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6. Therefore neither is that trinity an image of God, which is not
now, nor is that other an image of God, which then will not be; but
we must find in the soul of man, i.e., the rational or intellectual
soul, that image of the Creator which is immortally implanted in its
immortality. For as the immortality itself of the soul is spoken with
a qualification; since the soul too has its proper death, when it
lacks a blessed life, which is to be called the true life of the soul;
but it is therefore called immortal, because it never ceases to live
with some life or other, even when it is most miserable; so, although
reason or intellect is at one time torpid in it, at another appears
small, and at another great, yet the human soul is never anything save
rational or intellectual; and hence, if it is made after the image of
God in respect to this, that it is able to use reason and intellect in
order to understand and behold God, then from the moment when that
nature so marvellous and so great began to be, whether this image be so
worn out as to be almost none at all, or whether it be obscure and
defaced, or bright and beautiful, certainly it always is. Further,
too, pitying the defaced condition of its dignity, divine Scripture
tells us, that "although man walks in an image, yet he disquieteth
himself in vain; he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall
gather them." It would not therefore attribute vanity to the image of
God, unless it perceived it to have been defaced. Yet it
sufficiently shows that such defacing does not extend to the taking away
its being an image, by saying, "Although man walks in an image."
Wherefore in both ways that sentence can be truly enunciated; in
that, as it is said, "Although man walketh in an image, yet he
disquieteth himself in vain," so it may be said, "Although man
disquieteth himself in vain, yet he walketh in an image." For
although the nature of the soul is great, yet it can be corrupted,
because it is not the highest; and although it can be corrupted,
because it is not the highest, yet because it is capable and can be
partaker of the highest nature, it is a great nature. Let us seek,
then, in this image of God a certain trinity of a special kind, with
the aid of Him who Himself made us after His own image. For no
otherwise can we healthfully investigate this subject, or arrive at any
result according to the wisdom which is from Him. But if the reader
will either hold in remembrance and recollect what we have said of the
human soul or mind in former books, and especially in the tenth, or
will carefully re-peruse it in the passages wherein it is contained,
he will not require here any more lengthy discourse respecting the
inquiry into so great a thing.
7. We said, then, among other things in the tenth book, that the
mind of man knows itself. For the mind knows nothing so much as that
which is close to itself; and nothing is more close to the mind than
itself. We adduced also other evidences, as much as seemed
sufficient, whereby this might be most certainly proved.
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