TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL HIS REVEREND, LEARNED, AND WORTHY FRIENDS AND BRETHREN, WITH ALL OTHER STUDENTS IN DIVINITY, OR OF THE TRUTH WHICH IS IN THE FAMOUS UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. Of this second address unto you in this kind, whereunto I am encouraged by your fair and candid reception of my former, I desire you would be pleased to take the ensuing account. It is now, as I remember, about a year ago, since one Mr. Biddle (formerly a master of arts of this university, by which title he still owns himself) published two little catechisms, as he calls them; wherein, under sundry specious pleas and pretences (which you will find discussed in the ensuing treatise), he endeavours to insinuate subtilely into the minds of unstable and unlearned men, the whole substance of the Socinian religion. The man is a person, whom, to my knowledge, I never saw; nor have been at all curious to inquire after the place of his habitation, or course of his life. His opposition some years since to the Deity of the Holy Ghost, and now to that of the Father and Son also, is all that he is known to me by. It is not with his person that I have any contest ;[he stands or falls to his own master. His arguments against the Deity of the Holy Ghost, were somewhile since answered by Cloppenburgh, then professor of divinity at Franeker, in Friesland, since at rest in the Lord; and, as I have heard, by one in English. His catechisms also are gone over the seas, . whereof farther mention must afterward be made. At their first publishing, complaint being given in by some worthy persons to the honourable counsel against them, as abusive to the majesty and authority of the word of God, and destructive to many important truths of the gospel (which was done without any knowledge of mine), they were pleased to send for me, and to require of me the performance of that work, which is here presented unto you. Being surprised with their request, I laboured to excuse myself to the utmost, on the account of my many employments in the university and elsewhere, with other reasons of the like nature, which to my thoughts did then occur. Not prevailing with them, they persisting in their command, I looked on it as a call from God to plead for his violated truth, which by his assistance, and according as I had opportu nity, I was in general alway resolved to do. Having, indeed, but newly taken off my hand from the plough of a peculiar controversy, about the perseverance of the saints, in the following whereof I was somewhat tired, the entrance into the work was irksome and burdensome unto me; after some progress made, finding, the searching into, and discussing of the important truths opposed, of very good use to myself, I have been carried through the whole (according as I could break off my daily pressing occasions to attend unto it) with much cheerfulness and alacrity of mind. And this was the reason, why, finding Mr. B. came short of giving a fair occasion to the full vindication of many heads of religion by him oppugned, I have called in to his assistance and society one of his great masters, namely, Valentinus Smalcius, and his catechism (commonly called the Racovian), with the expositions of the places of Scripture contended about by the learned Grotius, as also on several occasions, the arguments and answers of most of the chief propugners of Mr. B.'s religion. Now, besides your interest in the truths pleaded for, there are other considerations also, inducing me to a persuasion, that this endeavour of mine will not be unacceptable unto you. Mr. B.'s catechism, I said, being carried over and dispersed in sundry places of the united provinces, the professors of their academies (who have all generally learned the English tongue, to enable them for the understanding of the treatises of divinity in all kinds written therein, which they begin to make use of to the purpose) cry out against them, and professedly undertake the refutation thereof. Now certainly it cannot be for our advantage in point of repute amongst them, that they (who are yet glad of the occasion) should be enforced to undertake the confutation of a book, written by one who stiles himself a master of arts of this university (which they also take notice of), wherein they are so little concerned; the poison of it being shut up from their people, under the safe custody of an unknown tongue. Nicolaus Arnoldus, the professor of divinity a Prodiit hoc anno in Anglia, Authore Johanne Bidello, Artium Magistro, pneumatomacho, duplex Catechesis Scripturaria, Anglico idiomate typis evulgata, qua sub nomine religionis Christianæ purum putum Socinianismum, orbi Christiano obtrudere satagit. Quanquam antem non videatur velle Socinianus haberi; attamen cujus sit ingenii, sub finem libelli prodit, cum commendat