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and he wrought iniquity, and not righteousness, but a cry;" Therefore it has become a dwelling place for wild asses, and pastures for shepherds, or for herds according to Aquila. Which things came to pass. For idolaters from different nations have become its inhabitants. Therefore, he says, you must continue in lamentation for so long, until a spirit from on high comes upon you. Or according to Symmachus, refreshment from on high. There are, therefore, different kinds of spirits. But nothing can restore you, and give you rest from lamentation, except that which is sent down from on high, which the Savior promised to send to the disciples. This he also now promises, if they weep in repentance. "For blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted; and those who weep, for they shall laugh." But some say that he clearly presents the time of the desolation of the unbelieving people, when those who have believed will receive the divine Spirit, when it descended from on high and was likened to tongues of fire being distributed. For then, 2285 he says, Carmel will be a wilderness. For he also said before: that Lebanon shall be turned, like Mount Carmel. And Carmel shall be reckoned as a forest. And Carmel, which is also called Karmelos, a mountain in Samaria, being interpreted, knowledge of circumcision, signified those of the circumcision. But Lebanon, the nations, which were of Phoenicia. For they were destined to become unfruitful, and fuel for fire, being mountainous and uncultivated in soul (for such are forests); but the nations, designated as Lebanon and the wilderness, were to turn to their piety, becoming the Lord's portion instead of the formerly pious people, and the lot of his inheritance, although they were previously a forest and a wilderness, for which, as one deemed worthy of great goods, he henceforth promises the things that come after, calling it Carmel, to which he said Lebanon would be transferred. But some understand Carmel as the people of the circumcision, and they ask how it will be reckoned as a forest, in it again ..... and they say this is because of the remnant that is said to be saved and gathered with the ...... In the wilderness, therefore, he says that righteousness will rest. For above, right away, by the transfer concerning Carmel and Lebanon, indicating the calling of the nations, he said that the deaf would hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind would see; so also now he says there will be works of righteousness, of which the chief is the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, which is our peace, both righteousness and judgment. For we have been justified in him, sin having been condemned by a just and right judgment. Who also according to Paul, preached peace to those who are far off, and peace to those who are near, clearly to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Therefore, having destroyed the enmity toward God, we are in cities of rest, and having the ecclesiastical wealth of virtues for delight forever, concerning which the Apostle says: "I thank my God through Jesus Christ, that in every way you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge." And elsewhere the prophet says: "Let the thirsty wilderness be glad. Let the wilderness rejoice and blossom as a lily;" calling the Church of the nations a wilderness, because it was unfruitful and stripped of every plant that had grown up. But when Christ dwelt in it, Isaiah says again: "And I will make water in the wilderness, and rivers in the waterless land, I will put in the waterless land the cedar and the box tree, and the myrtle, and the cypress, and the poplar," indicating the different, exalted virtues of those who have believed. But he now says that his people will dwell in a city of peace. For instead of that great and proud one, according to Symmachus, he established a city, the 2288 universal Church from one end to the other. And again he speaks indefinitely of a people, and not Jacob, or Israel, who will dwell in the new city. Then, since in the things above he said that the wrath of God would come upon the impious at the time of judgment, and with anger and wrath and a flame of devouring fire, it will strike violently and like water and hail carried down with force; it is fitting that he now added concerning those who are blessed: But if the hail should come down, it will not come upon you. And he foretells also the things in the forests

