liturgy, were of the fame opinion with him. Ibid. p. 120.

Elipandus, however, may have been a Neftorian, by his afferting that Jefus Chrift was the adopted Son of God, as we learn from the tranfactions of the council of Frankfort in 794 *.

The Goths and Vandals, and all the other northern nations, which invaded the Roman empire, are generally faid to have been Arians. But it is very poffible that this may have been faid without making proper diftinctions, and that of them many were unitarians. Chilperic, king of the Franks, was probably one, at least so was Leovigild of Spain, who fent ambassadors to Chilperic in 585, as may be inferred

Adferunt igitur, fed falfis adfertionibus irretiti, dominum noftrum Jefum Chriftum, adoptivum dei filium de virgine natum; quod divinis nequeunt adprobare documentis. Hæc igitur dicentes, aut in utero virginis eum fufpicantur adoptatum : quod dici nefas eft, quia de beata virgine inerarrabiliter fumpfit, non adoptavit, carnem; aut certe purum eum hominem fine deo natum, quod cogitare impium eft, necesse eft fateantur. Binni Concilia, vol. pt. 2. p. 140.

3.

from what Sandius fays of him, and his ambaffadors*.

Some Sabellians, as well as Arians, were condemned at a council held at Toledo, A. D. 400 +. Alfo unitarians, or Nestorians, feem to be alluded to in a council held in the fame city, A. D. 684 ‡.

The Albigenfes, at leaft many of them, appear pretty clearly not to have been orthodox with refpect to the trinity; but whether they were more generally Arians, or unitarians, I have not been able to determine.

*Hift. p. 337, 338.

+ Si quis dixerit atque crediderit, deum patrem eundem effe filium vel paracletum, anathema fit. Si quis dixerit vel crediderit filium eundum effe patrem vel paracletum, anathema fit. Si quis dixerit vel crediderit paracletum effe vel patrem vel filium, anathema fit. Si quis crediderit vel dixerit, carnem tantum fine anima a filio dei fuiffe fufceptam anathema fit. Binnii Concilia, vol. 1. p. 60.

Si quis igitur Jefu Chrifto dei filio, ex utero Mariæ virginis nato, aliquid aut divinitatis imminuit, aut de fufcepta humanitate fubducit, excepta fola lege peccati; et non eum verum deum, hominemque perfectum in una perfona fubfiftentem finceriffime credit, anathema fit. Binnii Concilia, vol. 3. p. 297.

Of

Of thefe Albigenfes, Lifoius and Herebert are particularly mentioned, as men of excellent moral characters, who were accufed of Manicheifme. However, when they were interrogated at Orleans, in 1017, it appeared that they did not hold the doctrine of the trinity*.

In the fame uncertainty are the opinions of Peter Abelard, and thofe of his difciple, as he is called, Arnold of Brescia. But it is no uncommon thing for the fame perfon

Facta igitur perfcrutatione inter clericos, quomodo unufquifque fentiret, et crederet ea, quæ fides catholica per doctrinam apoftolicam incommutabiliter fervat et præ. dicat illi duo, videlicet Lifoius, et Heribertus ftatim fe aliter fentire non negantes, quales diu latuerant, manifeftaverunt. Deinde vero plures poft illos fe parti iftorum profitebantur hærere, nec ulla ratione fe poffe affirmabant ab illorum fegregare confortio. Quibus compertis, tam rex, quam Pontifices triftiores effecti interrogaverunt illos fecretius, utpote viros hactenus in omni morum probitate perutiliffimos, quorum unus Lifoius in monafterio fanctæ crucis clericorum clariffimus habebatur: alter item Heribertus fan&i Petri ecclefiæ, cognomento Puellarius capitalæ fcholæ tenebat dominium. Dicebant enim deliramenta effe, quidquid in veteri ac novo canone certis fignis ac prodigiis, veteribufque teftatoribus de trinitate unaque deitate beata confirmat auctoritas. Binnii Concilia, vol. 3. pt. 2. p. 176.

VCL. HI.

to be called an Arian by one writer, and an unitarian by another. Thus Lewis Hetzer is called an Arian by Sandius, who was himself an Arian (Hift. p. 424) whereas Mofheim (Hift. vol. 4. p. 183) reprefents him as having been of the fame opinion with Socinus.

Abelard, however, was moft probably a Sabellian, as may be inferred from his comparison of the unity of the three perfons in the trinity to the unity of the propofition, afsumption, and conclufion, of an oration. At leaft it was fo understood at a council held in 1136*. What is said of him on the occafion of another council, in 1140, may perhaps fhew that, with refpect to the trinity,

quas

* Quare de S. trinitate docens et fcribens, tres perfonas, fancta ecclefia non vacua nomina tantum, fed res distinetas, fuifque proprietatibus difcretis, hactenus et pie credidit, et fideliter docuit, nimis attenuans, non bonis ufus exemplis, inter cætera dixit: ficut eadem oratio eft propofitio affumptio, et conclufio, ita eadem effentia eft pater, et filius, et fpiritus fanctus. Ob hoc Sueffionis provinciali contra eum fynodo fub præfentia Romanæ fedis legati congregata, ab egregiis viris, et nominatis magiftris, Elberico Rhemenfe, et Leutaldo Novarienfe, Sabellianus hæreticus judicatus. Binnii Concilia, vol. 3. pt. 2. p. 492.

he

he was an Arian, with respect to the doctrine of grace a Pelagian, and with respect to the perfon of Chrift, a Neftorian *.

It appears then, that, in all the periods of antiquity, there were confiderable numbers of unitarians, either avowed or concealed; and efpecially among the Albigenfes, who bore fo noble a teftimony against the errors of the church of Rome. Unitarians alfo appeared in great numbers about the time of the reformation by Luther. But he and Calvin, not going so far, but retaining more fundamental corruptions of christianity than any that they abolished, employed all their influence to bear down those who did not exactly agree with them, and ftop where they did.

The truth has never, however, been without its witneffes, perhaps, even in no age or country; and providence feems now to be opening away for the much wider spread, and the firmer establishment of the truth, efpecially in this country.

* Cum de trinitate loquitur, fapit Arrium: cum de gratia, fapit Pelagium: cum de perfona Chrifti, fapit Nestorium. Binnii Concilia, vol. 3. pt. 2. p. 494.