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| Errors of the Philosophers.
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Chapter
XLVIII.—Errors of the Philosophers.
“But some one will say that precepts of this
sort are given by the philosophers also.878
| 878 [Compare the
argument of Clement, as a heathen inquirer, against the philosophers,
in Homily VI. 20.—R.] | Nothing of the kind: for
they do indeed give commandments concerning justice and sobriety, but
they are ignorant that God is the recompenser of good and evil deeds;
and therefore their laws and precepts only shun a public accuser, but
cannot purify the conscience. For why should one fear to sin in
secret, who does not know that there is a witness and a judge of secret
things? Besides, the philosophers in their precepts add that even
the gods, who are demons, are to be honoured; and this alone, even if
in other respects they seemed worthy of approbation, is sufficient to
convict them of the most dreadful impiety, and condemn them by their own sentence,
since they declare indeed that there is one God, yet command that many
be worshipped, by way of humouring human error. But also the
philosophers say that God is not angry, not knowing what they
say. For anger is evil, when it disturbs the mind, so that it
loses right counsel. But that anger which punishes the wicked
does not bring disturbance to the mind; but it is one and the same
affection, so to speak, which assigned rewards to the good and
punishment to the evil; for if He should bestow blessings upon the good
and the evil, and confer equal rewards upon the pious and the impious,
He would appear to be unjust rather than good.
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