would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them that are asleep.”[192] The explanation which appeared to us to be appropriate to this passage, we gave in the exegetical remarks which we have made on the first Epistle to the Thessalonians. Footnote 186: διηνεκῶς. Footnote 187: τὴν οἰκονομίαν τελέσαντος. Footnote 188: χρήσιμον δ’ οἶμαι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν τῶν προκειμένων. Footnote 189: Cf. Rom. xiv. 9. Footnote 190: 1 Cor. xv. 52. Footnote 191: Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 52 with 1 Thess. iv. 16. Footnote 192: Cf. 1 Thess. iv. 13-15. Chapter LXVI. And be not surprised if all the multitudes who have believed on Jesus do not behold His resurrection, when Paul, writing to the Corinthians, can say to them, as being incapable of receiving greater matters, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified;”[193] which is the same as saying, “Hitherto ye were not able, neither yet now are ye able, for ye are still carnal.”[194] The Scripture, therefore, doing everything by appointment of God, has recorded of Jesus, that before His sufferings He appeared to all indifferently, but not always; while after His sufferings He no longer appeared to all in the same way, but with a certain discrimination which measured out to each his due. And as it is related that “God appeared to Abraham,” or to one of the saints, and this “appearance” was not a thing of constant occurrence, but took place at intervals, and not to all, so understand that the Son of God appeared in the one case on the same principle that God appeared to the latter.[195] Footnote 193: 1 Cor. ii. 2. Footnote 194: Cf. 1 Cor. iii. 2, 3. Footnote 195: οὕτω μοι νόει καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὦφθαι τῇ παραπλησίᾳ εἰς τὸ περὶ ἐκείνων, εἰς τὸ ὦφθαι αὐτοῖς τὸν Θεόν, κρίσει. Chapter LXVII.