Certain Questions and Answers Concerning the Knowledge of God, Part 2 – Part 3
How the 3. persons agree together.
Q. How do the three persons of the Trinitie agree one with another?
A. They agree fiue waies.
1 In deitie.
2 In dignitie.
3 In time or eternitie.
4 In operation.
5 In will.
Q. What meane you by agreeing in Deitie?
A. Their substance is the same, and all are one God.
Q. How proue you that the Father is God?
Eph. 1.3.A. S. Paule saith, Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ.
Q. How proue you that the Sonne is God?
A. Three waies.
First, by plaine testimonies of scriptures.
2. By the workes which hee did and doth.
3. By comparing the olde Testament and the new together.
Q. By what testimonies of scripture do you proue it?
A. In 1. Ioh. 5.20. Heb. 1.8. Rom. 9.5. Esai. 9.6.
Q. How do you proue it by his worke?
A. His workes were such as none could do but God: for,
1 He made the world which none could doe but God.Heb. 1.2.
2 He forgaue sins which none could doe but God.Math. 9.2.
3 He giueth the holy Ghost,Ioh. 15.26. which none can doe but God.
4 Hee maintaineth his Church which hee could not doe if he were not God.Ephe. 4.11.12.
Q. How doe you proue the Sonne to be God by comparing the olde Testament and the new?
A. Looke what the olde Testament speakes of Iehouah which is God, that the new Testament applyeth to Christ, Ergo. he is God.
Q. What proues can you shew of this?
A. 1 Dauid saith:Psal. 68.18. Ephe. 4.8. Psal, 95.…. 1. Cor. 10.9. Esai. 41.4. Apoc. 21.6. Iehouah went vp on high, and led captiuity captiue. Paule applieth it to Christ.
2 Againe, the Psalmist saith, Iehouah was tempted, which Paule applieth to Christ.
3 Againe▪ Esai saith▪ Iehouah is the first and the last: this is also applyed to Christ.
4 Againe: Esay saith, Iehouah wil not giuegive his glorie to any other then to himselfe,Esa. 42, 8. Heb. 1.6. but it is giuen to Christ, therfore Christ is Iehouah.
Q. How proue you the holy ghost to be God?
1. Cor. 3, 17. 2. Cor. 6.16.A. Paule calleth vsus Gods temples, because the holy ghoste dwelleth in vsus, therfore he is God▪ and this reason is also vsed by S. Augustine in his 66. Epistle to Maximinus.
Q. How doth he vse it?
A. He saith it is a cleare argument of his Godhead, if we were commaunded to make him a Temple but of tymber and stone, because that woorship is due to God only: Therfore now we must much more think that he is God, because we are not commaunded to make him a Temple, but to be a temple for him our selues.
Q. What other reason hauehave you out of the Scripture?
A. Peter reprouing Ananias for lying to the holy ghost,Act. 5.3.4. said that the lyed not to men, but to God.
Q. HaueHave you any more reasons from the Scriptures?
A. Yea two more, one from Paule, and another. from S. Paule and Esay together.
Q. What is your reason from S. Paule?
1. Cor. 12.11.A. When he sheweth how many sundrye giftes are giuen to men, he saith, that one and the selfsame spirit is the distributer of them all, therfore he is God, for none can distribute those giftes which Paule speakes of, but God.
Q. What is your reason from Esay and S. Paule together?
Act. 28.25.A. Esay saith in chap. 6.9. I heard the lord speaying, which place Paule expoundeth of the holy ghoste.
Q. Which is the second way, that they are all one?
A. They agree not onelyonly in deitie, but also in dignitie.
Q. What meane you by that?
A. I mean that the one hath as great excellencie and maiestie eueryevery way as the other.Ioh. 5.23. Apo. 5.12.13. And therfore their honor and worship is equall and a like, and one of them hath not more honor then an other.
Q. If the honor of the Father and the Sonne be equall, then what say you to them that giuegive external honor to the name of Iesus, more then the name of Christ, and of Iehouah, and of God, and of the holy ghost?
A. I see not what reason they hauehave so to doo.
Of the bowing to the name of Iesus.
Q. Why? Philip. 2.10.is it not said that at the name of Iesus eueryevery knee shall bow, &c.
A. It is true, if it be rightly vnderstood▪ for as a learned man saith, the bowing of the knee at the sound of the name of Iesus (as it is vsed in poperie) is not commaunded nor prophiced in that place, but it meaneth that all creatures shalbe subiect to the iudgement of Christ, when not onelyonly Turks and Iewes, which now yeeld no honor to Iesus, but euen the Deuils themselues shalbe constrained to acknowledge that he is their Iudge.
Q. What hurt is there in bowing or worshipping at the name of Iesus.?
A. To this question I answere with that reuerēd man, that capping and kneeling at the name of Iesus, is of it selfe an indifferent thing, and therfore may be abused superstitiouslie, as in Poperye, where the people stoope at the sound of the name of Iesus when it is read, not vnderstanding what it meaneth, or what is said concerning him: Also in bowing onlie at the name of Iesus, and not at the names of Christ, Emanuel, God the father, the sonne and the holie Ghost, there is superstition committed; it may bee vsed well also when the minde is free from superstition in signe of remembraunce of his maiestie, and as in a matter, in which Christian libertie ought to hauehave place, for due reuerence may be yeelded to our Sauiour without any such outward ceremonie of kneeling or capping. D. Fulke annota. in Rhe. Test. in Philip 2.10. Concerning … or diuine worship it is not due to the sillables and letters of the bare name of Iesus or of Christ, but to Iesus Christ himselfe, and to his lawes and statutes prescribed in his holie word, and that according to his word.
Q. HaueHave anie committed such idolatrie?
A. Yea the Papists who thought and do thinke that the verie letters of the name of Iesus is able to saue them from the diuel and from ill; As also ignorant people amongst vsus, which standes scraping and capping at the bare name of Iesus, and that onlie when the Gospell is read, not knowing what they do.
Q. Is not the diuell afraide of the name of Iesus, and will not the sounde and sight thereof make him flie from vsus?
Luke 4.41. Act. 19.15.A. No: for then they would neuer hauehave named, and confessed him themselues, as it appeareth they did, besides that, if the diuell were afraide at the name of Iesus, why durst hee so boldlie come to tempt Christ himselfe in the wildernesse? Therefore the diuell is no more afraide of the name of Iesus,Matth. 4. then he was to see the Crosse, when he did helpe the Iewes to make it, and to set it vp, and to hange Christ vponupon it, much lesse is he afraid of the sign of the crosse.
Q. But we reade that Paule draue an euil spirit out of a Maide, by the name of Iesus.
A.Act. 1….18. That was by the vertue and power of Christs spirite, which Paule had giuen vntounto him, and not by the name only of Iesus,Act. 3.16. as the cripple was healed by faith in the name of Iesus.
Q. Can you shew me example of any that could not preuaile as Paule did, by the bare sound of the name of Iesus.
A. Yea, In Act. 19.13.14.15.16. We read of certaine men, which tooke vponupon them to driue out Diuels by naming of Iesus, but they got nothing by it, as the storie sheweth.