Confession and the Life in His Will

May he heal them. For the healing is the bringing up of my soul from there. I became there not to remain myself, but neither to simply depart and return, but to lead up those there. 'Having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which he also preached the message to the spirits in prison' (1 Peter 3:19), he led them up. And because of these things he went down there, and because of these things he says he is ascending; for he went down to lead up. If he were not ascending them, he would not have gone up there; for he did not descend or ascend for his own sake.

And this can also be said: the soul is truly our rational being. As it is said of a certain man of God, so it might be said of a soul. 'You have brought up my soul from Hades' (Psalm 42:5). You saved me from those descending into the pit (Psalm 49:15). Those descending into the pit are called the days, because those above are fallen; for the pits are not springs; they do not have water being supplied from anywhere. And Hades because of this is continually called a pit in the Scriptures, because the souls that fall there are falling.

'You saved me from those descending into the pit' (Psalm 49:15). For even if I descended into Hades, I was not seized in the pit like the falling waters, but I was saved, so that what happens to those falling into Hades does not exceed my harm. 'Praise the Lord, you saints of his' (Psalm 149:5). Therefore, while praising and extolling because he was received, he intends to fall upon the hymn even those whom he led up from Hades, the saints having been shown; for those around Abraham and the other saints were there.

And other souls were there too, but some were shown to be the souls of saints, and others were not; for we do not say that the Savior sanctified all, but those souls which were awaiting him there. They were saying, therefore, toward: 'Are you the one coming, or do we await another?' That man knew he was about to die; for being in the prison, he sent this voice, asking: 'Are you coming there yourself, or are you sending another?' Not that he was doubting, but he wished to serve there beside him, having learned from him, being commanded by him. He writes to the saints: the achievement is for us or is common to us and you. Just as therefore I sing a psalm, you also praise; you join in with instruments to our song, which I send up on behalf of you, saying.

“I will exalt you, O Lord.” 5 And you confess the memory of His holiness. Confession here is not called the disclosure of sins; for this too is called confession, as if one says, “Confess your sins to one another” (Ps 50:4). But most often in Scripture, confession is signified by the word thanksgiving: “We will confess to You, O God, we will confess to You” (Ps 106:1). The memory is moved here by dogmas, he says, “of His holiness.” Discipleship-remembrances are not now but before. If anyone is sanctified, having shared in the holy, he has obtained holiness. And so it has happened, so that one might be holy not by essence, but by choice, having received the holy and the good in advance. Therefore, do not neglect, while confessing and singing, that holiness is your own; because you have become it, take hold of it; you have become it so that you might be holy, not profane; yet you have become in filth and profanity. Reclaim your holiness, and thus desire to become it.

6 For wrath is in His mind and life is in His will (Ps 30:5). Because of this, I urge you to sing as those having become holy and to confess the memory of His holiness, “for wrath is in His mind” (Ps 30:5), so that you do not fall into wrath and anger; for if you remain in the same state as before my arrival, having me having accomplished so much, and in the same state regarding the things for which I have come, He will receive wrath, because after so many helps and so many benefits and exhortations you remain in the same state. And just as it becomes like wrath in the mind, so also “life is in His will” (Ps 30:5). He who follows His will and works it, asking to know it from Him—indeed, someone sends a prayer saying, “Teach me to do Your will” (Ps 119:35). Through saying with a reason, “For You are my God” (Ps 73:28), it is shown that the will of God is alone life. And our own will must also cooperate, so that He does not say, “How often I willed, and you did not will.” Therefore, “life” is “in Your will.” The Word God can also be said to be will here. In Him all things came to be; all things through Him came into being. In the will, therefore, of Him who brought you into existence, life lies. 6 Weeping shall turn to joy in the evening and in the morning (Ps 30:5).