330Chapter XXII.—Peter Worships One God.

When Simon said this, and was going to depart, Peter said:  “Listen to this one other remark, and then go where you like.”  Whereupon Simon turned back and remained, and Peter said:  “I know how you were then astonished when you heard me say, ‘Whosoever says anything whatever against God who created the world, I do not believe him.’  But listen now to something additional, and greater than this.  If God who created the world has in reality such a character as the Scriptures assign Him, and if somehow or other He is incomparably wicked, more wicked^14001400    “Incomparably wicked, more wicked than;” literally, “incomparably wicked as.” than either the Scriptures were able to represent Him, or any other can even conceive Him to be, nevertheless^14011401    The Greek has ὁμοίως, “in like manner.”  We have translated ὅμως. I shall not give up worshipping Him alone, and doing His will.  For I wish you to know and to be convinced, that he who has not affection for his own Creator, can never have it towards another.  And if he has it towards another, he has it contrary to nature, and he is ignorant that he has this passion for the unjust from the evil one.  Nor will he be able to retain even it stedfastly.  And, indeed, if there is another above the Creator (Demiurge), he will welcome me, since he is good, all the more that I love my own Father; and he will not welcome you, as he knows that you have abandoned your own natural Creator:  for I do not call Him Father, influenced by a greater hope, and not caring for what is reasonable.  Thus, even if you find one who is superior to Him, he knows that you will one day abandon him; and the more so that he has not been your father, since you have abandoned Him who was really your Father.