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Intermediate things are indifferent, [but] good when done at the right time and because of necessary need, such as farming, being wealthy, eating and drinking; but for the doing of good, it is always the right time, just as for abstaining from evil. Otherwise; He calls "a time" the use that is according to what is proper and according to nature. Ecclesiastes says, therefore, that having considered how man was distracted and turned away from the things according to nature to the things contrary to nature, having wisely understood, I saw that nothing is evil by nature, but all things are good when they are moved and come to be according to nature. Eyes are good when they see rightly, but being distracted and turned from their natural activity, seeing impertinently, they are no longer good. All things therefore are good in their time, that is, if they come to be according to nature and according to what is proper. "Also he has put eternity in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God has done from the beginning to the end." [The "also" is a Hebrew idiom, placed superfluously in the Hebrew language. And the meaning is this:] God allowed those who mind human things to be distracted, so that they might not at once attend to creation, and coming to an understanding of the beauty of things that have been made, suppose that the things seen are God or gods. However, he did not leave those who are distracted without help; but has given to nature the common lesson of death, so that, knowing that we do not live forever in this age, we might sober up and take thought for the life after this. Otherwise; The age, being significant of a temporal interval, includes all the things that have happened in it. Of this present age, therefore, he says, God has given knowledge to the sons of men, that heaven, and earth, and the things seen began from a time; and that in time they are dissolved. But of the things that happened before this age, or of the things that will be after this, we have not received clear knowledge; for which reason also we hear from another Scripture, 93.517 Do not seek things that are higher than you, and do not search for things that are deeper than you. "I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life." The wise man knows what is good by nature. And God alone is good by nature, who does all things with goodness. He, therefore, who does good according to his ability, and preserves love for God and neighbor, this one rejoices with unspeakable joy. "I know," therefore, he says, that there is nothing good in life, except to do good, and to rejoice in the doing of good. "And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God." The wise man knows what is truly good; but "every man," that is, the common and vulgar man, having been deprived of the knowledge of the truly good, defining the good in pleasure, supposes that eating and drinking is good. And that the supply of sensible things is given by God to men is manifest; yet not so that we might abuse the things supplied by God, but that we might be generous, and ready to share in due measure, and partaking with thanksgiving of the things given by God. He has therefore interwoven the persons of both the wise man, and of the one who properly knows the good, and of the one who has knowledge of the good erroneously. "I know that whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him." Of things that exist, some are visible, and some are invisible. But the discourse is now about visible things; and of these, some are always the same, such as earth, and heaven, and sun, and moon; while others remain the same through successions, such as man, and plants, and the like. "I know," therefore, he says, that there is nothing to add to the order of God, which is perfect and complete; nor to take away anything from the whole as superfluous. But those who apply themselves to the contemplation of created things, and who find, as far as possible, the reason for each, are possessed by a divine fear, and come to a state of wonder, marveling at the wisdom of the Creator. There is therefore laid up naturally in the common notions a fear of God, or a law from created things

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τὰ μέσα ἀδιάφορα καλὰ, ἐν καιρῷ μέν τοι πραττόμενα, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν χρείαν, ὡς τὸ γεωργεῖν, τὸ πλουτεῖν, τὸ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν· τῆς μέν τοι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πράξεως ἀεὶ καιρὸς, ὡς καὶ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ ἀποχῆς. Ἄλλως· Καιρὸν τὴν κατὰ τὸ δέον καὶ κατὰ φύσιν χρῆσιν λέγει. Φησὶ οὖν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, ὅτι θεωρήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον πῶς περιεσπάσθη, καὶ περιετράπη ἐκ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐπὶ τὰ παρὰ φύσιν, σοφῶς κατανενοηκὼς, εἶδον ὅτι οὐδὲν τῇ φύσει κακὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα καλὰ κατὰ φύσιν κινούμενα καὶ γιγνόμενα. Ὀφθαλμοὶ καλοὶ ὀρθὰ βλέποντες, περισπασθέντες δὲ καὶ περιτραπέντες τῆς φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας περιέργως ὁρῶντες, οὐκέτι καλοὶ τυγχάνουσι. Πάντα οὖν καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν, τουτέστι εἰ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ κατὰ τὸ δέον γίγνοιτο. "Καί γε σὺν τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκε ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕροι ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, καὶ μέχρι τέλους." [Τὸ σύν ἰδίωμα Ἑβραϊκὸν, παρεῤῥιμμένως κείμενον ἐν τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ φωνῇ. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος·] Συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς περισπᾶσθαι τοὺς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα φρονοῦντας, ἵνα μὴ ἀθρόως τῷ ποιήματι προσεσχηκότες, καὶ εἰς ἔννοιαν τῆς καλλονῆς τῶν γεγονότων ἐλθόντες, Θεὸν ἢ θεοὺς εἶναι τὰ ὁρώμενα νομίσωσι. Πλὴν οὐκ ἀνεπικουρήτους εἴασεν τοὺς περισπωμένους· ἀλλὰ δέδωκε τῇ φύσει κοινὸν μάθημα τὸ τοῦ θανάτου, ἵνα εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ διαιωνίζομεν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ αἰῶνι, ἀνανήψαντες φροντίσωμεν τῆς μετὰ ταῦτα ζωῆς. Ἄλλως· Ὁ αἰὼν, διαστήματος χρονικοῦ σημαντικὸς ὢν, συμπεριλαμβάνει πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ γεγονότα. Τοῦ αἰῶνος οὖν, φησὶ, τοῦ παρόντος δέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι τε ἀπὸ χρόνου ἤρξατο οὐρανὸς, καὶ γῆ, καὶ τὰ ὁρώμενα· καὶ ὅτι χρόνῳ λύεται. Τῶν μέν τοι γεγονότων πρὸ τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἢ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐσομένων σαφῆ τὴν γνῶσιν οὐκ εἰλήφαμεν· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἀκούομεν παρ' ἑτέρας Γραφῆς, 93.517 Ὑψηλότερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ βαθύτερά σου μὴ ἐρεύνα. "Ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι, καὶ τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ." Ὁ σοφὸς οἶδε τὸ φύσει ἀγαθόν. Φύσει δὲ ἀγαθὸν μόνος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ πάντα ποιῶν ἀγαθότητι. Ὁ κατὰ τὸ ἐφικτὸν οὖν ἀγαθοποιῶν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τὸν πλησίον σώζων ἀγάπην, οὗτος εὐφραίνεται τὴν ἀνεκλάλητον εὐφροσύνην. Ἔγνων οὖν, φησι, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστι ἀγαθὸν ἐν βίῳ, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸ τὸ ποιεῖν τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πράξει εὐφραίνεσθαι. "Καί γε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται, καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δόμα Θεοῦ ἔστι." Ὁ μὲν σοφὸς ἔγνω τί τὸ ὄντως ἀγαθόν· ὁ δὲ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, τουτέστι ὁ πολὺς καὶ χυδαῖος ἄνθρωπος ἀποσφαλεὶς τῆς τοῦ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθοῦ γνώσεως, ἐν τῇ ἡδονῇ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὁριζόμενος, τὸ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ἀγαθὸν ὑπολαμβάνει. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἡ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἡ χορηγία ἐκ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δίδοται, πρόδηλον· οὐ μέν τοι ἵνα καταχρώμεθα τοῖς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ χορηγουμένοις, ἀλλ' ἵνα κοινωνικοὶ ὦμεν, καὶ εὐμετάδοτοι συμμέτρως, καὶ μετ' εὐχαριστίας τῶν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ δεδομένων μεταλαμβάνοντες. Ἔπλεξε τοιγαροῦν τὰ πρόσωπα τοῦ τε σοφοῦ, καὶ τοῦ κυρίως εἰδότος ἀγαθὸν, καὶ τοῦ πεπλανημένως τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ γνῶσιν ἔχοντος. "Ἔγνων ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὰ ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐπ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστι προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ, ἵνα φοβηθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ." Τῶν ὄντων τὰ μέν εἰσιν ὁρατὰ, τὰ δὲ ἀόρατα. Ὁ δὲ λόγος νῦν περὶ τῶν ὁρατῶν· τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν ἀεὶ τὰ αὐτὰ εἰσὶν, ὡς γῆ, καὶ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ἥλιος, καὶ σελήνη· τὰ δὲ ταῖς διαδοχαῖς τὰ αὐτὰ μένουσιν, ὡς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ φυτὰ, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. Ἔγνων οὖν, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστι προσθεῖναι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διακοσμήσει τελείως ἐχούσῃ, καὶ ἀνελλιπῶς· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀφελεῖν τι τῶν ἁπάντων ὡς περιττόν. Οἱ δὲ τῇ τῶν γεγονότων θεωρίᾳ ἐπιβάλλοντες, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἑκάστου κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν εὑρίσκοντες, φόβῳ θείῳ συνέχονται, καὶ εἰς ἔκπληξιν χωροῦσι τοῦ γενεσιουργοῦ τὴν σοφίαν ἀποθαυμάζοντες. Ἀπόκειται τοιγαροῦν φυσικῶς ἐν ταῖς κοιναῖς ἐννοίαις Θεοῦ φόβος, ἢ νόμος ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων