The heavens proclaim the glory of God20    Ps. xix. 1., and yet they are counted poor heralds of His worth; because His Majesty is exalted, not as far as the heavens, but high above those heavens, which are themselves included within a small fraction of the Deity called figuratively His “span21    Is. xl. 12. Τίς ἐμέtrjse…τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ..” And shall a man, this frail and short-lived creature, so aptly likened to “grass,” who “to-day is,” and to-morrow is not, believe that he can worthily honour the Divine Being? It would be like some one lighting a thin fibre from some tow and fancying that by that spark he was making an addition to the dazzling rays of the sun. By what words, pray, will you honour the Holy Spirit, supposing you do wish to honour Him at all? By saying that He is absolutely immortal, without turning, or variableness, always beautiful, always independent of ascription from others, working as He wills all things in all, Holy, leading, direct, just, of true utterance, “searching the deep things of God,” “proceeding from the Father,” “receiving22    λαμβανόμενον from the Son,” and all such-like things, what, after all, do you lend to Him by these and such-like terms? Do you mention what He has, or do you honour Him by what He has not? Well, if you attest what He has not, your ascription is meaningless and comes to nothing; for he who calls bitterness “sweetness,” while he lies himself, has failed to commend that which is blamable. Whereas, if you mention what He has, such and such a quality is essential, whether men recognize it or not; He remains the object of faith23    πιστὸς. 2 Tim. ii. 13., says the Apostle, if we have not faith.

Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μικροὶ κήρυκες τῆς ἀξίας νομίζονται: Ὅτι ἐπῄρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπεια αὐτοῦ, οὐ μέχρι τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν, τῶν μικρῷ μέρει τῆς θεότητος τῇ σπιθαμῇ τροπικῶς ὀνομαζομένῃ περιειλημμένων. καὶ ἄνθρωπος, τὸ ἐπίκηρον τοῦτο καὶ ὠκύμορον ζῷον, καλῶς τῷ χόρτῳ προσεικασμένος, σήμερον ὢν καὶ αὔριον οὐκ ἐσόμενος, ἀξίως τιμῆσαι τὴν θείαν φύσιν πεπίστευκεν; ὅμοιον ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐξάψας λεπτὴν ἶνα ἀπὸ στιππύου προσθήκην τινὰ ταῖς τοῦ ἡλίου μαρμαρυγαῖς διὰ τοῦ σπινθῆρος ὑπολαμβάνοι χαρίζεσθαι. τί λέγων εἰπέ μοι τιμήσεις, ἐάν περ ὅλως τιμῆσαι θελήσεις τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; ὅτι ἀθάνατόν ἐστι πάντως, ὅτι ἄτρεπτόν τε καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον καὶ ἀεὶ καλὸν καὶ ἀπροσδεὲς τῆς ἑτέρωθεν χάριτος, ὅτι πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐνεργεῖ καθὼς βούλεται, ἅγιον, ἡγεμονικόν, εὐθές, δίκαιον, ἀληθινόν, τὰ βάθη ἐρευνῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐκ πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον, ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ λαμβανόμενον, καὶ εἴ τι τοιοῦτον. τί οὖν διὰ τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων χαρίζῃ; τὰ προσόντα λέγεις ἢ διὰ τῶν μὴ προσόντων τιμᾷς; εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὰ μὴ προσόντα προσμαρτυρεῖς, ματαία ἡ χάρις καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν φέρουσα πλέον: ὁ γὰρ τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ λέγων, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐψεύσατο, τὸ δὲ ψεκτὸν οὐκ ἐπῄνεσεν. εἰ δὲ τὰ ὄντα λέγεις, τῇ φύσει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι πάντως καὶ ὁμολογοῦντος καὶ μή: φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὅτι Εἰ ἀπιστοῦμεν, ἐκεῖνος πιστὸς μένει.