Those who promised to be wise, who by their outward appearance acquired for themselves the general respect of all, who demanded dominion over the passions, compelled and persuaded people to worship the passions, so that the bridler of the passions, the autocratic mind, began to senselessly offer sacrifices to lust, irritability, theft, drunkenness, and other passions. And still others, being unable to conceive in thought of anything other than the visible, but enclosing the mind in the sensible alone, called gods that which is subject to the sight of the eyes; and the venerable name, which makes those who hear it tremble, some have given to the elements, and others to their parts. Some asserted that the world arose by chance, while others imagined many worlds instead of one world. Some said that there was no Divinity at all, others that although there was, he had no care for anything that existed, and others that although he had care, it was very small, and that Providence was limited to the moon, while the rest of the world was attracted by who knows what, forced to submit to a necessary fate. Even of those who bear the name of Christians, some directly rebel against the dogmas of truth. For some divide the unborn into three parts, and call one good, another evil, and a third righteousness; others depict in words two unborn principles, directly opposite to each other; others give their word to oppose these wicked teachings and invent a new path of wickedness. For the Only-begotten Word of God, confessing to be the Son, is numbered among the creatures, and the Creator is placed alongside the creature, and the Holy Spirit is excluded from the nature of God by their wicked word. And others, having lost the straight path and not wishing to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, have departed from the truth in other ways. Some completely denied the dispensation that had been accomplished for our sake; others confess that God the Word, although He became man, took upon Himself one body. Others call the received flesh animate, but deny that there is a verbal and rational soul in it, perhaps taking their own foolishness as proof of this; whereas we know of no other soul in man than the rational and immortal one.

But this time we leave all the others; for the word, as it happens in battle, cannot suddenly cast arrows of rebuke at everyone. Therefore, let all the other hordes of the wicked remain in peace; And having brought out on Wednesday one regiment of attackers of God's Providence, we will smite it with rebukes, we will try to bring it into disarray, to break through its dense ranks, to lead away from it captives and captivating every mind to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Let the rest of the assembly of the wicked remain in the ranks of the spectators and look at this struggle. For it is probable that each of these rows will not require a special competition with it; but when they see the defeat of some and understand the power of the truth, others will also go over to the side of the truth. And perhaps this word, walking at a slow pace, will also affect those who are now listening and who will later read. Therefore, having put on the full armor of the Spirit, in the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod his nose in preparation for the gospel of peace, having received the shield of faith over all... and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17), let us enter into the struggle, and let the divine trumpet sound in support of our weakness. We, standing at the very fence, will ask our opponents why they contradict the teaching of Providence, and moreover, when they themselves say that they have a Creator, because now our word will be addressed to them.

See how God's Providence from every part of creation itself clings to you, allows itself to be seen, proclaims and almost cries out to you by reality itself, and stops your bold lips, and bridles your unbridled tongue. Look, it is visible in the sky and in the heavenly bodies, i.e. in the sun, moon and stars; visible in the air, in the clouds, and on land, and on the sea, in everything that is on earth; visible in plants, cereals and seeds; it is seen in animals verbal and dumb, walking, flying and swimming, reptiles, water-earthly, meek and ferocious, tame and indomitable.

Judge for yourselves: who supports the vaults of heaven? How for so many thousands of years the heavens have remained ageless, and time has not produced any change in it, although by nature the heavens are easily changeable, as Blessed David teaches. "They shall perish," he says of the heavens, "but Thou remainest: and all shall be as a garment they promise, and as a garment I shall wear, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail (Psalm 101:27-28). Yet, having a changeable and perishable essence, it remained in the same state, supported by the word of the Creator; for the Word which created it preserves and sustains it, and, as long as it pleases the Word, gives it constancy and stability. For this reason fire sweeps through the heavens, (I mean the sun, the moon, and the other luminaries)

But the sky does not undergo anything of the kind, because all this abundance of fire does not melt its crystalline composition, does not spoil its smoothness, does not make depressions on the spherical surface; on the contrary, the state into which it is brought at the beginning, it preserves it to the end. Having set the heavens as a kamara, He Who also stretched it out as a tabernacle to dwell (Isaiah 40:22), brought into fellowship the opposite natures.

For the Creator rules over creation; being both a shipbuilder and a producer of matter, He does not leave the boat built by Him without control, at the same time He created the substance and built the boat, and does not cease to rule the feeder. This is evidenced by the circle of so many years and the longest time, which did not damage the boats, but presented it whole and inviolable not only to the first, but also to the later families.

And now, when you, my friend, have seen God's Providence manifested in heaven, let us lead you to a survey of the other parts of creation, and, like children who are just beginning to walk, we will take you by the hand and make you gradually go around all creation. Therefore, descend from heaven, as it were, to the first step - to the sun; do not be afraid of being burned, but go up and examine; it will not burn you, full of gratitude to the Creator, but will show you the Creator, Who commands him to use the power of nature for the opposite action. Fire by nature usually tends upward, as water flows downwards along a slope. It is impossible, as it is impossible to carry water from under the mountain to the top of the mountain, so to make the fire turn its flame downwards; but if someone, while holding a candle or a torch, uses the effort to turn his hand down a thousand times, the flame will rise up again and rush to the hand holding the candle, and will not change the aspiration that he received at the beginning, but will remain faithful to the statutes of nature. Everything is not difficult for the Creator. That which is disobedient to thy hand is obedient to the beckons of the Creator. And we can see that the sun, the moon, and the host of stars turn their backs to heaven, and send out their rays downwards, because they serve the Creator, and the statute of the Creator is for them nature. The nature of fire does not submit to Thee, nor forsake the activity proper to it, because it serves Thee; but in obedience to the beckons of the Creator, it changes, and the nature that strives upward becomes downward. In the same way, the water nature, which is fluid and has no density, is raised up by the Creator and lifted upwards, and, attracting from below, He places it in the midst of heaven and earth, not propped up, but lifted up and held by a single word.

