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being freed, but not separated, she cries out with the prophet David, saying: “You have torn my sackcloth and have girded me with gladness, so that my glory may sing to you.” Not only this, but she also gives thanks with Paul, saying: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Therefore, when these things have happened by the grace of Christ, and having been delivered from the ignorance and darkness of friendship with the world—to say the same things again—having been released from evil and shameful desires and from the death of the body which enslaves us under the law of sin, having been set free, what then is such a person going to do? Will he use this freedom for rest and carelessness? By no means; these are truly the assumptions of slaves and not of the free. For he who has been deemed worthy of this freedom (182) knows that he was freed from the law of sin so that he would no longer serve sin, but serve righteousness, who is Christ the God, who is and is called the sun of righteousness. And so that I may show you by an example what sort of goodwill such a person then displays toward God, I will present it from human affairs and things that always happen among us.

For just as a certain king, being compassionate and philanthropic, seeing his own slave, who had been willingly taken captive by some tyrant and subjected to slavery in clay and brick-making and mire, suffering pitilessly and serving the unclean desires of that wicked tyrant, he himself arrives, snatches him away, and declares him free from that shameful and wicked service, and bringing him up, restores him in the palace, in no way reproaching him for anything; and that slave, who was released from so many and such great troubles, in his goodwill toward his own master, strives to appear more zealous in the commandments of his master than his fellow slaves who were not taken captive, so that he might show a greater and more fervent love for him, continually remembering from how many evils he was delivered by him; so you should also understand it to be concerning the one who has enjoyed the help of God, as has been said. And just as that king, seeing that slave eagerly and with all humility fulfilling his wishes, even if he has no need of his service, having countless multitudes of servants, yet nevertheless on account of his gratitude he will show immeasurable love for him, so also you should understand in the things that have been said. For neither will he who has enjoyed the freedom of the Spirit from God ever cease from (183) ever more doing the will of God and with more fervent zeal, nor will the eternal King and God deprive him of the good things of eternal life by not bestowing them lavishly upon him, and all the more so as He sees him intensifying his service toward Him each day. But of the good deeds and the gifts of God, which he works for his servants, there is no measure or comprehension of them by us; and some things he gives to them, and some he will give.

But from the things which the compassionate God gives here to those who love him, it is necessary to say a few things for our own love, some from the divine Scriptures, and some having understood from experience itself. Since for these three things all people show all zeal and care, I mean for wealth, for honor, for glory and the freedom and joy and enjoyment that comes to us from them, in the first place our Master and God richly bestows these things on those who have cast everything aside and taken up the cross and walk in his footsteps without turning back; for instead of corruptible wealth, he gives his whole self to them. Do you know the power of this statement? Have you heard a dreadful wonder? For just as the rich in the world their wealth

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ἐλευθερουμένη μέν, οὐ χωριζομένη δέ, βοᾷ σύν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆αυίδ καί αὐτή λέγουσα· "∆ιέρρηξας τόν σάκκον μου καί περιέζωσάς με εὐφροσύνην, ὅπως ἄν ψάλλῃ σοι ἡ δόξα μου". Οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί εὐχαριστεῖ μετά Παύλου λέγουσα· "Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὁ νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠλευθέρωσέ με ἀπό τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καί τοῦ θανάτου".

Τούτων οὖν οὕτω Χριστοῦ χάριτι γενομένων, καί τῆς ἀγνοίας καί τοῦ σκοτασμοῦ τῆς φιλίας τοῦ κόσμου ῥυσθείς, ἵνα τά αὐτά πάλιν εἴπω, τῶν πονηρῶν τε καί αἰσχρῶν ἀπαλλαγείς ἐπιθυμιῶν καί ἀπό τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ σώματος, ὑπό τόν νόμον τῆς ἁμαρτίας καταδουλοῦντος ἡμᾶς, ἐλευθερωθείς, τί ἔκτοτε ὁ τοιοῦτος μέλλει ποιεῖν; Ἆρά γε τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ταύτῃ εἰς ἄνεσιν καί ἀμεριμνίαν χρήσεται; Ἄπαγε· δούλων ὄντως αἱ ὑπολήψεις αὗταί εἰσι καί οὐκ ἐλευθέρων· ὁ γάρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ταύτης (182) καταξιωθείς οἶδεν ὅτι ἠλευθερώθη ἀπό τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν αὐτόν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλά δουλεύειν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστός ὁ Θεός, ὁ δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος καί ὤν καί καλούμενος. Καί ἵνα ἐκ παραδείγματος δείξω ὑμῖν οἵαν μᾶλλον ἔκτοτε ἐπιδείκνυται πρός τόν Θεόν εὔνοιαν ὁ τοιοῦτος, ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καί εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀεί γινομένων παραστήσω αὐτήν.

