and laudable temper of Mind Men give an assent an unfeigned assent to Doctrines because they believe them to be true and they endeavour to perswade others of the truth of those Doctrines whereof they are perswaded themselves because they suppose that the same may be beneficial to others as well as to themselves On the contrary they seriously dispute against those Doctrines which they imagine to have an evil influence prejudicing the nobler Interests of Mankind To me then it appears that the arguing and disputing Temper is cherish'd and prompted by good Nature but if Wisdom does not direct and Charity accompany it if it grows wild and imperious and uses them ill whom it cannot convince it ceases to be a laudable vertuous Temper and becomes quite another thing Now whether these Unitarians have vindicated the Mysterious Doctrines of the Church of England by proper cogent Arguments and in an obliging Christian manner without illegal injurious treatment of Dissenters that 's a Question which ought not rashly to be determin'd for or against them That I may more impartially deal in my Censures I defer the Consideration of it till my method shall lead me to consider also how proper and how cogent have been the Arguments how winning and civil their manner of handling them who have made it their business to oppose these unfortunate but perhaps not justly suspected Unitarians for to speak freely I am afraid that all which either of them must pretend to is to have committed the fewest Mistakes and to have trespass'd least against the righteous equitable Laws of Christ and the generally accepted Rules of good Manners I have now noted all that I can probably imagine to have prompted the Orthodox Unitarians to enter into the Religious Controversies which are at present under debate Methinks it is too hard to judg as some do that they have been spurr'd on by a vain Ostentation of Learning tho thus much is evident without a stock not contemptible they could not have done what they have but to say that their Writers are mercenary and hir'd to the Work looks as like an impertinent Slander as can be but to suppose them hir'd which I don't believe tho' I can't prove the contrary I would fain ask where 's the unpardonable crime to be hir'd to write in defence of this or that Explication which the Church gives of an Article that 's obscure and understood but in part If any Man will hire me to that Work which agrees with honest Principles and exceeds not my poor Abilities I am not asham'd to declare that I am at his Service ready to be commanded at a reasonable Rate There is another Division of Disputants engag'd in Religious Controversy but which fall into many a Subdivision all which Subdivisions are in open profession and most of them in truth and reality of the Church of England as well as the Unitarians tho they are sometime unwisely content to prove their Title to that Honour by so weak an Argument as their differing from the Unitarians and when they have done very few of them differ from the Unitarians except in terms Scholastick peculiar Phrase and manner of Expression which small matter is also now very well accommodated This Division of Disputants with all their Subdivisions may be compriz'd under the general distinction of Nominalists and Realists the former are of the Church and know themselves to be so the latter are meer Heathens as far as Polytheism goes tho they know it not we are bound in Charity to believe they know it not because they profess to be of the Church Both the Nominalists and Realists engag'd against the suspected Unitarians mov'd thereunto as may be guess'd from their Writings 1. By a profound Reverence for Authority To do these Gentlemen justice as well as the former this Motive is not to be rashly condemn'd nor yet can it be well allow'd without nearly examining what is here meant by Reverence and what degrees of Reverence are here spoken of Meaning by Reverence a good opinion and high esteem of the Wisdom of the Antients of Fathers and Councils of modern Convocations of pious and dignified learned and wealthy Men methinks it is a justifiable Motive a Motive also to which we are naturally inclin'd for we are born only with a nobler Form and a Docility above other Creatures and under the first advances of our Knowledg it is hardly possible for us to think of ever becoming like the Royal Psalmist wiser than our Teachers When our Reason is grown manly and can go alone i. e. of it self compare Ideas examine their Agreement and Disagreement thence drawing farther useful Conclusions still we are justly inclin'd to have a great Respect for our Teachers and Men of Fame that went before us and cannot nay ought not to endure to have their Doctrines condemn'd as erroneous without fair and full evidence against them When Experience chances to acquaint us with any notices about which our Ancestors or now living Teachers have been mistaken there is still a Reverence due to them a Reverence that should restrain us from exposing them a Reverence that should guide us modestly to represent what our own study and