332 NOV ATI AN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER shallkeep my word, he shallnot seedeath forever?"1 Not to seedeath for ever! what is thisbut immortality? But immortalityis the associateof divinity,because both the divinityisimmortal,and immortalityisthe fruitof divinity For every man is mortal; and immortalitycannot be from that which is mortal. Therefore from Christ,as a mortal man, immortalitycannot arise." But," saysHe, " whosoever keepeth my word, shallnot see death for ever;" therefore the word of Christ affordsimmortality,and by immortality affordsdivinity.But although itisnot possibleto maintain thatone who is himselfmortal can make anotherimmortal, yet thisword of Christnot onlysetsforth,but affordsimmor tality: certainlyHe is not man only who givesimmortality, which ifHe were onlyman He couldnot give;but by giving divinityby immortality,He proves Himself to be God by offeringdivinity,which if He were not God He could not give. If Christ was only man, how did He say, " Before Abraham was,I am?"1 For no man can be beforeHim from whom he himselfis; nor can itbe thatany one should have been priorto him of whom he himselfhas taken hisorigin. And yet Christ,althoughHe is born of Abraham, says that He is before Abraham. Either,therefore,He says what is not true,and deceives,ifHe was not beforeAbraham, seeing that He was of Abraham ; or He does not deceive,if He is alsoGod, and was before Abraham. And if this were not so,itfollowsthat,being of Abraham, He couldnot be before Abraham. If Christwas only man, how does He say," And I know them, and my sheepfollowme ; and I giveunto them eternallife,and they shallnever perish?"8 And yet,since every man isbound by the laws of mortality,and therefore is unable to keep himself for ever,much more will he be unable to keep another for ever. But Christ promisesto givesalvationfor ever,which if He does not give,He isa deceiver; ifHe gives,He isGod. But He does not deceive, forHe gives what He promises. ThereforeHe isGod who profferseternalsalvation,which man, being unable to keep himself [for ever],cannot be able to give to another. If 1Johnviii61. 2Johnviii..r>8. sJohnx.27,28.