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the sin of the world. Similarly to these things, you will understand those things that are cast like morsels of ice, and the mist that is scattered like ashes. Farmers have need of snow and mist; for these things, coming upon the produce, increase it. Therefore, just as it is necessary for rain and dew to come upon the good earth, the soul, if the seed has fallen, so also snow and mist must come upon our produce, so that being nourished by all these things we may be able to bear fruit. And you will understand the snow and the ice and the mist as temptations brought upon the saints for testing. For these from the opposing powers try to cool the love in them, since "As a cistern cools, so its wickedness cools." Before the face of this cold, who will stand, if not the one like Peter and Paul and Job and Jacob who said, "I was consumed by the heat of the day and by the frost of the night"? To these you will take also the things spoken by Moses: "Let my speech be awaited as the rain, and let my words come down as the dew, as a shower upon the grass and as a snowfall upon the fodder." For by the same principle that the words of Moses are likened to these things, by this principle the oracle of God sent to the earth is divided into all the things that have been mentioned. But what is his cold, before whose face no one is able to stand, is worthy of consideration. Perhaps, then, just as his word, being fiery, is compared to fire, warming and making to boil those who have been cooled by wickedness, whose love grew cold because of the abundance of lawlessness, so again against the souls' flame of those set on fire by pleasures and passions, it is called the cold of God, before whose face no one set on fire by passions will be able to stand, since their hearts were kindled like an oven, like a flame of fire, since all commit adultery and are set on fire by licentious desires. In agreement with these things is "Pains come from the storehouses, but cold from the mountain peaks," found in Job. 1278 Ps 147,7 The providential word of God, being sent, will melt the snow and the things numbered with it, but also when his spirit blows the waters will flow (and by spirit he means the south wind), the aforementioned snow and similar things changing into these. But if one must also hear these things spiritually: the clarifying word of God, sent for the things spoken with concealment, will melt the mist, the ice, the snow, so as to make them drinkable, when the spirit of God himself has blown, but also the word of God, being sent into the heart of those who receive it, will melt the temptations and make them disappear, and those who are fervent in spirit, bravely enduring such temptations, will dissolve them. 1279 Ps 147,8.9 To the one who has trampled down and tripped up the principalities and the authorities and the world-rulers of this darkness, mystically called Jacob, God sends his saving and creative word to make clear to him all the true doctrines of piety. Then, after the victory, to the one who had become discerning and was shown to be Israel by seeing God with the mind, he sent his ordinances and his judgments so that he might perform all things with discernment and justly. And upon these things, showing the greatness of the gift of God that was given to the holy nation, he says, "He has not done so for every nation," but he has done the aforementioned things only for Israel before the coming of the Savior; however, when Christ came, the high priest of the truly good things, all the nations have been filled with the divine word.

1280 Ps 148,7.8 But someone might say to this, as the word itself especially shows,

to call the multitude of waters an abyss (for on it the Lord walked) as being from another beginning; "The gates of death are opened to you in fear," and the rest. then

