intrinsic to the Essence, it can in no way be separated from It. Since this is so, the Essence which necessitates that power clearly cannot be affected by impotence, the opposite to power. For if that were the case, it would entail the combining of opposites. Since the Essence cannot be affected by impotence, self-evidently it cannot intervene in the power which is the inherent quality of that Essence. Since impotence cannot intervene in that essential power, clearly there can be no degrees in it. For the degrees of existence of a thing occur though the intervention of its opposites.

For example, the degrees of heat come about through the intervention of cold, and the degrees of beauty through the intervention of ugliness; further examples can be made in the same way. Since in contingent beings such qualities are not true, natural, and inherent necessary qualities, their opposites may enter into them. Then with the existence of degrees, diversity, variance, and change arose in the world. Since there can be no degrees in pre-eternal power, those things decreed by it will necessarily be the same in relation to it. The greatest will be equal to the smallest, and particles the same as the stars. The resurrection of all humankind will be as easy for that power as the raising to life of a single person; the creation of spring as easy as the giving of form to a single flower. Whereas if attrib-uted to causes, the creation of a single flower is as difficult as the spring.

It has been proved in the footnote to the last section of the Fourth Degree of God is Most Great in the Second Station of this Word, and in the Twenty-Second Word, and in the Twentieth Letter and in its Addendum, that when the creation of beings is attributed to the Single One of Unity, all things become as easy as one thing. Whereas if they are attributed to causes, the creation of a single thing becomes as difficult and problemat-ical as the creation of all things.

#### Second Matter

SECOND MATTER: Divine power is related to the inner face of things. Yes, the universe has two faces like a mirror. One is its external face, which resembles the coloured face of the mirror, the other is its face which looks to its Creator. This latter resembles the mirror’s shining face. Its external face is the arena of opposites; it is where such matters appear as beautiful and ugly, good and evil, big and small, and difficult and easy. It is because of this that the All-Glorious Maker has made apparent causes a veil to the disposal of His power, so that the hand of power should not appear to the mind to be directly concerned with matters that on the face of it are insignificant or unworthy. For majesty and dignity require it to be thus. Nevertheless, He did not give true effects to causes and intermed-iaries, for the unity of oneness requires that they have none.