But for the time being, refrain from wanting to hear anything about the clouds, and from wanting to go forward before you have yet learned to walk: gradually, as you go around the creature, learn the path of godliness. But even here behold God's Providence, which watches over the sun, moon and other luminaries, and as if with a voice commands them to illuminate people, and not just to illuminate, but together to serve for the division of time; for the sun, when it rises, produces the day, and when it sets and hides itself, it gives way to night, the darkness of which the Creator dissolves with the light of the moon and the stars. And you can see that it is as if brother and sister (I mean day and night), for the needs of people, borrow time from each other and return it back with gratitude.

That is why the day gradually receives an increase. When the summer reaches the middle, the loan is stopped and the repayment begins immediately; and it is not done in one day, but also little by little, as it was levied, and returns what was taken.

In the same way, the night, having taken a debt, does not refuse to lend again.

Thus our whole life passes in days and nights, and the night is no less useful to people than the day. And, first, the difference between darkness and light makes light more pleasant and delightful for us. Therefore, the morning is more desirable for us than noon. Having had enough of the light during the day, we have need of nightly rest. Then, while the night lasts, our satiety passes, and the light again becomes pleasing to us. Thus, having been satiated with labor during the day, we calm the tired body at night, and, having healed it well with bed, sleep, silence, at dawn, as if it had been renewed, we again devote it to work. So much great benefit does the night bring us. In continuation of it, the hireling calms down and the servant has a rest from his labors. Night and its darkness force even the extremely hardworking to stop working. It was often respected by the combatants: those who defeated and pursued their opponents, seeing the approach of night, stopped the pursuit and allowed those fleeing to flee at a slower speed. Night, as it gathers people into houses and brings them sweet sleep, so it leads animals to prey and gives them the courage to seek food for themselves. For this reason the great David, singing to the God of all things, cries: "He created the moon in the season: the sun knew its setting." Thou didst put darkness, and there was a night, in which all the beasts of the oak grove would pass, and the roaring beasts would catch up, and seek food from God. The sun has risen, and they have gathered, and they will lie down in their beds. A man shall go out to his work and to his work until the evening (Psalm 103:19-23). For this reason the night is also beneficial, because it gives rest to people, and allows animals to fearlessly obtain food for themselves.

But perhaps some of those who deny Providence will say: "For what purpose were the beasts created? What is the use of them to people?" But what can be said in this reasoning as a proof of Providence, will find a place in the word about beasts; Until then, let our word go its own way. Therefore, I think that what has been said is enough to bring us to the senses that the need for the night is necessary and extremely useful to people. However, this word will add something else in confirmation of what has been said before.

Since we have a mortal nature and the time of our life is limited, we must also study the measures of time. Therefore, the night, occupying the middle between two days, serves to measure time. If the light were continuous, then we could not know the annual revolutions and study the number of months, but the measure of the entire present age would seem to us to be one day, which, as we believe, will be the age expected for us, because, as we have been taught, that day will be unfading and completely uninterrupted. And such an age is fitting for those who will be immortal. In the present age, however, because of the nature of mortality and temporality, those who have need of a multitude of time must know the measure of time, so that, seeing the course of it, they may take care of themselves and be ready for resettlement. Wherefore the night, by succession following the day, becomes a measure of time, and having done this seven times, it makes a week. And we borrow the measure of the month from the moon, because from it it also received its name, for the moon is also called the moon. The moon, waxing and waning, becoming sickle-shaped, half-humped, two-humped, full, and again taking the form of a two-humped moon, and then half and sickle-shaped, fulfills the number of thirty days without several hours. And we know the annual circle not only by months, but also by days. For at the beginning of spring, the sun, making its way through the very middle of the sky, produces the equality of day and night. From here, moving to the more northern parts of the east, and there rising, he shortens the nights and increases the days; but by imparting more and more warmth to the earth, he brings its fruits to maturity; and when it has reached its usual limits, it returns from north to south. And again in autumn he establishes the equality of day and night, makes it more southerly, returns to the nights, which, having borrowed from them, gave to the days; the air is allowed to thicken, fill with clouds, and moisten all the solid earth; returning from here to the equinoctial turn, it fulfills the annual cycle.

Therefore, since you know the need of the sun and the moon, the equal succession of night and day, and the benefit that is brought to people, then pay attention to this most pleasant and useful transition of the seasons. The Creator did not divide the annual cycle into two equal parts, nor did He give us only summer and winter, and we do not pass directly from one extreme to the other; on the contrary, spring and autumn, having taken into account the medium dissolution of air, form the middle between cold and heat. An excessively humid and cold winter is not followed by an excessively dry and hot summer, but by spring, which, having a part of the warmth of summer and the cold of winter, produces a beautiful mixture of the two extremes, and, as if with some hands, taking the two opposites, the cold of winter and the heat of summer, these completely hostile qualities bring into rapprochement and friendship. Therefore, when we pass from winter to summer, we proceed without sorrow, because, gradually moving away from the winter cold and approaching the warmth of summer, we do not suffer any harm from a sudden change. Thus we pass from summer to winter, by means of autumn, which does not allow two excessive opposites to suddenly touch us, but dissolves extreme warmth with extreme cold, produces a new mixture, and gradually leads us to this extreme. Such is the care of Him Who created us! In the same way, by the changes of the annual seasons, it achieves that we not only do not tolerate sorrow, but also feel pleasant.