Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Chapter IV.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter IV.
Against these, from among
the company of the saints, righteous Noah shall first proclaim,
“I, Lord, predicted that a deluge was about to come on account of
the sins of men, and after the deluge I set an example to the good in
my own person; since I did not perish with the wicked who perished,
that they might know both what was the salvation of the innocent, and
what the punishment of sinners.” After him, faithful Abraham will
say in opposition to them, “I, Lord, about the mid-time146
| 146 Abraham lived
(in round numbers) about 2000 years b.c., and
assuming the beginning of the world to have been about 4000 years
b.c., he may thus be said to have lived about
“the mid-time.” The note of Clericus which refers the words
to the end of the world seems quite mistaken. | of the age of the world, laid the
foundation of the faith by which the human race should believe in thee;
I was chosen as the father of the nations, that they might follow my
example; I did not hesitate, Lord, to offer Isaac, while yet a youth,
as a sacrifice to thee, that they might understand that there is
nothing which ought not to be presented to the Lord, when they
perceived that I did not spare even my only son: I left, Lord, my
country, and my family, at thy command, that they also might have an
example teaching them to leave the wickedness of the world and the age:
I, Lord, was the first to recognize thee, though under a
corporeal147
form, nor did I
hesitate to believe who it was that I beheld, although thou didst
appear to me in a different form from thine own, that these might learn
to judge, not according to the flesh, but according to the
spirit.” Him the blessed Moses will support in his
pleadings, saying: “I Lord, delivered the law to all these, at
thy command, that those whom a free148
| 148 A faith having no
regard to either rewards or punishments. | faith did
not influence, the spoken law at least might restrain: I said,
‘Thou shalt not149
commit
adultery,’ in order that I might prevent the licentiousness of
fornication: I said, ‘Thou shalt love150
thy
neighbor,’ that affection might abound; I said, ‘Thou shalt
worship the Lord alone,’151
in order that these
might not sacrifice to idols, or allow temples to exist; I commanded
that false witness should not be spoken, that I might shut the lips of
these people against all falsehood. I set forth the things which had
been done and said from the beginning of the world, through the working
within me of the spirit of thy power, that a knowledge of things past
might convey to these people instruction about things to come. I
predicted, O Lord Jesus, thy coming, that it might not be an unexpected
thing to these people, when they were called to acknowledge him whom I
had before announced as about to come.”152
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
