probably Ireneus was an Arian or at most a Semi-Arian What Grotius says of the Occasion of St. John's writting this Gospel may be seen in his Annotations The Vnitarians consistently to their System may hold all that he there says of the Word Verse 15. John the Baptist bare witness of him saying This is he of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he is before me As if the Baptist had said Tho' then this Man as it is at the 30th Verse that cometh after me enters upon his Office but when I have almost done mine yet he is called to an Higher Office and Dignity than mine for he is my Superior my Lord and my Prince he is the Messiah the Saviour of the World a most Holy Man the Son of God the designed Sovereign of the Universe and I am but his Servant and Harbinger Whereas the Vulgate has translated This WAS he of whom I spake Beza shews there is no reason but that it may be rendred This IS he In like manner we need not read he WAS before me but he IS Thus it runs more naturally This is he of whom I spake or said He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he is before me Is preferred before me That is then is preferred to an Higher Office and Dignity than mine Which saying the Baptist explains tho' somewhat obscurely as are expressed all the like Mysteries on the infallible understanding of which most credibly Salvation depends not and which seem intended to try our Humility and Moderation as well as our Attention and Industry by adding For he is before me Before me Or as it is in the Original Protos mou Princeps meus My Primate the designed Head and Saviour of the Church and Lord of Men and Angels And this explains and particularizes or intimates how Christ's Office is greater than that of the Baptist's See Erasmus and Grotius upon the Place Verse 18. Which is in the Bosom of the Father Or which WAS or has been namely when immediately before his entering on his Office Christ was taken up into the Highest Heavens See John 3.13 Sometimes that Phrase to be in the bosom signifies to be most Dear See Numb 11.12 Deut. 13.6 By these remarks and hypotheses the Socinians conceive the beginning of St. John's Gospel is made plain and intelligible And they believe that by the same means by using the like care and attention all the other Texts which the Trinitarians object may also be made to appear consistent with the Unity of God with the whole Scripture and with Reason CHAP. IV. The ARIAN System THE Arians do not much dislike the foregoing Exposition excepting that they are persuaded it is short as to these Particulars in that the Socinians do not hold our Saviour's Soul to have prae-existed before its Conception and consequently do not admit it to have been an Instrument in the first Creation of the World But the Arians maintain both these Points It is true say they the Word the Son of God by excellency is a Creature tho' most intimately assisted of God which the Socinians do not deny Christ is a true Man made up of a Body and Soul only and not of an absolutely eternal Hypostasis also or infinite Person of the same numerical Essence with the Father But then say they this Man's Soul was not only before Abraham but even was the first Created Spirit John 17.5 For so the Scripture calls him expresly the First-born of every Creature or the Beginning of the Creation of God and terms him by eminency the Image of the invisible God Col. 1.15 Revel 3.14 c. Moreover it is asserted that by him God made the Worlds Heb. 1.2 And St. John says positively that without him was not any thing made that was made John 1.3 Which expressions seem too extensive to be restrained to the New-Creation only All things then were made by him And therefore the First-born of every Creature must be so transcendently Excellent as incomparably farther to surpass originally all Men and Angels in Excellency of Nature Wisdom and Power than they surpass the meanest of the Brute Beasts In a word the Arians believe that that Holy Spirit whom the Scripture calls the First-Born and who in process of time was made the Soul of the Messiah is originally as Perfect a Being and as like unto God as Divine and Almighty Power could produce and as can possibly be imagined salving the Unity of God seeing it is said he had a Part in the Creation of the World in which God most efficaciously assisted him and it is represented as the highest Liberality to Mankind that God gave his Son to Redeem Men. The Arians then say that the First-Bern is Omâ—â—â—ousian or as like the Divine Essence beside that he is as much assisted by the Divine Nature as it is possible for a Creature to be And they believe he was produced in the Duration of Eternity and before Time that is to say before the Creation of the World And in that sense like the Semi-Arians they will not scruple to say that the First-born is Eternal so it be remembred that he was made and that he is not an uncreated Being it being impossible there should be two uncreated Beings or two Gods in the proper sense of the word But the First-born is a God next to God and as Eternal as it is possible for the Excellentest Creature to be If it be asked how the First-born could be Instrumental in the making of Angels 〈◊〉 may be answered that a Part might be assigned to him therein that we know not 〈…〉 has been held by many that the Souls of Men are produced by the Parents Iâ— so it cannot be thought impossible but that God might have endued the most excellent created Spirit with Power to Produce other Spirits But perhaps Angels have fine Vehicles which are Part of their Being as a Human Body is Part of a Man And then the First-born might be assisting in the preparing of these Vehicles when God had Created the Substance thereof When the First-born was created then was also another eminent Spirit or other eminent Spirits according to some Modern Arians produced but inferior to him and called in Scripture the Holy Spirit Thus far the Arians hold It may be that by this or these last not only an Archangel or the Archangels 1. Tim. 5.21 but the whole Body of Angels is to be understood for they often seem to be meant when the Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit And if so they also were instrumental in the Creation of the World as well as the First-born tho' not so eminently as he but under him Which doth not import that the Angels or the First-born produced Creatures into being out of Nothing But the Chaos being created or prepared by Almighty God then for reasons not perfectly known to us God thought good to set the First born and the Holy
the other wherefore we must explaine one Place of Scripture by another And we are to consider that St. John is writing the History of the Gospel of Christ We may therefore be sure that by the beginning here spoken of is meant the beginning of the New Dispensation that succeeded the Mosaical Oeconomy and that that New Dispensation began by the Preaching of the immediate Forerunner of the Saviour of the World For we see St. Mark calls that the beginning of the Gospel And thus 't is evident St. John begins his History by our Saviour's Instalment or his Entering into his Office which was at that time when John the Baptist was Baptizing and when our Saviour being Thirty Years Old was Baptized of him The Word The same term often denotes several things By the Spirit for instance several things are signified In like manner by the Word several things may be implied What here may be particularly meant thereby we are carefully to consiâ—er If every thing be duly weigh'd it will appear that our Evangelist to go on with his Allusion calls the Author of the New Creation by the Name of the Instrumental Cause to which the Old is attributed Heaven and Earth being represented in the First Chapter of Genesis as created by the Word of God And he had warrant enough to extend the Allusion so far and to bestow that Title to our Saviour seeing it was not unusual to give it to the Chief Officers of Princes See Grotius De Jure Belli et Pacis Lib. 2. Cap. 8. § 5. and seeing the Heavenly Messengers of God sent to execute his Commandments upon Earth were known to the Jews under the Name of his Word Ps 107.20 Wisd 18.15 16. Which last is the Angel by whom God smote the First-born of Egypt and who is call'd the Destroyer Exod. 12.23 which Name appears to be the Designation of the Office of an Angel 1 Chron. 