The summe of Christian religion: deliuered by Zacharias Vrsinus in his lectures vpon the Catechism autorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolued the questions of whatsoeuer points of moment, which haue beene or are controuersed in diuinitie. Translated into English by Henrie Parrie, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supplie of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of diuinitie, and with correction of sundrie faults & imperfections, which ar [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latine.

1 WHAT CHRISTS VNCTION OR ANNOINTING IS.

ANnointing in the old testament was a ceremonie, whereby ac∣cording to gods ordinance Prophets, Priests, and Kings were annointed either with some speciall, or with common oile: that it might stand for a testimonie, to those who were rightlie annointed, that they were called of god to the administring of one of these functions, and that they should be furnished from god with giftes necessarie for the performing of that whereunto they were called.

For Annointing signified, 1. The calling and ordaining of anie to the office eyther of a Prophet, or of a Priest, or of a King. 2. It signified the promise and bestowing of giftes necessarie thereto. For to whome GOD committed anie office, and whome hee caused to bee annointed, to these also hee subministered the giftes of the holie GHOST necessarie for the discharging of it, as know∣ledge, wisedome, strength, fo••titude, industrie, authority, and such other. 3. It signified the fragrantnesse or sweete sauour of the labours employed in that vocation, that is, it was a testimonie that the labours were gratefull and acceptable to GOD, and that hee woulde prosper such labours, as the Annointed shoulde with a true faith and cheerefullie vndergoe in exequuting the fun∣ction committed vnto them of GOD. 2. Corinth. 2.15. We are vnto GOD the sweete fauor of Christ in them that are saued. 1. Corinth. 15.58. Your labour is not vaine in the Lord.

Further, the outwarde annointing did as a signe represent the inwarde, that is, the giftes of the holy GHOST, as the thinges signified, by reason of a cor∣respondent Analogie and proportion. For as oile maketh the drie partes, beeing annointed therewith, liuely, a∣gill, and able and fitte to doe their duetie, and besides to send foorth a sweete fauour: So the holie Ghost furnishing them with necessarie giftes, which are ordained to a fun∣ction, giueth them strength and power, whereby they being of themselues vnfit to doe any good, are made fit and able to woorke and accomplish thinges gratefull vnto God: that is, the holie Ghost causeth them to dispatch readilie and with dexteritie the partes of that dutie which is enioined them, and to doe thinges acceptable to GOD, and auaileable for the preseruation of the Church.

Nowe the annointing of Iesus Christ is, First the ordai∣ning of the sonne of God to the office of the chiefe Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church. Secondlie, The especiall communica∣ting of the giftes of the holie Ghost necessarie for this office. Thirdlie, Gods approbation and prospering of this office. Isaie 53.10. The LORDE woulde breake him, and make him

subiect to infirmities: when hee shalt make his soule an offering for sinne, hee shal see his seede, and shall prolong his daies, and the will of the Lord shal prosper in his hand: He shal see of the ••auell of his soule, and shal be satisfied, by his knowledge shal my righte∣ous seruant iustifie many, for he sha•• beare their iniquities. There∣fore wil I giue him a portion with the great, and hee shal diuide the spoile. Iesus then, the sonne of God and Mary, is called Messias, or Christ, or annointed: First, because he was ap∣pointed of his father from euerlasting the Mediatour, that is, the chiefe Prophet, Priest, & King of the Church. This is con∣firmed by this reason. He that is to be a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, and is called annointed, hee is in respect of those three called annointed. But the Mediator which was called Messias or annoin∣ted, was to be the chiefe Prophet, Priest and King of the Church. Therefore he is in respect of those three called annointed or Christ. Again the same is shewed by many places of Scripture. Ioh. 7.28. I came not of my selfe &c. Iohn 6.38. I came downe from heauen, not to doe mine owne will, but his wil, which hath sent me. Heb. 5.5. Christ tooke not vnto himselfe this honour to bee made the High-Priest, but hee that saide vnto him, Thou art my sonne, this day begate I thee. Psalm. 110.4. The Lorde swore, thou art a Priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedeck. Hebr. 13.8. Iesus Christ yesterday, and to daie, the same is also for euer. Reuel. 13.8. The Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world. 1. Corinth. 130. CHRIST is made of God vnto vs wisedome, and righ∣teousnesse, and sanctification, and redemption. So is hee often called the Angell of the couenant sent of olde vnto the Church. 2. Hee is called annointed in respect of the giftes of the holie GHOST which were poured on him thicke, aboun∣dauntlie, and most perfectlie; that is, al the giftes and gra∣ces whatsoeuer are in all the blessed Angels and men, and those in the most excellent and high degree, that hee might bee sufficient for the restoring, ruling, pre∣seruing of his Church, and for administering the gouerne∣ment of the whole woorlde, and for the directing there∣of to the safetie and saluation of his Church. Iohn 3.34. God giueth him not the spirite by measure. Hebr. 1.9. Where∣fore God, thy God, hath annointed thee with the oile of glad∣nesse aboue thy fellowes. Isaie 61.1. The spirite of the Lorde is vpon mee, therefore hath the Lorde annointed mee. The

