Church of that Age did not believe that our Saviour was não es, the fupreme God, or one of the fame numerical Effence with the Father; and therefore could not interpret those Words of fuch an Unity, but only of an Unity of Concord, Mind, and Will. Hence, in his Comment upon St. John, p. 227, he faith, that this Unity of Will, is the Caufe why Chrift faid, I and my Father are one.

And in

his next Page adds, that the Will which is in Chrift is the Image of the firft Will; and the Divinity which is in Chrift is the Image of the true Divinity.

Novatian is, if poffible, ftill more express in this Interpretation. For in Answer to the Objection of the Sabellians from this place, he faith, that Unum being here put in the Neuter Gender, denotes not an Unity of Perfon, but a Concord of Society between them; they being defervedly ftiled one, by Reafon of their Concord and Love, and because whatsoever the Son is, he is from the Father. The Apoftle, faith he, knew this Unity of Concord with the Distinction of Persons, by writing to the Corinthians thus: I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the Increase. For who understands not that Paul is one Perfon, and Apollos another? And that they had diverse Offices, one to Plant, and another to Water? And yet the Apostle Paul faith of these two, Evo, they are one, though as to the Diftinc

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tion of Perfons they are two ; with other things of like Nature.

And here it is to be obferved, that Pamelius's Note upon thefe Words, is this; Nempe in hoc loco, non fatis accuratè fcribere Novatianum, quod nullam Effentia Patris & Filii Communicationem adferat, fed Exemplum ab Apoftolo Unitati Effentia veluti contrarium; in quo certè hallucinatum fuiffe Auctorem non vereor dicere, quum pofteà Ecclefia in diverfis Conciliis, diverfum definiverit. That is, Novatian did not write accurately in this Place, as making no mention of the Communion of the Effence betwixt the Father and the Son, but introducing an Example from the Apoftle, as it were contrary to it; in which thing I doubt not to pronounce him erroneous, fecing the Church afterwards in diverfe Councils defined the contrary.

And yet 'tis certain, that many of the AnteNicene Fathers in effect faid the fame thing. For (a) Juftin pronounces the Son to be reg ἀπὸ τὸ παρὸς ἀριθμῷ & γνώμη, Another from the Father in Number, but not in Confent. And his Reafon follows thus, because he never would do any thing but what ὁ τὸν κόσμον ποιήσας, ὑπερ ὃν ἀλλῷ ἐκ ἔτι θες, βεβέληται καὶ πρᾶξαι καὶ ὁμιλῆσαι, the Maker of the World would have him do and fpeak. Where, First, This God the Father is plainly tiled Another in F 2 Number

(a) Dial. cum Tryph. p. 276.

Number from him that made the World. And Secondly, the Son is represented as one not doing his own Will, but being in all things fubfervient to, and delivering the Words of that God, from whom he is thus distinguished.

(a) Lactantius faith, that the Father and Son are one, quia unanimes incolunt Mundum, because they unanimously dwell in the World.

(6) Eufebius pronounces the Father and Son to be one, & καθ' ὑπότασιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν Ts dons, not as to the Effence, but as to Communion of Glory. And lastly,

The Council of Antioch pronounceth the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, to be rgía μὲ ὑποτάσει τῇ δὲ συμφωνίᾳ ἕν, that is, three in Subfiftence, but one only in Confent, or Con cord. (c) Tertullian declares, in Answer to this Objection of the Sabellians, that these Words, I and the Father, duorum effe fignificationem, fignifie two; and then adds, that, Unum neutrali verbo non pertinet ad Singu laritatem, fed ad Unitatem, ad Similitudinem, ad Conjunctionem, ad Delectionem Patris qui Filium diligit; & ad Obfequium Filii qui Voluntati Patris obfequitur: "Which last Words fhew that it is impoflible that this Text should be interpreted of the numerical Effence, or Unity of the Father and Son; feeing one and the fame Effence cannot be obfequious or obe

(a) Lib. 4. c. 29.

(b) Ecclef. 1. 3. c. 19.

(c) Adverfus Praxeam. c. 22. P. 575

dient

dient to itself. And yet there is nothing more common among the Ante-Nicene Fathers, than to fay with Novatian, who having affirmed that the Son, obedierit Patri, & obediat, always did, and always doth obey the Father, thence makes this Inference ;-Quid tam evidens effe poteft hunc non Patrem effe, Jed Filium, quam quod obediens Patri Deo proponitur? What more evidently fhews that Chrift is not the Father, but the Son, than this, that Chrift is obedient to the Father Cap. 23. And again, Cap. 30. Filius nihil ex Arbitrio fuo gerit, nec ex Concilio fuo fecit, nec a fe venit; fed Imperiis Paternus omnibus, & Preceptis obedit, ut quamvis probet illum Nativitas Filiúm, tamen morigera Obedientia af ferat ipfum Paterna Voluntatis, ex quo eft, Miniftrum. Ita dum fe Patri in omnibus obtemperantem reddit, quamvis fit & Deus, Unum tamen Deum Patrem de Obedientià fua oftendit, ex quo & traxit Originem: That is, in fhort; The Son of God by his dutiful Obedience to all his Father's Commands, and to his Will, (he doing nothing by his own Will and Counfel,) by this demonftrated, that, though he was God, yet the Father from whom he came forth, and whom he obeyed, was the one God, even that one God, of whom he faith, Nos fcimus & legimus & credimus & tenemus, Unum effe Deum, qui fecit Cælum pariter ac Terram, quoniam nec alterum novimus, aut nofcere (cùm multus fit) aliquando poteriF 3

mus

mus; that is, we Chriftians know, believe, and hold, that there is one only God the Creator of Heaven and Earth; nor know we, nor can we know any other, because there is no other. And again, God the Father is, Unus Deus, cujus neque Magnitudem, neque Majeftati, neque Virtuti quicquam non dixerim præferri, fed nec comparari poteft; that is, that one God, to whofe Greatnefs, Majefty, and Power, nothing can be compared, Cap. 30. And indeed all the Greek Fathers, from Juftin to Eufebius inclufive, do frequently inform us that the Son did ὑπηρετεῖν τῷ θελήματι το Πατ Tgos obey the Will of the Father, that he did ὑπεργεν, διακονεῖν, ὑπηρετεῖν, minifter, and was fubfervient to him,

And all that writ in Latin, from Tertullian to Lactantius inclusively, that he did, Patris voluntati adminiftrare, adminifter to the Will of the Father; That he did, obedire in omnibus Patri, obey the Father in all things; That the Son, voluntati Patris fideliter paret nec unquam faciat aut fecerit, nifi quod Pater aut voluit aut juffit, faithfully obeyed the Will of his Father, and never doth, or would do any thing, but what the Father willed, or ordered him to do, l. 4. c. 29.

It being therefore certain, that one and the fame Effence, can have but one and the fame Will, and that one fingular and numerical Ef fence, cannot adminifter to the Will, obey, and be fubfervient to the Will and Commands

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