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being set free, but not being separated, she also cries out with the prophet David, saying: "You have torn off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my glory may sing praise to you." And 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."

Since these things, then, have come to pass 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 rid of evil and shameful desires and freed from the death of the body, which enslaves us under the law of sin, what then will such a person do? Will he use this freedom for rest and carelessness? By no means; for 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 set free from the law of sin so that he should no longer serve sin, but serve righteousness, which is Christ the God, who is and is called the sun of righteousness. And that I may show you by an example what kind of goodwill such a person shows toward God from then on, I will present it from human affairs and things that always happen to us.

For just as some king, being compassionate and loving, seeing his own slave who had been willingly taken captive by some tyrant and subjected to slavery in the clay and the brick-making and the mire, suffering mercilessly and serving the unclean desires of that evil tyrant, he himself arrives, snatches him away and shows him to be free from that shameful and wicked service, and leading this one up, he restores him in the palace, in no way reproaching him for anything. And that slave, having been freed from so many and so great afflictions, through his goodwill toward his master, strives to appear more diligent in his master’s commands than his fellow slaves who were not taken captive, so that he might show a greater and warmer love for him, continually remembering from how many evils he was rescued by him. So, understand me, it is the same concerning the one who has enjoyed the help of God, as has been said. And just as that king, seeing that slave fulfilling his wishes readily and with all humility, even if he has no need of his service, having countless multitudes of servants, nevertheless on account of his gratitude will show immeasurable love to him, so also should you suppose in the things that have been said. For neither will he who has enjoyed the freedom of the Spirit from God ever cease from doing (183) the will of God again and again and with warmer zeal, nor will the eternal king and God deprive him of the good things of eternal life so as not to lavish these upon him, and all the more so as He sees him each day intensifying his service to Him. But of the benefactions and gifts of God, which he works for his servants, there is no measure or comprehension of them by us; and some things he gives them, and others he will give.

But from the things which the merciful God gives here to those who love him, it is necessary to say a few things for your love, some things from the divine Scriptures, and others comprehended from experience itself. Since it is for these three things that people show all diligence and care, I mean for wealth, for honor, for glory and the freedom and joy and enjoyment that come 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 in place of corruptible wealth he gives them his whole self. Do you know the power of this saying? 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