The following is an excerpt from the Institutes of Elenctic Theology, III. VII. I.
Seventh Question: The Simplicity of God
Is God most simple and free from all composition? We affirm against Socinus and Vorstius.
I. The Socininas agitate this controversy with us since they deny that simplicty can be attributed to God according to the Scriptures and think it should be expunged from the number of the divine attributes for no other purpose than to weaken more easily the mystery of the Trinity by establishing the composition of the divine essence (The Racovian Catechism 3.1). Vorstius retained this error (with various others also) and introduced it into his Tractatus theologicus de Deo (1610) and in the notes to “Disputatione III: De Natura Dei.” With these the Remonstrants also agree. In their Apology, they deny that the simplicity of God is necessary to be believed or that anything occurs in Scripture relative to it, but that the whole doctrine is metaphysical whether you consider the word or the thing. But the orthodox have constantly taught that the essence of God is perfectly simple and free from all composition.
1 response so far ↓
Jared // Wednesday, June, 17, 2009 at 3:18
It seems the modern Remonstrants argue against divine simplicity by claiming the Orthodox are holding hands with Plato, while they themselves (biblicist) are neutral (left holding their own hands). God is simply Spirit, love, righteous, holy etc. It seems they don’t have a leg to stand on, oh wait they do Hegel.