Confessione Fidei omnium prima, and supposed to be the identical Catechism mentioned by him in his will. Which

different parts are illustrated, and confirmed by texts of Scripture." "In their definition of the nature of God, with which this Catechism begins, the authors discover immediately their sentiments concerning Jesus Christ, by declaring that he, together with all other things, is subject to the great Creator of the universe.

"Their notion concerning Jesus Christ is expressed in the following terms: Est homo, mediator noster apud Deum, patribus olim per prophetas promissus, et ultimis tandem temporibus ex Davidis semine nutus, quem Deus Pater fecit Dominum et Christum, hoc est, perfectissimum prophetam, sanctissimum sacerdotem, invictissimum regem, per quem mundum creavit, omnia restauravit, secum reconciliavit, pacificavit, et vitam æternam electis suis donavit: ut in illum, post Deum altissimum, credamus, illum adoremus, invocemus, audiamus, pro modulo nostro imitemur, et, in illo, requiem animabus nostris inveniamus. Our mediator before the throne of God is a man, who was formerly promised to our fathers by the prophets, and in these latter days was born of the seed of David, and whom God, the Father, has made Lord and Christ, that is, the most perfect prophet, the most holy priest, and the most triumphant king, by whom he created the NEW World, by whom he has sent peace upon earth, restored all things, and reconciled them to himself, and by whom also he has bestowed eternal life upon his elect; to the end that, after the supreme God, we should believe in him, adore and invoke him, hear his voice, imitate his example, and find in him rest to our souls.'

"With respect to the Holy Ghost, they plainly deny his being a divine person, and represent him as 'nothing more than a divine quality, or virtue, as appears from the following passage: Spiritus Sanctus est virtus Dei, cujus plenitudinem dedit Deus Pater filio suo unigenito, Domino nostro, ut ex ejus plenitudine nos adoptivi acciperemus. The Holy Ghost is the energy or perfection of God, whose fulness God the Father bestowed upon his only-begotten Son, our Lord, that we, coming his adopted children, might receive of his fulness.'

66

be

They express their sentiments concerning Justification in the ensuing terms: Justificatio est ex mera gratia, per Dominum nosirum Jesum Christum, sine operibus et meritis nostris,

Which of these productions, or whether either of them, is to be regarded as the original of the RACO

VIAN

omnium præteritorum peccatorum nostrorum in viva fide remissio vitæque æternæ indubitata expectatio, et auxilio spiritus Dei vitæ nostræ non simulata, sed vera correctio, ad gloriam Dei Patris nostri et ædificationem proximorum nostrorum. 'Justification consists in the remission of all our past sins, through the mere grace and mercy of God, in and by our Lord Jesus Christ, without our merits and works, and in consequence of a lively faith, as also in the certain hope of life eternal, and the true and unfeigned amendment of our lives and conversations, through the assistance of the divine spirit, to the glory of God the Father, and the edification of our neighbours.'-As by this definition Justification comprehends in it amendment and obedience, so in the explanation of this point our authors break in upon the following one, which relates to discipline, and lay down a short summary of moral doctrine, which is contained in a few precepts, and expressed, for the most part, in the language of Scripture.There is this peculiarity in their moral injunctions, that they prohibit the taking of oaths, and the repelling of injuries. As to what regards ecclesiastical discipline, they define it thus: Disciplina ecclesiastica est officii singulorum frequens commemoratio et peccantium contra Deum vel proximum primum privata, deinde etiam publica, coram toto cœtu, commonefactio, denique pertinacium a communione sanctorum alienatio, ut pudore suffusi convertantur, aut, si id nolint, æternum damnentur. 'Ecclesiastical discipline consists in calling frequently to the remembrance of every individual, the duties that are incumbent upon them, in admonishing, first privately, and afterwards, if this be ineffectual, in a public manner before the whole congregation, such as have sinned openly against God, or offended their neighbour; and lastly, in excluding from the communion of the Church the obstinate and impenitent, that, being thus covered with shame, they may be led to repentance, or, if they remain unconverted, may be damned eternally!'-In their further explication of this point, they treat, in the first place, concerning the government of the Church and its ministers, whom they divide into bishops, deacons, elders, and widows. After this they enumerate, at length, the duties of husbands and wives, old and young, parents and children, masters and servants, citizens

VIAN CATECHISM, seems thus far not to have been satisfactorily determined. Sandius assigns this honour to the work of Gregory Paul, which he designates, Catechesis Racoviensis prima; but he gives no account of its contents, whereby a judgment might be formed on this point; for he states no more than that he considers it to be the piece mentioned by Wisno

vius

and magistrates, poor and rich, and conclude with what relates to the admonishing of offenders, and their exclusion from the communion of the Church in case of obstinate impenitence.

