39. Let us therefore cite every example of a statement of the faith made by an Apostle. All of them, when they confess the Son of God, confess Him not as a nominal and adoptive Son, but as Son by possession of the Divine nature. They never degrade Him to the level of a creature, but assign Him the splendour of a true birth from God. Let John speak to us, while he is waiting, just as he is, for the coming of the Lord; John, who was left behind and appointed to a destiny hidden in the counsel of God, for he is not told that he shall not die, but only that he shall tarry. Let him speak to us in his own familiar voice:—No one hath seen God at any time, except the Only-begotten Son, Which is in the bosom of the Father311    St. John i. 18.. It seemed to him that the name of Son did not set forth with sufficient distinctness His true Divinity, unless he gave an external support to the peculiar majesty of Christ by indicating the difference between Him and all others. Hence he not only calls Him the Son, but adds the further designation of the Only-begotten, and so cuts away the last prop from under this imaginary adoption. For the fact that He is Only-begotten is proof positive of His right to the name of Son.

39. Joannes Filium unigenitum profitens, adoptivum negavit.---Proferamus itaque omnes apostolicae fidei professiones, in quibus Dei filium confitentes, non adoptionis in eo nomen, sed naturae proprietatem confitentur; neque creationis in eo ignobilitatem, sed nativitatis gloriam protestantur. Loquatur Joannes sic usque ad adventum Domini manens, et sub sacramento divinae voluntatis relictus et deputatus, dum non neque non mori dicitur et manere. Loquatur 0189B ergo sua, ut solet, voce: Deum nemo vidit umquam, 163 nisi unigenitus filius, qui est in sinu Patris (Joan. I, 18). Naturae fides non satis explicata videbatur ex nomine filii, nisi proprietatis extrinsecus virtus per exceptionis significantiam adderetur. Praeter filium enim, et unigenitum cognominans, suspicionem penitus adoptionis exsecuit: cum veritatem nominis, unigeniti natura praestaret.