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 inundated the whole earth with a deluge of waters, to the destruction of all mankind, with the sole exception of eight persons. O Lord, says the wise man: who can ever resist the strength of your arm? [Wisd. 11:22]

Hence we may see the rashness of the sinner who wrestles against God, and carries his audacity so far as even to lift up his hand against the Almighty: He hath stretched out his hand against God, and hath strengthened himself against the Almighty. [job 15:25] Suppose we should see an ant make an assault upon a soldier, would we not think it rashness? But how much more rash is it for a man who makes an assault on the Creator Himself, who scorns His precepts, disregards His threats, despises His grace, and declares himself His enemy!

But these rash and ungrateful men are the very men whom the Son of God has come to save, by making Himself Man, and by taking on Himself the chastisement deserved by them, in order to obtain pardon for them. And then, seeing that man from the wounds inflicted by sin continued very weak and powerless to resist the strength of his enemies, what did He do? From strong and almighty as He was, He became weak, and assumed to Himself the bodily infirmities of man, in order to procure for man by His merits the strength of soul requisite to subdue the attacks of the flesh and of Hell. And so, behold Him made a little Child, in need of milk to sustain His life, and so feeble that He cannot feed Himself, that He cannot move Himself.

The Eternal Word, in coming to be made Man, wished to conceal His strength: God will come from the south; there is His strength hid.[Hab. 3;3,4] We find (says St. Augustine)