For by the nod and the powers of the divine and paternal Word, who oversees and governs all things, heaven revolves, the stars move, the sun shines, the moon circles, the air is illuminated by the sun, the upper air is heated, and the winds blow. The mountains stand raised on high; the sea surges, and the living creatures in it are nourished; the earth remains unmoved and bears fruit; a human being is formed, lives, and dies again; and, in short, all things are given life and motion. Fire burns, water cools, springs bubble up, rivers overflow, seasons and times come round, rains descend, clouds fill, hail forms, snow and ice freeze, birds fly, creeping things move, creatures of the water swim, the sea is sailed, the earth is sown and in its proper seasons grows green, plants increase, and some are young, others ripen, while still others, as they grow, grow old and fade. Some disappear, while others are born and come to light.
All these things, and still more than these, which because of their number we are unable to recount, the Word of God, who works wonders and marvels, illumines and gives life to, moving and ordering them by His own nod and making the world one. Nor does He leave the invisible powers outside Himself; for since He is also their Maker, He includes them within the whole, holds them together, and gives them life by His own nod and providence. And this should provide no occasion for unbelief.
For just as by His providence bodies grow and the rational soul moves and possesses both reason and life—and this needs no lengthy proof, since we see what happens—so also the same Word of God, by one simple nod and by His own power, moves and holds together both the visible world and the invisible powers, giving to each its own proper activity: the divine powers move in a more divine way, while visible things move in the manner we see. He Himself is over all as ruler and king and as the One who gives all things their coherence, and He works all things toward the glory and knowledge of His own Father, almost teaching and saying through the works He brings about: “From the greatness and beauty of created things, by analogy, their Maker is seen.”