478 THE OCTAVIUS OF
of so greatan empire could not receivetwo rulers. Look at
othermatters.The beeshave one king ; the flocksone leader;
among the herdsthereisone ruler. Canst thou believethat
in heaven thereisa divisionof the supreme power, and that
thewhole authorityof thattrueand divineempireissundered,
when it ismanifest thatGod, the Parent of all,has neither
beginningnor end— thatHe who givesbirthto allgivesper
petuityto Himself— that He who was beforethe world,was
Himself to Himself insteadof the world? He ordersevery
thing,whatever itis,by a word ; arrangesitby His wisdom ;
perfectsit by His power. He can neitherbe seen— He is
brighterthan light; nor can be grasped— He is purer than
touch;1 nor estimated;He is greaterthan allperceptions;
infinite,immense, and how greatisknown to Himself alone.
But our heartistoolimitedtounderstandHim, and therefore
we are then worthilyestimatingHim when we say that He is
beyond estimation.I willspeak out in what manner I feel.
He who thinks that he knows the magnitude of God, is
diminishingit; he who desiresnot to lessenit,knows itnot.
Neither must you ask a name for God. God is His name.
We have need of names when a multitudeisto be separated
into individualsby the specialcharacteristicsof names ; to
God, who is alone,the name God is the whole. If I were
to callHim Father,you would judge Him to be earthly: if
a King, you would suspectHim to be carnal; if a Lord,
you will certainlyunderstand Him to be mortal. Take
away the additionsof names, and you willbehold His glory.
What ! isitnot truethat I have in thismatterthe consent
of allmen ? I hear the common people,when they lifttheir
hands to heaven, say nothing elsebut Oh God, and God is
great,and God istrue,and if God shallpermit. Is thisthe
naturaldiscourseof the common people,or isit the prayer
of a confessingChristian? And they who speak of Jupiter
as the chief,are mistaken in the name indeed,but they are
in agreement about the unityof the power.
1Thesewordsareomittedby someeditors.