Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- That the doctrine of the Trinity, called the Athanasian Creed, leaves, when read, an obscure idea that God is one, and so obscure as not to remove the idea of three Gods, is clear from this fact, that the doctrine makes one God of three, by unity of essence, saying, that .. "This is the Christian faith, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither commingling the persons, nor separating the essence." . . . And afterwards, "Thus the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped." This statement is made in order to remove the idea of three Gods, but the only effect upon the understanding is to lead to the supposition that there are three persons, yet one Divine essence to all. By Divine essence, then, is there meant God, when, nevertheless, essence as well as divinity, majesty, and glory, which are also mentioned, is the predicate, and God, as being a person, is the subject, To say, therefore, that essence is God would be equal to asserting that a predicate is the subject. Essence, however, is not God, but is of God; similarly majesty and glory are not God, but are of God, just as a predicate is not the subject, but belongs to the subject. It is consequently evident that the idea of three Gods as being three persons is not removed in this manner.

This may be illustrated by a comparison. Suppose there are three rulers in one kingdom of equal power, and that each one is called king; in this case, if power and majesty are meant by king, they may by command, be called and said to be king, still not easily one king; but the term king implying personality, it is impossible, even under a command for three kings to be thought of as one king. If therefore they should say to you, "Speak to us as freely as you think," you would, undoubtedly, thus reply: "Ye are kings indeed, ye are also majesties." If you should reply, "I think as I speak in obedience to a command," you are deceived, because you either make pretence or force yourself; if you force yourself, your thought is not free, but clings to your speech.

[2] Athanasius also perceived this, and therefore he explains the above words as follows: "As we are obliged by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Christian faith to say that there are three Gods and three Lords." These words cannot be understood as implying any other meaning, than that it is allowable to acknowledge, but not to name three Gods and Lords, or to think of but not to say that there are three Gods and Lords, because it is contrary to the Christian faith; similarly, that it is allowable to acknowledge and think of three infinites, eternals, uncreates, and omnipotents, because there are three persons, but not to name three infinites, eternals, uncreates and omnipotents, but one only. Athanasius added the words quoted above, because of the impossibility of any one, even himself, thinking otherwise. Every one, however, can speak otherwise, and every one ought to do so, because it is the teaching of the Christian religion, that is of the Word, that there are not three Gods, but that there is one God. Besides the function ascribed to each person as his particular attribute, that is, creation to the Father, redemption to the Son, and enlightenment to the Holy Spirit, is consequently not one and the same in the three persons, and yet these functions enter into the Divine Essence, for creation is Divine, redemption is Divine, and enlightenment is Divine.

[3] Moreover, what man is there, that desires to connect the idea of three Gods with the idea of one God, who supposes that the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshipped, neither the persons being commingled, nor the essence separated? Who could do this, by means of metaphysics which transcends the apprehension! The simple are utterly unable; and the learned hurry over the subject, saying to themselves, this is my doctrine and faith concerning God, without retaining either in the memory from an obscure idea, or in their idea from the memory anything more than this, that there are three persons, and one God. And every man makes one out of three in his own way, but only when he speaks and writes, for when he thinks, he cannot think otherwise than of three, and of one from the co-ordination of the three, while many do not think of one even from that co-ordination. But consider, reader! Do not say to yourself, that these remarks are too harshly or too boldly made against the faith universally received concerning the triune God; for, in the following pages, you will see, that all time details of the Athanasian Creed, are in agreement with the truth, provided that, instead of three persons, one person in whom is a trinity, is acknowledged.