S XVIII. The [Ay, the] Word or Son of the Father, fent into the World to affume our Flefh, and die for the Sins of Mankind; was not the [λJG Endralel, the] internal Reafon or Wif dom of God, an Attribute or Power of the Father; but a real Perfon, the fame who from the Beginning had been the Word, or Revealer of the Will, of the Father to the World. See the Texts, N° 535, 680, 654, 616,617,618, 607, 612, 638, 574, 584, 586, 588, 569, 631,641, 652, 642, 672. See beneath, § 22 and 23. Notes on $ 18. Of the Writers before the Time of the Council of Nice, Theophilus, Tarian and Athenagoras, seem to have been of That Opinion, that [the xoyos] the Word, was [the xó vide] the internal Reason or Wisdom of the Father; and yet, at the fame time, they speak as if they supposed That Word to be produced or generated into a real Perfon. Which is hardly intelligible: And feems to be the Mixture of Two Opinions: The One, of the generality of Chriftians; who believed the Word to be a real Perfon: The Other, of the Jews and Jewish Chriftians; who Perfonated the internal Wisdom of God, or spake of it figuratively (according to the Genius of their language) as of a Perfon. Ireneus and Clemens Alexandrinus, fpeak fometimes with fome Ambiguity; but upon the whole, plainly enough understand the Word or Son of God, to be a real Perfon. The other Writers before the Council of Nice, do generally speak of Him clearly and diftinctly, as of a real Perfon. And indeed St John himself, ftiling him [es] God, (which can be understood only of a real Perfon,) Joh. i, 1; com*Subftantia illa divina, cujus nopared with Rev. 19, 13, where he fays, men eft Verbum. His Name is called the Word of God; Novatian, de Trin. does fufficiently determin This Point. c. 31. ΑλογΘ και ἀσοφΘ. Λόγον ἢ ἐ προφορικὸν, ἐκ ἐνε διάθετον, ἐκ ἀποῤῥοιαν * τε λείς, ἐ τμῆσιν ἢ ἀπαθῆς φύσε ws, 1% TegBoali', 'ay' yòv av10lenn. Athanaf. Expofit. Fidei. ฟา About the Time of the Council of Nice, they spake with more Uncertainty; fometimes arguing that the Father confidered without the Son, would be † without Reason and without Wisdom; +"Axoy (which is fuppofing the Son to be nothing but an Attribute of the Father:) and yet at other times exprefly maintaining, that the Son was neither the word spoken forth, nor the inward word [or reafon] in the Mind of the Fa• ther, nor an Efflux of him, nor a part [or Segment] of his unchangeable Nature, nor an Emillion from him; but truly and perfectly a Son. But the greater part a greed in This latter Notion, that he was a real PerJon: And the learned Eufebius has largely and beyond Contradiction proved the fame, [viz. that the Son is neither, xódiadens, a mere Power or Attribute of the Father; nor the Same Perfon with the Father; but a real distinct Subfiftence, and true Son of ου * αὐτὸν ὄντα των παρὶ, nad cautóv öörla xj (@vta i åndãs ÿòv owíívla, Ocòv în DeEcclef.Theol.l.1,c.8. the the Father;] in his Books, de Ecclefiafticâ Theologia, against Marcellus of Ancyra, a Follower of Sabellius and Paul of Samofat: And particularly, Book I, chap. 8, and chap. 20; Which highly deserve the perufal of all learned men. + Arch-Bishop Tillotson, Sermon concerning the Unity of the divine Nature. After the Time of the Council of Nice, they fpake ftill more and more confusedly and ambiguously; till at laft the