A Christian instruction, conteyning the law and the Gospell. Also a summarie of the principall poyntes of the Christian fayth and religion, and of the abuses and errors contrary to the same. Done in certayne dialogues in french, by M. Peter Viret, sometime minister of the Word of God at Nymes in Prouince. Translated by I.S. Seene and allowed according to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.

Hovv vve ought to vnderstand the order vvhiche is in the persons of the Trinitie.

M.

IT séemeth to me for all that that thou saist so, and I cannot otherwise vnderstād it, if thou do not better declare

vnto me thy meaning.

P.

Thou must vn∣derstande that a thing maye be called firste or laste in diuers sortes, and ac∣cording to dyuers considerations.

Ma.

What meanest thou by this? For the firste, a thing is called firste in respecte of tyme when it is before an other, and more aunciente than the same.

Mathevv.

Thou haste declared vnto me that I must not so take it in the dyuine essence and nature, for so∣muche as in the same all is there eter∣nall withoute beginning and withoute ende.

Peter.

It is true, but for the se∣conde, a thing maye bée before an o∣ther in honoure and dignitie, albeit that it be not firste in time, as a king or prince shall be first in dignitie amongst his sub∣iects, albeit many of them may be more aged than he.

M.

Dost thou say that the fa∣ther is before the sonne, and the father and the sonne before the holy Ghoste in this manner?

Peter.

No. For in the di∣uine nature there is nothyng of more or lesse, but there is equalitie in all thinges.

M.

Thy meaning is then that

no one person of the Trinitie which is in the vnitie of god, is more worthy or more great than the other.

P.

We may not o∣therwise vnderstande it, for if it were o∣therwise, eyther there shoulde not be one very essence and diuinitie, but sundry, and consequently sundry Gods, of which some should be greater, and some lesse: or els it must néeds be that God should be greater and more worthy than him selfe.

M.

All these cōsequences would be very strāge.

P.

There is no doubt. For if they were sundry Gods, they should be no Gods, no not at all. For God cannot be but almigh∣tie, all perfecte, and all infinite.

M.

Thy meaning is then that he must necessarily be all alone.

P.

Thou maist so very well vnderstande it, for sundry cannot be all mighte, all perfecte, & all infinite.

M.

I do well vnderstand all that.

P.

There is al∣so a third maner whereby one thing may be before an other.

M.

What is it?

P.

It is when a thing is of suche nature, that it may be without an other, the whiche not∣withstanding cannot be without it.

M.

I cannot well vnderstand what thou sayst vnto me, vnlesse thou declare it more

plainly vnto me by example.

P.

One is before two, for somuch as two cannot be, but one must be firste, séeing that two are but a double, to witte, twice one. But one may very well be without two.

M.

Thou wilte not say yet that the father is before the sonne and before the holy Ghoste in such a manner?

P.

No. For the Father cannot be without the sonne, and the ho∣ly Ghost, as the sonne and the holy Ghost cannot be without the father.

M.

Shewe me then in what other sorte the father is before the sonne, and the father and the sonne before the holy Ghoste.

P.

Thou must fourthly note, concerning thinges that be equall of time, of dignitie, and of nature, that for asmuch as a man cannot consider and comprehend them all at one time or instante, we do consider them the one after the other, and we place the one before the other, euen as we com∣prehende and dispose them in our vnder∣standing. And euen so, that whiche wée firste consider and comprehende, or that which firste is shewed vnto vs, is firste in order in respecte of vs, albeit that it be equall to the others, of time, of dignitie,

and of nature.

M.

In so doing that whiche we place firste or laste, is neyther firste nor last in it selfe, but only in our vnder∣standing and in regarde of the same, whiche bycause of hys weakenesse, is en∣forced to departe that whiche is ioyned togither, and to deuide that which cannot in it selfe be separate, to the ende that hée may the better comprehende by partes that whiche he cannot wholly at a time comprehende.

P.

Thou sayest very well.

Mathevv.

Is it then thy meaning, that in this sorte we please the Father as the first in the diuine essence, and the sonne as the second, and the holy Ghost as the thirde, albeit that all these thrée diuine persons be in one very essence and equall in all and by all, both in time, in dignitie, and in nature, and in all things which be∣long to the nature of God?

P.

We maye very well take it so. But there is yet a fyfte manner, whiche is also very agrée∣able to the pointe vppon the whiche wée are, the which hath a certaine agréement with that before cited.

Mathevv.

Whiche is it.

Peter.

It is among the thinges that are in suche sorte of one very nature, that

the one cannot be withoute the other, and yet for all that the one is as the spring of the other, and the other as a dependaunce of the same.

Mathevv.

Gyue me an example of the same.

Peter.

The lighte and the shyning or brightnesse, cannot be the one withoute the other. For the lighte doth engender and bring foorthe the shyning. And albeit that the one be not before the other, yet we gyue the lyghte the firste place, as though it were before the shyning as the mo∣ther of it, euen as also we consider the sunne before his beames and his heate, albeit they be all at once.

Mathevv.

Thou meanest then that God hathe so declared himselfe to vs in his workes and in his worde, and by such meane, and in suche order.

Pet.

It cannot bée o∣therwise vnderstoode without ouerthro∣wing of al that which is set foorth to vs in y^e holy scriptures of y^e vnitie of god, and of the Trinitie of persons, in y^e essence of y^e same.

P.

Séeing that it is so, y^e which thou saist agréeth alway w^c y^t which I euē now said, to wit, y^e that whiche we place firste, second, and thirde, amongst the persons

whiche are in the diuine essence, is more in respect of our vnderstanding, than of the diuine nature, wherein, to speake pro∣perly, there is neyther firste, seconde nor thirde, seing there is no difference, ney∣ther of time, nor of dignitie nor of nature: but only in the order according to the whiche God hath manifested himselfe to vs in his word, according as our capaci∣tie may best comprehend him.

P.

Seeing that God is eternall and infinite in hym∣selfe, and that we cannot comprehende him in that infinitenesse and eternitie, it hath pleased him so to shewe himselfe to vs, making himselfe méete, as thou haste alredy said, to the rudenesse of our vnder∣standings. And therefore he will that we know him, and that we speake in suche sorte in the whiche he hath declared hymselfe to vs by his worde and by hys works, and not otherwise.