Chapter LIX.—The Creator Our Father.

Then Simon:  “It is not impious for the sake of greater profit and advantage to flee to him who is of richer glory.”  Then Peter:  “If, as you say, it is not impious to flee to a stranger, it is at all events much more pious to remain with our own father, even if he be poor.  But if you do not think it impious to leave our father, and flee to another, as being better than he; and you do not believe that our Creator will take this amiss; much more the good God will not be angry, because, when we were strangers to him, we have not fled to him, but have remained with our own Creator.  Yea, I think he will rather commend us the more for this, that we have kept faith with God our Creator; for he will consider that, if we had been his creatures, we should never have been seduced by the allurements of any other to forsake him.  For if any one, allured by richer promises, shall leave his own father and betake himself to a stranger, it may be that he will leave him in his turn, and go to another who shall promise him greater things, and this the rather because he is not his son, since he could leave even him who by nature was his father.”  Then Simon said:  “But what if souls 114are from him, and do not know him, and he is truly their father?”