The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…

Answ. 1. Even Heathen Emperors and Kings are our Governors, though they want due aptitude to their duty (as also do many wicked Christian Princes:) And we owe them obedience when their Laws or Mandates are not against the Laws of God. We must not say as Bellarmine, that Christians should not tolerate such Princes, and that the ancient Christians suffered for want of Power to resist. 2. Let the Emperors called Arians be made no worse than they were: Some were for Concord and Toleration of both Parties, and so are more suspected than proved to be Arians: And Arians themselves, (though unexcusably erroneous) were not like the Socinians, that utterly deny Christ's Deity: They subscribed to all the Nicene Creed, save the the word [[Greek or Hebrew]] They would say that Christ was [Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, &c.] They thought that as the Sunbeams or Light are its immediate emanation, but not its substance (as commonly Philosophers ⟨p. 28⟩say they are not, how true we say not) so Christ was an immediate emanation from the Father, before and above Angels, by whom all things else were made. And how dangerously Justin, and most of the ancientest Doctors before the Nicene Council speak hereabout, and how certainly Eusebius and other great Bishops were Arians, and how lamentably the Council at Ariminum endeavoured an uniting Reconciliation, by laying by the word [[Greek or Hebrew]] And even old Osius by their cruelty yielded to them; as Liberius subscribed to them, we need not send any men to Philostorgius nor Sondius for proof, it being so largely proved by D• ▪ Petavius de Trinitate, who fully citeth their dangerous words.

Answ. 1. Even Heathen Emperours and Kings are our Governours, though they want due aptitude to their duty (as also do many wicked Christian Princes:) And we owe them obedience when their Laws or Mandates are not against the Laws of God. We must not say as Bellarmine, that Christians should not tolerate such Princes, and that the ancient Christians suffered for want of Power to resist. 2. Let the Emperours called Arrians be made no worse than they were: Some were for Concord and Toleration of both Parties, and so are more suspected than proved to be Arrians: And Arrians themselves, (though unexcusably erroneous) were not like the Socinians, that utterly deny Christ's Deity: They subscribed to all the Nicene Creed, save the the word [] They would say that Christ was [Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, &c.] They thought that as the Sunbeams or Light are its immediate emanation, but not its substance (as commonly Philosophers