21.12 The Author of the Wisdom of Solomon calls him the Almighty Word of God according to his most eloquent and figurative Stile not only to denote the Eminency of that Angel who was one of them that stand before the Divine Throne but also to declare his Swiftness and Ability in the executing his Commission and to illustrate the Fierceness of his Errand Philo calls the Angels Logous the Words of God as Dr. Allix himself observes There is nothing more common in Scripture than to put the Abstract for the Concrete as we see our Lord Jesus Christ constantly calls himself the Way the Truth the Life meaning that He shews the Way to Salvation that He teaches the Truth that He procures Eternal Life to all them that will obey Him By the same Figure He is call'd the Word that being as much as to say that He is He who brings the Word of God concerning the Eternal Gospel and who is commissionated to do and to declare the Will of God with respect to the Reconciliation of Fallen Mankind Thus Origen in Joh. 1. interprets it Seeing Christ is call'd the Light by reason of his Enlightning the World it is plain He is call'd the Word upon the Account of his Office c. See the Accounts why Christ is called the Word judiciously given by Pasor in his Manuale upon the word Logos and by Beza in his Annotations on this First Verse of the First Chapter of St. John's Gospel where he observes that Nazianzen and dustin give the same Reason with Origen why Christ is called the Word or God's Word-Bearer by excellency or the most Eminent Minister and Executor of God's Commands Was. The Word was in the beginning of the New Oeconomy That is to say While John the Baptist was Preaching to the Jews Christ was then in the World and was then the Person whom God intended and took for his Chief Word-Bearer And the Word was with God This design'd Embassador of God and Interpreter of the whole Will of God in whom the Divine Wisdom and Authority did most Eminently reside and most Conspicuously shine who was all his Life-time most Extraordinarily Inspir'd and Assisted of the Holy-Ghost and of whom it was foretold before his Nativity that He should be a Prince and a Saviour that He should Save his People from their Sins and that of his Kingdom there should be no End the World having been created for him that thereby God might be glorifiedâ— this most Illustrious Person was upon the Entering on his Office caught up to the Highest Heaven that He might behold the Glory to which he was called that He might converse with God in the eminentest Place and with the brightest Circumstances of Glory that He might there be most Solemnly endued with the Divine Wisdom and Power and that He might there have the Honour to receive immediately from God his Commission and to be most particularly taught by God Himself what he was to do and suffer and how much reason there was for him constantly to undergo and perform all this See John 12.49 50. John 8.38 John 6.51 c. Thus In the beginning the Word was with God whether both in his Body and Soul or with his Soul only it matters not for the Mind properly is the Man The Spirit of the Holy Jesus was then taken up into the Highest Heaven For he sais himself expresly John 3.13 that no Man before Ascended up to that Heaven but He who came down from thence even the Son of Man by excellency who was in Heaven or had been caught up into Heaven For every one that understands the Original knows that the Participle which here our Version hath Translated is may as well be Translated was And accordingly it is thus Translated by Beza Erasmus Camerarius and others on the Place John 3.13 And the Word was God And this Holy and Immaculate Person that was to be the Great Messenger of the Gospel and the Author and Procurer of Salvation was then Installed in his Office He was then Ordained and Sanctified and Sent into the World He was Solemnly constituted the Messiah He was appointed the Chief of the Chief of the Arch-angels as well as of the rest of the Angels He was made partaker as much as possible of the Divine Nature and particularly of the Divine Wisdom and Divine Power on certain conditions only his fuller communicating to others the Divine Spirit was reserv'd to his actual Reigning in Heaven after his Resurrection and most Glorious Ascension In a word He was declared to be upon the performing of his Undertaking the Heir and Lord of every Creature He was then on these Terms Proclaim'd God's First Minister He was thus even then made a Prince a Lord a Sovereign acting for God and by God's Commission And that is what the term God often signifies in Scripture That most Noble and Glorious Name is there given to Persons commissionated by God in most eminent Stations not only because they are God's Chief Ministers but because acting for and as it were
Angels in their several stations to work upon it and He directed and enabled them to concur with Him in the disposing and setting of it into a regular frame and beautiful and convenient order It is now the constant course of Nature that Creatures produce other Creatures A like Power then in an incomparably higher degree might undoubtedly be given by God to incomparably more excellent Beings It may be said that by the Sun all things in the World live and grow and that without him no living thing subsists or can subsist And could God create no intelligent spiritual and invisible Beings Superior to the Sun in Power and Vertue Why should we think the Material Sun to be God's Ne plus ultra or his powerfulest and excellentest Creature possible Thus then the Holy Spirits of God and among the rest and in the Chiefest Place that Most Excellent Spirit which afterwards took Flesh of the Virgin Maâ—y and was the Soul of the ever Blessed Jesus and next after him that Holy Spirit who is the Chief of the Angels or the select Angels sate and moved upon the Face of the Waters and helped to give the Chaos a Motion and to hatch it into a World It is certain that God alone might as easily have done all this as with the concurrent Assistance of his Son or Chief Minister and of his Angels But it may be He had a mind thereby to exercise their Talents and to try their Obedience Assiduity Diligence and Faithfulness in his Service Probably it adds to the Happiness of vertuous and holy Spirits to be doing somthing in the service of God It is also possible God would cause them to have a hand in that Work to endear the whole Creation to them and them to all rational Creatures according to the natural Duties of Gratitude What has cost us some labor we commonly have a great affection for witness the love of Mothers to their Children It cannot then but be a great satisfaction to the Holy Spirits to look upon Men as in some measure their Production as well as their Pupils That will naturally give them an extraordinary tenderness for Mankind Now there is a Pleasure in Love and in doing good And that the Holy Angels might not want that rational solid and durable Pleasure God according to this System thought good to employ them in his Works It is then no Argument that God could not employ them therein because He is himself All-sufficient thereto being Almighty Tho' God can easily do all things alone and is properly the only Creator yet we daily see that He makes use of Instruments or Means and Second Causes We have then no reason to stagger at that assertion of the Scripture that by and with that Holy Spirit that was born of the Virgin Mary God had made the World or drawn Order out of the Chaos and dispos'd all the Parts of the Universe in their due Places and Frame Tho' that Holy Spirit was the First born of every Creature and a most excellent Image of God yet immediatly after that he was produced before the being of Time or the Production of Angels and of the Material Creation it may be that God created many more Spirits of almost a like Kind and Dignity or incomparably above the Angelical Nature and that the Soul of the Messiah had then no Superiority besides that of Order over them but these were in a manner or in other respects equals subject only to God and equally Superior to the Holy Angels an equal number of the Angels and inferior Spirits being put when created as they were afterwards under those principal Lords or Gods according to the Scripture-stile But when the Lord Jesus was become Man and especially after He had shed his Blood upon the Cross and was risen from the Dead and ascended again into Heaven then He was made the Prince and Sovereign under Almighty God of all Archangels as well as of all Angels and of all other Creatures It seems