Yet those same things harmonize with others and
are good, and in themselves are good. And all these things which
do not harmonize with each other still harmonize with the inferior
part of creation which we call the earth, having its own cloudy
and windy sky of like nature with itself. Far be it from me,
then, to say, "These things should not be." For if I could see
nothing but these, I should indeed desire something better -- but
still I ought to praise thee, if only for these created things.
For that thou art to be praised is shown from the fact that
"earth, dragons, and all deeps; fire, and hail, snow and vapors,
stormy winds fulfilling thy word; mountains, and all hills,
fruitful trees, and all cedars; beasts and all cattle; creeping
things, and flying fowl; things of the earth, and all people;
princes, and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens,
old men and children,"[208] praise thy name! But seeing also that
in heaven all thy angels praise thee, O God, praise thee in the
heights, "and all thy hosts, sun and moon, all stars and light,
the heavens of heavens, and the waters that are above the
heavens,"[209] praise thy name -- seeing this, I say, I no longer
desire a better world, because my thought ranged over all, and
with a sounder judgment I reflected that the things above were
better than those below, yet that all creation together was better
than the higher things alone.
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