observance hath discover'd and 't is but an honest and grateful Reverence to their Wisdom to vindicate all their Conclusions which our own Reason apprehends to have been fairly drawn from just Premises Wherefore all those Writers that have ingag'd in Religious Controversy mov'd by such Sentiments as these their Reverence for Authority becomes them and justifies their Undertaking but what is beyond this is Excess and Extravagance and it were strange if the products of such Motives should be regular and even reasonable and useful It is notorious Excess and wild Extravagance to make Gods of Men and equal Human Authority to Divine The Doctrines of Fathers the Canons of Councils the Decrees of Popes the Confessions of National Churches may 't is true be reasonably defended by any Man who is sincerely perswaded that the same are truly stated righteously ordain'd wisely decreed and well drawn up But when any Doctrines or Canons Decrees or Confessions are defended not for sake of their own Truth and Excellence but in reverence to the Authority of the Authors a Reverence is paid them above what they can deserve because a greater cannot be paid to God Almighty We can but submit our Judgments to the Revelations of God and it is lawful for us to examine nay 't is our commendation to examine how far those Histories are to be trusted which give us an account of his Revelations having once satisfy'd our selves in this point and as to the Histories of the Old and New Testament we have fair and full Evidence that 's my Opinion and I am sure the Unitarians grant it we have then nothing to do but to examine with the best skill we have in Languages and Customs of the old Jews and first Christians by regarding the Genius Style and
from the Church of England that is if the Bishops and chief Doctors of the Church know what the Church means I do confess that I much fear the Unitarians may have private Opinions about Articles commonly held necessary to Salvation different from the Opinions of the Compilers of the 39 Articles and from the Grammatical literal Sense of those Articles for through them as also through our Homilies there runs a Vein of that Scheme which at this day is call'd Calvinism But the Grammatical literal Sense of our Articles and Homilies are fall'n into the hands of Governing Bishops Deans and Doctors and Governed inferiour Priests and Deacons of whom a vast Majority as appears by their Prints and daily Sermons expound them very widely different from the Grammatical literal Sense intended by the first Compilers Words and Phrases have nothing in their own nature which can fix them to this or that particular Sense it is common Consent and way of speaking which appropriates them and therefore our Articles and Homilies which once held forth some of the Predestinarian Rigors for the Doctrine of the Church are not to be suppos'd to teach the same still now that the Consent of our Church runs so strongly another way Possibly the Unitarians have not Cranmer Latimer and Ridly on their side in the Points now controverted but in them and all other necessary Articles they have the Reverend Bishops of Worcester and Sarum Dr. South and Mr. Edwards with them indeed if those Bishops and Doctors should neither be the Church nor conjoin'd with enough to make a Majority which must be the Church the Lord have mercy upon the Unitarians for who is it that indulges his Brother a due liberty of Conscience but when he needs it himself but the Bishops and Doctors aforesaid being conjoin'd with an uncontestable Majority the Unitarians have nothing more to do to prove that they have no particular private Opinions about Matters commonly held necessary to Salvation but to shew their Agreement with those Bishops and Doctors or which is much the same thing the Agreement of those Bishops and Doctors with them now this has been amply and fairly done by an Unitarian I know not whom he being a perfect Stranger to me but it matters not much who he is whether a Transmarine or Cismarine Divine or no Divine at all 't is nothing to the Cause that Mr. Edwards by drawing up a Creed from Socinian Writers mostly Foreigners and publishing it as the Creed of the Unitarians gave this Unitarian an occasion to declare the Sense of himself and his Friends upon all those Points which he has done in a Paper call'd The Agreement of the Vnitarians with the Catholick Church Mr. Edwards takes no notice of this ingenuous Declaration but because the Author has not also defended every unstudied doubtful or extravagant Saying which this or that Socinian may have publish'd therefore he triumphs rubs his Forehead and proclaims That the Unitarian has not one Syllable to say for himself or against him Now in my Judgment the Unitarian might as well expect that Mr. Edwards should defend all the Pagan Tritheism which might be quoted from Dr. Cudworth Dr. Bull and Dr. Sherlock for what has the Unitarian more to do with the foreign Socinians than Mr. Edwards has with these learned and real Trinitarians and Tritheists For the Unitarian does not blindly follow the Socinians but