Chapter V.
On the unity of the divine nature in the multiformity of apparitions.
Second, concerning the plurality of apparitions, divine doctrine teaches that this is to be held: that although God is uncircumscribable, invisible, and immutable, nevertheless he specially dwells in holy men, appeared to the Patriarchs and Prophets, descended from heaven, and also sent the Son and the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the human race.
And although in God the nature, power, and operation of the Trinity are undivided, nevertheless the mission or apparition of one person is not the mission or apparition of another. Although there is also supreme equality there, nevertheless it belongs to the Father alone to send and not to be sent; to the Holy Spirit it belongs only to be sent with respect to the divine persons, unless perhaps he may be said to send the assumed man; but to the Son it belongs to send and to be sent, as can be gathered from the Scriptures.
The understanding and reason of the aforesaid is this: because, although the first principle is immense and uncircumscribable, is incorporeal and invisible, is eternal and immutable, it is nevertheless the principle of spiritual and corporeal things, of natural and gratuitous things, and thereby also of mutable, sensible, and circumscribed things, through which, although he himself is immutable, insensible, and uncircumscribable, he renders himself manifest and known. He renders himself manifest and known generally through the universality of his effects emanating from him, in which he is said to be by essence, power, and presence, which extends to all created things.
He also renders himself specially known through certain effects which lead specially to him, by reason of which he is said to dwell, to appear, to descend, to be sent, and to send.
For to dwell denotes a spiritual effect with acceptance, such as the effect of sanctifying grace, which is deiform and leads back to God and makes us possess God, and God be possessed by us, and thereby also to dwell in us. And because the effect of grace is common to all persons, therefore one person does not indwell without another; rather, the whole Trinity dwells simultaneously.
But to appear denotes a sensible effect with express signification, as the Holy Spirit appeared in a dove. And since, just as the divine persons are distinct, so they can be distinctly signified both by signs and by names, therefore any person can appear by itself, and apparition can belong to all, whether together or to any one by itself. Whence that the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared in tongues of fire and in a dove, this is not on account of a new bond or a special effect, but on account of the union which exists between the thing signified and the sign specially and by manner and origin assigned to it.
To descend, however, denotes either of the aforesaid effects together with inception. For God is always present to the most blessed Angels in the heavens, because He always inhabits and appears in them. But to sinners on earth He is, as it were, absent, both as regards grace and as regards knowledge; and therefore, when He begins to appear or to inhabit, from being present in the heavens and as it were absent from us, He becomes present on earth; and therefore, although He is not changed in Himself, He is nevertheless said to descend with respect to us.
To be sent, however, denotes the aforesaid effects together with eternal production. For the Father sends the Son when, by making Him present to us through knowledge or grace, He indicates that He proceeds from Him. And because the Father proceeds from no one, He is nowhere said to be sent. But because the Son both produces and is produced, He both sends and is sent. But because the Holy Spirit is eternally produced, yet does not produce except temporally, it properly belongs to Him to be sent, while to send does not belong to Him except with respect to a creature.
From this it is clear that the following statements are improper and require explanation: "The Holy Spirit sends Himself"; "The Holy Spirit sends the Son"; "The Son sends Himself" — unless it be understood in the sense that He was born of the Virgin.
It is also clear why to send and to be sent do not belong to all Persons: because, although it denotes an effect in a creature, it nevertheless denotes an intrinsic relation, such that to send denotes authority, and to be sent denotes subauthority, by reason of the eternal production implied within.