141# 神性三一全然蕴藏于主内，此理前文已然证明，后文专题之处亦将进一步详加阐明。今仅列举世人将此三一强行割裂为独立位格，所衍生的诸多悖谬。
譬如教会讲台之上，一位牧者站立施教，教导众人当信之道、当行之事；其旁另有一位牧者近身附耳低语：“你所言甚是，此外还当增补数句。”继而第三位牧者立于台阶之上出声吩咐：“下到殿中，开启众人耳朵，将真理灌注其心，并使他们得蒙洁净、成为圣洁，且拥有称义的凭据。”
一旦将神性三一拆分为各自独立、单独即为上帝与主的三位位格，便如同一世之内悬有三轮烈日：二者高悬诸天、彼此并列，第三位低位悬空，环绕天使与世人运行；又将前两轮的光热、一切权能尽数倾注于人之心智、心灵与肉身，如同炼金之火在器皿中提炼、澄清、升华诸般材质。若真是如此，凡人早已被烈火焚烧、归于灰烬。
天上若由三位神性位格分治掌权，无异于一国之内并立三王、一军之中同有三位平等统帅；更贴切而言，恰似凯撒时代以前的罗马共和体制——执政官、元老院、平民保民官三权分立，权柄看似各自独立，终究彼此制衡、共掌权位。将这般属世政体强行套用于天堂秩序，何其荒诞可笑、近乎悖逆癫狂。
世人正是陷入此种迷妄：将“至高执政”之权归给父，将“元老院”般的治理之权归给子，将“平民保民官”般的施行之权归给圣灵。但凡人为划分三者专属职能、各司其事，便已生出谬误；若再断言其属性彼此隔绝、互不交通，其悖逆更是无以复加。
141# 神性三位一体在主里面，这一点已经在前面说明，并且等到后面（TCR 163-188节）详细论述这个主题时，还要更充分地说明。我在此只想指出由于将三位一体分为三个位格而导致的一些荒谬之处。这样的三位一体就像一个教会的牧师在讲坛上教导必须相信什么，必须做什么；而另一个牧师站在他旁边附耳低语：“你说得对，还要再加一点。”然后，这两个牧师对站在讲坛台阶上的第三个牧师说：“你下到教会去，打开人们的耳朵，把这些话倒在他们心里，同时使他们纯洁、神圣，成为公义的臣民或活生生的例子。”再者，一个被分为三个位格，其中每一位都独为神和主的神性三位一体，就像一个太阳系中有三个太阳，一个在高处，另一个在它旁边，第三个在它们两个下面，把它的光线倾泻在天使和世人身上，并将另两个太阳的热和光及其一切能力传给他们的心智、心和身体，唤醒、洁净和提炼它们，就像火在蒸馏器下面磨砺、澄清和升华物质一样。谁看不出，如果这种事真的发生了，人就会烧成灰烬？再说，三个神性位格统治天堂，就像三个国王统治一个王国，或三个同等级别的将军掌控一支军队一样；更确切地说，就像凯撒时代之前的罗马政府一样，当时罗马政府是由执政官、元老院和保民官组成的，权力在它们之间分配，但最高权力同时掌握在所有人手中。谁看不出，把这种政府形式引入天堂是荒谬、愚蠢和疯狂的？然而，当把像最高执政官那样的权力归于父神，把像元老院那样的权力归于圣子，把像保民官那样的权力归于圣灵时，这种情况就会发生。当每个位格都分配了自己特有的功能时，这种情况就会发生；当除此之外，他们的独特属性不能共享时，情况更是如此。
141. We have already shown that the divine Trinity exists within the Lord. This will be shown further in the following sections where we will need to deal with this point explicitly. Here I will only add something to show the absurdity of dividing the Trinity into persons.
It would be like a minister in the church teaching from the pulpit what people should believe and practice while another minister stands next to him and whispers in his ear, "You are saying the right thing; say some more about that. " The two of them tell a third minister standing on the pulpit stairs to go down into the church, open the congregations ears, and pour these things into their hearts; the third minister is also told to make the people pure and holy - living examples of justice.
The divine Trinity divided into persons, each of whom is individually God and Lord, is like three suns over one solar system - one sun beside another high up, and a third sun lower down that bathes angels and people and brings the heat, the light, and all the power of the first two suns into human minds, hearts, and bodies and refines them the way fire under a retort sharpens, clarifies, and sublimates substances. If this were the reality, surely we would all be burned to ashes.
A governance in heaven by three divine persons would be like a government of three monarchs in one country. It would be like a leadership of three equally powerful generals over one army. It would be much like the Roman government before the times of the Caesars when there was a consul, a senate, and a tribune for the common people. Power was indeed divided between them, but the ultimate power was held by them all together.
Anyone can see that it would be ridiculous, preposterous, and insane to impose a government like that over heaven. Yet that kind of government would be imposed if power like the supreme consul's were given to God the Father, power like the senates' to the Son, and power like the tribunes to the Holy Spirit. This is what is involved in attributing to each person a function of his own, especially if you add that these activities cannot be shared.
141. It was shown above that the Divine Trinity is in the Lord, and this will be further amplified in a following passage devoted to the subject of the Trinity [163-188]. Here I propose only to point out some of the absurdities which result from dividing that Trinity into persons. It would be as if a minister of the church were to teach from the pulpit what people should believe and do, and have another minister standing next to him whispering in his ear: 'You are right to say that, and add a little more too'; and these then say to, a third standing on the steps: 'Go down into the church, open the ears of the people and pour this out into their hearts, at the same time making them pure, holy and pledges of righteousness.'
