Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A27348
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A letter to a friend with remarks upon two pamphlets lately published, in defence of tritheism viz. A brief enquiry by J. T. and The Socinian slain by J.H.
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A. B.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing B18; ESTC R2798
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16,001
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16
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Adoration as such We will tell 'em before-hand their Undertaking to confute us is desperate and our Principles are irrefutable tho they should write in defence of Tritheism as many Volumes in Folio as there are Stars in the Firmament or Sands on the Sea-shoar they will never be able to prove their Tritheism either true or possible as long as any Bibles remain in Christendom or Reason continues in use among Men. But when our Reason has left us and our Bibles are gone they may decree and impose to good purpose tho they can never dispute with success In the mean time there is not a single Unitarian but will heartily pity the mistaken Tritheists who have a Zeal but not according to knowledg and be always imitating the Blessed Jesus in praying in the same manner and to the same Object as he did even to his Father and our Father to his God and our God that the thoughts of their hearts may be forgiven 'em Joh. 20.17 that they may know the Father to be the only true God and glorify him chap. 17.3 even as Christ himself glorify'd him chap. 17.4 that they may be sanctified thro the Truth and like true Worshipers worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth as Christ himself did Joh. 14.16 For the Father seeketh such to worship him who bow their Knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ unto whom be glory in the Church by Jesus Christ throughout all Ages world without end Amen Eph. 3 14-21 Now the God of patience and consolation grant Rom. 15.5 6. that the Vnitarians and their mistaken Brethren the Tritheists may be of one Faith likeminded one towards another according to Jesus Christ that we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ And let all the People say Amen Thus Sir have I given you some general Remarks upon these two new Writers and their successless Performances and tho my leisure will not admit me and the merits of the Authors do not require me to make a distinct reply to every particular Text they pervert yet I 'm satisfy'd these few Observations and Replys I have made are sufficient to obviate the Scruples they have rais'd in the Minds of a few unwary Christians I am SIR With great Veneration Y. v. h. S-t A. B. The Oxford Decree English'd At a Meeting of Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the Heads of Colleges and Halls in the Vniversity of Oxford Novemb. 25. 1695. UPON occasion of a Sermon lately preached before the University of Oxford in the Church of St. Peter's in the East on the Feast of St Simon and Jude last past these words amongst others were publickly spoken and asserted viz. There are three infinite distinct Minds and Substances in the Trinity Item That the three Persons in the Trinity are three distinct infinite Minds or Spirits and three individual Substances which words gave many Persons just cause of Offence and Scandal Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the Heads of the Colleges and Halls being now met together in their General Meeting judg declare and decree That the foresaid Words are false impious and heretical disagreeing and contrary to the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and specially to the Doctrine of the Church of England publickly received Wherefore they order and strictly enjoin all and several the Persons committed to their Trust and Care that for the future they do not maintain any such Doctrine in their Sermons or elsewhere By the Decree of Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the Heads Ben. Cooper Notary Publick and Register to the University of Oxford There was added in the London Account this Postscript viz. It may be noted that the Propositions above-mentioned are Dr. S k's in his Discourse of the Trinity and the Defenders of it and wrote against by the Animadverter c. FINIS
both Unitarians and Tritheists too have great cause to be asham'd of such a scandalous Author whom in his 55th Page you 'll find very busy a proving the poor Vnitarians Hereticks and their Doctrine Heresy and thinks no doubt he has prov'd the point as fully as bis own People prov'd him an Adulterer and his Grimes Adultery I should be sorry I confess if the former were as true as the latter but should have been very glad for J. T 's sake if the latter were no truer than the former But I would feign know of the Enquirer and all his Abettors which is the greater Heresy to assert as the Tritheists do That there are three eternal most perfect coequal Beings or to maintain as the Unitarians do that there is and can be but one supreme most perfect Being who has no equal and with whom no other Being is to be compar'd If I must be an Heretick for my part I would choose for my opinion the latter of these two Heresies But the Enquirer is clearly for the first yet he owns P. 59. There are few who are capable of understanding so great a Mystery So say the most considerable