^ "Spei'O fore, ut, si quid ilium mecum sentire vetct intellexero, facile viam inveniam eum in mcam sententiam peiti-ahendi." — Ep. 2 ad Balcerovicium.
40 THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
with him, he at length brought them all into subjection to himself, and got all his opinions enthroned, and his practice taken almost for a rule ; so that whereas in former days they accused him for a covetous wretch, one that did nothing but give his mind to scrape up money, and were professedly offended with his putting money to usury, ^ for his full justification, Ostoro- dius and Voidovius, in the close of the compendium of their religion which they brought into Holland, profess that their " churches did not condemn usury, so that it were exercised with moderation and M'ithout oppression."^
I thought to have added a farther account, in particular, of the man's craft and" subtilty ; of his several ways for the instilling of his principles and opinions ; of his personal temper, wrath, and angei', and multiplying of words in disputes; of the foils he received in sundry disputations with men of his own antitrinitarian infidelity ; of his aim at glory and renown, expressed by the Polonian gentleman who wrote his life ; his losses and troubles, which were not many, — with all which, and the like concern- ments of the man and his business in that generation, by the perusal of all that he wrote, and of much that hath been written against him, with what is extant of the conferences and disputations, synods and assemblies of those days, I have some little acquaintance ; — but being not convinced of much usefulness in my so doing, I shall willingly spare my labour. Thus much was necessary, that we might know the men and their conversation who have caused so much trouble to the Christian world ; in which work, having the assistance of that atheism and those corrupted principles which are in the hearts of all by nature, without the infinite rich mercy of God sparing a sinful world as to this judgment, for his elect's sake, they will undoubtedly proceed.
Leaving him, then, in the possession of his conquest, Tritheists, Sabel- lians, Arians, Eunomians, Avith the followers of Francis David, being all lost and sunk, and Socinians standing up in the room of them all, looking a little upon what ensued, I shall draw from the consideration of the per- sons to their doctrines, as at first proposed.
After the death of Socinus, his cause was strongly carried on by those whom in his life he had formed to his own mind and judgment ; among whom Valentinus Smalcius, Hieronymus Moscorovius, Johannes Volkelius, Christopherus Ostorodius, Avere the chief. To Smalcius he Avrote eleven epistles, that are extant, professing his great expectations of him, extolling his learning and prudence. He afterward Avrote the Racovian Catechism, compiling it out of Socinus' works ; many answers and replies to and with Smiglecius the Jesuit, and Franzius the Lutheran ; a book of the divinity of Christ, with sundry others ; and Avas a kind of professor among them at Racovia. The A\a'itings of the rest of them are also extant. To him succeeded Crellius, a man of more learning and modesty than Smalcius, and of great industry for the defence of his heresy. His defence of Socinus against Grotius' treatise, " De Causis Mortis Christi, de Effectu SS.," his comments and ethics, declare his abilities and industry in his way. After him arose Jonas Schlichtingius, a man no Avhit behind any of the rest for learning and diligence, as in his comments and disputations against Meisnerus is evident. As the report is, he Avas burned by the procure- ment of the Jesuits, some four years ago, that they might be sure to have the blood of all sorts of men found upon them. What advantage they
' " Aliqui fratrum putant con<rerendis pecuniis me nunc pvorsus intentnm esse." — Ep. ad Eliam Arcistrium, p. 407. Vide Ep. ad Ghristopli. Morstinum. pp. 503-605.
* " Non simpliciter usui-am damnant : modo aequitatis et charitatis regula non viole- tur." — Compend. Religionis Ostorod. et Voidovii.
THE PEEFACE TO THE READER. 41
have obtained thereby time will show. 1 know that generation of men retort upon us the death of Servetus at Geneva ; but the case was far different. Schlichtingius lived in his own country, and conversed with men of his own persuasion, who in a succession had been so before he was born : Servetus came out of Spain on purpose to disturb and seduce them who knew nothing of his abominations. Schlichtingius disputed his heresy without reproaching or blaspheming God willingly, under pretence of denying the way and worship of his adversaries : Servetus stuffed all his discourses with horrid blasphemies. Beza tells us that he called the Trmity tricipitem, Cerberwn, and wrote that Moses was a ridiculous impos- tor, Beza, EjJ. 1 ; and there are passages cited out of his book of the Trinity (which I have not seen) that seem to have as much of the devil in them as any thing that ever 3'et was written or spoken by any of the sons of men. If, saith he, Christ be the Son of God, " debuissent ergo dicere, quod Deus habebat uxorem quandam spiritualem, vel quod solus ipse masculus femineus aut hermaphroditus, simul erat pater et mater, nam ratio vocabuli non patitur, ut quis dicatur sine matre pater : et si Logos filius erat, natus ex patre sine matre; die mihi quomodo peperit eum, per ventrem an per latus."