necessary to suppose that then began his Superiority over all the sublimest Angels and all Creatures because the Scripture represents that as the Reward of his Obedience and of the constant and faithful Performance of his Undertaking So that if there were no created Spirits of almost the like Excellency with him yet from the very beginning that there were Angels there might be many Archangels which were not wholly subjected to him tho' of a nature very much inferior to his but had like him an immediate access to God and were then accountable to God alone altho' at the first at their Creation God had left it to the First-born to appoint to each of them their Office and Station Perhaps the Socinian Exposition is here to take place as to the Creation of Dominions and Powers by our Lord Jesus Christ and the First-born inherited not the Dominion till after the Performance of his Undertaking for Mankind And perhaps the Eternal Continuation of Glory was the Reward proposed to Christ These things may exactly be some of these ways for ought any body knows And there is no reason to look upon the Arian System as incredible upon the account that during the Agony which our Blessed Saviour underwent a little before his Passion an Angel was sent to strengthen him Creatures may sometime need to be put in mind of those things which they already know We daily see that good Men are much comforted and edified by the Exhortations of other Men like themselves and somtimes inferior to themselves Our Saviour was become a Man and was then under such streights as are most dreadful to Human Nature He wanted therefore external Assistances the Powers of his Spirit being depressed to the Measure of a Human Soul at its Incarnation But it was afterwards raised above its former Grandeur being exalted to Sir at the right hand of God The first Verses of St. John's Gospel and the other Texts relating to our Lord Jesus Christ are very easy and intelligible being taken in a Sense agreable to this System But as to the Holy Spirit it may be the Scripture means chiefly thereby the Holy Inspiration and an Influence of the Power of God CHAP. V. The Answers of the Unitarians to the Chief Objections commonly made against their Expositions in General and First the Answer to the Objected Antiquity and Vniversality of the Trinitarian Sentiment THE Trinitarians urge that all the Vnitarian Expositions may in general and all at once be confuted by this one consideration That theirs is the old prevailing Sentiment To evince which besides the Writings of the Fathers since the Council of Nice and some Passages out of the Ante-nicene they quote Pliny's Letter to Trajan wherein he acquaints him that Christians Sang Hymns to Christ as to a God and Lucian's Philopatris where mention is made of the God of Christians his being one in three and three in one Now say the Trinitarians it hereby appears that ours is the
Being Nay in some sense all Creatures may be said to have been in God from all Eternity at least potentially tho' not brought forth or produc'd from all Eternity but only when Almighty God created this Universe And even some of these Philosophers and among them Tertullian particularly expresly asserted that mere Creatures in particular Human Souls were made out of the Substance of God Howbeit Platonism implying that the Son and the Spirit are above all other Creatures the Platonists generally held that the Son at least or even the Son and the Spirit are most peculiarly of the Substance of God were most peculiarly in him and were most peculiarly united to him so as that whereever the Son went and whatever he did God as it were had always a strict hold of him and wrought with in and by him Nevertheless as was said they represented the Son and Spirit as Distinct and Inferior Beings so that they own'd the Father to be properly the Supreme Being and to be the only Person consequently that is properly God or a God in the eminent Sense of the word Justin Martyr Irenaeus Clemens Alexandrinus and in a word all the Primitive Doctors that were converted out of Heathenism had been taught Platonism and when they were become Christians they openly professed in all-their Writings that they were still great admirers of that Philosophy and they maintain'd that the Christian Trinity and Plato's Trinity was much the same Thus they introduced Platonism in the Christian System accommodating the one to the other as near as they could Justin Martyr it seems particularly began openly to Platonize and the rest followed after him And then they for the most part represented the Platonick Trinity very like Arianism any of 'em at most making it Semi-Arianism so that the generality of Christians might it seems mistake it for Arianism the good Fathers either purposely or otherwise expressing themselves very obseurely in a most Obscure Matter tho' some more Platonically than others These in comparison of those that followed were Moderate Platonists and scarce any or but few went further in the 2d Century or at least till towards the end of the 2d Century whereas afterwards it seems there arose among Christians several violent Opinionists and sierce Semi-Arians and then many rigid and thorow-paced or very heathenish Platonists true Polytheists that perhaps went even farther than Platonism it self and maintain'd much the same Notions concerning the Son that are laid down in Dr. Sherlocks Books Not but that in the beginning of the 4th Century at the time of the Council of Nice there were a great many of the most Learned Bishops that were still Semi-Arians and several but Arians most credibly according to the Doctrin that anciently was chiefly in vogue before Semi-Arianism was establish'd by Justin Martyr The Semi-Arians or Mildest Platonists like the Arians defended the Unity of God by saying that the Father only was the Supreme or Principal God and that God the Word was not only Lesser than he but also Subject to him wherefore they concluded it might truly be said that in Heaven and in the whole World there is but One Godhead or but one God tho' there be God the Father and God the Son as in a House where there is a Son Subject to his Father it may be said that there is but one Government one Mastership or one Master the one not being essentially different from the other when both of them perfectly agree This is so well known to have been the sense of the generality of these Ante-nicene Fathers whose Writings have in some measure been preserved as well as of many since that it is needless to take much pains to prove it Howbeit it will not be improper to give here some Instances of it And first for the conveniency of some Readers it may be useful to make these Chronological Remarks Justin Martyr flourished about the 130th Year after Christ's Nativity Hegesipâ—us and Irenaeus about the Year 170. Victo Bishop of Rome about the Year 190. And Zepherin his Successor about the Year 200. Tertullian about the Year 210. Origen about the Year 230. Novatian and Dyonisius Alexandrinus within a few Years of that time Arnobius whose Disciple was Lactantius about the Year 295. The famous Council of Nice was held in the Year 325. These few Observations sufficing for the Purpose in Hand we may now proceed to aver what we have said concerning the Sentiment of the Ante-nicene Platonists to which end we may consider these Passages out of the Writings of those of them who were most learned and esteem'd in their Generations Dalaeus towards the middle of the fifth Chap. of his first Book De Vs Pat. not distinguishing Semi-Arianism from Arianism opines that it is impossible to clear St. Justin from being an Arian that Father asserting that the God who appeared to Moses and the Patriarchs was the Son and not the Father inasmuch as the Father never changes Place neither comes up nor down and no Man therefore ever saw the Father but the Son only has been seen who is the Father's Minister and a God also by the Father 's Will. Now says Dalaeus is not this to attribute to God the Son a Nature and Being different from that of God the Father Nay he might have added is not this also to ascribe to him an inferior and a precarious Being As the same Justin Martyr says to the same purpose in other Places God in the beginning before all the Creatures that is to say before all the other Creatures or mere Creatures and immediately before the Creation of the World for that is the strain of these Platonists generated of himself a certain Rational Power one while called the Son another while Wisdom an Angel God Lord and Word For he may be called by all these Names both because he Ministreth to the Will of the Father and was voluntarily Begotten of the Father Colloq cum Tryph. p. 221. We account the Son in the Second Rank and the Prophetick Spirit in the Third Order Apol. 2. p. 47. At the 43d Page of this Book he puts the Prophetick Spirit in the same Classis with the good Angels and indeed names him after them which shews that he took him to be one of them We Honour the Father and the Son says he and the Host of the other good Angels who accompany and resemble him together with the Prophetick Spirit Which seems to be as if he had said We Honour also the good Angels and in particular the Prophetick Spirit who is one of them and their Chief Irenaeus who even was a Disciple of the Contemporaries of the Apostles his Master Polycarpus having been a Disciple and Companion of St. John and of some others that had seen the Lord and who was himself as well as Polycarpus generally in great esteem among Christians tho' every one knows he was also a follower and great admirer of Plato speaks much to the same
5. Cap. 18. The Author of the Humble Inquiry at P. 15th 16th of that Book observes this Doctrin concerning Christ's Human Nature being capable to know what passes upon Earth and so to see and hear and assist Men is so far from being with any justice or reason to be by the Trinitarians objected to the Vnitarian System that the greatest part and the most Learned of the Trinitarians agree with Socinus in this Point For the School-Men both Thomists and Scotists and the Lutherans generally ascribe this Universal Knowledge to the Man Jesus Christ And of the Modern Reformed Divines that Author quotes Mr. Baxter Dr. Goodwin together with a worthy Divine of the Church of England who wrote a Book called The Good Samaritan asserting that an Angel might be capable of Ruling the Universal Church on Earth now a Human Soul in a gross and fleshy Body is an Angel shackled and straitned in a dark and close Dungeon where he cannot exert his Powers and Faculties no more than an Infant can reason like a Philosopher but the Impediments being remov'd a Human Spirit is wise free powerful like an Angel knows as he is known perhaps can direct the Course of the Sun or move the Globe of the Earth as easily as a Child can a Tennis-Ball that the Man Jesus Christ as easily inspects the whole Earth as we can view a Globe of an Inch Diameter that he Intercedes particularly as Man and cannot be thought to Intercede in a Case if he do not know it that the Human Understanding of Christ takes in all Occurrences which concern his Church that like the Sun-Beams He pierces into every corner and that as a Looking-Glass wrought in the form of a Globe represents the Images of all that is in the Room so the enlarged Human Understanding of Christ takes in all things in Earth at once The Vnitarians would only add that Christ doth this by the Affistance of the Divine Nature dwelling in him and both enlarging and inlightning his Understanding And indeed if Christ acting in God's stead at the Head of the Universe represented not God to the Glory and Service of God and by God's Appointment and if the Divine Nature the Divine Knowledge Power and Authority dwelled not in the Man Jesus Christ as the Vnitarians hold their Worship of him would be a kind of Idolatry That is to say if the Father by his own Appointment was not worshipped in Christ in whom incontestably He most eminently dwells or which is the same if Christ was not appointed by God to be worshipped to the Glory of the Father to which end it is necessary that the Father should make him partaker of his Nature and Power as has been said for tho' the Foreknowledge of Christ be not Universal and tho' at sometimes he feels greater Influences of the God-head dwelling in him than at some other times yet he must always receive sufficient Influences thereof to enable him to discharge the Parts of his Mediatory Kingdom and the God-head by a Divine Power which is an Influence of the Father's must constantly refide in and be as intimately as possible United with Christ to make him the most eminent Divine Schechina and to capacitate him to represent as he doth and act for the Father at the Helm of Government over all things so that being such a Representative of God as neither is nor ever was the like besides Him He truly exhibits God and the Divine Majesty dwelling in him in a most extraordinary manner In a word We hold that no other is of himself God or properly and eminently God Eternal and Almighty but the Father And we own no other for Inferior Gods but such as are truly so according to the Divine Order and Appointment And we honour them accordingly But God only We worship with properly Divine Worship Howbeit We worship God mediately or relatively in the Person of his Representative and Chief Officer Jesus Christ who under God is the Soveraign Prince and Great Lord or God or Vniversal King who acts most eminently for God that God may be honoured in him and who is appointed thereto to be honoured and bowed to or worshipped to the Glory of God And so we may truly and allowably worship God immediately in his own Person and mediately in the Person of his Lieutenant and most eminent Representative appointed thereunto that God may be worshipped in him in the extraordinary Honour that is paid him 3. The Vnitarians unanimously hold that indeed we constantly are to bow the knee to and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in offering our Petitions to the Father in his Name and thro' his Mediation but that it is not necessary to address our selves otherwise than thus to him and that this is sufficiently to call upon his Name in Prayer And in the most ancient Lyturgies extant there are but very few words addressed to Christ Which shews that originally Christians addressed the current of their Prayers to the Father excepting when in a Vision they saw the Lord Jesus Christ and heard him speak to them which St. Paul acquaints us happened to him once in the Temple 2 Cor. 12.8.9 4. It cannot indeed reasonably be denied but that when God in general is Pray'd to and these Prayers are put up in the Name of Christ then both the Mediatory Honour due to our Saviour is thereby paid him and all is Supremely Worshipped that is to be Adored with Supreme or Direct and Ultimate Worship Our Lord assures his Disciples that whatsoever they shall ask the Father in his Name the Father will give it them John 16.23 No more then can be absolutely needful In a word the Vnitarians honour the God-head above all things and the Man Jesus Christ above all other Creatures What can the Trinitarians do more Or what can they in this Worship justly reprehend Both Christ and the Holy Ghost will nothing but what the Father willeth and they will all that the Father wills Manifestly therefore it is sufficient to address to the Father the Government of the Universe is but one Government tho' God be the Supreme and tho' Christ have a Soveraignty over all Creatures yet considering the Subordination and Good Order and considering the perfect Agreement of their Wills and Affections there is as it were but One Soveraign but the Father is alone in himself the One only true Soveraign the Soveraign properly and eminently all own He sustains the Chiefest Part in the Supreme Majesty Authority and Government CHAP. X. A Third General Objection consisting of Four Branches THE last General Objection which the Trinitarians commonly reckon to be decisive against the Vnitarian Interpretations and System may be conceived as comprising these Particulars and may be Summarily expressed in these Terms The Vnitarians 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
