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7. And whence and in what manner was this, unless from Thee, from
whom are all things, in so far as they are? But by how much the
farther from Thee, so much the more unlike unto Thee; for it is not
distance of place. Thou, therefore, O Lord, who art not one thing
in one place, and otherwise in another, but the Self-same, and the
Self-same, and the Self-same? Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God-
Almighty, didst in the beginning, which is of Thee, in Thy
Wisdom, which was born of Thy Substance, create something, and
that out of nothing. For Thou didst create heaven and earth, not out
of Thyself, for then they would be equal to Thine Only-begotten,
and thereby even to Thee. and in no wise would it be right that
anything should be equal to Thee which was not of Thee. And aught
else except Thee there was not whence Thou mightest create these
things, O God, One Trinity, and Trine Unity; and, therefore,
out of nothing didst Thou create heaven and earth, a great thing
and a small,because Thou art Almighty and Good, to make all things
good, even the great heaven and the I small earth. Thou wast, and
there was nought else from which Thou didst create heaven and earth;
two such things, one near unto Thee, the other near to
nothing,6 one to which Thou shouldest be superior, the other to
which nothing should be inferior.
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