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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49188	The scripture-terms of church-union, with respect to the doctrin of the trinity confirmed by the unitarian explications of the beginning of St. John's Gospel; together with the Answers of the Unitarians; to the chief objections made against them: whereby it appears, that men may be unitarians, and sincere and inquisitive, and that they ought not to be excluded out of the church-communion. With a post-script, wherein the divinity of Christ, and of the Holy Ghost, according to the generality of the terms of scripture, is shewn, not to be inconsistent with the unitarian systems. Most earnestly and humbly offered to the consideration of those, on whom 'tis most particularly incumbent to examin these matters. By A.L. Author of the Irenicum Magnum, &c.	Lortie, André, d. 1706.	1700 (1700)	Wing L3078A; ESTC R221776	144,344	120

favourable for Novelty than these Alterations are soon made in Religion witness the speedy Corruption of the Children of Israel who after a few days that Moses had been absent from them and they being still under the conduct of his Brother Aaron fell to Idolatry Thus as Hegesippus testifies the Apostles were no sooner departed but manifold Errors mightily spread See Euseb Hist Eccl. L. 3. C. 26. What a weak thing then is it for the Trinitarians to stop their ears to the Dictates of Right Reason and to several Texts of Scripture which are express against them and to pretend that we ought to be determined by the fanciful Writings of a few fallible Men most of whom came some considerable while after the Decease of the Apostles The Church of England since the Reformation has had several Learned Writers and in these late times especially If any of their Works remain a thousand Years hence we may humanly suppose in case the Doctrines therein contain'd continue to be liked it will be the Writings of Pearson Stillingfleet Cudworth Tillotson Burnet Scot Cave Towerson and some few others of the like kind But what should we think of our Posterity if they then pretended that the way to find out the Original Meaning of our Articles concerning Predestination and Free Will would be to interpret them by the Sentiments laid down and established or intimated in most of these Great Men's Books Thus we have observed that in the first three Centuries not only few Christians wrote in comparison of what they have done since but it was not impossible even for them considerably to alter the Primitive Sentiments or the Doctrin of the Gospel 4. Many excellent Works of the Primitive Writers have been suppressed and destroyed which were most express for the Vnitarian Sentiment The Trinitarians themselves regret many of those Writings of the Primitive Christians of the first three Centuries which appear to have been suppressed and destroyed Dalaeus in the first Chapter of his first Book De usu Patrum acknowledges that tho' there were but few that then wrote yet the greatest part of those few Writings have been lost thro' the injury of Time or the Fraud of Men presuming that those Books were not to be preserved that were not altogether or near enough agreable to their Sentiments Such were says he the five Books of Papias Bishop of Hierapolis the Apology of Quadratus the Apology of Aristides the Works of Castor Agrippa the five Books of Hegesippus the Works of Melito Bishop of Sardis the Works of Dyonisius of Corinth of Appollinaris of Hierapolis of Pinytus the Cretian of Philippus Musanus Modestus Bardesanes Pantaenus Rhodo Miltiades Apolloninus Serapion Bacchylus Polyerates Heraclius Maximus Hammonius Trypho Hippolites Julius Africanus Dyonisue Alexandrinus and others If we had had left us such Writings as those of Hegesippus or any Ecclesiastical History of some professed Vnitarian either senior or but contemporary to Eusebius no doubt we should hear of several other Writers who expresly taught Vnitarianism besides those mention'd by Dalaeus like Theodotion Aquila Symmachus Paulus Patriarch of Antioch Theodorus of Byzantium Artemas Apollonides Hermophilus Lucianus and others seeing the Jewish Converts as shall be shewn appear for several Centuries to have been Vnitarians and it is credible not only that the Gentile Christians likewise were so originally but also that the generality or greatest part of them continued such for some time even when the Alterations began to be made till the rigid Platonists made use of all manner of violence to extirpate the Truth Howbeit the Criticks who have writen impartially concerning the Ante-nicen● Fathers are of opinion that the Writings of about 200 of them are lost for about 20 others some of whose Works have been