The Divine Triunity of the Father Son and Holy Spirit, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
The Manner of GOD'S Being or Subsisting in the Father, Sonne and H. Ghost, is the best manner of Being that is or can be, and the single Godhead is thereby thrice illustrious throughout the wo…ld.
HItherto we have contended for the truth of this Divine Being or Subsisting: 2. The Excellency of God the Father.Now …e shall demonstrate the excellency thereof. God is made known to us as the everlasting Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, and is to be adored & aEn cultum propriè Evangelicum, concord…, Deum ac Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi concorditer colimus, uno ore uti Christianos decet glorificamus.worshipped as the Father of our Lord Iesus, Rom. 15. 6. Ephes. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 1. 3 If God had been the Father of men and Father of Angels only, and not the Father of our Lord Jesus, he would not have been so exceeding glorious as now he is: for Angles have but a sinite excellency; but when he begets a Son equall to himself, without any change in himself; and the begetting of this glorious Person, is as eternal as the divine nature it self; This mysterie is exceeding glorious and admirable, and like the Godhead incomprehensible. Moreover, the Lord Iesus Christ his own Son,2 The Excellency of God the Son. Rom. 8. 32. and his only Son begotten by eternal generation, Ioh. 1. 14. being the bEn Patris Hypostasin in filio refulgentem: En Filii Hypostasin eum à Patre distinguentem.illustrious brightnesse of the Fathers glory, and the expresse character of his subsistence, is so exceeding glorious, that the most glorious Angels above are commanded to adore and worship him, Heb. 1. 3, 4, 5, 6. For to which of the Angels said God at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And therefore when he brings his first-begotten, and his only begotten Son into the world, he saith, And let all the Angels of God worship him. Behold how the Godhead shines gloriously not only in one single Person, but in Father and Son both, by this manner of subsistence; that every tongue may confesse Iesus Christ to be God and Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And therefore the Father is not lessened or robbed of his glory, by the glory of his coequal Son, Phil. 2. 6. 11. but there is a pious acknowledgment made of this glorious mysterie, which doth very much redound to the glory of God the Father. For by this meanes God the Father is acknowledged to be the First personall Principle subsisting of himself, and by himself; for he received not his subsistence from any other, and he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons equall with him…elf. The Socinians seem to be very zealous for the glory of God the Father; and therefore they deny the Godhead of Christ and the Hol… Spirit, to the glory of God the Father, as they pretend: but the Scripture teaches us the contrary, namely to confesse the Godhead of Christ and the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father For it doth exceedingly redound to the glory of the Father, that he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons who are equall to himself, and yet receives no subsistence from them, or any other. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, Joh 5, 26. There is a subsisting life given to the Son by an eternal generation; and thecVitam d…d…t Pater Filio ver▪ subsist…ntem non Alicnat. one, sed Communicatione. Father hath life in himself, and self-subsistence also. And yet on the other side, it is no dishonour to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to receive subsisting life from the Father;John 5. 21. for the Son hath life in himself also,John 5 18. and being God of himself, Joh. 10. 30.quickens whom he will by his divine power even as the Father doth; for he hath the very same power and will which the Father hath, because they have both one and the same divine nature; John 1. 33. 34.and therefore the Jewes did conclude a…ight, when they said, that our Lord Iesus made himself equall with God by saying he was the Son of God, Ioh 5. 18. It is no dishonour to Jesus Christ todQui accipit vitā subsistentem, accipit vitam independentem: dare vitam non arguit ullam causalitatem, accipere vitam non arguit ullam dependent an…; & pr…inde in Deo non …noris perfectionis est esse Filium, quam esse Patrem. Pater enim necessitate naturali generat filium, filius eandem naturam …abet cum Pat…e non ex gratiâ vel indolgentiâ Patris; non est enim precatio Deus; atura divina in filio est incausata, independens, & per … eadem natura divina quae est in Pa…re; ipsa etiam subsistentia quam accipit filius est sibi naturaliter de bita. receive subsisting life in such a glorious way from the …ather, as that he is equall with the Father, nay one with the Father, and therefore is to be worshipped with one and the same worship with the Father, with divine and spiritual worship, inward and outward worship the worship of our bodies and soules, of our whole man. For all men are bound to honour the Son, as they honour the Father, Joh. 5. 23. And let all Socinians take speciall notice of what followes: He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him; Joh. 5. 23. …et them not then pretend, that they dishonour the Son (by denying his Godhead) to the glory of God the Father; for the Father will maintain and vindicate the honour of his first-begotten, and only begotten Sonne. And let them diligently consider that Text in the 2. Epist. of Iohn.2 Epist. Joh. ver. 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God; he who abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. It is for the honour of our great Ruler Iesus Christ, that he was begotten from the dayes of Eternity, Mic. 5. 2.
