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30. Now of all who can with us enjoy God, we love partly those to
whom we render services, partly those who render services to us,
partly those who both help us in our need and in turn are helped by us,
partly those upon whom we confer no advantage and from whom we look for
none. We ought to desire, however, that they should all join with us
in loving God, and all the assistance that we either, give them or
accept from them should tend to that one end. For in the theatres,
dens of iniquity though they be, if a man is fond of a particular
actor, and enjoys his art as a great or even as the very greatest
good, he is fond of all who join with him in admiration of his
favorite, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of him whom they
admire in common; and the more fervent he is in his admiration, the
more he works in every way he can to secure new admirers for him, and
the more anxious he becomes to show him to others; and if he find any
one comparatively indifferent, he does all he can to excite his
interest by urging his favorite's merits: if, however, he meet with
any one who opposes him, he is exceedingly displeased by such a man's
contempt of his favorite, and strives in every way he can to remove
it. Now, if this be so, what does it become us to do who live in the
fellowship of the love of God, the enjoyment of whom is true happiness
of life, to whom all who love Him owe both their own existence and the
love they bear Him, concerning whom we have no fear that any one who
comes to know Him will be disappointed in Him, and who desires our
love, not for any gain to Himself, but that those who love Him may
obtain an eternal reward, even Himself whom they love? And hence it
is that we love even our enemies. For we do not fear them, seeing
they cannot take away from us what we love; but we pity them rather,
because the more they hate us the more are they separated from Him whom
we love. For if they would turn to Him, they must of necessity love
Him as the supreme good, and love us too as partakers with them in so
great a blessing.
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