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s darkness and death of the soul; and to serve idols; to the destruction of all nature; is to my thinking the extreme of all senselessness。
〃But idolaters to whom shall I compare them; and to what likeness shall I liken their silliness? Well; I will set before thee an example which I heard from the lips of one most wise。
〃'Idol worshippers;' said he; ‘are like a fowler who caught a tiny bird; called nightingale。 He took a knife; for to kill and eat her; but the nightingale; being given the power of articulate speech; said to the fowler; ‘Man; what advantageth it thee to slay me? for thou shalt not be able by my means to fill thy belly。 Now free me of my fetters; and I will give thee three precepts; by the keeping of which thou shalt be greatly benefited all thy life long。' He; astonied at her speech; promised that; if he heard anything new from her; he would quickly free her from her captivity。 The nightingale turned towards our friend and said; ‘Never try to attain to the unattainable: never regret the thing past and gone: and never believe the word that passeth belief。 Keep these three precepts; and may it be well with thee。' The man; admiring the lucidity and sense of her words; freed the bird from her captivity; and sent her forth aloft。 She; therefore; desirous to know whether the man had understood the force of her words; and whether he had gleaned any profit therefrom; said; as she flew aloft; ‘Shame; sir; on thy fecklessness! What a treasure that hast lost to…day! For I have inside me a pearl larger than an ostrich…egg。' When the fowler heard thereof; he was distraught with grief; regretting that the bird had escaped out of his hands。 And he would fain have taken her again。 ‘Come hither;' said he; ‘into my house: I will make thee right welcome; and send thee forth with honour。' But the nightingale said unto him; ‘Now I know thee to be a mighty fool。 Though thou didst receive my words readily and gladly; thou hast gained no profit thereby。 I bade thee never regret the thing past and gone; and behold thou art distraught with grief because I have escaped out of thy hands there thou regrettest a thing past and gone。 I charged thee not to try to attain to the unattainable; and thou triest to catch me; though thou canst not attain to my path。 Besides which; I bade thee never believe a word past belief; and behold thou hast believed that I had inside me a pearl exceeding the measure of my size; and hadst not the sense to see that my whole body doth not attain to the bulk of ostrich eggs。 How then could I contain such a pearl?〃'
〃Thus senseless; then; are also they that trust in idols: for these be their handiwork; and they worship that which their fingers made; saying; ‘These be our creators。' How then deem they their creators those which have been formed and fashioned by themselves? Nay more; they safeguard their gods; lest they be stolen by thieves; and yet they call them guardians of their safety。 And yet what folly not to know that they; which be unable to guard and aid themselves; can in no wise guard and save others! ‘For' saith he; ‘why; on behalf of the living; should they seek unto the dead?' They expend wealth; for to raise statues and images to devils; and vainly boast that these give them good gifts; and crave to receive of their hands things which those idols never possessed; nor ever shall possess。 Wherefore it is written; ‘May they that make them be like unto them; and so be all such as put their trust in them; who;' he saith; ‘hire a goldsmith; and make them gods; and they fall down; yea; they worship them。 They bear them upon the shoulders; and go forward。 And if they set them in their place; they stand therein: they shall not remove。 Yea; one shall cry unto them; yet call they not answer him; nor save him out of his trouble。' ‘Wherefore be ye ashamed with everlasting shame; ye that trust in graven images; that say to the molten images; Ye are our gods。' ‘For they sacrificed;' he saith; ‘unto devils; and not to God; to gods whom their fathers knew not。 There came new and fresh gods; because it is a froward generation; and there is no faith in them。'
〃Wherefore out of this wicked and faithless generation the Lord calleth thee to him; saying; ‘Come out from among them; and be thou separate; and touch no unclean thing;' but ‘save thyself from this untoward generation。' ‘Arise thou; and depart; for this is not thy rest;' for that divided lordship; which your gods hold; is a thing of confusion and strife and hath no real being whatsoever。 But with us it is not so; neither have we many gods and lords; but one God; the Father; of whom are all things; and we unto him: and one Lord Jesus Christ; by whom are all things and we by him; ‘who is the image of the invisible God; the first born of every creature' and of all ages; ‘for in him were all things created that are in the heavens and that are upon the earth; visible and invisible; whether they be thrones; or dominions; or principalities; or powers。' ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made:' and one Holy Ghost; in whom are all things; ‘the Lord and Giver of life;' God and making God; the good Spirit; the right Spirit; 'the Spirit the Comforter;' ‘the Spirit of adoption。' Of these each person; severally; is God。 As the Father is; so also is the Son; and as the Son; so also the Holy Ghost。 And there is one God in three; one nature; one kingdom; one power; one glory; one substance; distinct in persons; and so only distinct。 One is the Father; whose property it is not to have been begotten; one is the only…begotten Son; and his property it is to have been begotten; and one is the Holy Ghost; and his property it is that he proceedeth。 Thus illuminated by that light; which is the Father; with that light; which is the Son; in that light; which is the Holy Ghost; we glorify one Godhead in three persons。 And he is one very and only God; known in the Trinity: for of him and through him; and unto him are all things。
〃By his grace also; I came to know thy ease; and was sent to teach thee the lessons that I have learned and observed from my youth even to these grey hairs。 If then thou shalt believe and be baptized; thou shalt be saved; but if thou believe not; thou shalt be damned。 All the things that thou seest to…day; wherein thou gloriest; pomp; luxury; riches; and all the deceitfulness of life; quickly pass away; and they shall cast thee hence whether thou wilt or no。 And thy body will be imprisoned in a tiny grave; left in utter loneliness; and bereft of all company of kith and kin。 And all the pleasant things of the world shall perish; and instead of the beauty and fragrance of to…day; thou shalt be encompassed with horror and the stink of corruption。 But thy soul shall they hurl into the nether…regions of the earth; into the condemnation of Hades; until the final resurrection; when re…united to her body; she shall be cast forth from the presence of the Lord and be delivered to hell fire; which burneth everlastingly。 These; and far worse haps than these; shall be thy destiny; if thou continue in unbelief。
〃But and if thou readily obey him that calleth thee to salvation; an