1st Series. No. 164. REASONS OFFERED SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. LATE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF R. ISLAND. FOR HIS OPINIONS -, TO THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN PROVIDENCE, FROM WHICH HE WAS COMPELLED TO WITHDRAW FOR HETERODOXY. SIXTH EDITION. PRINTED FOR THE Unitarian Association, BOSTON: V * JAMES MUNROE &- CO. 134 WASHINGTON STREET. MARCH, 1841. Price 4 Cents. k - . ^ ADVERTISEMENT. I HAVE two reasons for presenting this to the public. First, to refute the unfounded reports which are circulated respecting my opinions ; in some instances, it is to be feared, from improper mo- tives. Second, the hope that it may fall into the hands of some, who have hitherto paid but little attention to the subject, and who, by the perusal of this sketch, may be induced to give the subject a candid examination ; in doing which they will see on how slender a foundation rest the various creeds and systems of faith imposed by men, and which have been productive of effects as opposite to the proper fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as strife and contention are to righteousness,- and peace and charity. I. R. BUTTS, PRINTER, 2 SCHOOL STREET. LIBRARY REASONS, &c. AT a meeting of the committee of the Church, on the evening of Tuesday, March 31, 1818, after some conver- sation on the subject discussed in the following pages, it was said that it would be necessary for me to state my views to the church, at the next meeting. This was agreed to be done in writing. And at the meeting on the Thursday evening following, after some objections, the following paper was read and left with the clerk. As I am this evening called in question respecting my faith in God and Christ; in order that there may be no misapprehension, or misrepresentation; and especially, (in view of the most unfavorable result of this case, as it respects myself,) should it hereafter be said, that I had " denied the faith" and " the Lord that bought me," that I might be enabled, and my children after me, by irre- fragable evidence, to rebut and put to silence such unfounded report, I have drawn up and subscribed this, my confession of faith, on this subject : Protesting, at the same time, against the right of the church to exercise any discipline against me, after this, my declaration of faith. 4 EEASONS OFFERED 220 1 believe that " there is but one God, the FATHER, of whom are all things :" 1 Cor. viii. 6. " That there is none other God but one :" 1 Cor. viii. 4. That the FA- THER is " the only true God :" John xvii. 3. That He " is a Spirit :" John iv. 24. That he is the " one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all:" Eph. iv. 6. That he is "God only wise :" Rom. xvi. 27. And "the only Lord God:" Jude iv. That he is "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God:" I Tim. i. 17. "The only Potentate," and "who only hath immortality :" 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. That " there is none other God but He :" Mark xii. 29, 34. That He is "the God of our Lord Jesus C.mst:" Eph. i. 17; Heb. i. 9. And " the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ :" Eph. i. 3. 1 believe that He "made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:" Acts iv. 24. That "He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things," and that "in Him we live, and move, and have our being:" Acts xvii. 25, 23. And that HE created all things alone by himself, by his own hands, and that there is no God with him: Isaiah xiv. 24; xlv. 12; Deut. xxxii. 39; Mark xiii. 19. I believe "that Jesus is the Christ:'"' 1 John v. 1. That he was born of " Mary, the espoused wife of Jo- seph:" Mat. i. 18; Luke ii. 5, 6. I " confess and be- lieve that he is the Son of God :" 1 John iv. 15; Acts viii. 37. I believe that he is " the beginning of the crea- tion of God ;" Rev. iii. 14. "The only begotten of the Father;" John i. 44. " The first born of every creature ;" Col. i. 15 And "the first begotten and the first born from the dead :" Col. i. 18 ; Rev. i. 5. '221 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. * 5 I believe that "God anointed him with the oil of glad- ness above his fellows:" Heb. i. 9. That "God gave not the Spirit by measure to him :" John iii. 34. That "it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell:" Col. i. 19. That "in him dwelleth all the. ful- ness of the Godhead bodily :" Col. ii. 9. That " he is the image of the invisible God :" Col. i. 15. And " the brightness of his glory ;" Heb. i. 3. I believe that he " came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him ;" John vi. 38. That he came " to bear witness unto the truth :" John xviii. 37. That " the Father, which sent him, gave him commandment what he should say, and what he should speak ;" Johnxii.49. I believe that he said, " My Father is greater than 1 ;" John xiv. 28. " My Father is greater than all :" John x. 29. " I can of my own self do nothing :" John v. 30. " The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works:" John xiv. 10.- 1 believe that when he spake these words he spake the truth, for 1 be- lieve that he " did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth :" 1 Pet. ii. 22. I believe that " he and his Father are one ;" John x. 30. Not one person, however, or be- ing, but as all true disciples are one in the Father, and in him : John xvii. 21, 22; xiv. 20. I believe '' in my heart that God hath raised him from the dead :" Rom. x. 9. That " all power is given unto him in heaven and in earth:" Matt, xxviii. 18. That because " he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, God hath highly ex- alted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is VOL. xiv. NO. 164. 