10. О Промысле

The Church acquired this opinion about the soul and body, having learned from the words of God. For it recognizes the God of all not only as the Creator, but also as the Trustee, Administrator and Ruler of the universe. It is most incongruous to say that God, although He created everything not out of His own need, but out of one love for mankind, has no care for what He has created, and leaves creation without care, like a kind of boat that, without a load or a helmsman, is carried hither and thither by contrary winds, hitting rocks and cliffs. We hate the godless Diagoras, we also abhor Epicurus, who admits, it is true, God, but says that He is immersed in Himself and does not in the least sense what is happening to creation. We also condemn Aristotle’s doctrine of Providence; because Aristotle put the moon as the limit of Providence, accusing God of one of two things - either powerlessness or laziness, since either God does not have sufficient strength to take care of everything, or he has strength, but due to laziness leaves our affairs without management. But both are full of blasphemy. For whoever wanted to create even the smallest parts of creation, how can he be called powerless? And can one, out of laziness, neglect what he has created out of inexhaustible goodness? But the foolishness of these philosophers sufficiently exposes Plato’s doctrine of Providence. For Plato and those who think alike with him say that the God of all provides for everything. And if God provides, then fables about fate, Parks and Threads are banished. For it is extreme foolishness to give another helmsman when governing God’s boat of the universe. It is necessary to separately determine what depends on the helm of Providence and what is left to the rational power of the soul, what is natural evil and what bears this name, although it is not evil, but is considered only evil. Therefore, in human affairs, by their very nature, good are: prudence, chastity, justice, courage and other parts of virtue, and evil are: stupidity, debauchery, injustice, timidity and all other similar things; wealth, poverty, slavery, domination, health, illness and other well-being and misfortunes occupy a certain middle place in human life, because they are presented to people as certain tools, and the best of people, through both of the above, build virtue. You can find that those abounding in wealth and living in poverty care about virtue, and in health they praise the Benefactor, and in illness they remain patient, and slaves are distinguished by chastity and justice; and again others, living in poverty, love vice and not only steal, but even dare to rob the dead and sacrilege, and having wealth, they make it an instrument of untruth, in health they indulge in pride and arrogance, in illness they spew out blasphemous speeches. And from this it is not difficult to understand that wealth and poverty, slavery and domination and the like, from the use of them by those who have a part in them, become either praiseworthy or worthy of blame, just as we sometimes call iron contributing to human life, when, like a plow, a spade and a pitchfork, it cultivates the earth, like a sickle, clears plants, like an ax and a saw, serves for the construction of houses and the preparation of various vessels, and sometimes, depending on on the sword and the murders committed by it, others call iron plotting against life. But it is not the sword that is the cause of murder, but those who use it for evil; also, it is not wealth and poverty and other happy or unhappy parts of life that are worthy of blame, but those who use one or the other contrary to the laws. If all this, taken separately, were bad by nature, it would not bring any good to anyone. However, we find that many have succeeded in virtue through this. Therefore, it is not evil, which served as an instrument for good, and also not good, which became an instrument for vice for another, and therefore occupies a middle place, like medicinal substances. For opium and hemlock, if recognized by doctors as beneficial for someone, become preventive means, and if taken against the laws of art, they are harmful and pernicious. Sometimes even bread and wine cause illness to those who consume them, because failure to observe the measure produces harm. Thus, those who wisely manage success and failure in business turn it into saving medicine for themselves, while those who behave unreasonably and unreasonably borrow from this means to destruction. Therefore, this and the like, the goodness and infertility of the earth, a happy voyage and shipwreck, depend on the Providence of God. And therefore, everyone should love what happens to us from Providence, and not inquisitively search for the reasons for this; because the law of the actions of the divine helm is inexplicable. We must take care of what is in our power, and remove every vice from ourselves, instill in ourselves virtue and be adorned with all types of it. And just as women who love to dress up with special art add beauty to the body through decoration, so spiritual beauty should be adorned with the flowers of chastity, justice, courage and prudence, because the acquisition of these virtues is in our power. The height of foolishness is to strive for what is not in our power to acquire and what, moreover, is subject to instant vicissitudes, and what is in our power, honorably, continuously and constantly, is neglected as something of little value and not worthy of any attention. If we know this difference in human affairs, then we will love the signals of divine orders and will not doubt that Providence controls everything. For we see that the seasons change in order, everything is produced on time and every thing happens according to the time. It is not the princes of matter who, having loved the daughter of light, as the obscene Manes fables, pursue her, shed sweat and give us rain, but at the behest of the Creator, clouds are formed. And this is clearly taught by Divine Scripture. For it is said: “raising the clouds from the last of the earth, make lightning into rain; drive out the winds from Your treasures” (Ps. 134:7); and again: “call for the water of the sea and pour it out on the face of the earth” (Am. 9:6), and in another place: “His Spirit breathes, and the waters flow out” (Ps. 147:7); and again: “Weed the mountains from Your highest ones: from the fruit of Your works the earth will be satisfied. Let the grass grow for cattle, and the grain for the service of man, and bring bread from the ground" (Ps. 103:13-14). In the Divine Scripture you can find thousands of other places that prove God’s Providence. But, having already written ten words about Providence, I consider it unnecessary to now dwell on this. You might be interested in: