DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9552#0237
TO THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC.
207
made solemn profession of his confidence in him was
immediately baptized, and received into the Church." P.
411 : "Soon after its commencement, even in the year
317, a new contention arose in Egypt, upon a subject of
much higher importance, and with consequences of a yet
more pernicious nature ; the subject of this fatal con-
troversy, which kindled such deplorable division through-
out the Christian world, was the doctrine of three persons
of the Godhead : a doctrine which in the three preceding
centuries had happily escaped the vain curiosity of
human researches, and been left undefined and undeter-
mined by any particular set of ideas. The Church indeed
had frequently decided against the Sabellians and others,
that there was a real difference between the Father and
the Son, and that the Holy Ghost was distinct from them
both ; or, as we commonly speak, that three distinct
persons exist in the Deity ; but the mutual relation of
these persons to each other, and the nature of the dis-
tinction that subsists between them, are matters that
hitherto were neither disputed nor explained, with res-
pect to which the Church had consequently observed a
profound silence :—nothing was declared to be the faith
of Christains in this matter, nor were there any modes of
expression prescribed as requisite to be used in speaking
of the mystery. Hence it happened, that the Christian
doctors entertained different sentiments upon this subject
without giving the least offence, and discoursed variously
concerning the distinction between Father, Son, and the
Holy Ghost, each one following his respective opinion
with the utmost liberty." On this quotation I beg leave
to remark, that if, in the first and purest ages of Christ-
ianity, the followers of Christ entertained such different
207
made solemn profession of his confidence in him was
immediately baptized, and received into the Church." P.
411 : "Soon after its commencement, even in the year
317, a new contention arose in Egypt, upon a subject of
much higher importance, and with consequences of a yet
more pernicious nature ; the subject of this fatal con-
troversy, which kindled such deplorable division through-
out the Christian world, was the doctrine of three persons
of the Godhead : a doctrine which in the three preceding
centuries had happily escaped the vain curiosity of
human researches, and been left undefined and undeter-
mined by any particular set of ideas. The Church indeed
had frequently decided against the Sabellians and others,
that there was a real difference between the Father and
the Son, and that the Holy Ghost was distinct from them
both ; or, as we commonly speak, that three distinct
persons exist in the Deity ; but the mutual relation of
these persons to each other, and the nature of the dis-
tinction that subsists between them, are matters that
hitherto were neither disputed nor explained, with res-
pect to which the Church had consequently observed a
profound silence :—nothing was declared to be the faith
of Christains in this matter, nor were there any modes of
expression prescribed as requisite to be used in speaking
of the mystery. Hence it happened, that the Christian
doctors entertained different sentiments upon this subject
without giving the least offence, and discoursed variously
concerning the distinction between Father, Son, and the
Holy Ghost, each one following his respective opinion
with the utmost liberty." On this quotation I beg leave
to remark, that if, in the first and purest ages of Christ-
ianity, the followers of Christ entertained such different