divine generation of the Son from the eternal essence of the Father."

It may with truth therefore be asserted, that in the Antenicene forms of the Creed the consubstantial nature of the Trinity was always implied and

'In the writings of Socrates Scholasticus there is extant a letter of Eusebius in which the latter professes to explain the two terms γεννηθείς, " begotten,” and ὁμοούσιος, "of one substance," according to the genuine sense of the Nicene Synod.

Alluding to the former, Eusebius writes: "For the same reasons we have admitted also of these words 'begotten, not made. For made, said they, (i. e., the Nicene Bishops,) is a common term attributed to all other creatures which were made by the Son, of whom the Son hath no resemblance. Wherefore he is no creature like to those which were created by him; but he is of a far more excellent substance than any creature, which substance, as the sacred oracles do instruct us, is begotten of the Father, but by such a manner of generation as is ineffable and inexpressible by any created being. Κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ, καὶ τὸ γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα, κατεδεξάμεθα, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ποιηθὲν, κοινὸν ἔφασκον εἶναι πρόσρημα τῶν λοιπῶν κτισμάτων τῶν διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ γενομένων. ὧν οὐδὲν ὅμοιον ἔχειν τὸν υἱὸν· διὸ δὴ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸν, ποίημα, τοῖς δὲ αὐτοῦ γενομένοις ὅμοιον κρείττονος δὲ ἢ κατὰ πᾶν ποίημα τυγχάνειν οὐσίας, ἣν ἐκ του πατρὸς γεγενῆσθαι διδάσκει τὰ θεῖα λόγια, οὗ τρόπου τῆς γεννήσεως ἀνεκφράστου καὶ ἀνεπιλογίστου πάσῃ γεννετῇ φύσει τυγχάνοντος.

In reference to the latter term he adds: "To be of the same substance with the Father,' doth expressly represent to us no more than this, namely, that the Son of God hath no community with, or resemblance to, created beings; but that in every respect he is like to the Father only, who hath begotten him, and that he does exist of no other substance or essence, but of the Father. Παραστατικὸν δὲ εἶναι τῷ πατρὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐμφέρειαν

understood. And since it is generally conceded that it is the practice of the Church to incorporate in her Creed those doctrines which she considers to be most important, it is evident that the Antenicene Church considered the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to be one of the most important doctrines of Christianity.

There is a third way in which the Antenicenes may be said to have asserted the Necessity of faith in the doctrine of the Trinity.

It appears from their writings that man cannot obtain remission of sins, and become regenerate, unless the faith into which he is baptised acknowledges that the Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are of a consubstantial nature. To make the judgment of the Antenicenes the more clear on this matter, I shall shew from their writings, first, that it is the proper effect of baptism to make the body the temple of an undivided consubstantial Trinity of Persons. Secondly, that the baptism which does not make the body the temple

πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ κτίσματα τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμφαίνειν· μόνῳ δὲ τῷ πατρὶ τῷ γεγενήκοτι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀφωμοίωσθαι, καὶ μὴ εἶναι ἐξ ἑτέρας τὲ ὑποστάσεως καὶ οὐσίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς.”—Socrat. Scholast. Hist. Eccl. lib. i. c. viii. If the Reader compares the two expositions together, he will find an additional proof of what was stated above, i. e., that the Nicene Fathers attached precisely the same sense to the term ὁμοούσιος, "of one substance," that they did to μovoyɛvýs, “ only-begotten," and that the two terms were intended by them to be synonymous.

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of an undivided consubstantial Trinity of Persons can confer no benefit whatever upon the recipient. 1. That it is the proper effect of baptism to make the body the temple of an undivided consubstantial Trinity of Persons.

