Unit 5 rem early

One who devises schemes in his mind: bold, indeed, is the one who undertakes anything without fear; self-willed, the one who desires to act freely without examination; boastful, the one who exalts himself beyond what he truly possesses in dignity; a plague, the one who, while destroying himself, also transmits harm to others—for such a one is destructive in nature, so as to spread wickedness to others as well; and whoever cherishes grudges is lawless. For there is also a good desire: the angels, therefore, are those who never at any time desire evil desire; the demons, those who continually desire evil things; human beings, those who at times desire, and at times do not desire; and the one who desires the whole day through, instead of throughout the whole of life—such is also the meaning of, “In the fear of the Lord, be vigilant all the day,” in place of “throughout the whole of life.” He says the horse is the mind, the one engaged in battle against the devil, and opposing him; for, he says, “You shall mount upon your horses,” and “your horsemanship shall be salvation,” and concerning the Lord upon Paul: “That you may stand firm in my name,” he says. He named the virtue signified by a familiar name a good name; for this too is good—the name, which possesses a good meaning. Thus, we do not praise the unjust woman called Justice, but the one who possesses justice, even if injustice is thought to be hers; and above silver and gold, heavenly wisdom. They meet one another: the rich, by means of acts of mercy, purges his anger and acquires love; but the other, through poverty, is taught humility of mind. For the one wishes to be instructed; the other, to give instruction—so that the one may be joyful, the other merciful. He who possesses wisdom and the fear of the Lord shall inherit heavenly life, glory, and wealth.

For Noah possessed every generation; Abraham possessed these as well; and those who were taught by Peter also possessed them. In the age to come, those who have been enriched in every way, in all knowledge and wisdom, will rule over the ungrateful and the deprived of this wealth—but as for who are the servants and who are the masters, it is not necessary to make this public, because the discourse concerning them is mystical and profound; and even to make it explicit, they demonstrate the instability of human life. Yet even in oligarchies, the rich rule over the poor; and otherwise, those who possess knowledge rule over those who are not such; and the faithful from among the Gentiles, to the Israelites to whom they had previously lent, now lend teaching—but formerly they had lent to many nations and ruled over them; now, however, since the kingdom has been taken from them, the reverse has come to pass. God loves the cheerful man in the commandments, and the giver in acts of mercy, as Paul also says: “He who shows mercy, in cheerfulness”; and the Lord brings to completion the vanity of works through virtue and through knowledge. Human gifts—namely, the virtues of the soul—He names, by means of which, conquering the devil, one provides oneself as precious to God, and deprives oneself of the soul from those demons who have acquired it. He desires that the person be cast out from the habit of the hand by means of spiritual teaching, with which he once had contentiousness; and the demon, being a plague of the soul, must be chased forth—for if he dwells within it, through impurity he dishonors all the right reasonings.

For indeed, the apostle shows that the soul is like a council, bringing in thoughts either as accusers or as those making a defense; for he says, "Between one another, the thoughts are either accusing or defending." And where there is accusation and defense, there is also a council. But also, the plague dishonors all as a tyrant, or as one who wishes to establish his own customs, casting out the customs of others in disgrace, whom he has cast out from a spiritual system; and not only will he himself be cast out, but also those associated with him—quarrels, contentions, battles, and all that produces plague. The Lord who guards our souls also shepherds our spiritual knowledge, coming down and saying, "I am the good shepherd, whom the lawless one dishonors." But if Christ is indeed king of those who are ruled, and shepherd of the flock, then he will one day be alone king of the flock, when those worthy of the royal dignity pass into the royal state. Our enemy, the devil, walks about like a lion seeking whom he may devour; whom the timid, fearing, takes up into the labor of virtues. But if the lion is on the paths of justice seeking to seize someone, that one is the devil; and in the broad ways leading to destruction, with his phalanx of demons, he himself slays those who obey him. The devil is a deep pit; but the one hated by the Lord, who does not attend to himself securely—yet Job was not hated by the Lord, but was undergoing trial.