while he takes up with some of their critical Interpretations of difficult Texts he forsakes them in others even Mr. Edwards himself agreeing perhaps in most points with the aforesaid Realists accepts them for Orthodox Brethren while he lets them keep their Tritheism to themselves it were a very unfair thing in me if I should publish the religious Frenzies of Mr. Gailhard which have been so well chastis'd by two honest Gentlemen as part of Mr. Edwards's Faith nay I much doubt whether he would be content to own all that I could quote him out of the Origines Eccles and the Irenicum of that Patron of his whose Name he says is not so much the Name of a Person or a Family as it is the Name of profound Learning and solid Religion I mention not those Books as if I thought them full of Errors for I have a greater esteem for them than perhaps the Author himself may have now or Mr. Edwards either but my meaning is that neither should Mr. Edwards be put to answer for the Tritheism of the Realists nor the Unitarians censur'd for Socinian Mistakes By the way were I a great Man and my Fame wanted some specious Decoration I would bestow my encouraging Bounty on an Ecclesiastick rather than a meer Heathenish Poet not but that the meer Heathenish Poet might have the most Wit the noblest Fancy and as little Conscience as any grave Panegyrist whatsoever but because an Ecclesiastick for a small matter will say all that he can to make a God of his Patron while the other measures his Encomiums by the Number of the Guineas that are paid him To return the Socinian Perswasion is to be seen in the Racovian Catechism The English Unitarian Sentiments in the Agreement c. those their Sentiments there set down no one that I know of has undertaken to refute or charge with Heresy But farther from several Tracts of the Unitarians it appears that those their Adversaries who have been distinguish'd by the Name of Nominals and who are a considerable Majority of the Church do yet explain the controverted Articles to the very same Sense as do the Unitarians I refer the Reader chiefly to the Discourse concerning the Nominal and Real Trinitarians to which I can add but little yet some Instances I shall produce which make it plain that the Leaders of the Nominalists in the controverted Points differ as little from the Socinians as the Unitarians do The Racovian Catechism affirms that the Essence of God is but one in number and that in the Essence of God there is but one Person The first of the 39 Articles of the Church of England teaches That in the Unity of the Godhead there are three Persons this Doctrine the Learned Bishop of Worcester undertakes to defend supposing it gainsay'd by the Socinians and by the Unitarians But if it be gainsay'd by neither his Lordship has thrown away a great deal of Learning to little purpose 'T is true a Man has not the less Learning for this sort of Expence but then if he spends much Labour in it 't is an undervaluing of his Judgment The different Explications which the Racovian Catechism and his Lordship give of this ambiguous homonymous word Person being consider'd it is plain that they differ about the meaning of a word and that 's all while their Doctrine is one and the same The Racovian Catechism defines a Person to be an Individual Intelligent Essence but according to the Bp of Worcester a Person is one and the same Nature under different Modes of Subsistence
Racovian Friends pretends to take Distaste because they believe That Christ only died for our Good P. 141 142. and not in our Stead that by his Death he might fully confirm his Gospel and give it a great Authority They believe That by his dying he intended to set us a most perfect Pattern of bearing the sharpest Sufferings with the perfectest Patience and the most entire Charity that by doing this he was to merit at God's hand that supreme Authority with which he is now vested for our Good that so he might obtain a Power to offer the World Pardon of Sin upon their true Repentance Finally That he died in order to his Resurrection and for giving a sensible Proof of that main Article of his Religion Now what does his Lordship believe more than this Why he says the same things over again in a new Set of Phrases and adds this Expression Christ suffered both upon our Account P. 143. and in our Stead If the Bishop would abide by the strictest and most proper Sense of these Words In our Stead he would indeed differ in a considerable matter from the Racovians but then he would also differ as much from himself for he means no more by suffering in our stead than the Racovians mean by suffering for our good as appears from what he says p. 135. If every Sin as being of infinite guilt must be expiated by an infinite Act it will not be easy to make this out how the Acts of Christ tho infinite in value should stand in a strict equality with all the Sins of so many men every one of which is of infinite guilt If his Lordship is sincere in this then he cannot pretend to believe that Christ suffer'd the infinite Punishment due to the infinite Guilt of all Men and by