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mage of the Father, an exact Likeness in all things: Only referving to the Father the peculiar Property of Self

ὁ πατήρ με μείζων με οξινα Epift. ad Alex. apud Theodorit. lib. I,

exiftence, as our Saviour himself declares, My Father

is Greater than I.

And Conftantine the Great: The Father, is the Cause of the Son; and the Son, is Caufed by him.

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And Eufebius: The Father is Perfect of Himfelf, and Firft, as Father, and

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λες και πρῶτος, ὡς πατὴς, καὶ Καὶ ὁ μὲ καθ' ἑαυτὸν τέ

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as the Caufe of the Sons Sub- ausdoras ÄITIO. &•

fiftence; not receiving any thing from the Son, to the completing of his own Divinity. But the Son, as being being Derived from a Cause, is Second to him whofe Son he is, having received from the Father both his Being, and his being Such as he is.

And Athanafius: The Nature of God, is the Caufe both of the Son and Holy Spirit, and of all Crea

tures.

And again: The Father, having his Being Perfect [of himself,] and Indefectible [or Independent;] is the Root and Fountain of the Son and Spirit.

And the Synod of Sardica: The very Name of Father, implies fomething Greater than that of Son.

DESTUTI is aμbáδὲν εἰς συμπλήρωσιν ἢ ἑαυτὰ θεότητα α λαμβά νων. Ο ἢ ὡς ἐξ αἰτίας γεγο 05 ws νὡς ὑὸς, δεύτερο ο όξιν ὁ ÿòs nadésnner, Dà rõ a 1gos » Tò (1) nỳ Tolósde ED A angas. Demonft. Evang. lib. 4. c. 3.

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And Hilary: Who will not confess that the Father is Superiour? He that is Unbegotten, than he that is Begotten? The Father, than the Son? He that Sent, than be that is fent by him? He that commands, than he that obeys? Our Saviour himself teftifies This to us, saying, My Father is greater than

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 ora der of Canfes and Effects, the Father must have the Prebeminence before the Son. And again: We know but One Unbegotten, and One Original of All things; even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

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And, among Moderns, the Learned Bp Pearfon : In the very Name of Father (faith he) there is fomething of eminence, which is not in that of Son; and some kind of priority we must ascribe unto him whom we call the First, in respect of Him whom we term the Second Perfon: And as we cannot but ascribe it, fo 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 bis 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 prebeminence undeniably confifteth in this, that he is God not of any other, but of himfelf; and that there is no other perfon who is God, but is God of Him. It is no diminution to the Son, to fay he is from another; for his very Name imports as much : But it were a diminution to the Father, to speak fo of Him: And there must be fome Prekeminence, where there is place for Derogation. What the Father is, he is from None; what the Son is, he is from Him: What the firft 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] bath been perpetuated in all Confeffions 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 being 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 whosoever 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. 49.

Again: Which as it is most true, [that the Father is the One God,] and so fit to be believed; is also 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, hath antiently been look'd upon as the Affertion of the Unity. pag. 40.

And again: There can be but One Perfon originally of Himself fubfifting, because a Plurality of more perJons fo. fubfifting would neceffarily infer a Plurality of Gods The Father of The Father of our Lord Jesus Chrift is originally God, as not receiving his eternal Being from any other. Wherefore it neceffarily follows that Jefus Chrift, who is certainly not the Father, cannot be a person subfifting- originally of himself. The Father

bath 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

And the learned Bishop Bull: The Father (faith he) is rightly tiled the Whole, as being the Fountain of Divinity. For the Divinity which is in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, is the Fathers Divinity, becaufe derived from Him. Again This Affertion [of the Sons Subordina tion] is particularly to be heeded, upon the account of Some Modern Writers, who earneftly contend that the Son may properly be ftiled God of Himfelf: 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 refpect wherein he is moft 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, the Son of God, on That very Account, becanfe he is begotten of God

Nam Totum rectè dicitur Pater, quà eft ny

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

Hæc autem Thefis notatu imprimis digna eft propter Neotericos quofdam, qui filium propriè dici poffe auror, hoc eft, a Seipfo Deum, pertinaci ftudio contendunt. Hæc fententia tum ipforum hypothefibus qui illam defendunt, tum Catholico consensui repugnat. Ibid. Sect. 4. cap. 1. § 7.

Quæ x quandam Patris fupra Filium, etiam quà maximè propriè Dei filius eft, manifeftè fignificant. Ibid. Sect. 4. cap. 2. $3.

A nullo ille ortus principio, nulli fubjectus eft; neq; magis ab alio miffus, quàm ab alio natus dici poteft. Contrà Filius Dei, quà ex Deo Patre natus. eo certè nomine Patri fuam omnem auctoritatem acceptam refert & X 4

neq;

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