God Oversees All Things

When a person asked him how a man could be convinced that all his actions are under the inspection of God, he answered, Do you not think that all things are united in one?¹⁰⁶ I do, the person replied. Well, do you not think that earthly things have a natural agreement and union¹⁰⁷ with heavenly things? I do. And how else so regularly as if by God's command, when He bids the plants to flower, do they flower? when He bids them to send forth shoots, do they shoot? when He bids them to produce fruit, how else do they produce fruit? when He bids the fruit to ripen, does it ripen? when again He bids them to cast down the fruits, how else do they cast them down? and when to shed the leaves, do they shed the leaves? and when He bids them to fold themselves up and to remain quiet and rest, how else do they remain quiet and rest? And how else at the growth and the wane of the moon, and at the approach and recession of the sun, are so great an alteration and change to the contrary seen in earthly things?¹⁰⁸ But are plants and our bodies so bound up and united with the whole, and are not our souls much more? and our souls so bound up and in contact with God as parts of Him and portions of Him; and does not God perceive every motion of these parts as being his own motion connate with himself? Now are you able to think of the divine administration, and about all things divine, and at the same time also about human affairs, and to be moved by ten thousand things at the same time in your senses and in your understanding, and to assent to some, and to dissent from others, and again as to some things to suspend your judgment; and do you retain in your soul so many impressions from so many and various things, and being moved by them, do you fall upon notions similar to those first impressed, and do you retain numerous arts and the memories of ten thousand things; and is not God able to oversee all things, and to be present with all, and to receive from all a certain communication? And is the sun able to illuminate so large a part of the All, and to leave so little not illuminated, that part only which is occupied by the earth's shadow; and He who made the sun itself and makes it go round, being a small part of himself compared with the whole, cannot He perceive all things?

When someone asked Epictetus how a person could be convinced that God watches everything he does, he answered, Do you not think that all things are united as one?¹⁰⁶ I do, the person replied. Well, do you not think that earthly things are naturally in harmony and united¹⁰⁷ with heavenly things? I do. Then how else do plants flower so regularly when God commands them to flower? When he commands them to send out shoots, how else do they do so? When he commands them to produce fruit, how else do they produce it? When he commands the fruit to ripen, how else does it ripen? When he commands them to drop their fruit, how else do they drop it? When he commands them to shed their leaves, how else do they shed them? And when he commands them to close up and be still and rest, how else do they do so? And how else do such great changes, even reversals, occur in earthly things as the moon waxes and wanes? How else do they occur as the sun approaches and recedes?¹⁰⁸ But if plants and our bodies are so closely united with the whole, are our souls not much more so? Our souls are so closely united and connected with God, as parts and portions of him. Does God not perceive every movement of these parts as his own, arising from his own nature? Now, can you think about divine governance and all divine things, and at the same time about human affairs? Can countless things move your senses and your understanding at once? Can you agree with some, disagree with others, and suspend judgment about still others? Can you retain so many impressions from so many different things in your soul? When moved by them, can you form ideas like those first impressed on you? Can you retain knowledge of many arts and memories of countless things? And can God not oversee everything, be present with everything, and receive some communication from everything? The sun can light up such a large part of the universe that very little remains unlit. Only the part covered by the earth's shadow remains dark. Yet God made the sun and makes it go around. The sun itself is a small part of him compared with the whole. Can he not perceive everything?

But I cannot, the man may reply, comprehend all these things at once. But who tells you that you have equal power with Zeus? Nevertheless he has placed by every man a guardian, every man's Daemon,¹⁰⁹ to whom he has committed the care of the man, a guardian who never sleeps, is never deceived. For to what better and more careful guardian could He have intrusted each of us?¹¹⁰ When then you have shut the doors and made darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not; but God is within, and your Daemon is within, and what need have they of light to see what you are doing? To this God you ought to swear an oath just as the soldiers do to Caesar. But they who are hired for pay swear to regard the safety of Caesar before all things; and you who have received so many and such great favours, will you not swear, or when you have sworn, will you not abide by your oath? And what shall you swear? Never to be disobedient, never to make any charges, never to find fault with any thing that he has given, and never unwillingly to do or to suffer any thing that is necessary. Is this oath like the soldier's oath? The soldiers swear not to prefer any man to Cæsar: in this oath men swear to honour themselves before all.¹¹¹

But someone may reply, “I cannot understand all these things at once.” Who says you have the same power as Zeus? Nevertheless, he has placed a guardian beside every man, each man’s Daemon,¹⁰⁹ and entrusted him with that man’s care. This guardian never sleeps and is never deceived. For what better or more careful guardian could he have entrusted each of us to?¹¹⁰ So when you have shut the doors and made the room dark, never say that you are alone. You are not. God is within, and your Daemon is within. What need do they have of light to see what you are doing? You should swear an oath to this God, just as soldiers swear one to Caesar. Soldiers are hired for pay, and they swear to put Caesar’s safety before everything else. You have received so many great favors. Will you not swear an oath? Or, once you have sworn it, will you not keep it? And what should you swear? Never to disobey, never to make accusations or find fault with anything God has given. And never to do or suffer anything necessary unwillingly. Is this oath like the soldier’s oath? Soldiers swear not to put any man before Cæsar. In this oath, men swear to honor themselves before all others.¹¹¹

"Est Deus in nobis, agitante calescimus illo [ipso]: Impetus hic sacrae semina mentis habet."—Ovid, 'Fasti.' vi. 5.

"There is a god within us. When he stirs us, we grow warm. This inspiration carries the seeds of a divine mind." Ovid, 'Fasti.' vi. 5.