15 - Chapter 15

CHAPTER XV; The Statements and Doctrine of Unitarians.

THERE are a number of classes or societies, who agree in the Unitarian doctrine, while they disagree in many other matters of faith. Some of these societies take the name Unitarian, or Congregational Unitarian. Others call themselves Christians, and we are informed by a very respectable member of the Universalist society, that they also are Unitarians.

It is a very difficult matter to state what Unitarians believe respecting Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, for they do not seem to agree among themselves, yet it is easy to see what they do not believe. The Unitarians have formerly existed under the names of Arians, Sabellians and Socinians. The Aryans were the followers of Arius, who was a presbyter of the church of Alexandria about the year 315. “Arius maintained that the Son of God was totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that he was the first and noblest of those beings whom God had created the instrument by whose subordinate operations he formed the universe. He also held that the Son was inferior to the Father, both in nature and dignity, that the Holy Ghost was not God, but created by the power of the Son.” His views respecting the Son seem to harmonize perfectly with the views of modern Unitarians, but they, perhaps, differ in respect to the nature of the Holy Spirit. The Sabellians were “the followers of Sabellias, a philosopher of Egypt, who flourished in the third century. The Sabellians held that there was but one person in the” Godhead that the Word and Holy Spirit are only virtues, emanations or functions of the deity; that the Father of all things was born of the Virgin, that he diffused himself on the apostles in tongues of fire, and was then denominated the Holy Ghost.” That there is but one person in the Godhead, is the belief of modern Unitarians. So here they agree with the ancient Sabellians. Also, do they seem to agree that the Holy Ghost is only an emanation of the Father, but further they seem not to agree.. The Socinians were so called from Faustus Socinus, who died in Poland in 1604. They maintain “ that Jesus Christ was a mere man, who had no existence before he was conceived by the Virgin Mary, that the Holy Ghost is no distinct person, but that the Father is truly and properly God.” With this, modern Socinians, or Unitarians, will not fully agree. They agree, or seem to agree, that only the Father is properly God, and that the Holy Ghost is in no sense a person, or distinct from the Father. They seem to disagree in this, that Jesus Christ did exist before his nativity f but yet they deny that his existence was eternal, and unequivocally affirm that “ Jesus Christ is not eternal,”’- We will now attend more particularly to the statements of modern Unitarians.

Says a modern Unitarian,[1] while speaking of what Christ is not: “ He is not unoriginated, he is not self-existent, not immortal, not unchangeable, not omniscient, not all-wise, not all-good, not all powerful, he is not omnipresent.”

We now have it fairly stated what Christ is not, and these statements leave us to infer after all, what he really is, in view of Unitarians.

Says the same writer, “Christ possesses but one nature.” “The two nature doctrine,” he says, “is essentially incredible, a palpable contradiction.”

”The doctrine of the two natures, implicates the moral character of the Holy Jesus.”[2]

Again he says, “Christ testifies that he is not God;” “Jesus denies being God denies calling himself God, and repels the accusation of blasphemy, even on the supposition he had called himself God.” [3]

Again, “The Father is the only true God.” “Trinitarians professedly worship two other objects beside the Father.”, “I see not how they can claim the character of * True worshipers.’ “[4]

[1]The Unitarian just named, is Mr. Morgridge. The above is found in his “ True Believers’ Defence,” page 50. Mr.Morgridg is a minister of the Christian denomination. He seems to have possessed a peculiar faculty for disposing of those texts which deal death to his system, for when there was no other way for him to clear his system from collision with the positive declarations of Jehovah, he pronounced them “spurious,” with all the boldness of a Bolinbroke.

[2]See Morgridge’s “ True Believers’ Defence,” page 70.

[3]See page 44 of the above-named work.

[4]See page 40. Query. Does he not mean to convey the idea From the above, it is clear what modern Unitarians think Christ is no?, but it is not stated what he is.

Says another Unitarian writer, while trying to prove that Christ was not omniscient: “Of that day and hour knoweth no man.” “This,” says he, “would embrace his human nature, if he had one; and then what? Why, he now rises to angels, no, not the angels, and from an angel he rises higher still, arid says, neither the Son. This certainly embraces his highest nature, above angels, and yet the Son in his highest nature, -did not know when the day of judgment would be.”[1]

Says another, “ The power or wisdom of God was made flesh, a little above our flesh, a little above human flesh.” “ The flesh came down from that Jesus Christ is not an object of religions worship? and If those who worship him are not true worshipers, are they not idolaters?

[1]The writer of this extract is Elder Oliver Barr, a minister of the Christian denomination,’ formerly of Sinclearsville, N. York. The pamphlet from which we copy is entitled, “ Truth Triumphant,’’ 1 p. 14. It seems that with all his sagacity he did not discover that he flatly contradicted the Bible. “ But we see Jesus, -who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.” -Hebrews 2:9. Now, if he possessed but one nature, it must have been that nature which St. Paul meant, when he said, he was made a little lower than the angels. Elder Burr thinks that the Lord. Jesus rises from angels to himself, but on the hypothesis that he possesses only one nature, he falls down from angels to himself, or the text we have quoted is false. But there is one way to avoid any collision with inspiration. Just get Mr. Morgridge to pronounce it “ spurious.’“ heaven and became poor.” ’ That which died on the cross, human or divine, call it which you please, is worshiped in heaven.” -’“ We worship two beings, the Father and the Son,” “ The Holy Ghost is not a person at all, but in a power of the Father and a good power.” [1]

We might multiply statements to show where these negative assertions place the blessed Savior, but the foregoing we think may suffice. From these statements, we wish to draw our conclusions in accordance with their nature and designs; and in this way we hope to ascertain the certainty or fallacy of the doctrine. We shall therefore devote the subsequent chapter to plain, logical deductions from the testimony and statements of modern Unitarians respecting their own views of the character of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1] These are the statements of Elder Badger of the Christian denomination, made at Parma, N. York, in his discussion with the writer. Mr. Badger was formerly editor of the “ Palladium.”