A Divine Trinity divided into persons, each of which is by Himself God and Lord, is like having three suns in one world, one up high next to the second, and a third down below bathing angels and men with its radiation, and transmitting the heat and light of the other two in all their power to their minds, hearts and bodies, sharpening them like fire in a retort clarifying and sublimating matter. Anyone can see that, if this happened, man would be burnt to a cinder.
The rule of three Divine persons in heaven again would be like having three kings ruling in one kingdom; or having three generals of equal rank controlling one army; or better, like the Roman government before imperial times, when they had a consul, the senate and a tribune of the people, with power so divided between them that supreme authority was in the hands of all at once. Anyone can see that it is absurd, ridiculous and crazy to introduce that sort of government into heaven. Yet this is what those do who attribute the power of the supreme consul to God the Father, the power of the senate to the Son, and the power of the tribune of the people to the Holy Spirit. This is what happens if each is assigned his own peculiar office, and even more so if it is also asserted that these peculiar characteristics cannot be shared.
141. That the Divine trinity is in the Lord has been shown above, and will be shown more fully hereafter when that subject is treated of in detail. Here only some inconsistencies resulting from a division of the trinity into persons will be pointed out. Such a trinity would be like one minister of a church teaching from the pulpit what must be believed and what must be done, with another minister standing by him, whispering in his ear, "You say truly, add something more;" and these saying to a third, standing on the steps of the pulpit, "Go down into the church, open the ears of the people, and pour these things into their hearts, and cause them to be pure, holy, and pledges of righteousness." Again, a Divine trinity divided into persons, each one of whom singly is God and Lord, is like three suns in a single solar system, one near to another on high, and below these a third, which pours forth its rays upon angels and men, conveying the heat and light of the other two with all power to their minds, hearts, and bodies; enkindling, clarifying, and refining them, as fire does with substances in a retort. Who cannot see that if this were done men would be burned to a cinder? Again, the rule of three Divine persons in heaven would be like the rule of three kings in one kingdom; or of three commanders having equal authority over one army; or rather like the Roman government before the times of the Caesars, which was composed of a consulate, a senate, and a tribunate of the commons, among whom the power was distributed, but with the supreme authority residing in all together. Who does not see the absurdity, folly, and madness of introducing such a form of government into heaven? But this is done when an authority like that of the higher consulate is ascribed to God the Father, an authority like that of the senate to the Son, and an authority like that of the tribunate of the commons to the Holy Spirit. This is done when a function peculiar to Himself is attributed to each; and especially when, in addition to this, their attributes are not communicable.
141. It was proved above, and will be shown more fully in the following numbers devoted specially to the subject, that the Divine Trinity is in the Lord. At this point we shall merely mention certain absurdities arising from the division of the Trinity into Persons. It would be as if a minister of the Church should teach from the pulpit what ought to be believed and practiced, and another should stand at his side and whisper in his ear: "You say truly, continue;" and they should say to a third, standing on the steps of the pulpit: "Go down into the church, open the ears of the people, and put these things into their hearts; and at the same time make them pure, holy and subjects of righteousness." Again, the Divine Trinity divided into Persons, each of Whom singly is God and Lord, would be like three suns in one solar system, one placed on high, the second near it, and the third below them both, encompassing angels and men, and conveying the heat and light of the other two with all their power to their minds, hearts and bodies; and as fire acts upon material substances in retorts, rousing, purifying and refining them. Anyone may see that if this were to happen, men would be reduced to ashes. The government, of three Divine Persons in heaven may also be compared to the government of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals of equal authority over one army; or rather to the Roman government before the time of the Caesars, when there were consuls, a senate and tribunes of the people, amongst whom power was indeed divided, yet all had supreme power at the same time. Anyone may see the incongruity, the absurdity and the folly of introducing such a government into heaven; and yet this happens when there is ascribed to the Father a power like that of the supreme consul, to the Son a power like that of the senate, and to the Holy Spirit a power like that of a tribune of the people, especially when a peculiar function is attributed to each, and it is added that those functions are not communicable.
141. Quod Divina Trinitas sit in Domino, supra demonstratum est, et amplius in sequentibus ubi de illa ex professo agendum est, demonstrabitur; hic solum aliqua absona ex Trinitate illa divisa in Personas sequentia, adducentur; hoc foret, sicut quis Ecclesiae Minister e suggesto docet quid credendum et quid faciendum est, et juxta illum alius Minister stat, et immurmurat auri ejus, hoc recte dicis, et insuper aliquid adhuc; et dicunt tertio, qui in scala stat, descende in Templum, aperi aures eorum, et infunde illa cordibus illorum, et simul fac ut sint puritates, sanctitates, et justitiae pignora. Divina Trinitas divisa in Personas, quarum unaquaevis singulatim est Deus et Dominus, similis etiam est tribus Solibus in uno Mundo, in alto unus juxta alterum, et tertius infra, qui circumfundit angelos et homines, ac infert duorum calorem et lucem cum omni potentia in mentes, corda et corpora illorum, et illos sicut ignis in retortis acuit, clarificat et sublimat materias; quis non videt, si ita fieret, quod homo combureretur usque in cinerem. Regimen trium Divinarum Personarum in Coelo, etiam simile foret regimini trium Regum in uno Regno; aut regimini trium Ducum ejusdem potestatis super uno Exercitu; 1 aut potius Regimini Romano ante Caesarum tempora, quando fuerunt Consul, Senatus, et Tribunus plebis, inter quos quidem divisa est potestas, at usque summa apud omnes simul; quis non videt absonum, ludicrum, et delirum, tale Regimen introducere in Coelum, ac introducitur cum potestas sicut summi Consulis addicitur Deo Patri, potestas sicut Senatus Filio, et potestas sicut Tribuni plebis Spiritui Sancto, quod fit cum functio propria attribuitur cuivis, et plus si additur, quod proprietates illae non communicabiles sint.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Excercitu.