OT § 152

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) [Isaiah 49:8] Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

Those who have faith by which they win justification attain by the grace of God to the law of justice. For this reason the prophet says, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you."

It seemed right to some of the previous exegetes to make this the head of the chapter that follows. For thus says the Lord: "In due season I heard you and on the day of salvation I helped you." And they say that this is what was said by the God and Father of all to Christ our Savior. For they weave in such a sense to the words. For he prayed, saying before the precious cross, "Father, if it is possible, take away this cup from me." But he was not heard, and he drank it. When he had suffered death with the Father permitting it, then the Father said to him what was necessary, "In due season I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you."

The blessed Paul knew the distance between the present world and the world to come. He knew that only in the present world could the blessing of salvation be acquired but that only in the world to come could a just reward be given to individuals according to the quality of their work, good or wicked. So, when he had repeated the prophetic testimony that God speaks, "In an acceptable time, I heard you, and on the day of salvation, I helped you," he immediately followed it up by adding, "Behold, now is a very acceptable time; now is the day of salvation."

(Versed 8 and following) Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. And I will make all my mountains a road, and my paths will be exalted. Behold, these will come from afar, and behold, those from the north and the sea, and these from the land of the south. Praise, heavens, and rejoice, earth; sing praises, mountains, for the Lord has comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor ones. LXX: Thus says the Lord: In the time of opportunity, I have heard you, and on the day of salvation, I have helped you. And I have formed you and given you as a covenant to the nations, to establish the land and possess the deserted inheritances. And you will say to those who are in chains, 'Come out,' and to those who are in darkness, 'Be revealed.' They will have pasture on all the ways, and their grazing grounds will be in all the paths. They will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them; for He who has compassion on them will comfort them, and He will guide them to springs of water. I will make every mountain into a road, and every path into their grazing ground. Look, these will come from far away; these from the north and the sea; and others from the land of Persia. Rejoice, O heavens, and let the earth exult, let the mountains burst into joy, for God has had mercy on his people and consoled the lowly. The Apostle Paul used this testimony in his second Letter to the Corinthians, saying, 'In an acceptable time I have heeded you, and on the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the acceptable time, etc. (1 Cor. 6:2). Therefore, if the vessel of election pertains to the understanding of what is said about the first advent, and we follow the footsteps of its exposition, and like little children, imprint the letters on the shadowed lines of the Teacher. Time is favorable and opportune, and the day of salvation, it is the passion of the Savior and his resurrection, when he prayed on the cross: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). And he saved him, or rather formed him, by overcoming death, and he gave him to the covenant of the Jewish people, namely to those who wanted to believe: so that he would revive the earth, which lay in the errors of idolatry, and possess the scattered or deserted inheritances, which had no God as its inhabitant, and he would say to those who were in chains, 'Come out, you who are bound by the chains of sin, for each one is bound by the ropes of his own sins' (Proverbs 5); and to those who were in darkness, 'Be revealed.' Those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, and could not see the light, after they have been converted and have seen the bright light of Christ, will be nourished in the ways and paths of the holy Scriptures, and will say: The Lord feeds me and nothing shall be lacking to me, He has placed me in a place of pasture: He has brought me up on the waters of refreshment (Ps. 22:2). And whoever has been nourished and nurtured in these ways and paths, will not hunger, nor thirst, nor feel the heat of the sun: and what is written about him will be fulfilled: The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night (Ps. 120:6). So that he may not feel the adversities or the prosperity of this world. For indeed the Lord, who is merciful and compassionate, will console and guide them, and lead them to the fountains of water. He will give them to drink from the fountains, as it is written: Bless the Lord, you fountains of Israel (Psalm 68:27) . And in another place: Draw water with joy from the fountains of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) . These fountains are both in the Old Testament and the New. And the Lord will turn all the stumbling blocks that could hinder the steps of the believers into level ground, and he will humble the high places and exalt the lowly, so that they may have a smooth and open path. He makes it more apparent who these people are for whom the way is being prepared: Behold, these will come from afar: and behold, those from the north and the sea, and these from the land of the south. Showing the four corners of the world, the East and the North, the West and the South, he placed the East far away: for the southern region, it is read in Hebrew as Sinim (which the LXX interpreted as Persians). The rest expressed sinim as it is read in Hebrew, which we have interpreted as from the south (or also from the south wind): suspecting that Mount Sinai is located in the southern part, according to the Prophet Habakkuk: God will come from the south: and the Holy One from Mount Paran shaded and hiding (Habakkuk 3). But if we follow the Septuagint, we understand the Persians, who are situated towards the East, to be referred to in the above passage: Behold, they shall come from afar, from the South. And it is commanded to the heavens and the earth, or to those powers which dwell in heaven and earth, or to the angels and men, to sing praises to God. And those who are set in high places of power should testify to the joy of their minds with rejoicing and exultation. For the Lord has comforted His people, those among the Jews who wished to believe. And he had compassion on his poor and humble people: whether they were called to him from the East and the West, the North and the South, not having the Law or the Prophets or spiritual riches: but abandoned, poor and humble, they were subject to all demons.

