The whole body of Christian religion, by Hieron. Zanchius. Translated out of Latine by D. Ralph Winterton.

CHAP. II. Concerning God, the divine Persons, and Properties.

DOCTRINE I. That there is but one God, distinguished into three Persons.

Being then taught of God in the holy Scripture, which is his word,* 1.1 we

believe that there is but one God, that is, one most simple, indivisible, eter∣nall, living, and most perfect Essence, subsisting in three Persons, to wit, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, being distinguished each from other, but yet without all manner of divi∣sion. The authour and cause of all things.

DOCT. II. That each Person by himself is true God, but yet so that there are not three Gods.

FOr thus we believe, as we are taught out of the holy Scripture, That the Father by himself is true & perfect God, the Sonne is God & the holy Ghost is also God: and yet there are not three Gods, but one God:* 1.2 And of him, and through him, and to him are all things.

DOCT. III. That one Person is distinguished from another by Personall Properties: and that by Essentiall Properties, they are distinguished from all creatures.

BUt, because the holy Scripture so speaketh of God, that it attributes

unto him many Properties, both Es∣sentiall and Personall: and teacheth, that by the Essentiall he is distin∣guished from all things created; and by the Personall, each Person from other: Therefore we also believe that: As to beget the Sonne is so proper to the Father, that it can neither be attributed to the Sonne, nor to the holy Ghost; And again, to be begot∣ten, cannot be attributed; but to the Son onely, and so likewise in the rest: So also, to be most simple, eternall, infinite, every where present, simply omniscient, simply omnipotent, simply good, and the rest of like sort, are so proper unto God, that they cannot really or truely be communi∣cated to any creature, in such matter that it can be (for instance sake) good by an infinite goodnes, or omnipo∣tent by an infinite power, &c. As God is.

DOCT. IV. That the Essentiall Properties in God do not really differ from his Essence.

FOr we acknowledge, that in God, by reason of his simplicitie, his

Essentiall Properties do not really differ from his Essence; and there∣fore that they cannot without this be communicated to any creature: And therefore, that no creature is, or can be truely said to be simply (for 〈…〉〈…〉 sake) omnipotent, good, just 〈…〉〈…〉 As also our Lord Iesus speaking of one attribute, taught us concerning all,* 1.3 saying, There is none good (that is simply) but one, that is God.

DOCT. V. That nothing is, or can be simply such as God is: unlesse it can be simply God also.

WHerefore, whosoever hold that any created substance could e∣ver be made, or can now or hereafter be made partaker of the divine attri∣butes or properties, by which it may become such as God is: as for ex∣ample, simply omnipotent &c. They must also necessariny confesse that the same is, or may be coessentiall with God: For as much as even the Sonne himself is not simply Almigh∣tie; but as he is coessentiall with the

Father; and so likewise the holy Ghost.

DOCT. VI. The confirmation of the foregoing doctrine.

FRom whence also we under∣stand, how it comes to passe, that, whereas the Sonne is no lesse Almightie then the Father, and so in like manner the holy Ghost; yet we say not that there are three Almigh∣ties;* 1.4 but confesse with Athanasius, and the whole Church, that there is onely one Almightie: because they have all one and the same essence. Seeing then that no thing created hath one and the same essence with God; but another and that farre di∣verse: How can any created thing be made Almightie? Or, if any thing by the communication of Gods Al∣mightie power could be made Al∣mightie; it must needs follow that there are more Almighties then one: which we count it blasphemie once to affirme.

DOCT. VII. Heresies and Errours condemned.

THerefore we condemne and detest all heresies, which have rose up against this article of our Faith, and being fetcht back from hell have been condemned by the Holy Fathers in lawfull Councills, viz. The Heresie of Cerinthus, Ebion, Valentius, Mar∣cion, Manichaeus, Arius, Eunomius, Sabellius, Prax, Fotinus, and such like, as Servitus, and the Tritheites (which hold that there be three Gods) as likewise the blasphemies of the Iewes and Turks; and also all Heresies which have been broched by the di∣vel either against the Unitie of the Godhead, or against the Trinitie of Persons; and further such as either deny the Sonne to be true and eter∣nall God, and so the holy Ghost al∣so; or else confound the Persons, and say that they are but one and the same, but yet for divers respects called by divers names, viz. Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost: And to conclude, we condemne also the er∣rours of those, who separate the es∣sentiall

Properties of God from his divine essence: which they seem to us to do, whosoever do teach that they may be communicated to any creature, without the communica∣tion of essence, or indeed rather which teach that they are communi∣cated already.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Thess. 4.9.
• * 1.2

  Rom. 11.36.
• * 1.3

  Matth. ••••.17.
• * 1.4

  Symbol. Athan.