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6. For I was so struggling to find out the rest, as having already
found that what was incorruptible must be better than the corruptible;
and Thee, therefore, whatsoever Thou wert, did I acknowledge to be
incorruptible. For never yet was, nor will be, a soul able to
conceive of anything better than Thou, who art the highest and best
good. But whereas most truly and certainly that which is incorruptible
is to be preferred to the corruptible (like as I myself did now prefer
it), then, if Thou were not incorruptible, I could in my thoughts
have reached unto something better than my God. Where, then, I saw
that the incorruptible was to be preferred to the corruptible, there
ought I to seek Thee, and there observe "whence evil itself was,"
that is, whence comes the corruption by which Thy substance can by no
means be profaned. For corruption, truly, in no way injures our
God, by no will, by no necessity, by no unforeseen chance,
because He is God, and what He wills is good, and Himself is
that good; but to be corrupted is not good. Nor art Thou compelled
to do anything against Thy will in that Thy will is not greater than
Thy power. But greater should it be wert Thou Thyself greater than
Thyself; for the will and power of God is God Himself. And what
can be unforeseen by Thee, who knowest all things? Nor is there any
sort of nature but Thou knowest it. And what more should we say "why
that substance which God is should not be corruptible," seeing that
if it were so it could not be God?
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