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as not only to collect the sacred food, and to have the life-giving bread, but also seed for the sower. For those who initiate the people, sow in their hearts the seed which they have stored up for themselves. For according to Paul, we are God's field, God's fellow workers of him who says concerning himself: The sower went out to sow his seed. But to those from the nations who approach the saving word, he says: For you shall go out with joy, that is, from the error handed down by your fathers, according to, Go out from your land. And in gladness you will be taught the saving Gospel. Therefore he foretold: I will make your ways prosperous, and my commandments. For it is difficult to depart from carnal pleasures, and from preconceived error. And there is need of God to guide us on the upward journey and make us light. "For 'The high mountains,' he says, 'are for the deer.'" And elsewhere he says: "The way of the pious became straight, and the way of the pious was prepared." And another prophet says: "The ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous will walk in them;" which is a gift of God; he does not say the contrary things concerning the Synagogue of the Jews. "Therefore behold, I will hedge up her ways, and she shall not find them." And rejoicing follows those who are prospering in virtues and the knowledge of God. "For how sweet," he says, "are your words to my throat, more than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth." In which the divine powers rejoice, being indicated by mountains and hills. For the Savior also says that there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. For they are ministering spirits sent forth for the service of salvation. And the difference between them is according to the higher and the lesser. But the trees of the field clapping with their branches, would be the fruitful souls rejoicing at the conversion of the lawless. Some say mountains are the teachers of the Church who have nothing lowly; and hills, those after them. For the salvation of those who approach is their joy, as Paul also says: "My joy and crown." And trees of the field, the peoples under their hand. For the garden of the Savior is flourishing. Therefore the Bride also says: "Let my beloved come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice trees." And these too rejoice, seeing so great a change in themselves. For formerly they had nothing fruitful or nourishing; but as in a desert and a wilderness they bore a heap of useless matter and the most foul-smelling fleabane. But now when they have partaken of the divine grace, they have borne fruit, the most fragrant and highest myrtle, and again the fragrant cypress. But Symmachus says, instead of the thornbush shall come up the fir tree. And instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle, as if he said 2561: Instead of evil, righteousness, temperance instead of licentiousness, and courage instead of rashness, and prudence instead of foolishness. And you would find this also among those of the blood of Israel. For though once thornbush and fleabane, Matthew and Paul, the one a tax collector, the other a persecutor, spread the fragrance of Christ in every place, both among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. And he promises another wonderful thing to the nations that have turned to the Lord. For, he says, the Lord will be to them a name and an everlasting sign. For everywhere one can see those called Christians from Christ. And they inscribe the name as a sign of salvation, which will never fail. For the gifts of God are irrevocable. Some have said that the sign is the cross through which we are saved; and others have interpreted the whole passage thus: God having promised to save them if they repent, and to subject their enemies to them, and the prophet having stirred them to faith (for they would inherit salvation), as the hearers were moved to desire, and said they wanted to be saved, the prophet exhorts them in their thoughts as those who are thirsty. Some, they say, were for this reason brought to a lack of good things, that they might one day hasten to them with longing. As therefore those who thirst approach the springs, so also you to God, having received instead of any silver an awareness of your sins. For the things from God are not for sale, nor is there need for a libation of wine, on the one hand, or for a sacrifice of fat, on the other, which