preserved we may say such as they are tho' probably not such altogether as we shall observe as they originally were And they impute this Loss to the Errors which they suppose were contain'd in those Books and which the Trinitarian Party when they were become the strongest and were thorowly settled thought sit to Suppress as much as they could H. Valesius in his first Note on Euseb L. 5. C. 11. speaking of the Hypotyposes of St. Clemens concerning which Photius had observed that they are full of Arianism as that the Son is but a Creature and such like notes hereupon that not only the Hypotyposes of Clemens but the Works of Hegesippus Papias and other Primitive Ante-nicene Fathers were for the Errors abounding therein slighted and lost Which is in effect to say that the too visible and express Agreement of the generality or greatest part of the most ancient Fathers and Doctors with the Vnitarians was the Cause that their Writings have been destroyed The Trinitarians cannot but know that the Arians offer'd to be tried by the Tradition and Fathers of the first three Centuries and that Athanasius declined it as Bishop Taylor in particular confesses in his Book intituled The Liberty of Prophesying Sect. 5. Numb 3. p. 85. 4 to His Authorities may there be seen And in Chap. 7th we shall see from a Quotation out of Eusebius that the other Vnitarians appeal'd also to the Tradition of the first two Centuries Now doth n't it become Trinitarians well to make a bustle about Antiquity as if the Catholick Church in all Ages had unanimously been against the Vnitarians The Vnitarians indeed were at length overpower'd by the riotous and violent Platonick Christians who at last did in a great measure Philosophize away Christianity Yet there is not the least grounds to imagin that the Writings of the Vnitarians deserved to be slighted For the Trinitarians themselves that had seen their Books own that the Vnitarians were Men of great and extraordinary Learning See Euseb Hist Eccl. L. 5. C. 28. The World no doubt might now be expermentally convinced of it as we before said had we all the Writings of the ancient Fathers of the first and second Centuries such as the Writings of Papias the Book of Melito Bishop of Sardis intituled Of the Creation and Birth of Christ the History of Hegesippus and the Works of those other Doctors some of whom we have seen named in the List which Dalaeus collected out of Eusebius and Tertullian and Jerom and who in all probability were for the most part of the same Sentiment that Arius maintained afterward by reason whereof 't is likely as was shewn their Books were finally suppressed by the Nicene Platonick Trinitarians and their followers as no doubt it was begun by the other violent and rigid Platonists that were before the Council of Nice That Hegesippus was incontestably Vnitarian and what the Consequence of it is see an English Pamphlet intituled The Judgment of the Fathers concerning the Doctrin of the the Trinity Opposed to Dr. Bull 's Defence of the Nicene Faith p. 41. c. The only Objection is that Eusebius doth not reprove Hegesippus for being an Vnitarian But it may be observed that

Eusebius tho' he professed the Nicone Trinitarianism was a Semi-Arian and favoured the Arians and perhaps he thought good to excuse Hegesippus notwithstanding what he himself professed as several learned Men in the Church of Rome defend Jansenius at the same time that they openly abjure Jansenism 5. Of the few remaining Writings that are ascribed to the Fathers of the first three Centuries 't is very credible that some are Corrupted and some Suppositious For instance the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas in Easecius's time were reckoned to be Supposititious Euseb Hist. Eccl. L. 3. C. 25. And Dalaeus has particularly concended that the Epistles of Ignatius deserve no credit Indeed those Sentiments have been thought by some and in particular by the Socinians to have been foisted therein which the Semi-Arian Fathers did afterwards openly maintain● Yet some contend that those Writings expresly contain the same Doctrin that was originally Apostolical and afterwards defended by Arius when it had been disguis'd by the Platonists Howbeit it is certain those that had either particular Opinions of their own or particular interests to serve made often no scruple to forge some Writings favouring them which in order to gain them the more credit they ascribed to some Great Men. Several Apocryphal Books were put out under the Apostles's Names How much more then says Dalaeus would they make bold with others Nay he observes that the Fathers themselves have been guilty of such Frauds See the third Chap. of his first Book De usu Patrum And you need but