An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 6. If any think that this was the Judgment of abundance, yea, the most of the Ancient Writers, before the days of Arius, because they have such unhappy expressions of Christ, which the Reader may find truly Collected to his hand by Petavius de Trinitate, and that it is fitter to Expound them as speaking only of Christ's second Nature, than to account them all Arians, or to honour the Arians by making them on their side, I answer, I leave every Man to his own judgment upon perusal of the Fathers words, allowing all Charity that hath sufficient ground: But I cannot perceive, that these Writers talk of any more Natures in Christ than two, and pious ends must be served by no Fictions and Untruths: I think that we must rather gather with Petavius there that the Votes in the Nicene Council tell us, that ⟨p. 90⟩then the greater part of the Church were against Arius, and therefore they were so before, because they held (in so great a point) the Faith which they had received from their Fathers: And that the greater part of Writers, might differ from the greater part of the Church. And withal, these Writers having more than other men to do with the Heathen Philosophers and Orators, who were prejudiced against the Doctrine of the Trinity, did shun their Offence by too much stretching their speeches to that which they thought they could easilier digest, which gave Arius his advantages. The Conclusions either way are harsh and sad; but I leave others better to avoid them.

§. 6. If any think that this was the Judgment of abundance, yea, the most of the Antient Writers, before the days of Arius, because they have such unhappy expressions of Christ, which the Reader may find truly Collected to his hand by Petavius de Trinitate, and that it is fitter to Expound them as speaking only of Christ's second Nature, than to account them all Arians, or to honour the Arians by making them on their side, I answer, I leave every Man to his own judgment upon perusal of the Fathers words, allowing all Charity that hath sufficient ground: But I cannot perceive, that these Writers talk of any more Natures in Christ than two, and pious ends must be served by no Fictions and Untruths: I think that we must rather gather with Petavius there that the Votes in the Nicene Council tell us, that ⟨p. 90⟩then the greater part of the Church were against Arius, and therefore they were so before, because they held (in so great a point) the Faith which they had received from their Fathers: And that the greater part of Writers, might differ from the greater part of the Church. And withal, these Writers having more than other men to do with the Heathen Philosophers and Orators, who were prejudiced against the Doctrine of the Trinity, did shun their Offence by too much stretching their speeches to that which they thought they could easilier digest, which gave Arius his advantages. The Conclusions either way are harsh and sad; but I leave others better to avoid them.