3. Again, If Gods Essence be changed, he either increaseth or diminisheth*: Whatsoever is changed, doth either gain by receiving some thing larger and greater than it had in it self before, or gains nothing by being changed. If the former, then it receives more than it self, more than it had in it self before. The Divine Nature cannot be increased; for whatsoever receives any thing than what it had in it self before, must necessarily receive it from another, because nothing can give to it self that which it hath not: But God cannot receive from another what he hath not already, because whatsoever other things possess, is derived from him, and therefore contained in him, as the Fountain contains the Virtue in it self which it conveys to the Streams; so that God cannot gain any thing: If a thing that is changed gain nothing by that change, it loseth something of what it had before in it self; and this loss must be by it self or some other. God cannot receive any loss from any thing in himself; he cannot will his own diminution; that is repugnant to every Nature: He may as well will his own destruction as his own decrease; Every decrease is a partial destruction: But it is impossible for God to dye any kind of Death, to have any resemblance of death, for he is immortal, and only hath Immortality*, therefore impossible to be diminished in any particle of his Essence; nor can he be diminished by any thing in his own Nature, because his infinite simplicity admits of nothing distinct from himself, or contrary to himself. All decreases come from something contrary to the nature of that thing which doth decrease: Whatsoever is made less than it self, was not truly unum, one and simple, because that which divides it self in separation was not the same in conjunction. Nor can he be diminished by any other without himself; because nothing is superior to God, nothing stronger than God which can oppress him: But whatsoever is changed, is weaker than that which changeth it,* and sinks under a Power it cannot successfully resist; Weakness belongs not to the Deity. Nor lastly, can God change from a State wherein he is, to another State equal to the former, as men in some cases may do;
3. Again, If Gods Essence be changed, he either encreaseth or diminisheth*: Whatsoever is changed, doth either gain by receiving some thing larger and greater than it had in it self before, or gains nothing by being changed. If the former, then it receives more than it self, more than it had in it self before. The Divine Nature cannot be encreased; for whatsoever receives any thing than what it had in it self before, must necessarily receive it from another, because nothing can give to it self that which it hath not: But God cannot receive from another what he hath not already, because whatsoever other things possess, is derived from him, and therefore contained in him, as the Fountain contains the Vertue in it self which it conveys to the Streams; so that God cannot gain any thing: If a thing that is changed gain nothing by that change, it loseth something of what it had before in it self; and this loss must be by it self or some other. God cannot receive any loss from any thing in himself; he cannot will his own diminution; that is repugnant to every Nature: He may as well will his own destruction as his own decrease; Every decrease is a partial destruction: But it is impossible for God to dye any kind of Death, to have any resemblance of death, for he is immortal, and only hath Immortality*, therefore impossible to be diminisht in any particle of his Essence; nor can he be diminisht by any thing in his own Nature, because his infinite simplicity admits of nothing distinct from himself, or contrary to himself. All decreases come from something contrary to the nature of that thing which doth decrease: Whatsoever is made less than it self, was not truly unum, one and simple, because that which divides it self in separation was not the same in conjunction. Nor can he be diminisht by any other without himself; because nothing is superior to God, nothing stronger than God which can oppress him: But whatsoever is changed, is weaker than that which changeth it,* and sinks under a Power it cannot succesfully resist; Weakness belongs not to the Deity. Nor lastly, can God change from a State wherein he is, to another State equal to the former, as men in some cases may do;
- *Hugo Victorin. in Petavio.
- *1 Tim. 6.16.
- *Victorinus in Petavio.
