33. Seeing that the fear of death, that is, the ruin of our souls, menaces^36253625    Lit., “is set before.” us, in what are we not acting, as we all are wont, from a sense of what will be to our advantage,^36263626    So the ms., first ed., Gelenius, Canterus, Hildebrand, reading ex commodi sensu, for which all the other edd., following Ursinus and Meursius, read ex communi—“from common sense,” i.e., wisely. in that we hold Him fast who assures us that He will be our deliverer from such danger, embrace Him, and entrust our souls to His care,^36273627    Perhaps, as Orelli evidently understands it, “prefer Him to our own souls”—animis præponimus. if only that^36283628    So Oehler, reading ea for the ms. ut, omitted in all edd. interchange is right? You rest the salvation of your souls on yourselves, and are assured that by your own exertions alone^36293629    Lit., “by your own and internal exertion.” you become gods; but we, on the contrary hold out no hope to ourselves from our own weakness, for we see that our nature has no strength, and is overcome by its own passions in every strife for anything.^36303630    Lit., “of things.” You think that, as soon as you pass away, freed from the bonds of your fleshly members, you will find wings^36313631    Lit., “wings will be at hand.” with which you may rise to heaven and soar to the stars. We shun such presumption. and do not think^36323632    The ms. reads di-cimus, “say;” corrected du, as above. that it is in our power to reach the abodes^36333633    The first four edd. read res, “things above,” for which Stewechius reads, as above, sedes. above, since we have no certainty as to this even, whether we deserve to receive 447life and be freed from the law of death. You suppose that without the aid of others^36343634    Sponte. you will return to the master’s palace as if to your own home, no one hindering you; but we, on the contrary, neither have any expectation that this can be unless by the will of the Lord of all, nor think that so much power and licence are given to any man.