THE

SECOND DIALOGUE.

Concerning the Texts of Holy Scripture, which are brought for the Proof of the Bleffed Trinity, and Divinity of Chrift.

SOCINIAN.

Y

OU have Promis'd fair, if you can Perform Equally. But be fore we begin with the Texts in the order they are Quoted in our Brief History, I defire you wou'd give me one of your Masterly Texts, as you think, for the Proof of your Doctrin; that we may Confider it more fully by it felf, than the Time will allow us in Running over the many other Texts Quoted.

XV.

CHRISTIAN. With all my Heart: And this will determin the Caufe, in a manner, before it be Determin'd. Fob. 1. 1. And befides, will make my Answer to your Interpreta. Confider'd. particularly tion of the other Texts both Shorter, and Plainer, and fave many Repititions.

The Text that I offer for this, is, Job. 1. 1. In the Beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. In order to Understand this more

B

Perfectly

Perfectly, it will be neceffary to know upon what Occafion, and with Refpect to whom, the Apoftle wrote this.

Ther was at that time one Cerinthus, an Arch Heretick and Difciple of Simon Magus, who affirm'd that Jefus was the Son of Jofeph and Mary. That Christ or the Word came upon Him, in the Form of a Dove, at his Baptifm, and Infpir'd him with the Knowlege of God the Father, and with the Power of working Miracles. That when Jefus fuffer'd, Chrift left Him, and flew up into Heaven without Partaking any thing of his Sufferings. It was against this Cerinthus and his Followers, that St. John wrote his Gospel, when he was Return'd to Ephefus, after the Death of Domitian. See Iren. l. 1. c. 25. 1. 3. c. 11. Epiphan. Her. 22. &c.

Thefe Hereticks being Bewildred in their Imaginations, and given up to the Delusions of Satan, Fancy'd to themfelves feveral Æones or Ages, which they faid God Produc'd after one another. Of thefe St. Irenaus gives us a large Account. One of thefe they Call'd in Silence, from whence they faid the G or Word did Proceed. Whence St. Ignatius, in oppofition to them, calls Chrift the λίγα αἴδια ἐκ ἀπὸ Σιγῆς προελθὼν that is, The Eternal Word, not proceedeng from Silence. Epift. ad Magnes.

This was in Pursuance to what his Master St. John (whofe Difciple he was) had wrote against thefe fame Hereticks, beginning his Gospel in the words of this Text, Afferting the Word of God not to have been any of these fancy'd ones, Produc'd in Time, but to have been in the Beginning with God, and to be God. And Grotius upon this Text fays, that In the Beginning was a common Hebrew Phrafe whereby to Exprefs Eternity. Sicut mos eft Hebræis Eternitatem populariter defcribere. And his Authority is the more confiderable to you, because

your

your Brief Hißory fays, p. 31. That H. GROTIUS is a SOCINIAN all over.

Ther were others concern'd befides thefe Hereticks in what St. John wrote concerning the Ay, that was, the Jews and the Heathens. And it will be neceffary allo to know what their Notion was of the Logos, that we may see how the Apoftle adapted what he faid to all of them. And this I will fhew you prefently, when I come to answer what your Brief History of the Unitarians, fays to this Text, from which I will no longer detain you.

SOC. He fays, p. 83. That by the word is only meant God's Power and Wisdom, which is not fomething different from God, but being His Wifdom and Power, is God.

He fays likewife, p. 84. That the Appellation of God is given to Angels and Men. As Mofes was call'd a God to Pharaoh. Exod. 7. 1.

CHR. These two anfwers which the Hift. of Unita. gives to this Text, do Contradict one another. The Firft fuppofes the Word to be Real God. The Second to be but Man, and call'd God in a Borrow'd Senfe as ther are Gods by Office or Deputation from God. The first anfwer makes the Word not to be any thing Different from God. The Second fays that it is Man and not God.

SOC. These two answers I confefs cannot well ftand together; they cannot both be true. But let us fee if either of them will hold. Therefore pray fatisfy me as to the first answer; that is, that by the Word of God any more is meant than the Power or Wisdom of God, as we fay the Power or Wisdom of a Man, by which nothing is meant different from the Man.

CHR. You remember what we have difcours'd, That Properties in Body, and Faculties in Soul, are Perfons in God. And the reafons why it must be fo. And there

B 2

for