2. Their whole business, in all their books and disputations, is to take upon themselves the 2>art of answerers, so cavilling and making exceptions, not caring at all what becomes of any thing in religion, so they may with any colour avoid the arguments whei^ewith they are pressed. Hence al- most all their books, unless it be some few short catechisms and confes- sions, are only answers and exceptions to other men's writings. Beside the fragments of a catechism or two, Socinus himself wrote very little but of this kind ; .so do the rest. How heavy and dull they are in asserting may be seen in Volkelius' Institutions; and here, whilst they escape their adversaries, they are desperately bold in their interpretations of Scripture, though, for the most part, it sutfices [them to say] that what is urged against them is not the sense of the place, though they themselves can assign no sense at all to it. I could easily give instances in abundance to make good this observation concerning them, but I shall not mention what must neces- sarily be insisted on in the ensuing discourse. Their answers are, " This
1 " Ais igitur adversus id quod a me afiirmatum fuerat, in controversis dogmatibus probandis, aut improbandis, necesse esse literam adferre, et id quod asseritur manifesto demonstrare : id quod asseritur manifesto demon strari debere plane concedo ; literam autem adferre necesse esse proi'sus nego ; me autem jure lioc fixcere id aperte confirmat, quod qusediim dogmata in Cbristi ecclesia receptissima, non solum per expressam literam non probantur, sed ipsam sibi contrariam habent. Exempli causa, inter oiunes fere Christiani nomiuis bomines receptissimum est, Deum non habere aliqua membra corporis, ut aures, cculos, nares, bracbia, pedes, manus, et tamcn non modo cxpiesse et literaliter (ut vocant) id scriptum in sacris libris non est : verum etiam contrarium omnino passim diserte scriptum extat." — Faust. Socin. Frag. Disput. de Ador, Cbristi cum Fran. David, cap. X. p. 59.
^ " Simile quod afifers de vocabulis " essenti^^," et "personanim" a nobis repudiatis, quia in Sanctis literis non inveniantur, non est admittendum, nemini enim vere cordato per- suadebitis id quod per ea vocabuli adversarii signilicarc voluerunt, idcirco rcpudiandum esse, quia ipsa vocabula scripta non inveniantur, imo quicuuque ex nobis bac ratione sunt usi, suspectam apud nonnullos, alicquin ingenio, et eruditione procstantes vii'os, causam nostram reddidere."— Idem, ubi sup. p. 62.
48 THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
may otherwise be expounded ; " " It may otherwise be understood;" '* The word may have another signification in another place."
3. The greatest triumphs which they set up in their own conceits are, when by any ways tliey possess themselves of any usual maxim that passes current amongst men, being applied to finite, limited, created things, or any acknowledged notion in philosoi^hy, and apply it to the infinite, uncreated, essence of God; than which course of proceeding nothing, indeed, can be more absurd, foolish, and contrary to sound reason. That God and man, the Creator and creature, that which is absolutely infinite and indeijendent, and that which is finite, limited, and dependent, should be measured by the same rules, notions, and conceptions, unless it be by way of eminent analogy, wdiich will not further their design at all, is most fond and senseless. And this one observation is sufficient to arm us against all their profound disputes about " essence," " personality," and the hke.
4. Generally, as we said, in the pursuit of theu* design and carrying it on, they begin in exclaiming against the usual loords wherein the doctrines they oppose are taught and delivered. " They are not Scripture expressions," etc. ; " For the things themselves, they do not oppose them, but they think them not so necessary as some suppose," etc. Having got some ground by this on the minds of men, great stress is immediately hud on this, " That a man may be saved though he believe not the doctrine of the Trinity, the satisfaction of Christ, etc., so that he live holily, and yield obedience to the precepts of Christ ; so that it is mere madness and folly to break love and communion about such difterenccs." By this engine I knew, not long since, a choice society of Christians, through the cunning sleight of one lying in wait to deceive, disturbed, divided, broken, and in no small part of it infected. If they once get this advantage, and have thereby weakened the love and valuation of the truth with any, they generally, through the righteous judgment of God in giving up men of light and vain spirits to the imaginations of their own hearts, overthrow their faith, and lead them captive at their pleasure.
5. I thought to have insisted, in particular, on their particular ways of insinuating their abominations, of the baits they lay, the devices they have, their high pretences to reason, and holiness in their lives, or honesty; as also, to have evinced, by undeniable evidences, that there are thousands in the Pajiacy and among the Eeformed Churches that are wholly baptized into their vile opinions and infidelity, though, for the love of their temporal en- joyments, wliich are better to them than their religion, they profess it not ; as also, how this persuasion of theirs hath been the great door whereby the flood of atheism which is broken in upon the world, and which is almost always professed by them who would be accounted the wits of the times, is come in upon the nations; farther, to have given general answers and dis- tinctions applicable to the most if not all of the considerable arguments and objections wherewith they impugn the truth : but referring all these to my general considerations for the study of controversies in divinity, with some observations that may be preservatives against their poison, I shall speedily acquit you from the trouble of this address. Give me lea\o, then, in the last place (though unfit and unworthy), to give some general cautions to my fellow -labourers and students in divinity for the freeing our souls from being tainted with these abominations, and I have done : — •