Chapter I. (Sermo III.)
After the works of the first day were strictly examined and those who claimed that eternal matter was added to the world were rejected, he proceeds to the second day: and in the creation of things, he teaches that we should consider not the possibility of nature, but the power of God.
First, or rather one, let the prerogative of prophetic discourse remain, which we were able to complete; in which we have come to know the heaven created, the earth made, the abundance of waters, the surrounding air, the separation of light and darkness by the operation of Almighty God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and also of the Holy Spirit. So who would not marvel at the fact that a world with dissimilar parts rises up into one body, and by an indissoluble law of harmony and charity, they come together in society and connection, though they are so distant by nature, as if they are woven together by an indivisible bond of unity and peace? But who, seeing this, would question the possibility of reason with a weak mind? All these things, by the divine power, incomprehensible to human minds and indescribable by our words, have been connected by the authority of His will.
Therefore, God made the sky and the earth, and He commanded them to exist as if He were their creator, not as if He were inventing figures, but as if He were an operator of nature. For how do the operative power of the impassible God and the nature of the passible matter agree with each other, as if one needed the other, borrowing from it? For if matter is uncreated, therefore it seems that the power of creating matter was lacking in God, and the things subservient to operation were borrowed from it. But if truly unformed, it is truly amazing that it could not confer eternal matter to God, which did not receive its substance from the creator, but possessed it without time. Therefore, the creator found more than he conferred. He found matter in which he could work: but he conferred form, which would bring beauty to the things he found. Hence, he should be distinguished from the others as one day and not to be compared with the others as the first day, on which the foundations of all things were laid and the causes began to exist, by which the substance of this world and all visible creatures is supported. Why the marvelous works of the second day should come forth to us, the greatness of which is not according to the ability of our discourse, but according to the truth of the writer, to be referred to the praise of the Creator.
Therefore, I ask you to naturally value what we say probably, and to think diligently with a simple mind and careful intelligence, not according to philosophical traditions and the empty persuasion of collecting plausible arguments, but according to the rule of truth, which is expressed in the oracles of divine speech and is infused into the hearts of the faithful through contemplation of such great majesty, for it is written: Confirm me in your words. The unjust exercises were narrated to me, but not as your law, O Lord: all your precepts are truth (Psalm 128:28, 85 and 86). Therefore, let us consider not according to the natures of the elements, but according to Christ, who did everything he desired, overflowing with the fullness of his divinity, let us consider what has been done, and let us inquire about the possibility of nature. For when he healed the lepers in the Gospel, he did not restore sight to the blind, but the people who were present and witnessed those things recognized the order of medicine: but marveling at the power of the Lord, they gave praise to God, as it is written (Luke 18:43). Moses did not stretch out his hand to divide the Red Sea according to the numbers of the Egyptians and the movements of the stars, but he obeyed the divine command of power. Therefore he himself says: Your right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength; your right hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemy. (Exodus 15:6) So, holy people, lift up your mind and focus your whole being on that. God does not see as man sees; God looks into the heart, while man looks at the face. Therefore, a man does not see in the same way as God. You hear that God saw and praised. Therefore, do not assess with your own eyes what has been done, and do not draw conclusions from opinions. Instead, consider what God saw and approved, and do not think that they should be retracted.