CXIII. The Churches of Spain support all these things, as is established by the wholly explicit words of Dracontius, Orosius, Marius Mercator, Prudentius, and Pacian

The nearness of the regions and places admonishes me not to separate the Spanish Church from the African, and not, after the doctrine of the latter has been explained and its opinion proposed, to keep silent any longer about the mind and persuasion of the former. But what these were, not to commemorate writers of the middle or even more recent age, Pacian, Prudentius, Orosius, Marius Mercator, and Dracontius signified more notably than the rest. For, to begin from that which is chief in this our treatment and which ought to be laid beneath it after the manner of a foundation, once and again Dracontius affirms that “parent” is that appellation which God prefers to the rest and in which he more vehemently delights. For, speaking concerning him¹, he sings:

Faithful nature, akin to things and knowing not how to lie, Preserves faith through the pietas of the Parent.²

And again³:

God refuses increase or decrease; He will always be the same, never mutable with age, Who, although he is Lord, nevertheless wills himself to be Parent.

But this comes about because God is borne toward men with excellent goodness, because his clemency toward men is supreme, and even much greater in effects than justice itself; because he is accounted for them the author of hope and the fountain and perennial origin both of souls and of all goods. All these things Dracontius assuredly hands down and repeats, writing⁴:

The Creator of the age knows That absolutely nothing besides himself is everywhere to be sought, And that unless he comes to aid, there will be no one who brings succor. Hence God is good to evil man, the author of all things: Hope, maker, lord, ruler, leader, arbiter, judge, Gracious with continual goodness, restrained in might, Good in simplicity, and loftier than every summit.

Then elsewhere⁵:

Thou, almighty God, heavenly origin of things, Thou art held gracious and clement and a consoler, In a time of sadness the greater defense of the oppressed. Thy right hand raises those struck down, lifts those who have fallen, Cherishes the cast down, and always feeds the needy,—

—preparing abundant cups, benignly ministers to the thirsty.⁶ Unknowing of wrath, by admonitions, not slaughter, thou restrainest Sin; more clement, without slaughter⁷, thou hearest the guilty Before their prayers, and aidest them with pardon; wrath does not stir Fury, so that thou wouldst command even the guilty to be slain justly. Thou art more gracious than just⁸: therefore thou dost not act severely; Thou punishest the erring, but gently correctest all, Good under pietas, while the scourge of punishment ceases.

With these the following agree⁹:

Who is as gracious as befits the Almighty, And inferior in no virtue, except in the wrath And purpose of the lash; for of his own accord he is good through love of pietas.¹⁰