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..., ’smercythatHehasgivenindicationsofboth.
Andyettheytakeoccasiontoconcludethatoneofthesepointsdoesnotexist, , theJewswerehated, , thecourseofallthingsmusttendtoitastoacentre.
, finally, religionmustsobetheobjectandcentretowhichallthingstend, thatwhoeverknowstheprinciplesofreligioncangiveanexplanationbothofthewholenatureofmaninparticular, andofthewholecourseoftheworldingeneral.
AndonthisgroundtheytakeoccasiontoreviletheChristianreligion, , powerful, andeternal; whichisstrictlydeism, almostasfarremovedfromtheChristianreligionasatheism, , becausetheydonotseethatallthingsconcurtotheestablishmentofthispoint, thatGoddoesnotmanifestHimselftomenwithalltheevidencewhichHecouldshow.
Butletthemconcludewhattheywillagainstdeism, theywillconcludenothingagainsttheChristianreligion, whichproperlyconsistsinthemysteryoftheRedeemer, who, unitinginHimselfthetwonatures, humananddivine, hasredeemedmenfromthecorruptionofsininordertoreconciletheminHisdivinepersontoGod.
TheChristianreligion, then, teachesmenthesetwotruths; thatthereisaGodwhommencanknow, ; anditisequallydangerousformantoknowGodwithoutknowinghisownwretchedness, , whohaveknownGod, andnottheirownwretchedness, ortothedespairofatheists, whoknowtheirownwretchedness, butnottheRedeemer.
And, asitisalikenecessarytomantoknowthesetwopoints, ; itisinthisthatitconsists.
Letushereinexaminetheorderoftheworld, andseeifallthingsdonottendtoestablishthesetwochiefpointsofthisreligion: JesusChrististheendofall, .
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