read his following Chapter to see that the genuine Writings of the Fathers have been corrupted St. Jerom complains of the Impudence of Copists in corrupting of Books Ep. 28. ad Lucin. T. 1. p. 247. And yet he owns that himself in translating Origen omitted what was noxious or dangerous that is what suited not to his own Sentiments and says that St. Hilary and others did the like You may see the Quotations and many more Allegations to the same purpose in that Chapter of Dalaeus where he quotes Epiphanius his Saying that the Catholicks scrupled not to correct or put out some things in the Scripture it self fearing the use that the Hereticks might make of those Passages Dalaeus determines not whether Epiphanius spake true or not herein but he infers from thence that those ancient Catholicks would have made no difficulty to correct in like manner as much as they could the Writings of the Primitive Fathers where they widely differ'd from the Sentiments that had prevailed and where those that were reckoned Hereticks might have found too undeniable Authorities for their Opinions After this can those be blamed who will be determined by nothing but the Current of Scripture and the most incontestable Axioms of Reason Such Catholicks as Dalaeus represents to us we may think made no great scrupse to invent Stories that might favour them or to give easily credit to such tho' upon the weakest Grounds and to use such like shifts to defend what they took for Truth Witness the Book of Hermas and what Jerom owns of himself and of the freedom he thought in such cases lawful to take A Man says he argues as he pleases He may make a shew of presenting you with Bread as says the Proverb and all the while he may hold nothing but a Stone He may say one thing and think another Consider the Arguments made use of by Origenes Methodius Eusebius Appollinaris They are often forced to alledge many things which they did not believe but which were necessary to support their Sentiments I say nothing of the Latin Authors Tertullian Cyprian Minucius Victorinus Lactantius Hilary lest I should seem to accuse others rather than defend my self Ep. 50. ad Pamm T. 2. p. 136. When I write my Books says he I call for my Copist or Amanuensis and I often dictate the thoughts of others that I have read tho' I don't believe 'em my self and sometime don't very well remember their Sense Ep. 89 ad Aug. T. 2. p. 304. and 525. After this found your Faith not on Scripture and Reason but on a History concerning Simon Magus related in Epiphanius or another concerning Cerinthus which Irenaeus had heard Those Stories or Traditions after all might be true and not prejudice the Vnitarians as it might easily be shewn For the Vnitarians do not believe as Cerinthus is reported to have done that a Divin Person and that distinct from the Father dwelled in Jesus Besides he is said to have had many other grievous errors If it were true therefore that St. John would not be in the same Bath with him what is that to the Vnitarians And if Simon Magus believed three Divin Manifestations or Powers why should it be thought that he believed nothing that is true But if he asserted three distinct Divin Persons as Dr. Sherlock thought must be inferred from Epiphanius his monstrous Story that he pretended he was both the Father and the Son and affirmed his lewd Woman Helena to be the Holy Ghost why may we not think he might be among corrupted Christians the first Founder of the Dr's Notion or that which now passes for Orthodox that is that of the Platonists and Realists It may be indeed Simon Magus pretended that the Father and Son were manifested in and by him c. But if it be as Dr. Sherlock would have it the Matter is of no importance to Us but rather concerns the Platonick Trinitarians For those ancient Fathers Ireneus and Eusebius who evidently incline more to the Vnitarians then to the Scholastick Trinitarians assert that Simon Magus was the Father and Author of all the Heresies and particularly the Homousian See Sandi Nu●l L. 1. Secul 2. De Gnostic Iren. L. 1. C. 20. 30. L. 4. C. 58. Euseb H. E. L. 11. C. 13. Howbeit pin who will his Faith on Simon Magus or Cerinthus his Sleeve who if not misrepresented were thorow-pac'd Platonists or even Improvers of Platonism Yet the Stories themselves reported concerning their Heresies may perhaps want a little Confirmation considering the Humor of some of those times as we have seen and what Eusebius H. E. L. 1. C. 1. testifies that he had a World to do to compile his History finding so little Light in any Writing before him the continual Persecutions having caused that Confusion as to the Ecclesiastical History the generality of Christians contenting then themselves with the Writings of the New Testament Dalaeus towards the beginning of the fourth Chap. of his said Book seems to intimate that we have nothing much to be relied on but the Holy Scripture which says he has always been preserved with much greater care than other Writings which all Nations have learned which all Languages have translated and which all Sects have retained the Hereticks as well as the Orthodox the Schismaticks as well as the Catholicks the Greeks and Latins Muscovites and Aethiopians c. We may then conclude this