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τικὴν, ὡς μὴ μόνον τὴν ἱερὰν συλλέξαι τροφὴν, καὶ τὸν ἄρτον ἔχειν τὸν ζωοποιὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπέρμα τῷ σπείροντι. Οἱ γὰρ μυσταγωγοῦντες λαοὺς, σπείρουσιν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, ὃν ἑαυτοῖς ἐθησαύρισαν σπόρον. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν Παῦλον, Θεοῦ γεώργιόν ἐσμεν, Θεοῦ συνεργοὶ τοῦ λέγοντος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ· Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῷ σωτηρίῳ προσιόντας λόγῳ φησίν· Ἐν γὰρ εὐφροσύνῃ ἐξελεύσεσθε, δηλαδὴ τῆς πατροπαραδότου πλάνης, κατὰ τὸ, Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου. Καὶ ἐν χαρᾷ διδαχθήσεσθε τὸ σωτήριον Εὐαγγέλιον. ∆ιὸ προέφη· Εὐοδώσω τὰς ὁδούς σου, καὶ τὰ ἐντάλματά μου. ∆υσχερὲς γὰρ ἀποφοιτᾷν ἡδονῶν σαρκικῶν, καὶ πλάνης προειλημμένης. Καὶ δεῖ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἄνω πορείαν ὁδηγοῦντος ἡμᾶς καὶ κούφους ἐργαζομένου. "Ὄρη γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὑψηλὰ ταῖς ἐλάφοις." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δέ φησιν· "Ὁδὸς εὐσεβῶν εὐθεῖα ἐγένετο, καὶ παρεσκευασμένη ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν εὐσεβῶν" Καὶ ἄλλος δὲ προφήτης φησίν· "Εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοὶ Κυρίου, καὶ δίκαιοι πορεύσονται ἐν αὐταῖς·" ὅπερ ἐστὶν θεόδοτον· οὐ τἀναντία φησὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων Συναγωγῆς. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φράσσω τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ." Ἀκολουθεῖ δὲ τὸ χαίρειν τοῖς εὐοδουμένοις ἐν ἀρεταῖς καὶ γνώσει Θεοῦ. "Ὡς γλυκέα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, Ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον τῷ στόματί μου." Ἐφ' οἷς αἱ θεῖαι δυνάμεις εὐφραίνονται δηλούμεναι δι' ὀρῶν καὶ βουνῶν. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ γάρ φησι, χαρὰν ἔσεσθαι ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. Πνεύματα γάρ εἰσι λειτουργικὰ πρὸς διακονίαν σωτηρίας πεμπόμενα. Ἡ δὲ τούτων διαφορὰ κατὰ τὸ ὑψηλότερόν τε καὶ ἔλαττον. Ξύλα δὲ ἀγροῦ ἐπικροτοῦντα κλάδοις, εἶεν ἂν αἱ καρποφόροι ψυχαὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπιστροφῇ τῶν ἀνόμων ἡδόμεναι. Τινὲς δὲ ὄρη μὲν τοὺς διδασκάλους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοὺς οὐδὲν χαμαίζηλον ἔχοντας· βουνοὺς δὲ, τοὺς μετ' αὐτούς. Χαρὰ γὰρ τούτων ἡ σωτηρία τῶν προσιόντων, ὡς καὶ Παῦλον λέγειν· "Χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου." Ξύλα δὲ ἀγροῦ τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα λαούς. Εὐανθὴς γὰρ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὁ κῆπος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ Νύμφη φησί· "Καταβήτω ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου εἰς κῆπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ φαγέτω καρπὸν ἀκροδρύων αὐτοῦ." Χαίρουσι δὲ καὶ οὗτοι τοσαύτην ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ὁρῶντες μεταβολήν. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ γόνιμον, ἢ τρόφιμον εἶχον οὐδέν· ὡς ἐν ἐρήμῳ δὲ καὶ χέρσῳ στοίβην ὕλης ἀχρήστου καὶ κόνυζαν τὴν δυσωδεστάτην ἔφερον. Νῦν δὲ ὅτε τῆς θείας μετέσχον χάριτος, μυρσίνην εὐωδεστάτην καὶ τὴν ὑψηλοτάτην, καὶ πάλιν εὐώδη κυπάρισσον ἐκαρποφόρουν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχός φησιν, ἀντὶ στοίβης ἀναβήσεται βράθυ. Ἀντὶ δὲ κνιδὸς ἀναβήσεται μυρσίνη, ὡς εἰ ἔλε 2561 γεν· Ἀντὶ κακίας δικαιοσύνην, σωφροσύνην ἀντ' ἀσελγείας, καὶ ἀντὶ θράσους ἀνδρείαν, φρόνησίν τε ἀντ' ἀφροσύνης. Εὕροις δ' ἂν τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐξ αἵματος Ἰσραήλ. Στοίβη γὰρ ὄντες καὶ κόνυζά ποτε Ματθαῖος καὶ Παῦλος, ὁ μὲν τελώνης, ὁ δὲ διώκτης, Χριστὸν εὐωδιάζουσιν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἔν τε τοῖς σωζομένοις καὶ τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις. Καὶ ἄλλο δέ τι θαυμάσιον ἐπαγγέλλεται τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐπιστρέψασιν ἔθνεσιν. Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος αὐτοῖς εἰς ὄνομα καὶ εἰς σημεῖον αἰώνιον. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ καλουμένους Χριστιανούς. Καὶ σημεῖον σωτηρίας ἐπιγράφονται τοὔνομα, ὅπερ οὐκ ἐκλείψει ποτέ. Ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τινὲς δὲ σημεῖον, τὸν δι' οὗ σεσώσμεθα σταυρὸν εἰρήκασι· τὴν δὲ πᾶσαν ῥῆσιν οὕτως ἑρμήνευσαν ἕτεροι· Θεοῦ σώσειν αὐτοὺς ἐπαγγειλαμένου μετανοοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑποτάξειν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοῦ προφήτου πρὸς πίστιν αὐτοὺς διεγείραντος (κληρονομήσειν γὰρ αὐτοὺς σωτηρίαν) τῶν ἀκουόντων κινηθέντων πρὸς πόθον, ἐθέλειν τε σωθῆναι λεγόντων, πρὸς τὰς ἐννοίας αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης ὡς διψῶντας προτρέπεται. Τινὲς δὲ, φασὶν, διὰ τοῦτο εἰς ἔνδειαν ἤχθησαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἵνα πόθῳ πρὸς αὐτά ποτε σπεύσωσι. Ὡς οὖν οἱ διψῶντες προσίασι ταῖς πηγαῖς, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς τῷ Θεῷ, ἀντὶ παντὸς ἀργυρίου συναίσθησιν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων λαβόντες. Οὐκ ὠνητὰ γὰρ τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲ χρεία πρὸς μὲν σπονδὴν οἴνου, πρὸς δὲ θυσίαν στέατος, ἅπερ