The Growth of Error, Conclusion
The CONCLƲSION.
THESE are ſome of thoſe Methods, which the Arminians, the Foreign and Engliſh Socinians have taken to Inſtill, and Propagate their Errours, which, for the Help of the leſs ſtudied, I will reduce to the Following Heads.
Sect. I. Theſe Gentlemen, not being able to comprehend ſome of the moſt Important Points of Chriſtian Religion, becauſe of their Myſteriouſneſs, do reject them as Contradictious, and Unreaſonable On this Ground the Socinians Explode the Doctrines of the Bleſſed Trinity, and Incarnation, Chriſt's Satisfaction, and that Myſtical Ʋnion which is betwixt Him and Believers; And the Arminians Oppugn the Abſolute and Eternal Decrees, together with the Irreſiſtible Operations of Grace in the Converſion of Sinners.
But that they may the more conſiſtently Proſecute their Deſign they find themſelves neceſſitated to Frame ſuch an Idea of God, as comes ſhort of a Being Infinitely Perfect, and thus lead their Followers into Atheiſm. Chap. 1.
Sect. II. The Erroneous finding in their corrupt Hearts an Innate Antipathy againſt Juſtification by the Righteouſneſs of another; do, endeavour to eſtabliſh a Righteouſneſs of their own. To compaſs thus much, the more Learned, knowing that there is an Eternal Law of Right, of which no one Precept or Rule is, or can be Abrogated, or Repealed, whilſt God is an Holy, Juſt and Righteous God, and Man a rational Creature, do hold, that this is the Law, by which all Men ſhall be judged at the laſt day. Only thoſe, who have believed Jeſus to be the Meſſiah, and have taken Him to be their King, with a ſincere Endeavour after Righteouſneſs, in obeying his Law, ſhall have their paſt Sins not imputed to them: And ſhall have that Faith taken inſtead of Obedience, that is, their Faith ſhall be taken for a Compleat Performance of this Law, where by Imperfection is ſtretched to the utmoſt length of Perfection: But the more unlearned, to eſcape this Rock, have vacated the Penal Sanction of the old Law, and erected a New, which threatens no Sins but final Unbelief, and Impenitence, with Eternal Death, who muſt hold, that no other Sins but Unbelief and Impenitence are in their own Nature mortal and deadly, deſerving everlaſting Miſery; or, at leaſt by ſetting up this New Law, to the End imperfect Obedience may anſwer their New Rule, they muſt make all their Deficiencies, which by the Eternal Law were Sins, to be no Sins at all; and thus framing their Rule to our Imperfections, inſtead of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs they conſtitute one of their own for Juſtification. And to make out theſe things they give us a New Scheme of Divinity, more ſuited to the Socinian, than Goſpel Rule▪ though it muſt be acknowledged, that theſe Gentlemen, and ſome others nearly all…ed unto 'em by Principles, obſerving, …ow unſucceſsful the Candour, and Sincerity of Foreign Socinians hath been, in owning the Genuine Import of ſome Phraſes, which, becauſe expreſſive of what they approved not, they rejected; theſe Gentlemen have impoſed a wrong ſenſe on em, and in the Controverſies about Chriſt's Satisfaction retained their Uſe, and pervert the Truth in this important Article of our Holy Religion, Cap. 2. & Cap. 3. Sect. 8. Pag. 82, &c.
Sect. IV. That the Foreign Socinians, and Arminians, might the more eaſily propagate their Errors, they did at firſt appear under the Character of Men found in the Faith, uſing Orthodox Terms and Phraſes, and ſubſcribing the commonly received Catechiſms and Confeſſions of Faith, whereby they gain'd great Reputation amongſt the Orthodox. Thus was Blandrata, who (as Calvin ſaith) had nothing but Pride and Oſtentation to recommend him, eſteemed by Men of Eminence and Soundneſs in the Faith, as the Atlas, that bears the Church on his Shoulders.
And thus other Men alſo of little Learning, great Induſtry, inſtigated by greater Pride, have by their Flatteries and deceitful Subſcriptions to Orthodox Confeſſions inſinuated themſelves into the Hearts of well-meaning People, and lead 'em into Errors of a moſt pernicious …endency, as hath been cleared in ſundry Inſtances throughout Chap. 3. & Chap. 4. Sect. 7.
