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| Chapter LXX
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Chapter LXX.
His next remark was, “Have not these
inferior powers had assigned to them by God different departments,
according as each was deemed worthy?” But this is a
question which requires a very profound knowledge. For we must
determine whether the Word of God, who governs all things, has
appointed wicked demons for certain employments, in the same way as in
states executioners are appointed, and other officers with cruel but
needful duties to discharge; or whether as among robbers, who infest
desert places, it is customary for them to choose out of their number
one who may be their leader,—so the demons, who are scattered as
it were in troops in different parts of the earth, have chosen for
themselves a chief under whose command they may plunder and pillage the
souls of men. To explain this fully, and to justify the conduct
of the Christians in refusing homage to any object except the Most High
God, and the First-born of all creation, who is His Word and God, we
must quote this from Scripture, “All that ever came before Me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them;” and
again, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy;”4838
and other similar
passages, as, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you;”4839
and again, “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the
young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under
feet.”4840
But of these
things Celsus knew nothing, or he would not have made use of language
like this: “Is not everything which happens in the
universe, whether it be the work of God, of angels, of other demons, or
of heroes, regulated by the law of the Most High God? Have these
not had assigned to them various departments of which they were
severally deemed worthy? Is it not just, therefore, that he who
serves God should serve those also to whom God has assigned such
power?” To which he adds, “It is impossible, they
say, for a man to serve many masters.” This last point we
must postpone to the next book; for this, which is the seventh book
which we have written in answer to the treatise of Celsus, is already
of sufficient length.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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