thought, even at the time when it is not being thought — constitutes a word as perpetual as the knowledge itself is per- petual. But how is that a word which is not yet formed in the vision of the thought? How will it be like the knowledge of which it is born, if it has not the form of that knowledge, and is only now called a word because it can have it? For it is much as if one were to say that a word is to be so called because it can be a word. But what is this that can be a word, and is therefore already held worthy of the name of a word? What, I say, is this thing that is formable, but not yet formed, except a something in our mind, which we toss to and fro by revolving it this way or that, while we think of first one thing and then another, according as they are found by or occur to us? And the true word then comes into being, when, as I said," that which we toss to and fro by revolving it arrives at that which we know, and is formed by that, in taking its entire likeness; so that in what manner each thing is known, in that manner also it is thought, i.e. is said in this manner in the heart, without articulate sound, without thought of articulate sound, such as no doubt belongs to some particular tongue. And hence if we even admit, in order not to dispute laboriously about a name, that this something of our mind, which can be formed from our knowledge, is to be already called a word, even before it is so formed, because it is, so to say, already formable, who would not see how great would be the unlikeness between it and that Word of God, which is so in the form of God, as not to have been formable before it was formed, or to have been capable at any time of being formless, but is a simple form, and simply equal to Him from whom it is, and with whom it is wonderfully co-eternal?
Chap. xvi. — Our word is never to he equalled to the Divine Word, not even when ive shall he like God.
Wherefore that Word of God is in such wise so called, as not to be called a thought of God, lest we believe that there is anything in God which can be revolved, so that it at one time receives and at another recovers a form, so as to be a word, and agjain can lose that form and be revolved in some sense formlessly, Certainly that excellent master of speech knew well the force of words, and had looked into the nature CHAP. XVII.] MAN WILL NEVER EQUAL GOD IN KNOWLEDGE. 411 of thought, who said in his poem, " And revolves with himself the varying issues of war/'^ i.e. thinks of them. That Son of God, then, is not caUed the Thought of God, but the Word of God. For our own thought, attaining to what we know, and formed thereby, is our true word. And so the Word of God ought to be understood without any thought on the part of God, so that it be understood as the simple form itself, but containing nothing formable that can be also unformed. There are, indeed, passages of Holy Scripture that speak oi God's thoughts; but this is after the same mode of speech by which the forgetfulness of God is also there spoken of, whereas in strict propriety of language there is in Him certainly no for- getfulness.
26. Wherefore, since we have found now in this enigma so great an unlikeness to God and the Word of God, wherein yet there was found before some likeness, this, too, must be admitted, that even when we shall be like Him, when *'we shall see Him as He is" ^ (and certainly he who said this was aware beyond doubt of our present unlikeness), not even then shall we be equal to Him in nature. For that nature which is made is ever less than that which makes. And at that time our word will not indeed be false, because we shall neither lie nor be deceived. Perhaps, too, our thoughts will no longer revolve by passing and repassing from one thing to another, but we shall see all our knowledge at once, and at one glance. Still, when even this shall have come to pass, if indeed it shall come to pass, the creature which was formable will indeed have been formed, so that nothing will be wanting of that form to which it ought to attain; yet nevertheless it will not be to be equalled to that simplicity wherein there is not anything formable, which has been formed or re-formed, but only form; and which being neither formless nor formed, itself is eternal and unchangeable substance.
Chap. xvii. — Hoio the Holy Spirit is called Love, and lohether He alone is so called. That the Holy Spirit is in the Scriptures properly called by the name of Love.
27. We have sufficiently spoken of the Father and of the Son, so far as was possible for us to see through this glass and 412 ON THE TRINITY. ' [BOOK XV.
