§. 39. LIII. The General Council at Sirmium I out of order began with. Anno 357. Constantius resolving by all means to bring all the Bishops to one Communion, was present himself; There were above 300 Bishops out of the West, besides all the Eastern Bishops: The confusion was so great, that men knew not who were or were not Heretics. Photinus denying the Godhead of Christ, the Bishops called Arian, desired this Council to accuse and condemn him, as they did: They drew up two or three Confessions themselves: The first was not Heretical directly, save by the Omission of the1 [[Greek or Hebrew]:] which some persuaded the Emperor, being new and no ancient Scriptural or Symbolical word, was the Cause of all the divisions of the Bishops, and were that left out, all would be healed. This Council called Arian, passed 27 Anathema's against the Arians and Photinians: Pope Liberius subscribed to it and approved it, as the forecited words of his Epistle in Hilary show. (And yet many Papists call it a Reprobate Council:) Old Osius, that presided at Nice, was forced by stripes, to subscribe to it, and to the condemnation of Athanasius. [That the Son was in all things like the Father,] was the substitute Form here used. In their second Form they say, that [Quia multos commovet vox, substantia, vel [Greek or Hebrew], hoc est, ut diligentius cognoscatur illud quod [Greek or Hebrew] dicitur, aut [Greek or Hebrew], nullam earum vocum mentionem debere fieri neque de iis sermocinandum in Ecclesiâ censemus, quod de iis nihil scriptum sit in sacris literis, & quod illa hominum intellectum & mentem transcendant, & quod nemo posset generationem filii enarrare, ut scriptum, Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? solum enim Patrem scire quomodo filium suum genuerit, certum est—& nemo ignorat duas esse personas Patris & Filii, ac proinde Patrem majorem, Filium ex Patre genitum, Deum ex Deo, Lumen de Lumine—] Many thought this a necessary reconciling way: The words [Person] and [Substance] stumbled the Arians: For they knew not how to conceive of three persons that were not three substances; nor how the Son could be of the same substance with the Father, unless that substance were divided: And at last wearied with contending, they thought thus to end all, by leaving out the name [substance,] and professing the Generation of the Son unsearchable.
§. 39. LIII. The General Council at Sirmium I out of order began with. Anno 357. Constantius resolving by all means to bring all the Bishops to one Communion, was present himself; There were above 300 Bishops out of the West, besides all the Eastern Bishops: The confusion was so great, that men knew not who were or were not Hereticks. Photinus denying the Godhead of Christ, the Bishops called Arian, desired this Council to accuse and condemn him, as they did: They drew up two or three Confessions themselves: The first was not Heretical directly, save by the Omission of the1 [〈non-Latin alphabet〉:] which some perswaded the Emperour, being new and no ancient Scriptural or Symbolical word, was the Cause of all the divisions of the Bishops, and were that left out, all would be healed. This Council called Arian, passed 27 Anathema's against the Arians and Photinians: Pope Liberius subscribed to it and approved it, as the forcited words of his Epistle in Hilary shew. (And yet many Papists call it a Reprobate Council:) Old Osius, that presided at Nice, was forced by stripes, to subscribe to it, and to the condemnation of Athanasius. [That the Son was in all things like the Father,] was the substitute Form here used. In their second Form they say, that [Quia multos commovet vox, substantia, vel 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, hoc est, ut diligentius cognoscatur illud quod 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 dicitur, aut 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, nullam earum vocum mentionem debere fieri neque de iis sermocinandum in Ecclesiâ censemus, quod de iis nihil scriptum sit in sacris literis, & quod illa hominum intellectum & mentem transcendant, & quod nemo posset generationem filii enarrare, ut scriptum, Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? solum enim Patrem scire quomodo filium suum genuerit, certum est—& nemo ignorat duas esse personas Patris & Filii, ac proinde Patrem majorem, Filium ex Patre genitum, Deum ex Deo, Lumen de Lumine—] Many thought this a necessary reconciling way: The words [Person] and [Substance] stumbled the Arians: For they knew not how to conceive of three persons that were not three substances; nor how the Son could be of the same substance with the Father, unless that substance were divided: And at last wearied with contending, they thought thus to end all, by leaving out the name [substance,] and professing the Generation of the Son unsearchable.
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