The Protestants Plea for a Socinian: Justifying His Doctrine from Being Opposite to Scripture or Church Authority; and Him from Being Guilty of Heresie, or Schism — John Shaqi
The Protestants Plea for a Socinian: Justifying His Doctrine from Being Opposite to Scripture or Church Authority; and Him from Being Guilty of Heresie, or SchismR. H.
Religion
The Protestants Plea for a Socinian: Justifying His Doctrine from Being Opposite to Scripture or Church Authority; and Him from Being Guilty of Heresie, or Schism
R. H.
Socinianism -- Early works to 1800
_Soc._ No, And for this I shall give you in brief many reasons, as I
conceive satisfactory. For 1. Had I an obligation of submission of
judgment to lawful General Councils, you cannot prove this such a one,
and those the decrees thereof which are now extant, with such a
certainty as is necessary to build thereon an Article of my Faith. For
to prove this, you must satisfie me in all those things questioned
concerning General Councils * by M. _Chillingworth_, p. 94. * By Dr.
_Pierce_ in his answer to Mr. _Cressy_, p. 18. &c. * By Mr. _Whitby_
from p. 428. to p. 433. [where he concludes: 1. _That we never had a
General Council._ 2. _That a General Council is a thing impossible_.]
* By Mr. _Stillingfleet_ p. 508. &c.----495. 119. 123. &c. Who also,
against the being of such a General Council as is the Representative
of the whole Church Catholick, thus disputes[41]----_The representation
of a Church_ (saith he) _by a General Council, is a thing not so
evident, from whence it should come: for if such representative of the
whole Church there be, it must either be so by some formal act of the
Church, or by a tacite consent. It could not be by any formal act of
the Church; for then there must be some such act of the universal
Church preceding the being of any General Council, by which they
receive their Commission to appear in behalf of the universal Church.
Now that the universal Church did ever agree in any such act is
utterly impossible to be demonstrated, either that it could be, or
that it was. But if it be said, that such a formal act is not
necessary, but the tacite consent of the whole Church is sufficient
for it; then such a consent of the Church must be made evident, by
which, they did devolve over the power of the whole Church to such a_
Representative. _And all these must consent in that act whose power
the Council pretends to have; of which no footsteps appear----The
utmost then_ (saith he) _that can be supposed in this case, is, that
the parts of the Church may voluntarily consent to accept of the
decrees of such a Council; and by that voluntary act, or by the
supreme authority enjoyning it, such decrees may become obligatory._
Thus he. But I suppose its Decrees obligatory then only to those parts
of the Church that voluntarily consent to accept of them, as the
_Arians_ did not to receive the _Decrees_ of _Nice_. Lastly, by *
Bishop _Taylor_ in the 2d. Part of his _Disswasive_, _l._ 1. §. 1. p.
29. _&c._ to the end of the Section. Where p. 31. he saith concerning
this of _Nice_, that makes for you, compared with that of _Ariminum_,
which makes for us----_That if a Catholick producing the Nicene
Council be rencountred by an Arian producing the Council of_ Ariminium
_which was far more numerous, here are_ aquilis aquilæ & pila minantia
pilis: _but who shall prevail? If a General Council be the rule and
guide, they will both prevail, that is, neither. And it ought not to
be said by the Catholick; Yea, but our Council determined for the
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