The Unfathomable Wisdom and Will of God

Having been chosen by God and preserved by His unchanging grace, which He extended to the fathers, it is settled. One marvels at the manifold wisdom and unsearchable to men; He judges and acts concerning us (Rom 11:33-36). This is a depth, saying according to the ancient scripture which says: 'Your judgments are a great abyss'; this is because the unreachable is as the ungraspable things of the depths; and the ways according to the administration of energy are such that it is not for man to understand, just as even the footprints of one walking through the sea are not seen, as also the Psalmist says: 'In the sea is your way, and your paths in many waters, and your footprints shall not be known' (Ps 77:19).

For the human mind does not leave behind any grasp of the divine judgments, because of the manifold and much and by no means single-form kind, the divine wisdom being offered to each of the things appropriately and by imposition, teaching indeed manifold things, saying the wisdom of God. And the 14th Psalm also said according to: 'And your thoughts concerning us cannot be set forth.' Therefore it is no wonder that men stumble in the words concerning providence, for according to Isaiah the mind of God is unknown to everyone; for no one has indeed shared His scheme. This is concerning men, but He also passes over the other creation as He is Creator.

To test you, He says, the differing things; what is the will of God, the good and pleasing and perfect (Rom 12:2). This is according to the prophet the law written in the heart; for the heart being placed toward God in a god-like leisure becomes knowing of the differing things and of the good things and of the wills of God, remaining pleasing only to those in whom God is pleased. The will of the good Father, being implanted with goodness, He wills and hastens all to do good, as the one constructing us toward the likeness of His own Father as a good son. He says, 'Overcome your enemies and do good, and you shall be sons of the Most High, because He is kind toward the ungrateful and the evil.' This is truly the perfect and pleasing will of God.

For it was also said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' even if God was not pleased by this, yet this alone was endured by those being brought up by the pedagogue; for such a practice did not yet possess goodness, but rather a prevention of evil, and the abstaining from evil becomes a progress toward the good. But the good which is pleasing to God is the perfect, that which makes men like Him; 'You shall be perfect,' He says, 'just as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matt 5:48). To envy a friend and to hate one who does nothing wrong is evil, but to hate an enemy is not evil. Only those who are not perfect abstained from evil; for us, even the good must be practiced toward perfection, namely, to love all people.

The Lord, leading us into such a state, removes all causes of ill-will, so that He might instill divine love toward all people. He knows the haste regarding money that incites against those who are unjust, which stirs up envies because of money, and the abstaining from these things which people do toward one another; and He said, 'Do not store up treasures for yourselves on the earth' regarding the possession of money (Matt 6:19). For in this way, He says, you will not be angry from being cheated, you will not envy, and toward those who envy through abstaining, you will be simple and without malice in mind and loving toward all.

Crushing pride as a frenzy of the mind, he set against this the state of being of sound mind, for no one feeling himself proud would be of sound mind (Rom 12:3). 'Some have prophecy among you,' He says, a most precious gift after the apostles—for God placed in the church first apostles, second prophets—so let him think according to prophecy, knowing the primacy of the apostles, and indeed the deacon, knowing this rule of the ministry, should be in a lower rank, like hands under the head (Rom 12:6).

Again, the teacher should remain under the prophet within the measures of teaching—for second are prophets, and third are teachers—for teachers are the interpreters of the words from prophecy, just like ears hearing and understanding what is seen by the eyes that see and being made manifest; for the prophets seeing, let one exhort those already taught be arranged in the service of teachers. And these indeed are the spiritual things. But let the things concerning the body also be joined, bountiful transfers, and diligent protections; for he who shows mercy brought forth a man-loving mercy in gladness.