en us and him. For all
things that are very far apart have many intermediate points between
them.

XIV. _In what sense, though the Gods never change, they are said to be
made angry and appeased._

If any one thinks the doctrine of the unchangeableness of the Gods is
reasonable and true, and then wonders how it is that they rejoice in the
good and reject the bad, are angry with sinners and become propitious
when appeased, the answer is as follows: God does not rejoice--for that
which rejoices also grieves; nor is he angered--for to be angered is a
passion; nor is he appeased by gifts--if he were, he would be conquered
by pleasure.

It is impious to suppose that the Divine is affected for good or ill by
human things. The Gods are always good and always do good and never
harm, being always in the same state and like themselves. The truth
simply is that, when we are good, we are joined to the Gods by our
likeness to them; when bad, we are separated from them by our
unlikeness. And when we live according to virtue we cling to the gods,
and when we become evil we make the gods our enemies--not because they
are angered against us, but because our sins prevent the light of the
gods from shining upon us, and put us in communion with spirits of
punishment. And if by prayers and sacrifices we find forgiveness of
sins, we do not appease or change the gods, but by what we do and by our
turning towards the Divine we heal our own badness and so enjoy again
the goodness of the gods. To say that God turns away from the evil is
like saying that the sun hides himself from the blind.

XV. _Why we give worship to the Gods when they need nothing._

This solves the question about sacrifices and other rites performed to
the Gods. The Divine itself is without needs, and the worship is paid
for our own benefit. The providence of the Gods reaches everywhere and
needs only some congruity[218:1] for its reception. All congruity comes
about by representation and likeness; for which reason the temples are
made in representation of heaven, the altar of earth, the images of life
(that is why they are made like living things), the prayers of the
element of thought, the mystic letters[219:1] of the unspeakable
celestial forces, the herbs and stones of matter, and the sacrificial
animals of the irrational life in us.

From all these things the Gods gain nothing; what gain could there be to
God? It is we who gain some communion with them.

X