doing so made a full proper and adequate Satisfaction for the Sins of the World which is the strict and proper Sense of suffering in our Stead All that his Lordship does or can consistently to himself make of this Phrase In our Stead is That Christ did so suffer for our Good that if he had not suffer'd as he did we must have been the miserable Sufferers our selves But there is another Phrase wherein his Lordship labours to distinguish himself from his Friends and that is Expiatory Sacrifice But he may please to consider That the Racovians are not utterly averse from this Phrase for in their Catechism to that Question What think you of those Sacrifices i. e. of the Old Covenant they answer p. 139. By them the Sins of the People were expiated or aton'd that is by the intervening of those Sacrifices Remission of Sins graciously decreed by God was brought to effect Otherwhere also they thankfully acknowledg That the Death of Christ expiates our Sins through the gracious Condescension of his Father who is pleas'd to accept that Sacrifice not as a Payment to his Justice but as an Application to his Mercy And just thus but more elegantly as always his Lordship explains what he means by an Expiatory Sacrifice p. 151. We are to consider that in Sacrifices it is the Appointment and the Acceptation which makes the Satisfaction for God's accepting a Sacrifice is an Abatement of the Rigour of Justice and a declaring that he will pardon Sins in such a Method and upon such a Consideration He had spoke to the same purpose p. 136. But I am weary of transcribing By what I have said it is plain That on the Article of Christ's Death and Satisfaction for the Sins of Mankind there is no real Difference between the Bishop and the Racovian Catechism and when his Lordship explains his less proper Phrases there 's an end of all verbal Difference between them As before of the Bishop of Worcester so now of the Bishop of Sarum I have one thing to beg in behalf of the Unitarians But because I would not offer my Petition rudely I have a very pertinent Story to introduce it In the beginning of the last Reign William Pen in behalf of himself and Friends preferred an Address which to the best of my remembrance was thus worded James We are sorry for the Death of thy Brother Charles but we rejoice that we are fall'n under thy Government Thou art a Dissenter from the Church of England so are we we hope thou wilt allow us that Liberty which thou tak'st thy self So farewel By this excellent Pattern I draw up my Petition My Lord of Sarum The Unitarians are sorry that they have been misunderstood by the Church of England but they rejoice to find that your Lordship teaches the same Doctrine which they have done If your Lordship thinks it no Heresy in your self they hope it will be none in them So farewel Having thus shewn by what Methods the Unitarians defend their Doctrines of evil Tendency and mischievous Consequence I think it fit to acquit my self of a Promise to Mr. Edwards He takes notice of these Words in the Agreement c. p. 7. He may for our parts be Anathema that teaches or believes that Doctrine viz. That there is no Merit in what Christ did or suffer'd and that he made not Satisfaction for our Sins And he pretends that the contrary was taught by an Unitarian t'other day in these Words Antitrinitarian Scheme p. 18. The Oblation which Christ made of himself was not made to the Justice of God or by way of Reparation but as all other Sacrifices by way of humble Suit Now I take this Passage to be so far from a Contradiction that it may be look'd upon as a just and reasonable Explication of the former The Bishop of Sarum either more honest or more discerning than Mr. Edwards represents the Socinians owning that Christ by his Death merited at God's hands merited a supreme Authority and obtain'd a Power to offer the World Pardon of Sin upon their true Repentance p. 142. He believes also with the Vnitarians that the Oblation was made not to the Justice but to the Mercy of God for he says pag. 135. The Right of punishing God may use or not use as he pleases and that the Acts of Christ tho infinite in value cannot stand in a strict Equality with the Sins of Mankind And whereas Mr. Edwards accuses the Unitarians for scoffing and ridiculing the Merits and Satisfaction of Christ they are ready to tell him 1. That they are the least given to scoffing of any Writers of Controversy 2. It cannot be pretended that they have scoff'd the Merits and Satisfaction of Christ as the Church and the Bishop of Sarum understand those Words whatever they may have done to the Calvinistical Hypothesis which Mr. Edwards must embrace if on this Subject he disputes against them 3. Whether the Calvinistical Hypothesis be fit to be scoff'd at I will not argue but I am sure it deserves to be abhorr'd That there was no such Justice in God as necessarily oblig'd him to exact a Satisfaction is a