Sun causing the Seeds of things to grow unto Perfection and into a beautiful Order Indeed the Sun is not properly a Creatour nor are Men properly Creatours but they are Instruments in the Hands of the Creatour God is pleas'd to make use of them in the effecting of those Works but all the while He concurrs with them as well as prepares the Subject for them He not only provides the Matter and Means and endues the Instruments with a fit Capacity but He also upholds and assists them and works with as well as by them In like manner the Vnitarians observe it is not said that the Word is the Creatour or Maker but that by him God made the Universe When the Word was created or that most excellent Person which is the most express Image of the Divine Wisdom and is therefore in that sense call'd the Wisdom of God the first Being which God then produced and which with the Instrumental Concurrence of the Word He fashioned and perfected was according to the most illustrious Vnitarians another very eminent Creature which not only for distinction-sake but also for his excellent Perfection and the designation of his Office was called the Holy Spirit and the Power of God But tho' the Word had a part in the fashioning or modelling of him or in the medial and instrumental pouring vital or spiritual influences upon him yet he had so little share in the Work in comparison of that which God had in it that not the Word himself but God only is to be reckoned as the Producer or Maker of that Holy Spirit And for the same reason God only is called the Author of all the other Creatures tho' both the Word and the Holy Spirit had a hand together with God in the drawing of them out of the Chaos God prepared the Chaos and having created the Word and by the Word the Spirit by the breathing and moving of the Spirit he gave Motion to other Creatures that were set into a sit Order to that end Yet all Creatures and even the Holy Spirit are said to belong to the Word because in the creating of them God designed to Subject them all to the Word and accordingly they were all Subjected to him from the beginning tho' then so only as Servants are Subject to a Son in his Minority in his Father's House whereas after Christ's Passion and Exaltation they were Subjected to him as to the Master of the House himself or as to a Son com to Age to whom the Father commits the Government of the House If by the Word in the beginning of St. John's Gospel be to be understood not only the First created Spirit but also a Divine Virtue and Influence united to and assisting that most excellent Creature it is easy to conceive that the Word might be Instrumental in Creating the Chaos or the World out of the Chaos Howbeit nothing in Scripture or Reason contradicts the System implying that the Chaos is an eternal Emanation of God that it is a confus'd Mixture of unactive Material and Spiritual Natures that Creating is the putting some of them in a certain Motion and Order that all Spiritual Creatures have a Material Vehicle that the Material Vehicle being prepared God with what somtimes is called his Word what is called his Breath forces into it some Portion of the Spiritual Nature scattered in the Chaos that what the Scripture somtimes also calls the Word that is the Soul of the Messiah and the Holy Spirit thereby then meaning a Creature are the largest Portions of the Spiritual Part of the Chaos that God ever put together and that the Word and Holy Spirit being created God made use of them to Create or Breath upon and Put into a fit Motion and Order the rest of the Creatures By the H. Spirit then so far as that title may be applied to other beside God may be understood the Chief of the Elect Angels or of the Seven Archangels 1 Tim. 5.21 which are represented immediately surrounding standing before the Throne of Glory Rev. 1.4 Most probably such a glorious Creature as incomparably surpasses all the other Archangels in Excellency of Nature is then primarily to be understood by the H. Spirit Yet it may be also that the whole Body of Angels under him consequently every Angel may sometime be thereby meant For the term Holy Spirit may be a Collective Word implying then several Holy Spirits or all the Holy Angels every Holy Angel being a Holy and Pure Spirit And what all the Subordinate Angels do at the Command of their Cheif is reck'ned as done by him who when he has receiv'd the Orders of the Word divides to them their Tasks and originally is the Holy Spirit or Holy Angel by excellency and so in that respect these Works are represented as performed by One Holy Spirit and the whole Body of Holy Angels is then reputed as if it were but One Holy Angel as in speaking of what is done by Devils the Scripture mentions but One of those Impure Beings as if there were but one such the Evil One or the Vnholy Spirit what all the Devils do being ascribed to their Chief who Commands and Directs them in all things Howbeit there is no reason why we may not think that One Immense Spirit next to God and the Word may not be suppos'd to do all that is attributed to the Holy Spirit For the Excellency of the Holy Spirit may be so great as to have incomparably greater Powers and Perfections than all the Angels and all other Inferior Creatures put together and even almost to equal the Word except in Dignity One Sun and One Moon pour their Influences effectually upon all the Seeds and Creatures in the World And do we think that God could not frame an excellent Spirit or two excellent Spirits so powerful as to be able to do the like to all Human Spirits on Earth and to shine upon them all and enlighten and guide them and suggest good Motions to them and watch alone over them if not with the Concurrence also of other Angels which yet cannot be doubted of as Spiritual Stars in comparison of those other most excellent Spirits Yet all these Holy Spirits are but the disposing Instruments and Ministers of the Divine Power which at their working together works by and with them The Word has the disposition of the Divine Power of that which is his particular and ordinary Attendant and even of that which God himself immediately exercises and of that also the disposition of which is given to the Holy Spirit and to the Angels For the Word having receiv'd that Priviledge has made the Holy Spirit partaker of a vast Share of the Divine Power above all Angels according to this System And to every Angel according to his Station is alloted likewise by the Word 's Appointment Authorized thereunto by God a certain Portion of the Administration of the Divine Power which always accompanies
Common Parent of his Creatures and that by the Son or a Son of God in general we must understand a Child of God a good Man by excellency or one extraordinarily belov'd of God Act. 4 27. As to the Texts which are said to shew that Christ is to be Pray'd to nothing need absolutely be added to what has been represented by the Vnitarians upon this Subject howbeit the Reader is to be reminded Vnitarians give a very fair account of these Texts for it is evident that those Texts either import that Believers are now denominated by the Name of Christ and look for Salvation thro' his Redemption and Mediation and plead in that Name with Almighty God in daily Prayers or else they set forth only the Wishes of zealous Souls in a pious Discourse or Epistle not in the Solemnity of a regular Prayer or they are instances of Men asking some favour of Christ when he was seen present and appear'd to be spoken to or they may incontestably be interpreted in another Sense than that which they are alledged for as the 15th Verse of the 72d Psalm which literally is spoken of Solomon and which in the Version of the Psalms in the Common-Prayer Book is translated Prayer shall be made unto him but in the Version in the Bible thus Prayer shall be made for him In a word no one Text can be produced expresly requiring that generally Christians here upon Earth since Christ's Ascension should directly Pray to him in Heaven should not fail to do it regularly constantly Indeed as was said the Generality of the Vnitarians hold that Christ may be Prayed to tho' not as being expresly or properly God Almighty himself Christ as Grotius observes on Col 1.16 being properly a Man yet as being our Intercessor with God and as being the Vicegerent of the Universe and the Mighty Prince who most eminently represents God who in the stead of God and next to God commands to all Creatures who under God disposes of all things and can do all things in whom God dwells who is most intimately united with God and whom God continually directs and assists What the Papists groundlesly pretend and assert of the Saints in Heaven and of the Holy Angels is incontestably true of Christ He is our Mediator with God and we may think seeing God dwells in him he sees in God all things necessary for him to know Howbeit undoubtedly it is sufficient to Pray in his Name to God because in so doing we recommend the subject of our Prayers to him founding all our Expectations on the Acceptableness of his Mediation with God and at the same time we discharge our Duty to God acknowledging that our Mediator