The Duties of the Heart, by Rabbi Bachye, tr. by Edwin Collins, [1909], at sacred-texts.com
(From the Third Gate, Explaining the Obligation of Accepting the Service of the Deity, Blessed be He.)
Free Will and Providence
When you understand the mystery of movement and the dynamic laws of the universe, and realise how these, in their working, are among the greatest wonders of the wisdom of God, and you recognise how great has been the mercy of the Creator to His creatures in the operation of these laws, then it will be clear to you that all your movements are bound and controlled by the pleasure of the Creator, blessed be He, and His providence, and His will—the smallest and least important as well as the greatest, the obvious as well as those that are hidden—with one great exception: that.
[paragraph continues] He has placed in your power the choice of good and evil.