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to know the other things of the divine economy, to what end each of the things that happen looks, and for what reason life for one is extended into a long old age, while another partakes of life only so much as to draw in the air by a breath and immediately to cease from life. For if nothing that happens in the world is without God, and all things depend on the divine will, and the divine is wise and provident, then there is surely some reason for these things too, bearing the marks of both the wisdom of God and His provident care; for something that happens randomly and without reason would not be the work of God; for it is proper to God, as Scripture says, to *do all things in wisdom*. What then is the wisdom in that? A man has passed through 73 birth into life, he has drawn in the air, he began life from a wail, the tear performed its service to nature, he began life with lamentations, before partaking of any of the pleasures of life; before his senses were strengthened, with the harmonies of his limbs still unstrung, tender and loose-limbed and unjointed, and, in a word, before becoming a man (if indeed the gift of reason is proper to man, and he has not yet contained reason within himself), this one, having nothing more than one still contained in the maternal womb except to have come into the air, being at this age is released by death, either by exposure or by suffocation or by ceasing to live naturally through sickness; what must one think about him? how should one regard those who have died thus? Will that soul see the judge? Will it stand with the others at the judgment seat? Will it undergo judgment for its life? Will it receive the recompense according to its worth, either being purified by fire according to the words of the gospel, or being refreshed in the dew of blessing? 74 But I do not know how one should think these things about such a soul; for the word 'recompense' signifies that something must first have been supplied, but for one who has not lived at all, the material for supplying anything has been taken away beforehand; and for those for whom there is no giving, there will not properly be named a recompense. And there being no recompense, that which is set forth in hope is neither good nor evil; for this word promises a reward for what is understood in each case; but that which is found in neither good nor evil is in nothing at all. For the opposition of such an antithesis is without a middle term, I mean, that of good and evil, neither of which will belong to one who has not begun with the other. Therefore, what is in nothing, one might say, does not exist at all. But if someone should say that such a one both exists and is among the good things, with God giving, not repaying, good things to such as these, what cause does he state for this allotment? Where will he demonstrate the justice in his argument? And how will he show the thought to be in harmony with the words of the gospel? There it says that a certain commercial exchange of the kingdom accrues to those who are deemed worthy; for "since you have done this and that," it says, "you are worthy to receive the kingdom in return." But here, where there is neither action nor choice, what relevance is there in saying that what is hoped for from reward comes from God to these as well? But if someone accepts such an argument without examination, that one who has thus passed into life will certainly be among the 75 good things, from this it will appear more blessed not to partake of life than life itself, if for that one the participation in good things is beyond doubt, even if he should have barbarian parents and be conceived in an unlawful marriage, whereas for the one who has lived the attainable and lawful time for nature, the stain of wickedness, more or less, is certainly mixed in with his life, or, if he is to be completely outside the communion with evil, he needs much sweat and toil for this very thing. For virtue is not achieved without struggle by those who pursue it, nor is alienation from things of pleasure without toil for men; so that one who has partaken of a longer life must necessarily be met with one of two distressing things, either now struggling with the toil of virtue, or then, because of a life in wickedness, suffering pain in the recompense of grievous things; but in the case of the untimely born there is nothing of this sort, but immediately the good allotment awaits those who have departed prematurely, if indeed

