But charge it to your own wickedness, that God can even be falsely accused by them that have no sense, for not having always taught all men the same acts of righteousness. For to many men such subjects of God’s teaching seemed to be irrational and unworthy of Him, for they had not received grace to know that He has called your people, when acting evilly, and being ill with disease of soul, unto conversion and repentance of spirit; and that prophecy as having come forward after the death of Moses is eternal.
And this, Gentlemen, has been said by the Psalm. And that we who have been wise by them acknowledge that they are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb,Psalms 19:10 is evident from the fact that we cannot be brought to deny His name even by the threat of death. And it is clear to all that we who believe in Him even ask Him that He will preserve us from the aliens (namely the evil and deceitful spirits), as the word of prophecy says, using the figure of one of those who believe on Him.
For we entreat God that we may ever be preserved by Jesus Christ from the demons, whom we used to worship and who are alien from the true religion of God, that after we have turned unto God we may by Him be spotless. For we call Him Helper and Redeemer, at the power also of whose name even the demons tremble, and to-day when exorcised by the name of Jesus Christ who was crucified in the time of Pontius Pilate, who was governor of Judaea, are in subjection. For this is clear to all from the fact that the Father gave Him such great power that even the demons are subject both to His name and to the Dispensation brought in by His suffering.