Quis Patrem non patiorem confitebitur, ut ingenitum a genito, ut Pa trem a filio, ut eum qui miferit ab eo qui miffus eft, ut volentem ab ipfo qui obediat? & ipfe nobis teftis eft, Pater major me eft. De Trin. 1. 3.

And Hilary: Who will not confefs that the Father is Superiour? He that is Unbegotten, than be that is Begotten? The Father, than the Son? He that Sent, than he that is fent by bim? He that commands, than he that obeys? Our Saviour himself teftifies This to us, saying, My Father is greater than I. And Bafil: The word Father, what else does it fignify, but the Cause and Original of That which is begotten of him? Again: We affirm that, according to the natural or der of Cafes and Effects, and Effects, the Father must have the Prebominence before the Son.

And again: We know but One Unbegotten, and One Original of All things; even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Τὰ ἢ πατὴς τί ἄλλο σημαί ναι, ἢ ἐχὶ τὸ αἰτία ) καὶ ἀρχὴ auto Hurndex]; contr.

Eunom. I.

And, among Moderns, the Learned Bp Pearfon: In the very Name of Father (faith he) there is fome thing of eminence, which is not in that of Son; and fame kind of priority we must afcribe unto him whom we call the First, in respect of Him whom we term the Second Per fon: And as we cannot but afcribe it, so must we indeavour to preferve it. Expof. on Creed, pag. 34.

Again: The Son has his Being from the Father, who Only hath it of Himself, and is the Original of all Power and Effence in the Son. I can of mine own felf

do

do nothing, faith our Saviour; because He is not of Himself: And whosoever receives his Being, must receive his Power from another. pag. 34.

Again: We must not therefore fo far indeavour to involve our felves in the darkness of this mystery, as to deny That Glory which is clearly due unto the Father; whofe preheminence undeniably confifteth in this, that he is God not of any other, but of himself; and that there is no other perfon who is God, but is God of Him. It is no diminution to the Son, to say he is from another; for kis very Name imports as much: But it were a diminution to the Father, to speak fo of Him: And there must be fome Prebeminence, where there is place for Derogation. What the Father is, he is from None; what the Son is, he is from Him: What the first is, he giveth; what the fecond is, he receiveth. The First is a Father indeed by reason of his Son, but he is not God by reason of him whereas the Son is not only fo [viz. a Son] in regard of the Father, but also God by reason of the fame. pag.

35.

Again: Which Order [viz. the Priority of the Father] hath been perpetuated in all Confessions of Faith, and is for ever inviolably to be obferved. For That which is not inftituted or invented by the Will or Design of man, but founded in the Nature of Things themselves; is not to be altered at the pleasure of Man. Now this Priority doth properly and naturally refult from the Divine Paternity; fo that the Son must neceffarily be Second unto the Father, from whom he receiveth his origination; and the Holy Ghoft, unto the Son. pag. 37.

Again: The Difference confifteth properly in This; that as the Branch is from the Root, and the River from the Fountain, and by their origination from them receive that Being which they have ; whereas the Root receiveth nothing from the Branch, or Fountain from the River: So the Son is from the Father, receiving his Subfiftence by Gene

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ration

ration from him; the Father is not from the Son, as be*ing what he is from None. pag. 38.

Again: It is most reasonable (faith he) to affert, that there is but One person who is from None; and the very generation of the Son and proceffion of the Holy Ghost undeniably prove, that Neither of thofe Two can be That perfon. For whofoever is generated, is from Him which is the Genitor; and whosoever proceedeth, is from Him from whom he proceedeth; whatsoever the Nature of the generation or proceffion be. It followeth therefore, that This perfon is the Father; which name speaks nothing of dependence, nor fuppofeth any kind of priority in another.

From hence he is filed One God, the True God, the Only True God, the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. pag. 45.

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Again: Which as it is most true, [that the Father is the One God,] and fo fit to be believed; is alfa a most neceffary Truth, and therefore to be acknowledged, for the avoiding multiplication and plurality of Gods. For if there were more than One, which were from None; it could not be denied but there were more Gods than One. Wherefore This origination in the divine Paternity, antiently been look'd upon as the Affertion of the Unity. pag. 40.

Gods.

hath

And again: There can be but One Perfon originally of Himself fubfifting- because a Plurality of more per Jons fo. fubfifting would neceffarily infer a Plurality of The Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift is originally God, as not receiving his eternal Being from any o ther. Wherefore it necessarily follows that Jefus Chrift, who is certainly not the Father, cannot be a perfon fubfifting originally of himself. The Father "hath the Godhead, not from the Son nor any Other; whereas the Son hath it from the Father. pag. 134. [See more above, Part I, in the Notes on the Text, N°414]

And

tur Pater, quà eft anyǹ deTnT fiquidem Divi

nitas, quæ in Filio eft & in Spiritu Sancto, Patris eft, quia a Patre derivatur. Defenf. Sect. 2. cap. 8. § 5.

And the learned Bishop Nam Totum rectè diciBull: The Father (faith he) is rightly filed the Whole, as being the Foun tain of Divinity. For the Divinity which is in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, is the Fathers Divinity, be caufe derived from Him. Again: This Affertion [of the Sons Subordina tion] is particularly to be heeded, upon the account of Jome Modern Writers, who earnestly contend that the Son may properly be ftiled God of Himself: which Opinion is both contrary to their own hypothefes who maintain it, and to the Catholick Doctrine.

Again: Which Things manifeftly denote fome Superiority of the Father over the Son, even in That respect wherein he is most properly the Son of God.

Again: He [viz. the Father] is derived from no Original, is fubject to None; and can no more be Said to be fent by Any, than to be begotten of Any. On the contrary the Son of God, an That very Account, because he is begotten of God

Hæc autem Thefis notatu imprimis digna eft propter Neotericos quofdam, qui filium propriè dici poffe aurier, hoc eft, a Seipfo Deum," pertinaci ftudio contendunt. Hæc fententia tum ipforum hypothefibus qui illam defendunt, tum Catholico confenfui repugnat. Ibid. Sect. 4. cap. I. $7.

Quæ εξοχήν quandam Patris fupra Filium, etiam quà maximè propriè Dei filius eft, manifeftè fignificant. Ibid. Sect. 4. cap. 2. 53.

A nullo ille ortus prin cipio, nulli fubjectus eft; neq; magis ab alio miffus, quam ab alio natus dici poteft. Contrà Filius Dei, quà ex Deo Patre natus, eo certè nomine Patri fuam omnem auctorita tem acceptam refert ;

X4

neq;

14

100

the Father, derives all his Dignity from the Father: Nor is it at all lefs honourable for him to be fent by the Father, than to be begotten And again: That prudent man [viz. Eufebius took care here [viz. in his Creed, as almost every where elfe, to guard against the Sabellians; in fo affert ing the true divinity of the Son, as at the fame time to referve entire to God the Father the prerogative of beKing Alone God of Himself [or, God Self-exiftent,] and thereby to distinguish the Father from the Son. In which, the Nicene Council agreed with him.

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neq; minùs ipfi honorificum a Patre mitti, quàm ex Patre nasci. Ibid. Sect. 4. cap. 3. § 4. of him.

Scilicet homo catus hîc, ut ubiq; ferè aliàs, Sabellianis occurrendum cenfuit, veram Filii divinitatem ita adferendo, ut interim Deo Patri fua præ rogativa, quâ nempe ipfe folus autóde eft, hoc eft, a feipfo Deus, farta tecta confervetur, eâq; præro gativâ Pater a Filio diftinguatur. Atq; in hoc ipfi confenferunt Patres Nicæni. Judicium Ecclef. cap. 6, § 5.

And the learned Dr Payne: The Father is the Only Self-exiftent unoriginated Being; whom the Scriptures, Creeds, and Chriftian Offices call, God, absolutely and by way of Eminence and Prerogative. The Son is produced of the Father, and fo is not [autoEO, or] God in that Senfe as the Father who is from None; but is God of God. But, God, as it fignifies a Selfexiftent unoriginated Being, is predicated only of God the Father. Letter from Dr P. to the Bp of R. in Vindic. of his Sermon on Trinity Sunday, pagers.

$ XXXV.