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Since, therefore, the Father alone, or the Son alone, or the
Holy Spirit alone, is as great as is the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit together, in no manner is He to be called threefold.
Forasmuch as bodies increase by union of themselves. For although he
who cleaves to his wife is one body; yet it is a greater body than if
it were that of the husband alone, or of the wife alone. But in
spiritual things, when the less adheres to the greater, as the
creature to the Creators the former becomes greater than it was, not
the latter. For in those things which are not great by bulk, to be
greater is to be better. And the spirit of any creature becomes
better, when it cleaves to the Creator, than if it did not so
cleave; and therefore also greater because better. "He," then,
that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit:" but yet the Lord does
not therefore become greater, although he who is joined to the Lord
does so. In God Himself, therefore when the equal Son, or the
Holy Spirit equal to the Father and the Son, is joined to the equal
Father, God does not become greater than each of them severally;
because that perfectness cannot increase. But whether t be the
Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit He is perfect, and God
the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit is perfect; and therefore
He is a Trinity rather than triple.
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