St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

Of the vncompounded, vnchangeable Trinity, the Father, the Sonne, and the Holy spirit, one God in substance and quality, euer one and the same. CHAP. 10.

GOod therefore (which is God) is onely simple, and consequently vnchange∣able. This good created all things, but not simple, therefore changeable. I say created, that is made, not begotte. For that which the simple good begot, is as simple as it is, and is the same that begot it. These two we call Father and sonne both which with their spirit, are one God: that spirit, being the fathers and the * 1.1 sonnes, is properly called in scriptures, the holy spirit, (a) it is neither father nor sonne, but personally distinct from both, but it is not really: for it is a simple and vnchangeable good with them, and coeternall. And this trinity is one God: not simple because a trinity (for we call not the nature of that good, simple, because the father is alone therein, or the sonne, or holy ghost alone, for that name of the tri∣nitie is not alone with personall subsistance, as the (b) Sab•…•…llians held) but it is cal∣led simple, because it is one in essence & the same one in quality (excepting their personall relation: for therein the father hath a sonne, yet is no sonne, & the sonne a father, yet is no father. (c) But in consideration each of it selfe, the quality and essence is both one therein, as each liueth, that is▪ hath life, an•…•… is life it selfe. This is the reason of the natures simplicity, wherein nothing adheareth that can bee lost, nor is the continent one & the thing conteined another, as vessels & liquors, bodies and colours, ayre and heate, or the soule and wisdome are: for those are not coessentiall with their qualities: the vessell is not the liquor, nor the body the colour, nor ayre heate, nor the soule wisdome: therefore may they all loo•…•… these adiuncts, and assume others: the vessel may be empty, the body discoloured, the ayre cold, the soule foolish. But (d) the body being one incorruptible (as the saints shall haue in the resurrection) that incorruption it shall neuer loose, yet is not that incorruption one essence with the bodily substance. For it is a like in all parts of the body, all are incorruptible. But the body is greater in who•…•…e then in part, and the parts are some larger, some lesser, yet neither enlarging or lessening the incorruptibility. So then (e) the body being not entire in it selfe, & incorrup∣tibility being intire in it selfe, do differ: for all parts of the body haue inequalitie in themselues, but none in incorruptibility. The finger is lesse then the hand, but neither more nor lesse corruptible then the hand: being vnequall to themselues, their incorruptibility is equall. And therefore though incorruptibility be the bo∣dies inseperable inherent, yet the substance making the body, & the quality m•…•…∣ing it incorruptible, are absolutely seuerall. And so it is in the adiunct aforesaid of

the soule, though the soule be alwaies wise, (as it shall bee when it is deliuered from misery to eternity) though it be from thence euermore wise yet it is by par∣ticipation of the diuine wisdome, of whose substance the soule is not. For though the ayre be euer light, it followeth not that the light and the ayre should be all one. (I say not this (f) as though the ayre were a soule as some that (g) could not conceiue an vncorporal nature, did imagine. But there is a great similitude in this disparity: so that one may fitly say, as the corporeall ayre is lightned by the cor∣poreal light, so is the incorporeal soule by gods wisdomes incorporeall light, & as the aire being depriued of that light, becomes darke, (h) corporeall darknesse being nothing but aire depriued of light, so doth the soule grow darkned, by want of the light of wisdom) According to this then, they are called simple things, t•…•…at are truely and principally diuine, because their essence and (i) their quality are indistinct, nor do they partake of any deity, substance, wisdome, or be•…•…titude, but are all entirely them-selues. The scripture indeed calls the Holy Ghost, the manifold spirit of wisdome, because the powers of it are many: but all one with the essence, and all included in one, for the wisdome thereof i•…•…, not manyfold, but one, and therein are infinite and vnmeasurable (k) treasuries of things intelligi∣ble, wherein are all the immutable and inscrutable causes of al things, both visi∣ble, and mutable, which are thereby created: for God did nothing vnwittingly, (l) it were disgrace to say so of any humaine artificer. But if he made all knowing, then made hee but what hee knew. This now produceth a wonder, but yet a truth in our mindes: that the world could not be vnto vs, but that it is now ex∣tant: but it could not haue beene at all (m) but that God knew it.

L. VIVES.

IT is (a) Neither.] Words I thinke ad little to religion, yet must we haue a care to keepe the old path and receiued doctrine of the Church, for diuinity being so farre aboue our reach, * 1.2 how can wee giue it the proper explanation? All words, are mans inuention for humane vses, and no man may refuse the old approued words to bring in new of his owne inuention, for when as proprieties are not to be found out by mans wit, those are the fittest to declare things by, that ancient vse hath le•…•… vs, and they that haue recorded most part of our religion. This I say for that a sort of smattring rash fellowes impiously presume to cast the old formes of speach at their heeles, and to set vp their own maisters-ships, being gr•…•…ssly ignorant both in the matters and their bare formes, and will haue it law•…•…ull for them, at their fond likings to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or fashion the phrases of the fathers in mat•…•…er of religion, into what forme they list, like a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of waxe. (b) Sabellians. Of them before▪ The h•…•…ld no persons in the Ternity. (c) But in c•…•…deration.] The Bruges copy reads it without the sentence precedent in the copy that Uiues commented vpon, and so doth Paris, Louaines and Basills all] (d) The body.] Prouing acci∣dents both separable and inseparable to be distinct from the substance they do adhere vnto. (e) The body being not.] The body cons•…•…sts of parts: •…•…t cannot stand without them, combined and co•…•…gulate in one: the hand is not the body of his whole, nor the magnitude▪ yet the incor∣•…•…bility of the hand is no part of the bodies incorruptibility, for this is not diuisible, though it be in the whole body, but so indiuisible, that being all in all the body, it is also all in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 part: and so are all spirituall things, Angels▪ soules, and God; their natures possesse no place so that they may say, this is on my rig•…•…t ha•…•…d, this on the left, or this aboue, and this below, but they are entirely whole in euery particle of their place, and yet fa•…•…le not to fill the whole; whether this be easilier spoken or vnderstood •…•…udge you.

(f) As though.] So Anaximenes of Miletus, and Diogenes of Apollonia held. Ana∣•…•…as held the soule was like an ayre. Heraclitus, produced all soules out of respiration, therevpon calling it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to refrigerate. Plato in Cratyl. The ancients tooke our 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wee draw, for the soule▪ Where-vpon the Poet said, vxoris anima 〈◊〉〈◊〉. My

wiues breth stinkes. They called all ayre also the soule. Uirgil Semina terrarum animaeque maris∣q•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉. As they had beene the seeds of earth, ayre, sea, &c. (g) Could not.] C•…•…c. Tusc. q•…•…st. lib. 1. They could not conceiue the soule that liues by it selfe, but sought a shape for it. (h) C•…•… •…•…kenesse.] Arist, de anima. lib. 2. Darkenesse is the absence of light from a transpare•…•… body, by which we see. (i) Their quality.] The Greekes call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Tully in his acade∣mikes taketh this for a body. But Augustine here calleth all adherences to the substance (which Philosophers call accidents) qualities. Quintil, and others, shew the name of Quality to bee generall, and both in the abstract, and conceite, appliable to all accidents. (k) Treasuries.] Store∣houses, or treasures themselues. (l) It were.] All were hee a bungler, and had no skill, the word is, any, (m) But that God.] Wose care vpholds, or else would it stand but a while. But he can∣not care for that hee knowes not: nor any workeman supports a worke he is ignorant in, or perfometh any such.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vnitie in 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.2

  Religious phrases.