52. For my part, so long as I shall have the power
by means of this Spirit Whom Thou hast granted me, Holy Father,
Almighty God, I will confess Thee to be not only eternally God, but
also eternally Father. Nor will I ever break out into such folly
and impiety, as to make myself the judge of Thy omnipotence and Thy
mysteries, nor shall this weak understanding arrogantly seek for more
than that devout belief in Thy infinitude and faith in Thy eternity,
which have been taught me. I will not assert that Thou wast ever
without Thy Wisdom, and Thy Power, and Thy Word, without God
Only-begotten, my Lord Jesus Christ. The weak and imperfect
language, to which our nature is limited, does not dominate my thoughts
concerning Thee, so that my poverty of utterance should choke faith
into silence. For although we have a word and wisdom and power of
our own, the product of our free inward activity, yet Thine is the
absolute generation of perfect God, Who is Thy Word and Wisdom and
Power; so that He can never be separated from Thee, Who in these names
of Thy eternal properties is shewn to be born of Thee. Yet His
birth is only so far shewn as to make manifest the fact that Thou art
the Source of His being; yet sufficiently to confirm our belief in His
infinity, inasmuch as it is related that He was born before times
eternal.