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Victorious in captivity, observed the third, fixili, and ninthhour, as it mere, tor a sacrament of the Trinitri Whicli intho last times had to bo manifested. For both the fini hour in iis progress to the third shows fortii the consummated number of the Trinit' and also tho laurili proceeding to the fixili declares another Trinity; and when irom the sevenththe ninin is completed, tho perfeci Trinity is numberedevery three hours, Whicli spaces of houm the worshippers of God in timo past having spiritualty decided on, made me offor determinod and lawsul times for prayer. d subs quently the thing Was manifested, that these things were ofold Sacramenta, in that anciently righteous men prayed in this manner. For upon the discipies at tho third hour tho
prayer observed of old, both the times and the sacraments have noW increased in number. For We must also pray in the moming, that tho Lord's resurrection may be celebrated
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2. In consideration os this, I havs frequently held mytongue, and OVercome an impatient man With patienco; sinco I could netther teach an unisach le man, nor chech animplous one With religion, nor restrain a frantic man with
and that to us ought in be attributed the missortunes Wher missi sto morid is non inahen and distressed, because Fourgoci are not morshipped by us. And in this bellati, sineo Du are ignorant of divine linowledge, and a stranger to thstruth, you must in the fidit place know this, stat tho worid has noW grown old, and does not abide in stat strongin inwhich it formerly stood; nor has it that vigour and sordewhich it formerly possessed. This, oen Were We Silent, andis me alleged no proois from the sacred Scriptures and Domthe divino declarations, tho morid iraeli is noW announcing, and boaring witness in iis decline by tho testimony of iis falling estate. In tho minter there is not such an abundance of shonem for nourishing the Meds; in the summer the sun
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has not so much heat for cherishing the harvest; nor in thespring Mason ars the corn-fielia so joyous; nor are theautumnal seasons so fruitsul in thoir leaου producis. Tholayers of marbie are dug out in tess quantity from tho di embowolled and wearied mountains; the diminishod quantities of gold and silver suggest the early exhaustion of the metais, and tho impoverished vetiis are stratisned and decreased
at sea, the soldier in the camp, innocence in the macto justico in the tribunal, concord in friendships, shilsuinem intho aris, discipline in morais. Thinh you that the substantial character of a thing that is groWing old remains sorobust as that whereWith it micti previousty flourish in iis youth While stili neW and vigoro Whalaver is tendingdownWarti in decari With iis end nearly approaching, mustos necessity be weahened. Thus, the sun at his setting daris his rus With a less bright and fiery splendour; thus, in herdeclining course, the moon Wanes With exhausted horns; and the troe, Which besore had been meen and fertile, as ita branches dry up, becomes by and by misshapen in a barrenold ago; and the fountain whieli once gushed fortii liberally
4. You imputo it to tho Christians stat evorything is decving as the worid moWs old. What is old mon should charge it on tho Christians that they grow less strong in their old age; stat they no longer, as formerly, have the famBfaculties, in the hearing of their eam, in the s liness of their feet, in the heennosa of their eyes, in the vigour of their strennii, in the freshness of their organic poWers, in theminess of their limbs, and that although oneo tho ido olmen endured bsyond the ago of eight and nino hundred
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With old age. Thus, even at ita very commencement, birili hastens to ira close; thus, Whateuer is noW bom degenerates missi tho old age of the worid iiseis; so that no one ought to
5. Moreover, that Wars continue frequently to prevail, stat death and famine accumulate anxiety, that health is shattered by raging diseases, stat the human raco is Wasted by the desolation os pestilence, know that this mas foretoid; that ovils should be multiplied in tho last times, and that mistortunes Ahould bo varied; and that as the dv of judν ment is noW draWing nigh, the censum os an indignant Godshould bo more and more amused for the scourging of the human race. For these inings happen nos, as your falso complaining and ignorant inexperience of the truth asseris and repeata, because your gods are not Worshipped by us, but cause God is not Worshipped by you. For since He is Lord and Ruler of the worid, and ali things ars carried on byHis mill and direction, nor can anything be done saVe What ΗΟ Ηimsoli has done or allowed to be done, certainly Whenthose things occur Which sh- the anger of an offended God, they happen not on account of us by Whom God is morshipped, but they are called doWn by your sins and deservings, bywhom God is notther in any Way sought nor feared, because Τοur Vain superstitions are not sorsinen, nor the true religionknown in such Wiso that He who is sto one God ovor ali
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over, the prophet, filled mith the Holy Spirit, attests and
plain in this your obstinacy and contempt, is the min comes doWn with unusual scarctu; and the earth salis into neglect
strving hail Weahens the vines; is tho ouer helming WUH-wind mota out the olivo; is drought stanches the fountain; a pestilent breege corrupta the air; the weakness of disease Wastes aWay man; although ali these things come as tho consequence of the sins that provohe them, and God is mors deeply indignant When such and so great eviis avait nothingi For that these things occur either for the disciplino of the obstinate or for the punishment of tho evit, the fame God declares in the Ηoly Scriptures, saying, In Vain have Ismitten your children; in have not received correction.' And tho prophet dovoted and dedicated in God ans em tothese Words in the fame strain, and says, Thou hast strichenthem, but they have not grieved; Thou hast scourged them, but they have refused to receive correction. si Lo, stripes aro
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AN ADDREM TO DEMETRIANUS 429 inflicted hom God, and there is no seis of God. Lo, blows
and sco gings from above are not Manting, and there is notrembling, no fear. What is even no such rebuke as that interserod in human assairs Τ ΗΟW much greater stili mould bo tho audaci in men, is it mere secure in the impunity of their crimes l8. You complain that the fountains are noW less plentisulto you, and the breeges tess salubrious, and the frequent shoWersand the sortile earth afford you less ready assistance; that theelementa no longer subserve your uses and Four plemures as of
substance and a common order of fouis, and although youcomo into this World of ours and depari from it aster a timo
9. And therasore with reason in these plagues that occur, there are not manting God's stripes and scourges; and sincethey are of no avail in this matter, and do not convertindividuals to God by such terror es destructions, there r mains aster est the eternia dungoon, and the continuat sire, and the evertasting punishment; nor shali the groaning of the supplianis be heard there, because here the terror of the
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What is to come. Amongst those very missortunes Wherein
the foui, closely bound and shut up, can scarcely breathe, thero is stili found opportunity for men to be evit, and insuch great dangere to judge not so much of themselves asos othere. You aro indignant that God is angry, as ii is an evit lise you Were deseruing any good, as is ali things of thathind which happon wero not infinitely less and of smaller
that is punished is datly increasing Τ You complain that the