Chapter V.
The Holy Spirit, since He sanctifies creatures, is
neither a creature nor subject to change. He is always good,
since He is given by the Father and the Son; neither is He to be
numbered amongst such things as are said to fail. He must be
acknowledged as the source of goodness. The Spirit of God’s
mouth, the amender of evils, and Himself good. Lastly, as He is
said in Scripture to be good, and is joined to the Father and the Son
in baptism, He cannot possibly be denied to be good. He is not,
however, said to progress, but to be made perfect in goodness, which
distinguishes Him from all creatures.
62. The Holy Spirit
is not, then, of the substance of things corporeal, for He sheds
incorporeal grace on corporeal things; nor, again, is He of the
substance of invisible creatures, for they receive His sanctification,
and through Him are superior to the other works of the universe.
Whether you speak of Angels, or Dominions, or Powers, every creature
waits for the grace of the Holy Spirit. For as we are children
through the Spirit, because “God sent the Spirit of His Son into
our hearts crying, Abba, Father; so that thou art now not a servant but
a son;”870
in like manner,
also, every creature is waiting for the revelation of the sons of God,
whom in truth the grace of the Holy Spirit made sons of God.
Therefore, also, every creature itself shall be changed by the
revelation of the grace of the Spirit, “and shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the
children of God.”871
63. Every creature, then, is subject to
change, not only such as has been changed by some sin or condition of
the outward elements, but also such as can be liable to corruption by a
fault of nature, though by careful discipline it be not yet so; for, as
we have shown in a former treatise,872
the nature
of Angels evidently can be changed. It is certainly fitting to
judge that such as is
the
nature of one, such also is that of others. The nature of the
rest, then, is capable of change, but the discipline is better.
64. Every creature, therefore, is capable of
change, but the Holy Spirit is good and not capable of change, nor can
He be changed by any fault, Who does away the faults of all and pardons
their sins. How, then, is He capable of change, Who by
sanctifying works in others a change to grace, but is not changed
Himself.
65. How is He capable of change Who is
always good? For the Holy Spirit, through Whom the things that
are good are ministered to us, is never evil. Whence two
evangelists in one and the same place, in words in differing from each
other, have made the same statement, for you read in Matthew:
“If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children; how much more shall your Father, Who is in heaven, give good
things to them that ask Him.”873
But
according to Luke you will find it thus written: “How much
more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
Him?”874
We
observe, then, that the Holy Spirit is good in the Lord’s
judgment by the testimony of the evangelists, since the one has put
good things in the place of the Holy Spirit, the other has named the
Holy Spirit in the place of good things. If, then, the Holy
Spirit is that which is good, how is He not good?
66. Nor does it escape our notice that some
copies have likewise, according to St. Luke: “How much more
shall your heavenly Father give a good gift to them that ask
Him.” This good gift is the grace of the Spirit, which the
Lord Jesus shed forth from heaven, after having been fixed to the
gibbet of the cross, returning with the triumphal spoils of death
deprived of its power, as you find it written: “Ascending
up on high He led captivity captive, and gave good gifts to
men.”875
And well
does he say “gifts,” for as the Son was given, of Whom it
is written: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is
given;”876
so, too, is the
grace of the Spirit given. But why should I hesitate to say that
the Holy Spirit also is given to us, since it is written:
“The love of God is shed forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
Who is given to us.”877
And
since captive breasts certainly could not receive Him, the Lord Jesus
first led captivity captive, that our affections being set free, He
might pour forth the gift of divine grace.
67. And He said well “led captivity
captive.” For the victory of Christ is the victory of
liberty, which won grace for all, and inflicted wrong on none. So
in the setting free of all no one is captive. And because in the
time of the Lord’s passion wrong alone had no part, which had
made captive all of whom it had gained possession, captivity itself
turning back upon itself was made captive, not now attached to Belial
but to Christ, to serve Whom is liberty. “For he who is
called in the Lord as a servant is the Lord’s
freedman.”878
68. But to return to the point.
“All,” says He, “have gone aside, all together are
become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, not even
one.”879
If they
except the Holy Spirit, even they themselves confess that He is not
amongst all; if they do not except Him, then they, too, acknowledge
that He has gone aside amongst all.
69. But let us consider whether He has
goodness in Himself, since He is the Source and Principle of
goodness. For as the Father and the Son have, so too the Holy
Spirit also has goodness. And the Apostle also taught this when
he said: “Now the fruit of the Spirit is peace, love, joy,
patience, goodness.”880
For who
doubts that He is good Whose fruit is goodness. For “a good
tree brings forth good fruit.”881
70. And so if God be good, how shall He Who
is the Spirit of His mouth not be good, Who searcheth even the deep
things of God? Can the infection of evil enter into the deep
things of God? And from this it is seen how foolish they are who
deny that the Son of God is good, when they cannot deny that the Spirit
of Christ is good, of Whom the Son of God says: “Therefore
said I that He shall receive of Mine.”882
71. Or is the Spirit not good, Who of the
worst makes good men, does away sin, destroys evil, shuts out crime,
pours in good gifts, makes apostles of persecutors, and priests of
sinners? “Ye were,” it is said, “sometime
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.”883
72. But why do we put them off? And if
they ask for statements since they do not deny facts, let them hear
that the Holy Spirit is good, for David said: “Let Thy good
Spirit lead me forth in the right way.”884
For what is the Spirit but full
of goodness? Who though because of His nature He cannot be
attained to, yet because of His goodness
can be received by us, filling all things His
power, but only partaken of by the just, simple in substance, rich in
virtues, present to each, dividing of His own to every one, and Himself
whole everywhere.
73. And with good cause did the Son of God
say: “Go and baptize all nations in the Name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”885
not disdaining association with the Holy Spirit. Why, then, do
some take it ill that He Whom the Lord disdained not in the sacrament
of baptism, should be joined in our devotion with the Father and the
Son?
74. Good, then, is the Spirit, but good, not
as though acquiring but as imparting goodness. For the Holy
Spirit does not receive from creatures but is received; as also He is
not sanctified but sanctifies; for the creature is sanctified, but the
Holy Spirit sanctifies. In which matter, though the word is used
in common, there is a difference in the nature. For both the man
who receives and God Who gives sanctity are called holy, as we
read: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”886
Now sanctification and
corruption cannot share the same nature, and therefore the grace of the
Holy Spirit and the creature cannot be of one substance.
75. Since, then, the whole invisible creation
(whose substance some rightly believe to be reasonable and
incorporeal), with the exception of the Trinity, does not impart but
acquires the grace of the Spirit, and does not share in it but receives
it, the whole commonalty of creation is to be separated from
association with the Holy Spirit. Let them then believe that the
Holy Spirit is not a creature; or, if they think Him a creature, why do
they associate Him with the Father? If they think Him a creature,
why do they join Him with the Son of God? But if they do not
think that He should be separated from the Father and the Son, they do
not consider Him to be a creature, for where the sanctification is one
the nature is one.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
