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And by this it is clearly shown that God's "judgments are inscrutable
and His ways past finding out," by which He draws mankind to salvation.
And this too we can prove by the instances of calls in the gospels. For He
chose Andrew and Peter and the rest of the apostles by the free compassion
of His grace when they were thinking nothing of their healing and
salvation. Zacchaeus, when in his faithfulness he was struggling to see the
Lord, and making up for his littleness of stature by the height of the
sycamore tree, He not only received, but actually honoured by the blessing
of His dwelling with him. Paul even against his will and resisting He drew
to Him. Another He charged to cleave to Him so closely that when he asked
for the shortest possible delay in order to bury his father He did not
grant it. To Cornelius when constantly attending to prayers and alms the
way of salvation was shown by way of recompense, and by the visitation of
an angel he was bidden to summon Peter, and learn from him the words of
salvation, whereby he might be saved with all his. And so the manifold
wisdom of God grants with manifold and inscrutable kindness salvation to
men; and imparts to each one according to his capacity the grace of His
bounty, so that He wills to grant His healing not according to the uniform
power of His Majesty but according to the measure of the faith in which He
finds each one, or as He Himself has imparted it to each one. For when one
believed that for the cure of his leprosy the will of Christ alone was
sufficient He healed him by the simple consent of His will, saying: "I
will, be thou clean." When another prayed that He would come and raise
his dead daughter by laying His hands on her, He entered his house as he
had hoped, and granted what was asked of Him. When another believed that
what was essential for his salvation depended on His command, and answered:
"Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed," He restored to
their former strength the limbs that were relaxed, by the power of a word,
saying: "Go thy way, and as thou hast believed so be it unto thee." To
others hoping for restoration from the touch of His hem, He granted rich
gifts of healing. To some, when asked, He bestowed remedies for their
diseases. To others He afforded the means of healing unasked: others He
urged on to hope, saying: "Willest thou to be made whole?" to others
when they were without hope He brought help spontaneously. The desires of
some He searched out before satisfying their wants, saying: "What will ye
that I should do for you?" To another who knew not the way to obtain
what he desired, He showed it in His kindness, saying: "If thou believest
thou shalt see the glory of God." Among some so richly did He pour forth
the mighty works of His cures that of them the Evangelist says' "And He
healed all their sick."But among others the unfathomable depth of
Christ's beneficence was so stopped up, that it was said: "And Jesus could
do there no mighty works because of their unbelief." And so the bounty
of God is actually shaped according to the capacity of man's faith, so that
to one it is said:" According to thy faith be it unto thee:" and to
another: "Go thy way, and as thou hast believed so be it unto thee;" to
another "Be it unto thee according as thou wilt," and again to another:
"Thy faith hath made thee whole."
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