47. But let us
return to our point, lest we seem to have lost sight of the break we
made in answering the ideas of those who, seeing some wicked men, rich,
joyous, full of honours, and powerful, whilst many upright men are in
want and are weak,—suppose therefore that God either cares
nothing about us (which is what the Epicureans say), or that He is
ignorant of men’s actions as the wicked say—or that, if He
knows all things, He is an unjust judge in allowing the good to be in
want and the wicked to have abundance. But it did not seem out of
place to make a digression to meet an idea of this kind and to contrast
it with the feelings of those very persons whom they consider
happy—for they think themselves wretched. I suppose they
would believe themselves more readily than us.