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The life of man, therefore, perfecting its natural dispositions through training, is able to advance far in virtue. Thus snow, being water in its substance, becomes white by the addition of air, when the moisture in the clouds, being checked by the force of the wind, swells into foam from the violent motion, and being congealed by the cold in the air, having taken on a certain consistency and weight, is carried downwards by its natural inclination. So too the soul, having increased its natural dispositions by its own training and with the help of the Spirit, becomes worthy in the just judgment of God of the splendor given to the saints by the grace of God. 1.45 And if you are willing and obey me, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you are not willing and do not obey me, a sword will devour you. From this he especially demonstrates the free will of human nature. For we think that this conclusion applies to all that has been said before. For if you turn away (he says) from the worship according to the letter that kills, if you wash and become clean, and for the future render the way of life set forth for you, you will come to judgment, you will be in so much or so much abundance and will enjoy the delight in the promise, you will not be food for the punishing and destructive sword. To those who listen humbly, earthly promises are given as the reward of obedience; but to those who listen spiritually to the will of Scripture, the good things of the land are said to be of the spiritual land, which the blessed meek are said to inherit. Likewise, a sword is also understood as animate, concerning which it has been said, that it was drunk with the blood of the wounded; and, in heaven it will eat flesh. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things. Perhaps the Holy Spirit, which caused these things to be written, is now called a mouth, from the fact that it is said to have also proceeded from the mouth of God. So that you might not hear the threats with contempt, the unfailing mouth, the Word of the Lord, which spoke these things, testified to us. But who is so humble and carnal in mind as to think that the things stored up by the good God for men as a reward for obedience are foods, the fruits of the earth given to perish in their use? But clearly, according to the parable of the Gospel, the seed in the good soil is a good and noble heart, which hears the word, and holds it fast, and bears fruit with patience. Worthy, therefore, of God's promise, is the enjoyment of the sweetest fruits of the heart. And the fruits of the heart are the delight in the contemplation of the divine beauty. And these fruits are cultivated from the sowing into the spirit, being harvested for eternal life, and he who gathers the sheaves with joy delights in the Lord, receiving from him his requests. First, however, one must be willing, and then obey, so that what is in our power may be unforced. And again: If you are not willing, and do not obey me. From not being willing comes not obeying. Thus all blessedness, and the life in punishment among torments, depends on what is in our power. 1.46 How has the faithful city Zion become a harlot, full of judgment? in which righteousness lodged, but now murderers. The perplexity is one of wonder, showing much astonishment at the paradox, as to how the faithful city and full of judgment, in which righteousness rested, this became a harlot and a dwelling place of murderers. For how is it not worthy of sorrowful wonder, for a whole city to fall from purity in faith into the impurity of fornication, when indeed for even one soul to turn from firmly believing to the fornication of unbelief is among the paradoxical things? And when are these things alleged, but when an evil and adulterous generation, having become so, murdered the righteousness that looked down from heaven and rested in it, Christ our Lord? This both intensifies the wonder, and makes the paradox greater, if when righteousness was present, unrighteousness abounded. And it did these things, not being ignorant of the sound words concerning judgment. For this is "Full of judgment." But it should be noted, that she is the mother

