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of your salvation, my 81.1184 power being shown. For having learned how great my name is, and sufficient for the help of those who make it their own, they will glorify and hymn my dominion. For he indicated this by saying: And the nations shall know that I am the Lord God, when I am sanctified in you before their eyes. (κδʹ.) And I will take you from the nations, and I will gather you from all the peoples, and I will bring you into your land. This is fitting for all who returned; for those who wished to return achieved their return; but what follows is no longer for all, but only for those who chose to believe in the evangelical preaching. For he says: κεʹ. And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. -And he called the water of regeneration "clean water," in which, having been baptized, we received the remission of sins. And what is brought forward confirms what has been said. κʹ. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will give you. Through these things he signified the change of mindset; for toward better things, he says, your heart will incline, no longer having the tendency toward worse things according to your former habit; and the "I will give" in no way damages free will; for by using words, and deeds, and countless wonders, he persuaded not only them, but also all the nations to come to piety, he did not compel them; but nevertheless, though not compelling, but persuading, he himself says that he has given to souls the inclination toward better things, as being himself the cause of this, through what he both said and did. And I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. (κζʹ.) And my spirit I will put within you. Nor did these things happen before the coming of the Lord Christ; for having had only three prophets at the same time after the return, Haggai, and Zechariah, and Malachi, immediately after them they were stripped of prophetic grace; but after the incarnation of God our Savior and his ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon the holy apostles, and through them grace was supplied, not only to Jews, but also to all from the nations who came to the faith. And he calls a heart of stone that which is resistant and disobedient, but a heart of flesh that which is obedient and attentive, and able to receive the impressions of the divine scriptures. "And I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." This is characteristic of the grace of the Spirit; for it, by cooperating with our free will, causes the things that have been said to be rightly performed. 81.1185 κηʹ. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. Again he moves the discourse to the general, and from spiritual things transfers it to corporeal things. And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (κθʹ, λʹ.) And I will cleanse you from all your sins, and I will call for the grain, and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the produce of the field, so that you may no more receive the reproach of famine among the nations. I know, therefore, that it is possible to take each of these things spiritually; but nevertheless I think that the prophetic word now promises corporeal things to the Jews. For since a great desolation then possessed the land, he promises them an abundance of all kinds of fruits, and foretells the benefit that will come from it. λαʹ. And you shall remember, he says, your evil ways, and your not-good practices, and you will loathe yourselves in their sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Enjoying these good things, he says, and learning what great fruits righteousness bears, you will remember your former wickedness, and the punishment inflicted on you because of it, and you will greatly hate your former lawlessness. For he has put "You will loathe" instead of "you will abominate." Such is what was said by David concerning the lawless one: "He has stood in every way not

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ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας τῆς ἐμῆς 81.1184 δεικνυμένης δυνάμεως. Μαθόντες γὰρ, πῶς μου μέγα τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ ἀρκοῦν εἰς τὴν τῶν οἰκειουμέ νων ἐπικουρίαν, δοξάσουσί μου τὴν δεσποτείαν καὶ ὑμνήσουσι. Τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς· Καὶ γνώσονται τὰ ἔθνη, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ ἁγιασθῆναί με ἐν ὑμῖν κατ' ὀφθαλ μοὺς αὐτῶν. (κδʹ.) Καὶ λήψομαι ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἀθροίσω ὑμᾶς ἐκ πασῶν τῶν γενεῶν, καὶ εἰσάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν. Τοῦτο πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπανελθοῦσιν ἁρμόττει· οἱ γὰρ ἐπανελθεῖν βου ληθέντες ἔτυχον τῆς ἐπανόδου· τὰ δὲ ἐπαγόμενα οὐκ ἔτι πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνοις τοῖς τῷ εὐαγγελικῷ κηρύ γματι πιστεῦσαι προελομένοις. Φησὶ γάρ· κεʹ. Καὶ ῥανῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς ὕδωρ καθαρὸν, καὶ καθαρισθήσεσθε ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀκαθαρσιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν εἰδώλων ὑμῶν καθα ριῶ ὑμᾶς. -Ὕδωρ δὲ καθαρὸν τὸ τῆς παλιγγε νεσίας ὠνόμασεν ὕδωρ, ἐν ᾧ βαπτισθέντες τὴν ἄφ εσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐλάβομεν. Καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερό μενα δὲ βεβαιοῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. κʹ. Καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν καρδίαν καινὴν, καὶ πνεῦμα καινὸν δώσω ὑμῖν. ∆ιὰ τούτων τὴν τοῦ φρονήματος ἐναλλαγὴν ἐσήμανεν· ἐπὶ γὰρ τὰ ἀμείνω, φησὶ, ῥέψει ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία, οὐκέτι κατὰ τὴν προτέραν συνήθειαν τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ῥοπὴν ἔχουσα· τὸ δὲ δώσω, οὐδαμῶς τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ λυμαίνεται· λό γοις γὰρ, καὶ ἔργοις, καὶ τοῖς μυρίοις χρησάμενος θαύμασιν, οὐκ ἐκείνους μόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ προσελθεῖν ἔπεισεν, οὐκ ἠνάγκα σεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μὴ ἀναγκάσας, ἀλλὰ πείσας, αὐτὸς λέγει δεδωκέναι ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω ῥοπὴν, ὡς αὐτὸς αἴτιος τούτου, δι' ὧν εἶπέ τε καὶ ἔδρασε, γεγονώς. Καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν καρδίαν τὴν λιθίνην ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν καρδίαν σαρκίνην. (κζʹ.) Καὶ τὸ πνεῦμά μου δώσω ἐν ὑμῖν. Οὐδὲ ταῦτα πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐγένετο· τρεῖς γὰρ μόνον μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον κατὰ ταυτὸν ἐσχηκότες προφήτας, Ἀγγαῖον, καὶ Ζαχα ρίαν, καὶ Μαλαχίαν, μετ' αὐτοὺς εὐθὺς τῆς προ φητικῆς ἐγυμνώθησαν χάριτος· μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν, ἐπεφοίτησεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἐχορηγήθη δὲ δι' ἐκείνων ἡ χάρις, οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις μόνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν προσελθοῦσι τῇ πίστει. Λιθίνην δὲ καρδίαν καλεῖ τὴν ἀντίτυπόν τε καὶ ἀπειθῆ, σαρκίνην δὲ τὴν εὐπειθῆ τε καὶ εὐήκοον, καὶ τῶν θείων γραμ μάτων δέξασθαι δυναμένην τοὺς τύπους. "Καὶ ποιήσω, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί μου πορεύησθε, καὶ τὰ κρίματά μου φυλάσσησθε, καὶ ποιῆτε αὐτά." Τοῦτο δὲ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος ἴδιον· αὐτὴ γὰρ συνεργοῦσα τῷ ἡμετέρῳ αὐτεξουσίῳ κατορθοῦ σθαι παρασκευάζει τὰ εἰρημένα. 81.1185 κηʹ. Καὶ κατοικήσετε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἧς ἔδωκα τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν. Πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ κοινὸν μετάγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἐπὶ τὰ σωματικὰ μεταφέρει. Καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς λαὸν, καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι ὑμῖν εἰς Θεόν. (κθʹ, λʹ.) Καὶ καθαριῶ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ καλέσω τὸν σῖτον, καὶ πληθυνῶ αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐ δώσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς λιμόν. Καὶ πληθυνῶ τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ τὰ γεννήματα τοῦ ἀγροῦ, ὅπως ἂν μὴ λάβητε ἔτι ὀνειδισμὸν λιμοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Οἶδα μὲν οὖν, ὅτι καὶ πνευματικῶς τούτων ἕκαστον ἐκλαβεῖν δυνατόν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡγοῦμαι τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον τὰ σωματικὰ νῦν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὑπισχνεῖσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐρημία πολλὴ κατεῖχε τὸ τηνικαῦτα τὴν γῆν, ὑπισχνεῖται αὐτοῖς τῶν παντοδαπῶν καρπῶν τὴν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐσομένην ὠφέλειαν προαγορεύει. λαʹ. Καὶ μνησθήσεσθε, φησὶ, τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν τὰς πονηρὰς, καὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ὑμῶν τὰ μὴ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ προσοχθιεῖτε κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐ τῶν περὶ τῶν ἀνομιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ περὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων ὑμῶν. Τούτων, φησὶν, ἀπολαύοντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ μανθάνοντες, ἡλίκους ἡ δικαιοσύνη φέρει καρποὺς, τῆς προτέρας ἀναμνησθήσεσθε πονη ρίας, καὶ τῆς δι' ἐκείνην ὑμῖν τιμωρίας ἐπενεχθεί σης, καὶ μισήσετε σφόδρα τὴν προτέραν παρα νομίαν. Τὸ γὰρ Προσοχθιεῖτε ἀντὶ τοῦ βδελύξεσθε τέθεικε. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ περὶ τοῦ παρανόμου παρὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰρημένον· "Παρέστη πάσῃ ὁδῷ οὐκ