Whatever hesitation there was in speaking of God, there was no hesitation in speaking of man and his relation to God; nor is there hesitation in speaking about the world. This is God's world: he made it, he orders it and he governs it. The first way into his mystery is through his transforming power in men's lives; the second way is through the world he has made. Each of the four writers takes creation seriously. Justin has an earthy optimism: God made the world out of matter for man's sake. But Justin is a city man who writes for city men – he tells us little about his world, except that he finds God in it through the cosmic cross. Irenaeus is different; he has an eye for colour and movement and a curiosity for shapes and structure. Creation is earthy, but it is beautiful too. Tertullian stands out as the staunchest defender of creation and the toughest opponent of Marcion. His heart is in the fight, for God's world fires his curiosity and interest. All creatures great and small, especially the small and complicated, tell him about God. God, he wants to argue, wouldn't be God without the world. The government of the world is no abstract activity, for God drops thunderbolts, causes earthquakes and readily smites whoever deserves to be smitten.