From Reformation to Reformation

THESIS XXVII: Hitherto the commanding principium: the executing principium follows, which is the power of God, whereby God is able to...

THESIS XIX: In the Scripture there are various names for the divine will, which nevertheless indicate concepts, diverse to us, of...

THESIS XVIII: The principium commanding action is the will, whereby God wills Himself of Himself, and beyond Himself all things because...

THESIS XIV: Hitherto the divine properties of the first class: Of the second class are those that are applicable to God in such a way...

THESIS XI: Immutability is a property of God, which excludes from God all possibility of mutation: 1. with respect to existence; 2. ...

THESIS VI: The Properties of the divine nature, or essence, are GOD’S essential attributes, whereby the truth and majesty of the divine...

THESIS I: Hitherto the προλεγόμενα/Prolegomena of Christian Theology: now follows the explication of the body of Theology itself by...

Thesis I: The knowledge of God is defined. Thesis II: God is described. Explanation: 1. The description of God is confirmed. 2. The...

Frans Burman Which last thing some wrongly deny, BURMAN, for example, whom see in his Synopsi Theologiæ, book I, chapter XXI, § 20, tome I, page 118, and likewise in book I, chapter XXV, § 9, tome I, page 145, under the pretext that All Goodness and Truth flow from the Divine Will; on account of the negated distinction between Power and Will in the divine Essence, on the hypothesis of Spirit being mere Cogitation, and hence only operating by Intellect and Will. This opinion o

The Knowledge of God is either of Vision, or of Simple Intelligence. In this manner the Knowledge of God, perfectly Simple in itself, is distinguished, 1. With respect to its Objects; while the Knowledge of Vision is concerned with things Future or non-future: the Knowledge of Simple Intelligence is concerned with God Himself and those things that flow from the divine Sufficiency immediately of themselves, mere Possibilities. 2. With respect to its Foundations: For, God is co

Foreordination, not Fatalism They Object, 3. that from this follows an Absolute Necessity in things and in God Himself: see what things HOORNBEECK cites out of Crellius, Socinianismo confutato, tome I, book II, chapter III, section III, page 351. But our Author Responds well to this Objection also, that it is a Necessity of Consequence with respect to the First Cause, but not of Coaction, nor Intrinsic in the matters. And in this manner is sufficiently preserved, α. the Conti

In What Sense is the Future Undetermined? Johann a Marck They Object, 2. that the Truth of Contingent and Free Future Things are not determined before the Event. But our AUTHOR rightly Responds, that this is able to be conceded only with respect to, α. the Matters themselves, and, β. their secondary Causes, and, γ. Men; but in no way with respect to God and His Decree: and, with this distinction rightly observed, all that the Socinians advance with such great noise concerning

"To the Word, and to the testimony..." They Object, 1. passages of Scripture, in which Expectation, Repentance, or Acquisition of Knowledge, are attributed to God, Isaiah 5:4; Genesis 6:6, 7; 22:12; etc.: see HOORNBEECK, Socinianismo confutato, tome I, book II, chapter III, section III, pages 358-360. Response: α. That all human Affections are to be removed from God, as inconsistent with the manifold Perfections of God, we have given proof in § 26. Thus in particular, with th

Simon Episcopius And also certain Remonstrants hesitatingly, adds our AUTHOR. For example, from the citation of HOORNBEECK, Socinianismo confutato, tome I, book II, chapter III, section I, page 329, Episcopius acknowledges that this opinion concerning the Knowledge of Future Contingencies being truly competent to God is beset by so many and so great difficulties that it would require a thirteenth labor of Hercules to unravel them; and if the sole authority of the divine predi

Socinian Family Tree The Socinians are opposed, who deny divine Foreknowledge of Free and Contingent Future Things, either entirely with Socinus and Smalcius,[1] or as determinate and infallible, which Crellius appears to maintain, libro de Deo ejusque Attributis, chapter XXIV, opera, tome 4, pages 67-72; see HOORNBEECK’S Socinianismum confutatum, tome I,book II, chapter III, section I, page 336. It is the πρῶτον ψεῦδος, fundamental error, that knowledge of this sort in God i

7. That God knows Free and Contingent Future Things is proven, α. From the passages and reasons whereby it was proven above that God knows All Things, from which general rule these things are in no wise excepted. β. Not only are these things not excepted, but the Knowledge of the same is expressly claimed for God in Psalm 139:2-4. Nothing is Freer and more Contingent than the actions of men, their words and thoughts; but God knows all things things beforehand from afar off, b

6. The hidden Thoughts of the Heart, 1 Kings 8:39; Acts 1:24; John 2:25; Revelation 2:23, in which passages Universal Knowledge, Certain and Immediate, of the Hidden Things of the Heart with sufficient clarity is also claimed for God, and God alone. To whom the same is not able to be denied, unless His Knowledge is thought to be altogether imperfect, and is deprived of an eminent part, not unworthy of Him. God is not able to be ignorant of things that, having been foreseen wi

4. Equally the Greatest things, Psalm 147:4, and the Least things, Matthew 10:29, 30 (which words were omitted by the carelessness of the typesetters in the edition of the Compendii published at Amsterdam, 1727). God numbereth the stars, those vast bodies; He numbereth at the same time the hairs of the head, that is, He knows these things as distinctly as we know those things that we are able to enumerate. For, as all things, the Least as well as the Greatest, most absolutely

2. In addition to Himself, God knows things merely and simply Possible through His Omnisufficiency, which things, nevertheless, He does not will to do. This necessarily flows from Self-Knowledge in God. For, if He knows Himself, He knows His Omnisufficiency: if He knows His Omnisufficiency, He knows all Possible things, as it is evident from those things that we set forth concerning the Root of Possibility in § 21. For, since all things depend upon God, nothing is able to be

If we descend to enumerate the specific Objects of divine Cognition and Knowledge, 1. Without any doubt, God knows Himself, Matthew 11:27; John 10:15, in which the knowledge of the Son is attributed to the Father, and the knowledge of the Father to the Son, not exclusively of the other Person, as if He were ignorant of His own Person; nor exclusively of the Holy Spirit, in comparison with 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11: but mutual Knowledge of ἀλλήλων, one another, is attributed to t