For notice the amount of absurdity involved in the other alternative; all things that we can think of in the actual creation have, by virtue of all having received their existence by an act of creation, a rank and value perfectly equal in all cases, and so what reason can there be for separating the Holy Spirit from the rest of the creation, and ranking Him with the Father and the Son? Logic, then, will discover this about Him; That which is contemplated as part of the Uncreated, does not exist by creation; or, if It does, then It has no more power than its kindred creation, It cannot associate itself with that Transcendent Nature; if, on the other hand, they declare that He is a created being, and at the same time has a power which is above the creation, then the creation will be found at variance with itself, divided into ruler and ruled, so that part of it is the benefactor, part the benefited, part the sanctifier, part the sanctified; and all that fund of blessings which we believe to be provided for the creation by the Holy Spirit are present in Him, welling up abundantly, and pouring forth upon others, while the creation remains in need of the thence-issuing help and grace, and receives, as a mere dole, those blessings which can be passed to it from a fellow-creature! That would be like favouritism and respecting of persons; when we know that there is no such partiality in the nature of things, as that those existences which differ in no way from each other on the score of substance should not have equal power; and I think that no one who reflects will admit such views. Either He imparts nothing to others, if He possesses nothing essentially; or, if we do believe that He does give, His possession beforehand of that gift must be granted; this capacity of giving blessings, whilst needing oneself no such extraneous help, is the peculiar and exquisite privilege of Deity, and of no other.

Καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνο ὅσην ἔχει τὴν ἀτοπίαν σκοπήσωμεν. πάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει νοουμένων κατ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο, τὸ διὰ κτίσεως ἐσχηκέναι τὸ εἶναι, τὴν ὁμοτιμίαν ἐχόντων, τίς ἡ αἰτία ἡ τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποκρίνουσα εἰς τὸ [τῷ] πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ συνταχθῆναι; εὑρίσκεται γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τοῦ λόγου οὐκ ὂν ἐκ τῆς κτίσεως τὸ τῇ ἀκτίστῳ συνθεωρούμενον φύσει: ἢ εἰ ἐντεῦθεν εἴη, μηδὲν πλέον τῆς ὁμοφύλου ἰσχύειν κτίσεως μηδὲ δύνασθαι τῇ ὑπερκειμένῃ συναρμόζεσθαι φύσει. εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν καὶ κτιστὸν εἶναι καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν κτίσιν δύνασθαι, πάλιν εὑρίσκεται αὐτὴ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡ κτιστὴ στασιάζουσα φύσις καὶ μεριζομένη πρὸς τὸ κρατοῦν τε καὶ ὑποχείριον ὡς τὸ μὲν εὐεργετεῖν, τὸ δὲ εὐεργετεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ μὲν ἁγιάζειν, τὸ δὲ ἁγιάζεσθαι: καὶ πάντα ὅσα παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος χορηγεῖσθαι τῇ κτίσει πεπίστευται, ἐκείνῳ μὲν παρεῖναι πλουσίως πηγάζοντα καὶ εἰς ἄλλους ὑπερχεόμενα, τὴν δὲ κτίσιν ἐπιδεᾶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀναδιδομένης εὐεργεσίας καὶ χάριτος καθεστάναι καὶ ἐκ μετουσίας δέχεσθαι τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν κοινωνίαν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὁμογενοῦς προχεομένων. ἀποκληρώσει γὰρ ὅμοιον καὶ προσωποληψίᾳ τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστι μηδεμιᾶς ἐν τῇ φύσει προτιμήσεως οὔσης μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ δύνασθαι τὰ κατ' οὐδὲν ἀλλήλων ἐν τῷ εἶναι τὴν διαφορὰν ἔχοντα. ἅπερ οὐδένα οἶμαι τῶν εὖ φρονούντων συνομολογεῖν: ἢ γὰρ οὐ παρέχει τοῖς ἄλλοις, εἴπερ οὐ φυσικῶς ἔχει, ἢ εἴπερ διδόναι πεπίστευται, τὸ ἔχειν πάντως προωμολόγηται. τοῦτο δὲ μόνης τῆς θείας φύσεως ἴδιόν ἐστι καὶ ἐξαίρετον τὸ παρεκτικὸν ἀγαθῶν εἶναι, αὐτὸ δὲ μηδενὸς ἐπεισάκτου προσδέεσθαι.