13:1: For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature;
and they were unable from the good things that
are seen to know him who exists,
nor did they recognize the craftsman while
paying heed to his works;
2: but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air,
or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
3: If through delight in the beauty of these things
men assumed them to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created them.
4: And if men were amazed at their power and working,
let them perceive from them
how much more powerful is he who formed them.
5: For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
6: Yet these men are little to be blamed,
for perhaps they go astray
while seeking God and desiring to find him.
7: For as they live among his works they keep searching,
and they trust in what they see, because the
things that are seen are beautiful.
8: Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
9: for if they had the power to know so much
that they could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?
Web Author: Charles Wohlers
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