THE DIVINE INSTITUTES. [BOOK I.

self within his own prescribed portion.1 In the same manner, if there are more gods than one, they will have less significance, as others would possess the same power. The nature of excellence, however, admits of greater perfection in a being who contains the whole than in one who possesses only a small part. But God, if He is as perfect as He ought to be, must be one, so that all things may exist within Him. Therefore, the excellences and powers of these supposed gods must necessarily be weaker, because each would lack whatever the others possess; the more gods there are, the less powerful each one becomes.

Why should I mention that this highest power and divine energy is entirely incapable of division? Whatever is capable of division must of necessity be liable to destruction. But since destruction is far removed from God—for He is incorruptible and eternal—it follows that the divine power is indivisible. Therefore, God is one; if that which admits of such great power exists, it can be nothing else. Yet, those who believe in many gods claim that they have divided their functions among themselves. We will discuss these matters in their proper places, but for now, I affirm this: if they have divided their functions, the matter comes back to the same point—no one of them is capable of supplying the place of all. He cannot be perfect if he is unable to govern all things while the others are idle. Thus, it follows that the government of the universe requires the perfect excellence of one rather than the imperfect powers of many.

Anyone who imagines that so great a magnitude cannot be governed by one being is deceived. He does not comprehend the might and power of the divine majesty if he thinks that the one God, who had the power to create the universe, is unable to govern what He has created. If he considers the immensity of that divine work—that it was once nothing, and yet was made out of nothing by the power and wisdom of God (a work that could only be commenced and accomplished by one)—he will understand that what was established by one is much more easily governed by one.

Some may perhaps say that so immense a work as the universe could not have been fabricated except by many. However, whatever magnitude, power, excellence, and majesty one might attribute to many gods, I assign all of it to one, and say that it exists in Him. There is in Him such an amount of these properties that it can neither be conceived nor expressed. Since we fail in this subject, both in perception and in words—for the human mind cannot admit the light of such understanding, nor is the mortal tongue capable of explaining such great subjects—it is right that we should understand and say this same thing.

I see what can be alleged on the other hand: that those many gods are such as we hold the one God to be. But this cannot be, because the power of these gods individually could not proceed further, as the power of the others would meet and hinder them. Each would either be unable to pass beyond his own limits, or, if he did, he would drive another from his boundaries. Those who believe in many gods do not see that some might oppose the wishes of others, leading to dispute and contention—just as Homer represented the gods at war, with some desiring that Troy should be taken and others opposing it. The universe, therefore, must be ruled by the will of one. Unless the power over the separate parts is referred to one and the same providence, the whole cannot exist, since each part would care for nothing beyond its own specific domain—just as warfare could not be carried out without one general and commander. If an army had as many generals as it had legions, cohorts, divisions,2 and squadrons, it would not be possible for the army to be formed in battle array, since each would refuse the risk; nor could it be easily controlled, because all would use their own separate counsels, the diversity of which would inflict more injury than advantage. So, in this government of the affairs of nature, unless there is one to whom the care of the whole is referred, all things will be dissolved and fall to decay.

To say that the universe is governed by the will of many is equivalent to declaring that there are many minds in one body. We see that there are many various offices of the members of our bodies, so that one might falsely suppose separate minds govern separate senses. Likewise, there are many affections, such as anger, desire, joy, fear, or pity, and one might imagine that as many minds operate within these affections. If anyone were to say this, he would appear to be devoid of that very mind which is one.

1: A hint to Caesar himself, the force of which began soon after very sorely to be felt in the empire.
2: Cunei; properly, soldiers arranged in the shape of a wedge.