THE Grounds and Occasions OF THE CONTROVERSY Concerning the Vnity of God c. THE METHODS by which it has been managed AND The MEANS to compose it By a Divine of the Church of England LONDON Printed and sold by E. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall MDCXCVIII THE Grounds and Occasions OF THE CONTROVERSY CONCERNING The Vnity of God c. THE eminently Learned Wise and Good Bishop of Down and Connor Jeremy Taylor having affirm'd and prov'd from express clear and full Attestations of Scripture from the Reasonableness of the thing from the Testimonies of Fathers and later Schoolmen that all the Articles of the Christian Faith are plainly set down in Scripture did not yet scruple to acknowledg That there were still in Scripture innumerable Places containing in them great Mysteries but then those Mysteries he thought were so involv'd with Clouds and Darkness so cover'd with Allegories and Garments of Rhetorick that God may seem to have left them as Trials of our Industry as Arguments of our Imperfections Incentives to our Longings after the clearest Revelations of Eternity and as Occasions and Opportunities of Mutual Charity and Toleration That the Mysterious Passages of Scripture are Trials ever like to find Work for our Industry and convincing Arguments of our Imperfections is evident from the little satisfaction which the many various attempted Interpretations have given and I question not but this Reflection may incline devouter Minds ardently to long for the brighter Revelations of Eternity but how few are they who make the obscure Mysteries of Scripture Occasions and Opportunities of Mutual Charity and Toleration In truth it is but reasonable to judg that the All-wise God design'd them for this good end but the general Event which has accidentally follow'd through the Indisposition of unwise and ill-natur'd Men is that they are made Occasions of venting bitter hatred and wreaking zealous Malice one upon another Could Religious Controversies be manag'd without intemperate Heat breach of Friendship and good Neighbourhood the advantages issuing thence might perhaps be more and greater than could be easily esteem'd and numbred we should certainly reap Fruits worthy our Industry and Study either by improvements of our Knowledg or sense of our Ignorance we should happily teach or at least civilly use one another but if we are forsaken of common Prudence as well as Christian Charity we shall turn all our Disputes about Religion and when we are forbid them every thing else into the Instruments of barbarous Cruelty and thereby create a greater mischief to the Body Politick whereof we are all Members than a wise Conqueror would compel us to suffer or a fair Enemy wish It is out of an honest desire of being serviceable not to demonstrate what is the certain true sense of a Mysterious Article I would sooner promise to solve all the puzling Phaenomena in Nature or fix the time for the Downfal of the Turk and Conversion of the Jews but to prevent the mischievous Consequences of various Interpretations that I am going to consider I. What has rais'd the Disputes at present agitated among us II. What has inflam'd them to that dangerous Excess which in time 't is fear'd may disturb the publick Quiet III. What 's the proper way to remedy the Mischiefs which have happen'd and to prevent farther It is to me evident that the original of our present Disputes can be referr'd to no one Cause many Persons Ecclesiasticks and others diversly mov'd have ingag'd in them There is one sort of Men who have been sometimes distinguish'd by the Name of Vnitarians and by angry Adversaries reproachfully call'd Socinians but to deal justly on all sides who ought to be numbred with the Orthodox because they not only embrace the Doctrines of the Church of England but also are contented to use her School-terms which they once thought and do still think not so fit to express her sound Doctrines These Persons as to me seems probable have engag'd in our Religious Controversies 1. Out of an aversion from taking things upon trust This Motive must be allow'd to be reasonable and just because he that gives up his Faith to human Authority is beholden to his good Fortune whenever the Opinions which fall to his lot have any thing of truth or usefulness in them and as often as they happen to be illgrounded and noxious he deserves all the evil Consequences which he suffers by them for if he had made use of his Reason before he gave his Assent there was at least a probability that he might have known better and guided himself more safely The Bereans are commended in Scripture who would not take things upon trust no not from the Mouth of an Apostle which is enough to justify without farther arguing all them who are concern'd in Religious Controversies mov'd thereunto by an aversion from taking things upon trust If I were writing to do service to these Orthodox Unitarians for that must be granted to be their Character now they have explain'd themselves and taken off the jealousy which the Church had conceiv'd of them if I were writing purposely to do them service I might here expatiate in liberal Praises due to that noble Disposition of Mind which takes nothing upon trust We are beholden to it for all the great Improvements of Knowledg which serve the Necessities and Comforts of Life and not only so but methinks we owe to it our very Christian Orthodoxy it self for an easy implicit Believer will never stand with his Supream be it Alcoran or what it will which he is required to subscribe but the wary Examiner who searches the Scripture that he may see whether things are as the Church teaches no sooner perceives the truth of her Articles but he holds unmoveably stedfast to them and unfeignedly venerates his holy Mother But this is not my business now Therefore 2. Another Motive which I am perswaded has influenc'd these Orthodox Unitarians to enter into Religious Controversy is an honest desire to be serviceable to the Church and useful to well-dispos'd less-knowing Christians by instructing and informing them Whether these Persons are Ecclesiasticks or Laymen it matters not much for I suppose it will be granted that it is lawful for one Man to inform and instruct his Friend Neighbour or Countryman either in private Discourse or publick Print tho he be not a Minister of the Gospel or perhaps not Episcopally ordain'd 3. I will not say but that these Unitarians may have been thrust upon Controversy by a forward zeal to defend the Mysterious Doctrines of the Church against the Heathenish Interpretations of some eminent unwary Tritheists Zeal in defence of Doctrines which are certainly true or at least unfeignedly believ'd to be so and against Errors really pernicious or generally suspected as such by good Men if it spend its force only to establish the former and to refute the latter abstaining from all Illegal Injurious and Unchristian Treatment of erroneous Persons may pass for a vertuous
Design of Sacred Writers c. what is the true and proper signification of the Words which we read what sense arises from them Contradictions to natural Reason cannot be the true sense of the words Difficulties may such is the Doctrine of the Resurrection if we submit our Judgments in any case but this where we are sure of a Divine Revelation and where we are sure of the sense of the sacred Penman's words we pay an excessive Reverence to the Authority of Men but I believe that those Gentlemen who profess to submit their Judgments to the Church have no other aim but to court the Church her favour or cheat her inspection with a Complement There 's no avoiding such a thought as this when the solemn and publick Judgment and Declaration of a Vice-chancellor and Heads of one of our Universities condemning the Doctrine of three infinite distinct Minds and Substances in the Trinity as False Impious and Heretical contrary to the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and of the Church of England is made a Jest of and rejected with bold contemptuous and angry Railery All that the Church of England requires of us is I humbly conceive such a Reverence and Esteem as I first describ'd a wise Submission a Reverence join'd with Honesty and a good Understanding a Submission according as may be gather'd from the 20th of her 39 Articles because she does not as she ought not ordain any thing contrary to God's Word written because she expounds Scripture one place consonant to another because she is a faithful Keeper of Holy Writ decrees nothing against the same and besides the same enforces nothing as necessary to Salvation The Church does not pretend to Infallibility the most eminent Sons shall I say or Fathers of the Church look upon her Articles as Forms in a comprehensive Latitude drawn up for Peace sake and very conscious are they that the Church of the last Age was Calvinist the Church of the present Age Arminian and all the while it was Church of England but when bold Opiniators shall not be content to keep themselves within the accountable bounds of prudential Latitude but start odd Notions not at all distinguishable from Heathenish Polytheism then they who dispute against them enter into Religious Controversy mov'd thereunto by a very just Motive But perhaps it may be urg'd that the Polytheists did not begin the Quarrel Well suppose it what will they gain by that Plea if still their Doctrine is no other than Polytheism And what if it should appear that the Unitarians gave the first occasion of Dispute this will create no Prejudice against them in the Minds of considering Men for as far as I can perceive they took Exceptions not against the Articles but the Scholastical Terms of the Church and drove at nothing farther than that those difficult Propositions which are called Mysteries might be express'd as far as the Subject would admit in words plain and intelligible and when that could not be in the very Phrase of Scripture The Unitarians if I take them right cannot yet submit their Judgment so as not to prefer Scripture-Phrase before Scholastick Terms tho they are such lovers of Peace that it has been again and again declar'd that when nothing is meant by all those Terms of Art which is contrary to Reason or not consonant to Scripture they will not contentiously decline the use of them They have said as much in some of their Prints and I should