Defenders of the Mystery both English and Foreigners But the Unitarians say and can prove as they have often done that 't is a Mystery of Human Invention and not of Divine Revelation and by the way 't is such a Mystery that the Enquirer one of the meanest of its Defenders could not say one wise word in vindication of it at a publick Dispute And how could he help it the Mystery being incomprehensible But he assures you P. 69. that The common People firmly believe the Mystery tho they can't comprehend the manner of it I answer The Faith of the common People is a gross Tritheistic Faith like that of the common Preachers of which no wise Man nor thinking Christian can be very fond I 'm sure the Learned Dr. S th and the most Celebrated University of Oxford have no value for it but have solemnly condemn'd it Nov. 25. 1695. But the Enquirer has now done with his Proofs and begins his Remarks upon the Unitarians who are said to be P. 60 Men of holy and pious Lives c which many Trinitarians are not the Enquirer for one and therefore is so ready to ingage St. Paul to condemn Heresy in the Faith more than Impiety in the Morals How gladly would some Men have their pretended Orthodoxy atone for their real Immorality and be accounted good Christians for a mysterious Faith without Charity and good Life The Enquirer admits the Unitarians to be Men of pious lives but what then Will that alone qualify 'em for Church-Communion No by no means P. 62. If after all means used they persist in their Heresies they are to he rejected let their Lives and Conversations be never so exact they are be to rejected by the Church which shews they are not good Christians and that their Piety is but seeming not real Let me recommend for once to all and singular of his Reader or Readers this elaborate Lipotiwhichet as one of his Masterpieces and I challenge 'em to match it in all the Sayings of all the Seven Wise Masters in Christendom Bevis of Southampton Crispin or King Pharamond For I 'm sure that this is true Mother-Wit and a perfect Original of his own Understanding But what if one should argue The Enquirer is really immoral and but seemingly Orthodox therefore he ought to be cast out of the Church Would not this look with a far better Grace than his Argument viz. You ought to be cast out of the Church ergo you are but seemingly pious and good Christians No no the Enquirer will reply By no means You ought to be cast out of the Church is a stanch Reason at all times to prove Heresy and Impiety and when all other Arguments fail this will do for whoever ought to be cast out of the Church can neither be a good Man nor a true Christian The Enquirer and all his Friends are agreed that the Unitarians ought to be cast out of the Church and then to be sure they are no good Christians But what if the Unitarians should think the Enquirer ought to be cast out of the Church Would not this prove him no Christian too Yes certainly if his own Argument be a good one but his Congregation I hear have done him that piece of Justice already and the zealous Excluder is himself excluded and declar'd in his own Stile Incommunicable which seems to be a remarkable instance of Divine Vengeance upon him for vilifying his Maker reproaching his Saviour extolling Mahomet decrying the Christian which is the best Religion and the Vnitarians the truest Professors of it He who wrote to encourage Schism and Division has his own Church first broken and divided and then himself upon full evidence sentenc'd and declared incommunicable by that very dividing Party who were his unwary Admirers How righteous are thy Judgments O God! Psal 73.25 Whom have we in Heaven but Thee and whom is there on Earth that we ought to esteem or adore in comparison with thee God grant him repentance unto life he is at present in the gall of bitterness and bond of Iniquity for that reason under the Church's righteous Anathema his pretended Orthodoxy could not rescue him from the Censure and without a solemn Renunciation of his former Life of whatever stamp his religious Opinions are he must unavoidably fall under the Maranatha of an affronted Deity Thus Sir I think without a Spirit of Prophecy I may foretel the unrepenting Enquirer's Doom but I am yet to tell you the Fate both of the Arguments and the Author of the Socinian Slain P. 1. who talks so much of his Weapons that I am tempted to think him rather a Master of the noble Science of Defence than a Master of Arts. Whoever and whatever this Writer is I wish he had been inspir'd with a Spirit of Meekness and Humility before he had undertaken this Task and then we had met with more Charity and Modesty in his Discourse and I heartily wish he had taken the Spirit of Truth for his Guide and then he had made a better use of the Sword of the Spirit than he has now done with the Arm of Flesh But alas for him he knows not what Spirit he is of tho his Readers may easily see that he has a Spirit of Envy and Uncharitableness and that he has not the Civility of a Gentleman or the Temper of a Christian by his ill Language and abusive Reflections in the 2d 38th 48th 52d 53d pages But the Unitarians must be decry'd at any rate and so that be done it matters not what the Arguments are He would not tâ—ouble himself to stand to pick and choose or if he did make a choice he has taken the most inconclusive and the most ill-natur'd he could light upon Socin Slain p. 2. When says the Socinian Slain a