to be planted,” a whole nation; and since this <the> nation being built up and planted has a good promise, but is able to sin, he says after speaking these things, if they should depart from good works: “I will repent of the good things which I spoke of doing for them.” What then are the two nations, the one named first which the word threatens, and the second to which it makes a promise? It threatens, however, so that if it should repent, he would not carry out the threats. It makes a promise, so that if the second nation should change and become unworthy of the promises, it would not obtain them. The whole economy of God for the people in the world is especially concerned with two nations. The first nation was that of Israel, the second, from the advent of Christ, is this nation. To the first nation God made the threats which he made, and we see the results of the threats to the first nation: it has gone into captivity, their city has been razed, the sanctuary has been destroyed, the altar has been thrown down, nothing of their former venerable things is still preserved among them. For God said to that nation: Repent, and they did not repent. After these things were said to them, God speaks to this second nation the things concerning its being built up. But he sees that this nation also is composed of men who are able to fall away again. For this reason he also threatens this one and says: even if I have foretold the things concerning the building and the planting and the cultivation, but this nation is about to sin, then to this one, having sinned, the same things will happen which were said to those others because of their sins, and they will suffer them if they do not repent. Search the whole scripture, and you will find most things being said about these two nations. God chose the fathers, gave them a promise, led a people out of the race of the fathers from Egypt, was long-suffering with them when they sinned, instructed them as a father, brought them in, gave them a land of promise, sent them prophets at various times, instructed and turned them from their sins. He was always long-suffering, sending those who would heal, until the chief physician should come, the prophet who excels prophets, the physician who excels physicians. When he had come, they betrayed and killed him, saying “Away, away with such a one from the earth; crucify, crucify him.” Immediately a visitation came upon the nation, the place where my Jesus was crucified was made desolate, God chose another nation. “The harvest, see how great it is, even if the laborers are few.” And in another way God arranges for the dragnet to be always cast into the sea of this life and fish of every kind are gathered; he sends “the many fishermen”; he sends “the many hunters,” they hunt from “every mountain,” they hunt from “every hill.” See how great an economy there is for the salvation of the nations. “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on” the first nation that has fallen, “severity; but toward you,” the second nation, promises and “goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also will be cut off.” For not only then was the ax laid to the root of the trees. The ax is ready to come again; “The” “ax is laid to the root of the trees,” my Jesus said then, prophesying about Israel against whom the ax was. He himself was the ax for the fruitless tree and he said: “Already the ax is laid to the root of the trees.” As many trees as were there not bearing fruit were cut down and thrown into the fire and have been punished. But now another field has come into being analogous to the first, about which it has been said: “Bringing them in, plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, into your prepared dwelling place.” God brought his nation into the mountain of his inheritance. I seek the mountain not as the Jews do, in inanimate materials. The mountain is Christ. In this we have been planted, upon him we have been kept. See therefore, lest, though <also> he is long-suffering, the master of the house should come and say: “For three years now I have come to this fig tree and it has not borne fruit; cut it down; why does it even make the ground useless”? For it makes the good ground useless,
καταφυτεύεσθαι» ὅλον ἔθνος· καὶ ἐπεὶ τοῦτο <τὸ> ἀνοι κοδομούμενον καὶ καταφυτευόμενον ἔθνος ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχει καλήν, δύναται δὲ ἁμαρτάνειν, φησὶ μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι ταῦτα, ἐὰν ἀποστῶσι τῶν ἔργων τῶν ἀγαθῶν· «μετανοήσω περὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς». Τίνα οὖν τὰ δύο ἔθνη, τὸ πρότερον ὀνομασθὲν ᾧ ἀπειλεῖ ὁ λό γος, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ᾧ ἐπαγγέλλεται; ἀπειλεῖ μέντοιγε ὥστε, εἰ μετανοήσαι, μὴ ποιῆσαι τὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς. ἐπαγγέλλεται ὥστε, εἰ μεταπέσοι καὶ ἄξιον μὴ γένοιτο τὸ δεύτερον ἔθνος τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν, μὴ τεύξεσθαι αὐτῶν. περὶ δύο μάλιστα ἐθνῶν πρόκειται πᾶσα ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἀνθρώποις. γέγονε πρῶτον ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ὁ Ἰσραήλ, δεύτερον ἀπὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας τοῦτο τὸ ἔθνος. τῷ προτέρῳ ἠπείλησεν ὁ θεὸς ἃ ἠπείλησε, καὶ βλέπομεν τὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τοῦ προτέρου ἔθνους· ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ γεγένηται, κατεσκάφη αὐτῶν ἡ πόλις, καθῃρέθη τὸ ἁγίασμα, τὸ θυσιαστήριον καταβέβληται, οὐδὲν ἔτι σῴζεται τῶν πάλαι σεμνῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς. ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἔθνει ὁ θεός· μετανοήσατε, καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν. μετὰ τὸ ἐκείνοις εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα, λέγει τούτῳ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔθνει ὁ θεὸς τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖσθαι αὐτό. ὁρᾷ δὲ ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθνος ἄνθρωποί εἰσι δυνάμενοι πάλιν παραπεσεῖν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τούτῳ ἀπειλεῖ καί φησιν· εἰ καὶ προεῖπον τὰ περὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς καταφυτεύ σεως καὶ τῆς γεωργίας, μέλλει δὲ ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ τούτῳ ἁμαρτήσαντι συμβήσεται ταὐτὰ ἅπερ εἴρηται ἐκείνοις διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ πείσονται ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσωσι. πᾶσαν ἐρεύνησον τὴν γραφήν, καὶ εὑρήσεις τὰ πλεῖστα περὶ τῶν δύο τούτων τῶν ἐθνῶν λεγόμενα. ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεὸς τοὺς πατέρας, ἐπαγγελίαν δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς, ἐξήγαγε λαὸν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν πατέρων ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου, ἐμακροθύμησεν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἐπαίδευσεν αὐτοὺς ὡς πατήρ, εἰσήγαγεν αὐτούς, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς γῆν ἐπαγγελίας, ἔπεμψεν αὐτοῖς προφήτας κατὰ καιρούς, ἐπαίδευσε καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. ἐμακροθύμησεν ἀεὶ πέμπων τοὺς θεραπεύοντας, μέχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ ὁ ἀρχιατρός, ὁ διαφέρων προφητῶν προφήτης, ὁ διαφέρων ἰατρῶν ἰατρός. ἐληλυθότα τοῦτον προέδωκαν καὶ ἀπέκτειναν «αἶρε, αἶρε» λέγοντες «ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν τοιοῦτον· σταύρου, σταύρου αὐτόν». εὐθέως ἦλθεν ἐπισκοπὴ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔθνος, ἠρημώθη ὁ τόπος ἔνθα ἐσταύ ρωταί μου ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεὸς ἄλλο ἔθνος. «ὁ θερισμὸς ὁρᾶτε πῶς πολύς ἐστιν, εἰ καὶ οἱ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι εἰσί». καὶ ἄλλως δὲ οἰκονομεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὴν σαγήνην ἀεὶ βάλλεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦ βίου τού του καὶ συνάγονται ἰχθύες παντοδαποί· ἀποστέλλει «τοὺς ἁλιεῖς τοὺς πολλούς»· ἀποστέλλει «τοὺς θηρευτὰς τοὺς πολλούς», θηρεύουσιν ἀπὸ «παντὸς ὄρους», θηρεύουσιν ἀπὸ «παντὸς βουνοῦ». ὅρα πόση οἰκονομία περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐστι σωτηρίας. «Ἴδε οὖν χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν θεοῦ· ἐπὶ μὲν» τὸ πρότερον ἔθνος καὶ πεσὸν «ἀποτομία, ἐπὶ δὲ σὲ» τὸ δεύτερον ἔθνος ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ «χρηστότης, ἐὰν ἐπιμείνῃς τῇ χρηστότητι· ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ ἐκκοπήσῃ». οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀξίνη τότε μόνον πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων ἔκειτο. ἑτοίμη πάλιν ἐστὶν ἐλθεῖν ἡ ἀξίνη· «ἡ» δὲ «ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται» ἔλεγέ μου ὁ Ἰησοῦς τότε προφητεύων περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ παρ' ὃν ἡ ἀξίνη ἦν. αὐτὸς ἦν ἡ ἀξίνη τοῦ ἀκάρπου δένδρου καὶ ἔλεγεν· «ἤδη ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται». ὅσα ἦν ἐκεῖ δένδρα μὴ ποιοῦντα καρπὸν ἐξεκόπη καὶ εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐβλήθη καὶ κεκόλασται. νῦν δὲ ἄλλο γεώργιον γεγένηται ἀνάλογον τῷ προ τέρῳ, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «εἰσαγαγὼν καταφύτευσον αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος κληρονομίας σου, εἰς ἕτοιμον κατοικητήριόν σου». εἰσήγαγεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔθνος ὁ θεὸς εἰς ὄρος κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ. τὸ ὄρος ἐγὼ ζητῶ οὐχ ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι οὕτως ἐν ἀψύχοις ὕλαις. τὸ ὄρος ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν. ἐν τούτῳ κατεφυτεύθημεν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐτηρήθημεν. ὁρᾶτε οὖν, ἐὰν <καὶ> μακροθυμήσῃ, μήποτε ἐλθὼν ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης εἴπῃ· «ἤδη τρία ἔτη ἔρχομαι ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν ταύτην καὶ καρπὸν οὐκ ἤνεγκεν· ἔκκοψον αὐτήν· ἵνα τί καὶ τὴν γῆν καταργεῖ»; καταργεῖ γὰρ τὴν καλὴν γῆν,