Unit 6 rem mid

He rejoices in pleasure; yet he is of good courage and turns himself wholly toward love in all things. Thus, the orders of the angels submit to the God of all, not only in fear but also in love, when He wills to perceive them as they obey His command and act upon it. Likewise, it is natural for the souls of the righteous to be so disposed: for all who place themselves under His command do not merely desire to know the mysteries and depths hidden in the Scriptures, which He approves of being known, but also whatever is destined to occur in human life—whether brought about by men or demons, whether through mental vision, by the grace of the divine Spirit granting foreknowledge, or through angelic instruction, or through the revelation of a vision. Here he calls the righteous "powers," those who possess strength against demons and passions, which he terms "spirit." Let them not drink from the cup that intoxicates the mind and clouds the senses with the harsh wine of heretics, which contains some knowledge contrary to the wisdom of God; lest, having drunk, they forget God’s wisdom and be unable to judge rightly or perceive the theory of knowledge, and thus fail to help themselves and the weaker in soul. To those who mourn in sin and ignorance, give them to drink from the Lord’s vineyard unto intoxication—that is, fasting, prayer, self-control, confession, and all things that bring joy to the soul; but to those in positions of authority, let them drink the pains of sin unto satisfaction, so that, having drunk, they may forget the demonic poverty. For the one who is intoxicated by the knowledge of the Lord forgets the practice of sorrows. He calls the poor the one deprived of knowledge.

Now then, concerning the corrupt and impure nature brought about by sin: the one who, through the spiritual word, puts to death the old man corrupted by deceitful desires, establishes his own mind in righteousness. This mind is said to be the throne of God, for wisdom and understanding have no other natural dwelling place but here; they do not sit elsewhere by nature. And righteousness, if not grounded in rational nature, cannot truly exist. All these things—the spiritual word, the renewed mind, righteousness, wisdom, understanding—are none other than Christ himself. You must be what you appear to be; do not pretend. Do not boast, but remain silent among the wise and listen attentively to the elders. Do not say, “I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High.” Do not crave the chief seats, but fix your gaze on the lowest place. For it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be told, “Take the lowest place,” and be sent away in shame before the powerful. Do not pretend to be wise, nor deem yourself just. It is better that good things be spoken of you than that you speak them yourself. Therefore, God exalted him highly and bestowed on him the name above every name. He speaks of what has come before: our friend is God, who, because of his friendship toward us, became human. For he himself said to the disciples, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” When a friend rebukes you, Christ says, because of this sin, avoid it; do not despise the rebuke, but withdraw and return to the original sound judgment—that is, to God’s loving kindness. He says, give thanks for God’s commandments; and friendship, he says, is the love toward God and neighbor. Let the one who loves God keep these commands within himself, so that he may not become twofold in distress before God.

When each receives what is due according to their worth, the Savior also says in the Gospels to the Jews who believed in him: If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, and the truth has freed you from the curse of the law. Therefore, if friendship liberates, and the Savior liberates, and Christ is both truth and friendship, it follows that all who possess knowledge of Christ are friends to one another. Thus, concerning this friendship alone, those who are friends of the same person are friends, and others are also friends. The one who has been taught about the virtues and practices them guards his own possessions in a harmonious and mutually beneficial way. Place a precious sardius stone into a golden earlobe, and the wisdom of the Lord into an understanding that is impassive yet obedient to the Lord. Just as water flowing from snow in a dry place under heat brings benefit and refreshes the scorched, so God acts upon those who receive his knowledge, wisdom, and commandments. And just as snow melts under heat, so too does the counsel of the just dissolve the wickedness of the soul. As winds and clouds guide sailors upon the sea to prevent shipwreck, so the false knowledge of those in God’s wisdom prevents them from perishing along with those who boast in it. As bones give strength and security to the body, so the virtues have grown naturally within the soul. Yet these bones are shattered if not guarded against sins; some have called the spirited soul weak, for it breaks its own spiritual bones before God.