15. 16. The Arian Notion of the Creation of the Material World by the Word and the Spirit or according to some the Holy Spirits under God p. 16. 17. That Christ in his Agony was strength'ned by an Angel is no Argument against the Arian System p. 18. In CHAP. V. That the Authority of some Heathens who spake somewhat like the Anti-Unitarians doth not credit the Trinitarian Cause and can be made no Argument against Unitarianism p. 19. 20. That the Jews never held the Doctrin of three Persons in God p. 20. c. The objected Passages in Pliny's Letter and in a Dialogue ascribed to lucian consider'd p. 23. 24. In CHAP. VI. That few of the Ante-nicene wrote and it was not impossible for them to deviate from the truth and therefore it is certainly 〈◊〉 preposterous Way to seek to be tried by the Writings of the Fathers p. 25. 26. That several Books of the Primitive Writers most credibly were suppressed which favoured the Unitarian Sentiment p. 27. That of the few remaining Ante-nicene Writers 't is credible that some are corrupted and that some are suppositious p. 28. c. In CHAP. VII That nevertheless it still appears that the generality of the Primitive Christians were really Unitarians Nazerenes Arians or Semi-Arians p. 31. c. Some Chronological Remarks or the Times in which some of the Chief of the Ante-nicene Fathers lived p. 36. In CHAP. VIII That the prevailing Sentiment of the Nicene and Post-nicene Doctors is of no weight against the Unitarians p. 46 c. In CHAP. IX An Answer to this Objection That the Work of Redemption and what the Scripture ascribes to our Saviour seems inconsistent with the Unitarian System it being impossible even for the most innocent and the most excellent Creature to reconcile God with those that have forfeited his Favour to know the Hearts to forgive Sins to govern the Universe to raise the Dead to judge the World and to do whatsoever the Father doth p. 50. c. An Appendix to the IXth Chapter being a Consideration of the Controversy concerning the Invocation of Christ p. 56. In CHAP. X. The stating of the third and last general Objection which consists of four Branches to this effect That the Unitarians their too much leaning to Human Reason is the Cause of their Error wherefore they should consider that Reason tho' an excellent Light and Guide so far as its Province and Capacity extends is in some most sublime Points short-sighted and blind and consequently an incompetent Judge then they might discern that the Unitarian Interpretations besides that they imply most unlikely Assertions are forced and unnatural and so remote from the obvious Import of the Words that 't is not to be conceived the generality of Christians when they read the Scripture can find out such Interpretations and imagin that it is to be understood in that Sense and therefore it is incredible that that is the true Meaning thereof moreover in opposition to all Reasonings it is to be observed that there are many Texts of Scripture which make up a strong Evidence of the truth of the Trinitarian Sentiment whereas in fine the Texts that the Unitarians alledge seem not express and positive for their System p. 60 In CHAP. XI That the Unitarians do not lay the whole or chief stress of their Cause upon Arguments drawn from Reason yet very justly on the other hand they think like all Protestants that Reason ought not wholly to be slighted p. 66. c. In CHAP. XII That none of the Unitarian Assertions are incredible and that their Interpretations are rational and agreable to the stile and current of Scripture and therefore natural and obvious enough p. 69. c. Some further Considerations concerning the Creation attributed to Christ in Scripture p. 71. c. What is to be understood by the Holy Spirit more largely shewn something also very particular specified concerning what may be the Nature of what the Scripture calls the Word and the Creation p. 73. c. In CHAP. XIII That it is possible and easy and warrantable to understand in an Unitarian sense all the Texts which the Trinitarians alledge for their Sentiment p. 79. Some further Considerations concerning the Worship and Invocation of Christ p. 80. c. In CHAP. XIV That several Texts of Scripture are most express and evident for the Unitarian System p. 88. c. In CHAP. XV. That from the whole Dissertation and the Gospel-Terms of Communion these four things are the least that can be inferr●d in favour of the Unitarians p. 96. 