THE FIRST ARTICLE (CONTINUED): "The Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and

Earth."

It has been shown that we must first of all believe there is but one God.

Now, the second is that this God is the Creator and maker of heaven and

earth, of all things visible and invisible. Let us leave more subtle

reasons for the present and show by a simple example that all things are

created and made by God. If a person, upon entering a certain house, should

feel-a warmth at the door of the house, and going within should feel a

greater warmth, and so on the more he went into its interior, he would

believe that somewhere within was a fire, even if he did not see the fire

itself which caused this heat which he felt. So also is it when we consider

the things of this world. For one finds all things arranged in different

degrees of beauty and worth, and the closer things approach to God, the

more beautiful and better they are found to be. Thus, the heavenly bodies

are more beautiful and nobler than those which are below them; and,

likewise, the invisible things in relation to the visible. Therefore, it

must be seen that all these things proceed from one God who gives His being

and beauty to each and everything. "All men are vain, in whom there is not

the knowledge of God: and who by these good things that are seen could not

understand Him that is. Neither by attending to the works have acknowledged

who was the workman. . . . For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the

creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby."¹

Thus, therefore, it is certain for us that all things in the world are from

God.