and Mediatory King holds all his Power and Soveraignty in Subordination to God and from God's Bounty and Munificence The Lords Supper is a Feast upon Christ's Sacrifice a Commemorating of it with Thankfulness and a Renewing of our Engagements in the Gospel-Covenant with Almighty God in order to our partaking of the Merit of Christ's Death which we humbly present to and plead with God in that Holy Solemnity But this doth not necessarily imply a direct proper Worship of or Prayer to Christ but only a Religious Address to God thro' Jesus Christ The Feasts upon the Sacrifices were Common both among Jews and Gentiles but they did not imply an Adoration of or Prayer to the Victim that had been offer'd Here indeed it would undoubtedly be most proper to Sing Hymns in Praise of Christ but it is certain this Solemn Festival doth not absolutely require express Prayers to Christ There being then no express Injunction for Men directly and constantly to Pray to Christ and certainly therefore it being not absolutely necessary it follows that in our Terms of Communion we may content our selves to direct the Body or Current of our Prayers to God in the Name and thro' the Mediation of Christ and to address a few short Ejacularions to Christ as has been said And thereby certainly We both make that Distinction betwixt God and Christ that is to be made and acquit our selves of our Duty to each of them in this Matter For hereby we acknowledg the Father to be the Chief Director the Fountain of Wisdom and Power and Honour the Eternal Lord of himself God and King and always sitting the most Supreme at the helm and most principally steering the Universe and we acknowledg the Son to be both our Mediator with God and the Associate to the Empire of Heaven and Earth or the Universal Governor under God and constituted King of Men and Angels commanding to and disposing of all Creatures as he is directed by the Divine Wisdom and assisted by the Divine Power dwelling in him annexed to him and intimately united with his Soul or Spirit No more can be shewen to be requir'd of us And it cannot but be very unreasonable to find sault with the Vnitarians for this Worship which they pay to our Lord Jesus Christ or to declaim against them as Idolaters for serving such a Creature and putting their trust in such a Man It is evident the Vnitarians do not look on our Lord Jesus Christ as a mere Man and they have good reason to esteem him as a Creature that is Able to Save seeing the Scripture represents him as such a Creature as is sufficiently endued with Divine Power to that end And do not the Trinitarians believe Christ to be such a Creature Do they not believe Christ to be a Man Do they not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh 1 John 4.3 That this Jesus was a Man approved of God by Miracles which God did by him Acts 2.22 That this Man Jesus Christ the Righteous 1 John 2.2 was set forth to be a Propitiation Rom. 3.25 bare our Sins in his own Body 1 Pet. 2.24 and shed for us upon the Cross his most Innocent Blood thro' which we have Redemption Ephes 1.7 by which we are redeemed to God Revel 5.9 and by which we are washed Revel 1.5 and sanctified Heb. 13.12 Do they not believe that this Man after he had offered that Sacrifice sate down at the Right Hand of God Heb. 10.12 That him who was Slain and who Hanged on a Tree and whom God Raised from the Dead has God Exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour Acts 5.31 That this Man because he continueth for ever has an unchangeable Priest-hood wherefore he is Able also to Save them to the uttermost that come unto God bâ— him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.24 25. That thro' this Man is Preached the Forgiveness of Sins Acts 13.38 That having been Obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross therefore God has given him a Name which is above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every Knee should Bow Phil. 2.9 10. Do not the Trinitarians believe that as the first Man Adam was made a living Soul so the
know his Benefactor and that he should be in a hearty disposition to express his Gratitude for the Benefit to the best of his power according to the Knowledge he can get thereof In the Revelations 19 12 We find it is said that our Saviour has a Name which no Man understands but He Himself Why then should We be so Decisive Magisterial and Imposing as if We certainly and infallibly understood all these Mysteries As we cannot reasonably imagin that we infallibly understand the most difficult things we ought not in reason to pretend to determine and judge for other Men in the most abstruse and intricate Matters Howbeit it seems the Semi-Arian System is much the same with or not essentially different from this of the Father or God and his two Powers and Influences or Acts. And it seems this is reconcileable with Scripture and Reason God grant Us all to do our Duty in this Inquiry and in all respects that We may discern and follow the things absolutely Necessary to Peace and Salvation A POST-SCRIPT Wherein it is farther consider'd That the Arguments for the Divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost at most seem not to be inconsistent with the Unitarian System or to destroy the Necessity of keeping with relation to this Doctrin to the Generality of the Expressions of Scripture for Terms of Church-Communion Wherein also it is inquir'd Whether the Unitarians may with a good Conscience joyn in Communion with a Trinitarian Church Of the Reasons of both Sides of which Query the Governors of the Church are humbly desir'd to give their Opinion FROM the whole it seems that these three Points deserve a particular Consideration I. It should be considered that the Arguments for the Divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost seem not inconsistent with the Vnitarian System II. It should be inquired Whether the Vnitarians may joyn in Communion with the Trinitarian Church III. We should consider that what is inferred from the Vnitarian Arguments remains in force and that it is an indispensable Duty to profess and establish the Gospel-Terms of Communion and to keep to the seeming or apparent Generality of the Expressions of Scripture for Terms of Church-Union tho' the Trinitarians and some Vnitarians should opine that the Vnitarians may with a good Conscience joyn in Communion with the Trinitarians and even tho' there were in God what might truely be called Three Persons I. It should be considered that the Arguments for the Divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost seem not inconsistent with Vnitarianism For tho' by the Holy Ghost and the Word the Divine Nature be taken to be implied yet it follows not that the Father is not the whole God-head Nay the Scholastick Trinitarians themselves acknowledge that the Father implies the whole Divine Nature Consequently whatsoever is properly and literally Divine belongs to the Father and is a Property or Act of his Essence seeing that it belongs to the Divine Nature and 't is own'd the Father implies the whole Divine Nature St. Basil agreably to this Tom. 1. Pag. 778. Paris 1638. calls the Divine Word and Spirit the two Hands of God founding that Expression on Ps 19.1 and 102.25 compar'd with Ps 33.6 Hands or Arms are the same speaking of a Spirit And we see mention made of the Arms of God Deuter. 