THE CONFIRMATION OF A TRINITY OF PERSONS FROM ETERNITY, OF WHICH EACH IS GOD, ACCORDING TO THE NICENE AND ATHANASIAN CREEDS, HAS FALSIFIED THE WHOLE WORD.

1. Every heretic can confirm and does confirm his heresy by the Word, since this is written by appearances and correspondences, wherefore the Word is called by some the book of all heresies. 2. After confirmation a man sees no otherwise than that his dogmas are true, although they are false. 3. A plurality of Gods may be confirmed by many things from the Word; also the imputative faith of Christ's merit, in which three Gods severally have their part; as likewise that the works of charity contribute nothing to faith, and thus to salvation. 4. A plurality of Gods may be confirmed from these things: A Trinity is mentioned by the Lord; there appeared to be a Trinity when the Lord was baptized. There are "three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit." Jehovah God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness." Three angels appeared to Abraham who are called Jehovah. In the New Word, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are often named by the Lord in the Evangelists, and by the Apostles in the Epistles, and yet it is not there said that they are one. Likewise [there is a] faith imputative of Christ's merit, and this faith alone is saving; and that the works of charity do not conduce to salvation; to which may be added, that a mind prone to ratiocination may add to them creeds of its own and establish them. 5. Each and all these cannot be seen to be false, and thus cannot be dissipated, unless reason enlightened by the Lord shall confirm by means of the Word that God is one, and that there is a conjunction of charity and faith. 6. When this is done, it may appear clearly that a theology founded upon a Trinity of Persons, of which each one is God, and upon a faith directed to each separately, and also upon charity as of no avail to salvation, has falsified the entire Word; mainly because these three, God, charity, and faith, are together the universals of religion, to which all and each thing of the Word, and thence of heaven and the Church, relate. 7. Hence results this enormity, that the confirmer, wherever he reads of the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, yea, wherever he reads Jehovah and God, thinks of three Gods, because of one from three; also wherever he reads faith, he thinks of no other faith than what is imputative of Christ's merit; and wherever he reads charity, he thinks of it as not contributing anything to salvation, or thinks of that faith instead of it. Confirmation once fixed brings this with it.