Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 1.djvu/455

 are we not all wise; seeing we have received the knowledge of, which is ? Why do we suffer ourselves foolishly to perish; not considering the gift which the has truly sent to us?

XVIII. My life be an offering for the doctrine of the Cross; which is indeed a stumbling-block to the unbelievers, but to us salvation and life eternal. "Where is the wise man? Where is the disputer?" Where is the boasting of those who are called wise? For, our , was according to the dispensation of , conceived in the womb of Mary, of the seed of David, by the : was born, and baptized, that through his Passion he might purify water.

XIX. Now the virginity of Mary, and her delivery, was kept in secret from the prince of this world; as was also the death of our ; three most notable mysteries, yet done in secret by. How then was our manifested to the world? There shone a star in heaven above all other stars, and its light was unspeakable, and its strangeness wrought amazement. All the other stars, yea, the sun and moon also, were but its train; and it sent forth its light beyond them all. And there was trouble to think whence this unwonted strangeness might be. Hence all the power of magic was dissolved; and every bond of wickedness was destroyed; ignorance was taken away; the old kingdom was abolished; himself appearing in the form of a man, for the renewal of eternal life. Moreover the full dispensation of then took its beginning. From thenceforth all things were disturbed; forasmuch as he designed to abolish death.

XX. But if shall give me grace through your prayers, and it be His will, I purpose in a second Epistle which I will shortly write unto you, to manifest to you more fully the dispensation, (of which I have now begun to speak,) unto the new man, which is ; both in his faith, and in his love, in his suffering and in his resurrection, especially if the  shall make it known unto me: that ye may all and each of you, by grace, concur in professing the name of one faith, and one, who was of the race of David according to the flesh; the Son of man, and Son of ; that ye may obey your Bishop and the Presbytery with an entire affection; breaking one and the same