Jesus, Prophet of Islam - The Islamic Bulletin

Later Unitarians in Christianity 201

elites under the Law and their Prophets always under­

stood it to mean that Cod was numerically One Cod

besides Whom there was none other, much less any

equal. For the schoolmen had not as yet appeared who

through their confidence in their own sagacity, or more

properly speaking on arguments purely contradictory,

impugned the doctrine itself of the Unity of Cod, which

they pretended to assert. But as with regard to the Om­

nipotence of the Deity, it is universally allowed, as has

been stated before, that He can do nothing which in­

volves a contradiction: so it must always be remembered

in this place that nothing can be said of the One Cod

which is inconsistent with His Unity, and which assigns

to Him at the same time the attributes of unity and plu­

rality. Mark 12: 29-32:'Hear0 Israel, the Lord ourCod

is One Lord.' To which answer the scribe asserted, 'WeIl,

Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is One Cod;

and there is none other than He.'

Milton then goes on to discuss the nature of the Holy Spirit. The
Scripture, he says, is silent on its nature, in what manner it exists,
and from whence it arose. He continues:

Il is exceedingly unreasonable not to say dangerous that

in a matter of so much difficulty believers should be

required to receive a doctrine represented by its advo­

cates as of primary importance and of undoubted cer­

tainty on anything less than the dearest testimony of

Scriptures, and that a point that is confessedly contrary

to reason should nevertheless be considered as suscep­

tible of proof from human reason only or rather from

doubtful and obscure disputations.

Milton points out that the Holy Chost must be inferior to both Cod

and Jesus, since his duties were to carry messages from the One to

the other. On his own he couId do nothing. He was therefore sub­

servient and obedient to Cod in all things. He was sent by Cod

and said nothing other than what he had been told to say.

Milton then cornes to the following conclusions based on his

knowledge of the Bible:The Holy Spirit is not omniscient. The Holy

Spirit is not omnipresent. Il cannot be said that because the Holy