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a use might occur, but the deviation from the right judgment about things that exist has turned good things into an occasion for evils. For what do I say? What is sweeter than the activity of the eyes? But when sight becomes a servant of passion for such people, that which came to be for a benefit is said to have become a cause of evil; which is nothing other than that someone, by using the good badly, has made the use a passion. Thus also all other things, which nature has from God, lie in the choice of those 5.440 who use them to become matter for either good or evil. Therefore he says: All things which he has made beautiful in his time, and indeed he has given the age in their heart. The age, being a certain concept of interval, signifies through itself all the creation that came to be in it. Therefore the word shows all that is contained from that which contains. Therefore all things that came to be in the age, God gave to the human heart for good, so that from the greatness and beauty of created things they might contemplate through them the one who made them. But those who, by the things through which they were benefited, were harmed by not using each thing as is fitting and for what is profitable. For this reason he says: So that man may not find the work that God has done, which signifies that for this reason deceit prevailed in the human soul, so that it might not recognize the good Work, which God made for the purpose of benefit, in all the things that have happened from the beginning of creation and until the completion of the universe, with nothing evil being among existing things; for it is not in its nature for any evil to spring from good. But if the cause of all things is good, then all things that have their substance from the good are entirely good. 5.441 Then, I know, he says, that there is no good in them, except to be glad and to do good in one's life. The things that have been said are summed up in the statement. For if the use of the divine works in their time defines what is good for human life, one good thing would be the continual gladness in good things, which is born from good works. For the working of the commandments now gladdens through hope the one who presides over good works, but after this the enjoyment of good things, receiving hope, sets forth eternal gladness for the worthy, when the Lord says to those who have done good, that Come, you who are blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. And what eating and drinking are to the body, through which nature is preserved, this is for the soul to look toward the good; and this is truly a gift of God, to gaze upon God. For this is the meaning which is interpreted in the things said next. The text is as follows: And indeed every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor, this is a gift of God. For just as man, he says, the carnal man has strength in eating and drinking, so the one who sees the good (and the only good one would be true good) has a gift 5.442 of God in all his labor, this very thing, to always look toward the good in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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γίνοιτο χρῆσις, ἡ δὲ παρατροπὴ τῆς ὀρθῆς περὶ τῶν ὄντων κρίσεως εἰς ἀφορμὴν κακῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ περιήγαγεν. οἷον τί λέγω; τί γλυκύτερον τῆς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐνεργείας; ἀλλ' ὅταν ἡ ὄψις πάθους ὑπηρέτις γίνηται τοῖς τοιούτοις, τὸ ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ γενόμενον αἴτιον κακοῦ γεγενῆσθαι λέγεται· ὅπερ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ ὅτι κακῶς τῷ καλῷ τις χρησά μενος πάθος τὴν χρῆσιν ἐποίησεν. οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔχει ἡ φύσις, ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν 5.440 κεχρημένων κεῖται ἢ καλῶν ἢ κακῶν ὕλη γενέσθαι. διό φησι· Τὰ σύμπαντα, ἃ ἐποίησε καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καί γε σὺν τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν. ὁ δὲ αἰὼν διαστηματικόν τι νόημα ὢν πᾶσαν δι' ἑαυτοῦ σημαίνει τὴν κτίσιν τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ γενομένην. οὐκοῦν ἐκ τοῦ περιέχοντος ἅπαν τὸ ἐμπεριεχόμενον δείκνυσιν ὁ λόγος. πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι γέγονεν, ἔδωκε τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ καρδίᾳ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ ὁ θεός, ὥστε ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναθεωρεῖν δι' αὐτῶν τὸν ποιήσαντα. οἱ δὲ δι' ὧν εὐεργετήθησαν, διὰ τούτων ἐβλάβησαν τῷ μὴ κατὰ τὸ δέον ἑκάστῳ καὶ πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελοῦν ἀποχρήσασθαι. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα, ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός, ὅπερ σημαίνει, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεκράτησεν ἡ ἀπάτη τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς, ὅπως μὴ ἐπιγνῷ τὸ ἀγαθὸν Ποίημα, ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς ὠφελείας σκοπῷ, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς γεγονόσιν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τῆς κτίσεως καὶ μέχρι τῆς τοῦ παντὸς συμπληρώσεως οὐδενὸς ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ὄντος κακοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχει φύσιν ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ κακόν τι φῦναι. εἰ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ὁ τῶν πάντων αἴτιος, ἀγαθὰ πάντως, ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔχει. 5.441 Εἶτα, Ἔγνων, φησίν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται τῷ λόγῳ τὰ εἰρημένα. εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἐν καιρῷ τῶν θείων ποιημάτων χρῆσις τὸ καλὸν ὁρίζει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ, ἓν ἂν εἴη καλὸν ἡ διηνεκὴς ἐπὶ τοῖς καλοῖς εὐφροσύνη, ἥτις ἐκ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων γεννᾶται. ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργασία νῦν μὲν διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος εὐφραίνει τὸν τῶν καλῶν προϊστάμενον ἔργων, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἡ ἀπόλαυσις τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐκδεξαμένη ἀΐδιον τοῖς ἀξίοις τὴν εὐφροσύνην προτίθησιν, ὅτε φησὶν ὁ κύριος τοῖς τὸ ἀγαθὸν πεποιηκόσιν, ὅτι ∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν. καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ βρῶσις καὶ ἡ πόσις τῷ σώματι, δι' ὧν συντηρεῖται ἡ φύσις, τοῦτό ἐστι τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν βλέπειν· καὶ τοῦτο ὡς ἀληθῶς δόμα ἐστὶ θεοῦ τὸ ἐνατενίζειν θεῷ. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ νόημα, ὃ ἐν τοῖς ἐφεξῆς εἰρημένοις διερμηνεύεται. ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις οὕτως· Καί γε πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν. ὡς γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, φησίν, ὁ σαρκώδης ἐν τῷ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔχει, οὕτως ὁ τὸ ἀγαθὸν βλέπων (ἀγαθὸν δὲ ἀληθινὸν ὁ μόνος ἀγαθὸς ἂν εἴη) δόμα 5.442 θεοῦ ἔχει ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀεὶ βλέπειν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.