annointing therefore is of the whole person, yet with this difference, that it is so applied to both natures, as it sig∣nifieth the ordaining of him to the Mediatourshippe. For hee is Mediatour according to both natures, who was al∣waies present with his Church, euen before his fleshe was borne: But as his annointing designeth the communicating of the giftes of the holie GHOST, so his humane nature onelie is meant to bee annointed. For his Godhead, because it is alwaies in it selfe goodnesse most perfect, and pas∣sing measure, is not annointed, but annointeth & filleth with giftes and graces both his owne humanity, which his God-head dooth personally inhabite, as also all the elect and chosen. Wherefore one and the same Christ, in re∣spect of his diuerse natures, is both annointed and annointer, as raiser and raised. For the father annointeth with the ho∣lie Ghost, but by the Lorde: so that Ireneus said pretilie, that by the name of annointing was comprised and vnder∣stood the three persons of the godhead, The annointer, the annoin∣ted, and the annointing.

Obiection. But it is no where reade, that Christ was an∣nointed. Aunswere. Christ was not annointed, typicallie, ceremonially, or sacramentallie; but reallie, and spiritu∣ally, that is, hee receiued the thing it selfe, which was prefigured and signified by the ceremonial annointing; which was the holy Ghost; as it is said, Psalm. 43.97. and Heb. 1.9 Wherefore God, thy God, hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes. Isaie 61.1. The spirite of the Lorde is vpon mee, therefore hath the Lorde annoin∣ted mee. As therefore it was meete that Christ shoulde bee a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, not typical, but the verie signified and true, that is, the great and high Pro∣phet, Priest, and King; so it was necessarie that hee should be annointed not with typical oile, but with the sig∣nified and true oile, which was the holy Ghost. For such as the office was, such should the annointing be. But the office was not typical, but the very thing it selfe. Therefore such also should the annointing be.

Hence wee learne and vnderstand these two thinges. The first is, That Christ hath this name, not from the ceremonial annointing, but from the thing it selfe which was thereby signi∣fied:

because he is that chiefe and high Prophet, Priest and King, whom, as types, the Prophetes, Priestes, and Kinges of the olde Testament, which were wont to bee annointed with external oile, did represent. The name therefore of the signe or type, that is, Annointed, is transferred to the thing it self, euen to the High-Priest, Prophet & King, Iesus. Another thing that wee learne is, That there is a great diffe∣rence between this Iesus Annointed, and the Annointed of the olde testament. For 1. There were only certaine types and shadowes of this onely chief and true Christ, that is, of this King, Prophet, & Priest. Wherefore necessary was it that they should yeeld & giue place to him being once exhibited. For the thing it selfe being come & exhibited, the types cease. 2. The annointing, that is, the communicating of the gifts of the Holy Ghost in the typicall Annointed was imperfect & weake. But in Iesus christ it is perfect & exceeding great. For in him dwelleth the fulnes of the Godhead personally, so that he is both the Annointed & the Annoin∣ter. 3. He onlie hath receiued all the giftes of the holie Ghost, and those manie waies more excellent than they are to bee found in all the Angels and men: Because hee had them in the highest both number and degree. 1. Iohn 1.16. Of his fulnesse haue all wee receiued. But the Annointed of the old testament receiued neither all the giftes, neither in the highest degree, but diuided, and according to the measure of the gift of christ, some more, some fewer, & some greater gifts than some, 1. Cor. 12.11. Ep. 4.7. Much lesse were they able by their own power and vertue to worke the same in others.

