the Rev. W. Turner , Jun. , MA., Lives of the eminent Unitarians

[109] strongly both against tests in general, and against this in particular. On the following morning, after much and violent dispute, it was determined to call on each member to declare his belief in the doctrine of the Trinity, a proposition of Mr. Peirce, that a declaration expressed in the words of scripture should be admitted as sufficient, having been negatived. Mr. Hallet, however, who was first called on, expressed himself as follows: ‘I declare that the Father is the most high God, Luke i. 32; VI. 35. I also declare that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, John i. 1. That Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is over all, God blessed for ever, Rom. IX. 5. I further declare, that when Ananias and Sapphira did lie unto the Holy Ghost, they did not lie unto men, but unto God. And the bodies of believers being the temples of the Holy Ghost, (1 Cor. VI. 19,) are the temples of God, (1 Cor. III. 16, 17,) and yet, “ to us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all things,” 1 Cor. VIII. 6.’ Mr. Peirce gave his creed in the following terms; ‘I am not of the opinion of Sabellius, Arius, Socinus, or Sherlock. I believe there is but one God, and can be no more. I believe the Son and Holy Ghost to be divine persons, but subordinate to the Father; and the unity of God I think is to be resolved into the Father's being the fountain of the divinity of the Son and Spirit.’ Three others, when called on, denied the authority of the meeting to require of them an account of their faith, and positively refused to make any declaration; and Mr. Peirce, in the account he has left of these proceedings, expresses his regret that he had not