This party was so called as occupying middle ground between the Arians and the Orthodox. They held that the absolute, self- existent God was one. person, but that the Son was a divine per- son of a glorious essence, like to (oilolovolov') but not identical with (dfioovacov) that of the Father, and from eternity begot- ten by the Father by a free exercise of will and power, and therefore subordinate to and dependant upon him. This party was largely represented at the Council of Nice.
It appears that some of the Semi-Arians agreed with the Arians in regarding the Holy Spirit as the first and most glorious creature of the Son, but that the majority regarded the words
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" Holy Spirit," as significant of a divine energy, or as a synonyme of the word God. — See Neander's Ch. Hist., Torrey's translation, Vol. II., pp. 419, 420.
89. WJiat is Sabellianism ?
This term represents the opinion that God is one single per- son as well as one single essence. The term Father is the name appropriated to this one person, when considered in his incom- prehensible greatness, and in his absolute sovereignty. The term Son is the name appropriated to the same person when conceived of as revealing himself, and as becoming incarnate and dwelling among men. The term Holy Ghost is the name applied to him when conceived of as operating immediately upon the creature in his works of creation, providence or grace. The more significant and generic title of the sects holding this opinion is Monarchians, or those maintaining the absolute unity of the Godhead, personal as well as essential. They were also called Patripassians, because they believed that the one divine person, called Father, as well as Son or Holy Ghost was united to the man Christ Jesus, who suffered on the cross. This system was taught, with special modi- fications, by several heretical leaders of the early church, first by Praxeas, a confessor at Rome, at the end of the second century. It has, however, currently born the name of Sabellius, an African bishop who lived during the middle of the third century. The Swedenborgians of the present day are Sabellians.
90. What is Tritheism ?
This opinion, the extreme opposite of Sabellianism, is said to have been first advocated by John Ascusnage, a Syrian philoso- pher, who flourished during the sixth century. He taught that the Godhead is constituted of three beings, distinct in essence as well as in person. Hence there are three Gods, united not in being, but only in the most intimate fellowship of counsel and will.
91. What is Socinianism ?
This system regards God the Father as the only God, one in person as well as essence, and Jesus Christ as a mere man, though an inspired prophet, and called Son of God only on account of bis miraculous conception in the womb of the Virgin ; and the
162 THE HOLY TRINITY.
term Holy Spirit only as another name for the one God, the Fa- ther. The more common and significant title of this system is Unitarianism. It takes its designation of Socinianism from its most successful promulgators Loelius and Faustus Socinus, uncle and nephew, who flourished during the latter half of the sixteenth century. Italians by b)irth, the uncle died in the bosom of the Reformed Church of Zurich, a. d., 1562, but the nephew, ulti- mately joining the Unitarians of Poland, gave the final form to their religious system, and from his writings the Racovian Cate- chism was principally compiled, which remains to this day the most authoritative exposition of the Unitarian faith. — See Mos- lem's Ch. Hist., Vol. III., p. 235.
92. By what considerations may it be shown that the doctrine of the Trinity is a fundamental element of the Gospel ?
It is not claimed that the refinements of theological specula- tions upon this subject are essential points of faith, but simply that it is essential to salvation to believe in the three persons in one Godhead, as they are revealed to us in the Scriptures. 1st. The only true God is that God who has revealed himself to us in the Scriptures, and the very end of the gospel is to bring us to the knowledge of that God precisely in the aspect in which he has revealed himself. Every other conception of God presents a false god to the mind and conscience. There can be no mutual toler- ation without treason. Socinians, Arians, and Trinitarians wor- ship different Gods.
2d. The Scriptures explicitly assert that the knowledge of this true God and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent is eternal life, and that it is necessary to honor the Son even as we honor the Father.— John v., 23 ; xiv., 1 ; xvii., 3 ; 1 John ii., 23 ; v., 20. 3d. In the initiatory rite of the Christian church we are baptized into the name of every several person of the trinity, Matt, xxviii., 19.