340 NOVATIAN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER But certainlythe Scripturedoes not lie;therefore,truly, God was seen. Whence itmay be understoodthatitwas not the Father who was seen,seeing that He never was seen; but the Son, who has both been accustomed to descend,and to be seen becauseHe has descended. For He isthe image of the invisibleGod, as the imperfectionand frailtyof the human conditionwas accustomed sometimes even then tosee God the Father in the image of God, that is,in the Son of God. For graduallyand by progressionhuman frailtywas to be strengthenedby the image to that gloryof beingable one day to see God the Father. For the things thatare great are dangerous if they are [seen on a] sudden. For even the sudden lightof the sun afterdarkness,withits toogreatsplendour,willnot make manifestthe lightof day to unaccustomed eyes, but will rather strike them with blindness. And lestthis should occur to the injuryof human eyes, the darknessisbroken up and scatteredby degrees; and the risingof that luminary,mounting by small and unnoticed increments,gentlyaccustomsmen's eyes to bear itsfullorb by the[gradual]increaseof itsrays. Thus, therefore,Christ also— that is,the image of God, and the Son of God— is looked upon by men, inasmuch as He could be seen. And thus the weakness and imperfectionof the human destinyis nourished,led up, and educatedby Him ; so that,beingac customed to lookupon the Son, itmay one day be abletosee God the Father Himself alsoas He is,that itmay notbe strickenby His sudden and intolerablebrightness,and be hinderedfrom being ableto seeGod the Father,whom ithas always desired. Wherefore it is the Son who isseen;but the Son of God isthe Word of God : and the Word of God was made flesh,and dwelt among us; and thisis Christ. What in the world is the reasonthat we should hesitateto callHim God, who in so many ways is acknowledged tobe proved God ? And if,moreover,theangelmeets withHagar, Sarah'smaid, drivenfrom her home as wellas turnedaway, near thefountainof waterintheway to Shur ; asksandlearns the reasonof her flight,and afterthatoffersher advicethat