The oracles of reason ... in several letters to Mr. Hobbs and other persons of eminent quality and learning / by Char. Blount, Esq., Mr. Gildon and others.

For Mr. Hobbs, to be left with Mr. Crook, a Bookseller, at the Sign of the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar, near St. Cle∣ments-Church.

Ludgate-Hill, 1678.

Concerning the Arrians, Trinitarians and Councils.

SIR,

BY your Permission, and Mr. Crook's Fa∣vour, I have had the Happiness to per∣use your incomparable Treatise of Heresie in Manuscript, wherein you have certainly given us a more accurate and faithful Account of the Nicene Council, together with their particular Grounds and Reasons for each distinct Article of their Faith in the Nicene Creed, than is any where else to be met with. How grateful this Discourse of yours will be to the Quicunque Men, I shall not presume to determine, since I am sure Mr. Hobbs is as much above their Anger, as they are below his Resentments. You your self have very well observed, when Reason is against a Man, a Man will be against Reason; and

therefore 'tis no wonder to see, from several Interests, so many several Opinions and Ani∣mosities arise: This made the Arrians and Trinitarians so zealously endeavour to supplant one another; this made Constantine at first espouse the Arrian Interest to Mount the Throne, as the present Lewis XIV did the Interest of the Hugonots; and afterwards think∣ing to weaken or at least to ballance that Power that raised him, strike in with Athana∣sius and the Trinitarians for a time, as our pre∣s••nt Lewis hath since done the like with the Po∣pish and Jusuitical Party against his Protestant Subjects. For Mankind ever lived and died after one and the same Method in all Ages, being governed by the same Interests and the same Passions at this time, as they were many Thousand Years before us, and will be many Thousand Years after us.

It must be confessed, the Arrians were so powerful a Sect in the Roman Empire (espe∣cially the Eastern Part of it) that the Followers of the Nicene Council were not equal to them, either in Number, Splendor, Interest or Riches. If you will believe the learned Petavius and others, they did offer to be try'd by the Fathers that preceded the Nicene Council: For at that Council, they were ra∣ther condemn'd by a Party than by the general Consent of the Christian Church; because Constantine, out of above Two thousand Bi∣shops then assembled, excluded all but Three

hundred and eighteen; nor were those perhaps (for Accounts vary) all Bishops, that made up this great Council. They were all of a Judgment at first, and so rather Parties than Judges; the Arrians had not the Freedom to dispute their Cause: And the Emperor Constan∣tine was afterwards so ill satisfied with their proscription, that he soon recalled Arrius, and a little before his Death was baptized by an Arrian Bishop. Constantius and Valens were professed-Arrians (and not to mention the Gots) Valentinian, Theodosius and other Empe∣rors protected and honoured them, both with civil and military Commands.

The Arrian Doctrin was not only confirm∣ed by Eight Councils several times assembled at Tyre, Sardis, Syrmium, Milain, Selucia, Nice, Tarsis, and particularly at Ariminum (where six hundred Bishops were of their Opinion, with only three which held the contrary) but they also punished others their Adversaries, who were of a contrary Opinion to them, with Confiscations, Banishments and other grievous Punishments. Now whether the Power of their Party, the Riches of their Churches, the Magnificence of their Worship (as the first that brought Music into the Church) or the same of their Learning, and pretensions to Reason (which is always an inviduous Plea) did raise Jealousie and Hatred in the Emperors against them, as also rendred them odious to the Trinitarians; or what most contributed to

their first Depression and Persecution, I know not: Since to persecute for Religion, was by the Trinitarians (Athanasi••s, Hillary and others) then accounted an Arrian and unchristian Tenet. It is not to be doubted, but that, after the days of Theodosius, Reason of State did most prevail towards their Subversion, left they should joyn with the Goths, who at that time possessed of Italy, Spain, Afric and other Provinces, were formidable to the Bizantine Empire. Not∣withstanding whatsoever it was, 'tis easie to comprehend that the Depression of them did facilitate the Conquest of the Goths; and if you will credit Salvian, the Goths were very pious in their Way, mild to the Conquer'd, just in their Dealings; so that the Wickedness of the Christian Rulers of Provinces, their Ex∣actions upon the People, and Insolence of the Foreign Souldiers, whereby they ruled, made even the Trinitarians themselves willingly sub∣mit to their Dominion, and prefer it before that of the Eastern Emperors.

As for the Trinitarians of those Times, I must confess, I cannot but esteem them as Enemies to all human Learning; for they had Cannons forbidding them to read any Ethic Books, and a Zeal which disposed them to destroy all they met with of that kind. Thus we may well suppose them universally igno∣rant, except some few; and as the Pastors, so were the People. Their Religion also con∣sisted rather in an out-side Service, than in∣ward

Piety and Knowledge; their Faith was in a manner implicit, the Mysteries of Reli∣gion (for such I call the Doctrin of the Tri∣nity and its Dependencies) were scarce ever mentioned to them in Sermons, much less ex∣plicated. Hence the Vulgar became prone to Embrace Superstition and credit Miracles, how ridiculous and fabulous soever: Visions, Allegories and Allusions to Texts, were con∣vincing Arguments; and no Demonstration like to a feigned Story and Legend, or what might be Interpreted a Judgment upon an Heretic.

