Mens humana adæquatam habet cognitionem æternæ et infinitæ essentiæ Dei.
The human mind has an adequate understanding of the eternal and infinite essence of God.
DEMONSTRATIO: Mens humana ideas habet (per propositionem 22 hujus) ex quibus (per propositionem 23 hujus) se suumque corpus (per propositionem 19 hujus) et (per corollarium I propositionis 16 et per propositionem 17 hujus) corpora externa ut actu existentia percipit adeoque (per propositiones 45 et 46 hujus) cognitionem æternæ et infinitæ essentiæ Dei habet adæquatam. Q.E.D.
The human mind has ideas (by IIP22) out of which (by IIP23) it perceives itself and its body (by IIP19) and (by IP16C and IIP17) external bodies as actually existing to such an extent (by IIP45 and 46) it has an adequate understanding of the eternal and infinite essence of God.
SCHOLIUM: Hinc videmus Dei infinitam essentiam ejusque æternitatem omnibus esse notam. Cum autem omnia in Deo sint et per Deum concipiantur, sequitur nos ex cognitione hac plurima posse deducere quæ adæquate cognoscamus atque adeo tertium illud cognitionis genus formare de quo diximus in scholio II propositionis 40 hujus partis et de cujus præstantia et utilitate in quinta parte erit nobis dicendi locus. Quod autem homines non æque claram Dei ac notionum communium habeant cognitionem, inde fit quod Deum imaginari nequeant ut corpora et quod nomen "Deus" junxerunt imaginibus rerum quas videre solent; quod homines vix vitare possunt quia continuo a corporibus externis afficiuntur. Et profecto plerique errores in hoc solo consistunt quod scilicet nomina rebus non recte applicamus. Cum enim aliquis ait lineas quæ ex centro circuli ad ejusdem circumferentiam ducuntur esse inæquales, ille sane aliud tum saltem per circulum intelligit quam mathematici. Sic cum homines in calculo errant, alios numeros in mente, alios in charta habent. Quare si ipsorum mentem spectes, non errant sane; videntur tamen errare quia ipsos in mente putamus habere numeros qui in charta sunt. Si hoc non esset, nihil eosdem errare crederemus; ut non credidi quendam errare quem nuper audivi clamantem suum atrium volasse in gallinam vicini quia scilicet ipsius mens satis perspecta mihi videbatur. Atque hinc pleræque oriuntur controversiæ nempe quia homines mentem suam non recte explicant vel quia alterius mentem male interpretantur. Nam revera dum sibi maxime contradicunt, vel eadem vel diversa cogitant ita ut quos in alio errores et absurda esse putant, non sint.
From here we see that the infinite essence of God and its eternity is known by everything. Since moreover everything is in God and conceived through God, it follows that we from this understanding are able to deduce more things which we know adequately and to such an extent form that third kind of knowledge about which we said in II40S2 and about its excellence and utility in the fifth part will be a place for us to discuss. Moreover, because people do not equally have a clear understanding of God and common notions, from there it happens that they deny that God is imagined as bodies and what name God they have joined by images of things which they are accustomed to see; because people are scarcely able to avoid since they are continually affected by external bodies. And assuredly they maintain the majority of errors in this alone because obviously we do not apply names to things correctly. For when someone says lines which lead from the center of a circle to its circumference are unequal, that person understands something then through the circle than mathematics. Thus, when people err in calculation, they have other numbers in mind, others on paper. Thus, if you look at the mind of them, they do not err clearly; nevertheless they seem to err because we think they have the numbers themselves in mind which are on the paper. If this is not so, we might believe nothing that the same err; so that I did not believe whomever erred that recently I heard shouting that his courtyard had flown into his neighbor's hen because of course the thought of it seemed clear enough to me. And from here many more controversies have arisen certainly because people do not explain their mind clearly or because one mind interpret another poorly. For actually as long as they contradict themselves greatly or think the same thing or different things so much that they think those who err in another are absurd, are not.
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