by steps That is the reason they have not in their Writings touch'd upon some of the foresaid Opinions But it is not to be question'd but that they have a good esteem of them and will in time when they have dispatch'd their Main Business betake themselves to the hearty defence of them But fourthly if I were to give a Scheme of the Roman or Popish Religion should I not discharge that Province sufficiently if I gave a true account of it from the Writings of the generality of Divines of that Communion and Profession in other Countries though I had not consulted every individual Papist in England about the Points Yes surely And so it is here Socinianism was not begot in Britain it is of Foreign Breed and therefore the Writings of those Foreigners who were profess'd Socinians are to be consulted and produced when we are to give a True Pourtraiture of Socinianism and accordingly this Method I have taken It was not necessary to ask every Little Pretender or Retainer to it in every corner of this Countrey whether he was exactly of the same Cut with the Outlandish Writers in every thing as if Socinianism were to be measured altogether by their sentiments and perswasions No Socinianism is not to be defined by what one or two Upstart Writers dictate this as Popery is to be judged and estimated according to the Generality of the persons that profess it And that is it which I have been doing I have been giving an estimation of it according to the Greatest Numbers of those who own themselves to be Socinians In this I have dealt fairly and no man can blame me for it Nay fifthly I have decipher'd Socinianism not only according to the judgment of the Most who own and profess it but of the Chiefest and Learnedest I have not only brought upon the Stage the Opinions which are held by the Main Body of them but I have consulted the Choicest Writers on the several subjects There are other Socinian Writers whom I have not mention'd as Goslavius Voidovius Gittichius c. but I chose out those that are renowned among them I could have produced the Assertions which are to be found in Servetus Valentinus Gentilis Bernardinus Ochinus Franciscus Davidis Sommerus Georgius Blandrata who made way for the reception of Socinus's doctrine against the Holy Trinity I could have quoted a later Author one Prâ—…ovius who in his Writings hath said something concerning most of the Points before mentioned Yea this Volume of his is order'd by the Party to be adjoyn'd to the Bibliotheca Patrum Polonorum And besides the Reprinting of it in the year 1692 shews that it is Authentick among the Modern Socinians But I have omitted this Polonian Knight for such they tell us he was he being not so well known to the world as the rest that I have named I chose rather to make use of those Names which are of general Repute and Credit among the Unitarians and whose Writings they have a great and universal regard for so great and universal that they take all they say from them If I had always listned to the Majority of Voices to only what the Biggest part of them say though that were sufficient it is likely they would have blamed me but now seeing I have likewise attended to the determination of those who are reckon'd the most Eminent among them I 'm sure they can have nothing to object against me They must not think to shuffle us off by saying the Foreign and English Unitarians are not the same for you see that these latter are included in the former and both of them make up One Body of Men who are known by the name of Socinians and who are all of them profess'd and sworn Opposers of the Sacred Trinity Thus I suppose I have fully answer'd what was Objected and it is manifest that our own Countreymen no less than Foreigners are concern'd in the Character which I have given of these men CHAP. X. The Author concludes with Inferences from the whole viz. 1. Socinianism is a Complication of Old and New Errors Quakers and Muggletonians sprang thence 2. It is strange boldness in the Socinians to pretend to ground their Opinions on Scripture 3. What hath been said gives us a right Idea of these persons It appears they are no Christians but great favourers of Judaism and Turcism especially of the latter 4. We must entertain none of their Principles 5. We are to take notice of the tendency of them to Irreligion and Atheism Socinians and Atheists at this day friendly agree Yet the former have the confidence to charge the Trinitarians with Idolatry and Atheism The Author writes nothing in way of Recrimination but from a sense of the Reality of the things themselves He appeals to the judgment of the Sober and Religious He thinks not himself concern'd to take notice of every scurrilous or trifling Opponent NOw from the whole I will make some brief Remarks and Reflections and so conclude First see how faulty how erroneous how dangerous how pernicious the Theology of the Socinians is It fails not in one or two Points only but in a vast number as I have let you see It is patch'd up of several different Opinions fetch'd from sundry quarters it is a Fardle of mix'd and disagreeing Notions it is a Nest of Heterodoxies a Gallimafrey of Old and New Errors a Medley of Heresies taken from Ebion and Cerintâ—…us the Sabellians Samosatenians Arians Photinians Macedonians who corrupted the doctrine of the Holy Trinity They joyn with Jews Pagans and