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| Good and Evil in Pairs.
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Chapter
LIX.—Good and Evil in Pairs.
“For, as I was beginning to say,706
| 706 [The substance of
chaps. 59, 60, occurs in Homily II. 33, 34, just before the
postponement of the discussion with Simon.—R.] | God has appointed for this world certain
pairs; and he who comes first of the pairs is of evil, he who comes
second, of good. And in this is given to every man an occasion of
right judgment, whether he is simple or prudent. For if he is
simple, and believes him who comes first, though moved thereto by signs
and prodigies, he must of necessity, for the same reason, believe him
who comes second; for he will be persuaded by signs and prodigies, as
he was before. When he believes this second one, he will learn
from him that he ought not to believe the first, who comes of evil; and
so the error of the former is corrected by the emendation of the
latter. But if he will not receive the second, because he has
believed the first, he will deservedly be condemned as unjust; for
unjust it is, that when he believed the first on account of his signs,
he will not believe the second, though he bring the same, or even
greater signs. But if he has not believed the first, it follows
that he may be moved to believe the second. For his mind has not
become so completely inactive but that it may be roused by the
redoubling of marvels. But if he is prudent, he can make
distinction of the signs. And if indeed he has believed in the
first, he will be moved to the second by the increase in the miracles,
and by comparison he will apprehend which are better; although clear
tests of miracles are recognised by all learned men, as we have
shown in the regular order of our discussion. But if any one, as
being whole and not needing a physician, is not moved to the first, he
will be drawn to the second by the very continuance of the thing, and
will make a distinction of signs and marvels after this
fashion;—he who is of the evil one, the signs that he works do good
to no one; but those which the good man worketh are profitable to
men.”
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