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than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts 63.58 and intents of the heart. Here he discusses Gehenna, and punishment. Into the hidden things, he says, of our heart it penetrates, and cuts through the soul. Here it is not a matter of our bodies falling, nor of being deprived of land, as it was there, but of the kingdom of heaven, and being given over to eternal Gehenna, and to immortal chastisement and vengeance. But exhort one another. See what is gentle and kind; he did not say, rebuke, but, Exhort. Thus ought we to deal with those who are distressed by affliction. This also he says, writing to the Thessalonians: Warn the unruly. But concerning the fainthearted not so, but what? Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all. What is, Exhort? It means, do not despair, do not give up; for he who does not exhort one distressed by affliction makes him harder. That none of you, he says, be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Or he means the deceit of the devil; for it is truly a deceit to expect nothing concerning the future, to think that our affairs will be without accountability, and that for what we have done here we will not pay the penalty, nor will there be a resurrection; or otherwise, deceit is insensibility, or despair; for to say, what is left? I have sinned once, I have no hope of recovering myself, is a deceit. Then he puts hope into them, saying, We have become partakers of Christ; as good as saying, He who has so loved us, who has deemed us worthy of so great things, as to make us His own body, will not overlook us when we are perishing. Let us consider, he says, of what things we have been deemed worthy; we and Christ are one. Let us not therefore distrust Him. And again he alludes to that which is said elsewhere, that if we endure, we shall also reign with Him; for this is what, We have become partakers, means, we share in the same things as Christ. He has exhorted from the good things; For we are partakers, he says, of Christ. Then again from the sorrowful things; Let us fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it; for that is clear and acknowledged. They tested me, he says, and saw my works for forty years. Do you see that one must not demand an account from God, but, whether He provides or not, one must trust Him? for He now accuses them of this, that they tempted God. For he who wishes to receive proofs, either of His power, or of His providence, or of His care, does not yet believe Him to be either powerful or loving toward man. This he also alludes to in writing to these men, who perhaps already wished to receive examination and proof of His power and His providence for them in their trials. Do you see that from unbelief everywhere comes the provocation and the wrath? What then does he say? There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. But see how he has reasoned out the whole argument. He swore, he says, to the former ones that they should not enter into the rest, and they did not enter. Then a long time after them, speaking to the Jews, he says: Harden not your hearts, as your fathers did. Evidently there is another rest; for one cannot speak of Palestine, for they possessed it; nor can one speak of the seventh day, for surely he was not discussing this which happened long ago. Therefore he alludes to some other rest which is truly rest. 4. For that is truly rest, where pain and sorrow and sighing have fled away, 63.59 where there are no cares, nor labors, nor struggle, nor fear that strikes and shakes the soul, but only the fear of God, which is full of pleasure. There one cannot hear: In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread; nor: it shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you; No longer thorns and thistles; there is no: In sorrow you shall bring forth children, nor, Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you; all is peace there, joy, gladness, pleasure, goodness, meekness, uprightness, love. There is not there

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ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, καὶ διικνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων 63.58 καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας. Ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῆς γεέννης διαλέγεται, καὶ περὶ τῆς κολάσεως. Εἰς τὰ κρυπτὰ, φησὶ, διικνεῖται τῆς καρδίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ διατέμνει τὴν ψυχήν. Οὐ κῶλά ἐστι πεσεῖν ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ γῆς ἀποστερηθῆναι, καθάπερ ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, καὶ γεέννῃ παραδοθῆναι αἰωνίῳ, καὶ κολάσει ἀθανάτῳ καὶ τιμωρίᾳ. Ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτούς. Ὅρα τὸ ἥμερον καὶ προσηνές· οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐπιτιμᾶτε, ἀλλὰ, Παρακαλεῖτε. Οὕτως ἡμᾶς χρὴ τοῖς ἀπὸ θλίψεως στενοχωρουμένοις προσφέρεσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γράφων φησί· Νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους. Περὶ δὲ τῶν ὀλιγοψύχων οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τί; Παραμυθεῖσθε τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους, ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν, μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας. Τί ἐστι, Παρακαλεῖτε; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, μὴ ἀπελπίσητε, μὴ ἀπογνῶτε· τὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ θλίψεως στενοχωρούμενον ὁ μὴ παρακαλῶν σκληρότερον ποιεῖ. Ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ ἐξ ὑμῶν τις, φησὶν, ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἢ τὴν ἀπάτην τοῦ διαβόλου φησίν· ἀπάτη γάρ ἐστιν ὄντως τὸ μηδὲν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων προσδοκᾷν, τὸ νομίζειν ὅτι ἀνεύθυνα ἔσται τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ὅτι τῶν πεπραγμένων ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα οὐ δώσομεν δίκην, οὐδὲ ἔσται ἀνάστασις· ἢ ἑτέρως, ἀπάτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀναλγησία, ἢ ἀπόγνωσις· τὸ γὰρ λέγειν, τί ἐστι λοιπόν; ἅπαξ ἥμαρτον, οὐκ ἔχω ἐλπίδα τοῦ ἀνακτήσασθαι ἐμαυτὸν, ἀπάτη ἐστίν. Εἶτα ἐλπίδας αὐτοῖς ἐντίθησι, λέγων, Μέτοχοι γεγόναμεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὁ οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἀγαπήσας, ὁ τοσούτων ἡμᾶς καταξιώσας, ὥστε ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα ποιῆσαι, οὐ περιόψεται ἀπολλυμένους. Ἐννοήσωμεν, φησὶ, τίνων κατηξιώθημεν· ἡμεῖς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἕν ἐσμεν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπιστῶμεν αὐτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνο αἰνίττεται τὸ εἰρημένον ἑτέρωθι, ὅτι Εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, Μέτοχοι γεγόναμεν, τῶν αὐτῶν μετέχομεν ὧν καὶ ὁ Χριστός. Προετρέψατο ἀπὸ τῶν χρηστῶν· Μέτοχοι γάρ ἐσμεν, φησὶ, τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν· Φοβηθῶμεν μήποτε καταλειπομένης ἐπαγγελίας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ, δοκῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑστερηκέναι· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ δῆλον καὶ ὡμολογημένον ἐστίν. Ἐδοκίμασάν με, φησὶ, καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ἀπαιτεῖν εὐθύνας, ἀλλ', ἄν τε προϊστᾶται, ἄν τε μὴ, πιστεύειν αὐτῷ; ἐκείνοις γὰρ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖ νῦν, ὅτι ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεόν. Ὁ γὰρ βουλόμενος ἀποδείξεις λαβεῖν, ἢ τῆς δυνάμεως, ἢ τῆς προνοίας, ἣ τῆς κηδεμονίας αὐτοῦ, οὔπω πιστεύει οὔτε δυνατὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι, οὔτε φιλάνθρωπον. Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τούτους γράφων αἰνίττεται, βουλομένους ἴσως ἤδη τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προνοίας τὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον λαβεῖν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀπιστίας πανταχοῦ ὁ παροξυσμὸς καὶ ὁ παροργισμός; Τί οὖν φησιν; Ἄρα ἀπολείπεται σαββατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς ὅλον τὸν λόγον συνελογίσατο. Ὤμοσε, φησὶ, τοῖς προτέροις μὴ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν, καὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον. Εἶτα μετ' ἐκείνους χρόνῳ πολλῷ ὕστερον διαλεγόμενος τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, φησί· Μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὡς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν. ∆ηλονότι ἔστιν ἄλλη κατάπαυσις· περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς Παλαιστίνης οὐκ ἔνι εἰπεῖν· εἶχον γὰρ αὐτήν· περὶ δὲ τῆς ἑβδόμης οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· οὐ γὰρ δήπου περὶ ταύτης διελέγετο τῆς πάλαι γεγενημένης. Ἄρα ἑτέραν τινὰ αἰνίττεται τὴν ὄντως ἀνάπαυσιν. δʹ. Ὄντως γὰρ ἐκείνη ἐστὶν ἀνάπαυσις, ἔνθα ἀπέδρα 63.59 ὀδύνη καὶ λύπη καὶ στεναγμὸς, ἔνθα οὐδὲ φροντίδες, οὔτε πόνοι, οὔτε ἀγωνία, οὔτε φόβος καταπλήττων καὶ σείων τὴν ψυχὴν, ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος ἡδονῆς πλήρης ὤν. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ἀκοῦσαι. Ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου· οὐδὲ ἀκάνθας, οὐδὲ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι· Οὐκέτι ἄκανθαι καὶ τρίβολοι· οὐκ ἔστιν, Ἐν λύπαις τέξεις τέκνα, οὐδὲ, Πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου, καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει· πάντα εἰρήνη ἐκεῖ, χαρὰ, εὐφροσύνη, ἡδονὴ, ἀγαθωσύνη, πραότης, εὐθύτης, ἀγάπη. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