The Sum of Christian Religion 2, Part 2 · Subpart 8 · Section 5 – Section 6
5 What difference betweene Eſſence and Perſon.
IN the Church,Eſſence is the verie being of God; Perſon, is the manner of his being, which manner of being is threefold, and ſo maketh three Perſons. by the name of Eſſence is vnderſtood that which God, the etern… …ther, and Sonne, and holy Ghoſt, eache of them a…n themſelues abſolutely, and is common to them three, euen the verie eternal and one onelyonly Deitie, or the verie being of God. By the name of Perſon is ſignified the manner, after which that beeing or Eſſence of God is in eache of theſe three, or the proper and ſeuerall manners of eache of their beeings. That is, Perſon, is that, which eache of theſe three are reſpectiuely or being compared one to the other: or, is that very being of god conſidered reſpectiuely to one and another, and diſtinct by a proper and peculiar manner of beeing and ſubſiſting from the others. Wherefore in number there is one and the ſame Being or Eſſence in God, that is, in each of theſe three, who are god, but it is after a diuers manner in god. As when we ſpeake of god the father; that being is of it ſelfe, not from another. The ſonne is the father: The Sonne is the ſame being or Eſſence, but from the Father: The holie ghoſt likewiſe is the ſelfe ſame diuine being, which the father is and the ſonne, but from the father and the ſonne. So the wiſedome, power, iuſtice, goodnes, bountifulnes, merciemercy, &c. of theſe three are the verie diuine being or eſſence, which is in number one and the ſame in theſe three. But to be of himſelfe, or from another; likewiſe to be from one, or from two: (that is, to hauehave that one Eſſence of himſelfe, or to hauehave it communicated from an other, either from one or from two) is the manners of being which are three, to wit, The eternal father, and the ſonne, and the ſpirite of them both. And this is it, that Iuſtine Martyr ſaith: There is one exiſtence or eſſence of the three, which is from none but of it ſelfe: becauſe it is but one: but the manners of the exiſtence are three. Wherefore as concerning exiſtence, Being, or eſſence it ſelfe, the three perſons are of themſelues: as concerning the maner of exiſting or beeing, the father is none but of himſelfe: The ſonne of the father; the holie Ghoſt, from both: The ſonne begotten, the holy Ghoſt proceeding.
The ſumme of the difference between the Eſſence and perſon is: the eſſence is abſolute and communicable; the perſon reſpectiue and incommunicable. This may bee made more manifeſt by exemplifiyng in a man. It is one thing, to bee a man, an other thing to bee a Father, or a Sonne; and yet one and the ſame, is both a man and a Father: but hee is a man abſolutely, or in himſelfe, or according to his owne nature; he is a father to another, or in reſpect of another, namely of his ſonne. Semblablie, it is one thing, to be God, another thing to be the father, or ſon, or holy ghoſt, and yet one and the ſame is both God, and father; god in reſpect of himſelfe, or his own nature; father in reſpect of the ſonne. Again, the eſſence of a man who begetteth another is communicated to him who is begot: but the perſon, or indiuidual, is not communicated. For the begetter bringeth forth not himſelfe, but another diſtinct from himſelfe, the ſame eſſence notwithſtanding being communicated vntounto him. And no relatiue is his correlatiue, or any part thereof. Therefore the ſonne is not the father, nor the father the ſonne, although both bee true man. So in like ſort, the eternall Father hath by eternall generating communicated to the Sonne his Eſſence, but not his Perſon, that is, hee begot not the Father, but the Sonne, neither is the Father the Sonne, or the Sonne the Father; albeit each is true God.God, and man communicate both their Eſſence to another; but their maner of communicating is moſt different, and is much to be obſerued.
