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What is this? To what end is this? For each thing is useful, even if we are ignorant of the reason. Therefore, just as if you enter a physician's office, and see many tools set out, you marvel at the variety of the instruments, even though you do not know their uses; so also do upon creation, and if you see many animals and herbs and plants and other things whose uses you do not know, marvel at their variety, and be amazed for this reason at God the master craftsman, that He made neither all things clear to you, nor left all things unclear. For He did not leave all things unclear, so that you might not say that things are without providence; but neither did He leave all things knowable to you, so that the greatness of the knowledge might not lift you up into arrogance. Thus, indeed, that evil demon 49.131 overthrew the first man, depriving him of what he had in the hope of greater knowledge. For this reason a certain wise man also advises, saying: Seek not things mightier than you, and search not things deeper than you; think on what has been commanded you; for most of his works are in secret; and again, More than human understanding has been shown to you. And he said this to comfort the one who is distressed and grieved because he does not know all things. For even those very things, he says, which you were permitted to know, exceedingly surpass your understanding; for you did not find them on your own, but were taught by God. Be content, therefore, with the wealth given, and seek no more, but give thanks for what you have received, do not be vexed over what you have not received, and glorify for what you know, be not scandalized by what you do not know; for God has usefully done both, and has revealed some things, and concealed others, providing for your salvation. One way, then, as I said, of the knowledge of God is through creation, which could spend many days. For that we might not go through the formation of man alone with precision—and by precision I mean that which is possible for us, not what is truly precise; for even if we have spoken many of the reasons for things that have come to be, there are also other, more numerous, unutterable ones, which God the maker knows; for we ourselves certainly do not know them all; so that if we were to go through the entire formation of man with precision and find the wisdom in each member, the distribution of the nerves, the veins, the arteries, the position, the formation of all the others, not even a whole year would suffice for this explanation. Wherefore, having finished this discourse here, and having given to the industrious and studious the opportunity from what has been said to go through the remaining parts of creation as well, let us turn the discourse to another subject, one that is itself also indicative of the providence of God. What then is the second subject? From the beginning, God, in forming man, implanted in him a natural law. And what is a natural law? He articulated our conscience, and made the knowledge of good and of things not so self-taught; for we do not need to learn that fornication is evil, and chastity good, but we know this from the beginning. And that you may learn that we know this from the beginning, the lawgiver, giving laws later, and saying, You shall not kill, did not add, For murder is evil, but simply said, You shall not kill; for he only forbade the sin, he did not teach. For what reason, then, having said, You shall not kill, did he not add, Because murder is evil? Because the conscience, having anticipated, taught us this, and He speaks thus to us as to those who know and understand. Therefore, when he speaks concerning another commandment which has not become known to us from the conscience, he not only forbids, but also adds the reason. For instance, when legislating concerning the sabbath and saying, On the seventh day you shall do no work, he also added the reason for the rest; what reason indeed was this? Because on the seventh day God rested from all His works which He had begun to do; and again, Because you were a servant in the land of Egypt. For what reason then, tell me, in the case of the sabbath did he add the reason, but in the case of murder did nothing of the sort? Because this commandment was not one of the primary ones, nor one of those precisely known to us from conscience, but a certain partial and temporary one, and for this reason it was also abolished afterwards; but the necessary ones

