are seen they could not un- stand by them that He that
derstand Him that is, neither made them is mightier than
by attending to the works they:-For by the greatness
have acknowledged who was of the beauty, and of the
the workman. ---But have creature, the Creator of them
imagined either the fire, or may be seen, so as to be
the wind, or the swift air, or known thereby.
the circle of the stars, or the If they were able to know
great water, or the sun and so much, as to make a judg-
moon, to be the gods that ment of the world, how did
rule the world.-With whose they not more easily find out
beauty, if they being de- the Lord thereof?
lighted, took them to be To know Thee is perfect W15,3
gods: let them know how justice; and to know Thy
much the Lord of them is justice, and Thy power, is
more beautiful than they; the root of immortality.
for the first Author of beauty The sensual man perceiveth 1C2, 14
made all those things.-Or if not these things that are of
they admired their power and the Spirit of God.
their effects, let them under
15. THE BEATIFIC VISION.
Blessed are the clean of We know that when He
heart, for they shall see God. shall appear we shall be like
Their angels in heaven al- to Him: because we shall see
ways see the face of My Him as He is.
Father Who is in heaven.
He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.
His servants shall serve Ap 22, 4 Him, and they shall see His face: and His name shall be on their foreheads.
This is Eternal Life: that Jn 17,3 We see now through a glass they may know Thee, the in a dark manner; but then only true God, and Jesus face to face. Now I know in Christ, Whom Thou hast part; but then I shall know sent. even as I am known.
.—HIS KNOWledge, wherEBY HE KNOWS HIMSELF,
THINGS CREATED, TO BE CREATED AND CREATABLE.
O Lord, Who hast the spirit of a man that is in
knowledge of all things! him? So the things also that
Shall any one teach God are of God no man knoweth,
knowledge, Who judgeth but the Spirit of God.
those that are high?
The spirit searcheth all 102,10
Thy knowledge has become things; yea, the deep things
wonderful to me: it is high, of God.
and I cannot reach it.
What man knoweth the
things of a man, but the
The eyes of the Lord be- 1P16, hold all the earth.
If thou say: I have not Pv 24, 12
strength enough, He that the solutions of arguments:
seeth into the heart, He un- she knoweth signs and won-
derstandeth, and nothing de- ders before they be done, and
ceiveth the Keeper of thy the events of times and ages.
soul, and He shall render to I know that the King of
a man according to his works. Egypt will not let you go, but
Neither is there any crea- by a mighty hand.
ture invisible in His sight: I know their thoughts, and Dt 31,?
but all things are naked and what they are about to do
open to His eyes, to Whom this day, before that I bring
our speech is
them into the land which I
God is greater than our have promised them.
heart, and knoweth all things.
My bone is not hidden from Ps 138, 15
The eyes of the Lord are Thee, which Thou hast made
upon the just, and His ears in secret: and my substance
unto their prayers.
in the lower parts of the
The searcher of hearts and earth.-Thy eyes did see my
reins is God.
imperfect being, and in Thy
Je 17, 9-10 The heart of man is per- Book all shall be written:
verse above all things, and days shall be formed, and
unsearchable. Who can know no one in them.
it-I am the Lord Who He beholdeth the ends of Jb 28, 2
search the heart and prove the world, and looketh on
the reins; Who give to every all things that are under
one according to his way, and heaven.
according to the fruit of his
devices.
He hath searched out the Eci42, 18deep, and the heart of man, Thus saith the Lord, the and considered their crafty Holy One of Israel, his devices.-For the Lord knowMaker: Ask Me of things to eth all knowledge, and hath come concerning My children, beheld the signs of the world: and concerning the work of He declareth the things that My hands give ye charge to are past, and the things that Me. are to come, and revealeth Before I formed thee in the traces of hidden things.— the bowels of thy mother, I No thought escapeth Him, knew thee; and before thou and no word can hide itself camest forth out of the womb, from Him.
sanctified thee, and made The wisdom of God is great, Eci 15, 19-
thee a prophet unto the and He is strong in power,
nations.
seeing all men without ceas-
O Eternal God, Who know-ing.-The eyes of the Lord
est hidden things, Who know- are towards them that fear
est all things before they Him, and He knoweth all the
come to pass.
work of man.
If a man desire much know- Their ways are always be- Eci 17, 13 ledge, she knoweth things fore Him, they are not hidden past, and judgeth of things from His eyes.-Over every to come: she knoweth the nation He set a ruler.-And subtleties of speeches, and Israel was made the manifest
portion of God.-And all my God?-Knowest thou not,
their works are as the sun in or hast thou not heard? The
the sight of God: and His Lord is the Everlasting God,
eyes are continually upon Who hath created the ends of
their ways. Their covenants the earth: He shall not faint
were not hid by their iniquity, nor labour, neither is there
and all their iniquities are in any searching out of His
the sight of God.
wisdom.
The works of all flesh are Behold it is written before
before Him, and there is Me: I will not be silent, but
nothing hid from His eyes. - I will render and repay into
He seeth from eternity to their bosom.
eternity, and there is nothing
wonderful before Him.