God says through the prophet, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." What other time, then, is more acceptable than when for piety toward God in Christ we are led under guard in procession before the world, celebrating a triumph rather than being led in triumph? For the martyrs in Christ disarm the principalities and powers with him, and they share his triumph as fellows of his sufferings, becoming in this way also fellows of the courageous deeds wrought in his sufferings. These deeds include triumphing over principalities and powers, which in a short time you will see conquered and put to shame. What other day is so much a day of salvation as the one when we gain such deliverance from them?

"Father, if this is not able to pass, then let your will be done." The Father received this prayer and then pointed to the time of the resurrection after death, saying, "In a time of favor I have answered you." Some dislike this interpretation and think it not persuasive, saying that the Son failed in his prayer to form a prayer that fit with God's plan. However, even before this [prayer], it was necessary that death could in no way be avoided except through him undergoing the cross and its death. Therefore, such an earnest intercession demonstrates the guilt of those Jewish leaders who exposed him to such shameful suffering against his will. For there was no previous discussion as to whether he should be given the death sentence. "For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." So he used their cruelty as a means to an end: the salvation of the world. He also provided an example for us not to fall into temptation but to pray to God. And so these words have special meaning for those who are chosen, "In a time of favor I have answered you." For the mystery of Christ was in existence before the foundation of the world, but it was put into action for us at a time when it pleased the Almighty. So he calls the time of the incarnation "day," as does the divine apostle: "Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation."

901. Another preamble to their liberation is the exaltation of the liberating king, namely, Cyrus: in an acceptable time, and he does not determine the time of his exaltation: acceptable, when it pleased me to save my people, I have heard you, exalting you into kingship, according to your desire; and the fruit of his exaltation: I have preserved you; to be a covenant fulfilled of my people. Or of Christ, who was despised in his passion and was judged like a servant, below: we have seen him . . . despised (Isa 53:2–3), but afterwards he was literally adored by kings: all kings of the earth shall adore him (Ps 71[72]:11); in an acceptable time, namely, the time of grace: behold, now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2).

[When] we have changed our creditor, we have not entirely escaped, or, rather, we have escaped, but the debt remains, while the interest is canceled, the Lord Jesus saying, "To them that are bound, come forth. And to them that are in prison, go forth," for your sins have been forgiven. He has forgiven all, and there is no one whom he has not set free.

To apply these words to Zerubabbel is absolute nonsense. For Zerubbabel led the Jews out of Babylon, but he did not deliver the nations from error or present the new covenant to the nations. Isaiah says these things about the Lord Christ; it is Christ who has filled the wilderness of the world with divine shoots. He has restored the ruined earth, set those trapped in sins free from chains and illuminated those sitting in darkness with the light of the knowledge of God.

Show yourselves, that is, be illuminated.

902. Second, he sets out the things that will follow the liberation, promising abundance of good things to the liberated people: they shall feed in the ways, that is, they shall enjoy consolations so abundantly like sheep in pasture, when it is even found in the way beyond what is usual: they shall rest on the green grass (Ezek 34:14).

But since they have been called to the light of truth, they have become pastures for them, and feeding-grounds that nourish them toward spiritual manliness, and to the desire for every good thing. And God promises them the abundance of His grace, and help, and spiritual consolation. For they shall not hunger, nor shall they thirst, he says. For long ago they were in want of spiritual consolation, for there was among them no divine law, no prophet, no guide, no instructor, no teacher, no spring of spiritual waters. But since they have received mercy from God, the supply of spiritual goods has now become most abundant for them, as they have received soul-profiting nourishment. For they ate bread from heaven, they drank living water, about which Christ Himself spoke, addressing the woman in Samaria: "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will have in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And the prophet Isaiah also said somewhere concerning those justified by faith, and who submit the neck of their mind to the evangelical decrees: "He will dwell in a high cave of a strong rock; bread will be given to him, and his water will be sure." But neither shall the burning heat strike them, nor the sun. For Christ has become their protector. He who long ago also suspended a cloud for the sons of Israel by day, and led them by a pillar of fire by night. Therefore, they will be outside of the sun and burning heat, he says, that is, they will obtain protection from God, so that no burden befalls them, that is, one that leads to faintheartedness.

"The merciful One will encourage them, and he will lead them by springs of water." For the springs of Israel and of salvation are plentiful. The springs of Israel are those of the Old Covenant, and the springs of salvation are those of the New.

