Sermon XVIII. [LXVIII. Ben.] Again on the words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 25, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth,” etc. 1. We have heard the Son of God saying, “I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” What doth he confess to Him? Wherein doth he praise Him? “Because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”2288 Who are the “wise and prudent”? Who the “babes”? What hath He hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes? By the “wise and prudent,” He signifieth those of whom St. Paul speaks; “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? 314 Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?”2289 Yet perhaps thou still askest who they are. They are they peradventure who in their much disputation concerning God, have spoken falsely of Him; who, puffed up by their own doctrines, could in no wise find out and know God, and who for the God whose substance is incomprehensible and invisible, have thought the air and sky to be God, or the sun to be God, or anything which holds high place2290 among the creatures to be God. For observing the grandeur and beauty and powers of the creatures, they rested in them, and found not the Creator. 2. These men does the Book of wisdom reprove, where it is said, “For if they were able to know so much as to aim at the world, how did they not sooner find out the Lord there- of?”2291 They are accused as wasting their time and their busy disputes in investigating and measuring as it were the creature; they sought out the courses of the stars, the intervals of the planets, the movements2292 of the heavenly bodies, so as to arrive by certain2293 calcu- lations to that degree of knowledge as to foretell the eclipses of the sun and moon; and that as they had foretold, so should the event be according to the day and hour, and to the portion of the bodies which should be eclipsed. Great industry, great activity of mind. But in these things they sought after the Creator, who was not far off from them, and they found Him not. Whom if they could have found, they might have had within them. With the best reason then, and very rightly were they accused, who could investigate the numbers of the stars, and their varied movements, and know and foretell the eclipses of the luminaries: rightly accused, I say, in that they found not Him by whom these had been created and or- dained, because they neglected to seek Him. But be not thou much disquieted, if thou art 2288 Matt. xi. 25. 2289 1 Cor. i. 20. 2290 Sublimiter eminet. 2291 Wisd. xiii. 9. 2292 Itinera. 2293 Vid. Conf. v. 3 (4). Again on the words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 25, ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth,’ etc. 663 Again on the words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 25, ‘I thank thee, O Father,…