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.

The principal arguments against the Diuinity of the Sonne and the holy Ghost, together with the Aunswere vnto them.

1 ONE essence is not three persons, for, one to be three, doth imply a contradiction. God is one essence. There∣fore there cannot be three persons of the godhead. Aunswere. The Maior is true of an essence created & finite; that can not, beeing one, be the same and whole substance of three, or bee three: but it is false, of the infinite, most simple, and indiuiduall essence of the Godhead. For this as it existeth one and whole together in many, nay in infinit places and thinges, so may it be, remaining one, the same and whole essence of moe: yea and moreouer it is necessarie so to be: seeing the generation of the Sonne, and the proceeding of the holy ghost, is the communicating of the essence of the Father.

2 Whose operations are distinct, their essences also must needes be distinct. The internall operations of the father, the son, and holy ghost are distinct. Therefore they haue also distinct essen∣ces. Answere. The Maior of this reason is true of persons hauing a finite essence: but being vnderstood of the diuine

persons it is false, if it be ment of those internal operatiōs, whereof the Minor speaketh. Wherefore inuerting the Ma∣ior, we return it back vpon the aduersaries themselues. For whereas the internal operations, namely the generatiō of the son, & the proceeding of the holy ghost, are the cōmu∣nicating of the fathers essence whole & the same in num∣ber: it must needs be that there is not a diuerse or distinct, but one diuine essence of al three persons.

3 That which hath a beginning is not eternal: But the son and the holy ghost haue their beginning or originall from the father, therefore they are not eternal. Aunswere. That is not eternall which hath a beginning of essence or nature and time. But the son and the holy ghost haue a beginning or original of person or order, or of the maner of existing, but not of es∣sence. For this they haue one & the same in number with the father from euerlasting: & that is void of al beginning and original, and existeth necessarily from no other but of it selfe. Reply. But he who hath his originall of person from ano∣ther, is not Iehoua. But the son and the holy ghost haue their origi∣nal of person from the father. Therefore they are not Iehoua. An∣swere. The Maior is a false ground. For the scripture dooth plainly teach both of thē, namely, both the son & the holie ghost to be Iehoua. Ioh. 5.26. As the father hath life in himself, so hath he giuen likewise to the son to haue life in himselfe: & yet the scripture withall affirmeth, that both haue their origi∣nall of person frō the Father. For the Father begot not the essence, but the person by communicating vnto him his owne essence the same and whole.

4 The faithful are one with God, not in essence, but in consent of wils. But the Father and the Sonne are in such sort one, as the faithful are one with god, Iohn 17.11.21. Therefore the Sonne is one with the Father in coniunction of wils onelie, & not in vnitie of essence. Answere. There is more in the conclusion than in the premisses. For the particle ONLIE, which is stitched to the conclusion, is not in the Minor proposition. Wherefore of a Minor which is but particular, an vniuersal cōclusion is ill inferred, after this maner. There is a certain vnity between the father & the son, such, as is between god and the faithful. Therefore al vnitie which is betwixt them is such. Wherefore we saie, That the faithfull are one with

God & among themselues, in will onelie, or conformitie, or coniunction of mindes. The Father & the Sonne are one both in wil, & furdermore in vnitie of essence. Wherefore if a wider and more ample coniunction be put, a streiter con∣iunction is not thereby excluded.

5 He that is the whole God-head, is not any one person of the God-head, or there is not anie one besides him, in whom likewise the whole God-heade is. But the Father is the whole God-heade. Therefore the Father is not anie one, but euen al the person that is of the god-head, neither are there mo persons, wherein that god∣head is. Aunswere. Wee denie the Maior: Because the same god-head which is in the father, is whole also in the son & the holy ghost. For by reason of the immensity and vndi∣uidablenes thereof, that is communicated of the father e∣uen the same entire and whole both to the son & to the ho∣ly ghost, so that there is neither more nor lesse of the god∣heade in euery person, than either in two or in al three.

6 The diuine essence is neither begotten nor proceeding of a∣nother. But the Sonne is begotten and the Holie ghost proceedeth. Therefore they are not the same diuine essence, which the Father is. Answere. Of meere particulars nothing can follow or be concluded. The Maior cannot bee expounded generallie. For it is false, that whatsoeuer is the diuine essence, hee is not begotten or proceeding.

7 The Diuine essence is incarnate. The three persons are the Diuine essence, therefore the three persons are incarnate. Aun∣swere. Of meere particulars there followeth nothing. The Maior speaketh onely of the sonne: For it is false being ta∣ken generally, as, Whatsoeuer is the diuine essence, is in∣carnat: This general proposition is false. For the diuine es∣sence is incarnate only in one of the persons, which is the sonne: not in al three.

8 The sonne is Mediatour with Iehoua. But the son is Iehoua. Therefore Iehoua is Mediator with himselfe. Answer. Nothing followeth of mere particulars. For the Sonne is not Me∣diatour with al that is Iehoua, but the father. Reply. There∣fore the Father only is pacified towardes vs: and by a consequent, he alone is true GOD, not the Sonne or the Holie Ghost. For hee is the true GOD, who is pacified by the Mediatour. Aun∣were. We denie this Sequele: For there is but one will

of the three persons, and that agreeing in al thinges. Wherfore the father being pleased & pacified for the sons satisfaction in our behalfe, the sonne also and the holie ghost are pacified, and receiue vs into fauour, for the same satisfaction.

9 Christ dooth euery where discerne and seuer himselfe from the father: he hath a Head, he hath a God: hee is lesse than the Fa∣ther. Therefore he is not the same God which the Father: or, he is not equal and consubstantial with the Father. Answere. He dis∣cerneth and distinguisheth himselfe from the Father, 1. in person. 2. in office, as he is Mediator: but not in God-head. So hee hath a Head, and a God, and is lesse than the Father: First as touching his humanitie, in nature and office; then as touching his Godhead, not in nature, but in office onlie, and in the manifestation of his godhead. For they which are in nature equal, may bee vnequal in degree of office.

10 This is (saith Christ. Ioh. 17.3.) life eternall, that they knowe thee to bee the onely verie god. Therefore the sonne and the holie ghost, are not verie god. Aunswere. First in this place are opposed, not the Father, and the Sonne or the holy Ghost, but God and Idols and creatures. Therefore these are ex∣cluded, not the Sonne or the holy Ghost. And Secondlie, there is a fallacy in transferring the particle ONELY vn∣to the subiect THEE, vnto which it dooth not belong, but vnto the predicate God, which the Greeke Article in the originall dooth shew. For the sense is, that they knowe thee the Father, to bee that God, who onely is verie God. Reply. But this Argument followeth: Maximilian is Emperour: ••herefore Rodulph is not. Why thē doth not this folow, The father is God. Therefore the Sonne is not god? Ans. These persons are finite, and their essence cannot belong to moe: but the Fa∣ther and the Sonne are persons infinite, and their essence may be of moe, namelie of three persons.

11 Jehoua or the true God is the Trinitie. The Father is Je∣houa: Therefore the Father is the trinity, that is, all three persons. Answer. Meere particular propositions conclude nothing. And, if the Maior bee expounded generallie, after this manner, Whatsoeuer is Iehoua, is the Trinitie, it is false: For that, which is Iehoua, maie be some one person of the trinitie. The whole Syllogisme therefore is faulty, because

Iehoua is not taken in the same signification in both the premisses. For the name Iehoua in the Maior is taken ab∣solutelie & essentially, for the three persons: For one and the same Iehoua or true God is The Father, and sonne, and holy Ghost iointly: But in the minor it is taken personallie, for one person of the Godhead, that is, the Father, who is Iehoua of himselfe. Replie: Iehoua is one in number. There∣fore it is alwaies taken in scripture after the same maner. Answer. Iehoua is one in number of essence, not of persons.

12 Where are three and one, there are foure. But in God are three & one, to wit, three persons, and one essence. Therefore there are foure in God. Answere. The Maior is to be distinguished. Where are three and one reallie distinct, there are foure. But these three in God are not another thing distinct in the thing it selfe from the essence, but each is that one es∣sence, the same and whole, and they differ from their es∣sence onely in their manner of subsisting or being. The manner of existing is not a diuers substance from the ex∣istence, being, or essence.

13 Christ according to that nature, according to which in scrip∣ture he is called Son, is the Son of god. But according to his humane nature onely hee is called Sonne. Therefore according to that onely, and not according to his diuine also, hee is the sonne of god: and so by a consequent, the sonne is not verie god. Aunswere. The mi∣nor is false. For Christ is called the onely begotten and proper sonne of the Father, and equal with the Father, Iohn. 3.16. Iohn. 5.18. Rom. 8.32. The father hath created all thinges by the sonne. The sonne from the verie beginning worketh all things likewise, which the Father doth, Iohn. 5.17.19. The sonne reueiled the Fathers wil, of receiuing mankinde into fauour, vnto the Church, before his flesh was borne, Iohn. 1.18. The sonne was sent into the worlde, descended from heauen, and tooke flesh, Heb. 2.16. Iohn. 3.13.17. But the Word, which is God, is the onely begotten and proper sonne of God, and tooke flesh, Iohn. 1.14. And not the humane but the diuine nature of Christ is creatres and worketh with equal autoritie and power with the Fa∣ther, and descended from heauen. Therefore God, or the Godhead, or diuine nature of Christ is both called in the scripture, and is the sonne: and by a consequent, the sonne is that one true and verie God.

Notes

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