Mahometans in disowning and denying this Great Mystery of Religion Other false opinions they have borrow'd from the Pelagians a sort of Antient Hereticks concerning Adam's fall and the Effect of it and man's Natural strength and ability in spiritual matters so that these men deal in Brokers ware Old Opinions trimmed up anew Again They comply with the Papists as I have shew'd in several of their sentiments and perswasions and if there be any Idolatry in the Church of Rome it is certain the Socinians cannot clear themselves of that crime They tread in the steps of the Old Sadducees and of the Epicureans and of several Antient and Modern Libertines about the nature of Spirits of Separate Souls of the Resurrection of humane bodies of the Last Judgment and of Hell They espouse the cause of Anabaptists they follow those Enthusiasts who disallow of the solemnizing of any special Time particularly the Lord's day who disbelieve the benefit and use of the Sacraments and deride the Office and Call of Ministers in the Church It is observable that in their late Pamphlets they with great rudeness and incivility speak of Preaching In one place I remember School-boys and Preachers Rhetorick are joyn'd together by them and in five or six other places they have a fling at the Pulpit which they mention with great disdain It seems the Profess'd Instructors of the people are very much
l. 4. c. 23. Smalcius peremptorily asserts that those are Venial Sins which do not merit eternal death and that there are such sins But the rest only say God hath not constituted Eternal Punishment as the just recompence of all Sins Volkelius's express words are Venial Sins are those for which God hath not appointed the penalty of eternal death so that of themselves they deprive no man of eternal life But this contradicts the Apostle who speaks without any reserve and limitation The wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. And you may be satisfied that even Eternal Death is included in that general term for death in this former clause of the verse is directly oppos'd to eternal life in the latter one That they symbolize in the doctrine of Praying for the dead may be gather'd from what a Great Man among them saith It is no wonder that those who believe no middle state of the dead pray not for them But those that believe this do well in praying for them He adds There is a much more certain succour and aid in the prayers of the living for the dead than in the prayers of the dead for the living They affect the way of the Church of Rome in the manner of excusing their worshiping the Son of God although they hold him not to be God but a Creature for as the Romanists palliate their Idolatrous Worship in praying to Saints and Angels c. by saying that this Adoration is paid ultimately to God himself so not only the Old but the New Socinians use the same language telling us that the worshiping of the Son is not terminated in him as its utmost scope but passes by and through him to the Father Lastly I might add that the Author of the Considerations on the Explications of the doctrine of the Trinity speaks favourably of Transubstantiation All these things evidence that there is no such great gulf fixed between the Papists and Socinians but that they can hold commerce with one another and in time if there be occasion come closer together I charge not these latter with any formed intentions of promoting the Roman Cause but they may be Factors for Rome though perhaps they know it not However I desire it may be consider'd how Inconsistent these men are when they make a shew sometimes of being great Enemies to the Roman Religion and yet at other times abet and befriend it Would not a Thinking Man be induced to believe that they are at the bottom Favourers of the Pontifician Interest Lastly I appeal to any considerate man whether this be not more probable than what the Socinians charge the Trinitarians with viz. that they are the Causes and Occasions of those Errors and Heresies which compose the gross body of Popery Thus I have offer'd a Brief Scheme of the Anti-Trinitarian and Socinian Doctrines These things might have been further enlarged upon but I was willing to bring all into a narrow compass for the sake of the Meanest Readers such as have not time and leisure to peruse Great Volumes or are not able to purchase them I hear that there is a Reverend and Worthy Person of my Name of the University of Oxford who hath undertaken to give a Larger Account of matters referring to this subject but for my own part I purposely design'd Brevity for the reasons aforesaid and because I have other work of Greater Importance upon my hands for though the handling of the foregoing Points be of great use otherwise I should not have employ'd my self about them yet I give Practical Theology the precedence to them That the Reader may have a Summary View together of all the preceding doctrines of the Socinians I will be yet briefer and couch the whole in a Narrower Draught which you may call if you please the Creed of a Socinian It may be drawn up in this Form and Manner I believe concerning the Scripture that there are Errors Mistakes and Contradictions in some places of it that the Authority of some of its books is questionable yea that the Whole Bible hath been tamper'd with and may be suspected to be Corrupted I believe concerning God that he is not a Spirit properly speaking i. e. Immaterial and Incorporeal but that he is such another sort of Body as Air or Ether is that he is not Immense and Infinite and every where Present but is confined to certain places that he hath no Knowledg of such future events as depend on the free will of man and that it is impossible that these things should be foreknown by him that there is a Succession in God's Eternal Duration as well as there is in Time which is the measure of that Duration which belongs to Finite beings I believe further concerning God that there is no distinction of Persons or Subsistencies in him and that the Son and Holy Ghost are not God the former of these being only a Man and the latter no other than the Power or Operation of God that there was nothing of Merit in what Christ did or suffer'd that therefore he could not make Satisfaction for the sins of the world and the contrary Assertion is deceitful erroneous and pernicious I believe concerning the First Man that he was not created in a state of Uprightness that the Image of God in which he was made consisted not in Righteousness and Holiness and consequently that he did not lose these by his Fall for he could not lose what he had not that Adam's Posterity have receiv'd no hurt have had no stain or blemish derived to them by his Apostacy and the contrary Opinion is a fable a dream a fiction of Antichrist that Mankind having receiv'd no damage by the fall of our First Parents have still an ability by nature to desire and imbrace all Spiritual Good and to avoid all that is Sinful and Vitious that therefore there is no need of the help of the Holy Spirit and that men may believe and repent and perform all religious acts without his operation and influence yea indeed the Spirit is but an Operation it self that men are counted righteous before God not for the Merit of Christ Jesus for he had no Merit but for their own good works I believe concerning the Future State that the Souls of the deceas'd have no knowledg no perception of any thing they are not sensible of any rewards or pains neither are they capable of feeling them so that in a manner they may be said not to Exist for their life activity and sensibleness are vanish'd and their very Nature is absorpt I believe that we shall not rise with the Same Bodies which we have now at the last day but that another Matter or Substance shall be substituted in their place I believe that men shall not at the day of Judgment be required to give an Account of their actions the most Flagitious Sinners shall not be Examined concerning any thing of their past life
had not been desperate I should have heard from them before this for 't is well known that our Modern Unitarians court all opportunities of setting the Press on work And they had time to do it before his Majesty's Injunctions were publish'd not to say that some of them have ventured to the Press since Besides these Injunctions I conceive debar them not not from clearing themselves if they could from those substantial Objections and Exceptions which have been made against their Assertions Wherefore I take it to be an unquestionable verity that these men who were voted such Champions by the Party are vanquished and that they have not Answered because they could not But from all hands I hear that their more retired language and countenances speak their extraordinary disturbance and disorder of Mind It is observed that some of them cannot conceal their great Regret and Passion but in a Raving Manner express their dislike of what I have writ Which I take to be an Infallible Argument that they are baffled that they are wounded under the fifth rib For they having no supports from Reason and Arguments therefore they fly to down-right Raillery Thus they let their Cause die because they cannot keep it alive And indeed as it is observ'd of less perfect Animals which are hastily form'd and produced that they are short-lived so fares it with Opinions that are defective and imperfect and found out of a sudden they are generally exploded in a short time and scarcely survive their Chief Authors This it is probable will be the fate of the foresaid Deficient and Maim'd Opinion about One Article this Mushrom Notion that hath no root and foundation will soon decay and come to nothing Another Dangerous Notion relating to the Christian Religion is that every thing in it is to be submitted to the exactness of Reason and what will not bear that Test is no part of Christianity Socinianism was first of all founded on this basis this was the main thing that was insisted upon Socinus makes it his business to destroy the doctrines of Original Sin of the Holy Trinity of Christ's Satisfaction of Baptism c. by force of Reason Demonstrations are to be required in all things that concern our Salvation saith Smalcius And even at this day this Suggestion of theirs is as useful to the New Socinians as the Rain-deers of Lapland to the inhabitants of that Country which serve them for all uses They can evade plain places of Scripture they can overturn the foundations of Religion they can settle their own Opinions they can impose upon the belief of mankind by this one Artifice It is but setting up this Idol and then presently they sacrifice all the Great Mysteries and Truths of Christianity to it When the