1

in the last days he sent his Son: and it were as incongruous. and inconsistent with the divine generation, that the Son should send the Father into the world. As the living Father John vi. 57. hath sent me, and I live by the Father, saith our Saviour, intimating, that by whom he lived, by him he was sent, and therefore sent by him, because he lived by him; laying his generation as the proper ground of his mission. Thus he which begetteth sendeth, and he which is begotten is sent. For I am from him, and he hath sent me, saith the Son: from John vii. 29. whom I received my essence by communication, from him also received I this commission. As therefore it is more worthy to give than to receive, to send than to be sent; so in respect of the Sonship there is some priority in the divine paternity: from whence divers of the ancients' read that place of St John with this addition, the Father (which sent me) is greater John xiv. 28. than I. He then is that God who sent forth his Son, made of

a woman, that God who hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son Gal. iv. 4, 6. into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So that the authority

S. August. Serm. contra Arian. c. 4. [Vol. VIII. p. 627 F.] 'Qui mittit, potestatem suam in eo quod mittit, ostendit.' S. Hilar. de Trin. 1. viii. c. 19. [p. 958 D.]

1 'Si voluisset Deus Pater per subjectam creaturam visibiliter apparere, absurdissime tamen aut a Filio, quem genuit, aut a Spiritu Sancto, qui de illo procedit, missus diceretur.' S. August. de Trin. lib. iv. cap. ult. [Vol. VIII. p. 832 c.]

* Filius est igitur a Patre missus, non Pater a Filio; quia Filius est a Patre natus, non Pater a Filio.' Fulgent. fragm. 1. viii. contra Fabianum, in Collect. Theodul. de S. S. [frag. 29. p. 626.] 'Quis autem Christianus ignorat quod Pater miserit, missusque sit Filius? Non enim genitorem ab eo quem genuit, sed genitum a genitore mitti oportebat.' S. August. contra Maximin. lib. ii. c. 14. [§ 8. Vol. VII. p. 707 F.], 'Ubi audis, Ipse me misit, noli intelligere naturæ dissimilitudinem, sed generantis auctoritatem.' Id. Tract. 31. in Ioan. § 4. [Vol. πι. p. 521 F.] Ενταῦθα οὖν ὁ ἀποστείλας καὶ ὁ ἀποστελλόμενος, ἵνα δείξῃ

τῶν πάντων ἀγαθῶν μίαν εἶναι τὴν πηγήν,
τουτέστι τὸν πατέρα. S. Epiphan. He-
res. lxix. § 54. [Vol. 1. p. 776 D.] Hence
the language of the Schools: 'Missio
importat-processionem originis:' as
Thom. Aquin. Par. i. q. 43. art. 1. ad
prim. or, auctoritatem Principii:' as
Durand. 1. i. dist. 15. q. 1. § 7.

3

Λέγουσι γὰρ τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ Εὐαγ γελίου κακῶς ἑρμηνεύοντες, ὅτι ὁ ἀποστείλας με πατὴρ μείζων μου ἐστί, saith Epiphanius of the Arians; and answering, grants in these words which follow: καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ὁ ἀποστείλας με πατήρ, φάσκει, καὶ οὐχ, ὁ κτίσας με. Hæres. Ixix. § 53. [Vol. 1. p. 775 B.] To the same purpose Athanasius de Hum, Nat. susc. [§ 4. Vol. I. p. 873 D], and Cyril of Alexandria, Thesaur. Assertio. xi. [Vol. v. p. 85 в], read it, o πέμψας με πατήρ. And St Basil makes Eunomius read it so, in his first book against him, c. 21, and with that addition answers it. So the second confession of the council of Sirmium, both in the Latin original, and Greek translation. S. Hilar. de Syn. § 11. S. Athanas. de Synod. [§ 28. Vol. 1. p. 744] et Socrat. 1. ii. c. 30.

of sending is in the Father: which therefore ought to be acknowledged, because upon this mission is founded the 1 John iv. 10. highest testimony of his love to man; for herein is love (saith St John), not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 Cor. xil 4-6.