Now although this be like in God and man, that both doe communicate to an other not his Perſon, but his Eſſence: yet is there an exceeding diſſimilitude in the maner, whereby the diuine Eſſence being infinite, and the humane being created and finite is communicated to another: Which diſſimilitude is diligently to be obſerued. For firſt, in men, in the father & the Sonne, the Eſſence is as diſtinct as the Perſons themſelues. The father and the Sonne are not onelyonly two perſons, but alſo two men diſtinct in eſſences: So that the father is not that man, which is the ſonne. But in God the perſons are ſo diſtinct, that yet the eſſence remaineth common, one and the ſame, and therefore there are not three Gods, but the Sonne is the ſame God in number, which is the Father and the Sonne. Secondlie, In perſons created, hee that begetteth and generateth doth not communicate his whole eſſence to him that is begotten: (For then hee ſhould ceaſe to be a man,) but only a part, which being alotted and ſeuered out of the eſſence of him that begetteth, is conueied or deriued into him that is begotten, and is made the eſſence of another indiuiduall or perſon, diſtinct from the eſſence of the indiuiduall who begetteth. But in vncreated perſons he that begetteth or inſpireth, communicateth his whole eſſence to him that is begotten or proceedeth, or is inſpired: yet ſo, that he who communicateth doth reteine the ſame, and that whole. The reaſon of both differences is, that the eſſence of man, as alſo of other creatures, is finite and diuiſible, the eſſence of God infinite and indiuiſible: and therefore the Deity may, beeing the ſame and whole or entire, bee together both communicated and reteined. Wherefore the eternall Father, and Sonne, and holy Ghoſt are that one true GOD: and yet the Father is not the Sonne, or the holy Ghoſt, neither is the holy Ghoſt the Sonne; that is, they are one God, not three Gods, but three perſons, ſubſiſting in one God.
By the name of Trinity, are vnderſtoode the three maners of beeing in God, that is, three not eſſences, but perſons of the ſame diuine Eſſence. Now Trinity and triplicitie, as alſo Trinal and triple differ. That is ſaid to be Triple, which is compounded of three eſſences, or is diſtinct by three eſſences. Trinall is that, which in eſſence is but one and moſt ſimple, but hath three manners of beeing. God therefore is not Triple; becauſe there are not mo eſſences: but Trinall, becauſe he beeing one according to his eſſence, is three according to his perſons.
This difference of eſſence and perſon is to be obſerued and held. 1 Least the vnitie of the true God be diſtracted. 2 Leaſt the distinction of the perſons be taken awaie. 3. Leaſt another thing be vnderſtoode by the name of perſon, than the truth of gods woorde declareth. For perſon in this place doth not ſignifie only a relation or office, as the Latines are wont to ſpeak, Principis perſonam tueri, to defend the perſon of the Prince, as of olde, Sabellius falſely taught: muchleſſe doth it ſignifie the countenance, or viſible ſhape (as in theſe daies Seruetus ſported and trifled with the word, perſon) repreſenting the forme, or geſture of another; ſuch as is the perſon of a ſtage plaier: but it ſignifieth a thing ſubſistent, truely diſtinct frō others, vntounto whom it hath a relation & reſpect, by an incommunicable property: that is, it ſignifieth that which begetteth, or which is begotten, or which proceedeth; not the office, or dignity, or degree of him that begetteth, or is begotten, or proceedeth. Furthermore, the perſons are not anie thing ſeparated from the eſſence, but each of them are the verie ſelfeſame whole eſſence of the Diuinitie. But the difference is in this, that the perſons are each diſtinct from the other, but the eſſence is common to them three. And, that the perſon is no other thing ſubſiſting, or other ſubſtaunce, than the eſſence, may be vnderſtoode in ſome ſort, by the example of a man. One and the ſame man, or one and the ſame ſubſtaunce, is a father and a man, or a ſonne and a man: and yet the manhoode, or, to be a man, is one thing; the fatherhoode, or, to bee a father, another: but there is not one ſubſiſtent which is the father, and another ſubſiſtent which is a man, but one and the ſame ſubſiſtent is both, becauſe both manhoode and fatherhoode is in him: manhood abſolutely, fatherhood reſpectiuely as in regard of his Sonne.