in this enigma. We must now treat of the Holy Spirit, so far as by God's gift it is permitted to see Him. And the Holy Spirit, according to the Holy Scriptures, is neither of the Father alone, nor of the Son alone, but of both; and so intimates to us a mutual love, wherewith the Father and the Son reciprocally love one another. But the language of the Word of God, in order to exercise us, has caused those things to be sought into with the greater zeal, which do not lie on the surface, but are to be scrutinized in hidden depths, and to be drawn out from thence. The Scriptures, accordingly, have not said. The Holy Spirit is Love. If they had said so, they would have done away with no small part of this inquiry. But they have said, " God is love;"^ so that it is uncertain and remains to be inquired, whether God the Father is love, or God the Son, or God the Holy Ghost, or the Trinity itself which is God. For we are not going to say that God is not therefore called Love, in that love itself is a substance which is worthy of the name of God, but in that it is a gift of God, as it is said to God, " Thou art my patience." ^ For this is not said because our patience is God's substance, but in that He Himself gives it to us; as it is elsewhere read, " Since from Him is my patience." ^ For the usage of words itself in Scripture sufficiently refutes this interpretation; for " Thou art my patience " is of the same kind as " Thou, Lord, art my hope," * and " The Lord my God is my mercy," ^ and many like texts. And it is not said, 0 Lord my love, or. Thou art my love, or, God my love; but it is said thus, " God is love," as it is said, "God is a Spirit."*' And he who does not discern this, must ask understanding from the Lord, not an explana- tion from us; for we cannot say anything more clearly.
28. " God," then, " is love;" but the question is, whether the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or the Trinity itself, because the Trinity is not three Gods, but one God. But I have already argued above in this book, that the Trinity, which is God, is not so to be understood from those three things which have been set forth in the trinity of our mind, as that the Father should be the memory of all three, and the Son the understanding of all three, and the Holy Spirit the love, of all 4 Ps. xci. 9. 5 Psj, ]ix. ]7. • John iv. 24.
CHAP, xvil] each person of the trinity is love. 413 three; as though the Father should neither understand nor love for Himself, but the Son should understand for Him, and the Holy Spirit love for Him, but He Himself should remem- ber only both for Himself and for them; nor the Son remember nor love for Himself, but the Father should remember for Him, and the Holy Spirit love for Him, but He Himself understand only both for Himself and them; nor likewise that the Holy Spirit should neither remember nor understand for Himself, but the Father should remember for Him, and the Son under- stand for Him, while He Himself should love only both for Himself and for them; but rather in this way, that both all and each have all three each in His own nature. "Nov that these things should differ in them, as in us memory is one thing, understanding another, love or charity another, but should be some one thing that is equivalent to all, as wisdom itself; and should be so contained in the nature of each, as that He who has it is that which He has, as being an unchangeable and simple substance. ' If all this, then, has been understood, and so far as is granted to us to see or conjecture in things so great, has been made patently true, I know not why both the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit should not be called Love, and all together one love, just as both the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is called Wisdom, and all to- gether not three, but one wisdom. For so also both the Father is God, and the Son God, and the Holy Ghost God, and all three together one God.
29. And yet it is not to no purpose that in this Trinity the Son and none other is called the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit and none other the Gift of God, and God the Father alone is He from whom the Word is born, and from whom the Holy Spirit principally proceeds. And therefore I have added the word principally, because we find that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son also. But the Father gave Him this too, not as to one already existing, and not yet hav- ing it; but whatever He gave to the only-begotten Word, He gave by begetting Him. Therefore He so begat Him as that the common Gift should proceed from Him also, and the Holy Spirit should be the Spirit of both. This distinction, then, of the inseparable Trinity is not to be merely accepted in passing, 414 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK XV.
but to be carefully considered; for hence it was that the Word of God was specially called also the Wisdom of God, although both Father and Holy Spirit are wisdom. If, then, any one of the three is to be specially called Love, what more fitting than that it should be the Holy Spirit 1 — namely, that in that simple and highest nature, substance should not be one thing and love ■ another, but that substance itself should be love, and love itself should be substance, whether in the Father, or in the Son, or in the Holy Spirit; and yet that the Holy Spirit should be specially called Love.
30. Just as sometimes all the utterances of the Old Testa- ment together in the Holy Scriptures are signified by the name of the Law. For the apostle, in alleging a text from the pro- phet Isaiah, where he says, "With divers tongues and with divers lips will I speak to this people," yet prefaced it by, " It is written in the Law.""^ And the Lord Himself says, " It is written in their Law, They hated me without a cause," ^ whereas this is read in the Psalm.^ And sometimes that which was given by Moses is specially called the Law: as it is said, " The Law and the Prophets were until John;"* and, " On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." ^ Here, certainly, that is specially called the Law which was from Mount Sinai. And the Psalms, too, are signified under the name of the Prophets; and yet in another place the Saviour Himself says, "All things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning me." ^ Here, on the other side. He meant the name of Prophets to be taken as not including the Psalms. There- fore the Law with the Prophets and the Psalms taken together is called the Law universally, and the Law is also specially so called which was given by Moses. Likewise the Prophets are so called in common together with the Psalms, and they are also specially so called exclusive of the Psalms. And many other instances might be adduced to teach us, that many names of things are both put universally, and also specially applied to particular things, were it not that a long discourse is to be avoided in a plain case. I have said so much, lest any * Isa. xxviii. 11 and 1 Cor. xiv. 21. ^ John xv, 25.
