Seed and Offspring

"Let him stand with me." And concerning him the Savior says: 'There are some standing here who shall never taste death' (Matt 16:28).28).). Thus also Job had a house, which the wise man, "having built," established firmly "upon the rock" (Matt 7:24). Having this, even the disciples of Christ held an immovable stance, observing the life-saving words.

And "the house" of the intellect brings peace, being unmixed and unyielding, working the peace of virtue because it follows them; for nothing is discordant in the important matter. Concerning the virtues, the proverb is aptly spoken: 'Wise women built a house, but the foolish one dug it down with her hands' (Prov 14:1).wickedness works a distortion of the buildings quickly.

One virtue toward the building of a house is not sufficient. For this reason it is said in the plural: "Women built a house." But one wickedness is sufficient for distortion. For it is said: if anyone performs all the righteous acts, but performs one lawlessness, all his righteous deeds are set aside. For they no longer stand, nor do they remain, upon one wrong entering.

And his own virtue happens to be "not even to complain about the conduct of his tent" (Ps 119:10). For it is necessary for one progressing, which is shown through the tent, not to stumble nor to sin; for it is possible, even while one is still progressing, that the one dwelling in the house is already bringing peace through perfection, from the progressing of the one having borne fruit and singing: "I will pass through a place of tent-dwelling until the house of God" (Ps 119:154), in which the one having fallen short of having arrived at the perfection of virtue is slow-moving and most certain.

This is shown from: "Everyone born of God does not commit sin" (1 John 3:9). And assigning the cause, he asserts: "because his seed remains in him," saying that it made him. For concerning such a thing it is also said in the Gospel: "No one is able to snatch them out of the hand of my Father" (John 10:28). And we did not say that the virtuous one is unshakeable, but that he is difficult to shake.

But by himself he would become outside the hand of God by falling away; for "they themselves" say "they pushed him out from your hand" (Matt 26:56), clearly having become unworthy of being guarded by the hand of God, which Judas himself experienced, going out from the covering hand of God. For he has not said...

No one will come out, but 'no one is able to snatch them from the hand of my Father' (John 10:28). He himself will reject those who previously tore themselves away. For it is said: 'God will strike them down, because they did not listen to him' (Ps 67:4), the one who guards, knowing that his seed is very much. For the earth of the diligent mind is good, receiving the seeds from the Word of the Brideway the Bridegroom familiarly and eagerly, or he himself sows the disciples through the Word given to him.

And the seed is often called a child: 'the seed of Abraham'—his children—not necessarily being both seed and child already. Regarding the Jews who cry out that they are the seed of Abraham, the Savior did not say: 'You lie,' but led forward: 'If you are children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham (John 8:39); for not all these are from Israel, the descendants of Israel. Nor is it that they are the seed of Abraham always a child.' He therefore says to them as not being children of Abraham: 'Do the desires of your father.' But those doing the desires of the devil, accepting him as father, are not children of Abraham. Blessed is the one becoming the seed of Abraham according to having the virtues of godliness and becoming a child, through being formed and not becoming dull, but bringing forth.

And there is when both the seed and the child are said in parallel, as is also set forth in the present. The intellect of the holy, which must be understood, brings forth offspring corresponding to the 'increase of the field' and a multitude exceeding in vital power, so that this 'man of the kingdom of heaven' (Matt 13:47) might thus 'become like' according to the Gospel, sowing in the field of his own heart, so that he might bear fruit 'a hundred, sixty, thirty' (Matt 13:8) at first, middle, and last, 'sowing in tears' (Ps 126:5), so that 'he may reap in joy' (Ps 126:6) and 'seeking the Lord, so that he may bring to him fruits of righteousness.' 'He will be released in a tomb like grain ripe being harvested in season, or like wheat of a threshing floor being gathered according to the hour.' Nothing of the existing things is without a proper end, even if it is taken by art. Nature and art both have an end and a purpose; for a vine is grown for the reasonable enjoyment of man, and a house is built by a craftsman having a purpose to complete a house for habitation. And so that not...