1* 6 REASONS OFFERED 222 Lord, to the glory of God the Father :" Phil. ii. 811 ; Heb. ii. 9. That " God hath made him both Lord and Christ:" Acts ii. 36. That " he hath exalted him to be a prince and Savior:" Acts v. 31. That "God gave him to be head over all things to the church :" Eph. i. 22. That " God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained," that is, Jesus Christ : Acts xvii. 31 ; Rom. ii. 16. That he "is the way, and the truth, and the life:" John xiv. 6. And that "there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved:" Acts iv. 12. I believe also that ''there is one God, and one Media- tor between God and men, the man Christ Jesus :" 1 Tim. ii. 5. That " since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead: 1 Cor. xv. 21. That " through this man is preached the forgiveness of sins :" Acts xiii. 38. That " at the coming of Christ, then com- eth the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father." "Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all :" J Cor. xv. 23, 28. And I deny that I have asserted or maintained, within the last six months, in any way whatever, any opinion con- trary to what is contained in this confession. This is my present faith on this subject, the result of diligent, prayerful, and laborious search after truth. But, agreeably to the principle of this church, and the com- mand to search the Scriptures, given by him who was not only full of grace and truth, but the way and the truth, I hold myself bound at all times to be open to con- viction, and to the reception of truth, as the same shall be presented to my mind. 223 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 7 I add further, that duty to myself, to the cause of truth and Christian liberty, and especially to the memory of those venerable men who established this, the most an- cient Baptist church in America, into which they admitted no creed but the holy Scriptures, leaving every man to his own judgment, compels me to protest, and I do hereby protest against, and utterly deny, the right of this church, by the laws of Jesus Christ, or the principles on which this church was founded, to discipline any member, on account of his faith in relation to this subject, who will make the confession which I here make. I caution you, my brethren, not to be wise " above that which is writ- ten :" you, especially, because this church has never ac- knowledged any rule, other than the Scriptures of truth. I warn you against a denial, by your treatment of me, of the truth of these declarations of inspiration : " Whoso- ever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God :" 1 John v. 1. " Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God :" J John iv. 15. I caution you to take heed to the words of Paul : " Who art thou that judgest another man's ser- vant? To his own master he standeth or falleth:" Rom. xiv. 4, lest the reproach fall on you, which fell on him who said, " Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for 1 am holier than thou :" Isaiah Ixv. 5. Once more I cau- tion you, my brethren, not to be influenced by the back- bitings and misrepresentations of ignorant and malevolent talebearers, who neither know, nor care to know, by any investigation of truth, the merits of this question ; and with me to remember, that we shall all " stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." April 2, 1818. SAMUEL EDDY. 8 REASONS OFFERED 224 This did not give satisfaction. The subject was at length postponed to the next monthly meeting, and in the interim, the following remarks were penned, though not read until the fifth of June. They were not attempted to be answered, nor was any notice taken of them. BRETHREN : The same reasons which induced me, at the last meet- ing, to state in writing, my faith respecting God and Christ, have also induced me to commit to writing what further I have to say on the subject before you. Two questions, only, present themselves for your con- sideration. First, whether, in the opinion of the church my opinions be scriptural or not. Second, if not, whether, for that cause only, the church can, by the laws of Jesus Christ, or the principles on which this church was founded, discipline me. It is to be remembered, that for my opin- ions only am I called in question. Duty to myself, and to you, require that I should state the origin of my doubts respecting the commonly received doctrine of the trinity, and the course of investigation pur- sued by me. But before I state this, permit me to say, that to my great surprise, my opinions are represented by many as indicating a state of mind, altogether indifferent as to my future welfare, and even as betokening doubts of a future state of rewards and punishments ; a state render- ed certain, in the opinion of some of the best and most learned men, from the very light of nature, independent of all revelation. Brethren, can you believe that life, eternal life, has all at once become of no value to me? And that for no other reason than to be exposed to hatred, calumny, and reproach, I have voluntarily departed from Him, who BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 9 is the way, arid the truth, and the life ? Do you think that my mind has become callous to the solemnities of judg- ment, and the joys of salvation? Can you believe that I have willingly, and without a cause, incurred the loss, not only of Christian fellowship, but private friendship? That I have at once become insensible to all that is most dear to man, either in time or eternity ? You must either be- lieve this, or you must do me the justice to acknowledge, that my opinions are the result of careful investigation, and avowed under a serious sense of duty, and a full per- suasion of future