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will be like the wild tamarisk." This plant, even while living, is half-dead and scorched; it is said to die when rain comes upon it. He who does not believe that Christ is God incarnate will not enjoy the good things of his coming. "And he will encamp." It is a salt plant, then of many. "And he will not be afraid." In time of temptation, he says. "And he will be." Flourishing fruits of virtue, protecting him in temptations. "In a year." The year is a cycle; therefore, he says, in a time of universal temptation he will not be afraid. "The heart is deep." The mystery of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten is deep, and incomprehensible. For though being God, he became man. Who then, he says, will know either his generation from the Father, or the ineffable economy with the flesh? "A partridge has called." The partridge, as they say, being proud, calls the young of others to itself by its voice. Who, later realizing that they are not its own, abandon it; so also men who have been deceived by the devil, when they know their own Creator and Lord God, depart from him. "And not at the last." Since he desired what belonged to others without judgment, later being convicted he will be shown to be a fool. "A throne." You are, he says, the Lord, who have the high throne of glory, and who provides us with being and with continuance. "Let them be put to shame." Those who have departed from God, he says, let them be written not in heaven, but on earth, according to, "You are earth, and to earth you shall return." "And a day." Instead of, of none of the human things. "Do not become to me." On the painful and testing 93.668 day of judgment, do not stand against me as a stranger and an adversary, O Lord, but sparing me forgive me my sins. "And let them be put to shame." He curses the demons; for the holy one does not wish to deliver men to everlasting punishment; because they are also the inventors of evil and those who compel and teach men. "Not to bring in." They were walking a clear measure; for to travel a long way seemed to be work, and this is what is in the Acts, "having a Sabbath day's journey." "And I will kindle." The word, having mentioned unquenchable fire, leads us to the contemplation that the soul which does not put off the burdens of sin, receives eternal fire. CHAPTER 18. "And again." He alludes to the regeneration through baptism. "As it pleased." Not a good opinion, or a bad one. For this belongs to choice and free will; of course, even sinners are commanded to repent; but the formation is of this kind. We are taught, therefore, not to meddle with the unattainable ways of creation. "And I will speak a final word." If I declare. "Behold, I am fashioning." According to the punitive afflictions, he says, and since men do not remember all their sins. I am fashioning, he says; I bring them before your eyes, so that through the punishments you may be reminded of the sins you have committed. "And they said." They spoke shamelessly, saying, We will strongly persist in what we are doing. You say, he says, that having turned away from good works, we have followed evil things; we will follow after these same evil things. "May they not fail." The rock is Christ, and the breasts are the nourishing word; and the snow is the cleansing of sins. The breasts are also understood as the new and the old testament. Did I then in any way fail to do them good, and to nourish their souls? "Does it not turn aside." But what does he say? Are they not tossed about in this life, like water carried by a violent wind? and yet they neither considered my benefits, nor the instability of the present life; but thus they go on in this life, and walk the uneven path of life as if thinking that they will remain here forever. Therefore they will also grow weak in their ways, offering incense to God in vain with an evil mind. And paths and reeds, he says it is the same thing, that is, the ways. "And a hissing." Because men are accustomed to hiss when they are amazed or when they mock. "As a wind." I will afflict all alike. For the scorching heat

