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AND THEIR REFUTATION. 351
Berruyer himself was not condemned,
still his book is a sink of
extravagancies, follies, novelties, confusion, and pernicious errors,
which, as Clement XIII. says, in his Brief, obscure the principal
Articles of our Faith, so that Arians, Nestorians, Sabellians,
Socinians, and Pelagians, will all find, some more, some less,
something to please them in this work. There are mixed up
with all this many truly Catholic sentiments, but these rather
confuse than enlighten the mind of the reader. We shall now
examine his false doctrine, and especially the first proposition,
the parent, we may say, of all the rest.
BERRUYER SAYS THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS MADE IN TIME, BY AN OPERA
TION ad extra, THE NATURAL SON OF GOD, ONE SUBSISTING IN THREE
PERSONS, WHO UNITED THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST WITH A DIVINE
PERSON.
5. He says, first :
"
Jesus Christus D. K vere dici potest et
debet naturalis Dei Filius; Dei, inquam, ut vox ilia Deus sup-
ponit pro Deo uno et vero subsistente in tribus personis, agente
ad extra, et per actionem transeuntem et liberam uniente huma-
nitatem Christi cum Persona Divina in unitatem Persons" (1).
And he briefly repeats the same afterwards: "Filius factus in
tempore Deo in tribus Personis subsistenti" (2). And again:
"Non repugnat Deo in tribus Personis subsistenti, fieri in
tempore, et esse Patrem Filii naturalis, et veri." Jesus Christ,
then, he says, should be called the Natural Son of God, not
because (as Councils, Fathers, and all
Theologians say) the
Word assumed the humanity of Christ in
unity of Person ; and
thus our Saviour was true God and true man true man, because
he had a human soul and body, and true God, because the
Eternal Word, the true Son of God, true God generated from
the Father, from all eternity, sustained and terminated the two
Natures of Christ, Divine and human, but because, according to
Berruyer, God, subsisting in three Persons, united the Word to
(1) Bcrruyer, t. 8, p. 59. 2 Idem, ibid, . 60.