Again, the dignity of the Father will farther yet appear from the order of the persons in the blessed Trinity, of which he is undoubtedly the first. For although in some passages of the apostolical discourses the Son may first be named (as in 2 Cor. xii. 14. that of St Paul, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all; the latter part of which is nothing but an addition unto his constant benediction); and in others the Holy Ghost precedes the Son, (as Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all); yet where the three Persons are barely enumerated, and delivered unto us as the rule 37 of faith', there that order is observed which is proper to them; witness the form of baptism, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: which order hath been perpetuated in all confessions of faith, and is for ever inviolably to be observed. For that which is not instituted or invented by the will or design of man, but founded in the nature of things themselves3, is not to be altered at the pleasure of man. Now this priority doth properly and naturally result from the divine paternity; so that the Son must necessarily be second unto the Father, from whom he receiveth his origination, and

1 Παραδιδοὺς ὁ κύριος τὴν σωτήριον πίστιν τοῖς μαθητευομένοις τῷ λόγῳ, τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ συνάπτει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. S. Βasil. Epist. 80. [Epist, 189. § 5. Vol. III. p. 278 1.]

2 Ακίνητον καὶ ἀπαρεγχείρητον φυλάσσειν προσήκει τὴν ἀκολουθίαν, ἣν ἐξ αὐτῆς τοῦ κυρίου τῆς φωνῆς παρελά βομεν, εἰπόντος, Πορευθέντες μαθητεύ σατε πάντα, &c. S. Basil. Epist. 78, [Epist. 125. § 3. Vol. III. p. 217 Α.]

3 Ἔστι τι τάξεως εἶδος οὐκ ἐκ τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν θέσεως συνιστάμενον, ἀλλ ̓ αὐτῇ τῇ κατὰ φύσιν ἀκολουθίᾳ συμβαίνον, ὡς τῷ πυρὶ πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἐστὶ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ· ἐν τούτοις γὰρ πρότερον τὸ αἴτιον

λέγομεν, δεύτερον δὲ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ.—πῶς οὖν εὔλογον ἀρνεῖσθαι τὴν τάξιν ἐφ ̓ ὧν ἐστι πρότερον καὶ δεύτερον, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν θέσιν, ἀλλ ̓ ἐκ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς ἐνυπαρχούσης ἀκολουθίας; S. Basil. advers. Eunom. 1. i. [$ 20. Vol. 1. p. 232 A.]

Δευτερεύει μὲν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αἰτίου· δευτερεύει δὲ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ υἱοῦ κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἰτίας λόγον. S. Basil. apud Georg. Pachym. Hist. l. vii. [de And. Pal. 1. i. c. 9. p. 16 D.] 'ns yàp ὁ υἱὸς τάξει μὲν δεύτερος τοῦ πατρὸς, ὅτι ἀπ' ἐκείνου, καὶ ἀξιώματι, ὅτι ἀρχὴ καὶ αἰτία τοῦ εἶναι αὐτοῦ ὁ πατὴρ, [τῷ εἶναι αὐτοῦ πατέρα, ed. Bened.] καὶ ὅτι δι'

the Holy Ghost unto the Son. Neither can we be thought to want a sufficient foundation for this priority of the first person of the Trinity, if we look upon the numerous testimonies of the ancient doctors of the Church, who have not stuck to call 38 the Father the origin1, the cause', the author3, the root1, the fountain, and the head of the Son, or the whole Divinity.

For by these titles it appeareth clearly, first, that they made a considerable difference between the person of the

.