33.27 Jâ—b 40.9 Ps 98.1 Isa 51.5 c. Howbeit in speaking of God who is a Spirit or a Spiritual Being it is evident it must be own'd thas these Expressions are but Figurative All then that the Arms or Hands of God can imply must be some Powers Properties or Acts Influences that belong to God Now by God the Scholastick Trinitarians themselves understand the Father or Him whom the Scriptures and particularly the Books of the New Testament ordinarily or frequently stile our Father as well as in general the Father meaning the Common Parent of Men more particularly the Father of Christians most especially the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as all agree And then as was observed the Scholastick Trinitarians acknowledge that the Father implies the whole God head Our Saviour is express that the Father dwells in him and doth the Works in him Joh. 14.10 And the Apostle teaches us that Christ is to be honoured to the Glory of the Father Phil. 2.11 All therefore that is meant and that appears can be meant by the Divinity of Christ or the Hypostatick Union is that the Divine Nature is so intimately united with the Soul of the Man Jesus Christ as the Human Soul is with the Body that the Divine Influence or Divine Indwelling in him and particularly the Divine Wisdom constantly illuminate conduct and assist Christ so as to enable him to represent God at the Head of the Universe to perform all the things necessary for such a Representative of God to do so that what belongs to God may be said to be Christ's all in kind tho' not all in all degrees who sees honours Christ may be said to see honour God what God doth at Christ's desire may be said to be done by Christ who procures it to be done by the God-head dwelling in him as a Human Soul simply and meerly by desiring procures of the Body with which she is united to do many Actions that she willeth that God has subjected to the Soul's Will and Power Holding then that some Texts of Scripture in some sense import the Supreme Divinity of Christ yet it can never be prov'd or with any colour of reason pretended that they necessarily imply any more than this For there are invincible Arguments against the being of more than one real Person in God by a Figure common in Scripture in all Languages Personal Acts may reasonably be attributed to Divine Wisdom or to a Divine Influence tho' it be not a distinct Person but a Property or an Act of the Father Even Charity is represented as a Person 1 Cor. 13.1 And God is said to send forth his Mercy Ps 57.3 Supposing then that by the Word in the beginning of St. John's Gospel be meant the Divine Wisdom produc'd forth and shewn in the Old and New Creation as it is even interpreted in the Brief History in that case it must necessarily be suppos'd to be said by a Figure to be incarnate meaning that it rested upon in an extraordinary most ample manner or most intimately dwelt with and constantly assisted and illuminated the Man Jesus Christ as if it had become Part of him or were his own Soul Christ then the Son of God is a Divine Person in that he is a Man assisted and inhabited by a Divine Influence or Divine Virtue And holding that some Texts of Scripture assert the Supreme Divinity of the Holy Ghost it doth not follow that thereby is meant any thing else than the Divine Inspiration or an Influence of the Divine Power either Directing or Wonder-Working that is commonly annexed to
THE SCRIPTURE-TERMS OF CHURCH-UNION With respect to the Doctrin of the TRINITY CONFIRMED By the Vnitarian 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 Vnitarians 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 Vnitarian Systems Most Earnestly and Humbly Offered to the Consideration of those on whom 't is most particularly incumbent to examin these Matters By A. L. Author of the Irenicum Magnum c. LONDON Printed as abovementioned to be communicated to learned and inquisitive Persons and those who are most obliged to inquire into these Points Some TEXTS Authorising the Subject of this Writing PRove all things 1 Thess 5.21 Be ready to give an Answer to every Man that asketh you a Reason c 1 Pet. 3.15 Whereto we have attained let us walk by the same Rule Phil. 3.16 To the Law and to the Testimony c. Isa 8.20 Search the Scriptures John 5.39 Let us follow after the things which make for Peace Rom. 14.19 That I might by all means Save some 1 Cor. 9.22 Let us not therefore judge one another any more Rom. 14.13 What I tell you in Darkness that speak you in Light and what ye hear in the Ear that Preach ye upon the House tops Matt. 10.27 Overcome Evil with Good Rom. 12.21 To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is Sin Jam. 4.17 Who hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness Rom. 1.18 Whosoevâ—â— shall be ashamed of Me and of my Words of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when 〈◊〉 â—â—â—eth in the Glory of his Father Mark 8.38 They are the Enemies of the Cross of Christ Phil. 3.18 Is a Candle to be put under a Bushel Mark 4.21 Relieve the Oppressed Isa 1.17 We ought to obey God Acts 5.29 Chusing rather to suffer affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasuâ—â—â— of Sin for a season Hebr. 11.25 If the Blind lead the Blind both shall fall into the Ditch Matt. 15.14 In Vnderstanding be Men 1 Cor. 14.20 They began to make excuse Luk. 14.18 Wherefore when I came was there no Man Isa 50.2 They came not to the Help of the Lord Judg. 5.23 I pray God that it may not be laid to their Charge 2 Tim. 4.16 God has chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise 1 Cor. 1.27 Truth faileth and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a Prey And the Lord saw it and it dâ—spleased him that there was no Judgment And he saw that there was no Man and wondered that there was no Intercessour Isa 59.15.16 Whosoever shall not hear your words verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment than for them Matt 10.14 15. Now they have no Cloak for their Sin John 15.22 Let us therefore fear lest a Promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it Hebr. 4.1 I speak as to wise Men 1 Cor. 10.15 Whether in pretence or in truth Christ is Preached Phil. 1.18 He therefore that despiseth despiseth not Man but God 1 Thess 4.8 O that the Salvation were come to Israel Ps 14.7 We hid our Faces from him Isa 53.3 Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Ps 118.26 God has made him both Lord and Christ Acts 2.36 The Son can do nothing of himself John 5.19 The Father loveth the Son and has given all things into his hand John 3.35 That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow to the Glory of the Father Phil. 2.10 11. The TITLES of the CHAPTERS I. THE Occasion and Design of this Paper Page 1. II. The Socinian Explication of the Beginning of St. John's Gospel p. 3. III. A Continuation of the Socinian Explication of the Beginning of St. John's Gospel p. 10. IV. The Arian System p. 15. V. The Answers of the Unitarians to the Chief Objections commonly made against their Expositions in general and first the Answer to the Objected Antiquity and Vniversality of the Trinitarian Sentiment p. 18. VI. A Continuation of the Answer to the first Objection p. 25. VII A Farther Continuation of the Answer to the first Objection p. 31. VIII The Conclusion of the Answer to the first Objection p. 46. IX A Second general Objection against the Unitarian System Answered p. 50. X. A Third general Objection stated consisting of Four Branches p. 60. XI An Answer to the first Branch of the Objection p. 65. XII An Answer to the second Branch of the Objection p. 69. XIII An Answer to the third Branch of the Objection p. 79. XIV An Answer to the fourth Branch of the Objection p. 88. XV. The Inferences most incontestably following from the whole foregoing Discourse and the Gospel-Terms of Communion p. 96. A Post-Script p. 104. A Table of the Chief Matters Treated of in each Chapter In CHAPTER I. THAT the Design of this Book is not to set up the Unitarian Sentiment but to vindicate and assert the Generality or Latitude of the Scripture Terms of Church-Communion with respect to such most intricate Points of Speculation p. 1. That there are some things exprest in a great Generality and left extremely Obscure in Scripture on purpose to try both our Industry and Sincerity and our Charity Christian Prudence and Moderation p. 1. 2. That the Unitarian Controversy is of that Nature that Men may be Unitarians and sincere and inquisitive and that the Unitarians therefore ought not to be excluded out of the Church-Communion p. 2. 3. In CHAP. II. In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God explain'd p. 3. 4. 5. The reason of Christ's being called the Word p. 5. In what sense Christ the Word is called God or a God p. 6. c. In CHAP. III. The Creation by this Word explained p. 11. 12. The Word was Flesh explained p. 12. 13. The remaining Verses explained p 14. 15. In CHAP. IV. The Proofs of the Arian System p. 15. The Arian Notion of the Word viz. That thereby is meant the Chief Officer or Minister of God the first and most excellent Creature a most sublime Spirit in some respect like the Holy Spirits or Holy Angels and Archangels but yet of another kind than they and surpassing in excellency all other created Spirits being extraordinarily united to and assisted by the Divine Wisdom and the whole God-head that this Divine Spirit is as it were the Mouth of God or his Word-bearer and that in process of time taking Flesh of the Virgin Mary by the Power of God it became the Soul of the Messiah p.