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ἔσται ὡς ἡ ἀγριομυρίκη." Τοῦτο τὸ φυτὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ ζῇν ἡμιθανές ἐστι καὶ κεκαυμένον· λέγεται δὲ ἀποθνήσκειν, ὅταν ὑετὸς ἔλθῃ ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Ὁ μὴ πιστεύων ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν ἐνανθρωπήσας ὁ Χριστὸς, τῶν τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἀπολαύσει. "Καὶ κατασκηνώσει." Ἅλιμα βοτάνη ἐστὶν, εἶτα πολλῶν. "Καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσεται." Ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ, φησίν. "Καὶ ἔσται." Εὐθαλεῖς καρποὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς, περισκέποντες αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς. "Ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ." Ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς κύκλος ἐστίν· ἐν καιρῷ οὖν, φησὶ, καθολικοῦ πειρασμοῦ οὐ φοβηθήσεται. "Βαθεῖα ἡ καρδία." Τὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς μυστήριον βαθύ ἐστι, καὶ ἀκατάληπτον. Καὶ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ εἶναι Θεὸς, ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Τίς οὖν γνώσεται, φησὶν, ἢ τὴν ἐκ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ γέννησιν, ἢ τὴν μετὰ σαρκὸς ἄφραστον οἰκονομίαν; "Ἐφώνησε πέρδιξ." Ὁ πέρδιξ, ὥς φασιν, ὑπερήφανος ὢν, διὰ τῆς φωνῆς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους προσκαλεῖται νεοττούς. Οἵτινες γνόντες ὕστερον ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν αὐτοῦ, καταλιμπάνουσιν αὐτόν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἀπατηθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅταν γνῶσι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ∆ημιουργὸν καὶ ∆εσπότην Θεὸν, ἀφίστανται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐπ' ἐσχάτου." Ἐπειδὴ ἀκρίτως τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπεθύμησεν, ὕστερον ἐλεγχόμενος δειχθήσεται ἄφρων. "Θρόνος." Σὺ εἶ, φησὶ, Κύριος, ὁ τὸν θρόνον τῆς δόξης ἔχων τὸν ὑψηλὸν, καὶ τὸ εἶναι ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸ διαμένειν παρέχων. "Καταισχυνθήτωσαν." Οἱ Θεοῦ ἀφεστηκότες, φησὶ, μὴ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν γῇ γραφήτωσαν, κατὰ τὸ, Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. "Καὶ ἡμέραν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων. "Μὴ γενηθῇς μοι." Ἐν τῇ ἐπιπόνῳ καὶ ἐταστικῇ 93.668 τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ μὴ ὡς ἀλλότριος καὶ ἀντίδικος ἀντικαταστῇς μοι, ὦ Κύριε, ἀλλὰ φειδόμενός μου συγχώρησόν μοι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. "Καὶ καταισχυνθήτωσαν." Τοὺς δαίμονας καταρᾶται· οὐ γὰρ βούλεται ὁ ἅγιος ἀνθρώπους τῇ διηνεκεῖ παραδοῦναι κολάσει· ὅτι καὶ τῆς κακίας εἰσὶν ἐφευρεταὶ καὶ ἐπαναγκασταὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ διδάσκαλοι. "Τοῦ μὴ εἰσφέρειν." Μέτρον φανερὸν ἐβάδιζον· τὸ γὰρ εἰς μῆκος ὁδεύειν, ἔργον εἶναι ἐδόκει, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι, Σαββάτου ἔχων ὁδόν. "Καὶ ἀνάψω." Ἀσβέστου πυρὸς μνημονεύσας ὁ λόγος, εἰς θεωρίας ἡμᾶς παραπέμπει, ὅτι τὴν μὴ ἀποτιθεμένην τὰ φορτία τῆς ἁμαρτίας ψυχὴν, πῦρ αἰώνιον δέχεται. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΗʹ. "Καὶ πάλιν." Τὴν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀνάπλασιν αἰνίττεται. "Καθὼς ἤρεσεν." Οὐ καλὸν τὴν γνώμην, ἣ κακόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς προαιρέσεως, καὶ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου· ἀμέλει καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντες μετανοεῖν κελεύονται· ἀλλὰ τοιόνδε τὴν πλάσιν. ∆ιδασκόμεθα οὖν μὴ πολυπραγμονεῖν τοὺς ἀνεφίκτους τῆς δημιουργίας τρόπους. "Καὶ πέρας λαλήσω." Ἐὰν ἀποφαίνωμαι. "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πλάσσω." Κατὰ τὰς κακώσεις τὰς τιμωρητικὰς, φησὶν, καὶ ἐπειδήπερ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὐ πάντων τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτῶν μέμνηνται. Πλάττω, φησίν· αὐτὰ ἐπ' ὄψεσιν ὑμῶν ἄγω, ἵνα διὰ τῶν τιμωριῶν ἀναμνησθῆτε, ὧν ἡμαρτήκατε. "Καὶ εἶπαν." Ἀναιδῶς ἐφθέγξαντο λέγοντες, Ἰσχυρῶς ἐπιμενοῦμεν, οἷς πράττομεν. Σὺ λέγεις, φησὶν, ὅτι Ἀποστραφέντες ἀπὸ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων, ἠκολουθήσαμεν τοῖς φαύλοις· ὀπίσω αὐτῶν τῶν φαύλων ἀκολουθήσομεν. "Μὴ ἐκλείψωσιν." Πέτρα ὁ Χριστὸς, μαστοὶ δὲ ὁ τρόφιμος λόγος· χιὼν δὲ, ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων κάθαρσις. Νοοῦνται δὲ μαστοὶ καὶ ἡ νέα, καὶ ἡ παλαιὰ διαθήκη. Μή τι οὖν ἐνέλειψα εὖ ποιῶν αὐτοῖς, καὶ διατρέφων αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχάς; "Μὴ ἐκκλίνει." Τί δέ φησιν; Οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ κλυδωνιζόμενοι, ὥσπερ ὕδωρ ὑπὸ βιαίου ἀνέμου φερόμενον; καὶ ὅμως οὔτε τὰς ἐμὰς εὐεργεσίας ἐλογίσαντο, οὔτε τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὸ ἄστατον· ἀλλ' οὕτως εἰσὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ πορευόμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἀνώμαλον τοῦ βίου βαδίζοντες πορείαν ὡς νομίζοντες, ὅτι τὸν αἰῶνα ἐνταῦθα μενοῦσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀσθενήσουσιν, ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, εἰς μάτην θυμιῶντες Θεῷ μετὰ φαύλης γνώμης. Τρίβους δὲ καὶ σχοίνους, τὸ αὐτό φησιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὰς ὁδούς. "Καὶ σύριγμα." Ὅτι θαυμάζοντες ἢ χλευάζοντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, συρίζειν πεφύκασιν. "Ὡς ἄνεμον." Πάντας ὁμοίως θλίψω. Ὁ γὰρ καύσων