Amongst the Trinitarians were a sort of People who followed the Court Religion, and believed as their Prince ordained, living then unconfined by the Dictates of the then de∣clining Church: And though the Trinitarians had resolv'd upon, and subscrib'd to the Nicene Council, and embraced those Forms of Speech which are now in use, yet did they not un∣derstand what was meant by them. The Latin Church allow'd of Three Persons, and not of three Hypostases; the Greek Church allow'd of three Hypostases, and not of three Persons. As difficult was it for them to Ex∣plicate Vsia or Essence; which hard words pro∣duc'd a subdivision amongst them, consisting of Nestorians and Eutychians. The Nestorians believing the Deity of Christ, held that he was made up of two distinct Persons, and so

perfect God and perfect Man. The Euty∣chians averr'd, that Christ had but one Nature, and that upon the Hypostatical Union, the Deity and Humanity were so blended together, by Confusion of Properties and Substances, that one Person endued with one Will did emerge thence. Now these two Sects were of great Power in the Eastern Church, and though they were both condemn'd in the third and fourth General Councils, yet did they spread far and near, through Palestine, Aegypt, the Kingdom of Abyssines, and all Persia over: Each of them had their Patriarchs, Bishops and Churches contradistinct from the Mel∣chites, who adhering and subscribing to the Council of Chalcedon (which all the Imperial Clergy did) were called Melchites, that is to say, Men of the King's Religion. The Au∣thors of the Nestorian and Eutychian Sects were Learned and Potent Bishops: Eutychius was Patriarch of Constantinople, and with him joyn'd Dioscorius Patriarch of Alexandria, Severus Pa∣triarch of Antioch, and Iacobus Baradaeus, from whom the Iacobites are at this day denomi∣nated. Nestorius was also Patriarch of Con∣stantinople, and his Sect very much dif∣fused.

The Truth is, such were the Ignorance of the People, and Debaucheries of the Ages at this time, that if a Man did but live a pious strict Life, with great Mortification, or out∣ward

Devotion, and were but an Eloquent Preacher, he might in any place of the Eastern Empire have made a Potent Sect instantly. And to shew how ignorant the Clergy were at the General Council of Chalcedon, in the time of Marcianus the Emperor, we find that the Greek Tongue was then so little understood at Rome, and the Latin in Greece, that the Bishops of both Countries (in all 630.) were glad to speak by Interpreters: Nay, in this very Council of Chalcedon, the Emperor was fain to deliver the same Speech in Greek to one Party, and in Latin to the other, that so both might understand him: The Council of Ierusalem, for the same Reason, made certain Creeds both in Greek and Latin: At the Council of Ephesus, the Pope's Legates had their Interpreter to Ex∣pound the Words; and when Caelestine's Letters were there read, the Acts tell us, how the Bishops desired to have them Translated into Greek, and read over again, insomuch that the Romish Legates had almost made a Contro∣versie of it, fearing least the Papal Authority should have been prejudiced by such an Act; alledging therefore, how it was the ancient Custom to propose the Bulls of the Sea Apo∣stolic in Latin only, and that that might now suffice. Whereupon these poor Greek Bishops were in danger not to have understood the Pope's Latin, till at length the Legates were content with Reason, when it was evidenced

to them, that the major part could not under∣stand one word of Latin. But the pleasantest of all, is, Pope Caelestine's Excuse to Nesto∣rius, for his so long delay in answering his Letters, because he could not by any means get his Greek construed sooner. Also Pope Gregory the First ingeniously confesseth to the Bishop of Thessaly, that he understood not a jot of his Greek; wherefore 'tis probable, the Proverb of honest Accursius was even then in use, — Graecum est, non Legitur — and this was the Condition of Christianity in which Iustinian the Emperor found it, A. C. 540. So that, as Monsieur Daill•••• has demonstrated with how little certainty we can depend upon the Fathers, I think I may safely averr, there is as little Trust to be reposed in General Councils, who have been Guilty of so much Ignorance and Interest, as well as so frequent∣ly contradicting one another: And to say, that Councils may not Err, though private Persons may, is (as Mr. Hales well observes) all one as to say, that every single Souldier indeed may run away, but the whole Army cannot.

Sir, Your Treatise having reviv'd these Me∣ditations in me, I hope you'll pardon me if I have been too prolix; and though I am not so vain to pretend to offer these Collections, or indeed any thing, for Mr. Hobb's Instruction, who is of himself the great Instructor of the

most sensible Part of Mankind in the noble Science of Philosophy; yet I may hope for the Honour of your Correction wherein I am Er∣roneous, the which will for ever oblige,

SIR,

Your most unfeigned Humble Servant, C. BLOUNT.

Pardon, Sir, I beseech you, my sending this trifle, called Anima Mundi, being commanded to do it by one, whom 'tis my duty, as well as my happiness, to obey.