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| Chapter XII
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Chapter XII.
God accordingly, in His kindness, condescends to
mankind, not in any local sense, but through His providence;4118
while the Son of God, not only (when on
earth), but at all times, is with His own disciples, fulfilling
the promise, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
world.”4119
And if a
branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine, it is evident
that the disciples also of the Word, who are the rational branches of
the Word’s true vine, cannot produce the fruits of virtue unless
they abide in the true vine, the Christ of God, who is with us locally
here below upon the earth, and who is with those who cleave to Him in
all parts of the world, and is also in all places with those who do not
know Him. Another is made manifest by that John who wrote the
Gospel, when, speaking in the person of John the Baptist, he said,
“There standeth one among you whom ye know not; He it is who
cometh after me.”4120
And it is
absurd, when He who fills heaven and earth, and who said, “Do I
not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord,”4121
is with us, and
near us (for I believe Him when He says, “I am a God nigh at
hand, and not afar off, saith the Lord”4122
) to seek to pray to
sun or moon, or one of the stars, whose influence does not reach the
whole of the world.4123
| 4123 ζητεῖν
εὔχεσθαι τῷ
μὴ φθάνοντι
ἐπὶ τὰ
σύμπαντα. | But, to use
the very words of Celsus, let it be granted that “the sun, moon,
and stars do foretell rain, and heat, and clouds, and
thunders,” why, then, if they really do foretell such great
things, ought we not rather to do homage to God, whose servant they are
in uttering these predictions, and show reverence to Him rather
than His prophets? Let them predict, then, the approach of
lightnings, and fruits, and all manner of productions, and let all such
things be under their administration; yet we shall not on that account
worship those who themselves offer worship, as we do not worship even
Moses, and those prophets who came from God after him, and who
predicted better things than rain, and heat, and clouds, and thunders,
and lightnings, and fruits, and all sorts of productions visible to the
senses. Nay, even if sun, and moon, and stars were able to
prophesy better things than rain, not even then shall we worship
them, but the Father of the prophecies which are in them,
and the Word of God, their minister. But grant that they
are His heralds, and truly messengers of heaven, why, even then ought
we not to worship the God whom they only proclaim and announce,
rather than those who are the heralds and
messengers?E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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