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of the bath of regeneration. For toil follows virtue, but ease follows pleasure. This the Savior teaches, saying: "How narrow is the gate and afflicted the way that leads to life", but "broad" "and wide is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter into it." And groaning has praise when it comes about through virtue; "of those groaning ***". But she also has her turning to Christ the husband, being ruled by him, so that according to his instructions the offspring of virtue born from her may have their completion from him; "For I have betrothed you", says Paul, "to one husband, <as a pure virgin> to present to Christ." For blessed is the church when it is embraced by Christ, and each woman is blessed under a perfect and zealous man who preserves the duty of ruling. For let no one, taking up perverted unions, try to falsify the saying; for the divine word has not been concerned with such things, and teaching this Paul exhorts, saying: "*** just as Christ also the church", which is without passion. But the things concerning the commandment which contains that one must not eat only of the forbidden thing, having been sufficiently clarified in what came before, must now be passed over, noting only this now, that Adam, having heard the voice of the woman, did not sin primarily, but followed her, for which reason he also endures the things that were said: "Cursed", for it says, "is the ground in your works." *** "Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you". For what that follows from the body is not painful, with pleasures and cares springing up from it? For the Savior interpreted these to be the thorns, which choke the seed sown by Jesus, if the one who received it does not receive it into the depth, but also the saying that "Land that has drunk the rain that often comes upon it, and produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, 104 whose end is to be burned." If, therefore, through practice one does not permit these to sprout up, he will have grass, which is something edible; for first the thing that grows will be grassy, as the Savior also says: "*** then the ear of grain". Therefore, the zealous one will not find this spiritual food without practice nor without toil. For since the heart of men is diligently set on evil things, virtue is hard to hunt and is obtained with labor; "For through", he says, "many tribulations" "you must enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is introductory to the good to eat for a time the grass, the first things of virtue, then the ear of grain, when one takes up the great introductory lessons of perfection, so as to hear: "But solid food is for the perfect, for those who by practice have their senses trained for the discernment of both good and evil." Therefore virtue is laborious, where also the heart of men is diligently set on evil; for this reason he says, "all" "the days of your life you shall eat your bread in sweat", which would not be said to angels; for among them the works of virtue are done more easily. And the saying "until you return to the earth from which you were taken" must be taken appropriately for the allegory. For having risen in a spiritual body you will have a heavenly citizenship, becoming in the land of the meek; for "Blessed" "are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth", even if in place of this a man exchanged the dry land on account of his own failings. For in ourselves we are either earth or we become heaven; this the wise Paul teaches, saying: "And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man", which the disciples are commanded to say in the prayer: "Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth." But when will this be, or when men on earth