responsibility. The common doctrine of the trinity was received by me, as it is by most others, without examination. I had, as you probably have, taken it for granted without investiga- tion, to be the truth of revelation; and for a time, that faith in it was necessary to constitute the character of a Christian. I am happy however in saying, that this was but a short time. And so strong was my prejudice on this subject, that notwithstanding the contrary faith was fre- quently a subject of conversation, I never once gave that side of the question any attention. As far as I can recol- lect, false arguments, seriously adduced in proof of the underived power, and proper deity of Christ, first turned my mind to a consideration of this subject. As I read the scriptures, passages presented themselves in a light in which I had never before viewed them, and my doubts increased. As I had read nothing against the received doctrine, I was determined to satisfy my mind from the only correct source of information. Whatever the true doctrine might be, I was persuaded that it must appear in. the N-JW Testament. To that I therefore had recourse. And that I might have the whole evidence on the subject 10 REASONS OFFERED 226 before me at once, as far as possible, I transcribed every word, from the beginning of Matthew to the end of Rev- elation, which appeared to me to bear on the question. The result was a full conviction, that the Father was the only true God, and that Christ was not the Father, or that being whom Christ asserts to be the only true God. I now solicit your attention to the question, Whether by the laws of Jesus Christ, or the principles on which this church was founded, my opinions render me a sub- ject of church discipline. In the first place I assert, that no example can be pro- duced from the New Testament, for disciplining a member for entertaining erroneous opinions. Neither is there any precept which will warrant such discipline against one, who acknowledges Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. All the cases recorded are for criminal conduct, not opinions. The scriptural meaning of schism and heresy, have been too often explained to render it necessary for me to prove at this time, that mere opinions constitute no part of the offences expressed by these words. It is conduct, not faith, right or wrong, that makes men heretics and schismatics. A leader of a party, a wilful sower of discord in a church, is a heretic, however orthodox his opinions may be. But what party have I formed ? To whom, or against whom, have I set myself up as a leader? Into whose mind have 1 instilled, or endeavored to instil, my own sentiments ? What book have I recommended ? to whom have I rec- ommended any book, on the subject before you ? On these questions I challenge investigation. And let those who are most forward in the charge of criminality on Mis ground, take care that while they accuse me, they condemn not themselves. To be the occasion of contention, is no 227 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 11 evidence of criminality ; for of this a man may be the innocent occasion. Indeed of this, Christ himself, and all the apostles, were the innocent occasion. If my opinions have occasioned discord in this church, they who have made the discord, and not my opinions, are chargeable with this. I have no contention with any man. For my opinions I am ready to answer, and to shew that for them you. have no authority over me. To whose example shall we look, or to whose can we look, as a rule of Christian fellowship, better than to that of Christ and the apostles? What was the conduct of the former, and with whom did he associate in worship? With those only, who invoke Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and who acknowledge three persons in one God, and each of these persons very God ? Certainly not, for no such worshippers were then to be found on the face of the earth. But he constantly united with those who worshipped the one living and true God, the God of Israel. This he did in the synagogues, taking an active part. This was his custom. But it may be said, Jesus was a Jew, a minister of the circumcission, made under the law and came to fulfil it. Be it so. But he was a worship- per of the one living and true God ; not in two or three persons, but one ; and had fellowship with those who worshipped this one living and true God. And his steps we are commanded to follow. But it may be replied, the Christian dispensation was not then fully commenced ; the apostles had not then received their commission, nor been indued with power from on high. Let us then examine their conduct, and see, if on this subject, it differed from that of their master. And with whom were they in the practice of uniting in worship? With the 12 REASONS OFFERED 228 Jews, as constantly as their Master, with both Sadducees and Pharisees, in the temple and in the synagogues. It may be said, they were not there to worship, but to preach the gospel. This however is not the truth of fact. What said Jesus, foretelling their persecutions ? " They (the Jews) shall put you out of (that is, exclude you from) the synagogues. " And would that have been perse- cution, had it been unlawful to enter in and worship with the Jews ? On the principles I am opposing, he ought to have said, Go not into the synagogues, nor have fellow- ship with those who worship in them, for they are all (and in this he would have said truly) antitrinitarians, and de- niers of my deity. And what said Paul to the Jews of Ephesus? "I must by all means keep this feast that cometh at Jerusalem." What said he in his defence be- fore Felix? "There are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship" in the temple; whither went