Καθάπερ γάρ βασιλεύς τις, εὔσπλαχνος ὤν καί φιλάνθρωπος, δοῦλον ἑαυτοῦ ὑπό τυράννου τινός ἑκουσίως αἰχμαλωτισθέντα καί εἰς δουλείαν ὑπαχθέντα τῷ πηλῷ καί τῇ πλινθείᾳ καί τῷ βορβόρῳ θεασάμενος αὐτόν ἀνηλεῶς κακοπαθοῦντα καί ταῖς τοῦ πονηροῦ τυράννου ἐκείνου ἀκαθάρτοις ἐπιθυμίαις ὑπηρετούμενον, αὐτός ἐκεῖνος ἀφικνούμενος ἀφαρπάζει καί ἐλεύθερον τῆς αἰσχρᾶς ἐκείνης καί μοχθηρᾶς ἀποδείκνυσι λειτουργίας, καί τοῦτον ἀναγαγών ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀποκαθίστησι, μηδαμῶς ἐν μηδενί προσονειδίσας αὐτόν· ὁ δέ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τοσούτων καί τηλικούτων ἀπαλλαγείς ἀνιαρῶν, τῇ πρός τόν ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότην εὐνοίᾳ τῶν μή αἰχμαλωτισθέντων συνδούλων αὐτοῦ σπουδαιότερος ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτοῦ φανῆναι φιλοτιμεῖται, ὡς ἄν μείζονα καί τήν πρός αὐτόν ἀγάπην καί θερμοτέραν ἐπιδείξηται, διηνεκῶς μεμνημένος ὅσων ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐρρύσθη κακῶν· οὕτω μοι καί περί τοῦ ἀπολαύσαντος τῆς ἐπικουρίας Θεοῦ, καθάπερ εἴρηται, ὑπονόει. Καί καθάπερ ὁ βασιλεύς ἐκεῖνος εὐπροθύμως ὁρῶν καί μετά ταπεινώσεως πάσης τά θελήματα αὐτοῦ ἐκπληροῦντα τόν δοῦλον ἐκεῖνον, εἰ καί μηδέν δεῖται τῆς ὑπηρεσίας αὐτοῦ, πλήθη ἀναρίθμητα οἰκετῶν ἔχων, ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως διά τήν εὐγνωμοσύνην αὐτοῦ ἀμέτρητον ἐπιδείξεται εἰς αὐτόν τήν ἀγάπην, οὕτω καί ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὑπολάμβανε. Οὔτε γάρ ὁ τῆς ἐλευθερίας τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀπό Θεοῦ ἀπολαύσας ἐνδώσει ποτέ τοῦ μή ἔτι (183) καί ἔτι ποιεῖν τό θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μετά θερμοτέρας τῆς προθυμίας, οὔτε ὁ αἰώνιος βασιλεύς καί Θεός ὑστερήσει αὐτόν τά ἀγαθά τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τοῦ μή ἐπιδαψιλεύσασθαι ταῦτα ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ, καί τοσοῦτον ὅσῳ καί τήν πρός αὐτόν θεραπείαν ἐπιτείνοντα καθ᾿ ἑκάστην βλέπει αὐτόν. Τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν δέ καί τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὧν ποιεῖ εἰς τούς δούλους αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἔστι μέτρον ἤ κατάληψις αὐτῶν παρ᾿ ἡμῶν· καί τά μέν δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς, τά δέ δώσει.

Ἀλλά γάρ ἐξ ὧν δίδωσιν ἐνταῦθα τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν ὁ φιλοικτίρμων Θεός, ὀλίγα τινά χρή πρός τήν ἡμετέραν ἀγάπην εἰπεῖν, τά μέν ἐκ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, τά δέ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας καταλαβόντα. Ἐπειδήπερ διά τρία ταῦτα πᾶσαν σπουδήν καί μέριμναν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπιδείκνυνται, φημί δή διά πλοῦτον, διά τιμήν, διά δόξαν καί τήν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ἐλευθερίαν τε καί χαράν καί ἀπόλαυσιν, ἐν πρώτοις ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν καί Θεός ταῦτα τοῖς πάντα ῥίψασι καί τόν σταυρόν ἄρασι καί κατά πόδας αὐτοῦ ἀνεπιστρόφως βαδίζουσι πλουσίως χαρίζεται· ἀντί φθαρτοῦ γάρ πλούτου αὐτός αὐτοῖς ὅλον ἑαυτόν δίδωσιν. Οἶδας τήν τοῦ ῥήματος δύναμιν; Ἤκουσας θαῦμα φρικτόν; Καθάπερ γάρ οἱ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πλούσιοι τόν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν