A TKEATISE OF NOVATIAN.
A ROMAN PRESBYTER.
CONCERNING THE TRINITY.
ARGUMENT.
Novatiah'streatiseconcerningtheTrinityisdividedintothirty-one
chapters.He firstof allconsidersthosewordsof theRuleofTruthor
Faith(thatwe calltheCreed),whichbidusbelieveon God theFather
andLord Almighty,theabsolutelyperfectCreatorofallthings,from
chapterfirstto theeighth,whereinamong theotherdivineattributes
hemoreoverascribesto Him, partlyfromreasonand partlyfromthe
Holy Scriptures,immensity,eternity,unity,goodness,immutability,
immortality,spirituality; and addsthatneitherpassionsnormembers
canbeattributedtoGod,andthatthesethingsareonlyassertedofGod
inScriptureanthropopathically.From theninthchaptertothetwenty-
eighthhe entersuponthediffuseexplanationalsoofthosewordsof our
creedwhich commend to us faithintheSon of God,JesusChrist,the
LordourGod,theChristpromisedintheOldTestament,audprovesby
theauthorityoftheoldand new covenantthatHe isveryman and
veryGod. Inchaptereighteenthherefutestheerrorof theSabellians,
andby theauthorityofthesacredwritingsheestablishesthedistinction
oftheFatherandoftheSon,andrepliestotheobjectionsoftheabove-
named heresiarchsandothers.In thetwenty-ninthchapterhe treatsof
faithin the HolySpirit,sayingthatfinallytheauthorityof thefaith
admonishesus,aftertheFatherandtheSon,tobelievealsoon theHoly
Spirit,whoseoperationshe recountsandprovesfromtheScriptures.He
thenlabourstoassociatetheunityof God withthematterspreviously
contendedfor,andatlengthsetsforththesum of thedoctrinesabove
explained.
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