Self-Interest we must allow them to be good Witnesses of those Matters of Fact which happened in their Times as that such Doctrines were then generally received such Books then written such Discipline then in use but it will not follow that I must receive those Doctrines as true because the Fathers thought they were so since those very Fathers were subject to Error and therefore their Belief of such Propositions can under no pretence be looked upon as an Authority over us but when the antient Christian Writers give their Reasons why they received such Opinions we have a natural Right of examining the Reasons they alledg and if we will act like Men we ought so to do before we receive their Opinions Now by what I perceive in the late Unitarian Prints they are sensible of the Weakness of Human Reason and therefore they submit their Opinions and the Reasons upon which they are grounded to the Examination of Mankind and yet being sensible that their Reason such as it is is the only Guide God has given them as to the three great Points afore mentioned they think it their Duty to examine the Opinions of others thereby not pretending to any Authority over others nor conceiving in their Minds any Displeasure against those who differ from them And upon this Foot all Controversies may and ought to be managed betwixt differing Parties without the least breach of Peace for the benesit of each other in the discovery of Truth But hence comes the breach of Peace in Christian Churches that tho they own themselves fallible yet their Convocations and even their private Doctors will considently alledg that they are in the Right and will therefore impose their Sense of Scripture upon others so that a Man must not write or speak any thing contrary to their Determinations under severe Penalties Let any Man judg whether this be to instruct us in the Faith of Christ or to make themfelves Masters of our Faith since our Understandings and Belief must be wholly submitted to their Interpretations After this manner the Dean of St. Paul's has lately insinuated his new-fangled Notion of a Real Trinity to the Ld Mayor the Judges and Citizens of London in that Sermon he shews the Danger of corrupting the Faith by Philosophy and then taking it for granted that his Interpretation of Scripture is the Faith he concludes in his own favour that we must not use our Reason or Philosophy as Dr. S th hath learnedly done to let the World see that the Dean's Notion of three distinct insinite Minds and Spirits is Tritheistical and Idolatrous This way of arguing if Assuming may be called so is grounded only in the Self-confidence Men have in their own Abilities Thus the Dean speaks p. 8. of his Sermon As for the Doctrine of the Incarnation nothing can be plainer in Scripture than that the Son of God was made Man that the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us that God was manifest in the Elesh And yet since the Incarnation of God is no where expressed in Scripture it can be no more than meerly a Deduction from thence but yet the Doctor will impose it upon all Christians as if it were express Scripture it self Suppose a Papist should say As for Transubstantiation nothing can be plainer in Scripture than that Christ when he held the Bread in his Hand said This is my Body and hereupon conclude that you must distinguish Philosophy from Faith and casting away your vain Philosophy hold fast to the Faith of Transubstantiation 'T were a parallel Argument to that in the Doctor 's Sermon both of them being founded in the Considence Men have of the Truth of their own Interpretations and Inferences But after all this a Protestant would not forgo the use of his Philosophy to shew that the Popish Doctrine is not only obscure but false and an Unitarian will still use his Reason to shew that the Doctor 's Inference is not only obscure but unconcluding As to the Doctor 's first Text The Son of God was made Man were those very Words in Scripture as they are not the Unitarian will say the Son of God does not always or necessarily signify God So to the second Text he will say that Expression viz. the Word does not plainly signify God and in like manner to the third Text alledg'd by the Doctor he will say that God may be manifest in the Flesh or by Flesh as his Power Wisdom and Goodness are made manifest by all Flesh or in all Flesh without being Incarnate So that the Unitarian cannot discern that Inference or Doctrine which the Doctor says is so plain in or from Scripture that nothing can be plainer What must be done in this Case then let the Doctor enjoy his Opinion but not impose it nor stir up any Strife about it nor should the Unitarian Notion be imposed on him but as the Doctor may have free leave to use his Philosophy of Self-consciousness and mutual Consciousness to support his own Opinion or attack the Unitarian Notions