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ἀνθρώπου τοίνυν ὁ βίος τὰς φυσικὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐξ ἀσκήσεως τελει ῶν, ἐπὶ πολὺ προελθεῖν τῆς ἀρετῆς δύναται. Καὶ ἡ χιὼν τοίνυν, ὕδωρ οὖσα τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ, τῇ τοῦ ἀέρος προσθήκῃ λευκὴ γίνεται, ὅταν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος βίας τὸ ἐν ταῖς νεφέλαις ὑγρὸν ἀνακοπτόμενον ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς σφοδρᾶς κι νήσεως εἰς ἀφρὸν ἐξοιδαίνει, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ψύξεως συμπηγνύμενον, σύστασιν λαβόν τινα καὶ βάρος, τῇ φυσικῇ ῥοπῇ φέρεται πρὸς τὸ κάτω. Οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ, τὰς φυσικὰς ἀφορμὰς οἰκείᾳ τε ἀσκήσει καὶ τῇ βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος συναυξήσασα, ἀξία γίνεται ἐν τῇ δικαίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσει τῆς χάριτι τοῦ Θεοῦ, δεδομένης λαμπρότητος τοῖς ἁγίοις. 1.45 Καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε, μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται. Τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἐντεῦθεν παριστῶν μάλιστα τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώ πων φύσεως. Πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς προκειμένοις ἡγούμεθα τὴν ἐπα γωγὴν ταύτην ἁρμόζειν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀποστῆτε (φησὶ) τῆς κατὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖνον γράμμα λατρείας, ἐὰν λούσηθε καὶ καθαροὶ γε νόμενοι, πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἀποδῶτε τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν ὑμῖν πολιτε ίαν ἥξετε εἰς κρίσιν, ἐν τοσῇδε ἢ τοσῇδε περισσείᾳ γενήσεσθε καὶ τῆς ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ τρυφῆς ἀπολαύσετε, τῆς κολαστικῆς καὶ φθαρτικῆς μαχαίρας κατάβρωμα οὐκ ἔσεσθε. Τοῖς μὲν τα πεινῶς ἀκούουσι γήϊναι ἐπαγγελίαι τῆς ὑπακοῆς μισθὸς δίδο ται· τοῖς δὲ πνευματικῶς τοῦ βουλήματος τῆς Γραφῆς ἐπακού ουσι γῆς ἀγαθὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς λέγεται, ἣν οἱ μακαριζόμε νοι πραεῖς κληρονομήσειν λέγονται. Ὁμοίως καὶ μάχαιρα ἔμ ψυχος νοεῖται, περὶ ἧς εἴρηται, ὅτι ἐμεθύσθη ἀπὸ αἵματος τραυματιῶν· καὶ, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ φάγεται κρέα. Τὸ γὰρ στόμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα. Τάχα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ ἐνεργῆσαν ταῦτα γραφῆναι, στόμα νῦν εἴρηται, παρὰ τὸ καὶ ἐκ στόματος τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεσθαι προεληλυθέναι. Ὥστε σε μὴ καταφρονητικῶς ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ἀπειλῶν, τὸ ἀψευδὲς στόμα ἐπεμαρτύρατο ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, τὸ ταῦτα λαλῆσαν. Τίς δὲ οὕτω ταπεινὸς καὶ σάρκινος τὴν διάνοιαν, ὥστε τὰ εἰς ἀντίδοσιν τῆς εὐπειθείας παρὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ τεταμιευμένα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, βρώματα εἶναι νομίζειν, καρποὺς τῆς γῆς εἰς φθορὰν δεδομένους τῇ ἀποχρήσει; Ἀλλὰ δηλονότι, κατὰ τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, τὸ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ σπέρμα καρδία ἐστὶ καλὴ καὶ ἀγαθὴ, ἀκούουσα τοῦ λόγου, καὶ κατέχουσα καὶ καρποφοροῦσα ἐν ὑπομονῇ. Ἄξιον οὖν ἐπαγγελίας Θεοῦ, ἡ τῶν ἡδίστων καρπῶν τῆς καρδίας ἀπόλαυσις. Καρποὶ δὲ καρδίας, τὸ ἐν θεωρίᾳ τοῦ θείου κάλ λους τερπνόν. Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ καρποὶ ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπορᾶς γεωργοῦνται, θεριζόμενοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ὧν ὁ συνάγων ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει τὰ δράγματα, κατατρυφᾷ τοῦ Κυρίου, λαμβάνων παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰ αἰτήματα. Πρότερον μέντοι θελῆσαι δεῖ, καὶ τότε εἰσακοῦσαι, ἵνα τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀκατανάγκαστον ᾖ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐὰν μὴ θέλητε, μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου. Ἐκ τοῦ μὴ θελῆσαι, τὸ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι. Οὕτω πᾶσα μακαριό της, καὶ ἡ ἐν κολάσει ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις διαγωγὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἤρτηται. 1.46 Πῶς ἐγένετο πόρνη πόλις πιστὴ Σιὼν, πλήρης κρί σεως; ἐν ᾗ δικαιοσύνη ἐκοιμήθη ἐν αὐτῇ, νῦν δὲ φονευταί. Θαυμαστικὴ ἡ ἐπαπόρησις, πολὺ τὸ ἐκπληκτικὸν ἐμφαί νουσα ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ, περὶ τοῦ τίνα τρόπον ἡ πιστὴ πόλις καὶ πλήρης κρίσεως, ἐν ᾗ δικαιοσύνη ἐπανεπαύσατο, αὕτη ἐγένετο πόρνη καὶ φονευτῶν οἰκητήριον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ θαύματος ἄξιον λυπηροῦ, πόλιν ὅλην ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν πίστει καθαρότητος εἰς τὴν ἐκ πορνείας ἀκαθαρσίαν μεταπεσεῖν, ὅπου γε καὶ μίαν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ παγίως πιστεύειν εἰς τὴν ἐξ ἀπιστίας πορνείαν περιτραπῆναι, τῶν παραδόξων; Πότε δὲ ταῦτα κατηγορεῖται, ἢ ὅτε πονηρὰ γενεὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς γενομένη, τὴν διακύψασαν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀναπαυσαμένην ἐν αὐτῇ δικαιοσύνην ἐφόνευσαν, τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν; Ὃ καὶ ἐπιτείνει τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ μεῖζον ποιεῖ τὸ πα ράδοξον, εἰ ὅτε ἡ δικαιοσύνη παρῆν, ὑπερπλεόνασεν ἡ ἀδικία. Καὶ ταῦτα ἐποίει, τοὺς ὑγιεῖς περὶ κρίσεως λόγους οὐκ ἀγνοοῦσα. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ Πλήρης κρίσεως. Σημειωτέον δὲ, ὅτι μήτηρ ἐστὶ