1. That the State of this Controversy is such that Men may be Unitarians and be very sincere pious and inquisitive and that if Unitarianism be an Error it is not a damnable and intolerable one or a Heresy p. 97. 2. That in our Terms of Church-Communion with relation to this most abstruse and intricate Subject We ought to keep to the Generality of the Expressions of Scripture and not to make any Publick Determinations and Impositions which would drive away the Unitarians out of our Communion p. 100. 3. That therefore First in the Publick Service We ought to address the Current of our Prayers to God in general in the Name and thro' the Mediation of Christ in the conclusion of them beseeching God to hear us and grant us our Requests for the sake of his Dear Son our Blessed Lord Saviour and Redeemer and so when We address some Ejaculations to Christ We ought in general to address to him as to our Mediator most highly exalted and assisted by the Divine Nature dwelling in him as aforesaid Secondly in our Publick Service likewise the Terms of Church-Union We ought to be content with the Apostles Creed which is worded in a Generality agreable to that of Scripture Thirdly no Subscription or Assent ought to be required of Clergy-Men in this Matter and its dependents but to the Expressions of the Scripture it self or to Terms that agree to the Scripture-Generality the Clergy-Mens Declaration being admitted of and accepted that they solemnly subscribe and assent to any of those things proposed to them but so far as they are agreeable to the Generality of Scripture p. 101. 4. That this Generality in Terms of Church-Union is a Safe Method in so intricate a Matter and is incontestably Sufficient all being certainly worshipped when in general God is pray'd to that is to be ador'd with Supreme Worship and the Mediatory Honour due to our Saviour being paid him when our Petitions are put up in the Name of Christ as our Intercessor and Redeemer most beloved of God exalted at God's Right Hand and in whom the Fulness of the God-head dwells p. 102. In the Post-Script I. That the strongest Arguments for the Divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost are not inconsistent with Unitarianism p. 104. II. An Inquiry Whether the Unitarians may joyn in Communion with a Trinitarian Church Of the Reasons of both

heard of that strange Doctrin and took occasion to mention it Yet the original Meaning of that Mystery might be that Christians looked on the Son and Spirit as Divine or most Sublime Persons next to God and one or as one with God being of the like Nature or of the like Affections with Him and being together with Him above all Angels as well as above all Men whereby however was constituted but one Divine Government the Holy Scripture owning properly but one God and the Primitive Christians so understanding it Howbeit t is reckoned that Lucian flourished about the middle of the Second Century And the Vnitarians own that the Evangelical Doctrin concerning the Divin Vnity was then begun to be corrupted On the other hand Trinitarians will not cannot deny but that Vnitarianism was professed at least by many Christians from the beginning of Christianity Wherefore the Trinitarian Plea of Antiquity appears vain unless it could be shewn that the Vnitarian Doctrin was not allowed of in the earliest times of the Church and was not the Sentiment of the Apostles themselves CHAP. VI. A Continuation of the Answer to the First Objection 3. NO very considerable Argument can be drawn out of the Antenicens Authors because they were but few that wrote and it was not impossible for them to deviate from the Simplicity of the Gospel Therefore certainly it is a preposterous Way to seek to be tried by the Writings of the Fathers Good Christians as Origen observes Pref. Operis contra Cels. reckoned in those Primitive times that Christianity was better taught and defended by an innocent and exemplary Life than by a multitude of Writings Which shews that they esteemed the essence of Christian Religion to consist not in abstruse Notions or strange Mysteries and many Points of Speculation but in plain Doctrines few in number easy to be remembred if Men would have been content with them and worthy of all acceptation and in natural Precepts agreable to right Reason approved to every Mans Conscience and but a new Transcript and Confirmation of the Light of Nature They were persuaded that Sincere Repentance according to the tenor of the Gospel and Holy Living and the Habitual Practice of Vertue