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 inferrâ—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
Second Man the last Adam who was formed by God and had God only for his Father has been made a quickning Spirit Power thus having been committed to him to raise the Dead and do all that God doth 1 Cor. 15.45 Do they not in fine know that God will judge the World in righteousness by that Man Acts 17.31 And will the Trinitarians renounce that Man their Saviour and reject their Lord their Judge their Redeemer Will they slight this Man will they not honour him whom God has appointed to reign with himself whom the Angels worship and who because he was Slain has been accounted worthy to receive Power and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing Revel 5.12 If they think it not unfit to honour this Man to reverence this Man to bow the knee to this Man as God has appointed it then they serve a Creature and worship a Creature and consequently use an Inferior religious Worship as well as the Vnitarians Let them not slander the Vnitarians then for thus acting and let them not impute it to them as a fault thus to honour the Man Jesus Christ to the Glory of the Father who could make such an Excellent Creature as this and could so highly Dignify and Exalt that Creature The Children of Israel at the same time Worshipped God and King David and were blameless 1 Chron. 29.20 And shall Christians be blamed for worshiping God and the King whom God has set over the Vniverse when Men every Day fall down before Earthly Kings and ask Petitions of them The Vnitarians worship the Lord Jesus Christ as such a King to the Glory and Religious Service of God not barely as a King but as such a one to whom all Power is given in Heaven and Earth Matt. 28.18 Would you then think it unfit to call upon such a Prince or to ask Grace and Salvation of Him for the sake of his precious Death and Passion Or do you think that He to whom all Power is given and the Spirit without measure and in whom the Father most intimatelydwells is not able to know your Wants and to hear your Requests To worship Christ is then in some measure to worship God since Christ not only is a God or Soveraign the King of Heaven and Earth under God and not only acts most eminently for God so as most eminently to represent God but Christ is the true Schechina the Divine Nature constantly dwells in him and all Power is given unto him He is then hon'red to the Glory of God by God's Order and so God as was said is worshipped in him There is then but one God properly that is religiously worshipped tho' Christ be called God and be worshiped to the Glory of God In all the Dominions of Great Britain and Ireland there is but one Soveraign tho' a Subject in the Isle of Man bears also the Title of Soveraign and tho' the Viceroy in Ireland represents the Soveraign and be honoured as the Soveraign Indeed the Vnitarians that did not Pray at all to Christ when they own'd him to be the Governor of the World under God had not sufficiently weighed the last quoted Text of Mat. 28.18 where all Power is said to have been given to Christ nor had fully consider'd that the Father who dwelleth in Christ can enable him to do all things and that therefore now at least Christ is such an excellent Creature as the Arians hold him to have been from the beginning namely as has himself incomparably more Perfections and Power than all the other Creatures together They needed then no more have doubted that Christ can Know and Supply the Needs of Men in the Rank and Order that He is set than they would have question'd that a Mother can Take care of her Family I know not therefore that there be now any Vnitarian that do not Pray to and Worship the Saviour of the World the Lord of Men Angels the Man Jesus Christ in the manner I have specified namely in a subordinate degree to God honouring him as the King of the Vniverse under God as be that governs disposes all things under God's Direction as well as mediates for Men intercedes with God who is still to be held and ever must necessarily be lookt upon as the Supream Vnitarians then can no more be accounted Idolaters for thus worshipping Christ than Irish-Men can be said to be Rebels for honouring their Viceroy as they do Christ then being thus Call'd upon nothing is ascribed to him that is inconsistent with the Unity of God a Man is not Worshipped as God but as assisted of God and most highly exalted by God and Trust is not put in a mere Creature but in one abundantly assisted of the Divine Nature That is therefore ultimately and properly to put our Trust in the God-head dwelling in Christ. And the Vnitarians account the Worship of Christ a Religious Worship no otherwise than as it is intended and appointed to the Glory of the Father as Christs acts for God at the Helm of the Vniverse and as the Divine Nature assists him dwells in him is as intimately united with him as possble and is made in a manner Part of his Being And is it not thus that the Trinitarians themselves adore God and worship Christ And then where is the Great Difference or the Great Fault and Defect of the Vnitarian System Would they adore God as the Human Nature of Christ Or would they the Trinitarians worship Christ's Human Nature as God The Vnitarians worship or honour the Man Jesus Christ as the most Dignified Creature and as most intimately United to God and God as the Supream Being The Trinitarians cannot reasonably do otherwise And they cannot deny that to honour Christ as has been said the Vnitarians do is to honour God and not to give his Glory to Another Indeed to honour a Being that God has not appointed to be honoured is to dishonour God But incontestably to honour one whom God has commanded us to honour to the Glory of God is to glorify and serve God in that Particular and so to worship God And God dwelling in Christ as he doth as has been shewn is honoured and worshipped in Christ by his own Appointment as already said As to John 5.23 declaring it to be the Will of God That Men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father an Equality of Honour is no more necessarily to be imagined to be intended and required here than an Equality of Perfection in those Words Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Mat. 5 48 or an Equality of Fear and Trembling before mortal and earthly Masters as before the King of Men and Angels in this Text Servants be Obedient to them that are your Masters according to the Flesh with Fear and Trembling in Singleness of your Heart as unto Christ. Ephes 6.5 The Sense of this Verse of the 6th of