184.三神的三一牢牢固定在基督徒的心里，尽管他们羞于否认。这从他们通过各种事物来说明的独创性明显看出来。如他们不仅以平面和立体几何、算术、物理，还通过折布或纸来说明：三就是一，一就是三。他们就这样玩耍圣三一，就像变戏法的彼此玩耍一样。他们在这个问题上的胡思乱想与那些发高烧的所产生的幻觉有一拼。这些人会把一个物体（无论是人，桌子还是蜡烛）看成三个，或三个看成一个。其胡思乱想还好比那些用手指捏软蜡，把它塑成各种形状之人的把戏，他们时而把它捏成三角形以展示三位一体，时而又捏成球形以展示一体，同时还问：“这个物质岂不是那同一个？”然而，圣三一就像一颗重价的珍珠（马太福音13:46），但一旦被分裂成三个位格，就好比这颗珍珠被一分为三，从而明显被完全摧毁。
184. 事實上, 基督徒的思想確實被三位上帝的三體一體所困擾, 只是因為害羞而否決。這點可從他們費盡心機地用各樣例子來證明三是一,一是三。他們利用各樣的現象, 平面幾何的,立體幾何的,算術的,物理的等等, 就像折疊衣物或折紙那樣。
因此, 他們使聖三一成了遊戲主題, 就像喜劇演員輪番登場。他們的鬧劇就像發高燒病患看東西:看到一個單獨之物, 不管是人,是桌子還是蠟燭, 都當作是樹; 又或把三個東西看成一個。還像一個捏軟蠟的遊戲, 玩家把軟蠟在手指間搓捏, 捏成各種形狀。一時捏個三角形, 說是代表三; 一時把三角形揉成一個圓球, 說代表一。還說:"它不是一個,且同樣的本質嗎？"
然後, 聖三一就像一顆無價的珍珠(馬太福音13:46)。將聖三一分割為三位, 就像把把這顆珍珠分為三部分, 就完全摧毀這顆珍珠了。
184. You can clearly tell that a trinity of gods dwells in the minds of Christians - although out of shame they would never say so - by the way many of them ingeniously demonstrate that three are one and one is three. They use various phenomena in plane geometry, solid geometry, arithmetic, and physics, as well as folding pieces of clothing and pieces of paper. Like a bunch of clowns, they horse around with the divine Trinity.
Their clowning is like people's eyesight when they have a fever: they see one object, be it a person, a table, or a candle, as three objects, or three objects as one. It is like the trick people play by softening wax in their fingers and pressing it into different shapes. First they make a three-sided shape to show the trinity; then they make a ball to show the unity, and they say, "Isn't the substance one and the same?"
Truly, though, the divine Trinity is like the pearl of great price [Matthew 13:46]. Dividing the Trinity into persons is like cutting a pearl into three parts: it completely destroys the pearl.
184. The fact that the minds of Christians are obsessed with the idea of a Trinity of Gods, for all that shame makes them deny it, is perfectly clear from the ingenuity many of them display in proving that three are one and one is three. They use various devices in geometry, solids, arithmetic and physics for the purpose, as well as folds in garments and sheets of paper. So they make the Divine Trinity a subject for games, like scenes between comic actors. This farce can be likened to the vision of patients in fevers, who see a single object, whether it be a person, a table or a candle, as three, or see three objects as one. It can also be likened to the game in which the players knead soft wax between their fingers, and pinch it into various shapes, now making it triangular to represent the Trinity, now into a ball to show it is all one, saying, 'Is it not still one and the same substance?' Yet the Divine Trinity is like a pearl 1 of great price; but divided into persons it is like a pearl cut into three, which is obviously completely ruined.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word for 'pearl' is here unio, which also means 'union'.
184. That a trinity of Gods is fixed in the minds of Christians, although from shame they deny it, is very evident from the ingenuity of many of them in demonstrating by means of various things in plain and solid geometry, in arithmetic, and in physics, and also by foldings of cloth and paper, that the three are one and the one is three. Thus they play with the divine trinity as jugglers play with each other. Their juggling on this subject may be compared to the visions of those suffering from fever, who see one object (whether a man, or a table or a candle) as three, or three as one. It may also be compared to the tricks of those who work soft wax with their fingers and mould it into various shapes, now making it triangular to exhibit the trinity, and again spherical to exhibit the unity, meanwhile asking, "Is not the substance still one and the same?" And yet the Divine trinity is like the one pearl of great value, but when divided into persons it is like that pearl divided into three parts, whereby it is utterly and manifestly ruined.
184. That a trinity of gods occupies the minds of Christians, although they deny it for very shame, is plainly evident from the ingenuity displayed by many in proving that three are one and one three by geometry, stereometry, arithmetic and physics, and even by folding pieces of cloth and paper: thus they make play with the Divine Trinity, like conjurers taking part in a conjuring performance. Such conjuring may be likened to the vision of those in a fever who see one object, as a man, a table, or a candle, as three, or three as one. It may also be compared to the amusing performance of those who work soft wax with their fingers, and mold it into various forms, now into a triangle to illustrate the Trinity, and now into a ball to illustrate the Unity, asserting that it is still one and the same substance. Nevertheless the Divine Trinity is like the pearl of great price; but when it is divided into Persons, it is like a pearl divided into three parts, 1 which is thereby completely and irretrievably ruined.
Footnotes:
1. Trinitas Divine, est sicut Unio maximi pretii, at... est sicut unio. Here Unio with initial capital = the pearl, but unio with small initial = a pearl.
184. Quod Trinitas Deorum insideat Christianorum Mentibus, tametsi ex pudore contradicunt, constat clare ex ingeniositate plurium demonstrandi, quod tria sint unum ac unum tria, per varia in Geometricis, Stereometricis, Arithmeticis, et Physicis, et quoque per plicaturas vestium et chartarum; ita cum Trinitate Divina ludunt sicut harioli inter se. Horum hariolatio de illa comparari potest visui oculi febricitantium, qui unum objectum, sive sit homo, sive mensa, sive candela, vident ut tria, aut tria ut unum. Comparari etiam potest cum ludibrio illorum, qui ceram mollem versant inter digitos, et compingunt illam in varias formas, nunc in triangularem ut ostendant Trinitatem, nunc in sphaericam ut ostendant unitatem, dicentes estne usque substantia una et eadem. Cum tamen Trinitas Divina, est sicut Unio maximi pretii, at illa divisa in Personas, est sicut unio divisa in tres partes, ex quo illa prorsus 1 et plane perit.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: porsus.