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| The Little Ones and Their Stumbling-Blocks.
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17. The Little Ones and Their Stumbling-Blocks.
But it is a hard task to expound what follows in logical
harmony with what has already been said; for one might say, how is it
that he who is converted and has become as the little children, is a
little one among such as believe in Jesus, and is capable of being caused to stumble? And likewise
let us attempt to explain this coherently. Every one that gives
his adherence to Jesus as the Son of God according to the true history
concerning Him, and by deeds done according to the Gospel, is on the
way to living the life which is according to virtue, is converted and
is on the way towards becoming as the little children; and it is
impossible for him not to enter into the kingdom of heaven. There
are, indeed, many such; but not all, who are converted with a view to
becoming like the little children, have reached the point of being made
like unto little children; but each wants so much of the likeness to
the little children, as he falls short of the disposition of little
children towards the passions, of which we have spoken. In the
whole multitude, then, of believers, are also those who, having been,
as it were, just converted in regard to their becoming as the little
children, at the very point of their conversion that they may become as
the little children, are called little; and those of them, who are
converted that they may become as the little children, but fall far
short of having truly become as the little children, are capable of
being caused to stumble; each of whom falls so far short of the
likeness to them, as he falls short of the disposition of children
towards the passions, of which we have spoken, to whom we ought not to
give occasions of stumbling-block; but, if it be otherwise, he who has
caused him to stumble will require, as contributing towards his cure,
to have “an ass’s millstone hanged about his neck, and be
sunk into the depths of the sea.”5930
For, in this way, when he has paid the
due penalty in the sea, where is “the dragon which God formed to
play in it,”5931
and, so far as is
expedient for the end in view, has been punished and undergone
suffering, he shall then5932
| 5932 Or, be
free from. The Vetus Inter. has “extra
dolores.” It has had ἔξω
instead of ἑξῆς. | have his part in
those troubles which belong to the depths of the sea, which he endured
when he was dragged down by the ass’s millstone. For there
are also differences of millstones, so that one of them may be, so to
call it, the millstone of a man, and another that of an ass; and that
is human, about which it is written, “Two women shall be grinding
at the mill; one is taken and one is left;”5933
but the millstone of the ass is that which
shall be put round him who has given occasion of stumbling-block.
But some one might say—I know not whether he would speak soundly
or erroneously—that the ass’s millstone is the heavy body
of the wicked man, which is sunken downwards, and which he will receive
at the resurrection that he may be sunk in the abyss which is called
the depth of the sea, where “is the dragon which God formed to
play therein.”5934
But another
will refer the creating of a stumbling-block to one of the little ones
to the powers that are unseen by men; for from these arise many
stumbling-blocks to the little ones pointed out by Jesus. But
when they cause to stumble one of the little ones pointed out by Jesus,
who are believers in Him, he shall assume an ass’s millstone, the
corruptible body which presses heavily on the soul, which is itself
hung from the neck, which is dragged down to the affairs in this life,
that by means of these their conceit may be taken away, and having paid
the penalty, they shall come, through means of the ass’s
millstone, to the condition expedient for them.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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