6. After this, we make mention of heaven,
and earth, and sea Compare the noble
Eucharistic Preface in the Liturgy of St. James: “It is
verily meet, right, becoming, and our bounden duty to praise Thee, to
sing of Thee, to bless Thee, to worship Thee, to glorify Thee, to give
thanks to Thee the Maker of every creature, visible and invisible, the
Treasure of eternal blessings; the Fount of life and immortality, the
God and Lord of all, whom the heavens of heavens do praise, and all the
powers thereof, sun and moon and all the choir of the stars, earth,
sea, and all that in them is, Jerusalem the heavenly assembly, Church
of the firstborn that are written in the heavens, spirits of righteous
men and prophets, souls of martyrs and Apostles. Angels,
Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, and Powers
dread, also the many-eyed Cherubim, and the six-winged Seraphim, which
with twain of their wings cover their faces, and with twain their feet,
and with twain do fly, crying one to another with unresting lips, in
unceasing praises, singing with loud voice the triumphant hymn of Thy
majestic glory, shouting, and glorifying, and crying aloud, and
saying,—Holy, Holy, Holy, O Lord of Hosts, heaven and earth are
full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that
cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”; of sun and moon;
of stars and all the creation, rational and irrational, visible and
invisible; of Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Dominions, Principalities,
Powers, Thrones; of the Cherubim with many faces: in effect
repeating that call of David’s Magnify the Lord with
me Ps. xxxiv. 3.. We make
mention also of the Seraphim, whom Esaias in the Holy Spirit saw
standing around the throne of God, and with two of their wings veiling
their face, and with twain their feet, while with twain they did fly,
crying Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Sabaoth Is. vi. 2, 3.. For the reason of our reciting this
confession of God θεολογίαν,
“the doctrine of the Godhead,” either of the Son in
particular, or, as here, of the whole Trinity: cf. Athanas.
Contra Arianos, Or. i. § 18: νῦν ἐν
τρίαδι ἡ
θεολογία
τελεία
ἐστίν., delivered down to
us from the Seraphim, is this, that so we may be partakers with the
hosts of the world above in their Hymn of praise.