The Epistle to Diogentus

Do you not see that the more of them are punished, the more do others multiply?

These things do not seem to be the works of man; these things are a miracle of God, these things are the proofs of his coming.

For before he came what man had any knowledge[*](Human knowledge of God) at all of what God is?

Or do you accept the vain and foolish statements of those pretentious philosophers, of whom some said that God is fire (they give the name of God to that to which they shall go) and some water, and some one of the other elements which were created by God.

And yet if any of these arguments is acceptable it would be possible for each one of the other created things to be declared God.

Now these things are the miracle mongering and deceit of the magicians;

but of men there is none who has either seen him or known him, but he himself manifested himself.

Now he manifested himself through faith, by which alone it is given to see God.

For God the Master and Creator of the universe, who made all things and arranged them in order was not only kind to man, but also long-suffering.

Nay, he was ever so and is and will be, kindly and good and free from wrath and true, and he alone is good.

And having formed a great and unspeakable design he communicated it to his Child alone.

And so long as he kept it in a mystery and guarded his wise counsel, he seemed to neglect us and to be careless;

but

Having thus planned everything by himself[*](The plan of Salvation) with his Child he suffered us up to the former time to be borne along by unruly impulses as we willed, carried away by pleasures and lust. Not at all because he delighted in our sins, but in forbearance; not in approval of the time of iniquity which was then, but fashioning the time of righteousness which is now, that we, who at that time were proved by our own deeds to be unworthy of life, may now be granted it by the goodness of God, and that when we had made it plain that it was impossible for us by ourselves to enter into the kingdom of God, we might be made able by the power of God.

But when our iniquity was fulfilled and it had become fully manifest, that its reward of punishment and death waited for it, and the time came which God had appointed to manifest henceforth his kindliness and power (O the excellence of the kindness and the love of God!) he did not hate us nor reject us nor remember us for evil, but was long-suffering, endured us, himself in pity took our sin, himself gave his own Son as ransom for us, the Holy for the wicked, the innocent for the

For what else could cover our sins but his righteousness?

In whom was it possible for us, in our wickedness and impiety, to be made just, except in the son of God alone?