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. [Isaiah 49:10] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

He has threatened Israel [with suffering] hunger for the Word and [with] a dearth of clouds: "I will send," he says, "a famine of hearing the word of the Lord," and elsewhere: "And I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it." Here, on the contrary, he promises those who have believed in him that they would have an abundance of divine nourishment and that they will have sources of salvation at their disposal forever.

As to the absence of evils, both of privation: they shall not hunger, etc., and of inflicted harm: neither shall the heat, of tribulation, nor the sun, tyrants that make tribulation: the sun shall not burn you by day (Ps 120[121]:6); and he assigns the cause of both: for he that is merciful to them, shall rule them; at the fountains of waters, of consolations, he shall give them drink: the Lord rules me: and I shall want nothing. He has set me in a place of pasture (Ps 22:1–2[23:1–3]).

According to one interpretation, this refers to the lowly and Jewish people. According to another, this is the entire gathering of souls that make up the godly spiritual commonwealth. According to a still further interpretation, this is the angelic order about which the apostle says, "She is the free Jerusalem of above that is our mother," and "you have come to Zion, the mountain and city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." The present word is addressed to the godly communion that formerly comprised the Jews. But they were brought down and suffered a fall, forfeiting their place to the church of the Gentiles.

If some come "from the north" and some "from the sea," that is, from the western parts, and others come "from the land of the Persians" (meaning the highlands), then those in the first clause who are from the land far away are called "of the midday," since the uncircumscribable southern country lies among the midday people. These people are the ones who "shall come from a distance." But the word prophesies that they will come from all over, from the four latitudes to God and will receive the promises spoken to them.

903. Third, he promises liberation itself, setting out the preparation of the ways: and I will make all my mountains a way, that is, princes will help you to return, above: every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isa 40:4).

And he sets out the return of the captives: behold these shall come from afar, from the east, and from the sea, the west: I will bring them from the north (Jer 31:8).

We say that those humble ones who submit their necks to Christ and who do not despise the yoke of a kingdom under him, in that they welcome faith, will be fit to worship him in spirit and in truth. [They will] fulfill the worship of those who did not receive faith, those who were not humble but raised their proud horns in the air and spoke unrighteousness against him and his holy prophecies and who exulted in stretching out the neck of their understanding. These were not worthy of spiritual consolation, for they were not deserving. "For what share has faith with unbelief?" as it is written.

It should be noted with attention that he has not made mention here either of Israel or of Jacob but that he has given the name of "people" to those he has assembled from all parts and has deemed worthy of salvation. He has again called on creation to join in the rejoicing, since even for a single sinner who repents, according to the word of the Lord, the assembly of angels rejoices.

And he sets out the thanksgiving: give praise, O you heavens: let the heavens and the earth praise him (Ps 68:35[69:34]).

And again speaking by the comparison of a wife, He says: "Even if she shall have forgotten, yet will I not forget thee." For who can be ignorant, that the memory of God is neither broken off by oblivion, nor yet repaired by recollection? But when He neglects and passes over some things, He is said, after the manner of minds, to forget, and when, after a long time, He visits the things He wills, He is said, after the fashion of our changeableness, to have remembered. For how does oblivion weaken the strength of that Godhead, with Which even praiseworthy memory itself has no essential agreement. For men remember no things, except those which are either past or absent. How then does God remember past things, when the very things which in themselves pass away, stand ever present at His beck? Or how does He call to mind things absent, when every thing that is, is present to Him, from the fact that it exists in Him? For if it were not present to Him, it would not exist at all; for things nonexistent He creates, by looking on them, things existent He keeps together, by looking on them.

We have often mentioned that Jerusalem and Zion in the holy Scriptures ought to be understood in four ways, one according to the Jews and when the Lord lamented in the Gospel, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who killed the prophets." … Second, as the congregation of the saints that in the peace of the Lord and in the mirror of virtues is rightly called Zion, about which it is said, "Your foundations are in the holy mountains, the Lord loves the gates of Zion above all the temples of Jacob." For it is not the foundations of the Jewish Zion that we saw were destroyed that was loved by the Lord, as if what was loved by the Lord could be destroyed. Third, "Jerusalem" means the host of angels and rulers and powers and all that is set up for God's ministry.… Fourth, by "Jerusalem" is called that which the Jews and Judaizing Christians read of in the Apocalypse of John, a text they do not understand; they think of Jerusalem as golden and jeweled and coming down from the heavens, whose dimensions and enormous width are also described in the last part of Ezekiel.… There is no doubt that here the congregation of the saints remembers and complains in a tearful voice that it has been deserted and left destitute of the Lord's help.

