said -communion, which we call either .Godhead, or Love, or
3G4 ON FAITII AND THE CREED. [CHAP. IX.
not, accordiog to Adam, of the flesh, but, according to Christ, of the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, if in this passage mention is made of the Holy Spirit, when it is said, " For God is a
Spirit," they maintain that we must take note that it is not said, " for the Spirit is God," ^ but, " for God is a Spirit ;" so that tlie very Godhead of the Father and the Son is in this passage called God, and that is the Holy Spirit. To this is added another testimony which the Apostle John offers, when he says, " For God is love." ^ For Jiere, in like manner, what he says is not, "Love is God,"^ but, " God is love ;" so tliat the very Godhead is taken to be love. And with respect to the circumstance that, in that enumeration of mutually connected objects which is given when it is said, " All things are yours, and ye are .Christ's, and Clirist is God's," * as also,
" The head of the woman is the man, the Head of the man is
Christ, and the Head of Christ is God," ^ there is no mention of the Holy Spirit ; this they affijm to be but an application of the principle that, in general, the connection itself is not wont to be enumerated among the things which are connected with each other. "Whence, also, those who read with closer attention appear to recognise the express Trinity likewise in that passage in which it is said, " Far of Him, and througli Him, and in Him, are aU things." ^ " Of Him," as if it meant, of that One who owes it to no one that He is ; " tlii'ough Him," as if the idea were, thxough a Mediator ; " in Him," as if it were, in tliat One who holds together, that is, unites by connecting.
20. Those parties oppose tliis opinion who tliiuk that the said -communion, which we call either .Godhead, or Love, or
Charity, is not a substance. Moreover, they require the Holy
Spirit to be set forth to them according to substance ; ncitlier do .they take it to have been otherwise impossible for the expression " God is love " to have been used, unless love were a sul)stanee. In this, indeed, tliey are influenced by the wont of things of a bodily nature. For if two bodies are connected
Quoniam Spiritus Detu est. But various editions and mss. give Dei for DeiM — for the Spirit is of God.
' 1 John iv. 16.
Here again, instead of dikctio Dcus est, we also find dilectio Dei est = lovr in of Ciod.