not do them justice if I did not take notice of it They are also ready to pay due reverence to the Church because of her great Candour and Moderation in not exacting from good Christians a submission of Judgment as to the use of Religious Rites and Ceremonies something more hardly once she treated them but now God be thanked she is come to a true Christian Temper so that I reckon the Toleration which Parliamentary Authority has indulg'd is enjoy'd by conscientious Separatists with the consent of the Church for it were uncharitable to suspect that she is not the same now as a while ago in the time of her danger And therefore I think that those warmer Zealots who entertain their Auditories with Invectives against the Toleration do not only slight the Authority of King and Parliament but also bring a Scandal upon the Church It is but just to believe that the Church is pleas'd with the Toleration for this other reason because she gets more by that than ever she did by violence for it is visible that our Parochial Churches are fuller now than when we compell'd Men to come in But enough of this tho it is not altogether out of the way for this also tends to declare on what accounts a reverential esteem is due to the Church and on what respects the vindication of her Honour is a just Motive of entring into Religious Controversy but a blind submission of Judgment to all that the Church already has decreed or may decree hereafter is a sensless slavish Stupidity An implicit Faith in all her Articles is more than she does require a taking up always with the first obvious literal Grammatical Sense is more than the most and the most learned Deacons Priests and Bishops themselves do 2. The Persons of whom I have been speaking were prompted as may be gather'd from their Prints to enter into Religious Controversy by an indignation against all Innovations in Religion As specious a look as this Motive has it must be very well circumstanc'd before it can be allow'd for a just and reasonable one for it happens many times that the Innovation is but surmis'd and suspected and perhaps there would not be half the Differences which there are in the Church if words which have not all of them determinate and distinct Ideas if terms of Art and equivocal Phrases were expounded and sixt by exact and plain Definitions Foreign Protestants are apt to suspect that the Church of England favours the Doctrine of Transubstantiation because she expresses her self by that ambiguous Phrase Real Presence they are afraid lest Real Presence should signify Corporeal Presence But when the Church avows that she does not use the word Real in that sense but means only a Spiritual Presence apprehended and enjoy'd by Faith the occasion of dispute is remov'd and all that can be said against the Church is that her Language is not so proper as her Faith is pure Therefore that celebrated Hugonot Jurieu was more angry than the Cause deserv'd when he join'd Transubstantiation and Real Presence together and call'd 'em both Monsters which harsh Censure cannot be return'd upon his Accomplishment of Prophecies for that 's an ingenious learned pretty thing the Events of History have an agreeable resemblance to the Apocalyptick Emblems to which he applies them but for all that I believe there 's not one word of truth in his interpretative Accomplishment By the Form of Absolution in the Visitation of the Sick one might
be one Mr. Edwards fram'd a Socinian Creed and quoted his Authors for every Article a Unitarian Writer replied but says Mr. Edwards That Gentleman in effect acknowledges that the Articles I fixt on the Socinians are the very Doctrines and Sentiments of those Persons worded as I set them down and that the Authors whom I quoted deliver'd them in those very Terms and that I have not misrepresented any of them He that will may trust Mr. Edwards but I for my part desire to be excus'd for the Unitarian Writer in his Agreement of the Vnitarians with the Catholick Church does expresly affirm That he has examin'd some of Mr. Edwards's principal References and can say of them that they are either Perversions or downright Falsifications of what the Authors referred to did intend It is true he has alledg'd no Instances but he seldom is long on such an occasion in a Friend's Debt But on every Article of Mr. Edwards's Socinian Creed he has ingenuously accurately and amply declar'd what it is which the English Unitarians do believe to all which Mr. Edwards returns only this Censure It is Higgling or Dodging or Recantation Now if an ingenuous accurate and ample declaring what the English Unitarians do believe be higgling and dodging who can help it If it be Recantation methinks Mr. Edwards should have rejoic'd that his Labours had contributed to win Souls to the true Faith But alas he is afraid that it is a real Recantation and therefore he beslaves the Party for he was in hopes they would have persisted in their Error that he might have had the Pleasure of seeing them burn'd and the Comfort of believing them damn'd But notwithstanding this