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having sketched out from above. Thus He 62.18 Himself brings on the end according to the counsel of His will. So that it was not because the Jews did not attend that He called the Gentiles, nor by constraint, nor being moved by them. That we should be, he says, to the praise of His glory, we who had before hoped in Christ; in whom you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; that is, through whom. See how everywhere Christ has become the cause of all things, and nowhere the name of the minister, nor that of the servant; just as elsewhere writing to the Hebrews he says, that "Having in times past spoken to our fathers by the prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son." That is, through the Son. The word, he says, of truth; no longer that of type, nor that of image. The gospel of our salvation. And well does he call it a gospel of salvation, hinting on the one hand at the law, and on the other at the coming punishment. For the preaching is nothing else than a gospel of salvation, because it no longer destroys those worthy of destruction. In whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance. Again, a sign of great forethought is the being sealed, not the being set apart, nor the being chosen by lot only, but also the being sealed. For just as if someone should make manifest those who have fallen to his lot, so also God has set apart to believe, He has sealed to inherit the things to come. 2. Do you see how, as time goes on, He makes them wonderful? For while they were in His foreknowledge, they were manifest to none; but when they were sealed, they became manifest, but not as we are; for they will be manifest except for a few. The Israelites also were sealed, but by circumcision, just as also the cattle and the irrational animals; but we also have been sealed, but as sons, by the Spirit. What is, "Spirit of promise"? Either that we received it according to promise. For there are two promises, one through the prophets, the other from the Son; through the prophets: hear Joel saying: "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;" and hear again Christ saying: "And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And yet, he says, He ought to have been believed as God; but he does not insist on this, but examines as concerning a man, as in the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying: "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation." So here also he makes the things already given a proof of the promise of things to come. For this reason he also calls it an earnest; for the earnest is part of the whole. He purchased, what was from us, our salvation, and gave us an earnest for the time being. Why then did He not give the whole at once? Because we too had not done the whole. We have believed; this is a beginning; He also gave an earnest, 62.19 When we show our faith by our works, then He adds the whole. Rather, He also gave another price, His own blood, and again promised another. Just as if there were a war, nations give hostages to nations; so also God gave His Son, a pledge of peace and of the treaties, and the Holy Spirit from Himself; for those who truly partake of the Spirit, know that He is the earnest of our inheritance. Such was Paul, having already from hence tasted of the things there; wherefore he also hastened and travailed to leave the things here, and groaned; for he saw with other eyes, having transferred his whole mind there. You do not partake of the things; for this reason you also fall away from the words. If we all partook of the Spirit, as we ought to partake, we would see both the heavens and the state of things there. But of what is He an earnest? Of redemption, of the purchased possession; for the pure redemption then takes place. For now we are living in the world, and many human things befall us, and with

