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An Address to Demetrianus

5.

Moreover, that wars continue frequently to prevail, that death and famine accumulate anxiety, that health is shattered by raging diseases, that the human race is wasted by the desolation of pestilence, know that this was foretold; that evils should be multiplied in the last times, and that misfortunes should be varied; and that as the day of judgment is now drawing nigh, the censure of an indignant God should be more and more aroused for the scourging of the human race. For these things happen not, as your false complaining and ignorant inexperience of the truth asserts and repeats, because your gods are not worshipped by us, but because God is not worshipped by you. For since He is Lord and Ruler of the world, and all things are carried on by His will and direction, nor can anything be done save what He Himself has done or allowed to be done, certainly when those things occur which show the anger of an offended God, they happen not on account of us by whom God is worshipped, but they are called down by your sins and deservings, by whom God is neither in any way sought nor feared, because your vain superstitions are not forsaken, nor the true religion known in such wise that He who is the one God over all might alone be worshipped and petitioned.

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Ad Demetrianum [CSEL]

§ 5

Quod autem crebrius bella continuant, quod sterilitas et fames sollicitudinem cumulant, quod saeuientibus morbis ualitudo frangitur , quod humanum genus luis populatione uastatur, et hoc scias esse praedictum in nouissimis temporibus multiplicari mala et aduersa uariari et adpropinquante iam iudicii die magis ac magis in plagas generis humani censuram Dei indignantis accendi. non enim, sicut tua falsa querimonia et inperitia ueritatis ignara iactat et clamitat, ista accidunt, quod dii uestri a nobis non colantur, sed quod a uobis non colatur Deus. nam cum ipse sit mundi dominus et rector et cuncta arbitrio eius et nutu gerantur nec quicquam fieri possit nisi quod aut fecerit aut fieri ipse permiserit, utique quando ea fiunt quae iram Dei indignantis ostendunt non propter nos fiunt a quibus Deus colitur, sed delictis et meritis uestris inrogantur, a quibus Deus omnino nec quaeritur nec timetur nec relictis uanis superstitionibus religio uera cognoscitur, ut qui Deus unus est omnibus unus colatur ab omnibus et rogetur.