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3.32 (32) By the privation through transcendence of the many, truth is by nature revealed as one and only, covering the gnostic powers of all things able to know or be known, as being super-essential in existence beyond both things knowing and things known; and with infinite power circumscribing the extremities of beings according to their beginning and end, it draws all movement of all things to itself; to some providing a very clear knowledge of the grace of which they were deprived; to others bestowing by an ineffable perception the goodness for which they had a desire, making its full knowledge manifest through participation.

3.33 (33) The intellect, he says, is the instrument of wisdom; reason, of knowledge; the natural assurance according to both, of the faith which is constituted by both; and natural philanthropy, of the gift of healing. For every divine gift has in us a suitable and fitting receptive instrument, such as a power, or a state, or a disposition. For example, he who has made his intellect pure of every phantasm of sensible things receives wisdom; he who has established his reason as master of the innate passions, I mean of anger and 15∆_150 desire, receives knowledge; he who has unshakable assurance concerning divine things according to intellect and reason receives the faith that can do all things; and he who has set right his natural philanthropy after the complete abolition of self-love receives the gifts of healing.

3.34 (34) Each of us, according to the measure of the faith in him, possesses the manifest energy of the Spirit. Therefore, each person is the steward of his own grace; and one who is of sound mind would never envy another who flourishes in gifts, since the disposition for receiving divine goods lies with himself.

3.35 (35) He says the cause of the distribution of divine goods is the measure of each one's faith. For just as we believe, we also have an increase of eagerness for action. Accordingly, the one who acts demonstrates the measure of his faith in proportion to his action, receiving the measure of grace as he believed; but the one who does not act demonstrates the measure of his unbelief in proportion to his inaction, receiving, as he disbelieved, the privation of grace. Therefore, the envious person does wrong in begrudging those who succeed, since the choice to believe and to act, and to receive the grace that comes according to the measure of faith, clearly lies with himself and not with another. 1276

3.36 (36) The lover of good things, by providence and the principles of wisdom, willingly hastens toward the grace of deification; but he who does not love these things, according to just judgment, is unwillingly led away from evil by methods of discipline; the one, as a lover of God, is deified through providence; the other, through judgment, as a lover of matter, is not permitted to come to condemnation. For God, as good, cures those who are willing by the principles of wisdom; 15∆_152 and by methods of discipline He heals those who are slow to move toward virtue.

3.37 (37) True faith is a cohesive and constitutive truth, containing no falsehood; while a good conscience brings with it the power of love, as having no transgression of a commandment.

3.38 (38) And upon him, he says, shall rest seven spirits: a spirit of wisdom, a spirit of understanding, a spirit of knowledge, a spirit of science, a spirit of counsel, a spirit of strength, a spirit of the fear of God. Now, the property of these spiritual gifts is this: of fear, the avoidance of evils; of strength, the practice of good things; of counsel, the discernment of opposites; of science, the unadulterated knowledge of duties; of knowledge, the comprehension, according to energy, of the divine principles in the virtues; of understanding, the complete conformity of the soul to the things known; of wisdom, the unknowable union with God, by which for the worthy, desire becomes enjoyment,

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3.32 (λβ΄) Τῇ καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν στερήσει τῶν πολλῶν, ὡς ἕν καί μόνον ἡ ἀλήθεια πέφυκεν ἀναφαίνεσθαι, καλύπτουσα πάντων τῶν νοεῖν ἤ νοεῖσθαι δυναμένων τάς γνωστικάς δυνάμεις, ὡς ὑπέρ τά νοοῦντά τε καί νοούμενα καθ᾿ ὕπαρξιν ὑπερούσιον οὖσα· καί ἀπείρῳ δυνάμει τάς κατά τήν ἀρχήν καί τό τέλος τῶν ὄντων ἀκρότητας περιγράφουσα, πᾶσαν πάντων πρός ἑαυτήν συνέλκει κίνησιν· τοῖς μέν παρεχομένη γνῶσιν ἀρίδηλον ἧς ἐστερήθησαν χάριτος· τοῖς δέ δωρουμένη κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἄῤῥητον, ἧς εἶχον τήν ἔφεσιν ἀγαθότητος, τῇ μεθέξει φανεράν τήν ἐπίγνωσιν.

3.33 (λγ΄) Ὁ νοῦς, σοφίας ὄργανον, φησίν· ὁ λόγος, γνώσεως· ἡ κατ᾿ ἄμφω φυσική πληροφορία, τῆς κατ᾿ ἄμφω συνισταμένης πίστεως· τοῦ δέ τῶν ἰαμάτων χαρίσματος ἡ φυσική φιλανθρωπία. Πᾶν γάρ χάρισμα θεῖον, ἐπιτήδειον ἐν ἡμῖν ἔχει καί προσφυές, ὥσπερ δύναμιν, ἤ ἕξιν ἤ διάθεσιν, ὄργανον δεκτικόν. Οἷον, ὁ τόν νοῦν πάσης αἰσθητῶν φαντασίας ποιήσας καθαρόν, δέχεται σοφίαν· ὁ δέ τόν λόγον τῶν ἐμφύτων παθῶν, θυμοῦ λέγω καί 15∆_150 ἐπιθυμίας, καταστήσας δεσπότην, δέχεται γνῶσιν· ὁ δέ τήν κατά νοῦν καί λόγον περί τά θεῖα ἀσάλευτον πληροφορίαν ἔχων, τήν πάντα δυναμένην δέχεται πίστιν· ὁ δέ τήν φυσικήν κατορθώσας φιλανθρωπίαν μετά τήν τελείαν τῆς φιλαυτίας ἀναίρεσιν, ἰαμάτων δέχεται χαρίσματα.

