Synopsis papismi, that is, A generall viewe of papistry wherein the whole mysterie of iniquitie, and summe of antichristian doctrine is set downe, which is maintained this day by the Synagogue of Rome, against the Church of Christ, together with an antithesis of the true Christian faith, and an antidotum or counterpoyson out of the Scriptures, against the whore of Babylons filthy cuppe of abominations: deuided into three bookes or centuries, that is, so many hundreds of popish heresies and errors. Collected by Andrew Willet Bachelor of Diuinity.

THE FIRST PART, WHETHER CHRIST be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God of him selfe.

The Papistes.

[error 103] THey deny that Christ is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God of himselfe, and affirme, that he had not onely his person, but his substance of his Father: whereupon they are bolde to charge Caluine with blasphemy, for saying, that Christ is God of himselfe as well as the Father, Rhemist. Ioh. 1. sect. 3.

Argum. The word was with God, to wit, the sonne is with and of the father, and not the father of the sonne: Ergo, the sonne is God, with and of his father: Rhemist. ibid.

Ans. This place proueth, that the sonne of God, as he is the sonne, is of God: for to be the sonne of God, the word, the wisedome of God, 1. Cor. 1.30. His image, Heb. 1.3. doe belong vnto his person: So then as he is the sonne, the wise∣dome of God, or the word, so he is of God, namely in respect of his person: but as the sonne is God, he is of himselfe, neither taketh he his essence but person onely of his Father.

The Protestants.

THat we may fully know the state of this question, we must first set downe certain propositions▪ First, we do worship one eternal, omnipotent, & onely wise God, one and the same in power, essence, eternitie: but three in person, the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost: there is the same nature, essence, and

deitie of them all, though they be distinguished in person: As there is one na∣ture of the light, the heate thereof and the shining brightnes, Lucis, splendoris, caloris, as Augustine putteth the example: which three differ amongst them∣selues in propertie and quality, yet haue one and the selfe same nature and sub∣stance: God the father is as the light, Iam. 1.17. God the Sonne is as the bright∣nes of his glory, Heb. 1.3. God the holy Ghost is as the heate or fire, Heb. 12.29. Thus these three are one in nature and essence, but three in person.

2. There is somewhat communicable to them all, as the Godhead and diuine power and nature: Somewhat incommunicable, as the seueral propri∣eties of the persons: for it is proper onely to the father to beget, proper to the Sonne onely to be begotten, proper onely to the holy Ghost to proceede from them both. There is no essentiall difference in the Trinitie: for there is one es∣sence and diuine nature common to them all. But there is both a real and rati∣onal difference: The persons differ one from another really, though not essen∣tially. But the persons differ onely rationally or in respect from the essence of the Godhead: as the father and the sonne amongst men differ not essentially, for they are both men. But they are really, verily, and indeede distinguished; for it is one thing to be the father, another to be the sonne: yet from their owne essence their persons onely differ in respect and relation, not verily, non re, sed ratione: for the father is a man, the sonne also is a man: but in one respect he is a father, & in an other he is man: so likewise of the sonne, yet one and the same, is both father and man; one and the same is both sonne and man: so is it in the Trinitie. Now to the poynt of the question, which wee haue in hand. The Sonne therefore in the blessed Trinitie is begotten of his fathers essence, and hath the whole essence of his father, not by propagation, partition, profluence, but onely by communication. The sonne is not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Sonne of himselfe, be∣cause he is sonne of the father: But he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, very God of himself: The essence or Godhead of the Sonne is of himselfe, not of the father: for it is one and the selfesame essence, which the father hath. He is indeede, Deus de Deo, lumen de lumine, God of God, light of light: But not as he is God, is he of God, but as he is the Sonne. It is one thing for the person of the Sonne to be begot∣ten of the essence of the Father, which we graunt: another thing, for the essence of the Sonne to be begotten, which we must not yeeld to. So we conclude, that Christ as he is the Sonne, is of God the Father, as he is God, he is of himselfe.

Argum. 1. The essence of the Father is of himselfe, not begotten of any: but the essence and Deitie of the Sonne is the same and all one with his Fa∣thers. Ergo, it is not begotten of any other. Agayne, he is not God whose es∣sence is not of himselfe: therefore if Christs essence be not of himselfe, he should not be God.

Argum. 2. Our Sauiour himselfe sayth, As the Father hath life in him∣selfe, so hee hath giuen to the Sonne also to haue life in himselfe, Iohn 5.26. The Sonne then hath life in himselfe: Ergo, hee is GOD of himselfe. Augu∣stine vpon these wordes writeth: Non quasi mutuatur vitam, nec quasi particeps

vitae,* 1.1 sed ipse vitam in se habet, vt ipsa vita sibi sit ipse: He did not as it were bor∣row life of his father, neither is made partaker of life, but he hath life in himself, he is life vnto himselfe. But lest any man should thus mistake the wordes of the text, that because the Father gaue to the Sonne to haue life in himself, there∣fore hee gaue him to be God: (for to haue life in himselfe is to bee God) Au∣gustine thus expoundeth them: Dedit filio vitam habere in se, breuiter dixerim, genuit filium: He gaue to his Sonne to haue life in himselfe, in fewe wordes, He begat his Sonne. As if we should say, the Father which hath life in himselfe, that is, is God, gaue to his Sonne to haue life in himselfe, that is, begat God the Sonne: he begat him not as he was God, but as he was his Sonne: yet because of the neere vniting and coniunction of the person with the Godhead and di∣uine power to haue life in himselfe, which really cannot be distinguished, but onely in respect, as we haue shewed: the Father is said also to giue vnto the Sonne to be God, and to haue life in himselfe, not directly or properly but ob∣liquely and by a consequent, because his Sonne whom he begat from all eter∣nitie, must also necessarily be God.

And that it cannot be the proper meaning, that God the Father gaue to the Sonne power to haue life in himselfe, it appeareth by the words themselues: for as the Father hath life in himselfe, euen so hath hee giuen to the Sonne: but the Father hath life in himselfe, without beginning from any other. Ergo, so hath the Sonne.

There should els be a contrarietie and repugnancie in the speech: for if Christ receiued life from his father, he could not haue it in himselfe. It must therfore of necessity be vnderstood of the person in the Trinity, not of the diuine essence. And so we determine that it is true in the concrete, in concreto, if wee say, Deus Pater genuit Deum Filium: God the Father begat God the Sonne, but not in abstracto, Deitas Patris genuit Deitatem Filium, that the Godhead of the Father begat the Godhead of the Sonne. But in respect of his person onely as he is the Sonne the second person in Trinitie, so is hee begotten and hath his beginning of God. But in respect of his diuine nature as he is God, hee is begotten of none, but of himselfe as God the Father is.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In Iohan. tract. 19.