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not in part 'true,' nor partly true and partly false, but 'I planted you a fruit-bearing vine, wholly true; how have you turned aside', when I created you a 'wholly true' vine, how have you turned aside to bitterness and become 'a strange vine'? 2.2 After this, let us see the text, 'If you wash yourself with soda and use much soap for yourself, you are stained by your iniquities before me, says the Lord.' Did any sinning soul suppose, taking 'soda' and washing with tangible 'soda', that it ceases from its stain and ceases from sin, and did anyone suppose, taking this 'soap-plant' which springs from the earth, and washing and cleansing himself, that his soul is purified, because here the Word says to the one who has turned to bitterness and become a strange vine: 'If you wash with soda and use much soap for yourself, you are stained by your iniquities before me, says the Lord'? But one must know that the Word has all power; and just as it has the power of all Scripture, so the Word has the power of every medicine and is the power of everything that cleanses and is most detergent; 'For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword', and whatever you say, for which there is a need, this exists in the power of the Word. There is therefore a certain word which is 'soda' and there is a certain word which is 'soap', which, when spoken, cleanses such filth, but since not every sin is healed by such a word which is 'soda' and by such a word which is 'soap', but there are sins not needing soda or soap, it is said to the one who thinks she has sins which can be washed away with soda and soap, 'If you wash with soda and use much soap for yourself, you are stained before me by your iniquities, says the Lord'; and just as some wounds are healed with a poultice, and others are healed with oil, and others need a bandage and thus are made well, but there are other wounds about which it is said: 'There is no poultice to apply, nor oil, nor bandages; but your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire,' so there are some sins which defile the soul, and for these sins a person needs a word of soda, a word of soap, but there are some sins which are not healed in this way, for they are not even compared to filth. Therefore, the Lord in Isaiah, knowing the differences of sins, see how he says, 'the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning', filth and blood, filth by a <spirit> of judgment, blood by a spirit of burning. If you have <not> sinned 'unto death,' yet you have sinned, you have been defiled; therefore, 'the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and will cleanse the blood from their midst', then a correspondence for 'the filth,' 'by a spirit of judgment,' <and for 'the blood,' 'by a spirit of burning'>; and many of us, when we have sinned worse, need not soda nor an abundance of soap, but 'the spirit of burning'. 2.3 For this reason Jesus baptizes—perhaps now I find the meaning—'in the Holy [and] Spirit and in fire', not that he baptizes the same person 'in the Holy Spirit and in fire', but the holy one 'in the Holy Spirit', and the one who after believing, after being deemed worthy of the Holy Spirit, has sinned again, he washes in 'fire', so that it is not the same person who is baptized by Jesus 'in the Holy Spirit and in fire'. Blessed therefore is the one who is baptized 'in the Holy Spirit' and does not need the baptism of fire, but thrice-wretched is he who has need to be baptized with fire, yet Jesus has both; for 'A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow up from his root', 'a rod' for those who are punished, <'a flower' for the righteous>. Thus 'God is a consuming fire', and 'God is light', 'a consuming fire' for sinners, 'light' for the righteous and holy. And blessed is 'he who has a part in the first resurrection', who has kept the baptism of the Holy Spirit; who is he who is saved in another resurrection? He who needs the baptism of fire, when he comes to

