63. What are these hidden
and unseen mysteries, you will say, which neither men can know, nor
those even who are called gods of the world can in any wise reach by
fancy and conjecture; which none can discover,33713371 except those
whom Christ Himself has thought fit to bestow the blessing of so
great knowledge upon, and to lead into the secret recesses of the inner
treasury of wisdom? Do you then see that if He had
determined that none should do Him violence, He should have striven to
the utmost to keep off from Him His enemies, even by directing His
power against them?33723372 Could not He, then, who
had restored their sight to the blind, make His enemies blind if
it were necessary? Was it hard or troublesome for Him to make
them weak, who had given strength to the feeble? Did He
who bade33733373 the lame
walk, not know how to take from them all power to move their
limbs,33743374 by making
their sinews stiff?33753375 Would it have been difficult for
Him who drew the dead from their tombs to inflict death on whom He
would? But because reason required that those things which had
been resolved on should be done here also in the world itself, and in
no other fashion than was done, He, with gentleness passing
understanding and belief, regarding as but childish trifles the wrongs
which men did Him, submitted to the violence of savage and most
hardened robbers;33763376 nor did
He think it worth while to take account of what their daring had aimed
at, if He only showed to His disciples what they were in duty
bound to look for from Him. For when many things about the perils
of souls, many evils about their…; on the other hand, the
Introducer,33773377 the
432Master and Teacher directed
His laws and ordinances, that they might find their end in fitting
duties;33783378 did He not
destroy the arrogance of the proud? Did He not quench the fires
of lust? Did He not check the craving of greed? Did He not
wrest the weapons from their hands, and rend from them all the
sources33793379 of every
form of corruption? To conclude, was He not Himself
gentle, peaceful, easily approached, friendly when addressed?33803380 Did He
not, grieving at men’s miseries, pitying with His unexampled
benevolence all in any wise afflicted with troubles and bodily
ills,33813381 bring them
back and restore them to soundness?