so 't is humbly desired that the use of Reason may be permitted to other Men for their examination of his Real Trinity and particularly that the use of Arithmetick may be indulg'd so far as to cast up whether a God and a God and a God do not amount to more than one God Now Mr. Gailhard if one of the great Doctors and Dignitaries of the Church may be mistaken in his Interpretations of Scripture and Inferences from it how shall you who are but a meer Layman hope to gain a Parliamentary Sanction to establish your Interpretations of Holy Writ and Inferences from thence Perhaps you will say 't is the Doctrine of the Church of England you would have penally establish'd by the Church you mean the Convocation which made the Articles service-Service-Book and Homilies now this Convocation was no more than an Assembly of Doctors and Clergy-men each of whom were subject to Error and tho they enacted their own Opinions into Articles and Homilies and oblig'd their own Clergy to subscribe them in order to their admittance into Benesices I cannot from thence see why we Laymen should put the Yoke of the Clergy upon our own Necks and be so zealous as you are to establish the Opinions of the Ecclesiasticks under the penalty of Fire and Faggot I should think it more desirable that a Gentleman may receive his Rents or a Tradesman his Prosits or even a labouring Man his Wages without subscribing the Articles or Homilies It once seem'd good to the Holy Ghost and the Apostles to impose no Burdens but what were necessary and those necessary Truths were inspired too Besides Men cannot help the altering of their Minds all the Subscriptions of the Clergy to the Predestinarian Doctrine contained in the Articles and Homilies has not preserv'd them from contrary Sentiments such as when Van Harman first broach'd them were universally judged to be contrary to the Doctrine of the Church
of England Besides this too a Man cannot foresee what will come to pass and so a Doctrine which at one time may be convenient may be otherwise when Circumstances of Times shall alter As suppose all the Lay-men of England had subscribed only the 35th Article of our Church which is The two Books of Homilies contain godly and wholsome Doctrine necessary for these Times and suppose in these Books of Homilies we shall read these Doctrines viz. The High Power and Authority of Kings with their making of Laws Judgments and Offices are the Ordinances not of Man but of God that all Persons owe even in Conscience Obedience Submission and Subjection to them as being God's Lieutenants God's Presidents God's Officers God's Commissioners God's Judges 1st part of the Sermon of Obedience And suppose in the second part of the same Sermon we should read these Words Christ taught us plainly that even the wicked Rulers have their Power and Authority from God and therefore it is not lawful for the Subjects to withstand them altho they abuse their Power Suppose I say we Lay-men had subscribed to these Doctrines as necessary for these Times had we not consented to the total Subversion of our Laws and Liberties to the Slavery of Europe and the Destruction of the Protestant Interest throughout the World Howbeit since General Councils for as much as they be an Assembly of Men whereof all be not governed by the Spirit and Word of God may err and sometimes have erred even in things pertaining unto God as is declared in the 21st Article of our Church 't is no Heresy for us Laymen to believe that Convocations have erred in Doctrines necessary for these Times and may err in Doctrines necessary for any Times and from hence it will be no Heresy to conclude that a Parliament may err should they establish the Convocation-Doctrines upon the Foot of Sanguinary Laws There is one Reason yet remaining why there is no need of making new Penal Laws even against blasphemous Socinians which is because there are Laws already in force against Blasphemers of all Sorts or Sects whatsoever without any Proviso that the blasphemous Socinians as your Title-page speaks shall be exempted from the Penalty And 't is only your Title-page and Preface which I have in this Letter considered not at all designing to dispute with you in behalf of the Socinian or of the Unitarian Doctrines my only Aim herein being to shew some Reasons why it was not necessary for the Parliament to enact Sanguinary Laws against those who differ from you in Opinion The ill-natur'd Turn of your Title-page and the malicious and persecuting Design of your Preface convinced me that if we may believe our Saviour Christ you know neither the Father nor his Son Thus our Lord Jesus taught his Disciples John 16. 2d 3d Verses That they should be put out of the Synagogues and that the Time should come that whosoever killeth them should think that he doth God service and these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me Now Sir if he who would stir up a Persecution against those who sincerely endeavour to know and do the Will of God as 't is revealed by Jesus Christ knoweth neither the Father nor the Son I did from thence conclude that the Holy Ghost who proceedeth from the Father and the Son was also unknown to him and for this Reason I thought you an unsit Writer in behalf of the Trinity and therefore did not so much as read over your Book A Second Letter to Mr. Gailhard SIR I Am thinking whether ought more to be reverenc'd the Noble Names of Vere and Sidney whose martial Skill and well-tried Valour made havock of their Country's Enemies abroad when the Good and Gracious Elizabeth rul'd and lov'd her loving People or of Bonner and Gardner whose slaming Zeal made Bonfires of Hereticks at home under the dire Auspices of her persecuting Sister Indeed once I was of opinion that the Memory of the bloody Bishops had been justly hated and curs'd and did deserve to be and was like to be hated and curs'd for ever but I am now tempted to despise the Conquering Heroes with all their Civic Crowns and proud triumphant Wreaths of Lawrel as Men that fought only their Country's not the Lord's Battels But that Man has a Heart illi Robur Aes triplex that can without weak Remorse of Conscience murder his dislenting Fellow-Citizen and bravely burn his misbelieving Brother at a Stake With a world of School-Cant which now a days goes for deep Learning and ill-applied Fragments of Scripture after the Example of no very good Master but Fas est ab Hoste doceri the thrice Orthodox Mr. J. Gailhard Gent. labours to kindle this religious merciless Fire in the Breasts of the Parliament of England to that end therefore he offers them for a Field of Honour not Flanders but Smithfield for making good the former they have 't is true happily provided Capitation and Land-Tax Tunnage and Excises but as Fate would have it they are rose without the least Care of but so much as Brush-wood for the latter Mr. Gailhard had rather they had been blown up It is a Fault to do the Work of the Lord negligently but not to do it at all to leave the good necessary and great Work of burning Hereticks wholly on the Hands of Providence is a great Disappointment for Fire does not fall from Heaven every day and it troubles Mr. Gailhard's righteous Soul the more because he does not know but God may forgive the Hereticks for his part he will forgive nor them nor the Parliament But by his favour are not the Parliament of England to be excused tho they have taken no care about sending Mr. Gailhard's Enemies to the Devil for they were prorogu'd by his Majesty's Order as soon as they had done their King and Country every other needful Service Why then let the King look to 't from whom to say Truth no better could be expected as having declar'd when he accepted the Crown that He would not be obliged to be a Persecutor He thinks himself too good to do the persecuting Drudgery of any Body of bloody-minded right or wrong Believers if He can but defend the Liberties of Europe from the Tyrant of France and teach his own Subjects of different Perswasions to live amicably together that 's all he cares for Nay 't is long of the King too that Parliaments are summon'd and sit annually without Convocations A Convocation would have consider'd as Mr. Gailhard observes that time is short and uncertain and if not well improv'd for the burning of Hereticks the Opportunity may happen to be irrecoverably lost for Mr. Gailhard judiciously notes That to time things well is one of the best parts of Prudence and he acutely adds one of the most essential Circumstances of our Actions Whence I learn these four things 1. That Human Actions have their
and Socinian the old Saw fits them both never a Barrel better Herring only I could wish that my Brother Gailhard had let the Arminians alone a while for without their help we shall never set sire to the A of the Socinians but that being once happily effected they must change their note as to the Matters of Grace and Providence or smoke in their turns But what do I talk of a Stranger Mr. G. is the Gentleman I have to deal with and upon a nearer consideration of him I may well suspect that after all his Outcries against Socinianism he himself is a Socinian I dare swear the Socinians in England if there be any in England which is more than I know never thought themselves near so numerous as Mr. G. makes them and to what purpose should he let them know their Numbers but to weaken the Interest of the Church Nay what sly Malice is it in him rather than not make the Numbers of the Socinians formidable to hook in so great a Majority of the Church into a downright participation of Heresy with them Good God! why if he had had any real kindness for his Mother the Church he would have excus'd all the Arminian Churchmen from the