Unit 1 rem close

The place of the army is wickedness and false knowledge, and everything unacceptable to God. For the impious reasonings are enemies, killing souls. In his beloved ones the Lord gives sleep, but the impious are not his beloved ones, therefore to the impious the Lord does not give sleep. Hence it can also be persuasively shown that they are not by nature sleepers, the demons. Our virtues go before us and enlighten us in the present life, which is called night in relation to the coming day. Until the day is established in which the sun of righteousness rises. Or, until they establish us in safety, they do not depart, for this is characteristic of day, to disperse darkness. Which also Christ said: The one walking in the day does not stumble. On the contrary, the reasonings of the impious, since they did not know nor understand, wander in darkness. They stumble, but they do not have indulgence as those stumbling through ignorance, for they themselves have worked darkness. See how virtue even in darkness produced light, and wickedness even in light produced darkness. Neither the manner in which they sin do the impious know, nor do they know the cause, whence they stumble. But they do not even know this, that they transgress, which is a sign of the utmost wickedness. He calls the virtues springs, from which flows the living water of the divine words, which is the knowledge of Christ. And David: They appeared, he says, the springs of the waters, and the foundations of the world were uncovered, evidently by the visitation of our Savior Jesus Christ. Your eyes, he said, look straight ahead. This is the things which alone are dear to God, or the things made clear to us by the prophets concerning Christ alone and his disciples. And all things spoken by someone toward Christ, befitting him, and only him. This agrees with: Unless the Lord builds the house and guards the city, that is, unless the Lord gives us strength to direct the steps toward him, we labor in vain, we who do not call upon him in comfort, but undertake in arrogance. For the conspicuous prostitutes and the teachings of the heterodox deceive the innocent hearts through flattery. Therefore the greatest safety is not to take hold of the beginning, for having taken hold, it is difficult to escape. As far as their hearing, it is good. But the fat signifies the pleasure from which impurity is born, whose offspring, wickedness and ignorance. Of which nothing more bitter can be found in the events of the day of judgment. Hence we know that the spirited part dominates in the demons, for he says, unmerciful is the spirit, and their anger is sharp. For they hunt for destruction those who obey them, thus they honor those who honor them. Through wickedness the evil ones wear away the flesh of Christ, and they consume the blood, having considered it common. For he says, the one eating my flesh and drinking my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. But the one eating unworthily the body and drinking the blood of the Lord, eats and drinks judgment to himself. There was when there was no evil, and there will be when there will be no evil. For the seeds of virtue are inexhaustible. And this convinces me a little, and not yet completely in every evil having become, the rich one in Hades being judged by wickedness, and having pity on the brothers. And to pity, it obtains the finest seed of virtue. Knowledge and a spring is a well. For those who approach the virtues, it is considered to be a deep well. But to the apathetic and pure, a spring. Thus also the Savior sat by the well, the hour was about the sixth. Consider the well the divine knowledge, and not the well of water. Just as the spring is ready as it were, that is, the flowing water to the thirsty, so the well in labor to those who wish to draw. And just as the spring is unfailing in flowing, so the sensory writing has an unceasing course, and it is easy for the thirsty to grow old in God. And just as the well provides labor to those who draw, so the theoretical knowledge to those who wish through it to accomplish the virtues, of soul and body, to contemplate the divine things, and to counterfeit the kingdom of heaven. A woman here signifies the knowledge of God. This was given to us from youth. Whom Solomon in his youth teaching says, Son, lest an evil counsel seize you, speaking of the devil, as having counseled evil. She who has abandoned teaching.

But she who has abandoned teaching