But since some or many persons were disturbed by
questions concerning substance, called in Greek οὐσία, that is, to make it
understood more exactly, as to ὁμοούσιον, or what
is called ὁμοιούσιον
, there ought to be no mention made of these at all. Nor ought
any exposition to be made of them for the reason and consideration that
they are not contained in the divine Scriptures, and that they are
above man’s understanding, nor can any man declare the birth of
the Son, of whom it is written, Who shall declare His
generation Is. liii. 8.? For
it is plain that only the Father knows how He begot the Son, and the
Son how He was begotten of the Father. There is no question that
the Father is greater. No one can doubt that the Father is
greater than the Son in honour, dignity, splendour, majesty, and in the
very name of Father, the Son Himself testifying, He that sent Me is
greater than I John xiv. 28.. And no
one is ignorant that
it is Catholic doctrine that there are two Persons of Father and Son;
and that the Father is greater, and that the Son is subordinated to the
Father, together with all things which the Father has subordinated to
Him, and that the Father has no beginning and is invisible, immortal
and impassible, but that the Son has been begotten of the Father, God
of God, Light of Light, and that the generation of this Son, as is
aforesaid, no one knows but His Father. And that the Son of God
Himself, our Lord and God, as we read, took flesh, that is, a body,
that is, man of the womb of the Virgin Mary, of the Angel
announced. And as all the Scriptures teach, and especially the
doctor of the Gentiles himself, He took of Mary the Virgin, man,
through whom He suffered. And the whole faith is summed up and
secured in this, that the Trinity must always be preserved, as we read
in the Gospel, Go ye and baptize all nations in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Matt. xxviii. 19.. Complete and perfect is the number
of the Trinity. How the Paraclete, the Spirit, is through the
Son: Who was sent and came according to His promise in order to
instruct, teach and sanctify the apostles and all believers.