Trinitarians assert the doctrine of Christ's Divinity when they maintain the Incarnation of the Son of God when they affirm that there are Three Personalities or Subsistencies in the Deity and when they profess their assent to other the like Articles of the Christian Faith they are cried out against because they are not level to humane conceptions no Idea can be formed of them they contradict our Natural Notions and for this reason alone they are laid aside by them as Contradictions Absurdities Impossibilities Pure Non-sense for so they are wont to express themselves in their late Writings They boast that theirs is an Accountable and Reasonable Faith when they deny the Trinity In an other place they reject this doctrine because it is against the dictate of Reason and they argue from this against the Incarnation or the Union of the Two Natures in Christ. At an other time they are for reducing all things to Common Sense And lastly they peremptorily determine that what is above our Reason to apprehend is also above our belief and consequently because the doctrine of the Trinity as well as some other sublime Points is above their Reason it staggers their belief nay which is more it is utterly renounced by them I thought fit to add these passages out of their Modern Prints to those which I had occasion to mention before in my Discourse concerning the Causes of Atheism that it may appear whatever the Late Unitarians pretend that they own this Maxim that every thing in Religion is to be submitted to the searches of Reason But certainly this is a Principle that destroys Christianity for a great part of this is founded on mere Revelation and the discoveries of God's will which transcend our reasonings and therefore it is a vanity to think that Reason must determine all in the Christian Religion It is true Natural Reason was placed in us by Him who is the Father of Lights and we must not attempt to extinguish it but neither must this Candle presume to take upon it the office of the Sun to act beyond its proper strength and power Reason is like the Rule with which we measure things to know the length or breadth of them we apply the Rule to them and so find out the just dimensions of them But then we undertake to measure Bodies which are of a certain length and breadth such as our Rule will serve to measure else there is no use of the Rule In a resembling sort what we would measure and comprehend by the Rule of Reason must be Finite i. e. proportioned to our Reason The things which are Infinite and Immense are not to be measured by this Scanty Rule such are the Divine Nature the Sacred Trinity the Union of God and Man c. Reason must act according to its due Measures and be employed according to the Strengths which are allow'd it It must not determine in those things which are not of its cognizance and such are Supernatural and Divine Mysteries There are no Demonstrative Arguments in things of this nature neither are they necessary We are to acquiesce in God's Word that is sufficient Reason And accordingly all the Great and Wise Men of this age as well as of former ones all persons of the most penetrating judgment of the most extraordinary sagacity rest in this and are satisfied But the New Disciples of Socinus pretend to be men of greater sense and understanding and demand of us to make out every thing in the Christian Religion even the profoundest matters of it by strict rules of Reason and Logick Thus as I had occasion not long since to observe they joyn with the Deists to root out Christianity and use the same methods and art that they do They irrationally extol humane Reason and extravagantly oppose it to Reveal'd Religion so as to exclude this latter and to vilifie the Author of it And thus it will appear at last that Atheism lurks under the refined name of Deism This very Notion of the excessive sway of Natural Reason in matters of Religion hath had a great and malignant influence upon some Others who are not Profess'd Socinians as a Learned Writer
Modern Christianity which professes the doctrines of Christ's Incarnation and the Trinity no better or other than a sort of Paganism and Heathenism These are their very terms P. 19. and they are answerable to what was said by them before viz. that the Trinitarian doctrines are of Heathen descent and original P. 15. and afterwards to vary the phrase of Paganick Extraction P. 16. I appeal now to the Reader whether this be not right Sclavonian whether it be not the very language and dialect of the Polonian Divines which shews that these are identified with the English Unitarians as to this matter and at the same time it yields us a true Pourtraiture of the persons I have been representing to the Reader Fourthly we should be very careful that we entertain none of their foresaid Opinions I question not but the Reader would have made this Inference though I had not But this I request of him that he would out of Choice and Judgment do this as being throughly apprehensive of that Evil and Danger which attend those Principles For this purpose I have display'd them and I hope that Special Hand of Providence for I cannot but acknowledg it as such which directed me to it will back it with a Blessing Fifthly and lastly see the tendency of the Unitarians and of the whole mass of the Socinian Points to Atheism They vilifie the Scipture