XV. But these Men, who are liable themselves, tho unwittingly, to these and many more Absurdities, do not with Justice lay the Charge of Boldness upon us, but in reality bring that of Impiety upon themselves. For our parts, we persist in what has been antiently demonstrated by Holy Persons, and now by our selves; in ^[14] affirming, that since neither the Substance of God admits of Generation [as being Unbegotten; nor of Separation or Division, as being Incorruptible;] nor is there any other Substratum for the Generation of the Son: therefore the Son, when he was not before, was begotten. Not thereby intending that the Substance of the Only-begotten was in common the same with that of those Beings which were made out of nothing; seeing what is not, cannot be any sort of substance. But we determine, that the difference of all Substances depends on the Will of him that made them ; and accordingly we do ascribe such Supereminence of Substance to the Son, as 'tis necessary to suppose the Creator to be possess'd of above that of his own Creatures. For we acknowledg, according to the blessed Apostle John, that all things were begotten by him,⁴ that Power of Creation being begotten together with him; whence he is the Only-begotten God to all Beings that are inferior to him, and that were made by him. For he alone was begotten and created by the Power of the Unbegotten God, and so became the most perfect of the subordinate Beings, and subservient for the Creation of all the rest, and for the performance of his Father's Will.