little time hence must leave the world, and his
body become the food of worms, much more strictly am I bound to obey the
omnipotent God, who is infinite and eternal, and who hath declared,
_Whoever shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my Father_."
MARTIAN.-"You now mention the error of your sect which I have long
desired to be informed of: you say then that God hath a son?"
ACACIUS.-"Doubtless he hath one." MARTIAN.-"Who is this son of God?"
ACACIUS.-"The Word of truth and grace." MARTIAN.-"Is that his name?"
ACACIUS.-"You did not ask me his name, but what he is." MARTIAN.-"What
then is his name?" ACACIUS.-"Jesus Christ." Martian having inquired of
the saint by what woman God had this son, he replied, that the divine
generation of the Word is of a different nature from human generation,
and proved it from the language the royal prophet makes use of in the
forty-fourth psalm. MARTIAN.-"Is God then corporeal?" ACACIUS.-"He is
known only to himself. We cannot describe him; he is invisible to us in
this mortal state, but we are sufficiently acquainted with his
perfections to confess and adore him." MARTIAN.-"If God hath no body,
how can he have a heart or mind?" ACACIUS.-"Wisdom hath no dependence or
connection with an organized body. What hath body to do with
understanding?" He then pressed him to sacrifice from the example of the
Cataphrygians, or Montanists, and engage all under his care to do the
same. Acacius replied: "It is not me these people obey, but God. Let
them hear me when I advise them to what is right; but let them despise
me, if I offer them the contrary and endeavor to pervert them."
MARTIAN.-"Give me all their names." ACACIUS.-"They are written in
heaven, in God's invisible registers." MARTIAN.-"Where are the
magicians, your companions, and the teachers of this cunningly devised
error?" by which he probably meant the priests. ACACIUS.-"No one in the
world abhors magic more than we Christians." MARTIAN.-"Magic is the new
religion which you introduce." ACACIUS.-"We destroy those gods whom you
fear, though you made them yourselves. We, on the contrary, fear not him
whom we have made with our hands, but him who created us, and who is the
Lord and Master of all nature: who {685} loved us as our good father,
and redeemed us from death and hell as the careful and affectionate
shepherd of our souls." MARTIAN.-"Give the names I require, if you would
avoid the torture." ACACIUS.-"I am before the tribunal,