Schoolmen, (who, as an † excellent Writer of our Church expreffes it, wrought a great part of their Divinity out of their own Brains, as Spiders do Cobwebs out of their own Bowels, Starting a thoufand Subtilties, reafonably prefume that they who talk of them, did themselves never thoroughly understand;) made This Matter alfo, as they did most Others, utterly unintelligible. which we may § XIX. The Holy Spirit (or Third Perfon,) is not Self-exiftent, but derives his Being or Ef fence from the Father, (by the Son,) as from the Supreme Cause. See the Texts, N• 1148, 1154; and 1149 1197. The Scripture, speaking of the Spirit of God, never mentions any Limitation of Time, when he derived his Being or Effence from the Father; but fuppofes him to have existed with the Father from the Beginning. See the Texts, N° 1132*, 1148, 1154. In what particular metaphyfical Manner the Holy Spirit derives his Being from the Father, the Scripture hath no where at all defined, and therefore men ought not to prefume to be able to explain. See the Texts, N° 1148, 1154% Notes on § 21. Thus Bafil: If (faith he) you are ignorant of Many things ; nay, if the things you are ignorant of, be ten thousand times more than Ἐι ἢ πολλὰ ἀγνοῶς, καὶ μυ ειοπλάσια της εγνωσμλύων ὃτι τὰ ἀγνούμενα, τί ἐχὶ μετὰ πάντων καὶ πεὶ ? δόπε ε ὑπάρ Eews F dyis avdμatC * ἀκίνη zbofe you know why fould you be afbamed, among Jo many other things, to take That Safe Method of con ἀκίνδιον ἄγνοιαν ἀνεπαιχν Ίως ομολογες; Orat. contr. Sabell. Αὐτὰ τὰ τὰ να κινήματα, πότερον κλίζειν ἤ γυνᾶν πέρυκεν ἡ ψυχὴ, τίς ἂν ἀκριβῶς ἐποι; Τί ἔν θαυμασὸν ἴ, καὶ πεὶ ἢ ἁγία πνώματΘ ανεπε αιχύντως ἡμᾶς ἢ ἄγνοιαν δμολογῶν; ὅτι μὲὺ δὑπὲρ * κτίσιν οὶν, ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν παι εἰςησι τὰ διὰ το γραφῶν ὧρες sidiutua. — δις ἔτως ἔξω παντελῶς ὅτι τὰ αχύνητον δε κα δὲς feffing your Ignorance as to the Manner of the Exiftence of the Holy Spirit? And again: The very Motions of our own Mind, faith he, whether the Soul may be faid more properly to create or beget them ; who can exactly determine? What wonder then is ir, that we are not afhamed to confefs our Ignorance how the Holy Spirit was produced? For, that he is δια Superior to created Beings, the things delivered in Scripture concerning bim do fuf. ficiently evidence: But the Title of Self-exiftent, This no man can be fo abfurd as to prefume to give to A ny Oiber than to the Supreme God, no, not to the Son himfelf; for He is the One only-begotten. What Title then are we to give the Spirit? We are to call him the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth Tent forth from God, and beflowed through the Son: Not a Servant, but Holy and Good, the DireEting Spirit, the Quickning φρονῶν, ὥςε τολμῆσαι ἕτερον πλίω δεῖ 30 ὅλων προσαγι ρεῦσαι· ἀλλὰ μὲν ἐδὲ ὑὸν, τῷ ἕνα η * μονο θυῆ.Τί ἦν αὐτὸ χρὴ καλῶν; Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, καὶ πνεῦ μα θεῶν καὶ πνεῦμα ἀληθείας, Σποςελλόμιμον αὶ Θεό, δια ν χορηγέμμον β δὅλον, ἐν ἅλσον, ἀγαθὸν, ἡγεμονικὸν, πνεῦμα ζωοποιον, πνεῦμα υοθεσίας, eπιςάμμον πάντα τὰ 7 Θεῖ και μηδείς διέπω ἀθέτης σιν ἔν) ο ὑπὸς άσεως, ἢ ἄρνησιν - κτίσμα ἢ τὸ πνεῦμα· ευσε βᾶς γδ ὅτι διανοίας τὰ ἀποσιωπηθέντα ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις γρα φυλές ευλαβῶς ἐπιφημίζων την ἁγίῳ πνεύματι πεπίτας U 2 έμπ |