of a Beginning stand thus It is either Principium principians non principiatum that is a beginning which is a Beginner vnto another yet hath not his beginning from another lest there should be a processe into Infinitie a parte ante this is God the Father to whom it is peculiar to beget the Sonne yet is himselfe neyther made nor created nor begotten of any other Secondly there is Principium principiatum principians to witte a Beginning which hath his beginning of another and is also a beginning to another lest there should be any defect or imbecillitie in the Beginning and this is the Euerlasting Sonne very God of very God begotten of the substance of his Father alone before thē worlds neither made nor created Thirdly there is Principium principiatum non principians that is a Beginning which is also begun but is not a beginner vnto another lest there should be a processe into Infinitie a parte post and this is the Holy Ghost who proceedeth from the very substance and Being of the Father and the Sonne and is with them one GOD coeternall and coequall But you will say Is not the Holy Ghost a Beginner vnto any other how is he then the Authour of our consolation and how is hee said to leade vs into all trueth c Vnderstand what I meane Hee is not a Beginner vnto any other of the same Infinite Essence or Being with himselfe For the beginnings which I spake of before are in the Essence of God alone now our spiritual consolation whereof the Holy Ghost is said to be the Beginner is but an or effluence from that Being which he himselfe is as the light of the Sunne doth illuminate euery bright body exposed to his light and yet imparteth not his being thereto You will againe obiect that Eternitie hath no beginning nor ending how then can Christ be both eternall and begun and how againe can he be equall to the Father whereas hee beeing begotten of the Father the Father hath a prioritie before him I answere that this beginning is none other then that production or begetting which I before declared to haue been heretofore none other then it is now and shall be eternally as the Sunne hath brought forth light since his creation and shall still bring forth light till the worlds dissolution For this action of GOD whereby hee begetteth his Sonne is not a transeant action to cause a passion in the subiect and a repassion in the agent for in such the subiect of necessitie should haue been existent before the action but this action is immanent and therefore of necessitie of the same nature with the agent which agent because it is eternall therefore the production is also eternal and consequently the product and so of necessitie very GOD. But you must euer remember what difference I made betweene the action of God infinite in power therefore able to actuate the obiect and the immanent actions of our minde Now for the Prioritie or Posterioritie you may obiect I graunt there is Prioritie among the persons of the Godhead but of what kinde not of Being for their Essence is one and therein is none afore or after another neither is any one of the Trinitie more or lesse God then another not of time for they are all one Eternitie not of dignitie for they are all one Infinitie and the Sonne himselfe being very God thinketh it no robberie to bee equall with God But yet there is Prioritie and that of order onely for the Father is in order before the Sonne because the Sonne is begotten of the Father and the Sonne likewise is before the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost is the mutuall loue betweene the Father and the Sonne and so proceeding from them both I will make a comparison vnmeet for the matter of which I speake for to whom shall wee assimulate the Highest but yet meete to helpe your vnderstanding When a man doth dreame and imagine things which are not there is you know the phantasie the phantasme or thing imagined or dreamed and the phansying or working of the phantasie about that obiect Now these three are all of one nature and are one after another onely in order and not in time For the particular phantasie of such an obiect is before the obiect and makes it to haue an intentionall being then the obiect being the discourse of the phantasie followeth in order which neuerthelesse was in time as soone as it obseruing euer the cautions that are to bee obserued Thus haue I very briefly showne not many reasons but rather how that many reasons may bee showen for this Christian assertion yet haue I showen ynough to perswade any reasonable man to yeelde meekely vnto the trueth of that doctrine which is so euident both in the booke of GOD and in euerie faithfull and true Christian mans confession and according to that discourse which is euident to euery mans vnderstanding Now giue me leaue to speake a little to those arguments which haue throwen the most learned of the Iewes head-long to the feet of Christ to make thē acknowledge that the Messiab must be both God and man I will not herein doe any thing contrary to that which in the beginning I protested that is not to compel you by authoritie of Scripture but to intreate you by reasonable perswasion to encline your eare to the trueth But because I may not without iniurie to the cause leaue altogether out such manifest proofe and without iniurie also to your selfe who might thinke that I went about to sophisticate a true seeming vntrueth which would not abide the touch I will onely intend my finger to some very few of many thousandes of axiomes of the Scripture for this purpose leaue you to make the conclusion by your selfe hoping that the Iewes example may prouoke you to follow them so farre forth as they haue followed the trueth Exod. 13. 