his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Unitarians stand upon it that neither are their Doctrines erroneous not have they forsaken them No! why says Mr. Edwards This Anonymous Scribe meerly to avoid the Imputation of some Articles I fastned on the Socinians ventures to renounce what the Staunch-men of that Party have asserted Well! but if he never did assert what the Staunch-men have asserted nor ever profess himself a Disciple of Socinus may he not have leave to renounce that which is falsly laid to the Charge of himself and his Friends I doubt not but Mr. Edwards knows what 's Heresy enough to burn a Man but does he think to perswade the Unitarians as they do Witches in Scotland to confess the Crime whereof they are not guilty that so he may have the Satisfaction to glut his vengeful Eyes with the Flames in which they fry But Mr. Edwards would fain prove that the Anonymous Scribe as he calls him for he 's full of his Nicknames has also renounc'd what the modern domestick Socinians have asserted He offers this Instance for Proof The Anonymous Scribe had said He may for our parts be Anathema that teaches or believes that Doctrine viz. That there is no Merit in what Christ did or suffer'd and that he made not Satisfaction for our Sins And yet in one of their Prints they let us know That the Oblation which Christ made of himself was not made to the Justice of God or by way of Reparatioâ—â— but as all other Sacrifices by way of humble Suit How these two Passages do directly contradict one another Mr. Edwards when he is at leisure will inform us In the mean time I make bold to acquaint him that before I have done I will produce him an honourable Cloud of Witnesses of the last and of this present Age eminent Doctors and Bishops of the Church of England offering the same Sense for Orthodox which Mr. Edwards decries as gross Socinianism Mr. Edwards having offer'd nothing else excepting bad Language against tho Book call'd Agreement of the Vnitarians with the Catholick Church thither I refer the Reader for not Mr. Edwards himself I presume tho he 's a bold Man will dare to pronounce the Doctrines which the Unitarians there own to be false and of mischievous Tendency But Mr. Edwards and some others have one invidious Objection which I do not remember particularly answer'd They say Socinianism is the Road to Deism and Deism the Road to Atheism Now if this were true it does not affect the Unitarians who are neither Atheists nor meer Deists nor yet Socinians But Mr. Edwards takes every of these Positions for indubitate A Unitarian is a Socinian Socinianism tends to Deism Deism to Atheism These things with him necessarily hang together like a Hobbian Chain of Thoughts Yet I will shew him how loose the Links of this Chain are if he knows how let him fasten them That a Unitarian is no Socinian appears plain from the Agreement to which I hope to add some farther Proof that Socinianism does not tend to Deism I will now offer some Reason but Mr. Edwards must take it for an Auctarium which I need not throw him in but shall do it out of pure Charity to convince him of his adventurous Boldness at Calumny and extream Shortness at Argument By Deism I take it is commonly meant Natural Religion founded on the Belief of the Existence of a God and of a future Life with a Rejection and Disbelief of all Revelation Socinianism is not the Road to this Deism I know not of any English Catechism which accounts for the Truth of the Christian Revelation except the Racovian Methinks it is a Deficiency and if Deism does abound so much as Mr. Edwards says surely 't were not amiss that our Youth and other docile apprehensive tho not Book-learn'd People should be informed in a plain Catechetical way how the Authority of the Old and New Testament is to be prov'd This may be learn'd in that Catechism of the Socinians which is call'd the Racovian the first Chapter consists of near eight Leaves proving that we have no just Grounds to doubt but sufficient Reasons to perswade us to give Credence to the Holy Scriptures Now the Arguments there us'd are not trivial â—or weak are not such as might give an Adversary occasion to object that they mean to betray the Cause Let Mr. Edwards tell me what can be said more to the purpose or better in such a compass touching the Sufficiency Chap. 2. touching the Clearness of Holy Scriptures Chap. 3. The Socinians have declar'd themselves so plainly so judiciously so Orthodoxly that their imbitter'd Adversaries have nothing to find fault with Now supposing that these Men were widely mistaken about the Sense of several difficult Texts yet who that had any Modesty left would accuse them of inclining to Deism of rejecting the Authority of Holy Scriptures and denying the Truth of the Christian Religion Let Mr. Edwards defend the Christian Religion if he can better than the Socinians have defended it but if he has no stronger Arguments than they have us'd for that purpose why would he have them suspected of Deism To labour to perswade People that the Socinians who have said so much to establish the divine Authority of the Bible