Non di πράγματι hoc eft ef hoc eft If you aske others, they will fay that ftinguun. these three are one Being, but they are tur T three proper and peculiar manners of weyuan being fubfifting in the fame God-head. fentiâ, fed They have one effentiall fubfiftence fay o. Tmia thers, but they have three Incommunicable manners of fubfifting. Some expreffe it Formali- thus, these three are Really distinct, but not Effentially; Modally, but not feparably; τρόπων wasiws Truly, but Relatively; Formally, and yet πάρξεως Perfona but Perfonally. Others that meane the liter. vide fame thing, fay they are diftinguished Se Damajcen cundum effe Perfonale, non fecundum effe de Orthod Quidditativum. ter, five lib. 1.de fi. Modi in divinis non funt feparabiles, funt autem reales, & modi reales diftinguunt realiter quamvis modaliter. Nonnulli di ftinguunt inter effe Patris, & efle Patre. Inter effe Quidditativum & effe Perfonale. Perfonalitas diyina eft realis; diftin. guuntur itaque Realiter quia diftinguuntur Perfonaliter.Refationes in divinis non componunt fed diftinguunt: relationes autem reales realiter diftinguunt.Proprietates reales propriè fimul & realiter diftinguunt. They then that say the persons are Really diftinct, fhould explain themselves wari. ly according to fome of thefe or the like fafe expreffions: namely that by really they doe not meane effentially. I 2. They do not mean feparably. 3. That by really they doe meane that the Relations and perfonall properties, whereby the three perfons are known to be diftinguished, are reall relations and reall reall properties, and not fictions of reason. The Relations are oppofite, the properties incommunicable, and much might be faid of the perfonall actions to the felfefame purpose; but I must haften. Richardus Bonavent. cunt per Some do adventure to call this distinction naturall, but that is a very dangerous & job. de expreffion, it must not paffe without fome Rip; perfavourable graines of allowance, nor can it fonas dithen paffe unleffe it be feafoned with fome ftingui di graines of Salt, and be mollified with some proprietafaire and Orthodox Interpretation By na- tes Abfolu turall distinction, they meane Relative, tas primò, because say they the relations which are & per Rebetween these uncreated perfons are not Originis onely real, but naturall alfo. The Relation ex Confes between God the Father and his owne na- quenti. turall Son is a naturall relation, grounded Diferimen lationes Ervonuan upon a naturall and perfonall action; xoi tantùm namely, the eternall generation of the finxerunt Son. The Greek Fathers fpeake much of Noctiani, the Familiar and proper Emphasis of this Epiphan. naturall Relation between the Father and Hæref.57. Diftin&io the Son. perfonaru naturalis effe videtur,licèt non fit effentialis inter Patrem & Filium naturalem intercedit enim relatio naturalis, Perfonæ per nihil quomodocunque diftin&tum à perfonis primariò diftinguuntur. Fruftra funt autem qui ideo perfonas eodem modo diftinctas effe fomniant quo primo diverfa diftinguuntur; illa enim effentialiter diftinguuntur. Vide Biel. 1 Sent. dift. 24.& 26. διὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων συνεστησαν τῆς οἰκειότητΘ έμφασιν » quomuu' wejs ämpλa géov. Vide Greg. Nyssen. contrà Eu Eunomium By naturall distinction then they do not lib.1.Atha meane an effentiall diftinction, as if the naf. Bail, three uncreated perfons did differ in nacont. Naz. ture; but naturall, in that found and OrD. Alting, thodox sense recited above. Eunomium Gomarum, Gerrard Voetium, Maccov.wendeli.Glaffium, Rhadam, Capreoli, Becanum,Eglifemnium in Crifi, Meifuerum, Junium, Calovium. Orthod. I had rather leave my Margin to relate the curiofities of others, then to perplex a meer English Reader with any Scholaftical difficulties. I have faid enough for the explication of those termes which are most ufuall, and yet likely to give offence to fuch as do not understand the importance of them. I fhall therefore conclude this point with Fulgentius his Commentary, Vide Ful- which is an excellent Contexture of fome gentium pertinent Scriptures for the proofe of the lib.de fide point. When you read (faith he) of Father, ad Dona- Son and Spirit, understand that there are three perfons of one effence, omnipotence,eternity,&c. For our Saviour faith, I am not alone, but I and the Father that fent me Ioh.8,16. And concerning the Spirit he faith, And I will pray the Father, and he will give Jou another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, Joh.14.16, 17. Moreover he commanded his Apoftles to baptize all Nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And the equality of the Perfons proves the unity of the Nature, Phil. 2. 6. cum. John John 5.18. and from hence he concludes that there are three Perfons, and not three Natures in the bleffed Trinity. de unica & fimp. From what hath been faid, it is evident that these three uncreated Perfons are truly diftinguished, but they cannot be divided; and it is not so safe to expreffe the diStinction of uncreated Perfons by Termes of Art; They who fay the diftinction is Naturall, Reall, Absolute;or Relative, do de- Vide D. ny that the diftinction is Effentiall, or that Voetium the Perfons are feparable. They who fpeak moft tenderly, fay it is Modall, Formall, Dei natura Perfonall. They who say it is Namrall in pag.235. respect of Perfonall Relations and Natural En MyfteActions, confeffe that it is Supernaturall rium quod and Myfterious, because the Unity of the nec capit Ratio, nec Godhead is unquestionable; the Trinity of demóftrat Perfons fubfifting in that Godhead admira- exemplun ble both put together undeniable and inex- Sola enim plicable, and yet most neceflarily and high- revelatioly credible. ne divinâ nititur, & proinde fi de divinâ fufcipierdum eft & pietate fufpiciendum. Vide D. Alling. de Cognitione Dei Relativa. Incomprehenfibilis rei Imaginem in rebus creatis fuftra quærimus. Aug, lib. 15. de civ. Dei cap. 13. αδύνατον ευρεθῆναι ἐν τῇ κτίσει εἰκόνα απαραλλάκτως ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἁγίας τρίαδος πα egstinvúsav⚫ Damaf. Orth.fid.lib.1.c.9 They who fay the Perfons are Formally distinct, do mean that they are truly diftinct, they do not conceive that the distinftinction R 4 etion of the uncreated Perfons is grounded upon a meer fiction of reason, or upon the weakneffe of our apprehenfion, as if we did conceive one Perfon to be three Perfons, because he is called by three names, as Praxeas, Sabellius, and fome others dreamt. Nor do they beleeve that this diftinction of these three uncreated Perfons is only grounded upon the phrase of Scripture: but they do acknowledge that there is a true and proper, not an improper and figurative distinction between these uncreated Perfons; nay, they all confesse that this true and proper distinction is an Eternall distinction; it was from, and it will last to all eternity, and therefore is not grounded only upon fome offices and externall difpenfations which have respect unto the The Grand Mystery of three Divine and Coeffential Subfiftents in the fingle Godhead is not Problematicall, but Fundamentall. LL points of Doctrine revealed in truths; |