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of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, so you will understand me also concerning those who have the Holy Spirit in themselves: they wear a body but are not in the flesh; "For you," he says, "are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you"; they are dead to the world and the world to them; "For to me," he says, "the world has been crucified, and I to the world."

44. He who knows these signs and wonders being worked in him is truly a God-bearer and a sign-bearer, having God, that is, the all-holy Spirit itself dwelling within, speaking and working in him the things spoken by Paul. But he who has not yet known these things in himself, let him not be deceived, he is still flesh and blood, covered, that is, by the darkness of the desires of the flesh; and flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God, which is the Holy Spirit.

45. From holy baptism we receive the remission of sins and are freed from the former curse and are sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit, but not then the perfect grace according to: "I will dwell in them and walk among them"; for this belongs to those who are steadfast in faith and demonstrate it by their works. For after we are baptized, by turning to wicked and shameful deeds we cast away completely this very sanctification, but through repentance and confession and tears, in proportion, we first receive the remission of sins and thus sanctification with grace from above.

46. From repentance comes the washing away of the stain (435) of shameful deeds, and after this, participation in the Holy Spirit; not simply, but according to the faith and disposition and humility of those who repent with their whole soul; and not only this, but also after receiving perfect remission of sins from one's father and sponsor. For this reason it is good to repent daily according to the commanding precept; for "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" implies to us an indefinite labor.

47. The grace of the all-holy Spirit is given as a pledge to souls betrothed to Christ; and just as without a pledge a woman does not have security that the union with her husband will ever surely come to be, so too a soul never receives sure confidence that it will be with its master and God for ages, or be mystically and ineffably united to him, and enjoy his unapproachable beauty, unless it receives the pledge of his grace and possesses it knowingly in itself.

48. In the way that written contracts, if they do not receive the signatures of trustworthy witnesses, the pledge is not secure, so too before the working of the commandments and the acquisition of the virtues, the illumination of grace is not secure. For what the witnesses are in agreements, the working of the commandments and the virtues are for the spiritual pledge; for through these each of those who are to be saved receives perfect possession of the pledge.

49. First, as it were, the agreements are written through the working of the commandments, then they are sealed and signed by the virtues; and at that time the bridegroom Christ gives the (436) ring to the bride soul, that is, the pledge of the Spirit.

50. Just as the bride before the wedding receives only the pledge from the bridegroom, but awaits to receive the agreed-upon dowry and the gifts promised in it after the wedding, so too the bride, the church of the faithful, and the soul of each one of us, first receives from the bridegroom Christ only the pledge of the Spirit, but the eternal good things and the kingdom of heaven after

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Πνεύματος, μωρία γάρ αὐτοῖς εἰσιν, οὕτω μοι νοήσεις καί περί τῶν Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἐχόντων ἐν ἑαυτοῖς˙ σῶμα φοροῦσιν ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ εἰσίν ἐν σαρκί˙ «Ὑμεῖς γάρ», φησίν, «οὐκ ἐστέ ἐν σαρκί ἀλλ᾿ ἐν πνεύματι, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν»˙ νεκροί εἰσι τῷ κόσμῳ καί ὁ κόσμος αὐτοῖς˙ «Ἐμοί γάρ», φησί, «κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγώ τῷ κόσμῳ».

μδ'. Ὁ ταῦτα εἰδώς ἐνεργούμενα ἐν αὐτῷ τά σημεῖα καί θαύματα ὄντως θεοφόρος καί σημειοφόρος ἐστί, τόν Θεόν ἔχων, ἤγουν αὐτό τό πανάγιον Πνεῦμα ἔνοικον, λαλοῦν καί ἐνεργοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ τά εἰρημένα ὑπό τοῦ Παύλου. Ὁ δέ μήπω ταῦτα ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐγνωκώς, μή ἀπατάσθω, σάρξ ἐστιν ἔτι καί αἷμα, ὑπό τόν ζόφον δηλονότι τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῆς σαρκός καλυπτόμενος˙ σάρξ δέ καί αἷμα βασιλείαν Θεοῦ, ἥτις ἐστί τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον, οὐ κληρονομεῖ.