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ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Συγγενῶς τούτοις καὶ τοὺς βαλλομένους ὡσεὶ ψωμοὺς τοῦ κρυστάλλου νοήσεις καὶ τὴν ὁμίχλην τὴν πασσομένην ὡσεὶ σποδόν. χρεία τοῖς γεωργοῖς χιόνος καὶ ὁμίχλης· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐρχόμενα ἐπὶ τὰ γενήματα αυξει αὐτά. ωσπερ ουν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν τὴν ψυχήν, εἰ πέπτωκεν ὁ σπόρος, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν ὡς ὑετὸν ὡς δρόσον ηκειν, ουτω καὶ χιόνα καὶ ὁμίχλην ἐπὶ τὸ γένημα ἡμῶν, ινα δυνηθῶμεν ὑπὸ πάντων τούτων τρεφόμενοι καρποφορῆσαι. Νοήσεις δὲ τὴν χιόνα καὶ τὸν κρύσταλλον καὶ τὴν ὁμίχλην πειρασμοὺς ἐπαγομένους τοῖς ἁγίοις πρὸς δοκιμήν. ουτοι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων ψύχειν πειρῶνται τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀγάπην, ἐπείπερ ̔Ως ψύχει λάκκος, ουτως ψύχει κακία αὐτῆς. κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ψύχους τούτου, τίς ὑποστήσεται εἰ μὴ ὁ κατὰ Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον καὶ τὸν ̓Ιὼβ καὶ τὸν ̓Ιακὼβ τὸν εἰπόντα ̓Εγενόμην συγκαιόμενος τῷ καύματι τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῷ παγετῷ τῆς νυκτός; πρὸς ταῦτα λήψῃ καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ Μωυσέως εἰρημένα Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου, καὶ καταβήτω ὡς δρόσος τὰ ῥήματά μου, ὡσεὶ ομβρος ἐπ' αγρωστιν καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον. ῳ γὰρ λόγῳ τὰ ῥήματα Μωυσέως τούτοις ὁμοιοῦται, τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἀποσταλὲν τῇ γῇ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγιον διαιρεῖται εἰς πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα. Τί δὲ τὸ ψῦχος αὐτοῦ ου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς ὑποστῆναι δύναται, θεωρῆσαι αξιον. μήποτ' ουν ωσπερ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ διάπυρος ὑπάρχων παραβάλλεται πυρὶ θερμαίνων καὶ ζέειν ποιῶν τοὺς ἀπεψυγμένους τῇ κακίᾳ ων ἡ ἀγάπη ἐψύγη διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἀνομίας, ουτω πάλιν κατὰ τῶν ψυχῶν τὴν φλόγα τῶν ἐξ ἡδονῶν καὶ παθῶν πυρουμένων ψῦχος θεοῦ λέγεται ου κατὰ πρόσωπον οὐδεὶς ὑποστῆναι δυνήσεται τῶν ὑπὸ παθῶν πεπυρωμένων, ἐπείπερ ἀνεκαύθησαν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν ὡς κλίβανος ὡς φέγγος πυρός, ἐπείπερ πάντες μοιχῶνται καὶ πυροῦνται ὑπὸ ἀκολάστων ἐπιθυμιῶν. τούτοις συνᾴδει τὸ ̓Απὸ ταμείων ἐπέρχονται ὀδύναι, ἀπὸ δὲ ἀκρωτηρίων ψῦχος, φερόμενον ἐν τῷ ̓Ιώβ. 1278 Ps 147,7 ̔Ο προνοητικὸς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος ἀποστελλόμενος τήξει τὴν χιόνα καὶ τὰ συνηριθμημένα αὐτῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνεύσαντος αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα υδατα ῥυήσεται (πνεῦμα δὲ τὸν νότον φησίν), εἰς ταῦτα μεταβαλλόντων τῶν προωνομασμένων τῆς χιόνος καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πνευματικῶς καὶ τούτων ἀκοῦσαι δεῖ· ὁ σαφηνιστὴς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος τῶν λελαλημένων μετ' ἐπικρύψεως ἀποσταλεὶς τήξει τὴν ὁμίχλην τὸν κρύσταλλον τὴν χιόνα ἐπὶ τῷ πότιμα αὐτὰ ποιῆσαι, αμα τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ πνεύσαντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποστελλόμενος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τῶν αὐτὸν παραδεχομένων τήξει τοὺς πειρασμοὺς καὶ ἀφανεῖς καταστήσει, οι τε τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες, γενναίως τοὺς τοιούτους ὑπομένοντες πειρασμούς, διαλύσουσιν αὐτούς. 1279 Ps 147,8.9 Τῷ καταπατήσαντι καὶ πτερνίσαντι τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου μυστικῶς ̓Ιακὼβ καλουμένῳ ἀποστέλλει τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τὸν σωτήριον καὶ ποιητικὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τῷ σαφηνίσαι αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ἀληθῆ δόγματα τῆς εὐσεβείας. ειτα μετὰ τὴν νίκην διορατικῶς γεγενημένῳ καὶ ̓Ισραὴλ ἀποδειχθέντι τῷ ὁρᾶν διανοίᾳ θεὸν τὰ δικαιώματα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλεν ἐπὶ τῷ κεκριμένως καὶ δικαίως πάντα ἐνεργεῖν. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ μέγεθος τῆς θεοῦ δωρεᾶς ὑπαρξάσης τῷ ἁγίῳ εθνει ἐμφανίζων φησὶν Οὐκ ἐποίησεν ουτως παντὶ εθνει, ἀλλ' η μόνῳ τῷ ̓Ισραὴλ τὰ προειρημένα πεποίηκε πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας· Χριστοῦ μέντοι παραγενομένου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τῶν ἀληθῶς ἀγαθῶν, πάντα τὰ εθνη πεπλήρωνται τοῦ θείου λόγου.

1280 Ps 148,7.8 ̓Αλλὰ φαίη τις πρὸς τοῦτο, ὡς μάλιστα δείκνυσιν ἡ λέξις αὐτή,

τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὑδάτων αβυσσον ἀποκαλεῖν (ἐπ' αὐτῇ γὰρ περιεπάτησεν ὁ κύριος) ὡς ἀφ' ἑτέρας ειναι ἀρχῆς· ̓Ανοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ειτά