Scandal of Socinianism after the artful Example of a late very learned Vindicator of the Trinity pleading that the Arminian Churchmen are very sound in the necessary Article of Faith tho they are a little Socinian in the Explication if a Churchman suffers himself to be carried beyond the antient Methods either to the right or left which the Church hath us'd to express her sense by yet a wise Brother will allow him still to retain the fundamental Article It is true this Plea may be stretched to excuse the Socinians and save their Bacon also for they can admit of a Trinity if they may have the explaining what shall be meant by 't but the Father never invented it for them nor have they any right to be saved by the Expedients of the Church especially by such a particular one as this The Difference between a necessary Article of Faith and the manner of expressing it A dull Heretick would be apt to conclude that if the necessary Article of Faith was not signified in the words that express it then it was a necessary Nothing Farther If Mr. G. had not been a Socinian if he had not deliberately design'd to save those Hereticks from the Stake by involving the Arminian Churchmen in the same Scandal with them he would have pleaded as the above mentioned very learned Father teaches That there may be Propositions which tend to Heresy or savour of it as for instance several in his Vindication which cannot be condemned for Heretical By this admirable Device the Arminian Churchmen may favour the Socinians go hand in hand with the Socinians mince the matter with the Socinians and at the last leave them in the lurch as the Duke of York did Coleman I have examined Mr. G's Account how wide Socinianism is spread I will now enquire what Opposition it has met 1. He tells us not indeed in plain Words but in very intelligible squinting Glances that the Watchmen whose immediate Duty it was to give warning have thro Sluggishness or other cause neglected to blow the Trumpet at the approach of the Enemy But but by his favour this is a meer Story his own pure Invention and a notorious Slander for tho 't is ordinary for Watchmen to sleep when they should be upon Duty yet our Watchmen were vigilant upon their guard and gave warning tho in the Event it appear'd they were more afraid than hurt Beware of Socinianism was the great Cry and the Church took the Alarm Prophaneness Immorality and Idolatry had something of a Truce by the means every Orthodox Champion ran to his Arms and the mounted Artillery thunder'd against Socinianism of a sudden a prodigious Noise was made but no Execution done for the Orthodox were under no Command and kept no Order but scuffled tumultuously with they knew not whom nor what This zealous Leader would scower thro the dark Vales of Antient Fathers and General Councils that learned Author would bustle in the thorny Thickets of the Schoolmen one or two now and then with wondrous Considence and manly Resolution would bolt out upon the open Plains of natural Reason but they were quickly forc'd to shelter not being able to bear the Brightness and Warmth of the Meridian Sun which illuminates and gives life to those Plains but when all this was done and they had time to consider whence proceeded all this Diversion which was given them there was no Socinian in the case only an obscure sober studious bookish Man took offence at some of our old School-terms of which we had no great opinion our selves and kept 'em only because we could get no better but then the wisest of our Doctors explain'd 'em to a very honest Sense and the good Man aforesaid not being willing to stand with us for small things the Contention ceas'd I confess there are some angry People who would make the Nation believe the difference is still where it was but whosoever considers impartially what has been wrote on both sides will plainly see that we must let the suspected Book-worm be Orthodox with us who are the Majority of the Church now term'd Nominalists or else we must be content to be thought Heterodox with him and let Mr. G. burn us both But yet since never any Majority that is to be read of in History submitted to let a lesser Number burn them it is pity that Mr. G's Orthodox Zeal should overlook an old Heathenish Antichristian Heresy accidentally discover'd in the very Bowels of the Church I mean the Tritheistic Heresy the Heresy of three Gods For my part I would very fain excuse some Great Names from this Scandal but alas the matter is but too plainly prov'd in a Book called Tritheism charg'd c. the Author of which sound and orthodox in the Points he there treats of might pass for a real Christian if he had taken that care of his Language which Michael did when he disputed with the Devil and not us'd such virulent words as 't is likely the Devil gave the Arch-Angel But some excuse may be made for him in this odious particular for it is likely his liberal Railing and throwing his Wit and his Foam about did not proceed at least not altogether from that evil Nature which many others are troubled with as well as he but rather and mostly from that proud sowr Calvinism which he holds in common with Mr. Gailhard But to prevent being misunderstood I declare that I do not believe Calvinism meer Calvinism a damnable Heresy no more than I believe tho 't is possible for a Calvinist to be sav'd so as by Fire that that by Fire is to be understood of the burning of Hereticks I have read of Royal Heroes Deliverers of their Country whose thrice