Of the worde eſſence alſo it is furder to be noted, that God or the Deitie or diuine eſſence is not in reſpect of the perſons, the ſame which the matter in reſpect of the effect: becauſe God is vnchaungeable, neither is compounded of matter and forme. Therefore we cannot ſay wel: Three perſons are, or, conſiſt of one eſſence: Neither is it as the whole in reſpect of the parts: becauſe God is indiuiſible. Wherefore it is not well ſaide, that the perſon is a part of the eſſence, or the eſſence conſiſteth of three perſons: for eueryevery perſon is the whole diuine eſſence, one and the ſame. Neither is it as the general to the ſpeciall, becauſe the perſons are not ſpecials, but indiuiduals. Neither is it ſimplie as the ſpecial to the indiuiduals, becauſe the diuine eſſence it ſelfe is indiuiduall, or one in number: and the perſons are not another, or a diuerſe, or a ſeparated thing from the eſſence, but eueryevery perſon is that eſſence. Therefore it is well ſaid, God or the Diuine eſſence, is the father, is the ſonne is the holy ghoſt: Likewiſe, The three perſons are one God, or in one God: Againe, they are one and the ſame eſſence, nature, diuinity, wiſedome, &c. They are of one or the ſame eſſence, nature, diuinitie, &c. Yet it cannot bee ſaide well, they are of one God. Wherefore the diuine eſſence is in reſpect of the perſons, as a thing after a rare and ſingular maner communicated, in reſpect of thoſe things, vntounto which it is common. For neither is there the like example of community in any created things. For a generall is a certain thing common to manie ſpecials, & a general and ſpecial to manie indiuiduals: but yet ſo, that they are affirmed of thoſe manie plurallie, not ſingularlie: as, that the father, and the ſonne, or this father and ſonne are two liuing creatures, two men. But wee maie not ſpeake after this ſort of God and the diuine perſons, as to ſaie, the father and the ſonne are two Gods, two ſpirites, two omnipotentes, &c. Becauſe there is but one GOD, one ſpirite, one omnipotent, &c. Wherefore that affirmation, the father is God, the Son is God, the holy Ghoſt is God, is a true affirmation affirming that which is more common of a thing which is more reſtrict: that is, affirming the eſſence of the indiuidual; which hath in ſome ſort an analogy and proportion only with the ſpeciall affirmed of his indiuiduall, but is not at al the ſame, nor of the ſame kind.
6 Whether theſe names are to be vſed in the Church.
THeſe names are to be vſed and reteined in the church. Obiection. But theſe names, namely Eſſence, perſon, and Trinitie, are not in the Scripture; therefore they ought not to be vſed and reteined in the Church. Anſwere. Theſe names which are not in the Scripture, neither the words themſelues, nor the ſenſe of them, are not to be vſed: but both the names them ſelues of eſſence and perſon are found in the Scripture, and the thing alſo or the doctrine it ſelfe concerning them. The name Eſſence is expreſſed by the name of Iehoua, which is frequent in the Scripture. Likewiſe by the name of Beeing, which often alſo offereth it ſelfe in the Scripture. Exod. 3.14. I am that I am. Reuel. 1.8. Which is, and which was, and which is to come. The woorde Perſon, is expreſſed by the greeke woord foreign, Heb. 13. which woord is there interpreted, Perſon: The ingraued forme of his perſon. The name of Trinitie, is ſignified, 1. Iohn. 5.7. There are three which beare recorde in heauen, the father, the woorde, and the holie ghoſt, and theſe three are one. And this for the names themſelues. Now for the thing. As often as is mentioned one Iehoua, ſo often is mentioned one eſſence. As often as the Father, the Sonne, and the holie ghoſt is called Iehoua, ſo often the three perſons of the Diuinitie are expreſſed; that is, three ſubſiſting, three vnderſtanding, &c. And this aunſwere yeeldeth the firſt cauſe, why theſe woordes ought to bee reteined in the Church: becauſe namelie they are extant in the holie Scripture, either in woordes or in ſenſe and meaning.
The Second cauſe is, becauſe they are fit to expound the phraſe and ſpeech of the Scripture vntounto the vnlearned. And furder if no woordes were to bee vſed, but ſuch as are extant in the Scriptures, all interpretation ſhoulde bee taken away. For interpretation requireth, that the words of Scripture bee expounded to the vnlearned by ſuch words, as being more vſual in other languages or matters & doctrines, are more eaſie for them to vnderſtand, & paueth and maketh plaine away vntounto them for the vnderſtanding of the ſpeech and phraſe of Scripture.
The third cauſe is, that the ſleights and ſophiſmes of heretiques, which for the moſt part they goe about to cloake and couer with the woords of holie Scripture, are more eaſily eſpied and taken heede of, if the ſame things bee expounded in diuerſe woordes, and thoſe eſpeciallie ſhort, perſpicuous, and ſignificant. So the ſectaries and followers of Seruetus do confeſſe, that the Father, the Sonne, and the holy ghoſt, are one God, but not one in eſſence, but by propagation, that is, that they are not foreign, the ſame in ſubſtance, but foreign, like in ſubſtance. Likewiſe they graunt the Sonne to be true God, but they deny him to bee the ſame in ſubſtance with his father. But therefore is it that heretiques will none of the Churches phraſe & ſpeech, becauſe they diſlike the thing it ſelfe. For if there were a conſent & an according in the thinges, we ſhoulde eaſily come to an agreement about the woordes.