7. “Give heed unto me,” the Church says unto you; give heed unto me, whom ye see, although to see ye be unwilling. For the faithful, who were in those times in the land of Judæa, were present at, and learnt as present, Christ’s wonderful birth of a virgin, and His passion, resurrection, ascension; all His divine words and deeds. These things ye have not seen, and therefore ye refuse to believe. Therefore behold these things, fix your eyes on these things, these things which ye see reflect on, which are not told you as things past, nor foretold you as things future, but are shown you as things present. What? seemeth it to you a vain or a light thing. and think you it to be none, or a little, divine miracle, that in the name of One Crucified the whole human race runs? Ye saw not what was foretold and fulfilled concerning the human birth of Christ, “Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a Son;”16    Is. vii. 14 but you see the Word of God which was foretold and fulfilled unto Abraham, “In thy seed shall all nations be blessed.”17    Gen. xxii. 18 Ye saw not what was foretold concerning the wonderful works of Christ, “Come ye, and see the works of the Lord, what wonders He hath set upon the earth:”18    Ps. xlvi. 8 but ye see that which was foretold, “The Lord said unto Me, My Son art Thou, I have this day begotten Thee; demand of Me and I will give Thee nations as Thy inheritance, and as Thy possession the bounds of the earth.”19    Ps. ii. 7, 8; Heb. i. 5; v. 5; Acts. xiii. 33 Ye saw not that which was foretold and fulfilled concerning the Passion of Christ, “They pierced My hands and My feet, they numbered all My bones; but they themselves regarded and beheld Me; they divided among them My garments, and upon My vesture they cast the lot;”20    Ps xxii. 16, 17, 18; John xix. 23, 24 but ye see that which was in the same Psalm foretold, and now is clearly fulfilled; “All the ends of the earth shall remember and be turned unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship in His sight; for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He shall rule over the nations.”21    Ps. xxii. 27, 28 Ye saw not what was foretold and fulfilled concerning the Resurrection of Christ, the Psalm speaking, in His Person, first concerning His betrayer and persecutors: “They went forth out of doors, and spake together: against Me whispered all My enemies, against Me thought they evil for Me;” they set in order an unrighteous word against Me.22    Ps. xli. 6–8 Where, to show that they availed nothing by slaying Him Who was about to rise again, He adds and says; “What? will not He, that sleeps, add this, that He rise again?” And a little after, when He had foretold, by means of the same prophecy, concerning His betrayer , that which is written in the Gospel also, “He that did eat of My bread, enlarged his heel upon Me,”23    Ps. xli. 9, 10 that is, trampled Me under foot: He straightway added, “But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon Me, and raise Thou Me up again, and I shall repay them.” This was fulfilled, Christ slept and awoke, that is, rose again: Who through the same prophecy in another Psalm says, “I slept and took my rest; and I rose again, for the Lord will uphold Me.”24    Ps. iv. 8 But this ye saw not, but ye see His Church, concerning whom it is written in like manner, and fulfilled, “O Lord My God, the nations shall come unto Thee from the extremity of the earth and shall say, Truly our fathers worshipped lying images, and there is not in them any profit.”25    Jer. xvi. 19 This certainly, whether ye will or no, ye behold; even although ye yet believe, that there either is, or was, in those idols some profit; yet certainly unnumbered peoples of the nations, after having left, or cast away, or broken in pieces such like vanities, ye have heard say, “Truly our fathers worshipped lying images, and there is not in them any profit; shall a man make gods, and, lo, they are no gods?”26    Jer. xvi. 19, 20 Nor think that it was foretold that the nations should come unto some one place of God, in that it was said, “Unto Thee shall the nations come from the extremity of the earth.” Understand, if you can, that unto the God of the Christians, Who is the Supreme and True God, the peoples of the nations come, not by walking but by believing. For the same thing was by another prophet thus foretold, “The Lord,” saith he, “shall prevail against them, and shall utterly destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth: and all the isles of the nations shall worship Him, each man from his place.”27    Zeph. ii. 11 Whereas the one says, “Unto Thee all nations shall come;” this the other says, “They shall worship Him, each man from his place.” Therefore they shall come unto Him, not departing from their own place, because believing in Him they shall find Him in their hearts. Ye saw not what was foretold and fulfilled concerning the ascension of Christ; “Be Thou exalted above the Heavens, O God;”28    Ps. cviii. 5 but ye see what follows immediately after, “And above all the earth Thy Glory.” Those things concerning Christ already done and past, all of them ye have not seen; but these things present in His Church ye deny not that ye see. Both things we point out to you as foretold; but the fulfillment of both we are therefore unable to point out for you to see, because we cannot bring back into sight things past.

