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the need for necessities. And when spring begins again, some of the farmers prune the vines, while others plant new ones, and the branches, swelling with the warmth of the air, 83.573 hasten towards their birth pangs. When summer is at its peak, and the sun strongly heats the air, the grain calls the farmer to the harvest, the grapes darken, the olives are heavy as the fruit is nourished, and the kinds of fruits ripen. Then autumn, coming on, delivers these things fully ripened to the growers; and they, having made their collection, once again take up the seeds. Cease, therefore, being ungrateful, and attempting to slander Providence with the gifts of Providence, and assailing the Giver of these things with the good things that have been given. In all that has been said, learn of the providence of God, directing you and governing you, and procuring for you the abundance of all good things. Behold also the nature of the stars, their position, their order, the variety of their forms, their delight, their use, their dance, their risings, their settings; the Creator of all has made these, not only that they might illuminate the gloom of the night, and in a moonless night provide the need of light to men, but also that they might escort the traveler, and guide those who sail. For looking to these, the seafarers travel the untrodden path, and paying attention to their position, they steer the vessel, and direct it to whatever harbors they wish. For since the nature of the waters does not accept the tracks of horses, and donkeys, and mules, and travelers, nor the lines of wagons and carriages, to which travelers paying attention, make their journey without doubt, the Master of all has given to those who cross the long seas, as it were, certain tracks for the sea paths, the position of the stars. O the ineffable love for mankind! O the unspeakable wisdom! Who could worthily admire the goodness of God's providence, its power, its resourcefulness in difficulties, its ingenuity in impossibilities, its magnificence, its abundance? Truly, "your knowledge has been made wonderful to me; it is mighty, and I cannot attain to it," I too cry out. And if you would be persuaded by me, you too with me will utter this voice, and you will hymn the Benefactor according to your ability, and being benefited by myriad works, you will render grateful words. But lest now, having prepared you who have begun to walk to travel a long road, we should cause you toil, we will for the time being let you rest here, and we will leave you to contemplate the providence of God which is manifest in heaven and in the luminaries of heaven. For it is likely that you, having been guided, will both increase the contemplation by yourself, and discover from what has been said the things omitted by this discourse for the sake of brevity, and cry out with the Prophet: "How magnified are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all." To you be glory, and honor, and worship, unto the ages. Amen. 83.576 DISCOURSE II. A proof from the air, and earth, and sea, and rivers, and springs. Those who disbelieve in the reins of Providence, and who very foolishly maintain that the cosmos of heaven and earth is carried along without a charioteer with such great harmony and order, seem to me to be like, as if someone sitting in a ship, and crossing the sea, and seeing the helmsman having taken hold of the tillers, and moving the rudders as needed, and now bearing to the right, and now shifting to the left, and directing the vessel to whatever harbors he might wish, should deny, thus lying openly, and fighting directly against the truth, that neither is a helmsman standing at the stern, nor does the vessel have rudders, nor is it steered by the movement of the tillers, but that it is carried along automatically, and so overcomes the rush of the waves, and battles against the assault of the winds, and needs neither assisting sailors, nor a helmsman commanding what is for the common good to the rowers. For clearly these men also,