My eyes are upon all their Je 16, 17 ways: they are not hid from His eyes are upon the ways My Face, and their iniquity of man, and He considereth hath not been hid from My all their steps.-There is no Eyes.
darkness, and there is no I know Ephraim, and Israel
shadow of death, when they is not hid from Me; for now
may be hid who work iniquity. Ephraim has committed for-
Who telleth the number of nication, Israel is defiled.
the stars, and calleth them The Lord beholdeth the Pv 5, 21
all by their names.-Great is ways of man, and considereth
our Lord, and great is His all his steps.
power; and of His wisdom The eyes of the Lord in Pv 15,3
there is no number.
every place behold the good
Who hath forwarded the and the evil.
spirit of the Lord? or who Hell and destruction are Pv 15, 11
hath been His counsellor and before the Lord: how much
hath taught Him?- With more the hearts of the chil-
whom hath He consulted, and
who hath instructed Him, and All the ways of a man are Pv 16, 2
taught Him the path of jus- open to His Eyes: the Lord
tice, and taught Him know- is the weigher of spirits.
ledge, and showed Him the Behold, my Witness is in Jb 16, 20-
way of understanding?-Why heaven, and He that knoweth
sayest thou, O Jacob, and my conscience is on High.-
speakest, O Israel: My way is My friends are full of words;
hid from the Lord, and my my eye poureth out tears to
judgment is passed over from God.
17. HIS OMNISCIENCE DENIED BY THE WICKED
THAT THEY MAY SIN MORE FREELY.
ALL-SEEING EYE KEEPS THE GODLY FROM
Thou sayest: What doth doth not consider our things, God know? and He judgethas and He walketh about the it were through a mist.-The poles of heaven.-Dost thou clouds are His covert, and He desire to keep the path of
ages, which wicked men have Woe to you that are deep Is 29, 15-
trodden ?
of heart to hide your counsel
Say not: I shall be hidden from the Lord; and their
from God, and who shall re-works are in the dark, and
member me from on high? - they say: Who seeth us, and
In such a multitude I shall who knoweth us? This
not be known: for what is thought of yours is perverse:
my soul in such an immense as if the clay should think
creation?-Behold, the hea- against the potter, and the
ven, and the heavens of work should say to the maker
heavens, the deep, and all the thereof: Thou madest me
earth, and the things that not: or the thing framed
are in them, shall be moved should say to him that fash-
in His sight, The mountains ioned it: Thou understandeth
also, and the hills, and the not.
foundations of the earth: I made a covenant with Jb 31, 1-2, when God shall look at them, my eyes, that I would not so they shall be shaken with much as think upon a virtrembling. And in all these gin.-For what part should things the heart is senseless: God from above have in me, and every heart is understood and what inheritance the by Him. Almighty from on high? Eci 23, 25- Every man that passeth Doth He not consider my beyond his own bed, despising ways, and number all my his own soul, and saying: steps?
Who seeth me?-Darkness Blessed is the man that Eci 14, 22
compasseth me about, and shall continue in Wisdom, and
the walls cover me, and no that shall meditate in His
man seeth me: whom do I justice, and in his mind shall
fear? the Most High will think of the all-Seeing Eye
not remember my sins.-And of God.
he understandeth not that Lord, Thou hast proved me, Ps 138, 1,
His eye seeth all things, for and hast known me: Thou
such a man's fear driveth hast known my sitting down
from him the fear of God, and my rising up. Thy
and the eyes of men fearing knowledge is become wou-
him;-And he knoweth not derful to me it is high, and
that the Eyes of the Lord are I cannot reach to it.-Whith-
far brighter than the sun, er shall I go from Thy Spirit?
beholding round about all the or whither shall I flee from
ways of men,
and the bottom Thy Face?-If I ascend into
of the deep, and looking into heaven, Thou art there: if I
the hearts of men, into the descend into hell, Thou art
most hidden parts.-For all present.-If I take my wings
things were known to the early in the morning, and
Lord God before they were dwell in the uttermost parts
created; so also after they of the sea :-Even there also
were perfected He beholdeth shall Thy hand lead me, and
all things.
Thy right hand shall hold me.
Ro 9, 19
Ge 1,3
Ps 113, 11
18.--HIS WILL IRRESISTIBLE.
Fear not: can we resist the made: He commanded, and will of God?
Who resisteth His will? God said: Be light made, and light was made.
Our God is in heaven: He hath done all things whatsoever He would.
He spoke, and they were
By faith we understand He 11,3 that the world was framed by the Word of God, that from invisible things visible things might be made.
Thy power is at hand when W12, 18 Thou wilt.
19.-PUNISHMENT WILLED BY GOD.
I will heap evils upon them, Who is he that hath com-
and will spend My arrows manded a thing to be done,
among them.
when the Lord commandeth
Good things and evil, life it not?-Shall not both evil
and death, poverty and riches, and good proceed out of the
are from God.
mouth of the Highest?-
I form the light and create Why hath a living man mur-
darkness, I make peace and mured, man suffering for his
create evil: I, the Lord, that sins?-Let us search our
do all these things.
ways, and seek and return
Shall there be evil in a city, to the Lord.
which the Lord hath not done?
20. SIN NOT WILLED BY GOD.
God is faithful and without ther shall the wicked dwell
any iniquity, He is just and near Thee; nor shall the un-
right.
just abide before Thy Eyes.-
Is God unjust, who execu- Thou hatest all the workers
teth wrath? God forbid; of iniquity: Thou wilt des-
otherwise, how shall God troy all that speak a lie.
judge this world?
Thou hast loved justice Ps 44, 8
The and hated iniquity: therefore
God, Thy God, hath anointed
Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows.
Thou shalt fly lying.
innocent and just person
thou sha. not put to death,
because I abhor the wicked.
As long as they sinned not
in the sight of their God, it
was well with them: for
their God hateth iniquity.
In the morning I will stand To God the wicked and
before Thee, and will see: his wickedness are hateful
The way of the wicked is Pv 15,9
an abomination to the Lord:
he that followeth justice is
beloved by Him.
because Thou art not a God alike.
that willest iniquity.-Nei
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