When a word in italics is followed by "'s" the latter may or may not be italicised. This inconsistency has been retained. Inconsistent hyphenation has also been retained.

The Text has been corrected in accordance with the Errata section. Mismatched brackets and parentheses have been removed and apparent punctuation errors corrected.

THE
Protestants Plea
FOR A
SOCINIAN:

Justifying His Doctrine from being opposite to
SCRIPTURE
OR
CHURCH-AUTHORITY;
And Him from being Guilty of
HERESIE, or SCHISM.
In Five Conferences.

THE
First Conference.

The Socinian's Protestant-Plea for his not holding any thing contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

  1. That he believes all contained in the Scriptures to be God's Word; and therefore implicitly believes those truths, against which he errs. §. [2].
  2. That also he useth his best endeavor to find the true sense of Scriptures: and, that more is not required of him from God for his Faith or Salvation, than doing his best endeavour for attaining it. §. [3].
  3. That, as for an explicite Faith required of some points necessary, he is sufficiently assured, that this point concerning the Son's Consubstantiality with the Father, as to the affirmative, is not so from the Protestant's affirming all necessaries to be clear in Scripture, even to the unlearned; which this, in the affirmative, is not to him. §. [4].
  4. That several express, and plain Scriptures do perswade him, that the negative (if either) is necessary to be believed; and that from the clearness of Scriptures, he hath as much certainty in this point, as Protestants can have from them in some other, held against the common expressions of the former times of the Church. §. [6], [8].
  5. That, for the right understanding of Scriptures, either he may be certain of a just industry used; or else, that Protestants, in asserting that the Scriptures are plain only to the industrious; and then, that none are certain, when they have used a just industry, thus must still remain also uncertain in their Faith; as not knowing, whether some defect in this their industry causeth them not to mistake the Scriptures.
  6. Lastly; That none have used more diligence in the search of Scripture, than the Socinians, as appears by their Writings, addicting themselves wholly to this Word of God, and not suffering themselves to be any way bypass'd by any other humane, either modern, or ancient Authority. §. [9].