Now above all things we beg of you, both you who fhall hear what we say at prefent, and you who fhall afterward light upon this Apology, not to think of measuring Truth and Falfhood by multitudes, as reckoning that Truth which has the greater number on its fide; nor fo far to be influenc'd by the worldly Dignities of fome, or the Haughtiness of others, as to fuffer your Minds to be blinded; nor indeed to be fo prejudic'd by what you have first heard, as to ftop your ears against an After-examination: But to prefer the Doctrine of our Saviour Jefus Chrift before the regard to any number of Men, to Ambition, the Love of Difputation, nay to Custom, and Relation; in short, to all things whatsoever that are wont to darken the Faculties of the Soul; and fo to pafs fentence upon what fhall be faid, with a Mind only difpos'd to embrace Truth. For a peculiar Alliance of the Mind to Truth, is of the greatest confequence towards the discovery of it. We must farther defire of you not to be difpleas'd at us, if we have no regard to the Pride or Terror of any, nor to that Favour or Security which the present World might afford; but ever prefer that Tranquillity which arifes from the Hopes of a future World; and still look upon those Threatnings which are made against the wicked, as more to be dreaded than temporal Death; and in confequence hereof publish the plain Truth. For, as the Apostle fays, The Sufferings of this prefent time Rom.VIII are not worthy to be compar'd with the Glory 18. which shall be revealed. Nor is the whole World, tho we were fure of its Enjoyments and Dominion, capable to compenfate the Conftitut. Ibid. ހ lofs of one's own Soul: The future things vastly exceeding those that are prefent on each fide; both as to enjoying Happiness, and as to fuffering Punishment. But that we may not be too tedious in this Preface, and prolong our Difcourfe beyond measure, let us now come directly to the Profeffion of our Faith; whereby thofe that have a mind may moft easily and readily understand our Opinion. For it is neceflary that thofe who are to difcourfe of these things, and to undergo an Examination of their proper Doctrines, do not give up themselves at random to the Opinion of the many, but that they have in their view all the way that Sacred Tradition which has obtain'd originally from our Forefathers, as a fort of Rule and Guide; and to permit Men to make ufe of that as an exact Standard in the diftinguishing and judging of those things that are to be faid. "We believe in One God the Father Al"mighty, of whom are all things. And in "One only-begotten Son of God, God the "Word, our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom "are all things. And in One Holy Spirit, "the Comforter, by whom the Distribution "of all Grace is beftow'd on every one of "the Saints, according to their proportion, to profit withal." This is the moft fimple Creed, and common to all who either are careful to appear, or to be Chriftians; as being an Abridgment, or as it were an extempore Summary only; omitting at prefent the additional Articles which have been controverted; and thinking it fuperfluous perfluous to make mention of them. As to our felves, if we could perceive that thofe who once had receiv'd the Words, did neceffarily preferve together with those words the true and invariable Senfe contain'd under them; or if we perceiv'd that thofe who accufe us of Impiety would upon this Profession of our Faith prefently free us from their Accufations, and let all finifter Sufpicions against us go out of their minds, we would take this Creed for the Measure and Standard of our own Difcourfe that this Profeffion of our Faith might procure us Peace and Security. For indeed neither was Sabellius of Libya, nor Marcellus of Galatia, nor Photinus, nor any other of those that proceeded to the like degree of Madness with them, excluded from the Sacred Affemblies, or the Participation of the Mysteries, or the peculiar places appointed for Ecclefiaftical Perfons. But because neither is this fhort Profeffion fufficient for the Settlement of the Truth, nor futable to our purpose, to filence the Accufations brought against us, but fome more accurate Explications will be neceffary, in order to the plain and full Declaration of our Mind; and because, out of an ill Temper, or fome other diforder of Difpofition, feveral do endeavour to mifrepresent and corrupt the true Sense of the words; We fhall make it our business, as well as we are able, to explain diftinctly what Notions we have of thefe matters; by first fetting down our Faith, and then explaining its meaning afterwards: or futing the words to the Senfe which lies before us; but fo that this Change fhall no ways be to the prejudice of the Truth. And indeed this method will Conflitut. be peculiarly futable to our purpose, both as we write an Apology for our felves, and a Confutation of our Adverfaries. Therefore, We own, according to natural Senfe, and VI. C. according to the Doctrine of our Forefathers, 359. One God, not made either by himself, or by ano ther; for both those things are equally impoffible: for most certainly the Maker muft exift before that which is produc'd, and that which is made must be after that which made it; nor can any thing be fooner or later than it felf; nor can any thing be before God. For certainly that which is before the other, would then have had the Dignity of the Godhead. For he that affirms it poffible for a real Being to be made by another, must allow that it felf is one of them; and that it will justly be rank'd among them. Wherefore, if it be demonftrated that neither could God be before himself, nor could any thing else be before him, but that he is before all things, Conftitut. it thence follows that he is the Unbegotten; L. VII. or rather, he is himself the Unbegotten SubC. 41. P. ftance. It may indeed probably feem needless 380. & and fuperfluous to fome to prove those things, L. VII, & as if they were doubtful, which are commonpaffim. ly taken for granted. However, it feems See Ignat. proper for us, on account of those that look ad Mag- on it as a piece of wisdom to oppose the nef. §. 8. plaineft things, as well as of those that may otherwife take a handle for Complaint and Calumny, to treat more accurately of thefe matters. Now when we own God to be Unbegotten, we think we ought not to do it by ufing that word only in our Worship, after a vulgar acceptation, but to pay in reality that Debt to God which is of all other the VIII. most moft juftly due, that is, the acknowledging Conftitut. him to be what he really is. For those Ideas L. VII, which are in the Mind only, and the Words & VII. paffim. belonging to them having no real existence elsewhere, as diftinct from thofe Names whereby we express them, are diffolv'd and vanifh when we forbear to speak of them. But God, whether we are filent, or fpeak, and while things come into being, and before all things were made, both was, and is Unbegotten. But then he is not fuch by way of Privation, feeing Privations belong to the nature of things already in being, and after the Habits to which they belong. But according to the Course of Nature, there could be no Genera tion as to God, nor had he therefore a Generation formerly, which when he was depriv'd of, he was stil'd, Without Generation, or Unbegotten: fince this would be great Impiety, and deftructive of the true Notion of God, and . of his abfolute Perfection. Indeed to pretend that God has been depriv'd of fomewhat naturally belonging to him, would be a Demonftration of the Madnefs of the Inventors of fuch an Opinion. And no wife Man can fay that any Being is depriv'd of fuch things as did not before exift. If therefore the Character of Unbegotten is not a bare Imagination, nor us'd by way of Privation, as the laft reafoning has fhew'd: Nor is this Character of Unbegotten apply'd to God in part only; for he is without Parts: Nor is it apply'd to him as allowing fomewhat different from him, within him, that is Unbegotten; for he is fimple, and uncompounded, nor is any [internal] thing different from him befide him, for he is A 4 One |