The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

Thirdly, To give Divine or Religious worship to a Creature, is not only above Reason, but is contrary to, and repugnant against sound Reason.

But this is the Socinians practise; Christ is but a Creature, a mere man, yet to Christ do they give Religious worship, in so much that Socinus will not own him to be a Christian, who will not worship Christ with Divine or Religious worship. Let the Socinians name one Article of our Faith that is so contrary to reason as this. I argue upon the Socinian Principle, which is, that all Articles of Faith, all the Propositions in the Scripture must be brought to the Bar of our Reason, yea, Socinians Reason, and there they must receive their sentence, whether they be true or false, whether they are to be rejected or received. Hence the Doctrine of the Trinity, the Eternal generation of the Son, the Personality of the Holy Ghost, the personal union of the two Natures in Christ, the satisfaction of Christ, Imputed Righteousness, the corruption of our Reason and Will after the Fall, the Resurrection of our Bodies, the same bodies which we lay down, these among others receive their sentence of condemnation at this Bar, yea, though the Judge, Reason, be dim sighted, corrupted, yet so it must be, Why? Because all these do not agree with Reason, therefore they are all condemned. ⟨image 14⟩If Reason then must judge all, let us try this at the Bar of Reason. I will only use one Argument that Christianus Francken used against Socinus, being one of the same Opinion with Socinus, as to the Divinity of Christ, and therefore looking upon him as Man only, would not have Religious worship given to him, which Socinus did. Several Arguments he hath, to which Socinus gives miserable answers; and truly we may sit still, till we see how Socinus and his party can clear themselves from being Idolaters, which Christianus Francken, Francis David, with their party (who deny Christs Divinity also) do prove Socinus and his followers to be for worshipping Christ with Religious worship, whom they deny to be God, and but a mere Creature. His Argument is this. How great is the distance between a Creator and Creature, so great ought to be the difference between the honour which is given to the Creator and the Creature. But between the Creator and the Creature is the greatest (infinite) distance, whether you respect the Nature and Essence, or the Dignity and Excellency. Therefore, there ought to be the greatest difference between the honour of God and the Creature.