CHAP. XVII.] THE HOLY SPIRIT ESPECIALLY IS LOVE. 415 one should think that it was therefore nnsnitable for us to call the Holy Spirit Love, because both God the Father and God the Son can be called Love.
31. As, then, we call the only Word of God specially by the name of Wisdom, although universally both the Holy Spirit and the Father Himself is wisdom; so the Holy Spirit is specially called by the name of Love, although universally both the Father and the Son are love. But the Word of God, i.e. the only-begotten Son of God, is expressly called the Wisdom of God by the mouth of the apostle, Avhere he says, " Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." ^ But where the Holy Spirit is called Love, is to be found by careful scrutiny of the language of John the apostle, who, after saying, '' Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God," has gone on to say, " And every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." Here, manifestly, he has called that love God, which he said was of God; therefore God of God is love. But because both the Son is born of God the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, it is rightly asked which of them we ought here to think is the rather called the love that is God. For the Father only is so God as not to be of God; and hence the love that is so God as to be of God, is either the Son or the Holy Spirit. But when, in what follows, the apostle had mentioned the love of God, not that by which we love Him, but that by which He "loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiator for our sins," ^ and thereupon had exhorted us also to love one another, and that so God would abide in us, — because, namely, he had called God Love; immediately, in his wish to speak yet more expressly on the subject, " Hereby," he says, " know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit." Therefore the Holy Spirit, of whom He hath given us, makes us to abide in God, and Him in us; and this it is that love does. Therefore He is the God that is love. Lastly, a little after, when he had repeated the same thing, and had said " God is love," he immediately subjoined, " And he who abideth in love, abideth in God, and God abideth in him;" whence he had 416 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK XV.
said above, " Hereby we know that we abide in Him, and H« in US, because He hath given ns of His Spirit." He therefore is signified, where we read that God is love. Therefore God the Holy Spirit, who proceedeth from the Father, when He has been given to man, inflames him to the love of God and of his neighbour, and is Himself love. For man has not whence to love God, unless from God; and therefore he says a little after, " Let us love Him, because He first loved us." ^ The Apostle Paul, too, says, " The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us." ^ Chap, xviii. — No gift of God is more excellent than love.
32. There is no gift of God more excellent than this. It alone distinguishes the sons of the eternal kingdom and the sons of eternal perdition. Other gifts, too, are given by the Holy Spirit; but without love they profit nothing. Unless, therefore, the Holy Spirit is so far imparted to each, as to make him one who loves God and his neighbour, he is not removed from the left hand to the right. iN'or is the Spirit specially called the Gift, unless on account of love. And he w^ho has not this love, " though he speak with the tongues of men and angels, is sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal; and though he have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and though he have all faith, so that he can remove mountains, he is nothing; and though he bestow all his goods to feed the poor, and though he give his body to be burned, it profiteth him nothing."^ How great a good, then, is that without which goods so great bring no one to eternal life! But love or charity itself, — for they are two names for one thing, — if he have it that does not speak with tongues, nor has the gift of prophecy, nor knows all mysteries and all knowledge, nor gives all his goods to the poor, either because he has none to give or because some necessity hinders, nor delivers his body to be burned, if no trial of such a suffering overtakes him, brings that man to the kingdom, so that faith itself is only rendered profitable by love, since faith without love can indeed exist, but cannot profit. And therefore also the Apostle Paul says, " In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, 1 1 Jolin iv. 7-19. 2 i^om, y, 5, si Cor. xiii. 1-3.