they adulterate the true Meaning of it they introduce unbecoming sentiments concerning God and Religion they decry the great and necessary Truths of the Gospel they baffle the apprehensions which we ought to have of a Future State and what doth all this drive at but the undermining of Religion yea and Divinity it self So fitly was this Question inserted by a Learned Man above sixty years ago among his other Enquiries at the end of his Compendium of Ecclesiastical History Whether Socinianism be not an Introduction to Atheism So truly was it said lately by an Observing Pen In several respects our Socinians seem to be serving the designs of the Atheists I wish the Christian world would open their eyes and see this betimes and thereby prevent the unexpressible Danger which otherwise will unavoidably follow I offer it to be taken notice of that the Socinian and Atheistical party joyn hand in hand at this time and agree together in a very friendly manner to laugh at and defie the Fundamental Principles of Religion Such a Reflection methinks should be dismal to those of the Modern Penmen of the Socinian Perswasion who are sober and considerate They write whether they know it or no to please and humour the Wild Gallants those in city and countrey that are of Lewd Principles or of none at all Nothing is more evident at this day than that the Socinian Writings are highly acceptable to those that espouse the Cause of Atheism to the profesâ—…edly Prophane and Irreligious These are the men that applaud them and cry them up and think they are fraught with great Wit Argument and Reason I appeal to Impartial Judges whether this doth not shew the near Affinity if not Identity between these persons and those I am mentioning He that doth not see this sees nothing To conclude if what I have said sound harsh in these Gentlemens ears I request them to call to mind how severe they have been in censuring the Trinitarians and particularly in charging them with Idolatry Though Slichtingius and one or two more are unwilling to say in express terms that we are Idolaters yet both he and all the party assert that which is equivalent for they say we worship a mere Figment a Fancy of our own for so they blasphemously stile the Holy Trinity we set up an Idol of our own brain for an object of Divine Worship But our Home-bred Unitarians are yet bolder and speak it out without any mincing that the Trinitarians are Idolaters and Pagans and much worse and this they often inculcate But certainly to tax us with Idolatry when they themselves professedly worship a Creature as hath been observ'd before is the wildest Conceit that ever enter'd into any man's head the Boldness Inconsistency and Non-sense of it are so great that we can't sufficiently stand amazed at it Nay not only Idolatry but Atheism is laid to our charge I find that Servetus calls the Trinitarians Atheists very frequently And even the Modern Unitarians in their late writings expresly fix this Crime upon them for their words are these concerning the doctrine of the Trinity By its natural absurdity and impossibility it did not only at first give a check and stop to the progress of the Gospel but ever since it hath served to propagate Deism and Atheism The doctrine it self cannot do this without its being urged and managed by those that assert it therefore it is as much as if they had said Those who defend the Trinity propagate Atheism Now it will not be denied I think that those who propagate Atheism are Atheists Wherefore according to these men a Trinitarian is an Atheist In an other place they say he may be justly suspected of Atheism and they mention on what account Others of them tell us that Whatever Zeal the Trinitarians may pretend to have for Religion they take the right way to make men Scepticks and Atheists And the last man that wrote in defence of the Socinian Cause complains of us that we make that a Fundamental of Religion which contradicts the best reasonings of mankind whereby they prove the existence of God Thence loose men deny there is any God at all Thus you see what the Socinian Charge is against us Whence you may perceive that Mine is but a Counter-Charge and therefore they have no reason to find fault with the foregoing Retaliation especially when with the utmost Sincerity I declare that my Charge against them was not founded upon theirs or occasion'd by it for it was since the time that I drew up mine against them that I found this Accusation in some of their Papers Which may convince any unprejudiced person that what I have said with reference to the Anti-Trinitarians is not in way of Recrimination for I did not know that their Writings had any thing of that nature against those that defend the Trinity But it was and is from a sense and perswasion of the truth of the thing it self and that alone that I have and do at present thus tax them and turn their Obloquy upon themselves And truly I have done it with a sensible compassion all the while for I cannot rejoyce as some seem to do at finding an occasion of Censuring and Blaming others I submit what I have said to the Consciences of all Sober Faithful and Judicious Men all Sincere Lovers of God and Religion Let these judg between us and our Adversaries And now to shut up all if any one with calmness and sobriety laying aside all levity and scurrility all artifice and