3.34 (λδ΄) Ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, κατά τήν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ πίστεως, φανερουμένην κέκτηται τοῦ Πνεύματος τήν ἐνέργειαν. Ὥστε ταμίας ὑπάρχει τῆς χάριτος ἕκαστος ἑαυτοῦ· καί οὔποτ᾿ ἄν εὖ φρονῶν ἄλλῳ φθονήσειεν ἐνευδοκιμοῦντι ταῖς χάρισιν, ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ κειμένης τῆς δεκτικῆς τῶν θείων ἀγαθῶν διαθέσεως.

3.35 (λε΄) Αἴτιον εἶναί φησι τῆς τῶν θείων διανομῆς ἀγαθῶν, τό μέτρον τῆς ἑκάστου πίστεως. Καθώς γάρ πιστεύομεν, καί τήν ἐπί τό πράττειν τῆς προθυμίας ἐπίδοσιν ἔχομεν. Ὁ γοῦν πράττων, κατά τήν ἀναλογίαν τῆς πράξεως ἐπιδείκνυται τό μέτρον τῆς πίστεως, δεχόμενος ὡς ἐπίστευσε τό μέτρον τῆς χάριτος· ὁ δέ μή πράττων, κατά τήν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἀπραξίας ἐπιδείκνυται τό μέτρον τῆς ἀπιστίας, δεχόμενος ὡς ἠπίστησε, τῆς χάριτος τήν στέρησιν. Οὐκοῦν κακῶς ποιεῖ βασκαίνων τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ὁ φθονερός ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ σαφῶς, οὐκ ἐπ᾿ ἄλλῳ 1276 κειμένης τῆς τῶν πιστεύειν τε καί πράττειν, καί πρός τό μέτρον τῆς πίστεως ἐρχομένην δέξασθαι τήν χάριν, ἐπιλογῆς.

3.36 (λστ΄) Ὁ τῶν καλῶν ἐραστής, κατά πρόνοιαν σοφίας λόγοις ἑκουσίως ἐπείγεται πρός τήν τῆς θεώσεως χάριν· ὁ δέ τούτων ἀνέραστος, κατά τήν δικαίαν κρίσιν, παιδείας τρόποις ἀκουσίως κακίας ἀπάγεται· ὁ μέν, ὡς φιλόθεος διά τῆς προνοίας θεούμενος· ὁ δέ, διά τῆς κρίσεως, ὡς φιλόϋλος εἰς κατάκρισιν ἐλθεῖν μή συγχωρούμενος. Ὁ γάρ Θεός ὡς ἀγαθός, σοφίας μέν λόγοις 15∆_152 θεραπεύει τούς θέλοντας· παιδείας δέ τρόποις τούς πρός ἀρετήν δυσκινήτους ἰᾶται.

3.37 (λζ΄) Ἡ μέν ὄντως πίστις, ἀλήθεια ἐστι συνεκτική τε καί συστατική, ψεῦδος οὐκ ἔχουσα· ἡ δέ ἀγαθή συνείδησις, τήν τῆς ἀγάπης ἐπιφέρεται δύναμιν, ὡς μηδεμίαν ἔχουσα παράβασιν ἐντολῆς.

3.38 (λη΄) Καί ἐπαναπαύσεται, φησίν, ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, ἑπτά πνεύματα· πνεῦμα σοφίας, πνεῦμα συνέσεως, πνεῦμα γνώσεως, πνεῦμα ἐπιστήμης, πνεῦμα βουλῆς, πνεῦμα ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ. Ἔστι δέ ἴδιον τῶν πνευματικῶν τούτων χαρισμάτων, φόβου μέν, ἡ ἀποχή τῶν κακῶν· ἰσχύος δέ, ἡ πρᾶξις τῶν ἀγαθῶν· βουλῆς δέ, ἡ τῶν ἀντικειμένων διάκρισις· ἐπιστήμη δέ, ἡ τῶν καθηκόντων ἀνόθευτος εἴδησις· γνώσεως δέ, ἡ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς θείων λόγων περίληψις· συνέσεως δέ, ἡ πρός τά γνωσθέντα διόλου τῆς ψυχῆς συνδιάθεσις· σοφίας δέ, ἡ πρός Θεόν ἀδιάγνωστος ἕνωσις, καθ᾿ ἥν τοῖς ἀξίοις ἡ ἔφεσις ἀπόλαυσις γίνεται,