Peter and John " at the hour of prayer," and whither, in Solomon's porch, the apostles and breth- ren resorted to worship: the same temple in which Paul, in the very act of worship, was seized as a heretic. But it may be said, these precedents come not up to the case before us, and that the question now is, whether, in a Christian church, we are to have fellowship with those whose opinions, in our opinion, are unscriptural. This would, in fact, be making the question, whether we are to be wiser than the apostles, more sagacious than they in detecting, and more scrupulous in rejecting, unjitness for Christian fellowship. Those who maintain the affirmative, would have no fellowship with those who deny the position that there are three persons in one God, and each of these persons very God ; a position nowhere laid down in the 229 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 13 Bible, and which cannot be stated with the slightest color of probability, in the words of holy writ. But would such have fellowship with those who deny the resurrection of the dead ? with those who have not the knowledge of God ? Yet, in " the church of God at Corinth," among those "called to be saints," of whom Paul says, "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God," we are sure, from the words of Paul, were persons destitute of this faith, and of this knowledge. And what directions did Paul give in this case? Did he say, cast them out? deliver them over to the buffetings of Satan ? No. Paul said no such thing. He had not so learnt Christ. But he said, when he declared to them their errors, "I speak this to your shame." " Awake to righteousness and sin not." The fair inference from these facts is, that Christ and his apostles had fellowship in worship with all who wor- shipped the one living and true God. And we have the evidence of precept and example, that the only requisite for admission into the church was, repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; or, in other words, confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That a uniformity of faith should be required, or sup- posed possible to exist, in a church, is repugnant to rea- son as well as scripture. To understand the various and conflicting opinions of Christians, require much reading and reflection, as well as powers of discrimination. These all have not. The means of information are not within the reach of all, and of those who have the means, all are not endowed with the same capacities for investi- gation, nor with the same love of truth, nor with equal VOL. xiv. NO. 164. 2 14 REASONS OFFERED 230 diligence in the pursuit of it. In all these respects men differ. And the inevitable consequence is, a difference of opinion. A whole church may declare their faith in certain articles, or propositions, and thus may be said to be of one faith. But the question is, after all, do they all believe the same truths, or hold the same opinions for truths? It is probable that nearly all of this church, if asked, do you believe in the doctrine of the trinity ? would answer yes. But if asked, separately and apart, what do you mean by the trinity 1 no two would give the same answer, nor would any two understand the same supposed truths by the word trinity. How then could they be said to be of one faith on this subject? What greater burlesque upon seriousness and truth can be imagined, than to ask a black, who knows not his letters, or any other person, equally uninformed, on presenting himself to a church for admission, whether he believes in " a trinity in unity," or a " triune God," as some call it, or original sin, and the other of the five points of Calvin- ism, as they are usually termed? And yet this burlesque is actually cast on seriousness and truth, by all those who require members, on admission into a church, to subscribe certain articles of faith. Such members may assent to the articles, and profess to believe them, but do they be- lieve the truths which the articles are supposed to cypress ? Certainly no more than though they were expressed in Latin or Greek, unless they understand the meaning of the words contained in these articles. I am happy to learn, however, that many of our churches have become ashamed of their articles, and prudently keep them out of sight. To the honor of the founders of this church, and to the founders of every Baptist church in this State, un- 231 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 15 tinctured with the peculiarities of the Genevan apostle, they, as far as I can learn, cast no such contempt on seri- ousness and common sense. Not one of them had any covenant or articles, other than the Scriptures. They knew that men must, and would, and had a right to differ in opinion, and that though, at one time, they might all agree, it was no pledge for future agreement. This dif- ference of opinion has existed, and now exists, in the members of this church, and that without any breach of charity, on points of as much importance, in the opinion of many, as those now in question. To suppose a con- stant uniformity of sentiment in a church, is to suppose that each member is miraculously and instantaneously brought to the knowledge of the whole truth, and that forever thereafter they are to remain stationary, as to all improvem-ent. I cannot sufficiently express my contempt for him who has the means of information within his reach, and yet neither hopes, nor desires, nor uses the means, to know more to-morrow than he knew yesterday. Such may well be content with articles, and shackles, and handcuffs. They are out of all danger of being con- vinced to-morrow, that they were in an error yesterday. Others, however, know that an increase of knowledge renders it possible, at least, to produce a conviction of error in past opinions. They know it from experience, as well as the dictates of reason. They know, also, that the commission given by Christ to the apostles to preach the gospel, supposes an increase of knowledge after con- version, and a capacity in the teacher to communicate that knowledge. The order of the commission is, to convert, baptize, and teach. To the reproach of many teachers and churches, this order is completely inverted. 