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To wish to attempt all things in like manner is good, and to not wish to know all the depths is no small proof of knowledge; as he who is willing to venture into every part of the river, this one especially does not know the properties of rivers, and will often perish from the same rashness, having ventured into the deep from which he was crossing the shallow. So also in the case of God, he who wishes to know all things, and ventures into all things, this one especially does not know what God is. But in rivers, the greater part is safe, but there are few whirlpools and depths; but in the case of God, the greater part is in hidden things, and it is not possible to trace out his works. Why then do you force yourself to be drowned? Know this only, that God orders all things, that He provides for all things, that we have free will, that some things He works, and other things He permits, that He wishes nothing evil to happen, that not all things happen from His will, but also from ours, all evil things from ours alone, all good things both from ours and from His influence, that nothing escapes His notice. For this reason He works all things. Then, you, knowing this, count what things are good, what things are evil, and what things are indifferent; for example, virtue is a good, wickedness is an evil, indifferent are wealth, poverty, life, death. If you know these things, you will know also with these things, that the righteous are afflicted for this reason, that they may be crowned, the sinners, that they may pay the penalty for their sins; but not all sinners pay the penalty here, so that the many may not disbelieve in the resurrection, just as not all the righteous are afflicted, so that you may not think vice is praiseworthy, but virtue. These are canons, and definitions; bring what you will to them, and you will not be at a loss. For just as among grammarians there is the number of six thousand, and under this all things are brought, and it is possible to divide and multiply all things in the canon of the six thousand, and by this number all things are turned, and those who have learned letters know these things; so if one knows these canons, which I will state again more briefly, he will never be scandalized. What then are these? That virtue is a good, that wickedness is an evil, that diseases, poverty, plots, slanders, and such things are indifferent; that the righteous are afflicted here; but if some also fare well, it is so that virtue may not seem to be hateful; that the 62.648 wicked rejoice, that they may be punished there; but if some are also punished, it is so that wickedness may not seem to be a good thing, nor actions to go unpunished; that not all are punished, so that the time of the resurrection may not be disbelieved; that there are also some among the good who have wicked works, and they put them away here, and among the wicked those who have good ones, and they receive their reward here, that they may be punished there; that most of God's works are incomprehensible; that the distance between us and him is great, and how great it is not possible to say. If we consider these things, nothing will be able to disturb us. If we listen to the Scriptures continually, we will also find many such examples; The things which are able, he says, to make you wise for salvation. For the Scriptures suggest both what is to be done, and what is not to be done; for hear this blessed one saying elsewhere, You are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants. Do you see that the law is a light for those in darkness? If he who points out the letter is a light, the letter that kills, what then is he who points out the Spirit that gives life? if the Old is a light, what is the New, where so many things have been unveiled? where the distance is as great as if someone were to open heaven to those who know nothing more than the earth, and make them behold everything. We have learned about Gehenna, about the kingdom, about judgment. Let us not believe in irrational things; all those things are sorcery. What then that they speak, he says, and it comes to pass? Because you believe, if indeed it does come to pass. He has taken you captive, he is lord of your life, he orders it as he wishes.