S. August. de Trin. 1. 4. c. 20. [§ 29.
Vol. VIII. p. 829 E.] • Unum principium
ad creaturam dicitur Deus, non duo
vel tria principia. Ad se autem in-
vicem in Trinitate, si gignens ad id
quod gignit principium est, Pater ad
Filium principium est, quia gignit
eum.' S. August. de Trin. 1. v. c. 13.
§ 14, 15. [Vol. VIII. p. 840 F.] Pater
ergo principium Deitatis.' Gennad. de
Eccles. Dogmat. c. 1. In this sense
the Greek fathers used avapxos as
proper to the Father (in the same
notion with ἀγέννητος, with relation
to the 'principium productionis'),
and denied it to the Son: 'O dè viós,
ἐὰν μὲν ὡς αἴτιον τὸν πατέρα λαμβάνῃς,
οὐκ ἄναρχος, ἀρχὴ γὰρ υἱοῦ ὁ πατὴρ ὡς
αἴτιος· ἐὰν δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ χρόνου νοῇς ἀρχήν,
καὶ ἄναρχος. S. Greg. Naz. Orat. 29.
[20. § 7. Vol. 1. p. 380 c.] El Tis ȧ-
γέννητον καὶ ἀναρχον λέγοι τὸν υἱόν· ὡς
δύο ἄναρχα, καὶ δύο ἀγέννητα λέγων, καὶ
δύο ποιῶν θεούς, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Synod.
Sirm. Confessio prim. [Socrates, 1. ii.
c. 30. Labbe, Vol. 1. p. 594 c. p. 786A.]
thus first translated into Latin: 'Si
quis innascibilem et sine initio dicat
Filium, tanquam duo sine principio,
et duo innascibilia, et duo innata
dicens: duos faciat deos: Anathema
sit.' S. Hilar. de Synod. art. xxvi.
c. 38. [p. 1177 B.] In which sense
the Platonists did understand ἀγέν-
νητος of God: Ὥστε οὐκ ἀγαθὸν τῇ
λεγομένῃ ὕλῃ τὸ κοσμεῖσθαι, εἴπερ ἀγένε
νητος εἴη μὴ ἀπὸ χρόνου μόνον, ἀλλὰ
καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ αἰτιοῦ καθ ̓ ὃ σημαινόμενον
καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀγέννητον λέγομεν. Hie-
rocles de provid. [p. 248.] And the
Latins attributing the term principium
to the Son, do it with the addition of
de or ex principio. 'Pater principium
non de principio, Filius principium
de principio.' S. August. contra
Maxim. 1. ii. c. 17. [§ 4. Vol. VIII.
p. 716 E.] 'Principium ex principio
et unum est, et initio caret.' Faustus
Rheg. Epist. 16. [Ep. 3.] 'Ex ore,
inquit, (Ecclus. xxiv. 5.) Altissimi

prodivi; hæc est enim nativitas perfecta Sermonis, hoc est principium sine principio; hic est ortus habens initium in nativitate, in statu non habens.' Phœbad. contra Arian. [c. 11.] Sicut in creaturis invenitur principium primum et principium secundum; ita in personis divinisinvenitur principium non de principio, quod est Pater, et principium a principio, quod est Filius.' Tho. Aquin. Par. 1. q. 33. art. 4. And to this all the Schoolmen writing on his Sums agree, as all upon the Sentences. I. Dist. 29.

2 Αἰτία ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ φύσις καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως πάσης. S. Athanas. Orthodoxi et Anomai Arianistæ [De Trinitate, Dial. ii. § 23. Vol. II. p. 502 F. ]* ̓Αλλά τίς ἐστι δύναμις ἀγεννήτως καὶ ἀνάρχως ὑφεστῶσα, ἥτις ἐστὶν αἰτία τῆς ἁπάντων τῶν ὄντων αἰτίας· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα. δ. Basil. Epist. 43. [38. § 4. Vol. III. p. 117 c.] And upon that place, this day have I begotten thee: ̓Αλλὰ τὸ μέν, γεγέννηκα, τὴν αἰτίαν ἀφ ̓ ἧς ἔχει ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἶναι σημαίνει. Id. contra Eunom. 1. ii. § 17. [Vol. 1. p. 252 D.] Πῶς οὐδεμίαν διαφορὰν καταλείπει, οὐδὲ τὴν τοῖς αἰτίοις πρὸς τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐνυπο άρχουσαν; Id. l. i. § 23. [p. 234 Ε.] Πρὸς τό, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου, ἐκεῖνο εἰδέναι χρή, ὅτι ἀρχὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ αἰτίαν ἐπιγραφόμενος τὸν πατέρα ταύτα λέγει. Id. Epist. 64. [Ep. 210. § 4. Vol. III. p. 315 D.] Διαφορὰν τῶν ὑποστάσεων ἐν μόναις ταῖς τρισὶν ἰδιότησι, τῇ ἀναιτίῳ καὶ πατρικῇ, καὶ τῇ αἰτιατῇ καὶ υἱϊκῇ, καὶ τῇ αἰτιατῇ καὶ ἐκπορευτῇ, ἐπιγινώσκομεν. Damasc. de Fide Orthod. 1. iii. c. 5. Τὸν πατέρα τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας, καὶ προβολέα τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, τὴν πρώτην αἰτίαν καὶ ἀρχήν φαμεν τῆς θεότητος εἶναι. Zachar. Mitylen. De Mundi Οpificio [p. 285 E.] And although Thomas Aquinas, and Eugenius bishop of Rome, in the defini*This work is put inter spuria in the Benedictine edition.

