Chapter 6.—How God is a
Substance Both Simple and Manifold.
8. But if it is asked how that
substance is both simple and manifold: consider, first, why the
creature is manifold, but in no way really simple. And first, all
that is body is composed certainly of parts; so that therein one
part is greater, another less, and the whole is greater than any
part whatever or how great soever. For the heaven and the earth are
parts of the whole bulk of the world; and the earth alone, and the
heaven alone, is composed of innumerable parts; and its third part
is less than the remainder, and the half of it is less than the
whole; and the whole body of the world, which is usually
called
by its two parts,
viz
. the heaven and the earth, is
certainly greater than the heaven alone or the earth alone. And in
each several body, size is one thing, color another, shape another;
for the same color and the same shape may remain with diminished
size; and the same shape and the same size may remain with the
color changed; and the same shape not remaining, yet the thing may
be just as great, and of the same color. And whatever other things
are predicated together of body can be changed either all together,
or the larger part of them without the rest. And hence the nature
of body is conclusively proved to be manifold, and in no respect
simple. The spiritual creature also, that is, the soul, is indeed
the more simple of the two if compared with the body; but if we
omit the comparison with the body, it is manifold, and itself also
not simple. For it is on this account more simple than the body,
because it is not diffused in bulk through extension of place, but
in each body, it is both whole in the whole, and whole in each
several part of it; and, therefore, when anything takes place in
any small particle whatever of the body, such as the soul can feel,
although it does not take place in the whole body, yet the whole
soul feels it, since the whole soul is not unconscious of it. But,
nevertheless, since in the soul also it is one thing to be
skillful, another to be indolent, another to be intelligent,
another to be of retentive memory; since cupidity is one thing,
fear another, joy another, sadness another; and since things
innumerable, and in innumerable ways, are to be found in the nature
of the soul, some without others, and some more, some less; it is
manifest that its nature is not simple, but manifold. For nothing
simple is changeable, but every creature is changeable.