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man does not have leisure for repentance. Therefore, he teaches them that they do not wisely suppose this, through the words "depart from him, that he may be at rest." For he is not able with so many 368 calamities to have leisure nor to be content with his life. -- that he may give it as a wage to a worker. Moreover, he hints: if he was suffering because of sins, the rebukes were sufficient, so that from this there might be rest and that he might henceforth work as a hireling. But these things are said again as if to them, it being clear that God gives forbearance for repentance, as Paul says: "Or do you despise his forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" But that "to be at rest" is said instead of "to cease from evil and to take up virtue" is clear from "you have sinned, be at rest" and from "the earth feared and was at rest, when God arose to judgment." For men, having conceived the idea that God is a judge, rested from sinning. For there is hope for a tree; for if it is cut down, it will still blossom, and its shoot will not fail. Through many things he demonstrates that he did not endure his troubles because of wickedness, the argument thus becoming clear: for let this be supposed hypothetically: the punishments have been sufficient 369 so that there is time to depart. For the things of repentance are not despaired of, nor does God punish immoderately as if the will were unchangeable. For the capacity is inherent in souls, even if a great outpouring of sins occurs; therefore repentance can occur. He calls man a tree, as also in many places of the scriptures, as it has been said: "Already the ax is laid at the root of the trees; every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And again: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten." Having cited this once, we will not leave it unexamined. For the Savior does not command someone to become a rotten tree or to bear rotten fruit, but that the state of each one should be made manifest through his actions and not to prefer the hypocrisy of this. But it is also possible to understand this in another way; the Jews said concerning the Savior: "By Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, he casts out demons." Therefore the Savior himself says to them: "Either make 370 the tree good" and what follows. For if casting out demons is good, good is the one who does this, but if the one who does it is evil, evil also is what has been done. For if its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the rock, from the scent of water it will blossom, and it will produce a harvest#6 like a new plant. With the tree being transferred to man, it will be clear that the soul endures weakness, which is indicated by "if its root grows old in the earth." It again has an expectation of repentance, even if its stump, that is, of man, should die in the rock. For even if a sin should dash against the soul so as to cause its death and drag it down from the height of virtue, which the stump signifies, yet it does not cut off the capacity for virtue, which the Lord indicated when he said: "The kingdom of God is within you," signifying the inherent power, which the present reading also teaches. "From the scent of water" is "from the divine word, which is fragrant." "For your name is ointment 371 poured out." It takes a drink and will become young again through repentance, so as to produce a harvest just like those who from the beginning hear the word without stumbling, so that one might say concerning them: "They shall surely come with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them." And it is clear from its saying that the tree produces a harvest, that it is not speaking of the perceptible; for one would not say that trees are harvested, but rather that they are gathered, so that the aforementioned verses are spoken concerning the labors of a neglected soul that shines forth again from repentance through the saving word. -- of that word, which the Lord, calling it water, said: "He who believes in me, rivers from his