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οὐκ ἐκ μέρους «ἀληθινήν» οὐδὲ τὴν μὲν ἀληθινὴν τὴν δὲ ψευδῆ, ἀλλ' «ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· πῶς ἐστράφης», ἐμοῦ κτίσαντός σε «πᾶσαν ἀληθινὴν» ἄμπελον, σὺ πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν καὶ γέγονας «ἀλλοτρία ἄμπελος»; 2.2 Μετὰ ταῦτα ἴδωμεν τὸ «ἐὰν ἀποπλύνῃ ἐν νίτρῳ καὶ πληθύνῃς σεαυτῇ πόαν, κεκηλίδωσαι ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, λέγει κύριος.» Ἆρα ᾤετό τις ἁμαρτή σασα ψυχὴ «νίτρον» λαβοῦσα καὶ ἀποπλυναμένη «νίτρῳ» αἰσ θητῷ, ὅτι παύεται τῆς κηλῖδος καὶ παύεται τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὑπελάμβανε δέ τις «πόαν» ταύτην τὴν ἀνατέλλουσαν ἀπὸ γῆς λαβὼν καὶ ἀποπλυνάμενος καὶ ἀποσμηξάμενος καθαρ θῆναι τὴν ψυχήν, ὅτι λέγει ἐνταῦθα ὁ λόγος τῇ στραφείσῃ εἰς πικρίαν καὶ γενομένῃ ἀλλοτρίᾳ ἀμπέλῳ· «Ἐὰν ἀπο πλύνῃ ἐν νίτρῳ καὶ πληθύνῃς σεαυτῇ πόαν, κεκηλίδωσαι ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, λέγει κύριος»; Ἀλλὰ χρὴ εἰδέναι, ὅτι ὁ λόγος πᾶσαν δύναμιν ἔχει· καὶ ὥσπερ πάσης γραφῆς δύναμιν ἔχει, οὕτως ὁ λόγος ἔχει παντὸς φαρμάκου δύναμιν καὶ παντὸς τοῦ καθαρίζοντος δύναμίς ἐστι καὶ σμηκτικώτατος· «Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον», καὶ ὃ ἐὰν εἴπῃς, οὗ ἐστι χρεία, τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ λόγου. Ἔστιν οὖν τις λόγος «νίτρον» καὶ ἔστι τις λόγος «πόα», ὅστις τοὺς τοιούτους ῥύπους καθαίρει λαληθείς, ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου λόγου ὅστις ἐστὶ «νίτρον» καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου δὲ λόγου ὅς ἐστι «πόα» οὐ πᾶσα ἁμαρτία θερα πεύεται, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἁμαρτήματα οὐ δεόμενα νίτρου οὐδὲ πόας, λέγεται πρὸς τὴν οἰομένην ἁμαρτήματα ἔχειν ὡς δυνάμενα ἀποπλυθῆναι ἐν νίτρῳ καὶ πόᾳ τὸ «ἐὰν ἀπο πλύνῃ ἐν νίτρῳ καὶ πληθύνῃς σεαυτῇ πόαν, κεκηλίδωσαι ἐναν τίον ἐμοῦ ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου, λέγει κύριος»· καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν τραυμάτων τινά ἐστιν ἃ μαλάγματι θεραπεύεται, καὶ ἄλλα ἐλαίῳ θεραπεύεται, καὶ ἄλλα δεῖται καταδέσμου καὶ οὕτως ὑγιάζεται, ἄλλα δέ ἐστι τραύματα ἐφ' οἷς λέγε ται· «Οὐκ ἔστι μάλαγμα ἐπιθεῖναι οὔτε ἔλαιον οὔτε καταδέσμους· ἀλλὰ ἡ γῆ ὑμῶν ἔρημος, αἱ πόλεις ὑμῶν πυρίκαυστοι,» οὕτως ἔστι τινὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἃ ῥυποῖ τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ δεῖται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς ἁμαρ τήμασι λόγου νίτρου, λόγου πόας, ἔστι δέ τινα ἁμαρτή ματα, ἃ οὐχ οὕτως θεραπεύεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ ῥύπῳ παραβάλ λεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιστάμενος ὁ ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ κύριος ὅρα πῶς λέγει τὸ «ἐκπλυνεῖ κύριος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σιών, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν πνεύματι κρίσεως καὶ πνεύματι καύσεως», ῥύπον καὶ αἷμα, ῥύπον <πνεύματι> κρίσεως, αἷμα πνεύματι καύσεως. Εἰ <οὐ> «πρὸς θάνατον» ἥμαρτες, πλὴν ἥμαρτες, ῥερύπωσαι· «ἐκπλυνεῖ» οὖν «κύριος τὸν ῥύπον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων Σιών, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐκκαθαριεῖ ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν», εἶτα ἀνταπό δοσις πρὸς μὲν «τὸν ῥύπον» «πνεύματι κρίσεως» <πρὸς δὲ «τὸ αἷμα» «πνεύματι καύσεως»>· καὶ δεόμεθα οἱ πολλοί, ὅταν χείρονα ἁμάρτωμεν, οὐ νίτρου οὐδὲ τοῦ πλη θῦναι πόαν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ «πνεύματος τῆς καύσεως». 2.3 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ἰησοῦς βαπτίζει-τάχα νῦν εὑρίσκω τὸν λόγον-»ἐν πνεύματι [καὶ] ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί», οὐχ ὅτι τὸν αὐτὸν «ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί», ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἅγιον «ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ», τὸν δὲ μετὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι, μετὰ τὸ ἀξιωθῆναι ἁγίου πνεύματος, πάλιν ἡμαρτηκότα λούει ἐν «πυρί», ὡς μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι βαπτιζόμενον ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ «ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί». Μακάριος οὖν ὁ βαπτιζόμενος «ἐν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι» καὶ μὴ δεόμενος βαπτίσματος τοῦ ἀπὸ πυρός, τρισάθλιος δὲ ἐκεῖ νος, ὅστις χρείαν ἔχει βαπτίσασθαι τῷ πυρί, πλὴν ἀμφό τερα ἔχει ὁ Ἰησοῦς· «Ἐξελεύσεται» γὰρ «ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται», «ῥάβδος» ἐπὶ τοὺς κολαζομένους <«ἄνθος» ἐπὶ τοὺς δικαίους>. Οὕτως «ὁ θεὸς πῦρ καταναλίσκον» ἐστί, καὶ «ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστι», «πῦρ καταναλίσκον» τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς, «φῶς» τοῖς δικαίοις καὶ ἁγίοις. Καὶ μακάριος «ὁ ἔχων μέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ», ὁ τηρήσας τὸ βάπτισμα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος· τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ σῳζόμενος ἀναστάσει; Ὁ δεόμενος βαπτίσματος τοῦ ἀπὸ πυρός, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐπὶ