The Christians Alphabet, Part 2 · Section 4
D Of the distinction of the persons in Trinitie.
Q. Rehearse the letter D.
DIstinguish the persons in the God-head, but neither confound them, nor diuide the substance.
For the Father is of none, but of himselfe; the Son is begotten of the Father, the Holy Ghost proceedeth from them both. And eueryevery person distinctly by himselfe i… God: yet are they not three Gods, but onelyonly one God, coeternall and coequall.
Q. How may it appeare that the p…rsons are thus to be distinguished, and not confounded?
Three persons distin…t, not confounded.A. That they are to be distinguished, and not confounded so that the one is not the other is manifest by diuers euidences grounded vponupon the word of God. 1EuidenceThe first whereof is, because they are expresly shewed and said in Scripture, to bee in number three, and are there noted distinctly by their peculiar denominations or names, as before is shewed, both by reuelation from heauen; by the institution of baptisme; and by the words of Ioh. 1.5.7. There are three that beare witnesse in Heauen, the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost.
Q. What is the second euidence, that the person… are so distinguished and not confounded?
A. The second euidence is grounded vponupon the incommunicable properties ascribed distinctly to each person: 2Euidence.as that the Father is of none, but of himselfe, begetting the Sonne. The Sonne is begotten of the Father. The Holy Ghost preceedeth from them both. All which may appeare by these Scriptures, 1 Cor. 8.6 where S. Paul calleth the first person, the Father, of whom are all things; and Rom. 11.36. he saith, that of him, and through him, and for him are all things, Psal. 22.7. Thou art my Sonne, this day hauehave I begotten thee. Ioh. 1.14. Christ is said to bee the onelyonly begotten Son of the Father, and Ioh. 15.26. Christ saith of the Holy Ghost the third person, when the comforter shall come, whom I will send vntounto you from the father, euen the spirit of truth which proceedeth of the Father▪ he shall testifie of me.
Q. What is the third euidence?
3Euidence.A. The third euidence is taken from the consideration of the distinct effects or workes attributed to each person: as, the worke of Creation to the Father: Redemption to the Sonne: Sanctification to the Holy Ghost. For though being outward workes, they be common to the whole Deitie, yet in respect of personall order, and of the manner of working, they are distinct: the Father working by the Sonne, and by the holy Ghost; but the Sonne and the holy Ghost working from the Father, as being the fountaine of eueryevery action.
Q. What is the fourth euidence?
A. The fourth euidence to proue that the persons are distinct and not confounded, 4Euidence.is grounded vponupon certaine termes, which doe not… personall difference; as Ioh. 1.1. the word was with God; and Ioh. 5.17. My Father worketh hitherto, and I worke. So of the holy Ghost it is said, Isai. 48.16. the Lord God, and his spirit hath sent me; and where it is said, 1. Cor. 12.6. that it is the same GOD that worketh all in all; it is added, Psal. 8. &c. by the spirit, and by the same spirit, often repeated: which termes of difference were meerely in vains, if the persons were not distinct.
Q. Why must not the substance be diuided?
A. We must not diuide the substance, The substance not diuided.because the God head of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost is all one: for we must conceiue in the Deitie another and another person, but not another and another thing: that is, a diuersitie or distinction of persons, but not a diuision of the diuine nature: so the Father is God, the Sonne is God, and the holy Ghost is God, yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
Q. Proue that eueryevery person distinctly by himselfe is God: and first that the Father is God.
The Father is God.A. It is written, Ephes. 4.6. There is one God, and Father of all, who is aboue all, & through all, and in you all; and 1 Cor. 15. 24. Christ is said to hauehave deliuered vp the Kingdome to God, euen the Father.
Q. Proue that the Sonne is God?
The Sonne is God.A. The God-head of the Sonne is plentifully confirmed in Scripture. Saint Iohn speaking of our Sauiour Christ, Ioh. 1.1. saith, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; and 1 Ioh. 5.20. That the Sonne of God Iesus Christ, is true God, and eternall life; and Ioh. 20.28. That Thomas beleeuing, answered and said vntounto Iesus, My Lord and my God.
Q. Proue that the Holy Ghost is God?
A. The God head of the Holy Ghost may appeare, The holy Ghost in God.amongst many euidences by that saying of Saint Peter to Ananias, Act. 5.3.4. That, in that hee did lie vntounto the Holy Ghost, he lied not vntounto men, but vntounto God.
Againe, the deitie of the Holy Ghost, may be gathered out of Isa. 48.16. where the Prophet saith; And now the Lord God, and his holy spirit hath sent me. And Act. 13.2. where it is said, That as they ministred vntounto the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the worke whereunto I hauehave called them. So Act. 20.28. S. Paul telleth the Elders of the Church, That the holy Ghost had made them ouersee…s, to feede the Church of God. All which could not bee said of the holy Ghost, if hee were not God.
Q. Proue that though there be three persons, yet they are but one God?
Yet not three Gods, but one God.A. It is manifest that the three persons, are not three Gods, but only one God, because there can bee but one infinite, one eternall, one almighty, and so consequently but one only God, as was proued before. And S. Iohn doth expressely affirme, 1 Ioh. 5.7. these three are one.
Q. Proue that they are coeternall?
They are coeternall.A. The Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost must of necessity bee coeternall, one as well as the other, that is, the Father eternall, the Sonne eternall, and the holy Ghost eternall; because they doe all subsist in one and the same diuine nature, and are all three, one and the same God. For the Sonnes eternitie see Ioh. 1.2. The same was in the beginning with God, all things were made by him. And Ioh. 17.5. Now O Father, glorifie thou me with thine owne s…lfe, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. And thē coeternity of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne is noted, in that hee ioyned with them in the creation of all things, Gen. 1.2. And the spirit of God moued vponupon the face of the waters.
Q. Proue that they are coequall.
A. Being one and the same diuine nature, They are coequall.they must also needs be coequall. Of the Sonne it is said Phil. 2.6. That being in the forme of God, he thought it no robbery to be equall with God. So againe the disposing of spirituall gifts is equally attributed to the holy Ghost, a… well as to the Father and the Sonne, as being God coequall with them: 1 Cor. 12.4.5.6.11.