Unit 4 rem close

Wine, therefore, the unrestrained anger is; making men unrestrained; and wrath is insolent: for it arises from boiling anger. But if, according to the law, the Nazirites abstain from wine, then it has been ordained by law that the Nazirites are to be outside anger. Here Christ is plainly called a king: for the one who provokes him through sins, sins against his own soul. Just as the foolish man is not ashamed of disgrace, so the one who borrows grain to sow in an unplowed field: already, because it will be repaid from his farm to the lender, even if the borrower should happen to die. — If it is possible to borrow grain in an unplowed field from those who have worked their own land in the six years, that is, from those righteous ones and prophets who shone in the six ages before Christ’s presence, to imitate their virtues, those who also nourish in the seventh year the widow and the orphan, in order to repay them in the kingdom of heaven the reward of the manifestation of virtues, having become firstfruits of the virtues. Those whom, clearly by virtue, someone has begotten, will leave to those who come after an icon and a blessing; and the unblemished one will leave righteousness of nurture until the end. For elsewhere it was said that the one who speaks evil ceases; but also Christ: and the one who reviles the Church will be deprived of the faith, which was to him light before the slander; and he would also speak concerning the outer darkness; therefore it has been said concerning the future: and Christ himself, father and mother, is able to be spoken of: father indeed of those who have the Spirit of adoption; mother however of those who need milk and not solid food.

And indeed, the Christ who speaks in Paul—though He is the one speaking—was made a father to the Ephesians, revealing to them the mysteries of wisdom; and He became a mother to the Corinthians, nourishing them with milk. The pleasure discovered among us that comes from evil, which he says is assigned as a portion in the first things, at first delights your palate, but later you will find it more bitter than gall. Do not speak, moved by pride: “I alone will wage war against my enemies”; but wait for the Lord and call upon Him, that He may help you. Do not rely on yourself as if you could act without the Lord; for He says through David that apart from Him there is no helper: “I do not trust in my bow.” Regarding sensible things, we say that a large and small weight exists—among which are gold, silver, bronze, lead, and whatever else is weighed. Measures, however, are those things measured in vessels: grain, wine, oil, and legumes. Furthermore, the person called bold yet timid by some, I consider to be a large and small weight. Moreover, universally, every excess and deficiency—this is a large and small weight; for both are vices, and measures are doubled. Furthermore, the one who wishes to suffer well at the hands of others, yet himself does not choose to similarly relieve others, possesses double measures—namely, not obeying the command that says: “Whatever you wish that people would do to you, you also do to them.” Not the ear that hears badly is the work of the Lord, but the one who attends to good things; and not the eye that sees badly is the work of the Lord, but the one who sees and imagines divine things.

For whoever hears the Lord and observes his commandments performs the work of the Lord. The same principle applies to all parts of the body. You should employ this statement against those who accuse us, saying that our body and the God within us are engaging in insolence. This means: do not sleep excessively, but remain wakeful, so that you may not be cast into Gehenna. Do not slander. Through the virtues, open the eyes of your soul. Through wisdom, be filled with heavenly bread. To weigh oneself against the works of the Lord and also 17.213 of the devil’s works is an abomination to the Lord. Yet the Lord calls a balance-scale the mind, which is naturally endowed to judge rightly the things that occur, but which is inclined by the impulse of self-will through friends or riches. Do not hasten, he says, toward the promise before God, lest the need, or the desire of the greater abundance, seize you and begin to repent, and you insult God by preferring something else to him. For repentance upon good things does not happen to the just, but to the unjust. The unjust, therefore, should not make any promise to God without careful consideration, for after praying, repentance arises. –To hastily dedicate oneself to the Lord, which is to sanctify something of one’s own, and then immediately afterward to change one’s mind, is a snare to the man. Christ is the winnower of the godless. He will come upon the godless like a lion upon prey. Or a winnowing fan, which separates the chaff from the grain, he will apply to them.