§24. His elaborate account of degrees and differences in ‘works’ and ‘energies’ within the Trinity is absurd.
Now let us see what he adds, as
the consequence of this. After saying that we must perforce regard the
Being as greater and less and that while the
ones, by virtue of a pre-eminent magnitude and value, occupy a leading
place, the others must be detruded to a lower place, because their
nature and their value is secondary, he adds this; “their
difference amounts to that existing between their works: it would in
fact be impious to say that the same energy produced the angels or the
stars, and the heavens or man; but one would positively maintain about
this, that in proportion as some works are older and more honourable
than others, so does one energy transcend another, because sameness of
energy produces sameness of work, and difference of work indicates
difference of energy.”