The Enchiridion 12
12 All Beings Were Made Good, But Not Being Made Perfectly Good, are Liable to Corruption PL 40, 236
All things that exist, therefore, seeing that the Creator of them all is supremely good, are themselves good. But because they are not, like their Creator, supremely and unchangeably good, their good may be diminished and increased. But for good to be diminished is an evil, although, however much it may be diminished, it is necessary, if the being is to continue, that some good should remain to constitute the being. For however small or of whatever kind the being may be, the good which makes it a being cannot be destroyed without destroying the being itself. An uncorrupted nature is justly held in esteem. But if, still further, it be incorruptible, it is undoubtedly considered of still higher value. When it is corrupted, however, its corruption is an evil, because it is deprived of some sort of good. For if it be deprived of no good, it receives no injury; but it does receive injury, therefore it is deprived of good. Therefore, so long as a being is in process of corruption, there is in it some good of which it is being deprived; and if a part of the being should remain which cannot be corrupted, this will certainly be an incorruptible being, and accordingly the process of corruption will result in the manifestation of this great good. But if it do not cease to be corrupted, neither can it cease to possess good of which corruption may deprive it. But if it should be thoroughly and completely consumed by corruption, there will then be no good left, because there will be no being. Wherefore corruption can consume the good only by consuming the being. Every being, therefore, is a good; a great good, if it can not be corrupted; a little good, if it can: but in any case, only the foolish or ignorant will deny that it is a good. And if it be wholly consumed by corruption, then the corruption itself must cease to exist, as there is no being left in which it can dwell.
Creaturae omnes bonae, sed quia non summe bonae, ideo corruptibiles. Naturae igitur omnes, quoniam naturarum prorsus omnium Conditor summe bonus est, bonae sunt: sed quia non sicut earum Conditor summe atque incommutabiliter bonae sunt, ideo in eis et minui bonum et augeri potest. Sed bonum minui malum est; quamvis, quantumcumque minuatur, remaneat aliquid necesse est (si adhuc natura est) unde natura sit. Neque enim, si qualiscumque et quantulacumque natura est, consumi bonum quo natura est, nisi et ipsa consumatur, potest. Merito quippe natura incorrupta laudatur: porro si et incorruptibilis sit, quae corrumpi omnino non possit, multo est procul dubio laudabilior. Cum vero corrumpitur, ideo malum est ejus corruptio, quia eam qualicumque privat bono; nam si nullo bono privat, non nocet: nocet autem; adimit igitur bonum. Quamdiu itaque natura corrumpitur, inest ei bonum quo privetur: ac per hoc si naturae aliquid remanebit quod jam corrumpi nequeat, profecto natura incorruptibilis erit, et ad hoc tam magnum bonum corruptione perveniet. At si corrumpi non desinet, nec bonum habere utique desinet, quo eam possit privare corruptio. Quam si penitus totamque consumpserit, ideo nullum bonum inerit, quia natura nulla erit. Quocirca bonum consumere corruptio non potest, nisi consumendo naturam. Omnis ergo natura bonum est; magnum, si corrumpi non potest; parvum, si potest: negari tamen bonum esse, nisi stulte atque imperite prorsus non potest. Quae si corruptione consumitur, nec ipsa corruptio remanebit, nulla ubi esse possit subsistente natura.