CHAP. XIX.] WHY THE SPIRIT IS CALLED THE GIFT OF GOD. 417 nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love: " -^ so distmguishing it from that faith by which even " the devils believe and tremble."^ Love, therefore, which is of God and is God, is specially the Holy Spirit, by whom the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by which love the whole Trinity dwells in us. And therefore most rightly is the' Holy Spirit, although He is God, called also the gift of God.^ And by that gift what else can properly be understood except love, which brings to God, and without which any other gift of God whatsoever does not bring to God?
Chap. xix. — The Holy Spirit is called the gift of God in the Scriptures. By the gift of the Holy Spirit is meant the gift luhich is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is specially called love, although not only the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is love.
33. Is this too to be proved, that the Holy Spirit is called in the sacred books the gift of God? If people look for this too, we have in the Gospel according to John the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who says, " If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink: he that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." And the evangelist has gone on further to add, " And this He spake of the Spirit, which they should receive who believe in Him."* And hence Paul the apostle also says, "And we have all been made to drink into one Spirit."^ The question then is, whether that water is called the gift of God which is the Holy Spirit. But as we find here that this water is the Holy Spirit, so w^e find elsewhere in the Gospel itself that this water is called the gift of God. For when the same Lord was talking with the woman of Samaria at the well, to whom He had said, " Give me to drink," and she had answered that the Jews " have no dealings " with the Samaritans, Jesus answered and said unto her, " If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou this living water, etc.? Jesus answered and said DE TRIN. 2 D 418 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK XV.
unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whoso shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life."^ Because this living water, then, as the evangelist has explained to us, is the Holy Spirit, without doubt the Spirit is the gift of God, of which the Lord says here, " If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee. Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." For that which is in the one passage, " Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," is in the other, " shall be in liim a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life."
34. Paul the apostle also says, " To each of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ;" and then, that he might show that by the gift of Christ he meant the Holy Spirit, he has gone on to add, " Wherefore He saith, He hath ascended up on high, He hath led captivity captive, and hath given gifts to men."^ And every one knows that the Lord Jesus, when He had ascended into heaven after the resurrection from the dead, gave the Holy Spirit, with whom they who believed were filled, and spake with the tongues of all nations. And let no one object that he says gifts, not gift: for he quoted the text from the Psalm. And in the Psalm it is read thus, " Thou hast ascended up on high. Thou hast led captivity captive, Thou hast received gifts in men."^ Por so it stands in many MSS., especially in the Greek MSS., and so we have it translated from the Hebrew. The apostle therefore said gifts, as the prophet did, not gift. But whereas the prophet said, " Thou hast received gifts in men," the apostle has preferred saying, " He gave gifts to men:" and this in order that the fullest sense may be gathered from both expressions, the one prophetic, the other apostolic; because both possess the authority of a divine utterance. For both are true, as well that He gave to men, as that He received in men. He gave to men, as the head to His own members: He Himself that gave, received in men, no doubt as in His own members; on account of which His own members He cried 1 John iv. 7-14. 2 Epli. iv. 7, 8. ^ pg. ixviii. 18.
CITAP. XIX.] THE SPIRIT THE ALL-COMPREHENDING GIFT. 419 from heaven, "Saul, Saul, Avliy persecutest thou me?"^ And of which His own members He says, " Since ye have done it to one of the least of these that are mine, ye have done it unto me."^ Christ Himself, therefore, both gave from heaven and received on earth. And further, both prophet and apostle have said gifts for this reason, because many gifts, which are proper to each, are divided in common to all the members of Christ, by the gift, which is the Holy Spirit. For each severally has not all, but some have these and some have those; although all have the gift itself by which that which is proper to each is divided to Him, i.e. the Holy Spirit. For elsewhere also, when he had mentioned many gifts, " All these," he says, " worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to each severally as He will."^ And this word is found also in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where it is written, " God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts* of the Holy Ghost." ^ And so here, when he had said, "He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, He gave gifts to men," he says further, " But that He ascended, what is it but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. And He gave some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and doctors." (This we see is the reason why gifts are spoken of; because, as he says elsewhere, " Are all apostles? are all prophets?"^ etc.) And here he has added, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ." '^ This is the house which, as the Psalm sings, is built up after the captivity;^ since the house of Christ, which house is called His Church, is built up of those who have been rescued from the devil, by whom they were held captive. But He Himself led this captivity captive, who conquered the devil. And that he might not draw with him into eternal punishment those who were to become the members of the Holy Head, He bound him first by the bonds of righteousness, and then by