subject to Him in peace. 2 Day and night complete the
CLEMENT OF ROME
plate with the eyes of the soul His forbearing disposition; let us consider how unimpassioned He is in dealing with all of His creation."
20. The heavens revolve by His arrangement and are subject to Him in peace.
2 Day and night complete the revolution ordained by Him, and neither interferes in the least with the other. 3 Sun and moon and the starry choirs, obedient to His arrangement, roll on in harmony, without any deviation, through their appointed orbits. 4 The earth bears fruit according to His will in its proper seasons, and yields the full amount of food required for men and beasts and all the living things on it, neither wavering nor altering any of His decrees.
5 The unsearchable decisions that govern the abysses and the inscrutable decisions that govern the deeps are maintained by the same decrees. 6 The basin of the boundless sea, firmly built by His creative act for the collecting of the waters, does not burst the barriers set up all around it, and does precisely what has been assigned to it. 7 For He said: °° Thus far shalt thou come, and thy billows shall be turned to spray within thee. 8 The ocean, impassable for men, and the worlds beyond it are governed by the same decrees of the Master."* 9 The seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—make room for one another in peaceful succession.
10 The stations of the winds at the proper time render their service without disturbance.
Ever-flowing springs, created for enjoyment and for health, without fail offer to men their life-sustaining breasts. The smallest of the animals meet in peaceful harmony.
11 All these creatures the mighty Creator and Master of the universe ordained to act in peace and concord, thus benefitting the universe, but most abundantly ourselves who have taken refuge under His