The verity of Christian faith written by Hierome Savanorola [sic] of Ferrara.

CHAP. VIII.

BUt it is worth the labour to de∣clare this matter more plainly, more substantially, more distinctly. In God is one substance and three persons; in Christ be two substances, but one person. In the Trinitie there is another, and another; but not ano∣ther and another thing: In our Sa∣viour is not another, and another, but another & another thing. How is there in the Trinitie another and a∣nother, but not another and another thing? Marry because there is ano∣ther person of the father, another of the sonne, and another of the holy ghost: But yet not another & another nature, but one & the self same: How

is there in our Saviour another and another thing, not another and ano∣ther? because there is another sub∣stance of the divinitie, and another substance of the humanitie, but yet the deitie and the humanitie is not a∣nother and another, but one and the selfe same Christ, one and the same sonne of God, and one and the selfe same person, of the selfe same Christ and sonne of God. As in a man the body is one thing, and the soule is a∣nother thing, but yet the body and the soule are but one and the selfe same man. In Peter & Paul the soule is one thing, the body is ano∣ther thing, and yet the body and the soule are not two Peters, nor the soule is not one Paul, and the body another Paul, but one and the selfe same Peter, one and the selfe same Paul, subsisting of a double & divers nature of the body and the soule. So therefore in one and the selfe same

Christ there are two substances, but one a divine substance, the other hu∣mane, the one of God the Father, the other of the Virgin his Mother, the one coeternall and equall to the Fa∣ther, the other substantiall to his Mo∣ther, yet one and the same Christ in both substances. Therefore there is not one Christ God, another Christ man, not one increated, another crea∣ted, not one impassible, another pas∣sible, not one equal to the Father, a∣nother lesse then the Father, not one of the father, another of the mother, but one and the selfe same Christ, God and man, the same increated and created, the same incommutable and impassible, the same changed & suffered, the same equall and in∣feriour to the Father, the same begotten of his Father before all times, the same conceived of his Mother in time, perfect God and perfect man; in him

as God is perfect Divinitie, in him as man is perfect humanitie: perfect humanitie I say, because it had both soule and body, yet a true body, such as our body is, and such as his mo∣thers was; and a soule indued with understanding, with mind & reason. There is therefore in Christ, the Word, the Soul, the Flesh, but yet all these together is one Christ, one son of God, our onely Saviour and Redeemer: One I say, not by any I know not what corruptible confusi∣on, of the divinity and humanity together, but by a certain perfect, and singular unity of person: for that conjunction did not change or con∣vert either into other (which is the proper errour of the Arians) but did rather so unite both in one, that as the singularity of one and the same per∣son remayneth alwayes in Christ, so likewise the properties of both natures do for ever continue; so that

neither God ever beginneth to be a body, nor now at any time ceaseth to be a body; which thing is also more apparent by some humane ex∣ample: for not onely in this world, but also in the next every man shall consist of body and soul, & yet ne∣ver shall either the body be changed into the soul, or the soul ever con∣verted into the body; but as every man shall live for ever, so for ever of necessity in each man the difference of either substance shall continue: So likewise in Christ each property of either substance shall continue for e∣ver, saving alwayes and reserving the unity of person. And when we of∣ten name this word Person, and say that the Sonne of God was made man, we must take great heed that we seeme not to say that God, the Word, the second person in Trinitie tooke upon him our actions onely in imitation, and

and rather in shew and shadow, and not as a perfect and very man practised humane conversation: as we see used in Theaters and Stages, where one man in a little time taketh upon him many parts, of which not∣withstanding himselfe is none; for as often as we counterfeit another mans actions, we so exercise his office, that yet we be not those men whose acti∣ons we take upon us; for neither a tragedie player (to use prophane examples and such as the Maniches alledge) when he playeth the Priest or King, is therefore a priest or king, for so soon as the tragedie endeth, that person also which he played forthwith ceaseth. God keep us from this horrible and wicked mock∣erie. Let this madnesse be proper to the Maniches, which preaching abroad their owne fantasies, af∣firme God the sonne of God not to have been substantively the

person of man, but to have fained the same by supposed action and conuersation. But the Catholick faith affirmeth that the word of God was so made man, that he took up∣on him our nature & the proprieties belonging to the same, not deceitful∣ly and in shew, but truely and verily, and did such things as belong to man, as his owne, and not as one that imitated other mens actions, and was verily that which in life and conversation he did shew himselfe to be, as we our selves also, in that we speak, understand and subsist, do not counterfeit our selves to be men, but are verily men. For neither Paul and John (to speak of them especi∣ally for example sake) were men by imitation, but by subsistence, neither likewise did Paul counterfeit the Apostle or faine himselfe Paul, but was in veritie an Apostle and was Paul by subsistence.

In like maner God the Word, by as∣suming and having flesh, in speaking, doing and suffering, in flesh, yet without any corruption of his na∣ture, vouchsafed perfectly to per∣forme this, to wit not that he should imitate or counterfeit, but exhibit himself a perfect man, not that he should seem or be thought a very man, but should in veritie so be and subsist. Therefore as the soule joyned to the flesh; and yet not turned into the flesh, doth not imi∣tate a man, but is a man, and not a man in shew and appearance, but in substance: so God the Word without any conversion of himself, uniting himself to man, was made man, not by confusion, not by mutation, but by subsisting. Let that exposition therefore of a fained & counterfeit person utterly be reje∣cted, in which alwayes one thing is in shew, another in deed, inw^eh. he that

doth ought, is never the same person whom he representeth: for God for∣bid, that we should believe that God the Word took upon him the person of man, after such a deceit∣full manner; but rather in this sort, That his substance remaining incom∣mutable in it self, and yet taking up∣on him the nature of perfect man, was himself flesh, was himself a man, was himself the person of a man not deceitfully but truly, not in imitation, but in truth and substance; not finally after that sort which with action should desist, but after that manner which perfectly in substance should persist. This unity therefore of person in Christ was not framed, and finished after the Virgins deli∣very, but in her very womb. For we must diligently take heed that we confesse Christ not onely one, but also to have been alwayes one, be∣cause it is an intolerable blasphe∣my

to grant him now to be one, and yet contend that once he was not one, but two, that is one after the time of his Baptisme, but two in the time of his Nativitie; which great sacriledge we cannot otherwise a∣void, but by confessing that man was united to God in unity of person, not in his Ascention, not in his Re∣surrection, not in his Baptisme, but in his mothers womb, and immaculate conception: by reason of which U∣nity of Person, both the Proprieties of God are indifferently and pro∣miscually attributed to man, and the proprieties of man ascribed to God: hence cometh that which is written in the Scripture, That the Son of man descended from Hea∣ven, and the Lord of Majesty was Crucified upon earth: Joan. 6. hence also it proceedeth that we say, that when our Lords flesh was made, when our Lords body was framed,

that the very Word of God was made, the very wisdome of God was replenished with created know∣ledge, as in the foresight of God His hands and feet are said to be digged, Psalm. 21. From this unity of Person, I say it proceedeth, by reason of like mystery, that when the flesh of the Word of God was born of his pure and immaculate mother, we do most Catholickly be∣lieve that God himself the Word was born of the Virgin, and most impiously the contrary is maintain∣ed. Which being so, God forbid that any one should go about to de∣prive the holy Virgin Mary of the priviledges of Gods favour as her especiall glory: For she is by the singular grace of our Lord and God her son, to be confessed most truly and most blessedly to have been the mother of God, but yet not in such sort, as impious hereticks imagine

and suspect, who affirm, that she is to be reputed in name onely and ap∣pellation the mother of God, as she forsooth which brought forth that man which afterward became God, as we say, such a woman is the mo∣ther of a Priest or Bishop, not be∣cause she brought him that then was either Priest or Bishop, but by ge∣nerating that man which afterward was made a Priest or Bishop: not in that manner I say the blessed Vir∣gin is to be called the mother of God, but rather, because, as hath been said, that most holy mystery was finished in her sacred womb, wherein by reason of a singular, and one onely unity of person, as the Word in flesh is flesh, so man in God is God.