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λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας. Ἕπεται γὰρ τῇ μὲν ἀρετῇ πόνος, τῇ δὲ ἡδονῇ ῥᾳστώνη. Τοῦτο ὁ Σωτὴρ παιδεύει λέγων· "6Τί στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν"6, "6πλατεῖα"6 δὲ "6καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰσερχόμενοι εἰς αὐτήν."6 Καὶ ὁ στεναγμὸς δὲ ἔπαινον̣ ἔχει δι' ἀρετὴν γινόμενος· "6τῶν καταστενα- ζόντων ***"6. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα Χριστὸν τὴν ἀποστροφὴν ἔχει, παρ' αὐτοῦ κυριευομένη, ἵνα κατὰ τὰς ἐκείνου ὑποθημοσύνας τὰ παρ' αὐτῆς ἀποτικτόμενα τῆς 103 ἀρετῆς γεννήματα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔχῃ τὴν τελεσιουργίαν· "6Ἡρμοσά[μ]ην γὰρ ὑμᾶς"6 φησιν ὁ Παῦλος "6ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ <παρθένον ἁγνὴν> παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ."6 Μακαρία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία, ὅτε ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ π[ε]ριέχεται, καὶ ἑκάστη δὲ γυνὴ ὑπὸ τελείου καὶ σπουδαίου καὶ σῴζοντος τὸ καθῆκον τοῦ ἄρχειν μακαρία. Μὴ γάρ τις τὰς διεστραμ- μένας συμβιώσεις παραλαμβάνων ψευδοποιεῖν πειράσθω τὸ ῥητόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων τῷ λόγῳ τῷ θείῳ πεφρόντισται, καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων ὁ Παῦλος παραινεῖ λέγων· "6*** ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν"6, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀπαθῶς. Τὰ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐντολῆς περιεχούσης ὡς οὐ δεῖ μόνου τοῦ ἀπηγορευμένου φαγεῖν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων αὐτάρκως σαφηνισθέντα νῦν παρεατέον, τοῦτο μόνον καὶ νῦν ἐπιση- μειώμενος, ὡς ὅτι τῆς φωνῆς ἀκούσας τῆς γυναικὸς ὁ Ἀδὰμ οὐ προηγουμένως ἥμαρτεν, ἀλλ' ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῇ, δι' ἣν καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα ὑφίσταται· "6Ἐπικατάρατος"6 γάρ φησιν "6ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σοῦ."6 *** "6Ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι"6. Τί γὰρ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀκολουθίας οὐκ ἐπώδυνόν ἐστιν, ἡδονῶν τε καὶ μεριμνῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐπιφυομένων; Ταύτας γὰρ εἶναι τὰς ἀκάνθας ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡρμήνευσεν, αἵτινες συμπνίγουσι τὸν ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ βαλλόμενον σπόρον, ἐὰν ὁ δεξάμενος μὴ εἰς βάθος τοῦτον ὑποδέξηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον ὡς Γῆ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετὸν καὶ τίκτουσα βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις δι' οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖ- ται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐκφέρουσα δὲ ἀκάνθας̣ καὶ τριβόλους, ἀδόκιμος καὶ κατάρας ἐγγύς, 104 ἧς τὸ τέλος εἰς καῦσιν."6 Ἐὰν οὖν τις διὰ μελέτης ταύτας μὲν ἀναβλαστῆσαι μὴ συγχωρήσῃ, σχήσει χόρτον, ὅ ἐστι τρόφιμόν τι· πρῶτον γὰρ χορτῶδες ἔσται τὸ φυόμενον, ὡς καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· "6*** εἶτεν στάχυν"6. Τοῦτον οὖν τὸν πνευματικὸν οὐκ ἀμελετήτως οὐδ' ἄτερ πόνου εὑρήσει ὁ σπουδαῖος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπιμελῶς τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τὰ κακὰ ἐκκειμένης, δυσθήρατος ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ κόπῳ λαμβανομένη· "6∆ιὰ"6 γὰρ "6πολλῶν θλίψεών"6 φησιν "6δεῖ ὑμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν."6 Ἀγαθοῦ δ' εἰσαγωγικὸν χόρτον τέως ἐμφαγεῖν τὰ πρῶτα τῆς ἀρετῆς, εἶτεν στάχυν, ὅτε μεγάλα εἰσαγωγικὰ μαθήματα τελειότητός τις ἐπιλαμβάνεται ὡς ἀκοῦσαι· "6Τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ."6 Ἐπίμοχθον οὖν ἡ ἀρετή, ὅπου καὶ ἡ καρδία τῶν ἀνθρώ- πων ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν ἔγκειται· διὰ τοῦτο "6πάσας"6 φησὶν "6τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου ἐν ἱδρῶτι φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου"6, ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν λεχθείη ἀγγέλοις· εὐκολώτερον γὰρ παρ' ἐκείνοις τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐνεργεῖται. Οἰκείως δὲ τῇ ἀλληγορίᾳ ἐκλημπτέον καὶ τὸ "6ἕως ἂν ἀποστρέψῃς εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήμφθης"6. Ἀναστὰς γὰρ ἐν πνευματικῷ σώματι οὐράνιον ἕξεις πολιτείαν ἐ[ν] τῇ γῇ τῶν πραῶν γινόμενος· "6Μακάριοι"6 γὰρ "6οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν"6, εἰ καὶ ἀντὶ ταύτης τὴν χέρσον διὰ τὰ ἴδια πταίσματα ἄνθρωπος ἀντικατηλ- λάξατο. Παρ' ἑα<υ>τοὺς γὰρ ἢ γῆ ἐσμεν ἢ οὐρανὸς γινόμεθα τοῦτο ὁ σοφὸς Παῦλος παιδεύει λέγων· "6Καὶ καθὼς ἐφορέσαμεν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, φορέσομεν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου"6, ὅπερ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ λέγειν προστάτ- τονται οἱ μαθηταί· "6Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς."6 Πότε δὲ τοῦτο ἔσται, ἢ ὅταν ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ γῆς