Theos anthrōpophoros. Or, God incarnate.: Shewing, that Jesus Christ is the onely, and the most high God· In four books. Wherein also are contained a few animadversions upon a late namelesse and blasphemous commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrewes, published under the capital letters, G.M. anno Dom. 1647. In these four books the great mystery of man's redemption and salvation, and the wayes and means thereof used by God are evidently held out to the capacity of humane reason, even ordinary understandings. The sin against the Holy Ghost is plainly described; with the cases and reasons of the unpardonablenesse, or pardonablenesse thereof. Anabaptisme, is by Scripture, and the judgment of the fathers shewed to be an heinous sin, and exceedingly injurious to the Passion, and blood of Christ. / By Edm. Porter, B.D. sometimes fellow of St. John's Colledge in Cambridge, and prebend of Norwich.

THE FIRST BOOK, Containing General Animadversions up∣on the Commentarie and Commen∣ter, and the assertion of the Souls Immortalitie.

• Chapter I. CErinthus, Artemon, Theodotus, and Natalis, Authors and spreaders of the blasphemie of the denying Christ's God∣head. The Divine warning of Natalis: That after these Paulus Samosatenus, and Arius, were maintainers of the same Heresie. The spreading of it in severall parts of the known world, even in our Britain. That it was here discovered in Queen Maries dayes. And punished by fire in the reign of Queen

• Elizabeth, and of King James; That the same is now revived by this Commenter, the qualitie of G. M. who negotiated in the Print∣ing and publishing this Commentary.
• Chapter II. That the Commenter, though he carefully con∣cealed his own name, yet caused this his Book to be presented to divers persons of quality. That this Commenter is the first that ever published this Heresie in our English Print. Three reasons conceived why he concealeth his own name.
• Chapter III. Of the licensing of this Comment; the Licen∣sers censure of it; and an Apologie for him, in that he called this Commentarie, a Com∣ment, and in his letter to an honourable Person declared it to be erroneous. The copy of the Letter, a parallel passage of Libanius con∣cerning Julian, and the Manichees concerning their Founder Manes; the ancient practice of burning such hereticall books.
• Chapter IV. The Commenters compliance in unsainting the Apostles. The reason why the Title of Saint was of old withdrawn from Churches by the decree of a Council. That the abuse of images occasioned it, and yet that the Title of Saint was not denied to the persons of Holy men: Of his condemning Tombes. Something concern∣ing Hypocrisie in long hair and short. Of the reason of the Nazarites long hair, and the hypocrisie of their imitators.
• ...

• Chapter V. The Commenters compliance with the old Ari∣ans. The judgement of the Ancients concer∣ning the Authour of the Epistle to the He∣brewes: A Vindication of Eusebius, con∣cerning the words Homo ousion, and Homoi ousion, and also of the Nicene Fa∣thers falsly charged by the Commenter, as if they favoured his own Heresie. How the Father and the Sonne are said to be Oppo∣site, and yet both are but one God. The Commenters Errour in the Logicall Doctrine of Relatives.
• Chapter VI. That this Commenters principall designe, was by his pretended Commentarie, to darken and ex∣tenuate, or confute the clear Evidences of this Divine Epistle, onely because therein are many great Testimonies of Christ's God∣head: That herein he imitateth the practices of the old Hereticks, Marcion, Valentinus, and the Manichees. The Commenters mis∣expounding Hebrewes 1. 6. in allowing Di∣vine Adoration to Christ, and yet will not acknowledge him to be more then a creature; and in applying the appellation Jehova, to one whom he denieth to be the Supream God, contrarie to Psalme 83. 18. what prostration signifieth.
• ...

• Chapter VII. That this Commenter mis-expoundeth Hebrewes 2. 2, 3. That the Gospel is therefore preferred before the Law, in that the Gospel was deli∣vered by God himself immediately for it was delivered by Christ himself who is the Su∣pream and onely God, whereas the Law was delivered, indeed by the same God; but mediately by the Ministery of Angels, or Creatures. A true Exposition of Acts 7. 53. and of Gal. 3. 19. and Exodus 20. 21. Moses and Paul reconciled. That Christ is the Au∣thour or Testator of the Evangelicall Testa∣ment, and not onely a Witnesse or Martyr, as the Commenter would have him.
• Chapter VIII. The Immortalitie of the Soules of Men asserted against this Commenter, from our Saviours words, Matthew 22. 32. Luke 23. 43. That the Article of Resurrection is therefore ex∣pressed to be said of the body onely, because the Soul dieth not, which is shewed in Saint Pauls Rapture, and Saint Stephens Prayer, from Church Writers, Philosophers, and Physici∣ans observations in Anatomie the Souls mor∣talitie was the old Arabick Heresie. Of the immortalitie of Christs humane Soul, and consequently of ours. That the Doctrine of the Souls immortalitie is now an Article of the Creed, and why this Article was then newly added to the old Creed.
• ...

• Chapter IX. That the Article of Christs descent was added to the old Creed, principally to set forth the Im∣mortalitie of the Soul of Christ, and so of our souls: An examination of the tradition oral, and the writing of Creeds: The summe of the ancient Doctrine of Faith, briefly delivered by Irenaeus, and the most Ancient Creed there∣unto agreeing, recorded by Tertullian.
• Chapter X. That divers additions were made to the old Creed occasioned by divers Heresies. What the He∣resies were, and what Articles they occasi∣oned; and particularly, that the Arabick Heresie (denying the Souls immortalitie) occasioned the Article of Descent, is proba∣bly shewed for that it was not any Creed ge∣nerally received, before the death of Saint Austine, the Nicene hath it not yet, the Atha∣nasian at first had it not, nor is it in the sym∣bolicall Hymne, called Te Deum; A mo∣dest censure of the Athanasian symbol and an Observation concerning the multitude of Creeds.
• Chapter XI. Of the word Hades, which is translated Hell, that it proves the soules immortalitie in that it signifies a being, subsistence or permanen∣cie of the souls of dead men separated from their bodies, and residing in a Mansion and Condition invisible to us Mortals. That

• the place and state of souls separated, is kept secret from us, though the knowledge thereof hath been, and is much desired. Of Saint Hierom's and Curina's visions, and the ap∣parition of Irene deceased.
• Chapter XII. A censure of those visions of Saint Hierome, and Curina, by comparing them with the Ecstasies of Saint Peter, and Saint Paul, mentioned, Acts 10. 10. and Acts 22. 17. What an Ec∣stacie, Traunce, or Vision is. In what man∣ner God spake to the Prophets in visions. Of Saint Johns Revelation. The difference be∣tween Divine Inspirations and prophane En∣thusiasmes. That the one illuminates, the other obtenebrates mens understanding, and how such raptures or exstacies do argue and prove the Soules seperabilitie, and immor∣talitie.
• Chapter XIII. That the Apparitions of the dead do not prove the Souls immortalitie. For that they are not really the Soules of men deceased, but possibly may be the delusions of Satan assuming the shapes of men. Why Necromancy is forbid∣den, Deuteronomie 18. 11. Albeit the dead cannot appear to the living at their desire. That the state of Soules seperated is con∣cealed.
• Chapter XIV. That the Soules immortalitie is confessed by the

• Church Catholick. That the Commemora∣tion of the dead in the Church Litnrgies, was principally to set forth the Churches belief of the immortalitie of their Soules. For that the dead receive no benefit by the prayers of the living: The Opinion of some Di∣vines concerning Saint Pauls prayer for Onesiphorus, 2 Timothy 1. 18. and of that saying, 1 John 5. 16. of which see a full Ex∣position in my fourth Book.
• Chapter XV. That the Father's did not believe (as the Com∣menter doth) that Soules departed are insen∣sible, as if they were dead, or asleep, because the Saints departed do pray for the Church Militant, as the Fathers thought.
• Chapter XVI. Of the departures of mens soules. That their con∣ductors, and leaders to the other World are Angels good or bad. That soules seperated are setled in certain Mansions, is shewed by Scriptures, and Fathers, whereby the per∣manencie and immortalitie of the soul is clear∣by proved. That all those severall mansions go under the generall appellations of Heaven and Hell.
• Chapter XVII. A particular detection of the blasphemies con∣tained in the Commentarie, which are redu∣ced to these two heads The first, shewing

• the blasphemies against the Godhead of Jesus Christ. The second, shewing the blasphemies against the Incarnation of God and his gracious work of Redemption.
• CHAP. XVIII. The dreadfull consequences of the Commenters blasphemies, in denying the Godhead of Christ, and his great works both of Creation and Redemption. That it is much better, never to have been born, or by death to be an∣nihilated, or to perish as the beasts doe, then to live and die in these sinnes, and to rise to judgement.

The conclusion of the first Book.

Notes

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