171# 今日基督教会所接受、并纳入其信仰中的三一，乃谓父上帝自永恒生出子，圣灵遂由二者而出，并且每一位各自凭自身为上帝。此三一在人之心智中，不能被构想为别的，只能构想为三头政体；亦如一国之中三王共治，一军之上三帅并统，一家之内三主同权，且各有相等权柄。由此还能生出什么，岂非毁坏？
若有人欲在心智眼前描画或勾勒这种三头政体，同时又要表现其合一，则他不能把它呈现为别的，只能呈现为一个身体上有三个头的人，或一个头下有三个身体的人。凡相信有三位神性位格、且每一位凭自身为上帝，又把他们合成为一位上帝，并否认上帝既是一位便是一位格者，其心目前必显出如此怪诞的三一形象。
所谓自永恒所生的上帝之子降临并取了人性，可比于古人的寓言：人的灵魂自世界之初已被创造，后来进入身体而成为人；又可比于那些悖谬之说，即一人的灵魂转入另一人里面，如犹太教会中许多人所相信的那样：以利亚的灵魂进入施洗约翰的身体，或者大卫将再回到自己或他人的身体中，并要治理以色列和犹大；因为以西结书中说：“我要在他们之上兴起一位牧者，牧养他们，就是我的仆人大卫……他必作他们的牧者；我耶和华必作他们的上帝……大卫必在他们中间作王。”（结34:23-24）此外别处亦有类似经文；他们却不知道，那里所谓“大卫”，乃指主。
171# 当今基督教会所信奉并引入其信仰的三位一体是，父神自永恒生下一个儿子，然后圣灵从这两者发出，每一个都独自为一位神。人类心智只能将这三位一体想象为三头政治，就像一个国家有三个国王，或三个将军率领一支军队，或一个家庭有三个主人，所有人都具有同等的权力。这只会导致毁灭。人若想在其心智视觉面前形成这三头政治的画面或草图，同时又保持他们的一体性，就只能把它想象为一个身体上有三个头，或一个头下有三个身体。三位一体必以这样一个畸形而可怕的形象显现给那些相信有三个神性位格，每一个都独自为神，并把他们联结成一位神，却否认神因是一，所以是一个位格的人。
神自永恒所生的儿子降临，并取得一个人身，这一点可与古人的神话传说相提并论，即：人类灵魂在世界之初被创造，并进入身体，成为男人和女人；它也像这种荒谬的观念：一个人的灵魂进入另一个人，如犹太教会中的许多人所信的那样；例如，以利亚的灵魂会进入施洗约翰的身体，大卫会回到他自己的身体或某个其他人的身体中，作以色列和犹大的王，因为以西结说：
我要为他们立一个牧人牧养他们，就是我的仆人大卫；他必作他们的牧人，我耶和华必作他们的神，大卫必在他们中间作首领。（以西结书34:23，24）
除此之外还有其它经文；但他们不知道，大卫在此是指主。
171. The Trinity that the modern-day Christian church has embraced and integrated into its faith is that God the Father bore a Son from eternity, and the Holy Spirit came forth from them both. Each one is a god all by himself.
The only way the human mind can grasp this trinity is to view it as a "triarchy," like a government of three monarchs in one country, three generals over one army, or three heads in one household, each of whom has equal power. What other outcome could such a situation have except destruction? Any of us who try to picture or sketch that triarchy in our mind's eye, with its unity in mind as well, can view it only as a person with three heads on one body or three bodies with one head. This deformed image of the Trinity is bound to show up in those who believe in three divine persons, each of whom is God in his own right - those who connect them into one God while denying that "one God" means one person.
The concept of an eternally begotten Son of God who later comes down and takes on a human manifestation is like the ancient nonsense about human souls created at the beginning of the world that enter bodies and become people. It is also like the absurd notion that someone's soul can cross over into someone else. Many in the Jewish church used to believe this. They thought that the soul of Elijah was in the body of John the Baptist and that David was going to return in his own body or someone else's to reign over Israel and Judah, because it says in Ezekiel, "I will raise up one shepherd over them, who will feed them - my servant David. He will be their shepherd. And I, Jehovah, will be their God and David will be a prince in their midst" (Ezekiel 34:23-25; there are other such references as well). They did not realize that "David" there means the Lord.
171. The idea of the Trinity which the present-day Christian church has embraced and introduced into its faith, is that God the Father fathered a Son from eternity, and the Holy Spirit then issued from both, each by Himself being God. There is no way this Trinity could be conceived by human minds except as a triad of rulers, like having three kings in one kingdom, or three generals in command of one army, or three masters in one house, each of whom has equal power. This can only lead to ruin. And if anyone wants to form a mental picture or sketch of this triad of rulers while preserving their oneness, he can only conceive of it as a man with three heads on one body, or with three bodies beneath a single head. Such is the monstrous image of the Trinity which will be seen by those who believe in three Divine persons, each of whom is by Himself God, and link them to form a single God, denying that being one makes God one person.
