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the abundance of good things is mine through your grace. Both are connected to piety. For we enjoy good things from God, and he does not need our righteousness; however, for the sake of our benefit, he legislates it. To his saints who are in his land, he has made wonderful all his wills in them. -But you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. He can, making his own the sufferings of his Church, say the preceding words from it: To his saints who are in his land, he has made wonderful all his wills in them. Their infirmities were multiplied. Others say his land is the Church; whence also the wills of God become wonderful, and the wills of God are the virtues according to kind, as this shows; from: I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my wills, the wills of God thus interpreted. And God does wonderful things in his saints, as those who are wise according to God have something more than other men in acting according to virtue. For is the courage of the martyrs of the truth, of both prophets and apostles, the same as that of those who are otherwise courageous? nor, is the moderation of those who keep what Joseph and Susanna had, the same as the moderation of others. So also in the case of the other virtues, God making wonderful the virtues of the saints, so that they incomparably surpass those who have become excellent according to human standards. Thus, the wills of God being wonderful in the saints, their infirmities are multiplied—I mean, of the saints—as they see how much they fall short of the strength of God and of his greatness. However, even if their aforementioned infirmities are multiplied, they do not delay, they do not remain with them, but depart immediately. For as soon as they think of them, they have them hurrying to no longer exist; because of their being strong in being empowered by Christ first, in God we will do valiantly. But I think that through these things the former state of all the ancient idolaters is shown; in which, 23.157 being atheists and idolaters, they did not run aground on one error. For theirs was a multitude of polytheism and idolatry and infirmity. But since they, having changed from those very things through saving grace, have become saints of God, for this reason it is said: To his saints who are in his land, he has made wonderful all my wills in them; and since this is connected: Their idols were multiplied, or their hardships, or their infirmities. For all these things belonged to those who were later saints before their change from the worse to the better. But after these things they hastened, not neglecting nor delaying, but showing repentance with speed after the grace that came to them, through which all the Savior's wills were made wonderful in them. Whence, giving them forgiveness for their former sins, he says: I will not gather their assemblies of blood; or according to Aquila: I will not pour out their libations of blood. For of old, he says, they made libations of blood, the Jews offering sacrifices to God according to the law, and the Greeks, when they served demons. But I, having delivered to them new sacrifices, will no longer accept their libations of blood; nor will I pour these out, being a high priest accepting and pouring them from their hands; but having delivered to them new mysteries and new sacrifices, the bloodless and smokeless, and rational ones, I will teach them to use these; nor will I even remember their old names with my lips. For of old, those from the nations were given names worthy of their deeds, being called profane and unclean, and idolaters, polytheists and atheists; but now I will no longer remember those names, but will grant them others in their place; calling them pious and God-fearing, and holy, called and chosen, and Christians.

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ἀγαθῶν ἡ φορὰ διὰ τῆς σῆς ὑπάρχει μοι χάριτος. Ἀμφότερα δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἔχεται. Καὶ ἡμεῖς γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς ἡμετέρας δικαιοπραγίας οὐ χρῄζει· χάριν μέντοι τῆς ἡμετέρας ὠφελείας ταύτην νομοθετεῖ. Τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ ἐθαυμάστωσε πάντα τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς. -Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ, καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέλους. ∆ύναται, ἰδιοποιούμενος τὰ πάθη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, τὰ προκείμενα ἐξ αὐτῆς λέγειν· Τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ ἐθαυμάστωσε πάντα τὰ θελήματα αὑτοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἐπληθύνθησαν αἱ ἀσθένειαι αὐτῶν. Ἕτεροι δὲ γῆν αὐτοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν φασίν· ὅθεν καὶ θαυμάσια γίνονται τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ θελήματα, Θελήματα δὲ Θεοῦ αἱ κατ' εἶδος ἀρεταὶ παρισταμένου τούτου· ἐκ τοῦ· Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ὃς ποιήσει πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου, τὰ οὕτως ἡρμηνευμένα θελήματα Θεοῦ. Θαυμαστοῖ δὲ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, πλέον τι ἐχόντων τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν σοφῶν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ἐν τῷ κατὰ ἀρετὴν ἐνεργεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνδρεία ἡ αὐτὴ τῶν μαρτύρων τῆς ἀληθείας, προφητῶν τε καὶ ἀποστόλων, τῇ τῶν ἄλλως ἀνδριζομένων; ἀλλ' οὐδὲ, ἡ σωφροσύνη τῶν τηρούντων ἣν ἔσχεν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Σουσάννα, τῇ τῶν ἄλλων σωφροσύνῃ. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν, θαυμαστοῦντος Θεοῦ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀρετὰς ὡς ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερέχειν αὐτοὺς τῶν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους γενομένων σπουδαίων. Οὕτω θαυμασίων τῶν θελημάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις ὄντων, πληθύνονται αὐτῶν, τῶν ἁγίων λέγω, αἱ ἀσθένειαι, ὁρώντων ὡς πολὺ ἀπολείπονται τῆς Θεοῦ ἰσχύος καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους αὐτοῦ. Ὅμως, εἰ καὶ πληθύνονται αἱ προλεχθεῖσαι αὐτῶν ἀσθένειαι, οὐκ ἐμβραδύνουσιν, οὐ παραμένουσιν αὐτοῖς, παραχρῆμα ἀπερχόμεναι. Μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ ἐννοῆσαι αὐτὰς, ἔσχον αὐτὰς ταχυνούσας ἐν τῷ μηκέτ' εἶναι· διὰ τὸ ἰσχύειν ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ πρώτων, ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιήσομεν δύναμιν. Οἶμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων δηλοῦσθαι τῶν ἁπάντων τῶν πάλαι εἰδωλολατρῶν τὴν προτέραν κατάστασιν· ἐν ᾗ, 23.157 ἄθεοι ὄντες καὶ εἰδωλολάτραι, οὐκ ἐπὶ μίαν ἐξώκειλαν πλάνην. Πλῆθος γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν τῆς πολυθεΐας καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ ἀσθενείας. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων μεταβαλόντες διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου χάριτος γεγόνασιν ἅγιοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο λέλεκται· Τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ ἐθαυμάστωσε πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου ἐν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἐπεὶ συνῆπται τό· Ἐπληθύνθησαν εἴδωλα αὐτῶν, ἢ τὰ διαπονήματα αὐτῶν, ἢ ἀσθένειαι αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα προσῆν τοῖς ὕστερον ἁγίοις πρὸ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω μεταβολῆς. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐτάχυναν, οὐκ ἀμελήσαντες, οὐδὲ βραδύναντες, ἀλλὰ διὰ τάχους τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐνδειξάμενοι μετὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς γενομένην χάριν, δι' ἧς ἐθαυμαστώθη πάντα τοῦ Σωτῆρος θελήματα ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὅθεν συγχώρησιν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων διδοὺς αὐτοῖς φησιν· Οὐ μὴ συναγάγω τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν ἐξ αἱμάτων· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· Οὐ μὴ σπείσω σπονδὰς αὐτῶν ἐξ αἱμάτων. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, σπονδὰς ἐποίουν ἐξ αἱμάτων, Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν κατὰ νόμον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίας προσφέροντες, Ἕλληνες δὲ, ὅτε τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἐλάτρευον. Ἐγὼ δὲ καινὰς αὐτοῖς θυσίας παραδοὺς, οὐκέτι δέξομαι σπονδὰς αὐτῶν ἐξ αἱμάτων· οὐδὲ ταύτας σπείσω ἅτε ἀρχιερεὺς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἀποδεξάμενος καὶ σπένδων· καινὰ δὲ μυστήρια παραδοὺς αὐτοῖς καὶ καινὰς θυσίας τὰς ἀναίμους καὶ ἀκάπνους, καὶ λογικὰς, ταύταις χρῆσθαι διδάξω αὐτούς· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μνημονεύσω διὰ τῶν χειλέων μου τῶν παλαιῶν αὐτῶν ὀνομάτων. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ ἐπαξίως τῶν πράξεων ἐπήγοντο προσηγορίας οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, βέβηλοι καὶ ἀκάθαρτοι, καὶ εἰδωλολάτραι, πολύθεοί τε καὶ ἄθεοι ὀνομαζόμενοι· νῦν δὲ ἐκείνων μὲν οὐκέτι μνησθήσομαι τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἕτερα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀντ' ἐκείνων δωρήσομαι· εὐσεβεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ θεοσεβεῖς, καὶ ἁγίους, κλητούς τε καὶ ἐκλεκτοὺς, καὶ Χριστιανοὺς ὀνομάζων.