Book:The Divine Trinunity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Francis Cheynell
From Textus Receptus
All points of Doctrine revealed in Scripture are profitable, and precious truths; and every man is obliged to receive, beleeve and embrace every truth made known to him in, and by the holy Scriptures; Because all truths contained in Scripture are of equall credit in respect of the Authority of the Revealer; but all truths are not of equall necessity, weight and importance in respect of the Nature and Matter of the points revealed. There is a vast difference between the nature, matter, weight and importance of these two Propositions;
1. Paul left his Cloak, Books and Parchments at Troas, 2 Tim. 4. 13.
2. Jesus Christ is God and man, the only Mediatour between God and man, the only and All-sufficient Saviour of his people from their sins.
The first of these Propositions cannot be refused, because it is grounded upon clear Scripture, and he who rejects a point of the least concernment, which he knowes to be revealed in Scripture, doth not indeed and truth beleeve and embrace any truth at all, no not truths which are of the highest concernment, upon the right ground and true reason, namely because God hath revealed them to us in the holy Scriptures of truth.
A Fundamentall point is of such high concernment,[1] that whosoever is ignorant of it is condemned for his meere Negative Infidelity; and whosoever doth refuse to beleeve it, is condemned for his Positive Infidelity, because he rejects a truth delivered upon the Authority of God, and a truth so highly credible, that it is necessary to be known, and beleeved for his own salvation. Our Faith, Piety, Hope, Charity, Salvation, are all grounded upon these necessary and Fundamentall truths.
Those truths or points of Doctrine are Fundamentall, without the plaine and expresse knowledge whereof we can neither savingly beleeve in Christ, nor rightly worship God in Christ to the obtaining of eternall life.
The Grand Mystery of three Divine and Coessential Subsistents in the single Godhead, is a Fundamentall point.
I desire to make this point very plain.
1. For the satisfaction of the weak. 2. Information of the ignorant. 3. Conviction of the obstinate. 4. Edification of the meek and humble.
It is most cleare and evident that it doth highly concerne Christians to acknowledge
1. A Deity against the Atheists. 2. The Unity of this Deity against the Pagans. 3. A Trinity in this Unity against Turks, Jewes, Heretiques, both Ancient and Modern. We must 1. Know. 2. Beleeve. 3. Acknowledge. 4. Worship. 5. Obey. 6. Trust to, and depend upon three Persons, and one God.
Our blessed Lord in that excellent prayer of his which is most largely recorded, John 17. saith, That this is life eternall to know the Father the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent, ver. 3. This Text hath been opened and vindicated at large in this Book already from the 44. page to the 54. and therefore I shall make quick work now, and desire you but to compare this Text with I Iohn 5. 20. We are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternall life; both texts tell us that it is eternall life for to beleeve that the Father and the Son are the only true God, and therefore this is a fundamentall point; And the Scripture speakes expresly that these three, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one, one God; for the witnesse or testimony delivered by these three is the witnesse of God, 1 Joh. 5. 7. 9.
But it is objected by some that the words, These three are one. 1 Joh. 5. 7. are not to be found in some ancient Copies, and therefore it will not be safe to build a point of such weight and consequence upon such a weake foundation.
To which we answer, It is true that these words are not to be found in the Syriack Edition, but they who speake most modestly, do acknowledge that the Syriack Edition is not Authentick. Learned Heinsius is much offended with that Edition, as appeares by his Annotations upon, 1 Ioh. 5. 7. And if we consult the Scriptures, and compare this Text with the following Verses, and with some other places of Scripture, which are more plaine, and then adde the testimony and Interpretations of the ancient and Reverend Doctors of the Church, concerning the words in question, we shall be able to passe a right judgement upon the point in hand.
1. The equality of the Number of witnesses suites very right, three witnesses on earth, and three in heaven.
2 The opposition between the quality of the witnesses, witnesses on earth, and witnesses in heaven: and yet their sweet harmony and agreement in one testimony; all six beare witnesse to one and the same truth.
3. The diversity of the very nature of those three who beare witnesse on earth, and the unity of their divine nature who bear witnesse in heaven, is very considerable, and it is excellently expressed in the variation of the Phrase, These three are one, ver. 7. and these three agree in one; namely, in one testimony, ver. 8. Though their Nature be different, yet their Testimony is the same.
But it is objected that the Complutensian Bible saith of the heavenly witnesses that these three agree in one, ver. 7. I humbly offer this satisfaction to pious and learned men; That we have good reason to beleeve, that there is an imprudent addition in the Complutensian Bible, rather then an omission of so many ancient and approved Bibles; and therefore it is fit that that addition should be expunged out of that one Copy, by the concurrent testimony of so many Copies. Moreover it is cleer by the joynt testimony of other Copies, that the words ἕν εἰσι are omitted in the 7 ver. and the words εῖς τὸ ἕν εἰσι belong to the eight verse, and therefore there is an inexcusable omission, and an imprudent transposition in that corrupt edition . But then it is farther objected, that these words These three are one are wanting in some other Greek copies; for answer I proceed in my observations.
