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Creatures ; and, γύνημα προ πάντων ἁπλῶς ἢ κλισμάτων a Perfon begotten abfolutely before all Creatures; and the

like.

And Irenaus, reckoning up the several Words, by which the Generation of the Son [or Word] might be expreffed; fuch as Production, Generation, Speak ing forth, or Birth; did not think fit (as I before obferved) to add, Creation.

Prolationem iftam, five Generationem, five Nuncapationem,five Adapertionem. Lib. 2. c. 48.

Origen calls the Son, (πρεσβύτατον πάντων ἢ δημιερό nuatar, contr. Celf. lib. 1.) antienter than All Creatures, (fo the learned Bp Bull tranflates the Words; in like manner as the phrafe, grós μs, in St Johnn must be rendred, Before me:) But I think the Words should rather be rendred, the Antientest of All Derivative Beings: For fo the Word [n] may be understood in a larger Sense; as appears from that paffage in Athanafius contra Gentes, [lioews G κύριον, καὶ πάσης υποςάσεως δημιεργον, The Lord of all Greas tures,and the Author of every Subfiftence; ] where he calls God the [Anyos ] Author of [wos ao ess] Subfiftencies, which are diftinguished from [lios] the Creature. And Eufebius : The Ἡ ἐκκλησία + ἕνα θεὸν κη Church (faith he preaches One God, and that He is the Father and Supreme over all: The Father indeed of Chrift alone, but of all other things the God and Crea

tor and Lord.

And Athanafius: What perfon, says he,) when he hears Him, whom he beleves to be the Only God, Jay, This is my beloved Son;

gurls, autor (1) i raliex j παντοκράτορα διδάσκεσα παρ τέρα μὺ ἑνὸς ἢ χεις μόνο, 7 λοιπῶν ἀπάντων Θεὸν καὶ isnvnúev. De Ecclef. Theol. lib. 1. c. 8.

Τίς ἀνθρώπων ακέσας προ 18TH, öv émiseure μóvov & Bedÿò λέγον], Ουτός ὅσιν ὁ ψός με ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, τολμήσς επεν ori i to der λóz☺ SE in dvὅτι τὸ θεῖ λόγΘ ξ ἐκ

των

dares affirm that the Word των γέγονε
of God was made out of No-
thing?

Tay yeyove; De fentent.
Dionyf. Alexandr.

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S XV.

The Scripture, in declaring the Sons Derivation from the Father, never makes mention of any Limitation of Time; but always supposes and a firms him to have existed with the Father from the Beginning, and before All Worlds.

See the Texts, No 567, 569, 574, 584, 586, 588, 591, 607, 612, 619, 641, 642, 658, 666, 667, 668, 672, 686.

See above, § 2; and below, § 17.

S XVI

They therefore have alfo juftly been cenfured, who pretending to be wife above what is written, and intruding into things which they have not feen; have prefumed to affirm [ὅτι ἦν ὅτε ἐκ [OTI hY OTE in hv] that there was a time when

the Son was not.

See beneath, $ 17.

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of Whether the Son derives his Being from Decepity the Father, by Neceffity of Nature, or by the of hature ower of bis Will, the Scripture hath no where exprefly declared.

Edition:

T

Notes on S 17. 15 ans strafta

Yet it cannot be denied but the Terms [SON and BEGET, feem rather to imply an Act of the Will. And, fince the Attributes and Powers of God are as eternal as his Being; and there never was any Time, wherein God could not will what he pleafed, and do what he willed; it will not at all follow, that That which is an Effect of his Will and Power, muft confequently be limited to any definite Time. Wherefore not only thofe Antient Writers who were efteemed Semi-Arians, but also the learnedeft of the moft Orthodox Fathers who afferted the eternal generation of the Son, did yet nevertheless affert it to be an Act of the Fathers eternal Power and Will.

Him (faith Juftin Martyr) who, by the Will of the Father, is God's the Son and Meffenger of the Father

Again For he hath all thefe Titles [before menti

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Ἐκεῖνον * και βελὴν ἢ ἐκείνε

ser ota, or quite ay Θεὸν ὄντα, αὐτὸ καὶ year. Dial. cum Tryph.

Ἔχει τα πάντα προσονομά 7 vangerer to wa

wooned, viz.athat of Son, Teng Bornμati, în Tõ đãi

Wisdom, Angel, God, Lord, warços Deλuces yezhuvñg.

and Word,] from his miniftring to his Fathers Will, and from his being begotten Again: And that he was produced from the Father before All Creatures, by his Power and Will.

of

Ibid.

the Father by his Will. Καὶ πρὸ πάντων ποιημάτων ἀπὸ τὸ πατρὸς δυνάμει αὐτό Con wegenbovta. Ibid.

And in That remarkable paffage, where he comTM pares the Generation of the Son from the Father, to One Light derived from another; he adds, I have faid That This Power Ειπῶν ἢ διαμιν ταύτην γε [meaning the Son] was begundy & Tate's, Sundues πατρίς, δυνάμει gotten of the Father, by his Bany aur. Ibid. Power and Will.

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Irenans frequently ftiles the Son, [aternum Dei Verbum] the eternal Word of God; and affirms, that [Semper cum Patre erat] he always was with the Father, that [adeft ei femper] he is always prefent with the Father, that [Semper coexiftebat Patri] he did always co-exist with the Father; and blames those who did [prolationis initium donare] afcribe a Beginning to his Produ Etion: And yet (I think) there is no paffage in This Writer, that fuppofes him to be derived from the Father by any abfolute Neceffity of Nature. Origen fpeaks Thus concerning the Time of the Sons generation, Thefe Words, Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee; are Spoken to him by God, with whom it is always Today: For there is no Evening nor Morning with Him: But the Time co-extended, if I may fo Speak, with His Unbegotten and Eternal Life, is one in the To day in which the Son

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"Υιός με ει συ, ἐγὼ σήμε ev γεγύνηκά σε, λέγει προς auriv Go To DES & de 531 To σήμερον: ἐκ ἔνι γδ ἑσπέρα θεῖ,

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4ός ἀρχῆς γενέσεως αὐτό ὅτως

ἐχ

was begotten : So that the εχ ευρισκομύης, ὡς ἐδ' τ ἡμέ Beginning of his Generation eComment. in Joh.pag.3 1. can no more be difcovered,

than of That Day. And yet none of the Antient Writers do more exprefly reckon the Son among the [Shμingynpara] Beings derived from the Power and Will of the Father, than Origen. See the paffage cited above, in § 14.

Father:

Novatianexpreffes himfelf thus: The Son, being begotten of the Father, is Always in [or with the He that was before all Time, must be Jaid to have been Always in [or with] the Father. And he exprefly adds: The Word, which is the Son, was born of the Father, at the Will of the Father: He was produced by the Father, at the Will of the Fa ther. Upon which paffages this Remark: When the Son is faid to be born of the Father, at the Will of the Father; That Will of the Father must be underftood to be eternal.

Hic cùm fit genitus a Patre, femper eft in Pa

tre.

Qui ante omne Tempus eft, femper in Patre fuiffe dicendus eft. De Trin. c. 31.

yet in the fame Chapter

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the learned Bp Bull makes

Cùm filius dicitur ex Patre, quando ipfe voluit, nafci; velle illud Patris, &ternum fuiffe intelligendum. Defens. Sect. 3.cap.8. $ 8.

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Καὶ τὸ ἀεὶ ἔ * ὑὸν ἐν τῇ waley's wis d'ouse. Αλλα μή τις τὸ ἀεὶ πρὸς ὑπόνοιαν αγωνήτε λαμβανέτω. ουτε γδ τὸ ἦν, ἔτε τὸ ̓Απὸν ἔτε

And Alexander Bishop of Alexandria: We believe (faith he) that the Son was Always from the Father. But Let no One by the word, [Always,be led to imaginedávæv, Tautér 64 Th bim Self-exiftent. For nei

άγω

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