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clearly being veiled from the desires of the flesh; but 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 the perfect grace according to that which says: “I will dwell in them and walk among them,” not then; for this belongs to those of firm faith and who demonstrate this by their works. For after we have been baptized, by inclining towards evil and shameful deeds, we cast away completely the sanctification itself, but through repentance and confession and tears, in proportion, we first receive remission for our 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” signifies to us an indefinite labor.

47. The grace of the all-holy Spirit is given as a pledge to the souls betrothed to Christ; and just as without a pledge a woman does not have securely the assurance that union with her husband will ever certainly come to be, so also a soul never receives certain assurance of being with her Lord and God for ever, or of being mystically and ineffably united to Him, and of enjoying His unapproachable beauty, unless it receives the pledge of His grace and possesses it consciously within itself.

48. In the same way that written contracts, if they do not receive the signatures of trustworthy witnesses, the pledge is not secure, so neither before the working of the commandments and the acquisition of the virtues does the illumination of grace become secure. For what the witnesses are in contracts, that, with respect to the spiritual pledge, the working of the commandments and the virtues have become; for through these each of those who are to be saved receives the perfect possession of the pledge.

49. First the contracts, as it were, 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, the soul, that is, the pledge of the Spirit.

50. Just as the bride before the wedding receives only the pledge from the bridegroom, but the agreed-upon dowry and the gifts promised in it she expects to receive after the wedding, so also 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 she expects to receive after the departure from here, being fully assured by the pledge that what has been agreed upon for her will be unfailing.

51. Just as when the bridegroom is delayed on a journey, or is occupied with some other matters and for the time being postpones holding the wedding, if the bride, becoming angry, should despise his love and the betrothal contract should either erase or tear it up, she immediately falls away from her hopes regarding the bridegroom, so also it is in the nature of things to happen with the soul. For whenever one of those who are struggling says: “How long must I suffer hardship?” and makes light of the ascetic labors and through neglect of the commandments and abandonment of continual repentance, as it were

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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 τήν ἐνθένδε ἀποδημίαν λαβεῖν ἀπεκδέχεται, πληροφορουμένη διά τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος ὡς ἀδιάψευστα τά συμπεφωνημένα αὐτῇ ἔσονται.

να'. Καθάπερ βραδύνοντος τοῦ νυμφίου ἐν ἀποδημίᾳ, ἤ ἀπασχολουμένου ἐν ἑτέραις τισίν ὑποθέσεσι καί τόν γάμον τέως ὑπερτιθεμένου ποιῆσαι, ἐάν ὀργισθεῖσα ἡ νύμφη τῆς ἐκείνου ἀγάπης καταφρονήσῃ καί τόν ἀρραβωνικόν χάρτην ἤ ἀπαλείψῃ ἤ διαρρήξῃ, ἐκπίπτει τῶν πρός τόν νυμφίον ἐλπίδων εὐθύς, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῆς ψυχῆς πέφυκε γίνεσθαι. Ἐπάν γάρ εἴπῃ τις τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων˙ «Ἕως πότε κακοπαθεῖν ὀφείλω;» καί τῶν ἀσκητικῶν πόνων κατολιγωρήσῃ καί διά τῆς ἀμελείας τῶν ἐντολῶν καί ἐγκαταλείψεως τῆς διηνεκοῦς μετανοίας οἱονεί