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τί τοῦτο; εἰς τί τοῦτο; ἕκαστον γὰρ χρήσιμόν ἐστιν, εἰ καὶ τὸν λόγον ἀγνοοῦμεν ἡμεῖς. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐὰν εἰς ἰατρεῖον εἰσέλθῃς, καὶ ἴδῃς ἐργαλεῖα πολλὰ προκείμενα, θαυμάζεις τὴν ποικιλίαν τῶν ὀργάνων, καίτοι γε τὰς χρείας αὐτῶν οὐκ εἰδώς· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως ποίησον, κἂν ἴδῃς πολλὰ τῶν ζώων καὶ τῶν βοτανῶν καὶ τῶν φυτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων ὧν τὰς χρείας οὐκ οἶδας, θαύμασον αὐτῶν τὴν ποικιλίαν, καὶ ἐκπλάγηθι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἀριστοτέχνην Θεὸν, ὅτι οὔτε σοι πάντα δῆλα ἐποίησεν, οὕτε πάντα ἀφῆκεν ἄδηλα. Οὐκ ἀφῆκε μὲν γὰρ πάντα ἄδηλα, ἵνα μὴ ἀπρονόητα εἶναι λέγῃς τὰ ὄντα· οὐκ ἀφῆκε δέ σοι πάντα γνώριμα εἶναι, ἵνα μὴ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς γνώσεως εἰς ἀπόνοιάν σε ἐπάρῃ. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἄν 49.131 θρωπον ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος ἐξετραχήλισεν, ἐλπίδι μείζονος γνώσεως καὶ τῆς οὔσης ἀποστερήσας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ σοφός τις παραινεῖ λέγων· Ἰσχυρότερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ βαθύτερά σου μὴ ἐρεύνα· ἃ προσετάγη σοι, ταῦτα διανοοῦ· τὰ γὰρ πλείονα τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀποκρύφοις· καὶ πάλιν, Πλείονα συνέσεως ἀνθρώπων ὑπεδείχθη σοι. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε παραμυθούμενος τὸν ἀσχάλλοντα καὶ ἀλύοντα, ἐπειδὴ μὴ πάντα οἶδεν. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὰ, φησὶν, ἅπερ ἐπετράπης εἰδέναι, σφόδρα ὑπερβαίνει σου τὴν σύνεσιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἵκοθεν εὗρες, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδαχθείς. Ἀρκοῦ τοίνυν τῷ δοθέντι πλούτῳ, καὶ μὴ πλέον ἐπιζήτει, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔλαβες εὐχαρίστει, μὴ ἀγανάκτει ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ ἔλαβες, καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν οἶδας δόξαζε, μὴ σκανδαλίζου δι' ἃ οὐκ οἶδας· ἀμφότερα γὰρ χρησίμως ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀπεκάλυψε, τὰ δὲ ἀπέκλεισε, τῆς σῆς προνοῶν σωτηρίας. Εἷς μὲν οὖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, τρόπος θεογνωσίας ὁ διὰ τῆς κτίσεως, πολλὰς δυνάμενος ἡμέρας ἀναλῶσαι. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ μόνου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατ' ἀκρίβειαν τὴν διατύπωσιν ἐπέλθωμεν, κατ' ἀκρίβειαν δὲ λέγω τὴν ἡμῖν δυνατὴν, οὐ τὴν ὄντως ἀκρίβειαν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλοὺς εἰρήκαμεν τῶν γενομένων λόγους, ἀλλ' εἰσὶ καὶ ἕτεροι πλείους ἀπόῤῥητοι, οὓς ὁ ποιήσας οἶδε Θεός· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πάντας ἴσμεν αὐτοί· ἵν' οὖν ἅπασαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τὴν διάπλασιν ἐπέλθωμεν καὶ τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ μέλει σοφίαν εὕρωμεν, τῶν νεύρων, τῶν φλεβῶν, τῶν ἀρτηριῶν τὴν διανομὴν, τὴν θέσιν, τὴν διάπλασιν τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, οὐδὲ ἐνιαυτὸς ὁλόκληρος ἡμῖν ἀρκέσειεν ἂν πρὸς τὴν ἐξήγησιν ταύτην. ∆ιόπερ τοῦτον ἐνταῦθα καταλύσαντες τὸν λόγον, καὶ τοῖς φιλοπόνοις καὶ φιλομαθέσι παρασχόντες ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἐπελθεῖν μέρη, ἐφ' ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν τὸν λόγον τρέψωμεν, ἐνδεικτικὴν καὶ αὐτὴν οὖσαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ δευτέρα ὑπόθεσις; Ἐξ ἀρχῆς πλάττων ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, νόμον αὐτῷ φυσικὸν ἐγκατέθηκε. Καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστιν νόμος φυσικός; Τὸ συνειδὸς ἡμῖν διήρθρωσε, καὶ αὐτοδίδακτον ἐποίησε τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων· οὐ γὰρ δεόμεθα μαθεῖν ὅτι κακὸν ἡ πορνεία, καὶ καλὸν ἡ σωφροσύνη, ἀλλ' ἴσμεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἴσμεν, ὁ νομοθέτης νόμους διδοὺς ὕστερον, καὶ εἰπὼν, Οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐκ ἐπήγαγε, Κακὸν γὰρ ὁ φόνος, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς, Οὐ φονεύσεις, εἶπεν· ἁπηγόρευσε γὰρ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μόνον, οὐκ ἐδίδαξε. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν εἰπὼν, Οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ προσέθηκεν, Ὅτι κακὸν ὁ φόνος; Ἐπειδὴ προλαβὼν τὸ συνειδὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπαίδευσε τοῦτο, καὶ ὡς εἰδόσι καὶ ἐπισταμένοις οὕτω διαλέγεται. Ὅταν γοῦν περὶ ἑτέρας ἐντολῆς λέγῃ τῆς οὐ γνωρίμης ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος γενομένης, οὐκ ἀπαγορεύει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν προστίθησι. Περὶ σαββάτου γοῦν νομοθετῶν καὶ λέγων, Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ οὐ ποιήσεις ἔργον, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπήγαγε τῆς ἀργίας· ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ κατέπαυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἤρξατο ποιῆσαι· καὶ πάλιν, Ὅτι οἰκέτης ἦσθα ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ σαββάτου τὴν αἰτίαν προσέθηκεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ φόνου οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐποίησεν; Ἐπειδὴ αὕτη μὲν ἡ ἐντολὴ οὐ τῶν προηγουμένων ἦν, οὐδὲ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ συνειδότος ἡμῖν ἠκριβωμένων, ἀλλὰ μερική τις καὶ πρόσκαιρος, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ κατελύθη μετὰ ταῦτα· αἱ δὲ ἀναγκαῖαι