Sect. 103The Perfect Immanence of the Divine Productions; the Substantiality of Their Products as Internal Expression of the Substantial Truth and Internal Effusion of the Substantial SanctityThe Perfect Immanence of the Divine Productions; the Substantiality of Their Products as Internal Expression of the Substantial Truth and Internal Effusion of the Substantial Sanctity

I. However necessary it may be to distinguish in God the expression of knowledge from knowledge itself, and the effusion of love from love itself, it is equally necessary not to separate or divide the expression from the knowledge or the effusion from the love. As we are dealing with productions in God which have their principle and their terminus in God Himself, expression and knowledge, effusion and love are not only intimately connected, but are identical, are one and the same thing. Hence the Divine Knowledge is not only in its inner word as the thought of man is in the external word (i.e. as in its sign), or as the idea of the artist is in his work (i.e. as in its representation): the Divine Knowledge lives and shines forth in its expression exactly as it does in itself, being so produced in its expression as to completely pass into it. In like manner, the Love of God is in its inner effusion not only as a force in its effects or as human love in an external pledge, but in such a way that it burns and flows in its effusion as it does in itself; the effusion being such as to completely contain the outpoured Love.

II. The identity just described constitutes the supreme perfection, the unique reality and absolute immanence of the Divine Word and Spiration of Love. The inner Word of God is more than a Word eminently full of life and wealth, and the Divine Spiration of Love is more than a Spiration full of life and holy delight: the Divine knowledge being not a reflex of truth but Substantial Truth, its expression, identical with itself, is also a Substantial Word, the substantial expression of the Absolute Truth, and is this Truth itself. And the life of the Divine Will being not a tendency to what is good, but Substantial Goodness and Holiness, its inner effusion, identical with itself, is also a Substantial Spiration and outflow of the Absolute Goodness and Holiness, and is this Holiness itself. In God, therefore, the Word of knowledge and the Spiration of love are not immanent in the same way as they are in the human mind (e.g. as accidents in their subjects), but in such a way as to be identical with the substance that produces them; they are not so much in the substance as they are the substance itself, and they also have the substance in themselves. Hence the only difference conceivable between the principle and the terminus of a production in God is that they each possess and represent the Absolute Truth and the Absolute Goodness in a different manner.

III. Hence the life and reality of the particular products can be further determined as follows:—

1. As essential and substantial Truth, the Life of the Divine Intellect is, on the one hand, identical with the Divine Nature as principle of knowledge—that is, with the Divine Intellect itself; on the other hand, it is identical with the formal object of the Divine Intellect, viz. the Divine Essence. Consequently the expression of the Divine knowledge must re-produce, not only the knowledge, but also the knowing intellect, and not only an ideal representation of the Divine Essence, but the Divine Essence itself. Hence the expression of the Divine knowledge is not a mere word—that is, a manifestation of the knowledge or some image of it—but a real and substantial image of nature and essence, containing not only a manifestation of, but the Divine Nature and Essence itself. And the internal speech of God is a real radiation of His own Nature and Essence, just as His external speech gives to created things their nature and essence.

2. As essential and substantial Goodness and Holiness, the life of the Divine Will, or Love, is, on the one hand, identical with the Divine Nature as principle of the Divine Will; on the other hand, with the goodness and holiness of the Divine Essence as the formal object of the Divine Will. Consequently the effusion of Divine Love must contain, not only the Love, but also the Will of God; and not only an affective union with the Supreme Goodness, but the Supreme Goodness itself. Hence the effusion of the Divine Love is not only an expression of the affection, not only an affective surrender to the object of love and liberality, but (a) a spiration, wherein the Divine heart pours out its own Life and its whole Essence; (b) a pledge of love, wherein the loving persons are united, not only symbolically, but really and in the most intimate manner, because their whole life and their whole goodness are really, truly, and essentially contained therein; and (c) a fruit of the Divine Liberality, containing, on the one hand, that Liberality itself—that is, the Divine Will and its life, and, on the other hand, the whole riches of the real goodness—that is, of the Essence and power of God; which therefore is the principle and the source of all other Divine gifts, the “Gift of all gifts,” in the same manner as God is the “Good of all goods.”