liberty for those who differed from them, and endeavoured by all methods to oppress and destroy them. The sentiments of the primitive Christians, at least for near three centuries, in reference to the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, were, generally speaking, pretty uniform; nor do there appear to have been any public quarrels about this article of the Christian faith.[71] Some few persons, indeed, differed from the commonly received opinion. One Theodotus a tanner, under the reign of Commodus, asserted Christ was a mere man, and on this account was excommunicated, with other of his followers, by pope Victor, who appears to have been very liberal in his censures against others. Artemon propagated the same erroneous opinion under Severus. Beryllus[72] also, an Arabian bishop under Gordian, taught, “that our Saviour had no proper personal subsistence before his becoming man, nor any proper godhead of his own, but only the Father’s godhead residing in him;” but afterwards altered his opinion, being convinced of his error by the arguments of Origen. [K]Sabellius[73] also propagated much the same doctrine, denying also the real personality of the Holy Ghost. After him Paulus Samosatenus,[74] bishop of Antioch, and many of his clergy, publicly avowed the same principles concerning Christ, and were excommunicated by a large council of bishops. But though these excommunications, upon account of differences in opinion, prove that the bishops had set up for judges of the faith, and assumed a power and dominion over the consciences of others, yet as they had no civil effects, and were not enforced by any penal laws, they were not attended with any public confusions, to the open reproach of the Christian church. ----- Footnote 71: Euseb. E. H. l. 5. c. 28. Footnote 72: Ibid. l. 6. c. 33. Footnote K: See note [K] at the end of the volume. Footnote 73: Ibid. l. 7. c. 27. Footnote 74: Ibid. l. 7. c. 28, 29. -----