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of years, he has represented the equivalent time of the resurrection from the dead. Therefore the sinner will also be one hundred years old and will be accursed, dying in his prime and as if perfect in evil, in his own sin, and the young man again one hundred years old, he too perfect among the perfect, being received into salvation. And these themselves shall build houses and they themselves shall inhabit them; for by their own works and their own deeds they will provide for themselves “the dwelling places with the Father,” but also “they shall eat the labors of their fruits”; wherefore whatever they have gathered from farming, this they will find and from it they will be nourished, no longer fearing that strangers might seize their labors. wherefore it is said: They shall not build and others inhabit, and they shall not plant and others eat, but they will live for an endless age in immortal well-being. wherefore it is said: For as the days of the tree of life, so are the days of my people, and the tree is said “to be planted in the paradise of God”; therefore the promises are shown not to be outside the paradise of God. And he clearly showed the eternal and immortal life by saying: For as the days of the tree of life, so are the days of my people, and in another way Solomon taught that the wisdom of God is a tree of life, saying: “She is a tree of life to all who lay hold of her, and for those who rely on her as on the Lord, she is safety.” But if the wisdom of God is eternal and “a fountain of eternal life,” the word promises that the days of the people will be such. What else does it proclaim for them than the highest blessedness? And these things, he says, I will do for my people “and I will rejoice in my people”; for as the days of the tree of life, so are the days of my people, through all of which he clearly introduces for himself another people besides the nation of the Jews. But he also says the works of their labors they will wear out; for they themselves will not grow old nor, being about to depart again from life, will they leave their own labors to others, but they themselves will take up the works of their labors unto themselves and will delight in their own fruits. And God promises all these things not to the ordinary people nor to “the called,” “for many are called, but few are chosen.” Wherefore he proclaims beforehand to the elect, saying: My elect shall not labor in vain nor shall they beget children for a curse; for if there will be, at the time of the promises, some labors that are salvific and good and pleasant, such as surely the angelic order also endures, yet their work will not be for nothing; for a “worthy reward” has been stored up for them. and their offspring shall not be for a curse, and let us understand by offspring the reasonings of their souls and the fruits of their mind, which he proclaims will be foreign to a curse, but worthy of a blessing. And their seed is blessed by God; but these things can also be understood in reference to the present life, the word again from the beginning alluding to the apostolic choir through the phrase: My elect shall not labor in vain nor shall they beget children for a curse; for it is possible to perceive with the eyes that the labors of the apostles have not been in vain, from the church established by them throughout the whole world. and by their children we will understand those reborn in Christ “through the washing of regeneration,” how they have not been born for a curse, setting beside it the curse spoken to Adam, and as it was said to the woman: “in pain you shall bring forth children; and your turning shall be to your husband.” But they indeed begot children in this way, giving birth according to the flesh, but the elect of God not so; but also their evangelical seed, which they sowed in all the churches of God, has become blessed for these same ones, that is, for the elect of God, the apostles and disciples and evangelists of our Savior. And he promises something else, saying: And it shall be, before they cry out, I will hear them, still

