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a goal (3), so that we might have a certain dignity or rank, of life and of state; whether we are rulers or subjects, rich or poor, healthy or sick, and in whatever other bodily state we may be; and concerning all other things which in our condition do not absolutely follow our will, let us not be anxious at all. For what is it to us, what is not established by nature of necessity, or is not ours according to judgment from our own willing? And perhaps the Word, wishing us to consider this, has not given us through a divine command a precept concerning this; so that we do not, by unnaturally attempting things not in our power, abuse blamefully the power of willing; and show it to be weak, not possessing what is in no way able to be under its control; and that we might not do violence to God, thinking that the administration of providence is our own, which wisely uses the things not in our power for the punishment of the evils that are in our power; and for the increase and vigorous course of the good things that are in our power.

Separating, therefore, the things not in our power from the things in our power, let us believe that the one belongs entirely to divine providence; and the other, with divine providence, is also the achievement of our own judgment according to our will. In our power, therefore, is—that I may speak inclusively as in a definition—everything whatsoever that, being contained in the concept of virtue, or, on the contrary, in the manner of vice, follows our judgment according to our will. But not in our power is everything whatsoever whose own existence does not have 0369 our choice as its creator; and everything existing by nature is free of virtue and vice; but by the use of those who possess it, it becomes this or that, or rather appears to be, to speak more properly. Therefore, let us strongly will and highly esteem all the good things that are solely in our power, as being the works 15Β_018 of our choice with God, and matters belonging to our own judgment; and we shall thus be obedient and well-reined colts of divine grace, receiving the Word who mounts us, and who directs for us in an orderly way the course of the virtues. But as for the things not in our power, since they are not in themselves by nature vice or virtue, but instruments of choice, bringing the hidden impulse of the reason within us into the open, let us not will them at all; so that we may not corrupt by misuse the natural power of willing, which desires to lay hold of impossible things that cannot be achieved by it. But let us entrust them to God, and receive with thanksgiving every change of seasons and of circumstances, which occurs for our benefit according to the saving will of God; so that not only through the same things, but also likewise through things not the same, and through uneven things evenly, the good of virtue may be achieved for us. For no one ever falls away from good hope, who yields and entrusts to God the administration and providence over himself of the things not in his power. And true is the Wise one who said somewhere in his words: Look to the ancient generations and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame? Or who called upon him, and he overlooked him?

Since these things are this way, as the argument, running with truth, has shown; and it has clearly set forth the property of things willed and not willed, having distinguished by a definition things that are not mixed; let us neither lay claim to authority when it is taken from us, as though suffering the privation of something good; for authority does not in any case follow us if we will it, being far from the reason of what is in our power; just as neither wealth and health, nor any of those things that lie in between which are formed by us towards virtue or vice; nor again, when it is given, should we utterly reject it as something evil, since it is able 15Β_020 perhaps to be an instrument of virtue for those who love God; and who have chosen to offer all things to God with all diligence, in addition to all things in their power, also those things not in their power which are permitted to happen to them by dispensation. it is reasonable. For without which to become and to be and to remain good and virtuous For what is not in itself by nature perhaps good or evil, we are able neither to love nor to flee; and again evil and

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σκοπός(3), ὡς ἄν ἀξίας ἤ τάξεως, βίου τε καί σχήματος ἔχωμεν· εἴτε ἄρχοντες, εἴτε ἀρχόμενοι, πλουτοῦντές τε καί πενόμενοι, καί ὑγιαίνοντες καί νοσοῦντες, καί ἄλλως πῶς τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντες· καί περί τῶν ἄλλων ὅσα πάντως ἡμῶν κατά διάθεσιν οὐχ ἕπεται τῇ θελήσει, μηδόλως μεριμνήσωμεν. Τί γάρ πρός ἡμᾶς, τό μή καθεστώς κατά φύσιν ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἤ κατά γνώμην ἐκ τοῦ θέλειν ἡμέτερον; Καί τοῦτο τυχόν ἡμᾶς σκοπῆσαι βουλόμενος ὁ λόγος, διά θείας ἐντολῆς οὐ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν περί τούτου διάταξιν· ἵνα μή τοῖς οὐκ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν ἐγχειροῦντες παρά φύσιν, τῇ τοῦ θέλειν δυνάμει ψεκτῶς παραχρώμεθα· καί τήν μέν ἀσθενοῦσαν δείξωμεν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν τά μηδαμῶς ὑπ᾿ αὐτήν εἶναι δυνάμενα· τό δέ Θεόν βιαζώμεθα, νομίζοντες ἑαυτῶν εἶναι τήν τῆς προνοίας διοίκησιν, τήν σοφῶς τοῖς οὐκ᾿ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν εἰς κόλασιν μέν χρωμένην τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν κακῶν· ἐπίδοσιν δέ καί εὔτονον δρόμον τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν.

