In his response to Faustus’ theories about the relation of hyle and God, Augustine launches into several lyrical passages in praise of the harmony and order of creation. Some selections (from Book 21):
“the divine art does not create the universe by simply making its individual things. Rather, in creating individual things for the composition of the universe, it exhibits its whole self even in creating individual things, making and arranging all things appropriately for their places and ranks and giving to all things, in particular and universally, what is suitable.” Even the lowest creature bestows “as if in common, this measure, which they received from the all-good creator, upon the universe in order to complete it in accord with the portion belonging to their own kind, so that all things may be good together with these lowest things, although the higher ones among these goods are better than the lowers ones.”
Speaking of the “vital organs” that fit “together in harmonious unity with a balance of measure, an equality of numbers, and an order of weights,” he asks “from where do those things that I mentioned come to these creatures if not from him whose unity sets every limit, whose wisdom forms every beauty, and whose law arranges every order” (Latin: Unde enim istis haec quae commemoravi, nisi ab illo cuius unitate omnis modus sistitur, cuius sapientia omnis pulchritudo formatur, cuius lege omnis ordo disponitur ?)
He takes Paul’s statement that “no one ever hates his own flesh” as a universal statement about created life. Even the lowest animals love their flesh and protect it. Then, anticipating Hopkins: “See . . . what force the creature draws from the creator, for the fullness of the universe stretches from the heavenly hosts down to the flesh and blood, beautiful with a variety of forms and arranged according to the ranks of reality” (Latin: ab ipsis coelestibus apparatibus usque ad carnem et sanguinem universitatis plenitudine terminata, formarum varietate decorata, rerum gradibus ordinata .)
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