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τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν χρείαν. Ἔαρος δὲ πάλιν ἀρχομένου, οἱ μὲν τῶν γηπόνων τέμνουσι τὰς ἀμπέλους, οἱ δὲ ἑτέρας φυτεύουσι, χαυνούμενα δὲ τῇ τοῦ ἀέρος θερ 83.573 μότητι τὰ κλήματα, πρὸς ὠδῖνας ἐπείγεται. Τοῦ δὲ θέρους ἀκμάζοντος, καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου σφόδρα τὸν ἀέρα θερμαίνοντος, ὁ μὲν σῖτος εἰς ἀμητὸν τὸν γηπόνον καλεῖ, περκῶσι δὲ σταφυλαὶ, βρίθουσι δὲ ἐλαῖαι τοῦ καρποῦ τρεφομένου, πεπαίνεται δὲ τῶν ὀπωρῶν τὰ γένη. Εἶτα τὸ μετόπωρον ἐπιγενόμενον, ταῦτα τελείως πέπονα τοῖς φυτουργοῖς παραδίδωσιν· οἱ δὲ τὴν συλ λογὴν ποιησάμενοι, πάλιν ἅπτονται τῶν σπερμάτων. Παῦσαι τοίνυν ἀχαριστῶν, καὶ τοῖς τῆς Προνοίας δώροις τὴν Πρόνοιαν διαβάλλειν ἐπιχειρῶν, καὶ τοῖς δοθεῖσιν ἀγαθοῖς τὸν τούτων δοτῆρα τοξεύων. Ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς εἰρημένοις τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατάμαθε πρό νοιαν, ἰθύνουσάν σε καὶ κυβερνῶσαν, καὶ πάν των σοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν πραγματευομένην τὴν ἀφθο νίαν. Βλέπε καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων τὴν φύσιν, τὴν θέσιν, τὴν τάξιν, τῶν σχημάτων τὴν ποικιλίαν, τὴν τέρψιν, τὴν χρείαν, τὴν χορείαν, τὰς ἐπιτολὰς, τὰς δύσεις· τούτους ὁ τῶν ὅλων ∆ημιουργὸς πεποίηκεν, οὐχ ἵνα μόνον τὸ ζοφῶδες τῆς νυκτὸς φωτίζωσι, καὶ ἐν ἀσελήνῳ νυκτὶ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν χρείαν παρέχωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ὁδίτην παραπέμπω σι, καὶ τοὺς πλέοντας ξεναγῶσιν. Εἰς γὰρ τούτους ἀφορῶντες οἱ ναυτιλλόμενοι, τὴν ἀτριβῆ τρίβον ὁδεύουσι, καὶ τῇ τούτων θέσει προσέχοντες, τὸ σκά φος ἰθύνουσι, καὶ πρὸς οὓς ἂν ἐθέλωσιν ἀπευθύνουσι λιμένας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ δέχεται τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύ σις ἵππων, καὶ ὄνων, καὶ ἡμιόνων, καὶ ὁδοιπόρων ἴχνη, καὶ ἁμαξῶν καὶ ὀχημάτων γραμμὰς, οἷς οἱ ὁδῖται προσέχοντες, ἀναμφιβόλως τὴν πορείαν ποιοῦνται, δέδωκε τῶν ὅλων ὁ ∆εσπότης τοῖς τὰ μα κρὰ πελάγη διαπερῶσιν, οἷον ἴχνη τινὰ τῶν θαλατ τίων τρίβων, τῶν ἀστέρων τὴν θέσιν. Ὢ τῆς ἀῤῥή του φιλανθρωπίας! Ὢ τῆς ἀφράστου σοφίας! Τίς ἂν ἀξίως θαυμάσειε τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας τὸ ἀγαθὸν, τὸ δυνατὸν, τὸ ἐν ἀπόροις εὔπορον, τὸ ἐν ἀμηχάνοις εὐμήχανον, τὴν μεγαλουργίαν, τὴν εὐπορίαν; Ἀλη θῶς «ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ, ἐκραταιώ θη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτὴν,» βοῶ κἀγώ. Εἰ δὲ ἐμοὶ πείθοιο, ταύτην σὺν ἐμοὶ καὶ σὺ τὴν φωνὴν ἀφήσεις, καὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην εἰς δύναμιν ὑμνήσεις, καὶ μυρίοις ἔργοις εὐεργετούμενος, λόγους εὐγνώ μονας ἀποδώσεις. Ἵνα δέ σε νῦν τοῦ βαδίζειν ἀρξά μενον, μὴ μακρὰν ὁδὸν ὁδεῦσαι παρασκευάσαντες, πόνον σοι προξενήσωμεν, ἐνταῦθά σε τέως διανα παύσομεν, καὶ τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ τοῖς κατ' οὐρα νὸν φωστῆρσι, πρόνοιαν τοῦ Θεοῦ φαινομένην θεωρεῖν καταλείψομεν. Εἰκὸς γάρ σε ποδηγηθέντα, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν τὴν θεωρίαν αὐξῆσαι, καὶ τὰ συντομίας χά ριν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου καταλειφθέντα, ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων εὑρεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Προφήτου βοῆσαι· «Ὡς ἐμε γαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.» Σοὶ δόξα, καὶ τιμὴ, καὶ προσκύνησις, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. 83.576 ΛΟΓΟΣ Βʹ. Ἀπόδειξις ἀπὸ ἀέρος, καὶ γῆς, καὶ θαλάττης, καὶ ποταμῶν, καὶ πηγῶν. Οἱ ταῖς τῆς Προνοίας ἡνίαις ἀπιστοῦντες, καὶ τὸν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς κόσμον ἡνιόχου δίχα μετὰ τοσαύτης ἁρμονίας καὶ τάξεως φέρεσθαι λίαν ἀνοήτως ἰσχυρι ζόμενοι, ἐοικέναι μοι δοκοῦσιν, ὥσπερ ἄν τις ἐν νηῒ καθήμενος, καὶ τὸ πέλαγος διαπεραιούμενος, καὶ τὸν κυβερνήτην ὁρῶν τῶν οἰάκων ἐπειλημμένον, καὶ τὰ πηδάλια πρὸς τὴν χρείαν κινοῦντα, καὶ νῦν μὲν τὸ δεξιὸν φέροντα, νῦν δὲ τὸ εὐώνυμον μεταφέροντα, καὶ τὸ σκάφος πρὸς οὓς ἂν ἐθέλῃ λιμένας ἰθύνοντα, ἀρνοῖτο, προφανῶς οὕτω ψευδόμενος, καὶ ἄντικρυς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μαχόμενος, μήτε κυβερνήτην ἐπὶ τῆς πρύμνης ἑστάναι, μήτε πηδάλια τὸ σκάφος ἔχειν, μήτε τῇ κινήσει τῶν οἰάκων ἰθύνεσθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτόματον φέρεσθαι, καὶ τῆς τῶν κυμάτων οὕτω περιγίνεσθαι ῥύμης, καὶ τῇ τῶν πνευμάτων ἐμβολῇ διαμάχεσθαι, καὶ μήτε ναυτῶν ἐπικούρων δεῖσθαι, μήτε κυβερνήτου τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον τοῖς ἐρέταις προστάττοντος. Ἐναργῶς γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι,