Confession of the Christian Religion, Confession · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of God, and of the diuine perſons and properties.
I. That there is one onelyonly god, diſtinct in three perſons.
AS wee are taught therefore by the holie ſcriptures, Deu. 4.6.which are his owne word, we beleeue that there is only one god, that is, one ſimple, indiuiſible, eternall, liuing and moſt perfect eſſence in three exiſtences, or (as the church vſeth to ſpeake) perſons, Mat. 28.19. 1. Ioh. 5.7.namelie ſubſiſting of the eternall Father, the eternall Sonne, and the eternall holie ſpirite, truely diſtinct among themſelues, yet without all diuiſion: being both beginning and cauſe of all thinges.
II. That ſo euerieperſon by it ſelfe is true god that yet there be not three gods.
For ſo wee doe beleeue and hauehave learned out of the holie ſcriptures, that the father by himſelfe is true and perfect god, the Sonne by himſelfe is god, and the holie ſpirite by himſelfe is god: and yet that they are not manie but one onelie god Almightie: Rom. 11.30.of vvhome all things, by vvhome all things, and for vvhome all things are.
III. One perſon to be diſtinct from another in perſonall proprieties: but in eſſentiall they differ from euerie creature.
And becauſe the holie ſcriptures doe ſo ſpeake of god, that they attribute vntounto him manie proprieties, both eſſentiall, and perſonall, and they teach that in the eſſentiall he differeth from all things created, but in the perſonall, one perſon to be diſtinguiſhed frō another; we therefore doe ſo beleeue, that as to begett the Sonne is ſuch a proprietie of the Father, as can agree neither with the Sonne nor the holie ſpirite: and againe to be begotten, can agree to none but the Sonne, and ſo of the reſt: ſo likewiſe to be moſt pure, eternal, immeaſurable, preſent euerie where, ſimplie knowing all thinges, ſimplie almightie, ſimplie good and ſuch like, are in ſuch ſorte the verie proprieties of god, that they can by no meanes bee communicated to anie creature, ſo as it ſhould bee good (for example ſake) in that immeaſurable goodneſſe, or omnipotent in the ſame omnipotencie, that god is.
IIII. The eſſentiall proprieties in god, doe not in verie deede differ from the eſſence.
For we acknowledge that in god for his ſingleneſſe, the eſſentiall proprieties doe not in deede differ from the eſſence, and therfore they without this cannot be communicated to anie creature: and therefore no creature can be or can be ſaid to be (for example ſake) omnipotent ſimplie, iuſt, wiſe, or ſuch like. Euen as our Lord Ieſus ſpeaking of one proprietie, Matt. 19.17teacheth of them all, ſaying, none is good (ſimplie) but god.
V. That nothing is or can be made ſimplie ſuch as god is: vnleſſe the ſame might ſimplie be god.
Wherefore they which will affirme that anie created ſubſtance euer could or can bee made partaker of thoſe diuine proprieties, whereby it ſhould be ſuch as god is, as ſimplie omnipotent, and ſuch like: they muſt needs then confeſſe that the ſame is, or that it can be foreign of the ſame ſubſtance with god, for aſmuch as neither the ſonne himſelfe is ſimplie omnipotent, but, as he is foreign conſubſtantiall with the father: nor yet the holie ſpirite.
VI. A confirmation of the former opinion.
Whereuppon we alſo vnderſtand, how it is that ſith the ſonne is no leſſe omnipotent thē the father, and ſo likewiſe the holie ghoſt, yet we doe not ſaie that they are three almighties, Atha. creedbut wee confeſſe with Athanaſius, and the whole church, that they are one onlie almightie: becauſe indeed of them all there is but one and the ſelfe ſame ſubſtance. Therefore ſeeing no creature hath one & the ſelfe ſame eſſence with God, but a farre other and diuerſe: and if the ſame by cōmunication of the diuine omnipotencie could alſo be made omnipotent, then it muſt follow that there might be more almighties then one: which wee beleeue can not without blaſphemie be affirmed.
VII. Errors.
Wherefore we condemne and deteſt all hereſies, which hauehave riſen againſt this firſt article of our faith, or hauehave ſprong from hell, & bin condemned by the holie fathers in their lawfull councells: as thoſe of Cerin thus, Ebion, Valentinus, Marcion, Manichaeus, Arius, Eunomius, Sabellius, Praxea, Fotinus, and ſuch like, as Seruetus, and Tritheitae, alſo the blaſphemies of Iewes and Turkes: and laſtlie all hereſies which hauehave bin inuented by the diuell, either againſt the vnitie of the diuine eſſence or againſt the true Trinitie of perſons: Yea and thoſe therefore which denie either the Sonne to be true and euerlaſting god, or the holie ghoſt to be ſo: or which do cōfound theſe perſons, and ſaie they bee one and the ſelfe ſame exiſtence, which for diuers reſpects is called by diuerſe names of Father, Sonne, and holie Ghoſt. We alſo condemne all thoſe errors which doe ſeperate the eſſentiall proprieties of god from the diuine eſſence: which it ſeemeth vntounto vsus that theſe men verie vnaduiſedlie doe, which teach that thoſe eſſentiall proprieties in verie deed may be communicated or rather at already cōmunicated to creatures without cōmunication of the eſſence.