7. Me attendite, vobis dicit Ecclesia; me attendite, quam videtis, etiamsi videre nolitis. Qui enim temporibus illis in Judaea terra fideles fuerunt, ex virgine nativitatem mirabilem, ac passionem, resurrectionem, ascensionem Christi, omnia divina dicta ejus et facta praesentes praesentia didicerunt. Haec vos non vidistis, propterea credere recusatis. Ergo haec aspicite, in haec intendite, haec quae cernitis cogitate, quae vobis non praeterita narrantur, nec futura praenuntiantur, sed praesentia demonstrantur. An vobis inane vel leve videtur, et nullum vel parvum putatis esse miraculum divinum, quod in nomine unius crucifixi universum genus currit humanum? Non vidistis quod praedictum et impletum est de humana Christi nativitate, Ecce virgo in utero accipiet, et pariet filium: sed videtis quod praedictum et impletum est ad Abraham Dei verbum, In semine tuo benedicentur omnes gentes. Non vidistis quod de mirabilibus Christi praedictum est, Venite, et videte opera Domini, quae posuit prodigia super terram (Psal. XLV, 9): sed videtis quod praedictum est, Dominus dixit ad me, Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te: postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam, et possessionem tuam terminos terrae (Psal. II, 7 et 8). 0177 Non vidistis quod praedictum est et impletum de passione Christi, Foderunt manus meas et pedes meos, dinumeraverunt omnia ossa mea; ipsi vero consideraverunt et conspexerunt me; diviserunt sibi vestimenta mea, et super vestem meam miserunt sortem: sed videtis quod in eodem psalmo praedictum est, et nunc apparet impletum, Commemorabuntur et convertentur ad Dominum universi fines terrae, et adorabunt in conspectu ejus universae patriae gentium; quoniam Domini est regnum, et ipse dominabitur gentium (Psal. XXI, 17-19, 28, 29). Non vidistis quod de resurrectione Christi praedictum atque completum est, loquente Psalmo ex persona ejus prius de traditore et persecutoribus ejus: Egrediebantur foras, et loquebantur simul in unum; adversum me insusurrabant omnes inimici mei, adversum me cogitabant mala mihi; verbum iniquum disposuerunt adversum me. Ubi, ut ostenderet nihil eos valuisse occidendo resurrecturum, subjecit atque ait: Numquid qui dormit, non adjiciet ut resurgat? Et paulo post cum de ipso suo traditore per eamdem prophetiam praedixisset, quod in Evangelio quoque scriptum est, Qui edebat panes meos, ampliavit super me calcaneum; hoc est, conculcavit me: continuo subdidit, Tu autem, Domine, miserere mei, et resuscita me, et reddam illis (Psal. XL, 7-11; Joan. XIII, 18). Impletum est hoc, dormivit Christus, et evigilavit, hoc est, resurrexit: qui per eamdem prophetiam in alio psalmo ait, Ego dormivi, et somnum cepi; et exsurrexi, quoniam Dominus suscipiet me (Psal. III). Verum hoc non vidistis, sed videtis ejus Ecclesiam, de qua similiter dictum et impletum est, Domine Deus meus, ad te gentes venient ab extremo terrae, et dicent, Vere mendacia coluerunt patres nostri simulacra, et non est in illis utilitas. Hoc certe sive velitis seu nolitis, aspicitis: ut si adhuc aliquam putatis esse vel fuisse in simulacris utilitatem; certe tamen innumeros gentium populos relictis vel abjectis vel confractis hujusmodi vanitatibus audistis dicere, Vere mendacia coluerunt patres nostri simulacra, et non est in illis utilitas: si faciet homo deos, et ecce ipsi non sunt dii (Jerem. XVI, 19, 20). Nec putetis autem ad unum aliquem Dei locum gentes praedictas fuisse venturas, quoniam dictum est, Ad te gentes venient ab extremo terrae. Intelligite, si potestis, ad Deum Christianorum, qui summus et verus est Deus, non ambulando venire gentium populos, sed credendo. Nam res eadem ab alio propheta sic praenuntiata est: Praevalebit, inquit, Dominus adversus eos, et exterminabit omnes deos gentium terrae; et adorabunt eum unusquisque de loco suo omnes insulae gentium (Sophon. II, 11). Quod ait ille, Ad te omnes gentes venient; hoc ait iste, Adorabunt eum unusquisque de loco suo. Ergo venient ad eum non recedentes de loco suo, quia credentes in eum invenient eum in corde suo. Non vidistis quod praedictum et impletum est de ascensione Christi, Exaltare super coelos, Deus: sed videtis quod continuo sequitur, Et super omnem terram gloria tua (Psal. CVII, 6). 0178 Illa de Christo jam facta atque transacta omnia non vidistis; sed ista praesentia in ejus Ecclesia videre vos non negatis. Utraque vobis praedicta monstramus: utraque autem vobis impleta propterea demonstrare videnda non possumus, quia revocare in conspectum praeterita non valemus.