Christian it will make him for ever asham'd of Persecution I dare not say it will make an angry Calvinist so for it is I am afraid impossible that such a fated Zealot should fall from the Grace of implacable Anger against all that reject the Geneva Platform of Christianity I have now finished the Remarks which I thought proper upon Mr. G's Epistle Dedicatory to the Parliament and upon the Preface to his Book of which I made a shift to read six or seven Pages The reason which mov'd me to this was a just Indignation that this siery Gentleman should pretend that no man was fit to write against the Socinians but a Calvinist and that the chief Doctors of the Church of England who are of the Arminian Perswasion favour the Socinians go hand in hand with them and mince the matter with them For is it not the highest Impudence in him after he had condemn'd the Socinians to the Fire which perhaps might be born with to go about to prove that the Arminian Clergy and Laity are little better than Socinians In the beginning of this running Century we had few or no Calvinists but among the Puritans they governed all during the Civil War yet at the Restoration were set aside again and discountenanc'd that we have some of them crept into the Church now is I much fear for no other reason but to betray it I am confirm'd in this fear by the very Title of another Book just come to my hands it is inscribed The Growth of Errour being an Exercitation concerning the Rise and Progress of Arminianism and more especially Socinianism c. The first part of the Title is pointed against the Growth of Deism which Pamphlet I believe was wrote by a sincere Christian with a real Design however he is mistaken to prevent the Growth of Deism The Author of this Growth of Errour now I have a little lookt into him designs to prevent the spreading of Arminian and Socinian Doctrines both which he takes to be much the same and equally erroneous In his Preface he says that there are sundry Principles advanced by Men of Reputation among the sound in Faith that do in their tendency lead to what these drive at who are of the worst sort i.e. the English Socinians and in the Introduction to his Book he tells us Many of them who cannot see how they differ from their Brethren but in the way and method of explaining the same Doctrine which they both hold slide into Arminianism and from thence pass over unto the Tents of Socinus A little after he says Tho they set up for a middle way between the extreams of Calvin and the Excesses of Van Harman commonly called Arminius yet on their turn from the former they fall in so far with the latter that 't is impossible for them to make a just defence of what they hold contrary to the Arminian System and therefore they fall in with them and run their Length As much as say deviate but one Hair's Breadth from the System of John Calvin and you are presently over head and ears in Arminianism Again he says That the Arminians who pretend a middle way between the Orthodox and the Socinian are in the twinkling of an eye fallen under Socinus his Banner His Book produces some sort of Instances to make good this Charge which tempts me to compare Mr. Gailhard and this Author to Brutus and Cassius of whom the Historian Vbicunque ipsi essent ibi praetexebant esse Rempublicam Wheresoever they were there they gloried was the Commonwealth of Rome So these bonny Calvinists exclusively to all others especially the Arminians will be the Church of England I would old Peter Heylin were alive to tell 'em their own in truth I think he was over-modest which was but rarely his fault to esteem a Presbyterian i.e. a Calvinist for so it was in his days worse than a Papist For my part I esteem a Christian from whatsoever Sect denominated not excepting the Socinians more honourable than a persecuting Calvinist and this is my comfort that tho the Courage of this zealous Sect is great yet their Number is small they have but half the Retinue which Mr. G. allows the Socinians there are no real Deists nor Arminians among them and but few Papists not more than there are Dominicans some handfuls of conceal'd Hugonots in France a pugil of ingrateful Refugees in England Their main Strength lies among Mahometans and