21 it is said The Lord went before thē c. Chap. 14. 19. The Angel of God which went before them remoued where Christ the Angell of the Couenant is called The Lord Iehouah Againe Exod. 15. 3. The Lorde is a man of warre his name is Iehouah therefore Christ is God and man who by his conflict vpon the crosse triumphed ouer Death and Hell as it is written in the Gospell the booke of the warres of the Lord. Againe Esay 9. 6. Vnto vs a childe is borne there is his Manhood and vnto vs a Sonne is given and they shall call his name The mightie God And Esay 35. vers 4. Your God will come and saue you Ierem. 23. 5. c. I will rayse vp vnto Dauid a righteous branch and a King shal raigne and this is the Name whereby they shall call him The Lord our righteousnesse And Ierem. 33. vers 16. Iudah shall be saued and be that shall saue her is the Lorde our righteousnesse Where the name vsed is that great Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehouah
according to that saying of the Angell The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most High shall euershadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thee shall be called the SONNE of GOD. Shall I tell you what Lectures the Diuines haue made vpon the text of this letter Zâ—ch 11. 13 did reade herein that goodly price at which the wicked Iewes did value him For â— i. in the Hebrue Arithmeticke is tenne so the three tennes in the triple Crowne of this letter are the thirtie pieces of siluer which the traytour tooke to betray that precious blood which was too deare a raunsome for the whole world And one in another place said They haue sold the Iust for siluer Consider the letter and euerie part thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This inferiour semicircle is the creature the earthly Paradise in the middest of which is the Tree of life And that thus the letter vauâ— is one part and signifies in that tongue a nayle if you will that nayle that pierced his tender handes and his beauteous feete to which if you adde the iod reuersed you may well perceiue the figure of the whole Crosse that Tree of life which bare that heauenly fruite that spirituall food whereof Adam and his faithfull children which ouercome may cate and liue for euer Reuel 2. 7. Thus you may see how the Word became flesh and dwelt among vs. You may see that riddle of the Angel to Esdras 2. Booke chap. 5. vers 37. expounded The image of that Word from which and whereto the bookes of both the Testaments do found You may see what confidence wee may haue in that promise of Christ who in the dayes of his flesh said Whatsoeuer you shall aske the Father in my name hee will giue is you Ioh. 16. 23 But after his Ascension the myracles that are to bee done in that Name are more stupeÌ„dious Mark 16. 17. And againe He that beleeueth in me greater workes then these shal he do for I goe to the Father Beholde the mysterie of it cause it to ascend and describe that circle whose center is euery where whose circumference is no where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now are the superior and inferior conduit-pipes soudered together as the Hebrues speake now the higher influences the Spirit and Graces of God are not giuen by measure and the refluences so great as that Whosoeuer beleeueth out of his bellie shall arise fountaine of liuing water springing vp vnto eternall life O glorious Name O sacred Mysterie by which you may wel perceiue that there is greater Vnitie betweene the Deitie and the Humanitie then by any wordes of Contiguitie or Continuitie may bee expressed You may well perceiue how according to that place of the 89. Psalme He the first borne or as Iohn saith Chap. 1. The onely begotten of the Father is made higher then the Kings of the earth Here is our righteousnesse our sanctification and redemption complete here is our adoption and reward our consolation our life and religion our reuerence and our feare yet our ioy and boldnesse all in all The presence of God I may not say what experience hath taught mee by this magnificent and admirable Name neyther am I able to giue due honour thereunto My thoughts are swallowed vp when I consider the other great mysteries which this one letter doth import the mysterie of the triple world the mysterie of mercy and of Iustice of