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DISCOURSE 48. Concerning providence. (15E_360> Matthew 10. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and one of them

shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Romans 11. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.

Solomon 12. You, mastering your strength, judge with clemency, and with great forbearance you govern us.

Sirach 16. Do not say, I will be hidden, and from on high who will remember me? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens; the abyss and the earth and what is in them will be shaken at his visitation. Who shall consider his ways? a tempest which no man shall see; and the greater part of his works are hidden.

Basil. Whatever good from divine power reaches us, we say is the work of the grace which works all things.

Nothing is unprovided for or neglected by God. The sleepless eye observes all things; he is present to all, providing salvation to each.

The Theologian. Often the Divine knows how to bring about marvelous salvations, inclining toward loving-kindness by his own providence.

Chrysostom. No one spares himself so much, 944 as (15E_362> God spares all of us; for he himself wishes much more than we do, that we suffer no evil.

You do not know what is profitable, O man. Often you ask for what is harmful and ruinous; but he who cares more for your salvation, does not attend to your request; but before the request, he provides everywhere for what is profitable for you. For if earthly fathers do not give their children everything they ask for, not because they despise those who ask, but because they care more for them; how much more does God, who both loves more and knows more than all, do what is profitable for us.

Didymus. The Creator, knowing what is hidden in all rational beings, provides for all things, not only from how they are disposed and what they do, but also from what he foreknows, leading them to improvement.

Of the blessed Ephraim. God watches over the world with forbearance, hinting at the future, and arranging present evil within limits; by his decree restraining wickedness; and through conscience punishing accursed and wicked thoughts.

Of Epicurus. Thanks be to blessed nature, because it made necessary things easy to obtain; and things hard to obtain, not necessary.

Socrates. If the future can do anything, let it be a care and concern to you. But if a divine power cares for you, what care is it to you? Plato. When God wishes to do well for a city, he has made good men;

but when a city is about to fare ill, he removed the good men from this city. Thus it seems that virtue is neither teachable nor by nature; but comes by a divine portion to those who acquire it.

God [governs] all things, and with God, fortune and opportunity, govern all human affairs completely.

DISCOURSE 49. Concerning humility.

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ΛΟΓΟΣ ΜΗ´. Περί προνοίας. (15Ε_360> Ματθ. ι´. Οὐχί δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται; καί ἕν ἐξ αὐτῶν

οὐ πεσεῖται ἐπι τήν γῆν ἄνευ τοῦ Πατρός ὑμῶν. Ὑμῶν δέ καί αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς πᾶσαι ἠριθμημέναι εἰσίν.

Ῥωμ. ια΄ . Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καί σοφίας καί γνώσεως Θεοῦ! Ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τά κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καί ἀνεξεχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοί αὐτοῦ.

Σολομ. ιβ´. Σύ δεσπόζων ἰσχύος ἐν ἐπιεικεία κρίνεις, καί μετά πολλῆς φειδοῦς διοικεῖς ἡμᾶς.

Σιρ. ιστ´. Μή εἴπῃς, Ἀποκρυβήσομαι, καί ἐξ ὕψους τίς μου μνησθήσεται; Ἰδού ὀ οὐρανός καί ὁ οὐρανός τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἄβυσσος καί γῆ καί τά ἐν αὐτοῖς, τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ αὐτοῦ σαλευθήσεται. Τάς ὁδούς αὐτοῦ τίς ἐνθυμηθήσεται; καταιγίς ἥν οὐκ ὄψεται ἄνθρωπος· καί τά πλείονα τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις.

Βασιλ. Πᾶν ὅπερ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐκ θείας δυνάμεως ἀγαθόν φθάσῃ, τῆς πάντα ἐνεργούσης χάριτος ἐνέργειαν εἶναί φαμεν.

Οὐδέν ἀπρονόητον οὐδέ ἠμελημένον παρά τῷ Θιεῶ. Πάντα σκοπεύει ὁ ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμός· πᾶσι πάρεστι, πορίζων ἐκάστῳ τήν σωτηρίαν.

Θεολ. Πολλάκις παραδόξους σωτηρίας οἶδε τό Θεῖον καινοτομεῖν, νεῦον πρός τό φιλάνθρωπον τῇ ἑαυτοῦ προνοίᾳ.

Χρυσοστ. Οὐδείς οὕτως ἑαυτοῦ φείδεται, 944 ὡς (15Ε_362> πάντων ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός· πολλῷ γάρ ἡμῶν αὐτός βούλεται μᾶλλον, μηδέν ἡμᾶς πάσχειν κακόν.

Οὐκ οἶδας σύ τά συμφέροντα, ἄνθρωπε. Πολλάκις αἰτεῖς ἐπιβλαβῆ καί σφαλερά· ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνος ὁ μᾶλλον κηδόμενός σου τῆς σωτηρίας, οὐ τῇ αἰτήσει σου προσέχει· ἀλλά πρό τῆς αἰτήσεως τό συμφέρον σοι πανταχοῦ προνοεῖται. Εἰ γάρ οἱ πατέρες αἱ σαρκικοί οὐ πάντα αἰτοῦσι τοῖς παισί διδόασιν, οὐκ ἐπειδή καταφρονοῦσι τῶν αἰτούντων, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή αὐτῶν μᾶλλον κήδονται· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεός, ὁ καί μᾶλλον φιλῶν καί πλέον ἁπάντων εἰδώς, τό συμφέρον ἡμῖν ποιεῖ.

∆ιδύμ. Πάντων τῶν λογικῶν ἐπιστάμενος τό κρυπτόν ὁ ∆ημιουργός, προνοεῖται τῶν ὅλων, οὐ μόνον ἐξ ὧν διάκεινται καί πράττουσιν, ἀλλά καί ἐξ ὧν προγινώσκει ἄγων τήν βελτίωσιν.

Τοῦ μακαρίου Ἐφραίμ. Τόν κόσμον ὁ Θεός ἀνεξικακίᾳ ἐπισκοπεῖ, τό μέλλον αἰνιττόμενος, καί τό παρόν κακόν ὅροις στοιχίζων· ἐκ μέν τῆς ἀποφάσεως χαλινῶν τήν πονηρίαν· διά δέ τῆς συνειδήσεως τάς ἐναγεῖς καί πονηράς διανοίας τιμωρούμενος.

Ἐπικούρου. Χάρις τῇ μακαρίᾳ φύσει, ὅτι τά ἀναγκαῖα ἐποίησεν εὐπόριστα· τά δέ δυσπόριστα, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα.

Σωκράτης. Εἰ τό μέλλειν δύνανταί τι, μέριμνα καί μελέτω σοι. Εἰ δέ μέλει περί σοῦ δαίμονι, σοί τί μέλει; Πλάτων. Ὅταν βούληται Θεός εὖ πρᾶξαι πόλιν, ἄνδρας ἀγαθούς ἐποίησεν·

ὅταν δέ μέλλῃ κακῶς πράξειν πόλις, ἐξεῖλε τούς ἄνδρας τούς ἀγαθούς ἐκ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως. Οὕτως ἔοικεν οὔτε διδακτόν εἶναι, οὔτε φύσει, ἀρετή· ἀλλά θείᾳ μοίρᾳ παραγίνεται κτωμένοις.

Ὁ Θεός πάντα, καί μετά Θεοῦ τύχη καί καιρός, τά ἀνθρώπινα διακυβερνῶσι συμπάντα.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΜΘ´. Περί ταπεινοφροσύνης.