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remains in him," saying the one who made him. For concerning such a one it is also said in the Gospel: "No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." And we did not say this, that the virtuous man is unchangeable, but that he is difficult to change. But he might, by his own doing, fall away outside the hand of God; for it says, "they were thrust out of your hand," clearly having become unworthy of being guarded by the hand of God, which Judas suffered, having himself gone out from the protecting hand of God. For he did not say: No one will go out, but: "No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." But he thrusts away those who first detached themselves. For it is said: "God will thrust them away, because they did not listen to him," the one guarded by him knowing that his "seed is great151." For the mind of the diligent man is good soil, receiving the sowings from the bridegroom Word appropriately and eagerly, or he himself sowing into those who are discipled through the word given to him. And often seed is also called child; "seed of Abraham" his children ῃαξατ ῃαξατ though the seed is not in every case already a child. Therefore, when the Jews boasted that they were the seed of Abraham, the Savior did not say: You are lying, but added: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham; for not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are Abraham's seed are they all children." Therefore he says to them, as they are not Abraham's children: "You want to do the desires of your father." And those who do the desires of the devil, accepting him as their father, are not Abraham's children. For blessed is the one who is Abraham's seed in that he has the virtues of godliness and has become a child by being formed and not becoming an abortion but being brought to birth.152 And there are times when seed and child are spoken of in parallel, as also in what has now been set forth. Therefore the mind of the holy one, which must be understood as a field, brings forth offspring corresponding "to all the plants of the field" and surpassing in multitude and in life-giving power, so that in this way this "man may be likened," according to the Gospel, "to the kingdom of heaven," sowing in the field of his own heart, that he may bear fruit "a hundred, sixty, thirty" according to beginnings and middles and ends, "sowing in tears," that he may "reap with joy" and "seeking the Lord, that the fruits of righteousness may come to him." "But you will go to the grave like ripe grain harvested in its season or like a stack from the threshing floor gathered in its time." There is nothing that exists that does not have its own end, even if it is taken in the case of art. Nature and art have an end and a purpose; for a vine grows for the reasonable enjoyment of man, and a craftsman builds to complete a house, having as his purpose a dwelling. And, that the discourse may not become long, man was created that he might live according to virtue. The psalmist,153 contemplating this very thing, said: "Lord, make me know my end, and what is the number of my days, that I may know what I lack," so that he might say something like this quietly: For this I was made, that I might live according to virtue and, partaking of your wisdom, both say and do all things according to it. But since I see myself lacking in much, which he says out of modesty, "make my end known to me," how long I remain here, that I may hasten in it to make up my deficiencies. According to this thought it is also said in Ecclesiastes: "Do not be hard-hearted, lest you die before your time," which means that: since you were made to bear the fruit of virtue, do not delay concerning it, lest you depart incomplete. Which David, praying again, says: "Do not take me away in the midst of my days." But Abraham too is said to be "old and full of days." And if we take this more simply, many of the many who lived before him lived even more years and were called neither old nor full of days. full

