State of Innocence a State of Enjoyment.
1636.
When God had made man after His own image and likeness, He grafted into His work a certain breathing and odour of His divinity, that so men, being made partakers of His Only-begotten,
might through Him be also friends of God and sons of adoption.
1637.
Whence also He Himself, as the true Prophet, knowing with what actions the Father is pleased, instructed them in what way they might obtain that privilege.
1638.
At that time, therefore, there was among men only one worship of God—
a pure mind and an uncorrupted spirit.
1639.
And for this reason every creature kept an inviolable covenant with the human race.
1640.
For by reason of their reverence of the Creator,
no sickness, or bodily disorder, or corruption of food, had power over them;
whence it came to pass, that a life of a thousand years did not fall into the frailty of old age.
Sin the Cause of Suffering.
1641.
But when men, leading a life void of distress,
began to think that the continuance of good things was granted them not by the divine bounty,
but by the chance of things, and to accept as a debt of nature, not as a gift of God's goodness,
their enjoyment without any exertion of the delights of the divine complaisance,
1642.
—men, being led by these things into contrary and impious thoughts,
at last, at the instigation of idleness, came to think that the life of gods was theirs by nature,
without any labours or merits on their part.
1643.
Hence they go from bad to worse, to believe that neither is the world governed by the providence of God, nor is there any place for virtues,
since they knew that they themselves possessed the fullness of ease and delights,
without the assignment of any works previously,
and without any labours were treated as the friends of God.
Suffering was Beneficial for.
1644.
By the most righteous judgment of God, therefore,
labours and afflictions are assigned as a remedy to men languishing in the vanity of such thoughts.
1645.
And when labour and tribulations came upon them,
they were excluded from the place of delights and amenity.
1646.
Also the earth began to produce nothing to them without labour;
and then men's thoughts being turned in them, they were warned to seek the aid of their Creator,
and by prayers and vows to ask for the divine protection.
1647.
And thus it came to pass, that the worship of God,
which they had neglected by reason of their prosperity, they recovered through their adversity;
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and their thoughts towards God, which indulgence had perverted, affliction corrected.
1648.
So therefore the divine providence, seeing that this was more profitable to man,
removed from them the ways of benignity and abundance, as being hurtful,
and introduced the way of vexation and tribulation.
Translation of Enoch.
1649.
But that He might show that these things were done on account of the ungrateful,
He translated to immortality a certain one of the first race of men,
because He saw that he was not unmindful of His grace,
and because he hoped to call on the name of God; while the rest,
who were so ungrateful that they could not be amended and corrected even by labours and tribulations,
were condemned to a terrible death.
1650.
Yet among them also He found a certain one, who was righteous with his house, Genesis 6:9
whom He preserved, having enjoined him to build an ark,
in which he and those who were commanded to go with him might escape,
when all things should be destroyed by a deluge:
in order that, the wicked being cut off by the overflow of waters,
the world might receive a purification;
and he who had been preserved for the continuance of the race,
being purified by water, might anew repair the world.
The Book of Recognitions CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN
Divisions 1651-1680
Book 4
RECOGNITIONS 4
Origin of Idolatry.
1651.
But when all these things were done, men turned again to impiety;
and on this account a law was given by God to instruct them in the manner of living.
1652.
But in process of time, the worship of God and righteousness were corrupted by the unbelieving and the wicked, as we shall show more fully by and by.
1653.
Moreover, perverse and erratic religions were introduced, to which the greater part of men gave themselves up, by occasion of holidays and solemnities, instituting drinkings and banquets,
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following pipes, and flutes, and harps, and diverse kinds of musical instruments,
and indulging themselves in all kinds of drunkenness and luxury.
1654.
Hence every kind of error took rise; hence they invented groves and altars, fillets and victims,
and after drunkenness they were agitated as if with mad emotions.
1655.
By this means power was given to the demons to enter into minds of this sort,
so that they seemed to lead insane dances and to rave like Bacchanalians;
hence were invented the gnashing of teeth, and bellowing from the depth of their bowels;
1656.
hence a terrible appearance and a fierce aspect in men,
so that he whom drunkenness had subverted and a demon had instigated,
was believed by the deceived and the erring to be filled with the Deity.
God Both Good and Righteous.
1657.
Hence, since so many false and erratic religions have been introduced into the world,
we have been sent, as good merchants, bringing unto you the worship of the true God,
handed down from the fathers, and preserved;
as the seeds of which we scatter these words among you,
and place it in your choice to choose what seems to you to be right.
1658.
For if you receive those things which we bring you, you shall not only be able yourselves to escape the incursions of the demon, yet also to drive them away from others;
and at the same time you shall obtain the rewards of eternal good things.
1659.
Yet those who shall refuse to receive those things which are spoken by us,
shall be subject in the present life to diverse demons and disorders of sicknesses,
and their souls after their departure from the body shall be tormented for ever.
1660.
For God is not only good, yet also just;
for if He were always good, and never just to render to every one according to his deeds,
goodness would be found to be injustice,
for it would be injustice if the impious and the pious were treated by Him alike.
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