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οὐκ ἔχει σχολὴν εἰς μετάνοιαν ὁ ἄνθρωπος. παιδεύει οὖν αὐτούς, ὅτι οὐ συνετῶς τοῦτο ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, διὰ τοῦ "ἀπόστα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἡσυχάσῃ". οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται μετὰ τοσούτων 368 περιστάσεων σχολὴν ἄγειν οὐδὲ εὐδοκῆσαι τὸν βίον. -- ἵν' ὡς μισθὸν ἐργάτῃ ἀποδῷ. ἄλλως τε αἰνίττεται· εἰ δι' ἁμαρτίας ἔπασχεν, ἀρκούντως εἶχον αἱ ἐπιτιμήσεις, ἵν' ἐκ τούτου ἡσυχία γένηται καὶ ὡς μισθωτὸς λοιπὸν ἐργάσηται. ταῦτα δὲ ὡς πρὸς αὐτοὺς πάλιν εἴρηται δήλου τυγχάνοντος, ὅτι ἀνοχὴν δίδωσι θεὸς εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὡς τὸν Παῦλον λέγειν· "ἢ τῆς ἀνοχῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει;" ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἡσυχάσαι ἀντὶ τοῦ παύσασθαι κακίας καὶ ἀρετὴν ἀναλαβεῖν λέγεται, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ "ἥμαρτες, ἡσύχασον" καὶ ἐκ τοῦ "γῆ ἐφοβήθη καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἐν τῷ ἀναστῆναι εἰς κρίσιν τὸν θεόν". οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι ἔννοιαν λαβόντες, ὅτι κριτής ἐστιν ὁ θεός, ἡσύχασαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν. ἔστιν γὰρ δένδρῳ ἐλπίς· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐκκοπῇ, ἔτι ἐπανθήσει καὶ ὁ ῥόδαμνος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ. διὰ πολλῶν ἀποδείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ διὰ φαυλότητα ὑπέμεινεν τὰ ἀνιαρά, οὕτω σαφοῦς τοῦ λόγου γινομένου· καθ' ὑπόθεσιν γὰρ τοῦτο οὕτως ἐχέτω· ἀρκούντως αἱ κολάσεις γεγένην369 ται ὡς καιρὸν ἔχειν τοῦ ἀποστῆναι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπέγνωσται τὰ τῆς μετανοίας οὐδὲ θεὸς ὡς ἀμεταβλήτου τῆς προαιρέσεως οὔσης ἀμέτρως κολάζει. ἔνκειται γὰρ ἡ ἐπιτηδειότης ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς, κἂν πολλὴ χύσις ἁμαρ τημάτων γένηται· δύναται οὖν γενέσθαι μετάνοια. δένδρον δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον καλεῖ ὡς καὶ πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν, καθὸ εἴρηται· "ἤδη ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται." καὶ πάλιν· "ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον καλὸν καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ καλούς, ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον σαπρὸν καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ σαπρούς." τοῦτο δὲ ἅπαξ παραθέμενοι οὐκ ἀβασάνιστον αὐτὸ ἐάσομεν. οὐ γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ προστάττει σαπρόν τινι γενέσθαι δένδρον ἢ σαπρὸν καρπὸν ἐνεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἕξιν φανερὰν διὰ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν εἶναι καὶ μὴ προκρίνειν τούτου τὴν ὑπόκρισιν. ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως νοῆσαι τοῦτο· οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἔλεγον περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· "ἐν Βεεζεβοὺλ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια." διόπερ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν αὐτοῖς· "ἢ ποιήσατε 370 τὸ δένδρον καλὸν" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐκβάλλειν δαίμονας ἀγαθόν, ἀγαθὸς ὁ τοῦτο ἐνεργῶν, εἰ δὲ φαῦλος ὁ ἐνεργῶν, φαῦλον καὶ τὸ γεγενημένον. ἐὰν γὰρ γηράσῃ ἐν γῇ ἡ ῥίζα αὐτοῦ, ἐν δὲ πέτρᾳ τελευτήσῃ τὸ στέλεχος αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ ὀσμῆς ὕδατος ἀνθήσει, ποιήσει δὲ θερι#6σμὸν ὥσπερ νεόφυτον. τοῦ δένδρου εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον μεταφερομένου δῆλον ἔσται, ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ ἀσθένειαν ὑπομένει, ἥτις διὰ τοῦ "ἐὰν γηρά σῃ ἐν γῇ ἡ ῥίζα αὐτοῦ" δηλοῦται. ἔχει πάλιν προσδοκίαν μετανοίας, κἂν ἐν πέτρᾳ στέλεχος αὐτοῦ, δηλονότι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τελευτήσῃ. κἂν γὰρ προσαράξῃ τῇ ψυχῇ ἁμάρτημα ὥστε θάνατον αὐτῇ ποιῆσαι καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτὴν κατασπάσαι, ὅπερ τὸ στέλεχος δηλοῖ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκκόπτει τὴν εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα, ὅπερ δηλῶν ὁ κύριος ἔλεγεν· "ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν," σημαίνων τὴν ἐνκειμένην δύναμιν, ἥντινα καὶ τὸ παρὸν ἀνάγνωσμα διδάσκει. "ἀπὸ ὀσμῆς ὕδατός" ἐστιν «ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ θείου εὐωδοῦς ὄντος». "μύρον γὰρ 371 ἐκκενωθὲν ὄνομά σου." ἀναλαμβάνει ποτὸν καὶ νεάσει διὰ μετανοία̣ς̣, ὥστε καὶ θερισμὸν π̣οιῆσαι καθὰ τοὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦ λόγου ἀδιαπτώτως ἀκούοντας ὥστε εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν· "ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν." δῆλον δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θ̣ερισμὸν εἰπ̣ε̣ι῀̣ν ποιεῖν τὸ δένδρον, ὅτι οὐ περὶ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ λέγε̣ται· οὐ γὰρ θερίζεσθαι τὰ δένδρα εἴποι τις ἄν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τρυγᾶσθαι, ὥστε περὶ π̣όνω̣ν ψυχῆς ἠμελημένης καὶ ἐκ μετανοίας διὰ τὸν σωτήριον λόγον ἀναλαμπούσης οἱ προτεθέντες εἴρηνται στίχοι. -- λόγου ἐκείνου, ὃν ὁ κύριος ὕδωρ καλῶν ἔλεγεν· "ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς