, the one by the said John Goodwin to Mr. J. Caryl; the other, by Mr Caryl in answer hereunto; both relating to the passage above hinted.

Mr. Goodwins Animadversion. XII.

(a) If men of corrupt minds, or destitute of the truth, be not fit men to oversee a Presse, I doubt you must contract the number of your Committee of Six, or else admit of men not fit, according to your own rule, for the service.

(b) Again, if they, and onely they, be fit, who hold fast the wholesome form of sound words, certain I am that your Committee of Six, are not fit: for they hold fast an unwhol∣some form of words, and teach many unsound Doctrines, which are not according to Godlinesse; the unsoundnesse and ill consistency of several of these Doctrines, with the interest of Godlinesse, I have demonstratively shewed and proved in sundry places of my writings. Nor have all the Mercury wa∣ter that hath been applied, nor all the scrapings, and scrat∣chings, and scrubbings that have been used, been able to cleanse, or clear those Doctrines from these stains and blots.

By the way, though it be true, that the Scripture doth mention such qualifications and characters of men, both ne∣gative and positive, as you speak of, in reference to other oc∣casions and imployments, yet by what authority, or warrant, do you make them competent to qualifie for such an Apo∣cryphal office, as you call the over-seeing of a Presse? Are not you men, who abhominate to make use of your own wits, reasons, or judgements in matters of Religion, especially to

trust unto them? Or can you prove from the Scriptures that your qualifications were ever intended, or meant by the Ho∣ly Ghost, for the designation or characterizing of persons meet to make Oversee-ers of Presses? Or is your Office of Presse-over-sight an alien to Religion, and irrelative to it? Besides, what warrant have you, but onely from your selves, and your own reasons, when you▪ undertake to qualifie your Presse-masters, with those qualifications from the Scriptures, which you expresse, to lay aside and leave out others, which are delivered there upon the same, or like account▪ with those insisted on by you? Why do you not require in your Overseers of the Presse, that they be as well, blamelesse, hus∣bands of one wife given to Hospitality, not given to wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, not covetous, &c. as men who hold fast the whole∣some form of sound words (which by the way is no Scripture qualification: this no where termeth forms, wholesome, but words or Doctrines onely.)

Notwithstanding this Section of your Letter hath this, that it is the calmest of all the 22.