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De Trinitate

XXVIII.

[XXVIII 51] Domine deus noster, credimus in te patrem et filium et spiritum sanctum. Neque enim diceret veritas: Ite, baptizate gentes in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti nisi trinitas esses. Nec baptizari nos iuberes, domine deus, in eius nomine qui non est dominus deus. Nec diceretur voce divina: Audi, Israhel: Dominus deus tuus deus unus est nisi trinitas ita esses ut unus dominus deus esses. Et si tu deus pater ipse esses et filius verbum tuum Iesus Christus ipse esses et donum vestrum spiritus sanctus, non legeremus in litteris veritatis: Misit deus filium suum, nec tu, unigenite, diceres de spiritu sancto: Quem mittet pater in nomine meo, et: Quem ego mittam vobis a patre. Ad hanc regulam fidei dirigens intentionem meam quantum potui, quantum me posse fecisti, quaesivi te et desideravi intellectu videre quod credidi et multum disputavi et laboravi. Domine deus meus, una spes mea, exaudi me ne fatigatus nolim te quaerere, sed quaeram faciem tuam semper ardenter. Tu da quaerendi vires, qui inveniri te fecisti et magis magisque inveniendi te spem dedisti. Coram te est firmitas et infirmitas mea; illam serva, istam sana. Coram te est scientia et ignorantia mea; ubi mihi aperuisti suscipe intrantem; ubi clausisti aperi pulsanti. Meminerim tui; intellegam te; diligam te. Auge in me ista donec me reformes ad integrum.

Scio scriptum esse: In multiloquio non effugies peccatum. Sed utinam praedicando verbum tuum et laudando te tantummodo loquerer. Non solum fugerem peccatum sed meritum bonum adquirerem quamlibet multum sic loquerer. Neque enim homo de te beatus peccatum praeciperet germano in fide filio suo cui scripsit dicens: Praedica verbum; insta opportune, importune. Numquid dicendum est istum non multum locutum qui non solum opportune verum etiam importune verbum tuum, domine, non tacebat? Sed ideo non erat multum quia tantum erat necessarium. Libera me, deus meus, a multiloquio quod patior intus in anima mea misera in conspectu tuo et confugiente ad misericordiam tuam. Non enim cogitationibus taceo etiam tacens vocibus. Et si quidem non cogitarem nisi quod placeret tibi, non utique rogarem ut me ab hoc multiloquio liberares. Sed multae sunt cogitationes meae tales quales nosti cogitationes hominum quoniam vanae sunt. Dona mihi non eis consentire, et si quando me delectant, eas nihilominus improbare nec in eis velut dormitando immorari. Nec in tantum valeant apud me ut aliquid in opera mea procedat ex illis, sed ab eis mea saltem sit tuta sententia, tuta conscientia te tuente. Sapiens quidam cum de te loqueretur in libro suo qui ecclesiasticus proprio nomine iam vocatur: Multa, inquit, dicimus et non pervenimus, et consummatio sermonum universa est ipse. Cum ergo pervenerimus ad te, cessabunt multa ista quae dicimus et non pervenimus, et manebis unus omnia in omnibus, et sine fine dicemus unum laudantes te in unum et in te facti etiam nos unum. Domine deus une, deus trinitas, quaecumque dixi in his libris de tuo agnoscant et tui; si qua de meo, et tu ignosce et tui. Amen.

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The Fifteen Books of Aurelius Augustinus, Bishop of Hippo, on the Trinity

Chapter 28.--The Conclusion of the Book with a Prayer, and an Apology for Multitude of Words.

51. O Lord our God, we believe in Thee, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. For the Truth would not say, Go, baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, unless Thou wast a Trinity. Nor wouldest thou, O Lord God, bid us to be baptized in the name of Him who is not the Lord God. Nor would the divine voice have said, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God, unless Thou wert so a Trinity as to be one Lord God. And if Thou, O God, wert Thyself the Father, and wert Thyself the Son, Thy Word Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit your gift, we should not read in the book of truth, "God sent His Son;" ¹ nor wouldest Thou, O Only-begotten, say of the Holy Spirit, "Whom the Father will send in my name;" ² and, "Whom I will send to you from the Father." ³ Directing my purpose by this rule of faith, so far as I have been able, so far as Thou hast made me to be able, I have sought Thee, and have desired to see with my understanding what I believed; and I have argued and labored much. O Lord my God, my one hope, hearken to me, lest through weariness I be unwilling to seek Thee, "but that I may always ardently seek Thy face." ⁴ Do Thou give strength to seek, who hast made me find Thee, and hast given the hope of finding Thee more and more. My strength and my infirmity are in Thy sight: preserve the one, and heal the other. My knowledge and my ignorance are in Thy sight; where Thou hast opened to me, receive me as I enter; where Thou hast closed, open to me as I knock. May I remember Thee, understand Thee, love Thee. Increase these things in me, until Thou renewest me wholly. I know it is written, "In the multitude of speech, thou shalt not escape sin." ⁵ But O that I might speak only in preaching Thy word, and in praising Thee! Not only should I so flee from sin, but I should earn good desert, however much I so spake. For a man blessed of Thee would not enjoin a sin upon his own true son in the faith, to whom he wrote, "Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season." ⁶ Are we to say that he has not spoken much, who was not silent about Thy word, O Lord, not only in season, but out of season? But therefore it was not much, because it was only what was necessary. Set me free, O God, from that multitude of speech which I suffer inwardly in my soul, wretched as it is in Thy sight, and flying for refuge to Thy mercy; for I am not silent in thoughts, even when silent in words. And if, indeed, I thought of nothing save what pleased Thee, certainly I would not ask Thee to set me free from such multitude of speech. But many are my thoughts, such as Thou knowest, "thoughts of man, since they are vain." ⁷ Grant to me not to consent to them; and if ever they delight me, nevertheless to condemn them, and not to dwell in them, as though I slumbered. Nor let them so prevail in me, as that anything in my acts should proceed from them; but at least let my opinions, let my conscience, be safe from them, under Thy protection. When the wise man spake of Thee in his book, which is now called by the special name of Ecclesiasticus, "We speak," he said, "much, and yet come short; and in sum of words, He is all." ⁸ When, therefore, we shall have come to Thee, these very many things that we speak, and yet come short, will cease; and Thou, as One, wilt remain "all in all." ⁹ And we shall say one thing without end, in praising Thee in One, ourselves also made one in Thee. O Lord the one God, God the Trinity, whatever I have said in these books that is of Thine, may they acknowledge who are Thine; if anything of my own, may it be pardoned both by Thee and by those who are Thine. Amen.