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ἄνωθεν διατυπώσας. Οὕτως αὐ 62.18 τὸς ἐπάγει τὸ τέλος κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐ προσεῖχον, διὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἔθνη ἐκάλεσεν, οὐδὲ ἀναγκασθεὶς, οὐδὲ ἐξ ἐκείνων ὁρμηθείς. Εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς, φησὶν, εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, τοὺς προηλπικότας ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ· ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίαι ὑμῶν· τουτέστι, δι' οὗ. Ὅρα πανταχοῦ αἴτιον πάντων γενόμενον τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ τοῦ ὑπουργοῦ ὄνομα, οὐδὲ τὸ τοῦ διακόνου· ὥσπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν Ἑβραίοις γράφων, ὅτι Πάλαι λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ. Τουτέστι, δι' Υἱοῦ. Τὸν λόγον, φησὶ, τῆς ἀληθείας· οὐκέτι τὸν τοῦ τύπου, οὐδὲ τὸν τῆς εἰκόνος. Τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν. Καὶ καλῶς εὐαγγέλιον αὐτὸ σωτηρίας καλεῖ, τὸ μὲν πρὸς τὸν νόμον αἰνιττόμενος, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν κόλασιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἐστὶ τὸ κήρυγμα, ἀλλ' ἢ σωτηρίας εὐαγγέλιον, ὅτι τοὺς ἀξίους ἀπόλλυσθαι οὐκέτι ἀπόλλυσιν. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ, ὅς ἐστιν ἀῤῥαβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν. Πάλιν πολλῆς προνοίας δεῖγμα τὸ σφραγισθῆναι, οὐ τὸ ἀφορισθῆναι, οὐδὲ τὸ κληρωθῆναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σφραγισθῆναι. Καθάπερ γὰρ εἴ τις τοὺς λαχόντας αὐτῷ δήλους ποιήσειεν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀφώρισεν εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι, ἐσφράγισεν εἰς τὸ κληρονομῆσαι τὰ μέλλοντα. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς, προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου, θαυμαστοὺς αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ; Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν ἐν τῇ προγνώσει, οὐδενὶ ἦσαν δῆλοι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐσφραγίσθησαν, δῆλοι γεγόνασιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἡμεῖς· ἔσονται γὰρ πλὴν ὀλίγων δῆλοι. Ἐσφραγίσθησαν καὶ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, ἀλλὰ περιτομῇ, καθάπερ καὶ τὰ βοσκήματα καὶ τὰ ἄλογα· ἐσφραγίσθημεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς υἱοὶ, Πνεύματι. Τί ἐστι, Πνεύματι ἐπαγγελίας; Ἤτοι ὅτι κατὰ ἐπαγγελίαν αὐτὸ ἐλάβομεν. ∆ύο γάρ εἰσιν ἐπαγγελίαι, μία μὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ἑτέρα δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ· διὰ τῶν προφητῶν· ἄκουε τοῦ Ἰωὴλ λέγοντος· Ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνύπνια ἐνυπνιασθήσονται· ἄκουε δὲ πάλιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Καὶ λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Καίτοι ἔδει, φησὶν, αὐτὸν ὡς Θεὸν πιστευθῆναι· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτου διισχυρίζεται, ἀλλ' ὡς περὶ ἀνθρώπου ἐξετάζει, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους, λέγων· Ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι Θεὸν ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τεκμήριον ποιεῖται τῆς τῶν μελλόντων ἐπαγγελίας τὰ ἤδη δεδομένα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀῤῥαβῶνα καλεῖ· ὁ γὰρ ἀῤῥαβὼν μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦ παντός. Ἠγόρασε, τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τέως. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μὴ τὸ ὅλον εὐθέως ἔδωκεν; Ἐπειδὴ μηδὲ ἡμεῖς τὸ ὅλον εἰργασάμεθα. Ἐπιστεύσαμεν· τοῦτο ἀρχή· ἔδωκε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀῤῥαβῶ 62.19 να, Ὅταν τὴν πίστιν διὰ τῶν ἔργων δείξωμεν, τότε τὸ πᾶν προστίθησι. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἔδωκε τιμὴν, τὸ ἴδιον αἷμα, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλην ὑπέσχετο. Καθάπερ εἰ πόλεμος εἴη, ἔθνεσι πρὸς ἔθνη διδόασιν ὁμήρους· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἔδωκε τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τῶν σπονδῶν ἐνέχυρον, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ· οἱ γὰρ ὄντως Πνεύματος μετέχοντες, ἴσασιν ὅτι ἀῤῥαβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν ἐστι. Τοιοῦτος ὁ Παῦλος ἦν, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τῶν ἐκεῖ γεγευμένος· διὸ καὶ ἠπείγετο καὶ ὤδινε τὰ ἐνθάδε ἀφεῖναι, καὶ ἔστενεν· ἑτέροις γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἑώρα, πάντα τὸν νοῦν μεταστήσας ἐκεῖ. Οὐ μετέχεις τῶν πραγμάτων· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκπίπτεις. Εἰ μετείχομεν πάντες Πνεύματος, ὡς μετέχειν ἔδει, καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἑωρῶμεν καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ κατάστασιν. Ἀῤῥαβὼν δὲ τίνος ἐστί; Τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως, τῆς περιποιήσεως· ἡ γὰρ καθαρὰ ἀπολύτρωσις τότε γίνεται. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ ἀναστρεφόμεθα, καὶ πολλὰ ἡμῖν ἀνθρώπινα συμπίπτει, καὶ μετὰ