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That there is a God, then, is no matter of doubt to those who
receive the Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament, I mean, and the
New; nor indeed to most of the Greeks. For, as we said, the
knowledge of the existence of God is implanted in us by nature. But
since the wickedness of the Evil One has prevailed so mightily against
man's nature as even to drive some into denying the existence of God,
that most foolish and woe-fulest pit of destruction (whose folly
David, revealer of the Divine meaning, exposed when he said, The
fool said in his heart, There is no God), so the disciples of the
Lord and His Apostles, made wise by the Holy Spirit and working
wonders in His power and grace, took them captive in the net of
miracles and drew them up out of the depths of ignorance to the light of
the knowledge of God. In like manner also their successors in grace
and worth, both pastors and teachers, having received the enlightening
grace of the Spirit, were wont, alike by the power of miracles and
the word of grace, to enlighten those walking in darkness and to bring
back the wanderers into the way. But as for us who are not recipients
either of the gift of miracles or the gift of teaching (for indeed we
have rendered ourselves unworthy of these by our passion for
pleasure), come, let us in connection with this theme discuss a few
of those things which have been delivered to us on this subject by the
expounders of grace, calling on the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
All things, that exist, are either created or uncreated. If,
then, things are created, it follows that they are also wholly
mutable. For things, whose existence originated in change, must also
be subject to change, whether it be that they perish or that they
become other than they are by act of wills. But if things are
uncreated they must in all consistency be also wholly immutable. For
things which are opposed in the nature of their existence must also be
opposed in the mode of their existence, that is to say, must have
opposite properties: who, then, will refuse to grant that all
existing things, not only such as come within the province of the
senses, but even the very angels, are subject to change and
transformation and movement of various kinds? For the things
appertaining to the rational world, I mean angels and spirits and
demons, are subject to changes of will, whether it is a progression or
a retrogression in goodness, whether a struggle or a surrender; while
the others suffer changes of generation and destruction, of increase
and decrease, of quality and of movement in space. Things then that
are mutable are also wholly created. But things that are created must
be the work of some maker, and the maker cannot have been created.
For if he had been created, he also must surely have been created by
some one, and so on till we arrive at something uncreated. The
Creator, then, being uncreated, is also wholly immutable. And what
could this be other than Deity?
And even the very continuity of the creation, and its preservation and
government, teach us that there does exist a Deity, who supports and
maintains and preserves and ever provides for this universe. For how
could opposite natures, such as fire and water, air and earth, have
combined with each other so as to form one complete world, and continue
to abide in indissoluble union, were there not some omnipotent power
which bound them together and always is preserving them from
dissolution?
What is it that gave order to things of heaven and things of earth,
and all those things that move in the air and in the water, or rather
to what was in existence before these, viz., to heaven and earth and
air and the elements of fire and water? What was it that mingled and
distributed these? What was it that set these in motion and keeps them
in their unceasing and unhindered course? Was it not the Artificer of
these things, and He Who hath implanted in everything the law whereby
the universe is carried on and directed? Who then is the Artificer of
these things? Is it not He Who created them and brought them into
existence. For we shall not attribute such a power to the
spontaneous. For, supposing their coming into existence was due to
the spontaneous; what of the power that put all in orders ? And let
us grant this, if you please. What of that which has preserved and
kept them in harmony with the original laws of their existence ?
Clearly it is something quite distinct from the spontaneous.And what
could this be other than Deity ?
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