But if all must shrink from that, as going even beyond the most revolting blasphemy, then a devout mind must accept the nobler names and conceptions of the Holy Spirit, and must pronounce concerning Him all that we have already named, that He has honour, power, glory, goodness, and everything else that inspires devotion. It must own, too, that these realities do not attach to Him in imperfection or with any limit to the quality of their brilliance, but that they correspond with their names to infinity. He is not to be regarded as possessing dignity up to a certain point, and then becoming different; but He is always such. If you begin to count behind the ages, or if you fix your gaze on the Hereafter15    Reading τὸ ἐφεξῆς., you will find no falling off whatever in dignity, or glory, or omnipotence, such as to constitute Him capable of increase by addition, or of diminution by subtraction. Being wholly and entirely perfect, He admits diminution in nothing. Whereinsoever, on such a supposition as theirs, He is lessened, therein He will be exposed to the inroad of ideas tending to dishonour Him. For that which is not absolutely perfect must be suspected on some one point of partaking of the opposite character. But if to entertain even the thought of this is a sign of extreme derangement of mind, it is well to confess our belief that His perfection in all that is good is altogether unlimited, uncircumscribed, in no particular diminished.

εἰ δὲ φρικτὸν τοῦτο καὶ πάσης ἀτοπίας καὶ βλασφημίας ἐπέκεινα, πρόδηλον ὅτι τοῖς εὐσημοτέροις ὀνόμασί τε καὶ νοήμασι περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος οἱ εὐσεβοῦντες συνθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν εἶναι ταῦτα, ἃ δὴ πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, τίμιον, δυνατόν, ἔνδοξον, ἀγαθὸν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῶν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν συντεινόντων λέγεται. ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἀτελῶς προσεῖναι τῷ πνεύματι οὐδὲ περιωρισμένην ἔχοντα τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν ποσότητα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ ἄπειρον ταῖς κλήσεσι συμβαίνοντα: οὐ γὰρ μέχρι τινὸς τίμιον, εἶτα ἄλλο τι νοεῖται παρὰ τὸ τίμιον, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοιοῦτον. καὶ εἰ κατόπιν τῶν αἰώνων λογίζοιο καὶ εἰ πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἀποβλέποις, ἐν οὐδενὶ τὸ λεῖπον εἰς τιμὴν ἢ δόξαν ἢ δύναμιν ἐξευρήσεις ὡς ἢ κατὰ προσθήκην αὔξεσθαι ἢ ἐλαττοῦσθαι δι' ὑφαιρέσεως. οὐκοῦν εἰ ὅλον δι' ὅλου τέλειον, ἐν οὐδενὶ δέχεται τὴν ἐλάττωσιν. καθ' ὃ γὰρ ἂν μειωθῇ περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόνοιαν ἡ τελειότης, κατ' ἐκεῖνο δώσει χώραν ταῖς ἀτιμοτέραις τῶν ὑπολήψεων: τὸ γὰρ μὴ τελείως τίμιον, μέρει τινὶ τοῦ ἐναντίου μετέχειν ὑπονοεῖται. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ μέχρις ἐννοίας λαβεῖν τῆς ἐσχάτης παραπληξίας ἐστί, καλῶς ἔχει πάντως ἀόριστον αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν μέρος ἠλαττωμένην προσμαρτυρεῖν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τελειότητα.