Replie 1. GOD cannot bee annointed: christ is GOD. Therefore he coulde not be annointed, no not with the prefigured or signified oile. Aunswere. In some respect wee graunt this whole reason. For Christ as touching his God-head, can∣not be annointed with the giftes of the holie GHOST. First, because not one iot of the giftes of the holie Ghost can bee added to the God-head, because of the exceeding perfection there∣of. And further, because the holie Ghost, by whome the annoin∣ting is immediately administred, is the proper spirite of christ, no lesse proceeding from him, than from the father. Wherefore he, as he is God, hath not any thing from the holy Ghost, neither dooth hee receiue him, which is alreadie his owne from any other, but giueth him vnto others whom it plea∣seth

him: As also no man can giue thee thy spirite which is in thee, because that which thou already hast cannot bee giuen vnto thee.

Reply 2. According to which nature christ is annointed, accor∣ding to the same he is Mediator, that is, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the church. But according to his humane nature only he is annointed: Therefore according to that only he is Mediatour. The Minor is thus proued. To be annointed, is, to receiue the gifts of the holie Ghost: But according to his humane nature onlie hee re∣ceiued these giftes: therefore according to that onelie he is annoin∣ted. Aunswere. The Maior of the former reason is made of a bad and faultie definition: because the definition is of too strait and narrowe a compasse. For to bee annoin∣ted is not onely to receiue the giftes: but also to bee de∣signed to some certaine office. In the former sense Christ is annointed according to his humanitie only: in the later, according to both natures. Or, we may aunswere that the whole reason is faulty, because of an ambiguity in the word annointing. For in the Maior, it is taken either for the whole annointing, or for that part, which is an ordeining to an office: but in the Minor it is taken for the other part onely, which is the participation of the giftes of the holie Ghost. Nowe then, according to which nature christ is not an∣nointed, that is, neither seuerally by a designement to an office: neither by both a designement to an office & a receiuing of the giftes of the holie Ghost: according to that nature he is not Mediatour. Christ according to his God∣heade is not annointed, both with a designement to an office, and a receiuing of giftes: yet is hee according to his God∣heade annointed by an ordaining or designement to an office. Therefore hee is Mediatour also according to his God∣head.

Christ therefore is Mediatour, that is, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the church in respect of both natures. For vnto the of∣fice of a Mediatour doe mo actions concur, whereof some he executeth by his Godhead, some by his flesh; yet so, that they are don & performed together, the properties of both natures being as it were cōmunicated. Wherefore that we er not here, nor cōceiue amisse, these two rules ar to be ob∣serued. The first: the properties of the one nature in the mediator,

are attributed to the other in the concrete, that is, to the per∣son, yet still in respect of that nature whose properties they are. This is called the communicating of the properties, & it is a cer∣taine kind of Synecdoche. The second. The names of the mediatorship are attributed to the whole person, in respect of both natures, yet reseruing still the properties of each nature, and the differences of actions. For to the perfourming of the Media∣tourship, the properties of faculties and operations both of the diuine and of the humane nature are required.

Notes

• What was be∣tokened by annointing, in the old Testa∣ment.
• Christ anointed in respect of his humanitie, not of his Godhead, in respect wher∣of he is annoin∣ter.
• Christ annoin∣ted spirituallie.
• Christ hath his name, not from the ceremonial annointing, but from the thing thereby signifi∣ed.
• The difference between Christ Annointed, and the Annointed of the old Testa∣ment.
• In what sense Christ may bee saide to bee an∣nointed acco∣ding to his God∣head.
• Christ Medi∣atour according to both natures.