∆ιαιροῦντες οὖν τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν τά οὐκ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, τά μέν τῆς θείας ὑπάρχειν ὁλοσχερῶς προνοίας· τά δέ, μετά τῆς θείας προνοίας, καί τήν ἡμῶν κατά θέλησιν γνώμης εἶναι κατόρθωμα πιστεύσωμεν. Ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν οὖν ἐστιν, ἵνα ὡς ἐν ὅρῳ περιλαβών εἴπω πᾶν ὅτιπερ ἀρετῆς λόγῳ, ἤ τοὐναντίον κακίας τρόπῳ περιεχόμενον, κατά θέλησιν ἡμῶν τῇ γνώμῃ παρέπεται. Οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν δέ ἐστι, πᾶν ὅτιπερ τῆς οἰκείας ὑπάρξεως δημιουργόν τήν ἡμῶν οὐκ 0369 ἔχει προαίρεσιν· καί πᾶν μέν κατά φύσιν ὑπάρχον ἀρετῆς καί κακίας ἐλεύθερον· τῇ δέ χρήσει τῶν ἐχόντων, τοῦτο ἤ ἐκεῖνο γινόμενον, ἤ φαινόμενον εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον. Πάντα τοιγαροῦν τά ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν ἀγαθά μονώτατα, ὡς τῆς ἡμῶν σύν Θεῷ προαιρέσεως 15Β_018 ἔργα, καί τῆς ἡμῶν γνώμης ὑπάρχοντα πράγματα, θελήσωμέν τε σφοδρῶς καί περί πολλοῦ ποιησώμεθα· καί ἐσόμεθα τῆς θείας οὕτω γε χάριτος πῶλοι εὐπειθεῖς καί εὐήνιοι, ἐπιβαίνοντα τόν Λόγον δεχόμενοι, καί τόν δρόμον ἡμῖν εὐτάκτως κατορθοῦντα τῶν ἀρετῶν. Τά δέ οὐκ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, ὡς οὐκ ὄντα δι᾿ ἑαυτά κατά φύσιν κακία ἤ ἀρετή, ἀλλ᾿ ὄργανα προαιρέσεως, τοῦ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν λόγου κεκρυμμένην τήν ὁρμήν εἰς τό φανερόν ἄγοντα, μή θελήσωμεν ὅλως· ἵνα μή τήν κατά φύσιν τοῦ θέλειν τῇ παραχρήσει διαφθείρωμεν δύναμιν, βουλομένην ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῶν ἀμηχάνων, καί ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς κατορθοῦσθαι μή δυναμένων. Ἀλλά πιστεύσωμεν αὐτά τῷ Θεῷ, καί δεξώμεθα μετ᾿ εὐχαριστίας πᾶσαν καιρῶν τε καί πραγμάτων μεταβολήν, κατά τήν σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ βούλησιν συμφερόντως ἡμῖν γινομένην· ὥστε μή μόνον διά τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλά καί τῶν οὐ τῶν αὐτῶν ὥσαύτως, καί διά τῶν ἀνωμάλων ὁμαλῶς ἡμῖν τό καλόν κατορθωθῆναι τῆς ἀρετῆς. Οὐδείς γάρ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος ἐκπίπτει ποτέ, παραχωρῶν καί ἐμπιστεύων τῷ Θεῷ τήν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ τῶν οὐκ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ διοίκησίν τε καί πρόνοιαν. Καί ἀληθής ὁ φήσας που τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων Σοφός· Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τάς ἀρχαίας γενεάς, καί ἴδετε τίς ἐπίστευσε Κυρίῳ καί κατησχύνθη· ἤ τίς ἐπικαλέσατο αὐτόν, καί ὑπερεῖδεν αὐτόν;

Ἐπειδή ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τόν τρόπον, καθώς ἔδειξε σύν ἀληθείᾳ τρέχων ὁ λόγος· καί τήν τῶν θελητῶν καί οὐ θελητῶν ἰδιότητα παρέστησε σαφῶς, ἀλλήλων διακρίνας ὁρισμῷ τά μή φυρόμενα· μήτε ἀφαιρουμένης ἡμῶν τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὡς καλοῦ τινος στέρησιν ὑπομένοντες, ἀντιποιηθῶμεν· οὔτε γάρ ἕπεται πάντως ἡμῖν ἡ ἀρχή θελήσασι, τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν λόγου πόῤῥω τυγχάνουσα· ὥσπερ οὐδέ πλοῦτος καί ὑγεία, οὐδ᾿ ὅσα τῶν ἐν μέσῳ κειμένων δι᾿ ἡμῶν μορφοῦται πρός ἀρετήν ἤ κακίαν· μήτ᾿ αὖ πάλιν διδομένην ὡς κακόν τι παντελῶς ταύτην ἀπωσώμεθα, δυναμένην 15Β_020 τυχόν ἀρετῆς ὄργανον εἶναι τοῖς φιλοθέοις· καί πάντα προσφέρειν Θεῷ διά πάσης σπουδῆς πρός τοῖς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἅπασι, καί τά οὐκ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς κατ᾿ οἰκονομίαν συμβαίνειν αὐτοῖς συγχωρούμενα, προῃρημένοις. εἰκότως ἐστίν. Ὧν γάρ ἄνευ καλοί τε καί ἐνάρετοι γίνεσθαί τε καί εἶναι καί διαμένειν Τό γάρ μή δι᾿ ἑαυτόν κατά φύσιν τυχόν καλόν ἤ κακόν, οὔτε ἑραστόν οὔτε φευκτόν δυνάμεθα· καί πάλιν κακοί καί