Rogers on Article V: Of the Holy Ghost

The Propositions.

1. The holy Ghost, is very, and eternall God.

2. The holy Ghost is of one substance, maiestie, and glorie with the Father and the Sonne.

3. The holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father, and the Sonne.

1. Proposition. The holy Ghost is very, and eternall God.

The proofe from Gods word.

THe holy Ghost to be verie, and eternall God, the Scripture teach vs. For he is the Creator of all things. In the beginning God created the heauen, and the earth, &c. And the spirit of God mooued vpon the waters ¹. O Lord, how manifold are thy workes, &c. If thou hide thy face, they are troubled, if thou take away their breath, they die, and returne to their dust: if thou send forth thy spirit, they are created ²: Ergo the holy Ghost is God.

Christians are to be baptized in the name of the holy Ghost ³, aswell as of the Father, and the Sonne. Therefore is he verie God.

Ananias lied vnto God ⁴, and Sapphira tempted God, when both he lied vnto the holy Ghost, and shee tempted the spirit of the Lord.

As God, he chooseth, assigneth, and sendeth forth men for the ministerie of the Gospel ⁵; as God he decreeth orders for his Church and people⁶, and as God he is to be invocate, and praied vnto, as well as the Father, and the Sonne ⁷.

Vpon this, and the like words, I beleeue in the holy Ghost ⁸; I beleeue in the holy Ghost, the Lord and giuer of life ⁹; the Catholike Faith is this, that wee worship one God in Trinitie, and Trinitie in Vnitie, &c. The Father is God, the Sonne is God, and the holy God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God¹⁰, &c. say the auncient Fathers which also is the Faith and confession of all Gods people at this day¹¹.

The Errors and adversaries vnto this truth.

This maketh to the condemnatiō of the Pneumatomacheis, whereof

Some impugne the deitie of the holy Ghost, as did in old time, Samosatenus ¹² and Photinus ¹³; of late yeares, Seruetus ¹⁴, Ochinus ¹⁵, abroad; and Francis Ket ¹⁶, Hamant ¹⁷, and certaine Brownists ¹⁸, among vs at home: Some affirme the holy Ghost to be but a meere creature, as did Arius ¹⁹, the Semiarians ²⁰ the Macedonian heretikes²¹, the Tropickes²², Ochinus²³. Some haue assumed the stile, and title of the holy Ghost vnto themselues; as did Simon Magus ²⁴: Montanus ²⁵, and Manes ²⁶.

Some haue giuen the title of the holy Ghost vnto men, and women; so

Hierax said, that Melchisedech was the holy Ghost ²⁷.

Simon Magus tearmed his Helene the holy Ghost ²⁸.

The Helchesaites saide the holy Ghost was a woman, and the naturall sister of Christ ²⁹.

Many Papists, and namely the Franciscanes ³⁰, blush not to say, that S. Francis is the holy Ghost.

2. Proposition. The holy Gost is of one substance, maiestie and glory with the Father, and the Sonne.

The proofe from Gods word.

The holy Ghost effected the incarnation of Christ ³¹, teacheth all things ³²; leadeth into all truth³³, giueth vtterance to his seruants ³⁴, & gifts vnto his people ³⁵, placeth rulers in the Church and ouerseers to feede the flocke of God ³⁶; sealeth the Elect vnto the day of redemption ³⁷, aswel as the Father, and the sonne: and these three, viz. the Father, the word, and the holy Ghost, are one³⁸. Therefore is the holy Ghost of one substance, maiestie, and glory with the Father, and the sonne.

And this was the beleefe of the auncient Fathers.

I beleeue (say they) in the holy Ghost, the Lord and giuer of life, &c. who with the Father and the sonne together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the Prophets ³⁹.

The Godhead of the Father, of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost, is all one, the glory equal, the maiesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, & such is the holy Ghost. &c, And in this Trinitie none is afore or after other, none is greater or lesse then another: But the whole three persons be coeternall together, and coequal ⁴⁰.

The very same doe all reformed Churches beleeue, and confesse ⁴¹.

The Errors and adversaries vnto this truth.

The premises doe make

Against the Tretheites; which affirme the holy Ghost to be inferior vnto the Father ⁴²,

Against the Arrians; who said the holy Ghost was inferior to the Sonne ⁴³.

Against the Macedonian heretikes, who held the holy Ghost to be but a minister, and seruant of the Father, and the Sonne ⁴⁴: yet of more excellent maiestie, and dignitie then the Angels ⁴⁵.

Against many erroneous spirits, which deliuer the holy Ghost to be nothing els but,

The motion of God in his creatures, as did the Samosatenians ⁴⁶.

A bare power, and efficacie of God working by a secret inspiration; as the Turkes ⁴⁷; and certaine English Sadduces doe imagine ⁴⁸.

The Inheritance allotted to the faithfull ⁴⁹; and the beeing or vertuous estate of Christ ⁵⁰, as dreameth H.N.

The affection of charitie, or Loue within vs; an error of Petrus Lombardus ⁵¹.

Gods loue, fauour, and vertue, whereby he worketh in his children; so thought Ochinus ⁵², and Seruetus ⁵³.

3. Proposition. The holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father, and the Sonne.

The proofe from Gods word.

The proceeding of the holy Ghost from the Father, and the Sonne, we gather from the holy scripture, which teacheth how

The Father sendeth the comforter, which is the holy Ghost, in the name of the Sonne ⁵⁴, and the sonne sendeth the comforter, the spirit of truth from the Father ⁵⁵; he proceedeth of the Father ⁵⁶, and is sent of the Sonne ⁵⁷.

So with vs, say the auncient Fathers, and Christians.

He proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne ⁵⁸.

The holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Sonne; neither made, nor created, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers, one sonne, not three sonnes; one holy Ghost, not three holy Ghostes ⁵⁹, which is the faith of the moderne christians ⁶⁰.

Errors, and aduersaries vnto this truth.

This discouereth all them to be impious, and to erre from the way of truth, which hold and affirme,

That the holy Ghost proceedeth neither from the Father, nor the Sonne, but is one, and the same person that Christ is: as the Arrians doe ⁶¹.

That the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father, but not from the sonne: as at this day the Graecians⁶², the Russians ⁶³, the Moscouites ⁶⁴, maintaine.

That there is a double proceeding of the holy Ghost; one temporall, the other eternall; an error of Peter Lombard ⁶⁵, vncontrolled hitherto, and therefore well liked of the Papists.

Footnotes

1. Gen. 1.1, 2. ↩

2. Psal. 104.24.29.30. ↩

3. Math. 28.19. ↩

4. Act. 5.3.4.9. ↩

5. Act. 13.2.4. ↩

6. Act. 15.28. ↩

7. 2. Cor. 13.13.
   ↩

8. Symb. Apost. ↩

9. Symb. Nicen. ↩

10. Symb. Athan. ↩

11. Confess. Helv. ar. 6. & 2. c. 3. Basil. ar. 1. Bohe. c. 3. Belg. ar. 8. August. ar. 1. VVittemb. c. 1. Suevica, ar. 1. Gal. 6. Harm. confess. praef. ↩

12. Epiph. ↩

13. Vinc. Lyr. [?]. advers. haer. ↩

14. Beza epist. 1. ↩

15. Zanch. de 3. El. l. 4. c. 1. ↩

16. burnt at Norvvich 14. Ian. 1588. ↩

17. Holinsh. chro. fol. 1299. ↩

18. vvho vvhisper in corners that vve must not beleeue in the holy Ghost, saith Bredvvel, vvriting against Glover. p. 102. ↩

19. Theod. l. 5. c. 10. ↩

20. Philast. ↩

21. Soz. l. 4. c. 27. ↩

22. Athan. ↩

23. Zanch. de 3. El. par. l. 2. c. 5. ↩

24. D. Iren. ↩

25. Eus[?]. l. 5. c. 18. ↩

26. Chry. l. des. S. ↩

27. Epiphan. ↩

28. Epiphan. ↩

29. Epiphan. ↩

30. Alcar. Fr. l. 1. ↩

31. Math. 1.18 20. Luk. 1 35. ↩

32. Ioh. 14.26. ↩

33. Ioh. 16.13. ↩

34. Act. 2.4. ↩

35. 1. Cor. 12.8.
    ↩

36. Act. 20.28. ↩

37. Eph. 4.30. ↩

38. 1. Ioh. 5.7.
    ↩

39. Symb. Nicen. ↩

40. Symb. Atha. ↩

41. Conf[?]ss. Helv. 1. ar. 6. and 2. c. 3. Basil. ar. 1. Bohem. c. 3. Gal. ar. 1. Belg. ar. 1. Aug[?]st. ar. 1. VVittemb. c. 1.2. Suevi[?]a, ar. 1. ↩

42. Zanch. de 3. El. par. 2. l. 5. c. 1. ↩

43. August. cont. Mar. Arcian. ↩

44. Ruffin. l. 1. c. 25. ↩

45. Niceph. l. 9. c. 47. ↩

46. Confess. Aug. ar. 8. ↩

47. Pol. of the Turk. Emp. c. 5. ↩

48. Hutchinson in his Image of God, c. 24. p. 112. a. ↩

49. H.N. in his Instruct. praef. sent. 7. ↩

50. Jdem in his Spir. land. praef. §. 14. ↩

51. Sent. l. 1. dist. §. 5.2. ↩

52. Zanch. de 3. El. par. 2. l. 4. c. 1. ↩

53. Zanch. ib. l. 1. c. 2. ↩

54. Ioh. 14.26. ↩

55. Ioh. 15.[?]6. ↩

56. Ibid. ↩

57. Ioh. 16.7. ↩

58. Symb. Nicen. ↩

59. Symb. Atha. ↩

60. Confess. Helv. 1. c. 3. Gal. c. 3. Belg. ar. 8.11. VVittemb. c. 3. Suevica, ar. 1. ↩

61. Basil. serm. de sp. S. ↩

62. Russe Commonvveale, c. 23. ↩

63. Guagnin. de relig. Moscov. ↩

64. Father de relig. Moscov. ↩

65. [?]. Sent. l. 1. distinct. 14. ↩