Sect. V. The Engliſh Socinian wanting both the Learning and Candour of their Brethren beyond the Seas▪ are not willing to abide by their Confeſſions, or Catechiſms, nor are they prepared to emit any of their own Compoſure, and therefore they do ſtudiouſly labour to conceal what it is they are for, and bend their ſtrength againſt the Truth, and turn themſelves into any ſhape, may they thereby advance their Deſigns. If it be their Intereſt to profeſs, they are of the Church of England, or to plead the Cauſe of Mahomet, and reduce the Chriſtian Religion to one Article, found in the Turkiſh Alcoran, they do it. And it muſt be confeſſed, that by their refuſing to give Divine Worſhip to Jeſus Chriſt, they have put it out of their Power to prove themſelves to be better Chriſtians than the Mahometans are; no wonder then, that they are ſometimes for acting the Part of a Quaker, and again for pleading the Cauſe of the Papiſts, but any thing, every thing, rather than an Orthodox Chriſtian. For as they cannot be held by Subſcriptions, neither are the Bleſſed Sacraments ſacred enough to bring 'em under Obligation. Theſe are with them, but Incantations, Charms, Spells, Norman Knots, &c. and ſeeing no ſpiritual Bleſſing is in their Opinion, annexed to the Right partaking of a Sacrament, it cannot in any Chriſtian Kingdom whatever, be a Teſt to keep them out of the Government, ſo wiſely have they ordered their Affairs in matters Religious; that however it goeth with them in the next World, it may be well with them in This. See how theſe things are cleared, Chap. 4. Sect. 1, 2.4.10.
Sect. VI. And that they may the more eaſily impoſe their Dotages upon the Ʋnlearned, They repreſent the Principles believed by the Orthodox to worſe than Judaiſm, or Mahometaniſm; and as bad as Egyptian and Roman Paganiſm, Crying down Learning, and a learned Miniſtry, and moſt bitterly reviling their Judicious Adverſaries. How virulently have they treated the Reformed Divines in France, and Holland? And with what Contempt and Scorn have they fall'n upon the Learned Clergy; not only Dr. Bull, but, amongſt many others, on my Lord of Worceſter, who may be juſtly ſtyled, Malleus Socinianorum; And when this Art fails 'em, they tack about, and on a ſudden pretend a Zeal for Learning, claiming a Right in the Anti-Nicene Fathers, and the firſt Reformers, ſuch as Luther, and Calvin, and will have it that the Great Hugo Grotius is theirs. But their pretence are without the leaſt ſhadow of Reaſon,Vid. Ch. 4. Sect. 3.5, 6, and ſuch as are neglected by the more Learned of their own Way.
Sect. VII. To the End they may prepare a Place for their Dagon, their Care is to caſt what Reproach they can on the Bleſſed Trinity, which they can't more effectually do, than by pleading for a Trinity of Eſſences; or a Plurality of Gods; which was the Maſter-piece of the Italian Combination. What Pranks theſe prevaticating Hereticks played, I have briefly intimated; a Conſpiracy, which, in its Tendency, was not very different from that entred into by Vaninus, and twelve more, who went into divers Parts of the World, on purpoſe to propagate Atheiſm, as Gualterius the Jeſuit (as I have ſome-where Read) doth, in his Cronological Tables, report. That there is a Combination of the ſame Nature with the Old Italians entred into by the Engliſh Socinians, who-ever will conſult their Writings will ſee but little Reaſon to doubt of it. And when I come to ſhew what Methods have been taken to corrupt and ſubvert the Doctrine of Chriſt's Satisfaction, I hope, foreign, to ſhow, that ſome have as induſtriouſly acted their Part, as if they had been in a Combination to bring that bleſſed Doctrine into doubt, which was a Branch of the Contrivance of Laelius Socinus, Paruta, Ochinus, and their Partizans.Chap. 4. Sect. 8. There is one thing more to be obſerved, it is this.
Sect. VIII. That notwithſtanding their grievous out-cries againſt the Goſpel of our Lord Chriſt, becauſe of the Myſteries, which are in it, they have their Trinity and Myſteries too. Only they are not ſo ſublime, nor ſo clearly revealed in Scripture as what we believe, and tho' full of Contradictions, yet without Scruple received by 'em. 'Tis true, they ſtrugled hard to bury in an Eternal Oblivion, the Terms, Trinity, Incarnation, &c. becauſe, as they ſaid, not found in the Letter of the Sacred Text, which if they could have done, we ſhould have heard nothing of their Trinity: But failing of Succeſs here, as they retained the Term Trinity, ſo they ſubſtituted in the Place of a Trinity of Perſons in the Godhead, a Trinity of Somewhats of their own Invention. Ch. 4. Sect. 9.
I ſhall treſpaſs no further on my Reader, in the Repetition of what is done; and as for what elſe I have more to do, if God permit, and Prudence directs, I ſhall take my Time.
FINIS.
End of the text · Stephen Lobb, The Growth of Error (1697)