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γνῶναι τά τε ἄλλα τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας, πρὸς ὅ τι τῶν γινομένων ἕκαστον βλέπει, καὶ τίνος χάριν τῷ μὲν εἰς γῆρας μακρὸν παρατείνεται ἡ ζωή, ὁ δὲ τοσοῦτον μετέχει τοῦ ζῆν, ὅσον δι' ἀναπνοῆς τὸν ἀέρα σπάσαι καὶ εὐθὺς καταλῆξαι τοῦ βίου. εἰ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀθεεὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γινομένων ἐστί, πάντα δὲ τῆς θείας ἐξῆπται βουλήσεως, σοφὸν δὲ καὶ προνοητικὸν τὸ θεῖον, πάντως τις ἔπεστι καὶ τούτοις λόγος, τῆς σοφίας ἅμα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς προνοητικῆς ἐπιμελείας τὰ γνωρίσματα φέρων· τὸ γὰρ εἰκῇ τι καὶ ἀλόγως γινόμενον οὐκ ἂν ἔργον εἴη θεοῦ· θεοῦ γὰρ ἴδιον, καθώς φησιν ἡ γραφή, τὸ Πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ποιεῖν. τί οὖν τὸ σοφὸν ἐν ἐκείνῳ; παρῆλθε διὰ 73 γεννήσεως εἰς τὸν βίον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἔσπασε τὸν ἀέρα, ἀπὸ οἰμωγῆς τοῦ ζῆν ἤρξατο, ἐλειτούργησε τῇ φύσει τὸ δάκρυον, ἀπήρξατο τῷ βίῳ τῶν θρήνων, πρίν τινος μετασχεῖν τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων· πρὶν τονωθῆναι τὴν αἴσθησιν, ἔτι λελυμένος τὰς τῶν μελῶν ἁρμονίας, ἁπαλός τε καὶ διακεχυμένος καὶ ἀδιάρθρωτος, καὶ τὸ ὅλον εἰπεῖν πρὶν γενέσθαι ἄνθρωπος (εἴπερ ἀνθρώπου ἴδιον ἡ λογικὴ χάρις ἐστίν, ὁ δὲ οὔπω ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν λόγον ἐχώρησεν), οὗτος ὁ μηδὲν πλέον ἔχων τοῦ ἔτι ἐν τῇ μητρῴᾳ νηδύϊ συνεχομένου πλὴν τὸ ἐν ἀέρι γενέσθαι ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἡλικίας ὢν διὰ θανάτου λύεται ἢ ἐκτεθεὶς ἢ καταπνιγεὶς ἢ κατὰ τὸ αὐτόματον δι' ἀρρωστίας τοῦ ζῆν παυσάμενος· τί χρὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐννοεῖν; πῶς περὶ τῶν οὕτω τετελευτηκότων ἔχειν; ὄψεται ἆρα κἀκείνη ἡ ψυχὴ τὸν κριτήν; παραστήσεται μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῷ βήματι; ὑφέξει τῶν βεβιωμένων τὴν κρίσιν; λήψεται τὴν κατ' ἀξίαν ἀντίδοσιν ἢ πυρὶ καθαιρομένη κατὰ τὰς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου φωνὰς ἢ τῇ δρόσῳ τῆς εὐλογίας ἐναναψύχουσα; 74 Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδα, ὅπως χρὴ ταῦτα περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐννοῆσαι ψυχῆς· τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως ὄνομα τὸ χρῆναί τι πάντως προπαρασχεθῆναι σημαίνει, τοῦ δὲ μὴ βεβιωκότος ὅλως ἡ ὕλη τοῦ τι παρασχεῖν προαφῄρηται· ἐφ' ὧν δὲ δόσις οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ ἀντίδοσις κυρίως ὀνομασθήσεται. μὴ οὔσης δὲ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως, οὔτε ἀγαθόν ἐστιν οὔτε κακὸν τὸ κατ' ἐλπίδα προκείμενον· τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τοῦτο τῶν καθ' ἑκάτερον νοουμένων τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἐπαγγέλλεται· τὸ δὲ μήτε ἐν ἀγαθῷ μήτε ἐν κακῷ εὑρισκόμενον ἐν οὐδενὶ πάντως ἐστίν· ἄμεσος γὰρ ἡ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀντιθέσεως ἐναντιότης, ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ λέγω, ὧν οὐθέτερον ἔσται τῷ μὴ θατέρου κατάρ ξαντι. τὸ οὖν ἐν μηδενὶ ὂν οὐδ' ἂν εἶναί τις εἴποι ὅλως. εἰ δέ τις τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ εἶναι λέγοι καὶ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς εἶναι, διδόντος, οὐκ ἀποδιδόντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς τοιούτοις, ποίαν λέγει τῆς ἀποκληρώσεως ταύτης αἰτίαν; ποῦ τὸ δίκαιον συναποδείξει τῷ λόγῳ; πῶς δὲ ταῖς εὐαγγελικαῖς φωναῖς σύμφωνον δείξει τὸ νόημα; ἐκεῖ συναλλαγματικήν τινα τῆς βασιλείας τὴν ἐμπορίαν τοῖς ἀξιουμένοις προσγίνεσθαι λέγει· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ καὶ τό, φησί, πεποιήκατε, τὴν βασιλείαν ἀν τιλαβεῖν ἐστε δίκαιοι. ἐνταῦθα δὲ μηδεμιᾶς μήτε πράξεως μήτε προαιρέσεως ὑπούσης, τίνα καιρὸν ἔχει καὶ τούτοις παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεσθαι λέγειν τὸ ἐξ ἀμοιβῆς ἐλπιζόμενον; εἰ δέ τις ἀβασανίστως τὸν τοιοῦτον δέξεται λόγον, ὡς πάντως ἐν 75 ἀγαθοῖς ἐσομένου τοῦ παρελθόντος οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸν βίον, ἐκ τούτου μακαριστότερον ἀναφανήσεται τῆς ζωῆς τὸ μὴ μετ έχειν ζωῆς, εἴπερ ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἀναμφίβολος ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μετουσία, κἂν βαρβάρων τύχῃ γονέων καὶ μὴ νενομισμένῳ κυηθῇ γάμῳ, τῷ δὲ βεβιωκότι τὸν χωρητόν τε καὶ νόμιμον τῇ φύσει χρόνον πάντως ἢ πλέον ἢ ἔλαττον ὁ τῆς κακίας μολυσμὸς τῇ ζωῇ καταμίγνυται, ἤ, εἰ μέλλοι παντελῶς τῆς πρὸς τὸ κακὸν κοινωνίας ἐκτὸς εἶναι, πολλῶν αὐτῷ δεῖ ἱδρώτων πρὸς αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ πόνων· οὐ γὰρ ἀκμητὶ κατορθοῦται τοῖς μετιοῦσιν ἡ ἀρετὴ οὐδὲ ἄπονός ἐστι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν ἀλλοτρίωσις· ὥστε ἑνὶ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων συνενεχθῆναι δεῖν πάντως τὸν μετασχόντα τοῦ χρονιωτέρου βίου, ἢ νῦν τῷ ἐπιπόνῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐναθλοῦντα ἢ τότε διὰ τὴν ἐν κακίᾳ ζωὴν τῇ ἀντιδόσει τῶν ἀλγεινῶν ὀδυνώμενον· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀώρων τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν οὐδέν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἡ ἀγαθὴ λῆξις τοὺς ἐν ἀωρίᾳ μεταστάντας ἐκδέχεται, εἴπερ