The Growth of Error, Chapter 4 · Section 2
SECT. II.
The Engliſh Socinians do ſtudiouſly Endeavour to Conceal the Religion, They are of.
THat they may make it the more Difficult for us, to Know what it is, they are for, they Hide themſelves under the Comprehenſive Name of Ʋnitarians, and Anti-Trinitarians, whereby they Reſerve to themſelves the Liberty of ſetting up, either for Arians, Photinians, Jews, Mahometans, or Deiſts, who Call themſelves Ʋnitarians; nor will they, when hard Put to it, Undertake the Defence of any One; no, not of Socinus himſelf, altho' they hold what is Peculiar to men of his Spirit.
Tho', they ſay, That Jeſus Chriſt was the Son of God,Some The. p. 4. only in a ſenſe of Conſecration and of Miſſion; and conſequently, that his Unity with the Father, is not an Eſſential, and Natural Ʋnity, but a meer Moral, and Relative Ʋnity, which conſiſting in the Equality of Works, not of Eſſence, which is Abſolutely Incommunicable. &c. When this is Socinianiſm all over,p. 18. yet, are they not Socinians, any more than they are Papiſts, Lutherans, or Calviriſts. Anſwer to Dr. Wallis Four Letters. p. 16.They do not Profeſs to Follow Socinus, but the Scripture. If Socinus has at any time ſpoken Erroneouſly; or Ʋnadviſedly; or Hyper bolically, 'tis not Socinus, who is their Maſter, but Chriſt.
When they Pretend to tell, us what they are, it's ſo Myſteriouſly, that no one can tell what to make of 'em. They are Chriſtians, they thank God, they Side with Truth,Some The p. 18. and take Shelter in the Boſom of that Catholick Church which ſtands Independently upon any thing, that goeth under the Name of a Party. But, where ſhall we find ſuch a Church? Not among Ebionites, Nazarenes, Meneans, Alogi, Arians or Socinians; All theſe go under the Name of Parties. Wherefore, ſeeing they Renounce the Fundamentals of Chriſtianith as Embraced by us, they muſt be Acknowledged to wrap themſelves up in ſome Maſtery; Or, to have no Catholick Church to Shelter themſelves in.
To Compleat the Myſtery, They are upon Dr. S's Terms, heartily of the Communion of the Church of England, but Independently upon any Faction whatſoever. It's like we have Anti-Trinitarians as well as Trinitarians in the Communion of the Church of England, which is not more Poſſible, nor leſs Myſterious, than that the Denyal of the Trinity ſhould fignify the Affirmation, and Belief of it. However, giving them this, 'twill unavoidably ſollow, that two Diſtinct Parties, as contrary to each other as Light and Darkneſs, do conſtitute the Church. And ſuch of us as want their Sagacity, are Tempted to conclude, that ſo long as they are againſt the Doctrine of the Trinity, they are Anti-Trinitarians; And, if they think, we are a Faction, we know them to be ſo: If therefore, they are not of the Orthodox Party, except they believe with Teague, that my Lord Duke is neither Dead, nor Alive, they muſt be of the Anti-Trinitarian Faction, and yet be heartily of the Communion of the Church, Independently upon any Faction whatſoever. That is to ſay, they are of a Communion made up of but two Parties, vid. Trinitarian, and Anti-Trinitarian, without being in Communion either with the One, or the Other.
But, do we what we can, ſeeing they Profeſs to Believe, there is but One Perſon Only in the God-Head, they muſt be, we count, Anti-Trinitarians; and the Belief of the Trinity being eſſential to our Chriſtianity, as Chriſtianity is to Church Communion, tis as impoſſible for any One to be of the Communion of the Church, whilſt an avowed Anti-Trinitarian, as it is to be a Chriſtian without the Eſſentials of Chriſtianity. We can't therefore Comprehend, How theſe Men can be of the Churches Communion: If they have a Diſtinction to ſolve this Difficulty, it muſt be a monſtrous Myſterious One, Whether Intelligible, or Contradictions, let them Judge. Touching their Sincerity in the uſing theſe Methods I will not concern my ſelf, knowing that however it be, it's clear, that their Deſign is to Conceal their Religion, which, I confeſs, is their wifeſt Courſe, ſeeing it is ſuch, as can't bear the Brightneſs and Glory of the Light.