Book IV.

Explains for what the Son of God was sent, viz, that by Christ’s dying for sinners, we were to be convinced how great is God’s love for us, and also what manner of men we are whom He loved. That the Word came in the flesh, to the purpose also of enabling us to be so cleansed as to contemplate and cleave to God. That our double death was abolished by His death, being one and single. And hereupon is discussed, how the single of our Saviour harmonizes to salvation with our double; and the perfection is treated at length of the senary number, to which the ratio itself of single to double is reducible. That all are gathered together from many into one by the one Mediator of life, viz. Christ, through Whom alone is wrought the true cleansing of the soul. Further it is demonstrated that the Son of God, although made less by being sent, on account of the form of a servant which He took, is not therefore less than the Father according to the form of God, because He was sent by Himself: and that the same account is to be given of the sending of the Holy Spirit.

LIBER QUARTUS. Explicat ad quid missus sit Filius Dei: Christo videlicet pro peccatoribus moriente persuadendum nobis fuisse imprimis et quantum nos dilexerit Deus, et quales dilexerit. Opportune etiam ut ad contemplandum Deum et cohaerendum Deo mundaremur, verbum in carne venisse. Ipsius morte una et simplici duplicem nostram solutam esse; ubi edisserit quemadmodum simplum Salvatoris nostri duplo nostro concinat ad salutem, et de perfectione numeri senarii, in quem numerum ipsa simpli ad duplum ratio deducitur, fusius agit. Docet colligi omnes ex multis in unum per unum mediatorem vitae Christum, per quem solum vera fit animae purgatio. Caeterum Filium Dei, quanquam missione factus sit minor propter formam servi quam suscepit, non tamen ideo nunorem Patre secundum formam Dei quia ab ipso missus est: eamdemque de Spiritus sancti missione rationem esse demonstrat.

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