by knowing them, thinking them, understanding them, and speaking them, but by willing and doing them, for this reason, because they are commanded by the Lord, and hence, because they are of use: nothing is full until it is done, and what is done is the end, and the end is that for the sake of which the love is cherished; wherefore, from the love of willing and doing something exists the love of knowing, of thinking, of understanding it. Tell me why you are desirous to know and understand any thing, except for the sake of the end which you love; the end which is loved is the deed: if you say, for the sake of faith, it may be replied, that faith alone, or merely of the thought, without actual faith, which is deed, is a nonentity. You are very much deceived if you fancy that you believe in God, whilst you are not doing the things which are of God; for the Lord teaches in John, 'He that hath my precepts and doeth them, he it is who loveth me, and I will make my abode with him ; but he who loveth me not, keepeth not my words,' xiv. 21, 24. In a word, to love and to do are one; wherefore, in the Word, where mention is made of loving, doing is understood, and where mention is made of doing, loving is also understood; for what I love, this I do.

9. There is given the thought of light concerning God, and concerning things divine, which in heaven are called celestial and spir

itual, in the world ecclesiastical and theological, and there is given the thought not of light concerning them. The thought not of light appertains to those who know those things, and do not understand them; such are all at this day, who are willing that the understanding be kept under the obedience of faith; yea, that what is not intelligible should be believed, saying, that intellectual faith is not true faith; but these are they who are not in the genuine affection of truth, from an interior principle, and, consequently, are not in any illustration, whilst several of them are in the conceit of their own intelligence, and in the love of domineering by the holy things of the church over the souls of men; not aware, that truth wills to be in the light, since the light of heaven is Divine truth, and that the understanding truly human is affected by that light, and sees from it, and if it did not see, it would be the memory that has faith, and not the man, and such faith is blind, because without an idea from the light of truth, for the understanding is the man, and the memory is introductory. If what is not intelligible is to be believed, man, like a parrot, might be taught to speak and to remember, even that there is sanctity in the bones of the dead and in sepulchres, that carcasses do miracles, that man will be tormented in purgatory if he does not consecrate his wealth to idols or monasteries, that

men are Gods, because heaven and hell are in their power, not to mention other similar articles of faith, which man must believe from a blind faith and from a closed understanding, and thus from the light of both extinguished. But be it known, that all the truths of the Word, which are the truths of heaven and of the church, may be seen by the understanding, in heaven spiritually, in the world rationally; for the understanding truly human is the very sight itself of those things, being separated from what is material, and when it is separated, it sees truths as clearly as the eye sees objects; it sees truths as it loves them, for as it loves them it is illustrated. The angels have wisdom in consequence of seeing truths; wherefore, when it is said to any angel, that this or that is to be believed although it is not understood, the angel replies, do you suppose me to be insane, or that yourself are a god whom I am bound to believe? If I do not see, it may be something false from hell.

10. We now proceed to the doctrine of the Trinity, which was written by Athanasius, and confirmed by the council of Nice. This doctrine is such, that whilst it is reading it leaves a clear idea that there are three persons, and hence that there are three unanimous Gods, but an obscure idea that God is one; when yet, as was above said, the idea of thought concerning one God primarily opens heaven to

man; and, on the other hand, the idea of three Gods closes heaven. That the above Athanasian doctine, on its being read, leaves a clear idea that there are three persons, and hence that there are three unanimous Gods, and that this unanimous Trinity is all that gives birth to the thought that there is one God, let every one decide from the examination of his own thoughts on the occasion; for it is said, in the Athanasian creed, in express words, "There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord, so likewise is the Son, and so likewise is the Holy Spirit. Also, the Father was made and created of none, the Son was born of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceedeth from both. Thus there is one Father, one Son, and one Holy Spirit. And in this Trinity all the three persons are together eternal, and are altogether equal." From these words it is impossible for any one to think otherwise than that there are three Gods; neither could Athanasius think otherwise, nor also the Nicene council, as is evident from these words inserted in the doctrine: "As we are obliged by the christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord, yet are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say there be three Gods and three Lords:" which cannot be understood in any other sense, than

that it is allowable to acknowledge three Gods and Lords, but not to name them or that it is allowable to think of three Gods and Lords, but not to say that there are three Gods and Lords.

11. That the doctrine of the Trinity, which is called the Athanasian Creed, on its being read, leaves an obscure idea that God is one, and so obscure as not to remove the idea of three Gods, may be manifest from this consideration, that the doctrine makes one God of three, by unity of essence, saying, "This is the christian faith, that we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity, neither commixing the persons, nor separating the essence" and afterwards, "Thus the unity in trinity, and the trinity in unity is to be worshipped." These things are said, to remove the idea of three Gods, but they do not affect the understanding in any other way than by suggesting that there are three persons, yet one Divine essence to all; thus by Divine essence is there meant God, when yet essence, as also divinity, majesty, and glory, which are also mentioned, is a predicate, and God, as being a person, is the subject, wherefore to say that essence is God would be like saying that a predicate is a subject, when yet essence is not God, but is of God, as likewise majesty and glory are not God, but are of God, as a predicate is not a subject, but is of a subject;