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ἐν αὐτῷ μένει", λέγων το`̣ ποιῆσαν αὐτόν. περὶ γὰρ τοιούτου καὶ ἐν εὐαγγελίῳ εἴρηται· "οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάσαι ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός μου." καὶ οὐ τοῦτο ἔφαμεν, ὡς ἀμετάπτωτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐνάρετος, ἀλλ' ὅ τι ·· δυσμετάπτωτός ἐστιν. παρ' ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἔξ̣ω γένοιτο τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ μ̣ετ̣απίπτων· "αὐτοὶ" γάρ φησιν "ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἀπώσθησαν", ἀνάξιοι δηλονότι γεγενημένοι τοῦ φρουρεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς θεοῦ χειρός, ὅπερ Ἰούδας πέπονθεν αὐτὸς ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς σκεπαζούσης τοῦ θεοῦ χειρός. οὐ γὰρ εἴρηκεν· οὐδεὶς ἐξελεύσεται, ἀλλ'· "οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάσαι ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός μου." αὐτὸς δ' ἀπωθεῖται τοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἀποσπάσαντας πρότερον. εἴρηται γάρ· "ἀπώσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν αὐτοῦ", τοῦ φυλαττομένου ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γιγνώσκοντος, ὅτι "πολὺ τὸ σπέρ151 μα" αὐτοῦ τυγχάνε̣ι̣. ἀγαθὴ γὰρ γῆ ἡ τοῦ σπουδαίου διάνοια τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου λόγου σπορὰς οἰκείως καὶ προθύμως δεχομένου ἢ αὐτὸς τοὺς μαθητευομένους διὰ τοῦ δοθέντος αὐτῷ λόγου κατασπειρῶν. λέγεται δὲ πολλάκις καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τέκνον· "σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ" τέκνα αὐτ̣οῦ ῃαξατ ῃαξατ οὐ πάντως τοῦ σπέρματος ἤδη καὶ τέκνου τυγχάνοντος. τῶν γοῦν Ἰουδαίων αὐχούντων σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ εἶναι οὐκ εἰπὼν ὁ ςωτὴρ ὅτι· ψεύδεσθε, ἐπήγαγεν· "εἰ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ ἐστε, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ποιεῖτε· οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσδραὴλ οὗτοι τοῦ Ἰσδραήλ. οὐδ' ὅτι εἰσὶν σπέρμα το̣υ῀̣ Ἀβραὰμ πάντως τέκνα." λέγει οὖν αὐτοῖς ὡς μὴ οὖσιν Ἀβραὰμ τέκνοις· "τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν." οἱ δὲ ποιοῦντες τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ διαβόλου πατέρα αὐτὸν ἐπιδεχόμενοι οὔκ εἰσιν Ἀβραὰμ τέκνα. μακάριος γὰρ ὁ σπέρμα Ἀβρα̣α`̣μ τυγχάνων κατὰ τὸ τὰς ἀρετὰς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔχειν καὶ τέκνον γενόμενος διὰ τοῦ μορφοῦσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀμβλωθρίδιον γενέσθαι ἀλλ' ἀπο152 τίκτεσθαι. ἔστιν δ' ὅτε καὶ ἐκ παραλλήλου τὸ σπέρμα καὶ τὸ τέκνον λέγεται ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν ἐκτεθέντι. τοῦ οὖν ἁγίου ἡ διάνοια, ἣν ἀ γρὸν δεῖ νοεῖν, ἀναβλαστάνει γεννήματα ἀναλογοῦντα "τῷ παμβοτάνῳ τοῦ ἀγροῦ" καὶ πλήθει ὑπερβάλλοντα καὶ ζωτικῇ δυνάμει, ἵν' οὕτως "ὁμοιωθῇ" κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν οὗτος ὁ "ἄνθρωπος τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν" ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ σπείρων, ἵνα καρποφορήσῃ "ἕκατον, ἑξήκοντα, τριάκοντα" κατ' ἀρχὰς καὶ μέσα καὶ τελευταῖα, "σπείρων ἐν δάκρυσι", ἵνα "ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θερίσῃ" καὶ "ἐκζητῶν τὸν κύριον, ἵνα ἔλθῃ αὐτῷ γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης". "ἐλεύσῃ δὲ ἐν τάφῳ ὥσπερ σῖτος ὥριμος κατὰ καιρὸν θεριζόμενος ἢ ὥσπερ θημωνιὰ ἅλωνος καθ' ὥραν συνκομισθεῖσα." οὐδὲν ἔστιν τῶν ὄντων ὃ μὴ ἔχει οἰκεῖον τέλος, κἂν ἐπὶ τέχνης λάβηται. ἡ φύσις καὶ ἡ τέχνη τέλος ἔχει καὶ σκοπόν· φύεται γὰρ ἄμπελος διὰ τὴν ἀνθρώπου ἀπόλαυσιν εὔλογον καὶ οἰκοδομεῖται τεχνίτης εἰς τὸ τελέσαι οἰκίαν σκοπὸν ἔχων πρὸς οἴκησιν. καὶ ἵνα μὴ πολὺς ὁ λόγος γένηται, ἐδημιουργήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα κατ' ἀρετὴν ζῇ. τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὁ ὑ153 μνῳδὸς θεωρήσας ἔλεγεν· "γνώρισόν μοι κύριε τὸ πέρας μου καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν μου, τίς ἐστιν, ἵνα γνῶ τί ὑστερῶ ἐγώ", ἵνα λέγῃ τοιοῦτον ἠρέμα ὅτι· διὰ τοῦτο γέγονα, ἵνα κατ' ἀρετὴν ζῶ καὶ τῆς σοφίας τῆς σῆς μετέχων πάντα καὶ λέγω τε καὶ πράττω κατ' αὐτήν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν πολλῷ λιπόμενον ἐμαυτὸν ὁρῶ, ὅπερ διὰ μετριότητα λέγει, "τὸ πέρας μου γνώρισόν μο̣ι̣", μέχρι πόσου χρόνου ἐνταῦθα μένω, ἵνα σπουδάσω ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ ὑστερήματά μου ἀναπληρώσων. κατὰ ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ε᾿̣ν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ εἴρηται· "μὴ γίνου σκληρός, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνῃς ἐν οὐ καιρῷ σου", ὅπερ δηλοῖ ὅτι· ἐπεὶ διὰ τὸ καρποφορεῖν ἀρετὴν γέγονας, μὴ μέλλε πρὸς αὐτήν, μήποτε ἀτελὴς ἀπέλθῃς. ὅπερ πάλιν εὐχόμενος ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· "μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν μου." ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ εἴρηται "πρεσβύτερος καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν". καὶ ἐὰν ἁπλούστερον τοῦτο λάβωμεν, πολλοὶ τῶν πολλῶν τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ πλείονα ἔτη ἔζησαν καὶ οὔτε πρεσβύτεροι ἤκουσαν οὔτε πλήρης ἡμερῶν. πλήρης