"Their sentiments concerning Prayer are, generally speaking, sound and rational. But in their notions of Baptism, they differ from other Christian Churches in this, that they make it to consist in immersion or dipping, and emersion, or rising again out of the water; and maintain that it ought not to be administered to any but adult persons. Baptism,' say they, 'is the immersion into water, and the emersion, of one who believes in the Gospel and is truly penitent, performed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, or in the name of Jesus Christ alone; by which solemn act the person baptized publicly acknowledges that he is cleansed from all his sins, through the mercy of God the Father, by the blood of Christ, and the operation of the Holy Spirit; to the end that, being ingrafted into the body of Christ, he may mortify the old Adam, and be transformed into the image of the new and heavenly Adam, in the firm assurance of eternal life after the resurrec tion.' Baptismus est hominis Evangelio credentis et pænitentiam agentis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, vel in nomine Jesu Christi, in aquam immersio et emersio, quá publice profitetur, se gratia Dei Patris, in sanguine Christi, opera Spiritus Sancti, ab omnibus peccatis ablutum esse, ut, in corpore Christi insertus, mortificet veterem Adamum, et transformetur in Adamum illum cœlestem, certus, se post resurrectionem consequuturum esse vitam æternam.

"The last point handled in this performance is the Lord's Supper; of which the authors give an explication, that will be readily adopted by those who embrace the doctrine of Zuingle on that head.

"At the end of this curious Catechism there is a piece intituled

vius in 1575, as containing an exposition of Philipp. ii. 6, which had given great offence*. The frag ments of Socinus can hardly be deemed entitled to this distinction; for though some of the statements of the Unitarian doctrine contained in them bear a close resemblance to those which are found in the Racovian Catechism, the entire form is different; and they have all the appearance of being imperfect sketches, which the author had not thoroughly digested and arranged. If therefore the Racovian Catechism was grounded on either of the above productions, it seems most probable that it was on the Confession which has been ascribed to Schomann, and whereof some account is given in the preceding note from Mosheim.

Sandius states that the task of revising or reforming the first Racovian Catechism was assigned to Faustus Socinus and Peter Statorius junior; which agrees with what Socinus himself observes in reference

tuled Economia Christiana, scu Pastoratus Domesticus, which contains a short instruction to heads of families, showing them how they ought to proceed in order to maintain and increase, in their houses, a spirit of piety, in which also their devotion is assisted by forms of prayer, composed for morning, evening, and other occasions."

An answer to this Catechism was published by Zachar. Ur sinus, under the following title, Refutatio Catechismi Anabaptistici et Samosatenici. Bock, Hist. Antitrin. tom. i. p. 826. * Sandii Bib. Antitrin. p. 44.

↑ Biblioth. Antitrin. pp. 44, 78, et 104. It ought to be observed here that the work was never published in Latin under the title of Catechesis Racoviensis; but obtained this designation either from its having been printed at Racow, or in consequence of that city being regarded as the metropolis of the Polish Unitarians.

to

to this subject in a letter addressed to Valentine Radecius, pastor of the Unitarian Church of Coloswar, dated the 23d of November 1603*. They were, however, both prevented by the hand of death from completing their undertaking; and it was in consequence transferred to Valentine Smalcius and Jerome Moscorovius, with whom it would appear that Volkelius also was associated t. The work, as modelled and completed by these eminent persons, was first published in the Polish language in duodecimo, in 1605 ‡. Smalcius afterwards translated it into German, and published it in 1608, under the title of Der Kleine Catechismus, zur Uebung der Kinder in dem Christlichen Gottesdienste, with a dedication addressed to the University of Wittemberg. In the following year, 1609, a Latin version of it, executed by Jerome Moscorovius, was published at Racow under the following title: Catechesis Ecclesiarum quæ in Regno Poloniae, et magno Ducatu Lithuaniæ, et aliis ad istud Regnum pertinentibus Provinciis, affirmant, neminem alium, præter Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi, esse illum unum DEUM Israëlis: Hominem autem illum Jesum Nazarenum, qui ex Virgine natus est, nec alium, præter aut ante ipsum, Dei Filium unigenitum, et agnoscunt et confitentur. Ante annos quatuor Polonicè, nunc verò etiam La

* Epistolæ ad Amicos, 12mo, p. 679. Opera, folio, tom. i. p. 492.

† Bock, Hist. Antitrin. tom. i. p. 847.

This is in fact, properly speaking, the first edition of the RACOVIAN CATECHISM; and it is extremely scarce.