And I heard, O Lord my God , and drank up a drop of sweetness from Your truth , and understood that there are certain men to whom Your works are displeasing, who say that many of them You made being compelled by necessity;— such as the fabric of the heavens and the courses of the stars, and that You made them not of what was Yours, but, that they were elsewhere and from other sources created; that You might bring together and compact and interweave, when from Your conquered enemies You raised up the walls of the universe , that they, bound down by this structure, might not be able a second time to rebel against You. But, as to other things, they say You neither made them nor compacted them — such as all flesh and all very minute creatures, and whatsoever holds the earth by its roots; but that a mind hostile unto You and another nature not created by You, and in everywise contrary unto You, did, in these lower places of the world, beget and frame these things. Infatuated are they who speak thus, since they see not Your works through Your Spirit, nor recognise You in them. Chapter 31. We Do Not See That It Was Good But Through the Spirit of God Which is in Us. But as for those who through Your Spirit see these things, You see in them. When therefore, they see that these things are good, You see that they are good; and whatsoever things for Your sake are pleasing, You are pleased in them; and those things which through Your Spirit are pleasing unto us, are pleasing unto You in us. For what man knows the things of a man , save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God . Now we, says he, have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God , that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God . 1231 Corinthians 2:12 And I am reminded to say, Truly, 'the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God ;' how, then, do we also know 'what things are given us by God ?'? It is answered unto me, Because the things which we know by His Spirit, even these ' knows no man, but the Spirit of God .' For, as it is rightly said to those who were to speak by the Spirit of God , 'It is not you that speak,' 124Matthew 10:20 so is it rightly said to them who know by the Spirit of God , 'It is not you that know .' None the less, then, is it rightly said to those that see by the Spirit of God , 'It is not you that see;' so whatever they see by the Spirit of God that it is good , it is not they, but God who 'sees that it is good .' It is one thing, then, for a man to suppose that to be bad which is good , as the fore-named do; another, that what is good a man should see to be good (as Your creatures are pleasing unto many, because they are good, whom, however, Thou pleasest not in them when they wish to enjoy them rather than enjoy You); and another, that when a man sees a thing to be good, God should in him see that it is good — that in truth He may be loved in that which He made, who cannot be loved unless by the Holy Ghost , which He has given. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us; 125Romans 5:5 by whom we see that whatsoever in any degree is, is good . Because it is from Him who Is not in any degree, but He Is that He Is.
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