another high up, and a third sun lower down that bathes angels and peo-
ple and brings the heat, the light, and all the power of the first two suns
into human minds, hearts, and bodies and refines them the way fire
under a retort sharpens, clarifies, and sublimates substances. If this were
the reality, surely we would all be burned to ashes.
A governance in heaven by three divine persons would be like a gov-
ernment of three monarchs in one country. It would be like a leadership
of three equally powerful generals over one army. It would be much like
the Roman government before the times of the Caesars when there was a
consul, a senate, and a tribune for the common people. Power was
indeed divided between them, but the ultimate power was held by them
all together.
Anyone can see that it would be ridiculous, preposterous, and insane
to impose a government like that over heaven. Yet that kind of govern-
ment would be imposed if power like the supreme consul’s were given to
God the Father, power like the senate’s to the Son, and power like the tri-
bune’s to the Holy Spirit. This is what is involved in attributing to each
person a function of his own, especially if you add that these activities
cannot be shared.
2. Generally speaking, the divine actions and powerful effects meant by 142
the Holy Spirit are the acts of reforming and regenerating us. Depending on
the outcome of this reformation and regeneration, the divine actions and
powerful effects also include the acts of renewing us, bringing us to life, sancti-
fying us, and making us just; and depending on the outcome of these in turn,
the divine actions and powerful effects also include the acts of purifying us
from evils, forgiving our sins, and ultimately saving us.These are the power-
ful effects, one after the other, that the Lord has on people who believe in
him and who adapt and modify themselves in order to welcome him and
invite him to stay. Divine truth has these effects. Among Christians the
Word has these effects because the Word is the only means by which
Christians can go to the Lord and the Lord can come to them. As I said
before, the Lord is absolute divine truth; so is everything that emanates
from him. It is important to take this to mean the divine truth in connec-
tion with goodness,which is the same as faith in connection with goodwill;
faith is nothing but truth, and goodwill is nothing but goodness.
The divine truth in connection with goodness, that is, faith in con-
nection with goodwill, is the force that reforms and regenerates us; then
renews us, brings us to life, sanctifies us, and justifies us; and, depending
on our level of growth and forward movement, purifies us from evils.
(Being purified from our evils is the same as having our sins forgiven.)
§142 the holy spirit & divine action 205