Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 15.

Well, to proceed; this Word being taken for the Son of God, is said, according to his Divinity, to be in

the beginning, absolutely, without any limitation, when things first leaped out of nothing, [and (saith St. John) the word was with God] Socinus expound's this, thus; [h••c est, that is Jesus, as he was the word of God, before he was manifested by the preaching of the Baptist, Soli Deo notus erat, was onely known to God] (marke this word, onely) Therefore Valentinus Smalcius was very much to blame, when in the third part of Smiglecius cap. 26. pag. 234. editione Racov. 1613. he saith, in ex∣presse termes, that Socinus doth not adde (Deo soli) known to God onely, but to God, and not to men; I shall endeavour to confute both what Socinus, and what he saith; they both agree, and so doth Valkelius and the rest, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is as much as to be seen or known of God; that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which we render (with) signifye's to be discerned; but they are not so elegantly expresse, as they were before, to tell us by what figure, but they in∣sist much upon the negative part; first, that Christ was not known by any, but God, before St. John's preach∣ing; known he was, but not to be the word; I have shewed that he was not the word, in their sense, before he was preached, but, that they may have all the Scope that may be, he was not known that he should be the Word before, but onely to God; suppose I granted all this, would it follow, that to be with God, is to be known of God? it can hardly be deduced, for then to be with God should signifie nothing but the common condition which bring's to all things, past, present, and to come, for all are known of him; but they seeme to parallel this with the first Epistle of this Evangelist, Chap. 1.2. where he speaking of eternall life, which was with the Fa∣ther, and was manifested to us, there the same 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is used, as if it were (say they) was manifest to the Father;

take Socinus his own words: [Quod perinde est, which is as much as if he should say, we declare to you eternall Life, which before this no man kn••w, because it was only known to God, who had decreed to give it you;] this is in his fif∣teenth page, for understanding which place we may ob∣serve that it is true, that this eternal word of God, which is mentioned in St. Johns Gospell, was hid with God from all bodily eyes, untill the manifestation of it by the incarnation and nativity of our Saviour, and that be∣cause he was with God in the bosome of the Father, as it is expressed John 1.18▪ but after the birth of Christ, in that personall union, it was seen, and heard, as the first verse of this first chap. of his first Epistle expresseth it; but, in relation to their sense, give me leave to expound that second verse of the first chap. of the first Epistle of St. John, so much of it as concerne's our businesse, which is thus much; we declare to you eternall life, which was with the Father, and is now manifested to us; this eternall happy being, which we hope to enjoy hereafter, so much I find consented unto; now (saith Socinus) this Life was only known to God, for (was with the Father) must be so understood by them. I deny this, for, with∣out doubt, the Angels know it, which then enjoyed it, and those blessed Souls, which were admitted into Abra∣ham's bosome; the Prophets saw it, and taught this eter∣nall Life; many Philosophers knew it, as I have shewed you, and could produce Twenty more, if it were need∣full; nor, as they answer concerning the word, can they say, they did not know the quale or the quantum, the quality or the quantity of it, for they did know the quality to consist in the beatifical vision; they did know the quantity, that it was eternall; so that then this phrase [which was with God] cannot be understood of being

known to him by being decreed such; so that this phrase may, if not must, thus be expounded; in the latter part of the preceding verse the Apostle call's our Saviour the word of life; we shall find in the fourth verse of the first chap. of his Gospel, in him the word was life; in this fi••st verse and the words this is applyed to [the word was with God] this life then must needs be with him, because in the word, which was with him, not onely because known by him, but then, when our Saviour had divulged the Gospell: then this life, which was in the word with the Father, was manifested to us, that is divulged, not onely to Prophets by revelation, or Philosophers and Wise men by reason and contemplation, but even to us men, who cannot soare in so high Speculations with our discourse to apprehend it by faith, and not only so, but to appre∣hend the way of getting it by the merits of Jesus Christ; so that then the Socinian glosse upon this Text is utterly false, which saith, that this Life was onely known to God; when, for ought I find, the Philosophers, many of them, apprehended it much better then they, because they conceived the immortality of the Soule; and that the Soul coming from God must needs go to him, and receive according to its works in this flesh; when they, the Socinians, conceive the Soul of man like a beast's, to return to nothing of its self, but its cor∣rupted principles, where Philosophers apprehended the Soul to return to its incorruptible principle, God; so that the text meane's thus much; that the life which was with God, as in the fountaine of it, was by our most blessed Saviour revealed to men in such a way, as might most clearly manifest him to the meanest Capacity by faith. Socinus hath another Text, which he would have to serve this illustration, but I find it not mentioned by

his followers, as not of force to clear this exposition.

Notes

• The words Be∣ing with God signifie more th••n Known to God, against Socinus and h••s ••ollowers
• Eternal life before Christ's I••carnation knowne to the Angel••, bles∣sed Souls, Pro∣phets, Philoso∣phers.
• Although not till afterward, manifested to others.
• The Ph••loso∣phers excell the Socinians in this know∣ledge.