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ἐποίησεν δὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν·" ∆ιὸ γέγονεν ὄνων ἀγρίων οἰκητήριος, καὶ βοσκήματα ποιμένων, ἢ ἀγελῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν. Ἅπερ εἰς ἔργον ἐξέβη. Εἰδωλολάτραι γὰρ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν γεγόνασι ταύτης οἰκήτορες. ∆ιὸ δεῖ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς ἐπιμένειν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τῷ θρήνῳ, ἔως ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς πνεῦμα ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ. Ἢ κατὰ Σύμμαχον, ἀνάψυξις ἐξ ὕψους. Πνευμάτων μὲν οὖν ἐστι διάφορα. Πλὴν οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἀνακτήσασθαι δύναται, καὶ ἀναπαῦσαι τοῦ θρήνου, ἢ τὸ ἐξ ὕψους καταπεμπόμενον, ὃ πέμψειν ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπηγγέλλετο. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν, εἰ μετανοοῦσαι κλαύσωσιν, ἐπαγγέλλεται. "Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι παρακληθήσονται· καὶ οἱ κλαίοντες, ὅτι γελάσουσι." Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς ἐναργῆ τὸν χρόνον παρίστησιν τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν ἀπίστων χερσέως, ὅτ' ἂν οἱ πεπιστευκότες θείου τεύξονται Πνεύματος, ἡνίκα καταφοιτῆσαν ἐξ ὕψους γλώσσαις πυρὸς μεριζομέναις εἰκάζετο. Τότε γὰρ 2285 ἔσται, φησὶν, ἔρημος, ὁ Χέρμελ. Καὶ πρόσθεν γὰρ ἔλεγεν· ὅτι μετατεθήσεται ὁ Λίβανος, ὡς τὸ ὅρος τὸ Χέρμελ. Καὶ Χέρμελ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται. Ἐδήλου δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐκ περιτομῆς ὁ Χέρμελ, ὃς καὶ Κάρμηλος λέγεται, ὄρος ὂν ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ, ἑρμηνευόμενον δὲ, ἐπίγνωσις περιτομῆς. Ὁ δὲ Λίβανος τὰ ἔθνη, τῆς Φοινίκης ὑπῆρχον. Ἔμελλεν γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἄκαρποι γενήσεσθαι, καὶ πυρὸς ὕλη, ὄρειοί τινες καὶ ἀνήροτοι τὴν ψυχὴν (τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ δρυμοί)· μετελθεῖν δὲ τὰ ἔθνη πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν θεοσέβειαν χρηματίζοντα Λίβανός τε καὶ ἔρημος, ἀντὶ τοῦ θεοσεβοῦς πάλαι λαοῦ μερὶς Κυρίου γινόμενα, καὶ σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ, καίτοι πρότερον ὄντα δρυμὸς καὶ ἔρημος, ἤπερ ὡς μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν ἠξιωμένη τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα λοιπὸν ἐπαγγέλλεται, καλῶν αὐτὴν Κάρμηλον, εἰς ὃν ἔλεγεν μετατεθεῖσθαι τὸν Λίβανον. Τινὲς δὲ Κάρμηλον τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς νοοῦσι λαὸν, καὶ ζητοῦσι πῶς εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται, ἐν αὐτῷ πάλιν κατα..... καί φασι τοῦτο διὰ τὸ κατάλειμμα λέγεσθαι τὸ σωθὲν καὶ τοῖς ..... συναγελαζόμενον. Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοίνυν δικαιοσύνην φησὶν ἀναπαύσεσθαι. Καὶ ἄνω γὰρ εὐθὺς τῇ περὶ Χέρμελ καὶ Λιβάνῳ μεταθέσει τὴν κλῆσιν δηλῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἔλεγεν κωφοὺς ἀκούσεσθαι τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βιβλίου, καὶ τυφλῶν ἰδεῖν ὀφθαλμούς· οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἔργα φησὶν ἔσεσθαι δικαιοσύνης, ὧν τὸ κεφάλαιον ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰρήνη ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ κρῖμα. ∆εδικαιώμεθα γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ, δικαίῳ τε καὶ ὀρθῷ κρίματι κατακριθείσης τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ὃς καὶ κατὰ Παῦλον, εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην τοῖς μακρὰν, καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγὺς, Ἰουδαίῳ δηλονότι πρώτῳ καὶ Ἕλληνι. ∆ιὸ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν καταλύσαντες ἔχθραν πόλεσίν ἐσμεν ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ τῆς εἰς αἰῶνα τρυφῆς τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἔχοντες πλοῦτον, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δέ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· "Εὐφράνθη ἔρημος ἡ διψῶσα. Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἔρημος καὶ ἀνθείτω ὡς κρίνον·" ἔρημον καλῶν τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν, διὰ τὸ ἄκαρπον καὶ παντὸς ἐψιλωμένον ὑπερανεστηκότος φυτοῦ. Χριστοῦ δὲ κατοικήσαντος ἐν αὐτῇ, φησὶ πάλιν Ἡσαΐας· "Καὶ ποιήσω ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀνύδρῳ ποταμοὺς, θήσω εἰς τὴν ἄνυδρον, γῆν κέδρον καὶ πύξον, καὶ μυρσίνην, καὶ κυπάρισσον, καὶ λεύκην," τὰς διαφόρους τῶν πιστευσάντων ἐπηρμένας δηλῶν ἀρετάς. Φησὶ δὲ νῦν ὡς οἰκήσει ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν πόλει εἰρήνης. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκείνης καὶ γαυριώσης, κατὰ Σύμμαχον, συνέστησε πόλιν, τὴν 2288 ἀπὸ περάτων ἕως περάτων καθολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Λαὸν δὲ πάλιν ἀορίστως φησὶν, καὶ οὐ τὸν Ἰακὼβ, ἢ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν τῇ καινῇ κατοικήσοντα πόλει. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρὸν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἐπελεύσεσθαι, καὶ μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ πυρὸς φλογὸς ἔλεγε κατεσθιούσης, κεραυνώσει βιαίως καὶ ὡς ὕδωρ καὶ χάλαζα συγκαταφερομένη βία· εἰκότως νῦν περὶ τῶν μακαριζομένων ἐπήνεγκεν· Ἡ δὲ χάλαζα ἐὰν καταβῇ, οὐκ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἥξει. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐν δρυμοῖς