31. O greatest, O Supreme
Creator of things invisible! O Thou who art Thyself unseen, and
who art incomprehensible! Thou art worthy, Thou art verily
worthy—if only mortal tongue may speak of Thee—that all
breathing and intelligent nature should never cease to feel and to
return thanks; that it should throughout the whole of life fall on
bended knee, and offer supplication with never-ceasing prayers.
For Thou art the first cause; in Thee created things exist, and Thou
art the space in which rest the foundations of all things, whatever
they be. Thou art illimitable, unbegotten, immortal, enduring for
aye, God Thyself alone, whom no bodily shape may represent, no outline
delineate; of virtues inexpressible, of greatness indefinable;
unrestricted as to locality, movement, and condition, concerning whom
nothing can be clearly expressed by the significance of man’s
words. That Thou mayest be understood, we must be silent; and
that erring conjecture may track Thee through the shady cloud, no word
must be uttered. Grant pardon, O King Supreme, to those who
persecute Thy servants; and in virtue of Thy benign nature, forgive
those who fly from the worship of Thy name and the observance of Thy
religion. It is not to be wondered at if Thou art unknown; it is
a cause of greater astonishment if Thou art clearly
comprehended.3293
| 3293
[This prayer of Arnobius is surely worthy of admiration.] |
But perchance some one dares—for this
remains for frantic madness to do—to be uncertain, and to express
doubt whether that God exists or not; whether He is believed in on the
proved truth of reliable evidence, or on the imaginings of empty
rumour. For of those who have given themselves to philosophizing,
we have heard that some3294
| 3294
Diagoras of Melos and Theodorus of Cyrene, called the
Atheists. The former flourished about b.c. 430, the latter about b.c.
310. See Cic., Nat. Deor., i. 2. [Note the
universal faith, cap. 34, infra.] |
deny the existence of any
divine power,
that others
3295
| 3295
Protagoras of Abdera, b. b.c. 480, d.
411. |
inquire daily
whether there be or not; that others
3296
| 3296
Democritus of Abdera, b. b.c. 460, and
Epicurus, b. b.c. 342, d. 270. |
construct the whole fabric of the
universe by chance accidents and by random collision, and fashion it by
the concourse of atoms of different shapes; with whom we by no means
intend to enter at this time on a discussion of such perverse
convictions.
3297
| 3297
Obstinatione, literally “stubbornness;” Walker
conjectures opinatione, “imaginings,” which Orelli
approves. |
For
those who think wisely say, that to argue against things palpably
foolish, is a mark of greater folly.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
