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

Solom. 12. But you, mastering your strength, judge with equity, and with great forbearance you direct us.

Sir. 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 the things in them, shall be shaken at his visitation. Who will consider his ways? a tempest which no man shall see; and the greater part of his works are in secret.

Basil. Whatever good reaches us from divine power, we say is the operation of the all-working grace.

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

Theologus. Often the Divine knows how to bring about marvelous salvations, inclining toward philanthropy by his own providence.

Chrysostom. No one spares himself so much (944) as God does 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 harmful and dangerous things; but he who cares more for your salvation does not heed your request; but before the request he provides everywhere 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 for them more; much more does God, who loves more and knows more than all, do what is profitable for us.

Didymus. The Creator, knowing the secret thoughts of all rational beings, provides for all things, not only from how they are disposed and what they do, but also from what he foreknows, bringing about improvement.

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

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

Socrates. If the future holds any power, let it be your concern and care. But if a divinity cares for you, what concern is it to you? Plato. When God wishes to do well by a city, he has made good men; but when

a city is about to fare badly, he has taken the good men out of this city. Thus it seems that virtue is neither teachable, nor by nature; but it comes by a divine portion to those who possess it.

God governs all things, and with God fortune and opportunity, govern all human affairs together.

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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 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.