Unit 5 rem mid

Grace is for the one whose mouth has fallen into iniquity; but the one hated by the Lord is left in the pit to the end, being a lover of pleasure in the knowledge of sin. The rod from the root of Jesse, which is Christ, is far from the heart of the fool; he shepherds his people, the young Israel, in the pasture of his own sheep. Just as the devil slanders us before God, taking from us virtues which he did not give us, so we slander him, taking from him evils which we did not give him. And inasmuch as we receive evils from him, we receive them as from a poor man among virtues; and inasmuch as we give our virtues to him with a lessening of ourselves, we give them as to a rich man in wickedness. But perhaps, he says, as one giving little to a ruler, from whom the slanderer gains more by accusing the greater, he gains more and damages his own soul. The one who attends to the all-wise words of God and does what he commands has established his heart and knows that they are good; this one hears the words of God, the one who does what is commanded by them. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. But if you set your heart to know and to do, he will make known to you his way, saying: I am the way and the truth. The one who enlarges his heart through purity will understand the words of God, both the practical and the sophistical.

And the theological as well: for all treatment according to Scripture is divided into three parts, into the ethical, the physical, and the theological. And to the first part belong the Prooemia; to the second, Ecclesiastes; to the third, the Song of Songs. These, when understood through purity, are inscribed in the heart, so that you may be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, whether to learn or to refute. And you too shall ask questions of those who are able to be questioned. But do not force the one who is being led on in knowledge. Therefore he adds: And do not despise the weak in the gates. Those who accept vain reasonings, and in this way honor the wicked, let them strive with all their power, by means of good reasonings, to repay the worse. For if they are not able to do this, they will take the couch that is under the ribs of the soul, that is, virtue. The one who transfers the boundaries of piety makes it either superstition or impiety; and the one who transfers the boundaries of courage makes it either rashness or cowardice. Likewise also concerning the other virtues, and concerning the dogmas, and concerning faith itself, this must be understood. But especially must this be observed concerning the Holy Trinity. For the one who does not theologize about the Holy Spirit dissolves baptism; and the one who also names certain others as gods brings in a multitude of gods; or even the familial arrangements concerning each thing, and for this reason it is necessary to remain, not to move them. Here he declares the devil to be a potentate; but his tables are false testimonies.

Insults, slander, evil counsel, shameful desires, and every satanic practice—these the Evil One sets before you; perceive them with your intellect, and place upon them the discernment of your mind, which is your hand. Know that you must prepare yourself for such things, for they ought to stand beside you on the Day of the Lord, when He renders to each according to his works. But if you are insatiable, and reach for the lofty, the greater, and the more abundant—those things which are divine and of God—do not crave the provisions of the Evil One; for these are held fast to a fleeting life, which is falsehood. Yet you must perceive the Divine Scripture intellectually and spiritually; for the knowledge gained through historical sensation is not true. If you seek to draw the divine mind toward the literal, according to outward vision alone, you, being unstable, will depart to your own house—namely, the vision fitting to it—having wings constructed for you by the Holy Spirit who precedes you, which wings are the spiritual gifts; thus you soar high above it, as it were, into the ether. Therefore, not to comprehend the literal beyond measure, but to cling to it without satiety, is a life of falsehood. If the slanderer eats the grain of impiety and is made drunk by lawless wine, you must not dine with him; you ought not to be impious and lawless. For these vices defile spiritual knowledge. Do not speak, says he, that which is prudent—meaning deep and mysterious—for you must not cast pearls before swine. Do not transgress the eternal boundaries of godliness.