16 REASONS OFFERED 232 With them, it says, make converts, teach them the creed, and if they say it right, then baptize and receive them into the church ; otherwise not. But this is not the wis- dom of Jesus, but the perversion of his authority. The reasoning here laid down is fully confirmed by the apostle Paul, in his epistles to the Romans and Philippians. In the former, especially, when he says, " Who art thou that judgest another man's (Christ's) servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth." Fairly implying, that he who has confessed Christ, and thereby become his ser- vant, is answerable at no other tribunal, unless he revolt from the service of his master. Also when he says, " the kingdom (or reign) of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ; for he that in these, things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God and approved of men." What confidence in their own knowledge and holiness must they have, who will reject him who is acceptable to God and approved of men? Be it remembered, that it is not here said, he that believeth this creed, or that creed, but he that servctk Christ. And until it be shown that those of my opinion cannot serve Christ, I ask by what authority will you reject that precept of Paul, which says, " receive ye one another as Christ also received us, to the glory of God ? " The same writer informs us that " circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." I have not yet been told that I am less capable of this service than my brethren. I will now endeavor to show that, however unscriptural my opinions may be, in the view of this church, they are such as an honest man may entertain, without the charge of ignorance or irreligion : and that, so far from demand- ing immediate condemnation, they merit a candid and 233 BV SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 17 serious examination. First, however, as the present diffi- culty commenced with my objecting to the signing of Watts's doxologies to the trinity, permit me to make a few remarks on that subject. It has been the boast of this church, that it admits of no other creed but the Scrip- tures ; that it adopts no practice not warranted by apos- tolic example or authority. The language of our pastor has been, " unless you can produce a thus saith the Lord, for your practice, reject it." In vain have I inquired for precept or precedent, for signing a doxology to the trinity. None such is pretended. Whether there be a trinity or not, it must be admitted that we have no more authority for the practice, than for any of those in use in the church of Rome More than this, it is admitted that there is no authority (unless the Council of Constantinople and the formularies of ecclesiastics be an authority) for offering prayer, praise, or thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit, either as a distinct person, or in union with the other supposed persons of the trinity. But the evidence in this case is not all of a negative character. We have two positive precepts, giving explicit directions in this case, and in di- rect opposition to the practice of this church, and of every other church which is in the practice of singing doxolo- gies to the trinity. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul thus expresses himself: " Be filled with the spirit ; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always and for all things, unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here is a rule for the direction of Christians in givino 1 praise to God. It is to God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. Not, as is our practice, to the Fa- VOL. xiv. NO. 164. 2* ' 18 SEASONS OFFERED 234 ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the name of nobody. The same precept is given in relation to the same subject, in nearly the same words, in the Epistle to the Colossians. Also in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Indeed, a precept in conformity with our practice, must, I think, appear strange to an unprejudiced reader of the Bible. Did God select the Jews, as a people, to preserve the knowledge of the one true God, and does this one true God consist of three persons, one of whom is called the Holy Ghost, and did he never explicitly reveal this truth to them ? Did he commission Jesus Christ " to bear witness to the truth, " to " bring life and immortality to light," and has he declared that this life, eternal life, con- sists in the knowledge of the Father, the only true God, and himself; and is there a person in the Godhead called the Holy Ghost, who forms an essential part of the deity, equal with the Father in all respects, and has Christ given us no intimation of this ? And if he has not, and this doctrine be true, has he not failed in the execution of his commission ? Indeed, if it be true, has he not denied the truth by asserting that the Father, called by trinitarians the first person in the trinity, is the only true God ? That neither Christ nor his forerunner taught this doc- trine, is inferable from other considerations. The case of the twelve baptized by Paul at Ephesus, proves that they had heard no such doctrine. Yet they were disciples, believers in Jesus ; but when questioned whether they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed, they