Finally,III. The Excellency of God the Holy Ghost. Deus est Personaliter spiritus Sanctus. it doth much redound to the glory of the Father and the Son, that both do concur to give Subsisting life to the Coequal Spirit by Eternal Spiration. The Father and Son do both breathe forth this glorious Spirit. The Spirit of Elohim, of both Persons, Gen. 1, 2. The Spirit that proceeds from the Father, Ioh. 15. 26. is sent by Christ from the Father, and the Spirit is given by Christ.eTemporalis operationis Sigillum, aeternae spirationis fignum, Johan 20. 22. Christ breathed upon the Apostles, when he gave the Holy Ghost to them, to shew that the Spirit was breathed forth by himself as well as from the Father, Ioh. 20. 22. And he is often called the Spirit of the Son. The Holy Ghost doth receive of that which is Christs, as well as the Fathers, Ioh. 16. 14, 15. and Christ is glorified by the Spirit, Ioh. 16. 14. as the Father is glorified by Christ. For Christ receives from the Father, & the Spirit from Christ, what they both reveale to the Church of Christ. Nor is it any dishonour to the Spirit to proceed from the Father and the Son in such a glorious way as to be equall with them, nay one with them 1 Ioh. 5. 7. For all the Churches of Christ are obliged by the first Sacrament of Christianity, to honour the Holy Ghost with their bodies and souls, which are his *Si ex lignis & lapidibus templum Spiritui facete juberemur, quia cultus hic so… Deo debetur, clarum esset divinitatis ejus argumentum▪ nunc ergo quanto clarius istad est, quod non Templum illi facere sed nos ipsi esse debemus? Augustin. ad Maximin. Epist. 66.holy temple as they honour the Father and the Son. The Spirit of …ehovah is the God of Israel. 2 Sam 23. 2, 3.fSubtractâ subsistentia Spir…tus S…ncti De…s …esincret esse Personal…ter Spiritus Sanctus; & proinde ista s…b…actio est impossibilis, imo ipsa etiam supposi…io su…ilis, quia tanta est tam essentiae divinae quàm personarum perfectio ut nec pauciores nec plures esse possint. The Holy Ghost, as he is one God with the Father and the Son, hath an infinite essence, which doth exist of it self▪ though as he is the third Person, he hath not subsistence from himself, but by Emanation, Procession, Spiration from the Father and the Son; and yet both concurre to build a Temple to the Holy Spirit that he may be worshipped as God. These three, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, do take mutual delight, content, and satisfaction in one another; The distinction between them is not gTres personae divinae non disti…guuntur secundum esse Absolutum, sed per proprietates Relativas d…gno…untur; & proinde distinctio est tantum Respectiva, & Modalis.Absolute, but Relative only they do mutually subsist in one another, and all of them subsist in the same glorious Godhead, which Godhead dwells equally in its fulnesse in all three, and is as truly the nature of the Holy Ghost, as it is the nature of the Father and the Son. And this Divine nature is infinite, nothDeus immensu est non voluntatis libertate sed naturae necessitate; essentia divina est tota intra omnia, tota extra omnia, nusquam inclusa, nusquam exclusa, omnia continens, à nullo contenta. included in, or excluded from any place.
The DivineiDeus ingenium nostr… ad … one suspē sam tenet & … nostra efficaci sen su penitus afficit, ut deficientes sub ejus magn…u dine ad opera intimiora re …piciamus ejus que re ficiamur bonitate Aug. in Ps. 144. works, whereby the glory of the Godhead is so much manifested unto … are performed by the Godhead subsisting in the Holy Ghost as well as in the Father and the Son: For all the works of God upon or about the Creature for their creation, sustentation or regulation are inseparably united; askAug. de Praedest. Sanct. c. 8. …ugustine often argues, and the schoolmen from him: All things are of the Father*Actiones sunt suppositorum. by the Son and through the Spirit, 1 Cor. 8. 6. Iohn 5. 19. Iohn 1. 3. Gen. 1. 2. 1 Cor. 12. 11, 13. Ephes. 2. 18. so that by the majesty of all three shining in the Word and the joynt concurrence of all three in every work that is properly Divine, the Godhead is made thrice lforeign, Naz. orat… de Bapt. 4.illustrious thorowout the world, and yet the Godhead remains singly and singularly one in all three Subsistences.