Atheists of which Confederates they have so few within call that I may venture to apply to them dat Deus immiti Cornua curta Bovi In English we say Curst Cows have short Horns Let me by the way commend the discerning Spirit of the Church of Rome who commits the management of her flaming Inquisition to the Order of St. Dominic a Race of bloody Calvinists as wisely knowing what Priests are by their Principles best fitted to do the work of Devils But I wonder in my Heart how the Author of the Growth of Errour having condemned the English Socinians as the worst of Men that so they might be given up to his and Mr. Gailhard's Mercy and taken a great deal of pains to lay the Arminians under the same Condemnation should yet have the confidence to tell his Readers that many who knew him think his Charity towards Men of very different Principles of a Latitude to a Fault whenas all that I can find by his Book is that his Soul is never so disturb'd with tormenting Regret as when an Orthodox Brother is not able to make good his false Accusation against an Arminian Festus Hommius had plaid the knave a little and put the change on Episcopius his Words tho for no other reason in the world but to fasten the Imputation of Socinianism upon him this foul play the honest Author of the Growth of Errour takes notice of and makes this charitable Reflection upon it I must confess that in an instance or two the report made of Episcopius was not so well grounded as might be wished p. 72. When I consider St. Paul's Character of Charity in the 13th Chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians I cannot but conclude that our Author's Friends banter'd him when they found fault with the Latitude of his Charity for my part I cannot see how any Charity at all can be honestly laid to his charge for he desies Long-suffering and Kindness is full of Envy and Pride behaves himself unseemly seeketh to serve the Cause of his own Party is easily provoked thinketh evil in his Heart rejoiceth in Iniquity and not in the Truth beareth nothing but believeth as ill as he can of his Neighbour and still hopes and wishes the worst What would this Gentleman have giv'n that the Report made of Episcopius had been true why what would he have got by 't Why then the poor Man might have been ran down like a Wolf hang'd like a Dog or burnt for an Heretic whereas he was only banish'd a small satisfaction that in respect of what our Author might have received had the States of Holland treated Episcopius with Mr. Gailhard's extream Remedy I am sorry I have not Health and Leisure to do this Author farther Justice but must break off without so much as commending his Learning Wit and Reasoning which are of a Latitude equal to his Charity I beg his Excuse But the Debt which I cannot pay him I have some Temptation to hope that a couragious Master among the Tritheists will because some pages are particularly aim'd at him in one of which p. 161. there are these words If the contradictory Affirmation of three individual Essences being but one individual Essence will clear the Notion from being Heresy then Val. Gentilis Lismaninus Blandrata and the many other Propagators of the Socinian Abominations must be also for the same reason clear'd from Heresy Upon this Passage I have but one Observation and the Reader is at an end of his trouble If Dr. Sh ck be cleared from Heresy so also must the Socinians in the judgment not of this Author only but of Dr. S th also with whom are a Moiety if not a Majority of the Church If Dr. S th be clear'd from Heresy so also must the Socinians in the judgment of Dr. Sherlock who concludes all the Opposers of his real Tritheistic Trinity under Sabellianism and with him are some great Names and no contemptible Numbers What to do with these Socinians if I know never trust me if I brand them for Hereticks let me assign what merit I please I shall be thought as Growth of Errour phrases it to bereticate one or other Division of the Church If I pass them without censure Mr. Gailhard will vouch that I mince the matter with them notwithstanding the Protestation which I make that I am an obedient Son of the Church of England I think I had best after the example of the Areopagites engag'd in a Difficulty which puzzl'd them as much as this does me bid the Cause come before me a hundred Years hence FINIS ADVERTISEMENT Lately printed An Essay concerning the Power of the Magistrate and the Rights of Mankind in Matters of Religion With some Reasons in particular for the Dissenters not being oblig'd to take the Sacramental Test but in their own Churches and for a General Naturalization Together with a Postscript in answer to the Letter to a Convocation-man The Art of Memory A Treatise useful for all especially such as are to speak in publick By Marius D' Assigny B. D. Both sold at the Cross-keys and Bible in Cornhil