Election and Reprobation of that great Iubile or Sabbath of Sabbaths when that which is aboue shal again descend to restore the creature from corruption and change into that nimietie or excesse of Goodnes wherein it was created But these things are therefore here to bee omitted because the discourse thereof were long and because they are rather consequents then premises to the question To tell you at once to make an end of this argument The whole Nation of the learned Iewes confesse that the Messiha should bee called by this great Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To which purpose there are besides these which haue been brought many places of Scripture which in the Hebrue veritie are most direct though by our translations they might seeme somewhat harsh They hold I say that Hee must be both God and Man and in a word there is nothing which wee Christians doe affirme concerning our Lord but the euidence of Scripture doth compell them to confesse it Onely they differ in this from vs whether This Iesus be that Christ that should come into the worlde though this also be a thing not questionable as you may learne of Daniel 9. vers 24. 25. 26. 2. Esd 7. vers 28. 29. Although the common errour and expectation of the Iewes was of a terrestriall Monarchy yet the best learned of them agree that the Kingdome of Christ is not of this world For they remember that place in the Testament of Iacob The Scepter shal not depart from Iuda till Shiloh come By which it followes that wheÌ„ Messiha shal come there should bee no more shew of an earthly kingdome That of Zach. 9. 9. is as direct Ierusalem behold thy king commeth vnto thee poore They remember also that in the 21. Psalme I am a worme and no man a shame of men and the contempt of the people And that also of Esay 53. Hee hath neyther forme nor beautie when we see him there shall be no forme that we should desire him He is despised reiected of men c. Reade the whole Chapter and the Psalme compare them with the histories of his Passion and behold Him on the Crosse in the horror of his anguish extreme perplexitie Were it to any purpose to make you know what the ancient Philosophers who knew not the Scriptures haue thought of this matter all speaking this one thing which the light that GOD hath giuen to mankind did make them know although they concealed their intendiment by diuers names Yet Hermes called him plainely the Sonne of GOD. Zoroaster the Vnderstanding of his Father Pythagoras Wisedome as Paul and Salomon euery where and particularly Prouerb 8. and in the booke of that title Parmenides named him The Sphere of Vnderstanding Orpheus termed him Pallas to the same effect as the other if you know the fable and yet hee speakes more plainely to the Trinitie in his Hymnes of the Night of the Heauen and of the Ayre Platoes separate Ideas meane nothing else and in fumme as many of the Philosophers as were worth any thing were not ignorant of this thing But I feare these authorities are with you of little worth yet haue I brought them that you may see how wee are furnished with all kinde of proofes and how you doe contemne all maner of testimony If this which I haue said perswade you to looke better to the foundation of your faith it is sufficient if it perswade you nothing then haue I done contrary to the Commandement which forbiddeth
A TREATISE concerning the Trinitie of Persons in Vnitie of the Deitie Written to Thomas Mannering an Anabaptist who denyed that Iesus is very God of very God but man onely yet endued with the infinite power of God ⸪ Imprinted at London by Simon Stafford dwelling on Adling hill neere Carter-lane 160â— TO MY VERY LOuing and deare friend Master Thomas White a Citizen of Bristow WHile I was at Norwich in the yeere 1597. I writ this Treatise vpon such occasioÌ„ as appears therein and deliuered it vnto that Heretike that by himselfe if God would he might consider and be perswaded Since which time I haue kept it by me and though some of my priuate friends desired copies yet allowing that wisdome of Solon who would make no law against Patricide least the mention of the fact might giue occasion to commit it and withall considering that it is too sâ—mple and poore for the publike view I haue hitherto refused to make it common Yet now perceiuing a present necessitie because that s â—me of late haue wandered in this labyrinth withall remembring that of any weakling shall hereafter entertaine this opinion he may before he be wholy possessed therewith find the absurditie of it and be reformed that many a nouice in Christianitie who therefore doubts of the truenesse of his Religion because he findes no familiar reason to perswade but onely the racke of authorities to 〈◊〉 him to acknowledge it may perhaps be hereby satisfied and find comfort and that they who are already strong may by this ouerplus triumph in the goodnesse of God who requires them to beleeue no more then they may by that vnderstanding which he hath giuen them be