declared that they had not so much as heard whether there was any Holy Ghost. Is it possible that this could have been the case, had they been taught that there was a person in the Godhead called the Holy Ghost, equal with the Father, 235 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 19 and equally with him an object of worship, of praise and thanksgiving ? John told his disciples when he baptized them that he baptized them in water, but that he that should come after him, would baptize them in the Holy Ghost. That this did not imply a person called the Holy Ghost, is manifest from the case of these twelve. Further, what Jew would have been baptized into the belief of a triune God 1 Such, they had not been taught to be the God of their Fathers. That this doctrine was not taught by the apostles^ is further evident from the declaration of Paul before Felix. " After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my Fathers. " And from the charge of the Jews against him before Gallic, that he persuaded men to " worship God, contrary to the law. " Not that he wor- shipped any but him whom they considered the true God. Nowhere is he, or the other apostles, or Christ or the dis- ciples, charged with worshipping the Holy Ghost, or any other than him whom the Jews believed to be the true God. But when have the Jews acknowledged a triune God, or a dual God, or a person, or subsistence, or being called the Holy Ghost, as an object of worship or praise ? On the whole, it is to me most evident, that all praises offered to God, as a trinity of persons, is not only not warranted by scripture, but is a direct violation of positive precept, and what no Jew would have submitted to, and what neither Christ nor the apostles could, with safety to themselves, have either taught or practiced. Let it not be inferred that this is a denial of spiritual gifts or influences. God is a Spirit. He is omnipotent. He is everywhere ; and can operate on his creatures, and effect his purposes, without the intervention of a supposed third person, or of any agents whatever. 20 REASONS OFFERED 236 I will now, in as few words as possible, state the grounds of my belief that there is but one only, self-exist- ent, and true God, and that Jesus Christ is not that being. On this subject, I know not better to whom to resort for information, than to him who was commissioned .of the Father to bear witness to the truth, and was of him taught what he should say, and what he should speak. In addressing his Father in prayer, Christ says, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Trinitarians assert that the Godhead consists of three persons, the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. But Christ here asserts, in language as plain and unequivocal as can be devised, that the Father is the only true God, saying nothing of the Holy Ghost, and expressly distinguishing the Father from himself. I know not how words can be more explicit. This Father he declares to be Lord of Heaven and earth ; to be " his God, " and " his Father ;" and addresses him as such. Jn his conversation with the Scribe he asserts, that the Lord our God is one Lord ;* and approves of the Scribe's reply, who said, " There is one God, and there is none other but He. " Nowhere can I learn that Christ ever made any pretensions to be the self-existent God, or to be possessed of underived power. On the contrary, he repeatedly asserts, that of himself he could do nothing, and that the Father which dwelt in him did the works. Once was he charged with making himself equal with God, arid once with making himself God, and in both instances he refuted the charge. The first time, because " he said that God was his Father. " To this he immediately replied, " The Son can do nothing * Or, according to the translation of Campbell and others, " The Lord is our God : The Lord is one. " 237 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 21 of himself, but what he seeth the Father do. " And directly after, "I can of mine own self do nothing. " If at this time, he could, of his own self, either as God or man, have done any thing, can he be acquitted of the charge of guile ? The second time, for saying, " I and my Father are one. " From which declaration the Jews drew the inference, that " he made himself God. " He however shews them, that by this declaration he only made himself the Son of God ; and immediately proves to them, that by calling himself" the Son of God, " he had assumed a lower title than God himself had given to their rulers. For He had called them Gods. " Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law, I said ye are Gods ;" quoting the eighty-second Psalm, in which God addressed the Jewish rulers. " If he called them Gods, (continued Jesus,) unto whom the word of God came, and the scrip- ture cannot be broken (or contradicted,) say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, because I said I am (not God, but) the Son of God V How can words be more intelligible than these? On another occasion he shews, to use the lan- guage of the learned Doctor Campbell, " the infinite dis- parity " between himself and the great God. When charged with casting out devils by Beelzebub, he says, " Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him. " Where then is the supposed equality between the Father and the Son ? And why forgiveness in the one case and not in the other, if the dignity of both be equal? In another instance, when addressed by the title ''Good 22 REASONS OFFERED 238 master, " he immediately replies, " Why callest thou me good ?" There is none good but one, that is God ? " Does he not here plainly distinguish himself from the great fountain of original and underived goodness ? " * My