A TREATISE OF NOVATIAN CONCERNING THE TRINITY
PREFACE.
CHAP. I. ARGUMENT.—NOVATIAN, WITH THE VIEW OF
TREATING OF THE TRINITY, SETS FORTH FROM THE RULE OF FAITH THAT WE
SHOULD FIRST OF ALL BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER AND LORD OMNIPOTENT,
THE ABSOLUTE FOUNDER OF ALL THINGS. THE WORKS OF CREATION ARE
BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBED. MAN'S FREE-WILL IS ASSERTED; GOD'S MERCY IN
INFLICTING PENALTYON MAN IS SHOWN; THE CONDITION AFTER DEATH OF THE
SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND UNRIGHTEOUS IS DETERMINED.
CHAP. II. ARGUMENT.—GOD IS ABOVE ALl, THINGS,
HIMSELF CONTAINING ALL THINGS, IMMENSE, ETERNAL, TRANSCENDING THE
MIND OF MAN; INEXPLICABLE IN DISCOURSE, LOFTIER THAN ALL SUBLIMITY.
CHAP. III. ARGUMENT.—THAT GOD IS THE FOUNDER
OF ALL THINGS, THEIR LORD AND PARENT, IS PROVED FROM THE HOLY
SCRIPTURES.
CHAP. IV. ARGUMENT.—MOREOVER, HE IS GOOD,
ALWAYS THE SAME, IMMUTABLE, ONE AND ONLY, INFINITE; AND HIS OWN NAME
CAN NEVER BE DECLARED, AND HE IS INCORRUPTIBLE AND IMMORTAL.
CHAP. V. ARGUMENT.—IF WE REGARD THE ANGER, AND
INDIGNATION, AND HATRED OF GOD DESCRIBED IN THE SACRED PAGES, WE MUST
REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE NOT TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS BEARING THE CHARACTER
OF HUMAN VICES.
CHAP. VI. ARGUMENT.— AND THAT, ALTHOUGH
SCRIPTURE OFTEN CHANGES THE DIVINE APPEARANCE INTO A HUMAN FORM, YET
THE MEASURE OF THE DIVINE MAJESTY IS NOT INCLUDED WITHIN THESE
LINEAMENTS OF OUR BODILY NATURE.
CHAP. VII. ARGUMENT.—MOREOVER, THAT WHEN GOD IS
CALLED A SPIRIT, BRIGHTNESS, AND LIGHT, GOD IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY
EXPRESSED BY THOSE APPELLATIONS.
CHAP. VIII. ARGUMENT. — IT IS THIS GOD,
THEREFORE, THAT THE CHURCH HAS KNOWN AND ADORES; AND TO HIM THE
TESTIMONY OF THINGS AS WELL VISIBLE AS INVISIBLE IS GIVEN BOTH AT ALL
TIMES AND IN ALL FORMS, BY THE NATURE WHICH HIS PROVIDENCE RULES AND
GOVERNS.
CHAP. IX. ARGUMENT.— FURTHER, THAT THE SAME RULE
OF TRUTH TEACHES US TO BELIEVE, AFTER THE FATHER, ALSO IN THE SON OF
GOD, JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD GOD, BEING THE SAME THAT WAS PROMISED IN
THE OLD TESTAMENT, AND MANIFESTED IN THE NEW.
CHAP. X. ARGUMENT.—THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON
OF GOD AND TRULY MAN, AS OPPOSED TO THE FANCIES OF HERETICS, WHO DENY
THAT HE TOOK UPON HIM TRUE FLESH.
CHAP. XI.— AND INDEED THAT CHRIST WAS NOT ONLY
MAN, BUT GOD ALSO; THAT EVEN AS HE WAS THE SON OF MAN, SO ALSO HE WAS
THE SON OF GOD.
CHAP. XII. ARGUMENT.—THAT CHRIST IS GOD, IS
PROVED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES.
CHAP. XIII. ARGUMENT. —THAT THE SAME TRUTH IS
PROVED FROM THE SACRED WRITINGS OF THE NEW COVENANT.
CHAP. XIV. ARGUMENT,—THE AUTHOR PROSECUTES THE
SAME ARGUMENT.
CHAP. XV.[1] ARGUMENT.—AGAIN HE PROVES FROM THE
GOSPEL THAT CHRIST IS GOD.
CHAP. XVI.(6) ARGUMENT.—AGAIN FROM THE GOSPEL HE
PROVES CHRIST TO BE GOD.
CHAP. XVII.(4) ARGUMENT.—IT IS, MOREOVER,
PROVED BY MOSES IN THE BEGINNING OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
CHAP. XVIII.(8) ARGUMENT.—MOREOVER ALSO, FROM
THE FACT THAT HE WHO WAS SEEN OF ABRAHAM IS CALLED GOD; WHICH CANNOT
BE UNDERSTOOD OF THE FATHER, WHOM NO MAN HATH SEEN AT ANY TIME; BUT OF
THE SON IN THE LIKENESS OF AN ANGEL.
CHAP. XIX.(10) ARGUMENT.—THAT GOD ALSO APPEARED
TO JACOB AS AN ANGEL; NAMELY, THE SON OF GOD.
CHAP. XX.(4) ARGUMENT.—IT IS PROVED FROM THE
SCRIPTURES THAT CHRIST WAS CALLED AN ANGEL. BUT YET IT IS SHOWN FROM
OTHER PARTS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE THAT HE IS GOD ALSO.
CHAP. XXI.(1) ARGUMENT.—THAT THE SAME DIVINE
MAJESTY IS AGAIN CONFIRMED IN CHRIST BY OTHER SCRIPTURES.
CHAP. XXII.(3) ARGUMENT—THAT THE SAME DIVINE
MAJESTY IS IN CHRIST, HE ONCE MORE ASSERTS BY OTHER SCRIPTURES.
CHAP. XXIII.(1) ARGUMENT.—AND THIS IS SO
MANIFEST, THAT SOME HERETICS HAVE THOUGHT HIM TO BE GOD THE FATHER,
OTHERS THAT HE WAS ONLY GOD WITHOUT THE FLESH.
CHAP. XXIV.(4) ARGUMENT.—THAT THESE HAVE
THEREFORE ERRED, BY THINKING THAT THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN; BECAUSE THEY HAVE ILL UNDERSTOOD THE
SCRIPTURE.
CHAP. XXV.(7) ARGUMENT.—AND THAT IT DOES NOT
FOLLOW THENCE, THAT BECAUSE CHRIST DIED IT MUST ALSO BE RECEIVED THAT
GOD DIED; FOR SCRIPTURE SETS FORTH THAT NOT ONLY WAS CHRIST GOD, BUT
MAN ALSO.
CHAP. XXVI.(3) ARGUMENT.—MOREOVER, AGAINST THE
SABELLIANS HE PROVES THAT THE FATHER IS ONE, THE SON ANOTHER.
CHAP. XXVII.[16] ARGUMENT.—HE SKILFULLY REPLIES
TO A PASSAGE WHICH THE HERETICS EMPLOYED IN DEFENCE OF THEIR OWN
OPINION.
CHAP. XXVIII. ARGUMENT.—HE PROVES ALSO THAT THE
WORDS SPOKEN TO PHILIP MAKE NOTHING FOR THE SABELLIANS.
CHAP. XXIX. ARGUMENT.—HE NEXT TEACHES US THAT
THE AUTHORITY OF THE FAITH ENJOINS, AFTER THE FATHER AND THE SON, To
BELIEVE ALSO ON THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOSE OPERATIONS TIE ENUMERATES FROM
SCRIPTURE.
CHAP. XXX. ARGUMENT.—IN FINE, NOTWITHSTANDING
THE SAID HERETICS HAVE GATHERED THE ORIGIN OF THEIR ERROR FROM
CONSIDERATION OF WHAT IS WRITTEN:[14] ALTHOUGH WE CALL CHRIST GOD, AND
THE FATHER GOD, STILL SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SET FORTH TWO GODS, ANY MORE
THAN TWO LORDS OR TWO TEACHERS.
CHAP. XXXI. ARGUMENT.—BUT THAT GOD, THE, SON OF
GOD, BORN OF GOD THE FATHER FROM EVERLASTING, WHO WAS ALWAYS IN THE
FATHER, IS THE SECOND PERSON TO THE FATHER, WHO DOES NOTHING WITHOUT
HIS FATHER'S DECREE; AND THAT HE IS LORD, AND THE ANGEL OF GOD'S GREAT
COUNSEL, TO WHOM THE FATHER'S GODHEAD IS GIVEN BY COMMUNITY OF
SUBSTANCE.
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