με'. Ἀπό μέν τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τήν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων λαμβάνομεν ἄφεσιν καί τῆς πρώην κατάρας ἐλευθερούμεθα καί τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἁγιαζόμεθα, τήν δέ τελείαν χάριν κατά τό˙ «Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω», οὐ τότε˙ τοῦτο γάρ τῶν βεβαιοπίστων καί ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ταύτην ἐπιδεικνύντων ἐστί. Μετά γάρ τό βαπτισθῆναι ἡμᾶς πρός πονηράς καί αἰσχράς πράξεις ἐκκλίνοντες καί αὐτόν τόν ἁγιασμόν εἰς ἅπαν ἀποβαλλόμεθα, μετανοίᾳ δέ καί ἐξομολογήσει καί δάκρυσι κατά ἀναλογίαν τήν ἄφεσιν πρότερον τῶν ἡμαρτημένων λαμβάνομεν καί οὕτω τόν ἁγιασμόν μετά τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος.

μστ'. Ἀπό μέν τῆς μετανοίας ἔκπλυσις τοῦ μολυσμοῦ (435) τῶν αἰσχρῶν γίνεται πράξεων, μετά δέ ταύτην, μετοχή Πνεύματος Ἁγίου˙ οὐχ ἁπλῶς δέ, ἀλλά κατά τήν πίστιν καί τήν διάθεσιν καί τήν ταπείνωσιν τῶν ἐξ ὅλης μετανοούντων ψυχῆς˙ οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί μετά τό τελείαν τήν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων παρά τοῦ πατρός καί ἀναδόχου λαβεῖν. ∆ιά τοῦτο καλόν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην μετανοεῖν κατά τήν κελεύουσαν ἐντολήν˙ τό γάρ «μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικε γάρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν» ἀόριστον ἡμῖν ὑπεμφαίνει τήν ἐργασίαν.

μζ'. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος ταῖς τῷ Χριστῷ νυμφευομέναις ψυχαῖς ὡς ἀρραβών δίδοται˙ καί καθάπερ ἀρραβῶνος χωρίς οὐκ ἔχει ἀσφαλῶς ἡ γυνή τήν μετά τοῦ ἀνδρός συνάφειαν μέλλειν ποτέ βεβαίως γενήσεσθαι, οὕτως οὐδέ ψυχή βεβαίαν λαμβάνει πληροφορίαν ποτέ τοῦ μετά τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτῆς καί Θεοῦ εἰς αἰῶνας συνέσεσθαι, ἤ μυστικῶς καί ἀνεκφράστως αὐτῷ συνάπτεσθαι, καί τοῦ ἀπροσίτου κάλλους ἐπαπολαύειν αὐτοῦ, εἰ μή τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ τόν ἀρραβῶνα λάβῃ καί γνωστῶς αὐτόν ἐν ἑαυτῇ κτήσηται.

μη'. Ὅν τρόπον οἱ γραφόμενοι συμβολικοί χάρται εἰ μή ὑπογραφάς ἀξιοπίστων μαρτύρων δέξωνται, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀρραβών βέβαιος, οὕτως οὐδέ πρό τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν κτήσεως ἀσφαλής ἡ τῆς χάριτος ἔλλαμψις γίνεται. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐν τοῖς συμφώνοις οἱ μάρτυρες, τοῦτο ἐπί τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἀρραβῶνος ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργασία καί αἱ ἀρεταί καθεστήκασι˙ τελείαν γάρ διά τούτων λαμβάνει τήν τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος κατάσχεσιν ἕκαστος τῶν μελλόντων σωθήσεσθαι.

μθ'. Πρῶτον οἱονεί τά σύμφωνα γράφονται διά τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, εἶτα ὑπό τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπισφραγίζονται καί ὑπογράφονται˙ καί τηνικαῦτα ἐπιδίδωσι τόν (436) δακτύλιον ὁ νυμφίος Χριστός τῇ νύμφῃ ψυχῇ, ἤγουν τόν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος.

ν'. Ὥσπερ ἡ νύμφη πρό τοῦ γάμου τόν ἀρραβῶνα μόνον παρά τοῦ νυμφίου λαμβάνει, τήν δέ συμφωνηθεῖσαν προῖκα καί τάς ἐν αὐτῇ ὑποσχεθείσας δωρεάς μετά τόν γάμον λαβεῖν ἀπεκδέχεται, οὕτω δή καί ἡ νύμφη τῶν πιστῶν ἐκκλησία καί ἡ ψυχή ἑνός ἑκάστου ἡμῶν πρῶτον ὑπό τοῦ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ τόν ἀρραβῶνα μόνον λαμβάνει τοῦ Πνεύματος, τά δέ αἰώνια ἀγαθά καί τήν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν μετά