10. “  Let the earth bring forth .” This short command was in a moment a vast nature, an elaborate system. Swifter than thought it produced the countless qualities of plants. It is this command which, still at this day, is imposed on the earth, and in the course of each year displays all the strength of its power to produce herbs, seeds and trees. Like tops, which after the first impulse, continue their evolutions, turning upon themselves when once fixed in their centre; thus nature, receiving the impulse of this first command, follows without interruption the course of ages, until the consummation of all things.  29  “Ac mihi quidem videtur, cum duæ sententiæ fuissent veterum philosophorum, una eorum qui censerent omnia ita fato fieri, ut id fatum vim necessitatis afferret, in qua sententia Democritus, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Aristoteles fuit; altera eorum, quibus viderentur sine ullo fato esse animorum motus voluntarii: Chrysippus tanquam arbiter honorarius, medium ferire voluisse…quanquam assensio non possit fieri nisi commota visa, tamen cum id visum proximam causam habeat, non principalem hanc habet rationem, ut Chrysippus vult, quam dudum diximus, non, ut illa quidem fieri possit, nulla vi extrinsecus excitata, necesse est enim assensionem viso commoveri, sed revertitur ad cylindrum, et ad turbinem suum, quæ moveri incipere, nisi pulsa non possunt: id autem cum accidit suapte natura, quod superest et cylindrum volvi, et versari turbinem putat.” (Cic., De fato. xviii.) Let us all hasten to attain to it, full of fruit and of good works; and thus, planted in the house of the Lord we shall flourish in the court of our God,  30  cf. Ps. xcii. 13. in our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ. Τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο πρόσταγμα εὐθὺς φύσις μεγάλη καὶ λόγος ἔντεχνος ἦν, θᾶττον τοῦ ἡμετέρου νοήματος τὰς μυρίας τῶν φυομένων ἰδιότητας ἐκτελῶν. Ἐκεῖνο ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐνυπάρχον τῇ γῇ τὸ πρόσταγμα, ἐπείγει αὐτὴν καθ' ἑκάστην ἔτους περίοδον ἐξάγειν τὴν δύναμιν ἑαυτῆς ὅσην ἔχει πρός τε βοτανῶν καὶ σπερμάτων καὶ δένδρων γένεσιν. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ στρόβιλοι ἐκ τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῖς ἐνδοθείσης πληγῆς τὰς ἐφεξῆς ποιοῦνται περιστροφὰς, ὅταν πήξαντες τὸ κέντρον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς περιφέρωνται: οὕτω καὶ ἡ τῆς φύσεως ἀκολουθία ἐκ τοῦ πρώτου προστάγματος τὴν ἀρχὴν δεξαμένη, πρὸς πάντα τὸν ἐφεξῆς διεξέρχεται χρόνον, μέχρις ἂν πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν συντέλειαν τοῦ παντὸς καταντήσῃ. Ἐφ' ἣν καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἔγκαρποι καὶ πλήρεις ἔργων ἀγαθῶν ἐπειγώμεθα, ἵνα φυτευθέντες ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξανθήσωμεν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.