rule in the investigation of this subject has been, to construe passages of a doubtful import, by those which are plain and unequivocal, and to consider Christ's de- clarations of himself, to be of primary regard. I .know that to the repeated declarations of Christ, of his limited power and knowledge, and of his dependence on the Father for aid, it is answered, that he had two natures, and that in these cases he spake of himself in the human nature. But, as neither Christ nor the apostles have given us any such intimations, and as it is, in my opinion, utterly impossible to reconcile such a supposition with the character of uprightness and freedom from guile, uni- formly attributed to Christ, I am bound to reject such supposition. I will now attend to the words of the apostles. Paul says to the Corinthians, that " there is none other God but one, " " though there be that are called Gods. " "But to MS, there is but one God, the FATHER ; and one Lord Jesus Christ. " He says also to the Ephesians, that there is "one Lord" and " one God and Father of all, " and that the latter " is above all, and through all, and in all. " * So in the Revelation, (xv. 3, 4,) they who sing " the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, " a song not in honour of Moses or the Lamb, but the Lord God Almighty, are represented, " saying, great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints. Who shall not feartaee,0 Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy. For all nations shall come and worship before thee. " 239 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 23 He says also that the Father is " the God of Christ ; that He is " the head of Christ. " That " Christ is God's. " That Christ, since the ascension, " liveth unto God ;" and that he also " liveth by the power of God, " which Christ also says of himself. He says also, that at the resurrec- tion, Christ shall deliver up his kingdom to the Father, and that "the Son also himself shall be subject unto him, (the Father,) that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. " He says also of God, in distinction from the " Lord Jesus Christ," that He is the " only Poten- tate, " and that He " only hath immortality. " Jude also plainly distinguishes between " the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. " * These passages are all plain, intelligible to the smallest capacity, and about which there can be no dispute. But it is said, that notwithstanding all this, Paul has asserted that Christ is God, and equal with God the Father. Is it credible, that a man of intelligence, inspiration out of the question, will assert things contradictory to each other ? And if Paul has asserted Christ to be God, equal with the Father, has he not contradicted himself? And has he not by necessary implication, asserted that there are two Gods ? Does not such equality necessarily imply plurality ? But he has made no such assertions. The passages referred to are Rom. ix. 5; Phil. ii. 6 ; Heb. i. 8, 9. About the meaning of which, trinitarians have differed among them- . * Paul says also to the Romans, (i. 19, 20,) that " that which may be known of God, " ' even his eternal power and Godhead, '* are manifest from the works of creation. But who will pretend to say that these works shew the existence of God in three persons 1 And if they do not, he either does not so exist, or the declaration of the apostle cannot Le true. 24 REASONS OFFERED 240 selves, as well as with others, and for no other reason but because the passages admit of different interpretations. And it ought not to be forgotten, that our translation was made by trinitarians. As to the passage in Romans, it is maintained that the words admit of this translation as well as that in our Bibles ; " God who is over all, be blessed forever. " As to the other two, and those in Colossians and Ephesians, which speak of Christ's creating all things, the context, in each passage, plainly shews inferiority, and derived power. That the creation there spoken of cannot be the material world and heavens, is evident, because it is again and again asserted, that of these the Father was the Creator. And the Father and the Son could not, each, have been the Creator of the same things. The creation, therefore spoken of in these passages must be other than the material world, unless it be understood that it was the Father who was in the Son, who created all things ; and to this interpretation I have no objections. It should also be remembered, that although Christ be called God, yet the Father is still called his God. But who is the God of the Father ? No where is it said that the Father has a God. It is said also of John, that notwithstanding he recorded the words of Christ, that the Father is the only true God, he has yet asserted that the Son is the true God. Can both propositions be true ? Can the Father be the only true God, and the Son the true God ? Can any two pro- positions be more contradictory ? But the apostle bas- in ade no such contradiction. The latter passage is a beautiful illustration and confirmation of the first. John asserts that they knew that the Son of God had come ; that he had given them an understanding, that they might 241 BY SAMUEL EDDY,. LL. D. 25 P know the true God; (the very thing which Christ said was necessary to eternal life ;) that they were under the true God, by being under his Son Jesus Christ ; and that this was the true God, and the eternal life which God had promised to them who knew him, evidently alluding to the words of Chris*. * The passages which speak of Christ as being the first begotten, the first born, the only begotten, the. Son of God, the beginning of the creation of God, the image of God, the gift of God, made Lord and Christ, made like unto his brethren, exalted to be a prince and savior, given to be head over all things to the church, possessing all fulness at the pleasure of the Father, appointed heir of all things, ordained the Judge of the world, made for a little while less than the angels, made better than the angels, given a name which is above every name, and even the name Christ, all shew derived existence and power ; not less than those which speak of God, plainly distinguished from Christ, as the only Lord God, the only potentate, and who alone hath immortality. It is said by John, that " he is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son ; and that whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. How it can be said that the Son is equal with the Father, that he is co-eter- nal with the Father, and self -existent ; without denying both Father and Son, 1 cannot conceive. Nor can I conceive wherein the relationship of Father and Son, in any sense, can exist, or be supposed to exist, consistent with this hypothesis. For my part, T dare not deny, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, nor maintain any proposition inconsistent with that truth. * See Macknight. VOL. xiv. NO. 164. 3 26 REASONS OFFERED 242 Again, it is said, that Christ is the God-wietn, Mediator between God and men. But why mediate for that which himself can bestow? If he be omnipotent, capable of be- stowing all blessings, and forgiving all sins, why mediate or intercede for the same forgiveness and the same bless- ings ? Why direct us to pray the Father, in his name 1 And if he be very God, with whom is he mediating but himself? And can God mediate with himself? Is not equality of the Son with the Father, each being very God, incompatible with the office of mediator ? and does not such supposition involve a gross absurdity ? To me, most certainly. Neither are we warranted by the scrip- tures in believing that our mediator is of this character. On the contrary, we are expressly assured, in so in any words, that the one mediator, between God and men, is the man Christ Jesus. 1 Tim. ii. 5. Once more. It is said by trinitarians, that the Son, the word of the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the virgin, and that two whole and perfect natures, the God- head and manhood, were joined in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very man, and that this is the Christ who was crucified for us. Yet we are expressly told by the scriptures, that Christ performed his miracles by the help of God ; that the grace of God was with him. He himself says that he cast out devils by the spirit of God ; by the finger of God ; that the Father that dwelt in him did the works. To him he prayed, again and again, for aid, and to none but him. I have yet heard no reason assigned why he should pray if he were himself very God ; nor why he needed the grace of God ; nor why the spirit of God should be given to him. Nor have I heard any reason assigned why he 243 BY SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D. 27 always prayed to the Father, and directed his disciples so to pray, if there was a person in the Godhead equal with the Father, called the holy spirit ; nor do I expect to hear any reason given, nor do I believe that any reason can be given. These are a summary of the reasons which have indu- ced me to reject, which I do with a strong conviction of its falsity, the received doctrine of the trinity, and to hold the Father to be the only true God. But while I do this, I by no means reject Christ, the Son of God. That he spake as no other man spake ; that he was, peculiarly, the Son of God ; that God was in him reconciling the world to himself; that he is a Prince and a Savior ; that he is head over all things to the church ; that all judgment is committed into his hands ; that he is ordained of God the judge of the quick and the dead, and will finally judge the world, I fully believe. That the same mind may be in you and me that was in him ; that we may be guided by the same spirit of charity and forbearance that was mani- fested in him ; and that all our measures and motives may be such as to meet with his approbation, is my sincere prayer. SAMUEL EDDY. LIBRARY NOTE. 244 [ Note by the Publisher. ^The references following were inserted in the first edition at the bottom of each page in which the texts were quoted ; but in this edition it was found most convenient to place them here together. The first refers to the llth page, and the reader may easily ascertain the proper locations of the remainder. ] Luke iv. 16. 1 Pet. ii. 21. John xvi. 2. Acts xviii. 21, 24, xi. 3, i. 5, 12, 21, 27. 1 Cor. xv. 12, 34, i. 2, 6, 11, 15,34. Actsviii. 37. Rorn. x.9, 14, iv. 17, 18. Phil. iii. 15, 16. Rom. xv. 7. 1 Cor. vii. 19. Eph. v. 20. Col. iii. 16, 17. Heb. xiii. 15. John xviii. 37. 2 Tim. i. 10. John xvii. 3. Acts xix. S. Mat. iii. 11. Acts xxiv. 14, 18, 13. John xvii. 3. (1 Thes. i. 9, 10.) Luke x. 21, 23, 46. John xx. 17. Mat. xxvii, 46. Mark xiv. 36, xii. 29, 32. John v. 18, 19, 30, x. 30, 36. Mat. xii. 32. Mark x. 18. 1 Cor. viii. 4, 6. Eph. iv. 5, 6, i. 17. 1 Cor. xi. 3, iii. 23. Rom. vi. 10. 2 Cor. xiii. 4. John vi. 57, I Cor. xv. 23. 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. Jude iv. Actsiv. 24, 26, 27, xvii. 24, 29. Luke x.21. Mark xiii. 19. Isaiah xliv. 24, xlv. 12. 1 John v. 20. Heb. i. 2, 4, 6, 9, ii. 9, 17. Cor. i. 15, 19. John i. 18, iv. 10. Mat. xvi. 16. Rev. iii. 4. Acts ii. 36, v. 31, xvii. 31. Eph. i. 22. Phil. ii. 9. Jude iv. 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. 1 John ii. 22, 23. Mat. ix. 8. John xx. 23. Exod. xxiii. 20, 21. Luke v. 17, ii. 40. Acts ii. 22. x. 38. Mat. xii. 28. Luke xxi. 20. John xiv. 10. Mat. vi. 6, 9. John xvi. 23, iv. 22, 24.