4. If we look upon the Scripture account in other places, we shall find it exactly agreeable to the account in this place, 1 Joh. 5. 7.
In the eighth of John our Saviour pleads that two witnesses in Law were sufficient for the proof of any point, Joh. 8. 17. and in the tenth verse saith he, I am one, and my Father that sent me is another: they are two witnesses, and yet but one God; I and my Father are one, Joh. 10. 30. One in power, and therefore one in nature. He speaks not of the spirit, because Christ was not yet glorified, nor was the Spirit yet manifested by that eminent and glorious mission and effusion which was to follow after the Ascension of our blessed Lord. But he did foretell that the third witnesse was to be sent from the Father by the Son, Joh. 15. 26. But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testifie of me. I might adde to these testimonies all other places of Scripture, wherin all the three witnesses are named together, and then produce all the places which have been formerly cited in this booke to prove the coessential Trin-unity of those heavenly witnesses.
5. The copulative [And] in the beginning of the verse,1 Joh. 5. 8. doth very fitly connect the whole seventh verse with the eighth, as they are printed in our ordinary translation.
6. Hierome doth assure us that the words in question were expunged by the Arrians, because these few words do hold forth an undeniable proofe of the divine and Coessentiall Trin-unity of these heavenly witnesses. And divers other learned and judicious men conceive that these words were blotted out in the time of Constantius and Valens the Emperours who were sworn enemies of the blessed Trinity, and professed Patrons of Arrianisme.
7. The Hereticks did blot out those words, Joh. 4, 24. God is a spirit, as Ambrose assures us: and therefore this practise of expunging such words in the Scripture as did refute their errours was too common amongst the Hereticks of old, as we might prove by witnesses enough, if that were our businesse.
8. These words, 1 Joh. 5. 7. are to be found in copies of great antiquity and best credit.
9. This Text is cited by the Ancient Fathers, by Athanasius in his dispute with Arrius at the counsell of Nice, and Arrius never denyed it for to be Scripture, which certainly he would have done, if there had been any doubt made of it in the Primitive times.
It is cited by Cyprian also in his book de Vnitate Ecclesiae. Paxillus in his booke de Monomachia proves by an induction of the learned Doctors of the Church both before and since Athanasius, that the Doctrine of the Coessential Trin-Unity of these heavenly witnesses was generally received by all that were esteemed Orthodox and pious in the Church of Christ. Calovius also in his Fides Patrum ante Concilium Nicenum, gives in a Catalogue for the satisfaction of all that desire resolution in this weighty point.
10. These three heavenly witnesses are one in Power, nature and Will; all three bear witnesse to the same truth, and their testimony is divine, 1 Joh. 5. 9. And the truth which they bear witnesse to is a fundamentall truth, a saving truth, that we may beleeve on the Sonne of God and have eternall life. 1 Joh. 5. 11, 12, 13. And if the authority of any one of these three heavenly witnesses be called into question, all may be questioned upon the same grounds, because their testimony is of equall authority; their testimony is personall and divine; and if the testimony and authority of these witnesses were not divine, our faith which is built upon their testimony and authority, would not be a divine Faith. Quale est testimonium, talis est fides. All three heavenly witnesses joyne with one consent and Will in propounding this fundamentall truth, and therefore if we do not beleeve and embrace it, we give the lye to all the three witnesses in heaven, 1 Joh. 5. 10. And if we do beleeve that Jesus is the naturall Son of God, in and by whom all beleevers have eternall life, then we must acknowledge that Jesus Christ is one God with his Father, the true God and eternall life, 1 Joh. 5. 20. Christ is God Attributivè, Joh. 1. 1. Subjectivè, Act 20. 28. 1 Tim. 3. 16. This one proposition, That Iesus Christ is the naturall and proper Son of God, is that Fundamental Confession of Faith upon which the Christian Church is built, Mat. 16. 16, 17, 18. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God: This is the Rock upon which Christ hath so firmly built his Church, that the gates of Hell shal never prevail against it, or this fundamentall truth. We are all built upon Christ, through the Spirit for an habitation of God, Eph. 2. 20, 21, 22. Father, Son, & Holy Ghost; all three joyn in laying this foundation, and all three are one and the self-same great God, who is the only true God blessed for ever, as hath been fully proved already in this book, and therfore I may be the briefer in the discussion of this weighty point.
The Form of Baptism doth contain in it a short Creed, or Rule of Faith, Mat. 28. 19. And when the ancient Fathers speak such high things of the Creed, they understand it of this short Creed which is part of Canonicall Scripture, and not of that form which is commonly callled the Apostles Creed. In like manner when they expound Eph. 4. 5. One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, they say, there is one Faith and one Baptism, because the sum of our Faith is contained in the forme of Baptism.