proceeding from a Principle of Faith that God is and that thro' Christ He will reward them that diligently seek him and will render to all Men according to their Deeds was the Way to Heaven and the Sum of Christianity They thought it not necessary therefore to write many Books looking upon Christianity but as Natural Religion revived and confirmed by Christ or by God in and by the Ministry of Christ with the addition only of the two Sacraments and Praying to God in the Name of Christ as our Mediator and Intercessor the Procurer and Chief Minister of the Covenant of Reconciliation the Head of the Church the Saviour of Men and the Governor of the World to whom all Power was given for the Administration of the Universe under God and who is constantly assisted by the Spirit of God which he has the priviledge to communicate to his Disciples as it is sufficiently declared in the Writings of the New Testament Christian Religion thus conceived and understood is soon taught and learnt and therefore needs not many Glosses and Comments according to the Oracle in Jeremiah 31.34 And it seems the generality of the Primitive Christians had this Idea of Christianity as may be shewn by the Relicks we have of them or even by the Writings of their Successors tho' those went farther * The same God who gave the two Covenants is He who gave Philosophy to the Greeks Clem. Alex. Strom. L. 6. Our Faith is agreable to the Common Innate Notions of all Mankind Origen Contr. Cels. L. 3. The Law of Nature is the Chief of all Laws Id. Ib. L. 5. The Dispensation of the Gospel is the Restoration of the Primitive Religion which was in force before the Law of Moses Euseb Dem. Ev. L. 1. C. 6. The Religion which we now call Christian is the same with that since the beginning Aug. Retract L. 1. The Sacrifices that God requires of us are an upright Heart a pure Mind and a clear Conscience These are our Sacrifices these are our Mysteries Min. Fel. Octav. See Dr. Cave's Primit Christianity There were therefore after the inspir'd Writers but very few and most of those either too great Admirers of Human Learning or Fanciful Men that then wrote as appears from them that remain and as cannot with any reason be denied And it was not impossible for such as these to deviate from the Simplicity of the Gospel The generality of the Primitive Christians were plain and illiterate Men who contented themselves with the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles and stuck to them as their only Rule These were not like to become Innovators They studied only how to acquit themselves of their Duty and prepare for Martyrdom to which they were daily exposed But when Learned and Fanciful Men embraced Christianity especially those who had been Disciples to the Heathen Philosophers they soon looked for new Mysteries in the Gospel and supposed they made great Discoveries therein by the means of their Philosophy which they always had in great esteem They accomodated therefore as much they could the Expressions of the New Testament to their Philosophical Systems And thus the Mysteries of the Platonick Trinity were by degrees introduced among Philosophizing Christians These are not bare Conjectures Dalaeus in the 1st Chapter of his 1st Book De usu Patrum gives a List of the few Primitive Writers that we have whose Works are Genuine and Incontestable But even making the Catalogue as it is commonly made yet the generality of them that were Heathenish Converts prove to be Philosophers that always retained a high veneration for their Philosophy 'T is well known they were professed Platonists to the end and therefore it is no wonder if in some measure they accommodated Christianity to the Philosophy of Plato Justin Martyr said that the Opinions of Plato are not remote from those of Jesus Christ And the same was affirmed by Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Tertullian and the rest of the Platonick Fathers who expounded the beginning of St. John's Gospel by Plato's most obscure Notions of his Logos or Second God See Le Clere's Lives of Clemens Alexandrinus Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea c. p. 28.29.84.85 c. Men that were such admirers of the Heathenish Philosophy were easily disposed to think that St. John's Meaning was much the same with their Philosopher's Sentiment when they perceived some Likeness between their Terms It is not at all strange therefore if they introduced some change in the Christian Doctrin especially considering that their Interpretations seemed to make for the Glory of Christ and the Honor of Christianity which without doubt in its native Simplicity appeared to Pagans to be too mean and too much destitute of Sublime Mysteries In Circumstances less