Father, of whom are all things, and the person of the Son, 1 Cor. viii. 6. by whom are all things. Secondly, That the difference con

nition of the Council of Florence, have observed that the Greeks in this case do use the term causa, but the Latins only principium: yet the very Latin fathers in the twenty-fifth session of the same Council have these words: μίαν γινώσκομεν τὸν πατέρα αἰτίαν, καὶ ῥίζαν, καὶ πηγὴν τῆς θεό TηTOS [Labbe, Vol. XIII. p. 461 E.] and we have before cited Victorinus Afer, who says: 'Pater causa est ipsi Filio ut sit.' [Lib. i. cont. Ar. c. 13.] So St Hilary: 'Deum nasci, non est aliud quam in ea natura esse qua Deus est; quia nasci cum causam nativitatis ostendat, non disproficit tamen in genere auctoris exsistere.' De Trin. 1. xi. c. 11. [p. 1089 A.] 'Ex Spiritu enim Spiritus nascens, licet de proprietate Spiritus, per quam et ipse Spiritus est, nascatur, non tamen alia ei præterquam perfectarum atque indemutabilium causarum ad id quod nascitur causa est. Et ex causa, licet perfecta atque indemutabili nascens, necesse est ex causa in causæ ipsius proprietate nascatur.' Id. 1. xii. c. 8. [p. 1116 E.] 'Qui ex eo qui est natus est, intelligi non potest ex eo quod non fuit natus esse, quia ei is qui est ad id quod est causa est, non etiam id quod non est origo nascendi est.' Ibid. c. 17. [p. 1121 E.] 'Deus omnium quæ sunt causa est. Quod autem omnium rerum causa est, etiam sapientiæ suæ causa est, nec unquam Deus sine sapientia sua. Igitur sempiternæ sapientiæ suæ causa est sempiterna. S. August. lib. de divers. Quæst. lxxxiii. [quæst. 16. Vol. vi. p. 4 F.] And as they called the Father the cause of the Son, so they accounted it the propriety of the Father to be without a cause; as appears out of Alexander the bishop of Alexandria's Epistle before produced.

3 We have cited Phœbadius speaking so before, to which may be added: 'Si quis igitur adhuc et de Apostolo requirit dominicum statum, id est,

singularis substantiæ qualitatem, quæ per naturam auctori suo jungatur:' [Contra Arianos, c. 21.] et paulo post: 'Sed cum refertur ex ipso, certe ad Patrem, ut ad rerum omnium respicitur auctorem.' St Hilary is known to speak frequently of the authority of the Father, as of the author of his Son; and several places have been already collected, especially by Petavius, to which these may be added, besides what have been already produced. 'In ipso quod Pater dicitur, ejus quem genuit auctor ostenditur.' De Trin. 1. iv. c. 9. [p. 831 E.] 'Cum potius honor Filii dignitas sit paterna, et gloriosus auctor sit ex quo is, qui tali gloria sit dignus, exstiterit.' Ibid. c. 10. [p. 832 B.] Aliud est sine auctore esse semper æternum, aliud quod Patri, id est, auctori, est comternum. Ubi enim Pater auctor est, ibi et nativitas est. At vero ubi auctor æternus est, ibi et nativitas æterna est: quia sicut nativitas ab auctore est, ita ab æterno auctore æterna nativitas est.' Ibid. 1. xii. c. 21. [p.1123A.] 'Quod vero ex æterno natum est, id si non æternum natum est, jam non erit et Pater auctor æternus. Si quid igitur ei qui ab æterno Patre natus est ex æternitate defuerit, id ipsum auctori non est ambiguum defuisse.' Ibid. [p. 1123 c.] 'Natum non post aliquid, sed ante omnia; ut nativitas tantum testetur auctorem, non præposterum aliquid in se auctore significet.' Ibid. c. 51. [p. 1139 d.] 'Natus autem ita, ut nihil aliud quam Te [omnipotens Deus] sibi significet auctorem.' Ibid. c. 52. [p. 1140c.] 'Ipsius tamen auctor est Pater generando sine initio.' Ruff. in Symb. § 6. 'Si propterea Deum Patrem Deo Filio dicis auctorem, quia ille genuit, genitus est iste, quia iste de illo est, non ille de isto; fateor et concedo.' S. August. contra Maxim. 1. ii. c. 14. [§ 6. Vol. VIII. p. 706 A.]

4 Nec dubitaverim Filium dicere * These words are rejected from the text of Vallarsi [p. 63.]