[2] The idea that a Son of God fathered from eternity came down and took upon Himself human form can be compared with the myths of the ancients, that human souls were created from the beginning of the world, and they enter into bodies and become men and women. It is also like the absurd idea that the soul of one person passes into another, as many of the Jewish religion have believed; for instance, that the soul of Elijah came back in the body of John the Baptist, and that David will return to his own or someone else's body, and reign over Israel and Judah, because Ezekiel says:
I will raise up over them a shepherd who shall feed them, my servant David. He shall be their shepherd, and I Jehovah will be their God, and David shall be prince in their midst, Ezekiel 34:23-24.
There are other such passages. But they do not know that David here means the Lord.
171. The trinity which the present Christian church has embraced and brought into its faith, is that God the Father begat a Son from eternity, and that the Holy Spirit then went forth from both, and that each one of Himself is a God. Human minds can conceive of this trinity only as a triarchy, like the government of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals over one army, or of three masters in one household, all possessing an equal power. From this what but destruction could ensue? Or if one wishes to figure or shadow forth this triarchy before his mind's sight, and at the same time the unity of its members, he can present it to contemplation only as a man with three heads on one body, or as three bodies under one head. In such a monstrous image must the trinity appear to those who believe that there are three Divine persons each by Himself God, and who join these into one God, but deny that God, because He is one, is therefore one person. That a Son of God begotten from eternity descended and assumed a Human may be compared to the fables of the ancients, that human souls created at the beginning of the world enter into bodies and become men; also to the absurd notion that the soul of one person passes into another, as many in the Jewish church believed; for example, that the soul of Elijah would pass into the body of John the Baptist, and that David would return into his own or into some other man's body, and rule over Israel and Judah, because it is said in Ezekiel:
I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; and he shall be their shepherd and I Jehovah will be to them as God, and David a prince among them (34:23, 24);
besides other passages; not knowing that the Lord is there meant by "David."
171. The trinity which the present Christian Church has accepted and introduced into its faith is, that God the Father beget a Son from eternity, that the Holy Spirit then came forth from both, and that each is God by Himself. This trinity can only be understood by human minds as a triarchy, and as the rule of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals over one army, or of three masters in one house, each of whom has equal power; which must result in destruction. Should any one desire to picture this triarchy, or represent it to his mental vision, and yet associate it with the idea of unity, he would be obliged to conceive it as a man with three heads on one body, or with three bodies under one head. Such a monstrous image of the Trinity will appear to those who believe there are three Divine Persons, each of whom by Himself is God; and who combine them into one God, and deny that God, because He is one, is one Person. The idea that a Son of God born from eternity, descended and assumed the Human may be ranked with the fables of the ancients, which relate that human souls were created at the beginning of the world, and that these enter human bodies and become men; and also with the absurd notion that the soul of one person passes into another, as many in the Jewish Church believed; for example, that the soul of Elijah had passed into the body of John the Baptist, and that David would return into his own body or that of some other man and reign over Israel and Judah, because it is said in Ezekiel: "I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even my servant David... he shall be their shepherd, And I JEHOVAH will be their God, and... David a prince among them" 34:23-24; and in other places, as they did not know that by David in these passages is meant the Lord.
171. Trinitas, quam Ecclesia Christiana hodierna amplexa est, et quam in fidem suam intulit, est quod Deus Pater genuerit Filium ab aeterno, et quod Spiritus sanctus ab utroque tunc exiverit, et quod quisque sit 1 Deus per se: haec Trinitas non aliter a mentibus humanis concipi potest, quam ut Triarchia, ac sicut Regimen trium Regum in uno Regno, aut trium Ducum super uno Exercitu, 2 aut trium Dominorum in una domo, quorum cuique sit aequalis potestas; quid inde nisi destructio: et si quis hanc Triarchiam vult figurare aut adumbrare coram visu mentis, et simul tunc illorum unitatem, non aliter potest illam suae contemplationi sistere, quam sicut hominem trium capitum super uno corpore, aut trium corporum sub uno capite; talis monstrosa 3 imago Trinitatis apparitura est coram illis, qui credunt tres Personas Divinas, et quamlibet Deum per se, et illas conjungunt in unum Deum, et negant quod Deus quia est unus sit una Persona.
[2] Quod Filius Dei ab aeterno genitus descenderit et assumserit 4 Humanum, comparari potest cum fabulis Veterum, quod Animae humanae ab initio Mundi creatae sint, et quod intrent in corpora et fiant homines; tum etiam absonis illis, quod unius anima transeat in alterum, sicut plures in Ecclesia Judaica crediderunt, ut quod anima Eliae in corpus Johannis Baptistae, et quod David rediturus sit in suum aut alterius corpus, et regnaturus super Israelem et Judam, quia dicitur apud Ezechielem, Excitabo super 5 illos Pastorem unum, qui pascet illos, servum meum Davidem, hic erit illis in Pastorem, et Ego Jehovah ero illis in Deum, et David princeps in medio eorum, 34:23-24, 6 praeter alibi; non scientes, quod per Davidem ibi intelligatur Dominus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: fit.
2. Prima editio: Excercitu.
3. Prima editio: monstrorsa.
4. Prima editio: assumferit.
5. Prima editio: fuper.
6. Prima editio: 23, 24, 25.