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ἐτῶν φήσας τὸ ἴσον τοῦ χρόνου τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως παρέστησεν. ἔσται οὖν ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν καὶ ἐπικατάρατος ἔσται, ἀκμαῖος καὶ ὡς ἐν κακίᾳ τέλειος ἀποθνῄσκων τῇ αὑτοῦ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ὅ τε νέος πάλιν ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν καὶ αὐτὸς τέλειος ἐν τελείοις εἰς σωτηρίαν παραλαμβανόμενος. Οὗτοι δὲ αὐτοὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν οἰκίας καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνοικήσουσι· τοῖς γὰρ ἑαυτῶν ἔργοις καὶ ταῖς οἰκείαις πράξεσι ποριοῦνται ἑαυτοῖς «τὰς μονὰς τὰς παρὰ τῷ πατρί», ἀλλὰ καὶ «τοὺς πόνους τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν φάγονται»· διόπερ ὅσα γεωργήσαντες συνήγαγον, ταῦτα εὑρήσουσι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τραφήσονται οὐκέτι ἀγωνιῶντες, μὴ ἀλλότριοι τοὺς πόνους αὐτῶν ἁρπάσωσι. διὸ εἴρηται· οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομήσουσι καὶ ἄλλοι ἐνοικήσουσι, καὶ οὐ μὴ φυτεύσουσι καὶ ἄλλοι φάγονται, ἀλλ' εἰς ἄπειρον αἰῶνα ἐν ἀθανάτῳ εὐζωΐᾳ διάξουσι. διὸ λέλεκται· κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ λαοῦ μου, τὸ ξύλον δὲ εἴρηται «ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ πεφυτεῦσθαι»· δείκνυνται τοιγαροῦν οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνουσαι αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι. καὶ τὴν αἰώνιον δὲ καὶ ἀθάνατον ζωὴν σαφῶς παρέστησεν εἰπών· κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ λαοῦ μου, ξύλον δὲ ζωῆς καὶ ἄλλως Σολομὼν ἐδίδαξεν εἶναι τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰπών· «ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς, καὶ τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ἐπ' αὐτὴν ὡς ἐπὶ κύριον ἀσφαλής». εἰ δ' ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀΐδιός ἐστι καὶ «πηγὴ ζωῆς αἰωνίου», τοιαύτας δ' ἔσεσθαι τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ λόγος ἐπαγγέλλεται. τί ἕτερον ἢ τὴν ἀνωτάτω μακαριότητα αὐτοῖς θεσπίζει; ταῦτα δέ φησι ποιήσω τῷ λαῷ μου «καὶ εὐφρανθήσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ λαῷ μου»· κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ λαοῦ μου, δι' ὧν ἁπάντων σαφῶς ἕτερον λαὸν εἰσάγει ἑαυτῷ παρὰ τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἔργα φησὶ τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν παλαιώσουσιν· οὐ γὰρ αὐτοὶ παλαιωθήσονται οὐδ' ἑτέροις καταλείψουσι μέλλοντες αὖθις μεθίστασθαι τοῦ βίου τοὺς ἑαυτῶν πόνους, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἀναλήψονται καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις καρποῖς ἐντρυφήσουσι. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐπαγγέλλεται ὁ θεὸς οὐ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν οὐδὲ «τοῖς κλητοῖς» «πολλοὶ γὰρ κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί». διὸ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς προαναφωνεῖ λέγων· οἱ ἐκλεκτοί μου οὐ κοπιάσουσιν εἰς κενὸν οὐδὲ τεκνοποιήσουσιν εἰς κατάραν· εἰ γὰρ καί τινες ἔσονται κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν κόποι σωτήριοι καὶ ἀγαθοὶ καὶ ἡδεῖς, ὁποίους πάντως που καὶ ἡ ἀγγελικὴ τάξις ὑπομένει, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπικενῶς ἔσται τὰ τῆς ἐργασίας αὐτοῖς· «μισθὸς» γὰρ αὐτοῖς «ἄξιος» τεθησαύρισται. καὶ τὰ γεννήματα δὲ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔσται εἰς κατάραν, γεννήματα δὲ νοήσωμεν τῶν ψυχῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ τῆς διανοίας τοὺς καρπούς, οὓς κατάρας ἔσεσθαι ἀλλοτρίους, εὐλογίας δὲ ἀξίους θεσπίζει. καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν εὐλογημένον ἐστὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ· δύναται δὲ ταῦτα καὶ εἰς τὸν παρόντα βίον ἐκλαμβάνεσθαι, τοῦ λόγου πάλιν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς τὸν χορὸν τὸν ἀποστολικὸν αἰνιττομένου διὰ τοῦ· οἱ ἐκλεκτοί μου οὐ κοπιάσουσιν εἰς κενὸν οὐδὲ τεκνοποιήσουσιν εἰς κατάραν· ἔστι γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῖς παραλαβεῖν τῶν ἀποστόλων τοὺς κόπους οὐκ εἰς κενὸν γεγενημένους ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἱδρυθείσης καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκκλησίας. καὶ τὰ τέκνα δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναγεννηθέντα «διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας» νοήσομεν, ὅπως οὐκ εἰς κατάραν γεγέννηνται παραθέντες τὴν εἰς τὸν Ἀδὰμ εἰρημένην κατάραν, καὶ ὡς τῇ γυναικὶ εἴρητο· «ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα· καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου». ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὕτως ἐτεκνοποίουν κατὰ σάρκα γεννῶντες, οἱ δὲ ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν τὸ εὐαγγελικόν, ὃ κατέσπειραν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ θεοῦ, εὐλογημένον γεγένηται τοῖς δ' αὐτοῖς τούτοις, δηλαδὴ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποστόλοις καὶ μαθηταῖς καὶ εὐαγγελισταῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐπαγγέλλεται φάσκων· καὶ ἔσται πρὶν κεκράξαι αὐτοὺς ἐγὼ ἐπακούσομαι αὐτῶν, ἔτι