But this Immutability of God pertains, α. to God’s Existence, Eternally, in accordance with § 31, 32. β. To His Essence, forever the same, according Psalm 102:27, and so not subject to the possibility of Annihilation, which the Necessity of His Existence implies, concerning which in § 21. Neither does the Essence of God suffer any Mutation, either,
1. By Creation, which, as far as God is concerned, is not some accidental property of God, but His active Essence was already from eternity, as far as by its power the Creature begins to exist in time. So that nothing, save only an external denomination, comes to God from objects. In the right harmonization of which with our conceptions we willingly acknowledge our ignorance and imbecility of intellect. Now, we easily go this far, that it is not able to be said that, since the World is not eternal, God, being eternally active, with a certain new Action added to His general eternal Actuosity, through which and to which the World had not hitherto existed, caused the transition of the World from non-being to Being. Since a new action is not able to obtain, except where all things are finite; but, where Infinites are had, it is not even able to be thought without contradiction: and so divine and eternal actuosity, since it is infinite, is only able to be one, and in no respect is a new act able to be substituted for, applied or superadded to, it: compare Chapter VIII, § 11.
2. Or by the Incarnation; since it was not accomplished by a Conversion of the Λόγου/Logos into flesh, as certain Anabaptists maintain, among whom is Menno himself; but by an Assumption of flesh to the hypostasis/person of the Λόγου/Logos, which Assumption of flesh conveys no new perfection to the Son of God: see Chapter XIX, § 19, 20.
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