425
Secondpart.—Thatmanwithoutfaithcannotknowthetruegood, norjustice.
, theyalltendtothisend.[159] Thecauseofsomegoingtowar, andofothersavoidingit, isthesamedesireinboth, , evenofthosewhohangthemselves.
Andyetaftersuchagreatnumberofyears, , princesandsubjects, noblemenandcommoners, oldandyoung, strongandweak, learnedandignorant, healthyandsick, ofallcountries, alltimes, allages, andallconditions.
Atrialsolong, socontinuous, andsouniform, ; , whilethepresentneversatisfiesus, experiencedupesus, andfrommisfortunetomisfortuneleadsustodeath, theireternalcrown.
Whatisitthenthatthisdesireandthisinabilityproclaimtous, butthattherewasonceinmanatruehappinessofwhichtherenowremaintohimonlythemarkandemptytrace, whichheinvaintriestofillfromallhissurroundings, seekingfromthingsabsentthehelphedoesnotobtaininthingspresent? Buttheseareallinadequate, becausetheinfiniteabysscanonlybefilledbyaninfiniteandimmutableobject, thatistosay, onlybyGodHimself.
Heonlyisourtruegood, andsincewehaveforsakenHim, itisastrangethingthatthereisnothinginnaturewhichhasnotbeenserviceableintakingHisplace; thestars, theheavens, earth, theelements, plants, cabbages, leeks, animals, insects, calves, serpents, fever, pestilence, war, famine, vices, adultery, , everythingcanappearequallygoodtohim, evenhisowndestruction, thoughsoopposedtoGod, toreason, andtothewholecourseofnature.