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θέλειν πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ἐπιχειρεῖν, καλὸν, καὶ τὸ μὴ θέλειν πάντα τὰ βάθη εἰδέναι, οὐ μικρὸν τοῦ εἰδέναι τεκμήριον· ὡς ὅ γε βουλόμενος παντὸς τοῦ μέρους τοῦ ποταμοῦ κατατολμᾷν, οὗτος μάλιστα οὐκ οἶδε τῶν ποταμῶν τὰ ἰδιώματα, καὶ ἀπολεῖται πολλάκις ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς θρασύτητος τοῦ βάθους κατατολμήσας, ἀφ' ἧς διέβαινε τὸ μὴ βαθύ. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ πάντα θέλων εἰδέναι, καὶ πάντων κατατολμῶν, οὗτος οὐκ οἶδε μάλιστα τί ἐστι Θεός. Ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τοῖς ποταμοῖς τὸ μὲν πλέον μέρος ἀσφαλὲς, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἴλιγγοι καὶ βάθη· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πλέον ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξιχνιάσαι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Τί τοίνυν βιάζῃ καταποντίσαι σαυτόν; Τοῦτο μόνον ἴσθι, ὅτι πάντα ὁ Θεὸς οἰκονομεῖ, ὅτι πάντων προνοεῖ, ὅτι αὐτεξούσιοί ἐσμεν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐνεργεῖ, τὰ δὲ συγχωρεῖ, ὅτι οὐδὲν πονηρὸν γίνεσθαι βούλεται, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ βουλήματος αὐτοῦ πάντα γίνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡμετέρου, πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡμετέρου μόνον, πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπό τε τοῦ ἡμετέρου καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ῥοπῆς, ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτὸν λανθάνει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἐνεργεῖ. Εἶτα σὺ τοῦτο εἰδὼς, ἀρίθμει τίνα μὲν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τίνα δὲ τὰ κακὰ, καὶ τίνα τὰ ἀδιάφορα· οἷον, ἀγαθὸν ἡ ἀρετὴ, κακὸν ἡ φαυλότης, ἀδιάφορα πλοῦτος, πενία, ζωὴ, θάνατος. Ἂν ταῦτα εἰδῇς, εἴσῃ καὶ μετὰ τούτων, ὅτι οἱ δίκαιοι διὰ τοῦτο θλίβονται, ἵνα στεφανωθῶσιν, οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ἵνα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν δίκην ἐκτίσωσιν· οὐ πάντες δὲ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ δίκην ἐνταῦθα τίνουσιν, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἀναστάσει οἱ πολλοὶ ἀπιστῶσιν, ὥσπερ οὐ πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι θλίβονται, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κακίαν ἐπαινετὴν εἶναι νομίσῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀρετήν. Οὗτοι κανόνες εἰσὶ, καὶ ὅροι· ὃ βούλει ἄγε ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐ διαπορήσεις. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐστι παρὰ τοῖς γραμματισταῖς ὁ τῶν ἑξακισχιλίων ἀριθμὸς, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦτον ἅπαντα ἄγεται, καὶ πάντα μερίζειν καὶ πολυπλασιάζειν δυνατὸν ἐν τῷ κανόνι τῶν ἑξακισχιλίων, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τούτου πάντα στρέφεται, καὶ ἴσασι ταῦτα ὅσοι γράμματα μεμαθήκασιν· οὕτω τοὺς κανόνας τούτους, οὓς πάλιν ἐρῶ συντομώτερον, ἄν τις εἰδῇ, οὐδέποτε σκανδαλίζεται. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν οὗτοι; Ὅτι ἀγαθὸν ἀρετὴ, ὅτι φαῦλον κακία, ὅτι ἀδιάφορα νόσοι, πενία, ἐπιβουλαὶ, συκοφαντίαι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ὅτι οἱ δίκαιοι θλίβονται ἐνθάδε· εἰ δέ τινες καὶ εὖ πάσχουσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἡ ἀρετὴ δόξῃ μισητὴ εἶναι· ὅτι οἱ 62.648 πονηροὶ εὐφραίνονται, ἵνα ἐκεῖ κολασθῶσιν· εἰ δέ τινες καὶ κολάζονται, ὥστε μὴ τὴν κακίαν δόξαι εἶναι καλὸν, μηδὲ ἀτιμώρητα τὰ πράγματα· ὅτι οὐ κολάζονται πάντες, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὁ καιρὸς διαπιστηθῇ· ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰσί τινες οἱ φαῦλα ἔχοντες ἔργα, καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτὰ ἀποτίθενται, καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν οἱ χρηστὰ ἔχοντες, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαμβάνουσιν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τιμωρηθῶσιν· ὅτι ἀκατάληπτα τὰ πλείονα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔργα· ὅτι πολὺ τὸ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσον οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Ἂν ταῦτα ἀναλογιζώμεθα, οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς θορυβῆσαι δυνήσεται. Ἂν τῶν Γραφῶν ἀκούωμεν συνεχῶς, εὑρήσομεν καὶ παραδείγματα τοιαῦτα πολλά· Τὰ δυνάμενά σε, φησὶ, σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ πρακτέα ὑποτίθενται αἱ Γραφαὶ, καὶ τὰ μὴ πρακτέα· ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου ἀλλαχοῦ λέγοντος, Πέποιθας σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων, διδάσκαλον νηπίων. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει ὁ νόμος; Εἰ δὲ ὁ τὸ γράμμα δεικνὺς φῶς, τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἀποκτεῖνον, τί ἄρα ὁ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωοποιοῦν; εἰ ἡ Παλαιὰ φῶς, τί ἡ Καινὴ, ἔνθα τοσαῦτα ἀνεπετάσθη; ἔνθα τοσοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ μέσον, ὅσον εἰ τοῖς οὐδὲν πλέον τῆς γῆς εἰδόσι τὸν οὐρανόν τις ἀνοίξειε, καὶ πάντα ποιήσοι κατοπτεῦσαι. Περὶ γεέννης ἐμάθομεν, περὶ βασιλείας, περὶ κρίσεως. Μὴ πιστεύωμεν ἀλόγοις πράγμασι· γοητεία πάντα ἐκεῖνα. Τί οὖν ὅτι λέγουσι, φησὶ, καὶ ἐκβαίνει; Ἐπειδὴ σὺ πιστεύεις, εἴ γε καὶ ἐκβαίνει. Αἰχμάλωτόν σε ἔλαβε, κύριός ἐστι τοῦ βίου τοῦ σοῦ, ὡς θέλει αὐτὸν οἰκονομεῖ.