Justin Martyr, in his Apology for the Christians, describes the rite of baptism, and the effect produced by baptism, in the following manner:— "I will now," says he, "declare to you also after what manner we, being made new by Christ, have dedicated ourselves to God. ... we bring men to some place where there is water; and they are regenerated by the same way of regeneration by which we were regenerated: for they are washed with water in the name of God, the Father and Lord of all things, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit." In this passage it will be observed, that person is pronounced by Justin Martyr to be regenerated by being washed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that Justin calls the washing in the name of the Trinity the dedicating themselves to God.

the

1

Tertullian in a similar manner represents bap

1 « Ον τρόπον δὲ καὶ ἀνεθήκαμεν ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ, καινοποιηθέντες διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐξηγησόμεθα... Αγονται ὑφ ̓ ἡμῶν ἔνθα ὕδωρ ἐστὶ, καὶ τρόπον ἀναγεννήσεως ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἀνεγεννήθημεν, ἀναγεννῶνται· Ἐπ ̓ ὀνόματος γὰρ τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων καὶ Δεσπότου Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ Πνεύ ματος ἁγίου τὸ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τότε λουτρὸν ποιοῦνται.”—Justin. Martyr. Apol. 1. cap. lxi.

tism as a spiritual laver in which the body is cleansed from the pollution of sin, and made the temple of a consubstantial Trinity. "The washing away of sins," he says, "is obtained by Faith sealed in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." And again: "In Baptism we are dipped not once, but thrice, at every name, to shew that we are baptised into Three Persons.”2 "Which Three Persons," he adds, in another place, are ONE THING (unum), not one person (unus), as it is written, I and the Father are one, with respect to unity of substance, not of numerical individuality.'

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3

By

Origen also, speaking of baptism, says, virtue of the invocations, it is made the spring and fountain of spiritual graces, to every one that dedicates himself to the Divinity or Godhead of the adorable Trinity."4

"Angelus baptismi arbiter superventuro Spiritui Sancto vias dirigit ablutione delictorum, quam fides impetrat, obsignata in Patre et Filio et Spiritu Sancto."-Tertull. de Bapt. c. vi. p. 226.

"Novissime mandans, ut tinguerent in Patrem, et Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum. Nam nec semel, sed ter, ad singula nomina in singulas personas tinguimur."-Tertull. contr. Prax. cap. xxvi. Vide Appendix, p. 104, note (k).

3 “Qui tres unum sint, non unus; quomodo dictum est, Ego et Pater unum sumus; ad substantiæ unitatem, non ad numeri singularitatem.”—Adv. Praxeam. c. xxv. p. 515.

* Τῷ ἐμπερέχοντι ἐαυτὸν τῇ θεότητι τῆς προσκυνήτης Τριάδος δία τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν ἐπικλησέων, χαρισμάτων ἀρχὴν ἔχε καὶ πηуnν."-Origen Cit. Apud. Basil. de Spir. S. c. 29.

In our present copies the passage is read somewhat differently,

These passages, I consider, are sufficient to shew, that, in the judgment of the Antenicenes, the proper effect of baptism, is to make the body the temple of an undivided consubstantial Trinity— Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I shall now cite a few passages in proof of the second position, namely, that the Antenicenes judged that the baptism which does not make the body the temple of a consubstantial Trinity can confer no benefit whatever upon the recipient.

St. Cyprian' argues against the validity of heretical baptism in the following manner :—

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If a man could be baptised by heretics he might also obtain remission of sins. If he obtained re

though much the same in sense: · Τῷ ἐμπερέχοντι ἐαυτὸν τῇ θειότητι τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν τῆς προσκυνήτης Τριάδος ἐπικλησέων ἐστὶν ἡ χαρισμάτων Θείων ἀρχὴ καὶ πηγὴ.”Origen Comm. in John, p. 124. Ed. Heut.

1 It might perhaps be objected against the citations which I have made from St. Cyprian, that his opinions respecting the admission of persons who had received heretical baptism into the Church, were not universally allowed by the other Bishops. But such an objection can carry no weight at all with the present argument, for the disputes which then agitated the African churches bear no resemblance whatever to the present point in question. The point in question is, " whether the baptism which does not make the body the temple of an undivided consubstantial Trinity can make the body the temple of God." This question St. Cyprian determines in the negative, and it is impossible to produce a single Father who has differed from him on this

matter.