The Law of Consequences and Divine Nature

It manifests things of bodies and things incorporeal; and the loss demonstrates the ultimate irrationality. So that one becomes wise in old age: After right conduct comes knowledge; for the 'end things' here does not mean time, but purity that comes after the practical virtues.

The fear of the Lord is unto life for a man (Proverbs 14:27), but the wanderer will stumble in places where the age is not observed. The fear of the Lord is unto life for a man, and the fear of the Lord is discipline and wisdom; the life of the man is discipline and wisdom. But Christ says: 'I am the life' (John 14:6); therefore Christ is discipline and wisdom. To know, then, discipline and wisdom is to know Christ; so the one without fear will be in evil and ignorance, in which Christ is not.

He who hides his hands in his bosom unjustly, nor with his mouth will he ever bring them forth: He who does not rightly, hides the hands unjustly in his soul, not wishing to work his own land nor to be filled with bread; for the practical virtues have a logic, bringing the bread to our mouths, the one descended from the heavens and giving life to the world.

He who dishonors a father and pushes away a mother will be ashamed and will be a reprobate: Through the transgression of the law he dishonors God, and he pushes away the mother, who is the discipline; if a righteous man is born unto life, and righteousness consists of all the virtues. A son left to fail in keeping the discipline of a father will meditate bad sayings: The impure thoughts are bad sayings being born in the soul of one who has not kept the commandments of the heavenly Father.

Unrestrained wine and insolent drunkenness: If their wine is the wrath of dragons, and the wine is unrestrained, then the wrath is unrestrained, making men unrestrained, and the anger is insolent; for this drunkenness is accustomed to come from a boiling wrath. If, however, Nazirites abstain from wine according to the law, then the Nazirites are outside of wrath...

It is established as law. Neither the threat of a king nor the fury of a lion differs (LXX: not). Here Christ is spoken of as a king in opposition; for he, provoked by sins, sins against his own soul.

Likewise, the one lending grain in a year of famine: If it is possible to borrow grain in a year of famine, it is also possible to borrow spiritual grain in the age to come from those who worked their own land in the six years and fed the widow and the orphan in the seventh year. He will leave his children blessed: those whom he has brought forth according to virtue.

A father or mother being slandered, a lamp will be extinguished: The same Christ is able, in thought, to be both father and mother; father to those possessing the spirits of adoption, but mother to those needing milk and not solid food; for the Christ speaking in Paul became a father to the Ephesians, revealing mysteries of wisdom to them, but a mother to the Corinthians, giving them milk to drink.

A part being studied in the first stages: It may for a time moisten your throat with part, but later you will find it more bitter with bile. Do not say: I will strike the enemy: Do not say this, moved by pride: I alone will fight the enemies, but endure the Lord so that he may help you. And David says: I trust not in my bow, and my sword shall not save me (Psalm 118:24-25); and again: A false horse toward salvation (Proverbs 14:31); and if the Lord builds not a house, and keeps not a city (Psalm 127:1).

A great and small weight and double measures, both are an abomination (LXX: unclean) before the Lord (Proverbs 20:10): I think that what is called a great and small weight by some is considered reckless; and I think that a great and small weight is any total excess or deficiency; for both are evils. Double measures: He who intends to suffer well from another, but does not pre-meditate to similarly refresh others, has double measures, not obeying the commandment which says: All that you want men to do to you, all so do you to them (Matthew 7:12).