Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume I

8That heat dissolves and cold condenses in useful and fitting ways, and that they do so continually and in the most orderly fashion, comes neither from their simple nature nor from chance, but from a higher cause. Moreover, the spheres, ever departing through continuous motion from their present state, find no rest within themselves. Their being and motion therefore come from another, in whose keeping lies the end for whose sake they move and act; for an end must in intention precede the motions directed toward it. Hence Aristotle says in his books on divine matters: just as the order of an army's parts, both among themselves and toward the whole, proceeds from the ordering of the whole army toward its one commander, so the order of the world's parts, among themselves and toward the whole, depends upon the ordering of the whole toward God.

9From this he concludes that, just as an army's order resides in its commander, so the order of the whole world resides in God, the world's one sovereign. The parts of the world and every little body therefore advance toward a definite end, by the most orderly path and the most suitable means, always or for the most part. They very often accomplish their works as well as they possibly can, just as though they possessed an art within themselves—and an absolutely perfect art at that. Indeed, they proceed with such marvelous reason that they surpass human art and reasoning. Yet bodies do not understand their own motion, and therefore cannot prescribe for themselves the end toward which they tend, not by chance but necessarily. Still, an end has plainly been prescribed to them—for otherwise they would not travel toward this end rather than another. That end which they desire must be prescribed by another, whose wisdom guides them toward it as the archer's skill directs arrows toward their mark.