librum cui titulus, The life of that incomparable man, Faustus Socinus Senensis, phrasin Scripturæ ad dogmata mere Sociniana ita detorsit, ut nemo ante eum hæresin istam tam fraudulenter instillarit; larvam illi detrahere post dies caniculares, cum Deo est animus. Nicol. Arnold. Præf. ad Lector. Necessarium est hoc tristi tempore, quo Sociniana pestis, quam haud immerito. dixeris omnis impietatis axpómo, videtur nunc in vicina Anglia sedem sibi metropolitanam fixisse, nisi quod isthic facile admittat et bella cruenta, et judicia capitalia severissima, sub quorum umbone crevit. Nam inter varias hæreses, quibus fælix illa quondam insula et orthodoxia tenacissima hodie conspurcatur, tantum eminet Socinianismus, quautumn lenta solent inter viburna Cupressi;' nec enim amplius ibi horrenda sua mysteria mussitat in angulis, sed sub dio explicat omnia vex-' illa suæ iniquitatis: non loquor incomperta, benevole lector. Modo enim ex Anglia allatus est Anglica lingua conscriptus catechismus duplex, major et minor, Loudini publice excusus, hoc Anno 1654. apud Jac. Coterell, et Rich. Moone, &c. Authore Johanne Bidello Magistro Artium Oxoniensi, &c. Sam. Mares. Hyd. Socin. Refut. Tom. 2. Præfat. ad Lect. ; at Franeker, gives an account of this book, as the most subtle insinuation of the Socinian religion, that ever was attempted, and promises a confutation of it. Maresius, professor at Groning, a man well known by his works published, goes farther; and on the account of these catechisms, charges the whole nation, and the governors of it, with Socinianism; and, according to the manner of the man, raises a fearful outcry, affirming, that that heresy hath fixed its metropolitical seat here in England, and is here openly professed, is the head sect in the nation, displaying openly the banners of its iniquity; all which he confirms by instancing in this book of a master of arts of the university of Oxford. Of his rashness in censuring, his extreme ignorance of the state of affairs here amongst us, which yet he undertakes to relate, judge, and condemn, I have given him an account in a private letter to himself. Certainly, though we deserved to have these reproaches cast upon us, yet of all men in the world, those who live under the protection, and upon the allowance of the United Provinces, are most unmeet to manage them; their incompetency in sundry respects for this service is known to all. However, it cannot be denied, but that even on this account (that it may appear, that we are as free from the guilt of the calumnious insinuations of Maresius, so in no need of the assistance of Arnoldus, for the confutation of any one arising among ourselves, speaking perverse things to draw disciples after him), an answer from some in this place unto those catechisms, was sufficiently necessary. That it is by providence fallen upon the hand of one, more unmeet than many others in this place, for the performance of this work and duty, I doubt not but you will be contented withal; and am bold to hope that neither the truth, nor your own esteem, will too much suffer, by my engagement herein. Yea, give me leave to speak it, I have assumed the confidence, to aim at the handling of the whole body of the Socinian religion, in such a way and manner, as that those who are most knowing and exercised in these controversies, may find that which they will not altogether despise, and younger students that whereby they may profit. . To this end I have added the Racovian catechism, as I said before, to Mr. B.'s; which, as I was urged to do by many worthy persons in this university, so I was no way discouraged in the publishing of my answer thereunto, by the view I took of Arnoldus's discourse to the same purpose, and that for such reasons as I shall not express, but leave the whole to the judgment of the reader. From thence, whence in the thoughts of some I am most likely to suffer, as to my own resolves, I am most secure. It is in meddling with Grotius's annotations, and calling into question what hath been delivered by such a giant in all kinds of literature. Since my engagement in this business, and when I had well. nigh finished the vindication of the texts of Scripture commonly pleaded for the demonstration of the Deity of Christ, from the exceptions put into their testimonies, by the Racovian catechism, I had the sight of Dr. H.'s apology for him, in his vindication of his dissertations about episcopacy, from my occasional animadversions, published in the preface of my book of the perseverance of the saints. Of that whole treatise I shall elsewhere give an account. My defensative as to my dealing with Grotius's annotations, is suited to what the doctor pleads in his behalf, which occasions this mention thereof. This very pious, learned, judicious man (he tells ) hath fallen under some harsh censures of late |