Finally themforeign. Naturall and Infinite perfection of the Godhead requires this wonderfull Communication of Subsistence by the Father as the First Personall principle to the Son, and by the …ather and the Son to the Holy Ghost. For it is most certain that God is not capable of any other being, or any other maner of being or subsisting then what he hath, for he hath thenQuiquid De naturale est perfectissimū est; aequè necessariū est esse tres personas Deitatis, quàm est, essentiam divinam esse unicā, & proinde aeque perfectum est unum at que alterum, quia utrū que naturale & proinde substantiale; ipse etiam respectus inter personas divinasest substantialis, naturalis, mutuus, simultaneus, necessarius, aeternus, in singulis autem singularis. best being that is, nay the best that Can be, because the being of God and the manner of being or subsisting of the Godhead in these three, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is infinitely perfect, and there can be no better being, or manner of being or subsisting then that which is perfect, infinite, and infinitly perfect. The Father did not Arbitrarily beget his Sonne, nor did the Father and the Sonne Arbitrarily concur in breathing forth the Holy Ghost, but the Naturall and infinite perfection of the Godhead did require this wonderfull communication of it self, because such is the Naturall perfection of the Divine Nature or Godhead, that it could not be fully communicated, unlesse subsistence were communicated by the Father to the Son, and by both to the Spirit for their mutuall, Eternall, Infinite satisfaction and delight; and therefore the Father did not beget his Son, nor did the Father and Son breath forth the Spirit Arbitrarily, but Naturally and Necessarily, though Voluntarily for the Eternall satisfa…ion of all three Susistences, that the whole Godhead might be in every one of these three according to its infinite oDivina essentia ad suam summam perfectionem sine personisesse ne quit, nec personar… una sine alterâ obintimam relationē. Bisterfell contra Crellium lib. 2. Sect. 1. cap. 4.perfection, and all three subsist in the unity of the Godhead, and dwell in one another, mutually possess, love & glorifie one another from everlasting to everlasting, because all three are Coessential, Coequal, Coeternal▪ every one of the Persons, the third as well as the first, being God by pQui naturá Deus est, verus Deus est: qui verus Deus est, naturá Deus est.Nature, Gal 4. 8. and not by the meere favour of any one or more of the Coessentiall persons. And therefore both the generation of the Son and breathing forth of the Spirit must needs beqQ…icquid Deo naturale est aeternum est. Eternall, because both are Naturall: for whatsoever is Naturall unto God must needs be Eternall: but because the Father is the firstrOmnia à Patre tanquam primo principio Personali esse dicuntur, et proinde omnia ad ips…m ut primum principium Personale re…erunt…r. Personall Principle of subsisting life, all is from him by the Son. 1 Cor. 8. 6. and all is referred back again to him as the first Personall Principle, even by the Son, Iohn 5. 19. in regard of the Fathers Self subsistence, his order of subsisting, and his communicating f subsistence to the Son and Holy Ghost, though all things in the world are wrought by the Spirit also as hath been shewen: And hence it is that the Name of God is most sIohn 1. 1. John 17 3. Rom. 15. 6. John 14 1. 1 Pet. 1. 21. 2. Cor. 1. 3. Eph. 1. 3. Col. 2. 2.familiarly given to the fa…ther both in the Old and the New Testament, …hough Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all equally God, nay are tTrinitas non est conjunctio Dei unius (scil. Dei Patris) cum duabus rebus creatis, Filio nimirum Spiritu que unus Deus est, unus est Baptismus, una fides in Patrem, Filium, Spiritum; Deum unum unicum unicissimum.one and the same God, who is the only true God blessed for ever. We may then look upon the Son, admire and blesse the Father, look upon the Father and blesse the Son, look upon Father and Son and blesse the Spirit, look upon all three, admire and blesse, adore and love,uPropius seipsum cognoscendum Deus exhibet, quando in unica essentia tres nobis personas considerandas proponit. Colonius. know, beleeve and obey all three coequal persons, subsisting in the same most single Godhead, and have accesse to the Father through the Son, and by the Spirit with reverence and confidence, zeal and love.