Page:History of the First Council of Nice.djvu/53

Rh viii.) The Sonship of our Saviour has nothing in common with the sonship of men. Wisdom is not susceptible of folly.

"Docs not the apostle remark on this subject, 'What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?' (2 Cor. vi. 14, 15), and Solomon said that he could not comprehend 'the way of a serpent upon a rock' (Prov. xxx. 19), which, according to St. Paul, is Christ. And it is, on this account, that our Lord, being, by nature, the Son of the Father, is worshipped by all. Paul says God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us, who are not by nature his sons. (Rom. viii. 32.) It is also written, 'This is my beloved Son' (Matt. iii. 17); and in the Psalms, it is written that the Saviour said, 'The Lord said unto me, Thou art my Son.' (Ps. ii. 7.) Put what can these words signify, 'I conceived thee in my bosom before the star of morn,' unless they are meant to show that he was born according to the course of nature of the Father? But there are others not his children by nature, as it is written in the word, 'The sons of God saw the daughters of men, and took them as wives.' (Gen. vi. 2.) And God, speaking by Isaiah, said, 'I have begotten and brought up children, and they rebelled against me.' (Isa. i. 2.)

"Three bishops in Syria [Eusebius, of Cæsarea; Theodotus, of Laodicea; and Paulinus, of Tyre], ordained, no one knows how, side with them, and incite them to plunge deeper and deeper into iniquity.

"They reject those passages of Scripture which declare in our Saviour's glory and union with the Father. Such as: 'My Father and I are one.' 'Lord, show us the Father.' In reply to which he