perswaded of I haue for their sakes who may reape benefite thereby set at nought all other Censurers not guilty vnto my selfe of any offence which I can commit in making it publike Such as it is accept good master White as a parcell of that assertion which may hereafter follow of euery article of our Christian faith if God shall vouchsafe me vnderstanding leasure and maintenance thereto I therefore offer it vnto you both because I know you are diligent in reading bookes of good argument and because I haue none other meanes whereby to shew my selfe thankefull for your manifold kindnesses and your loue At London this 20. of April 1601. Your louing and assured friend A. G. THE TREATISE THough many things discouraged mee to write vnto you of this Argument in such sort as I intend considering that neither your daily reading of the Scripture neither the perswasion of learned Diuines can moue you to accord vnto the trueth though by manifest testimonie of Scripture they conuince your heresie and most of all that God hath left you to beleeue that lying spirit of Antichrist who denyeth that Iesus is that Christ Yet neuerthelesse hauing some hope that God of his goodnes will at last pull you as a brand out of the fire and quench you with the dew of his grace that you may grow in the knowledge of his Sonne I wil as briefly as I can lay down some few reasons of that faith which euery one that will be saued must hold Whereby if I perswade you nothing yet shall I obtayne thus much that you who neither beleeued his word nor yet opened your eyes to see the light of reasonable vnderstanding shall at last confesse that his word and iudgements are holy and true But before I come to the point let mee first perswade you that although the knowledge of the holy Trinity be one of the most high mysteries which can be knowne or beleeued and that it is the onely work of the holy Ghost to work this faith and knowledge in the heart of man yet neuertheles God hath not left vs destitute of meanes whereby to come to this faith and knowledge but hath also with his word giueÌ„ vs a reasonable soule vnderstanding whereby to grow in the knowledge of himself his will For wheÌ„ Adam was created he had giuen vnto him all perfite knowledge meete for him Now God who created the world for no other purpose theÌ„ the manifestation of his owne glory might not leaue that creature without vnderstanding of the Godhead who being by nature creatioÌ„ the most excellent in this world was made for that purpose especially aboue al other to set forth his prayse and to call on him Now how could he do this if he knew him not But I think that seeing it is said that maÌ„ was created in the Image of God you wil not deny that man before his fal had much more perfit vnderstanding of the Godhead theÌ„ it is possible for him to haue till he come to know euen as he is knowen but that by him you may say this knowledge was lost not lost but corrupted onely euen as mans will For then it should follow that wee were inferiour to bruit beasts who haue in theÌ„ a sensible knowledge meete for that ende whereto they were created Furthermore it is not possible that mans sin should frustrate the ende which God intended in his creation but it is manifest that man was created to know and honour the creator Againe seeing in Christ al things consist hee being ordained of the Father before all worldes in whom the world should be both created and restored it is plaine that this light of our vnderstanding both proceedeth from him and is restored in him as it is said Ioh. 1. He is that light which lightneth euery man that commeth into the world not onely his chosen with knowledge of his sauing trueth but euen generally euery man with reasonable vnderstanding whereby wee may know whatsoeuer is to be known of God how euen by the works of God as it is plainely concluded Rom. 1. 19 20. Therefore are they not to bee heard who hold any thing without the compasse of Faith which is without the compasse of Knowledge For Faith ought so to be grounded on Knowledge as Hope is grounded vpon Faith So that as Faith Heb. 11. 1. is sayd to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an euiction or proofe of things hoped for though they bee not seene so may I say that Knowledge is the proofe of things which are beleeued For Faith is nothing els but the Conclusion of a particular Syllogisme drawen from the conclusion of an vniuersall which the knowledge of God had coÌ„cluded as it is manifest Iam. 2. 19. Heb. 11. 3. By conference of which two places it appeareth that this knowledge of which I speake this Historicall Faith as to beleeue that there is one God which made all things of nought is onely such a knowledge as the deuils wicked men haue but to beleeue and haue confidence in this God is that particular conclusion that faith which causeth vs to haue hope in his promises Therefore said Christ Haue fayth in God that is striue to know God that knowing you may haue faith and beleeue in him