Chap. XXII.—Of the Rage of the Demons Against Christians, and the Error of Unbelievers.

They do not therefore rage against us on this account, because their gods are not worshipped by us, but because the truth is on our side, which (as it has been said most truly) produces hatred. What, then, shall we think, but that they are ignorant of what they suffer? For they act1044    Pergitur enim…furore. Another reading is, “Perciti enim perferuntur…furore.”   with a blind and unreasonable fury, which we see, but of which they are ignorant. For it is not the men themselves who persecute, for they have no cause of anger against the innocent; but those contaminated and abandoned spirits by whom the truth is both known and hated insinuate themselves into their minds, and goad them in their ignorance to fury. For these, as long as there is peace among the people of God, flee from the righteous, and fear them; and when they seize upon the bodies of men, and harass their souls, they are adjured by them, and at the name of the true God are put to flight. For when they hear this name they tremble, cry out, and assert that they are branded and beaten; and being asked who they are, whence they are come, and how they have insinuated themselves into a man, confess it. Thus, being tortured and excruciated by the power of the divine name, they come out of the man.1045    Exsulantur. Other readings are, “exsolantur,” “expelluntur,” “exultantur.” [Compare p. 393, note 1, vol. v., this series.]   On account of these blows and threats, they always hate holy and just men; and because they are unable of themselves to injure them, they pursue with public hatred those whom they perceive to be grievous to them, and they exercise cruelty, with all the violence which they can employ, that they may either weaken their faith by pain, or, if they are unable to effect that, may take them away altogether from the earth, that there may be none to restrain their wickedness. It does not escape my notice what reply can be made on the other side. Why, then, does that God of surpassing power, that mighty One, whom you confess to preside over all things, and to be Lord of all, permit these things to be done, and neither avenge nor defend His worshippers? Why, in short, are they who do not worship Him rich, and powerful, and happy? and why do they enjoy honours and kingly state, and have these very persons1046    Eos ipsos, i.e., Christians.   subject to their power and sway?  

We must also give a reason for this, that no error may remain. For this is especially the cause why it is thought that religion has not the power of God, because men are influenced by the appearance of earthly and present goods, which in no way have reference to the care of the mind; and because they see that the righteous are without these goods, and that the unrighteous abound in them, they both judge that the worship of God is worthless, in which they do not see these things contained, and they imagine that the rites of other gods are true, since their worshippers enjoy riches and honours and kingdoms. But they who are of this opinion do not attentively consider the power and method of man, which consists altogether in the mind, and not in the body. For they see nothing more than is seen, namely the body; and because this is to be seen and handled,1047    Quia oculis manuque tractabile est.   it is weak, frail, and mortal; and to this belong all those goods which are their desire and admiration, wealth, honours, and governments, since they bring pleasures to the body, and therefore are as liable to decay as the body itself. But the soul, in which alone man consists since it is not exposed to the sight of the eyes, and its goods cannot be seen, for they are placed in virtue only, must therefore be as firm, and constant, and lasting as virtue itself, in which the good of the soul consists.  

CAPUT XXII. De furore daemonum in Christianos, et errore infidelium.

Non ergo ideo adversus nos insaniunt, quia dii non coluntur a nobis: sed quia veritas penes nos est, quae (ut est verissime dictum) odium parit. Quid igitur existimabimus, nisi nescire illos quid patiantur? Pergitur enim caeco et irrationabili furore; quem nos videmus, illi nesciunt. Non enim ipsi homines persequuntur, qui causam cur irascantur innocentibus non 0623B habent: sed illi spiritus contaminati ac perditi, quibus veritas et nota est, et invisa, insinuant se mentibus eorum, et instigant nescios in furorem. Hi enim quamdiu pax est in populo Dei, fugitant justos, et pavent; et cum corpora hominum occupant, animasque divexant, adjurantur ab his, et nomine Dei veri fugantur. Quo audito tremunt, exclamant, et uri se verberarique testantur; et interroganti, qui sint quando venerint, quomodo in hominem irrepserint, confitentur. Sic extorti et excruciati virtute divini nominis, exsolantur. Propter haec verbera et minas, sanctos et justos viros semper oderunt. Et quia per se nocere his nihil possunt, publicis eos odiis persequuntur, quos sibi graves sentiunt; exercentque saevitiam quam violentissime possunt, ut aut eorum 0623C fidem minuant per dolorem, aut, si id efficere non 0624A quiverint, auferant omnino de terra, ne sint qui possint eorum nequitiam coercere. Non me fugit quid responderi e contrario possit. Cur ergo Deus ille singularis, ille magnus, quem rerum potentem, quem dominum omnium confiteris, haec fieri patitur; nec cultores suos aut vindicat, aut tuetur? Cur denique qui eum non colunt, et opulenti, et potentes, et beati sunt, et honoribus regnoque potiuntur; eosque ipsos ditioni suae ac potestati subjectos habent?

Reddenda et hujus rei ratio est, ne quid remaneat erroris. Nam in primis haec causa est cur existimetur religio Dei vim non habere, quod inducuntur homines specie terrenorum ac praesentium bonorum, quae ad curam mentis nullo modo pertinent: quibus quia carere justos vident, et affluere injustos, et Dei cultum 0624B inanem arbitrantur, in quo inesse illa non cernunt, et deorum ritus aestimant veros, quoniam cultores eorum, et divitiis, et honoribus, et regnis fruantur. Verum ii qui sunt in hac existimatione, non perspiciunt altius vim rationemque hominis; quae tota non in corpore, sed in mente est. Nihil enim vident amplius, quam videtur, corpus scilicet; quod, quia oculis manuque tractabile est, imbecillum, fragile, mortale est; cujus sunt illa omnia bona, quae cupiditati, ac miraculo sunt, opes, honores, imperia, quoniam corpori afferunt voluptates; et ideo tam caduca sunt quam corpus ipsum. Animus vero, in quo solo est homo, quoniam subjectus oculis non est, nec bona ejus inspici possunt, quae in sola virtute sunt posita; et ideo tam stabilis, et constans, et perpetuus sit necesse 0624C est, sicut ipsa virtus, in qua est animi bonum.