(Verse 14 and following) And Zion said: The Lord has abandoned me, and the Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing child, so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb? Even if she forgets, I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are always before my eyes. Your builders have come, and those who destroyed and devastated you will depart from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see; all these have gathered together, they have come to you. I live, says the Lord: that you may be adorned with all these, and that you may surround yourself with them as a bride, for your desolate and deserted places, and the land of your ruins, will now be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who devoured you will be far away. They will still say in your ears, the sons of your barrenness: It is too small for me, make room for me to live. And you will say in your heart: Who has borne these for me? I am barren and not bearing children, a wanderer and captive: and who raised them? I am abandoned and alone: and where were they? LXX: But Zion said: The Lord has forsaken me, and God has forgotten me. Will a woman forget her infant, that she would not have compassion on the child of her womb? But even if a woman were to forget these, I will not forget you, says the Lord. Behold, I have engraved your walls on my hands: and you are always before me. You will be rebuilt quickly by those from whom you were destroyed; and those who scattered you will come out from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see: all these have gathered together, they have come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall put them all on like an ornament, and wrap them around you like a bride's necklace: for your desolate and ruined places and your destroyed land will now be too small for your inhabitants, and those who humbled you will be far away from you. For they will say in your ears, your sons whom you have lost: There is narrow space for me: make room for me to live. And you will say in your heart: Who has borne these for me? And I, without children and a widow, who has brought up these for me? I have been forsaken alone, and where were they? Jerusalem and Zion are understood in four ways in the holy Scriptures, as we have often mentioned. One, according to the Jews, which the Lord laments in the Gospel, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the Prophets, and stones those who are sent to you (Matthew 23:37). And in another place: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know that its desolation is near (Luke, XXI, 20). Secondly, the congregation of the Saints, who are established in the peace of the Lord and in the towers of virtues, are rightly called Zion, of whom it is said: Its foundations are on the holy mountains: the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Psalm LXXXVI, 1). For the foundations of the Jewish Zion, which we see to be destroyed, were not loved by the Lord, nor could that which was loved by the Lord be destroyed. Thirdly, Jerusalem is called the multitude of Angels, Dominions, and Powers, and everything that is established in the ministry of God. Concerning this Jerusalem, the Apostle speaks: But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26). And in another place: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). Fourthly, Jerusalem is called the one which the Jews and our Judaizers, according to the Apocalypse of John, think should be placed in the celestial realm as a golden and bejeweled one, which they do not understand (Apocalypse 21), whose boundaries and infinite breadth are also described in the final part of Ezekiel. Therefore, since these things are so, let us now examine more closely what Zion has said: The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me. There is no doubt that the congregation of the saints, which was once among the Jews and was abandoned by the Lord, laments this and bitterly mourns that it has been deserted and deprived of the Lord's help. To this, God responded, using a natural analogy: Can a mother forget her infant, be without mercy towards the child of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you. I will say something more: even if she has forgotten, overcome by the hardness of her mind, the laws of nature; I, however, will not forget my creature, and I will always keep the souls of the saints in my heart. For you should know that what you think is completely abandoned, is written and depicted in my hands; and your walls always remain before my eyes. From this we learn that Jerusalem is not to be sought in the region of Palestine, which is the worst of the whole province, and is rough with rocky mountains, and suffers from scarcity of water, so much so that it needs heavenly rains and makes up for the scarcity of springs with the construction of cisterns; but it is in the hands of God, to which it is said: Your builders have hastened. Or according to the Septuagint: 'You will quickly be rebuilt by those by whom you were destroyed. For it was destroyed by the Jews, it was built by the Jews. It was deserted because of the fault of the Scribes and Pharisees, but it was gathered together for the preaching of the Apostles of Christ, both from the Jews and from the nations. It follows: And those who destroyed and scattered you will come out of you: the worst teachers; so that you do not follow at all the commandments and traditions of men (Matt. XV), but the law of God.' And it is said to her, to raise her eyes around, and to see the children who had gathered to her. Of whom also the Lord spoke: Lift up your eyes, and see that the harvest is already white for reaping (John 4:35). And to make us secure: As I live, says the Lord (which is said according to the custom of swearing in the Old Testament), you will be clothed with all these as with ornaments, and you will surround yourself with them, as a bride adorns herself with a necklace. Blessed is he who has such great merit and virtue that he is called an adornment of the Church. I think, however, that these various spiritual graces are signified, by which the bride is adorned. And this is sung about in the forty-fourth psalm: The queen stood at your right hand, in a garment adorned with gold, surrounded by variety (Ps. 44:10). For those places which were previously deserted and fallen into ruins, with the coming of Christ's Gospel, will be restored and will have such a multitude of inhabitants that they cannot be contained. So, while the persecutors are kept far away, or those about whom we have spoken above: Those who destroyed you and scattered you, will go out from you. And the sons of your barrenness, whom you thought you had completely lost, and that you were widowed by them, will say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me in the synagogues, make room for me in the Churches, so that I may dwell more expansively, so that I may not be constrained by the blasphemies of the Jews, so that the whole world may contain your wideness with you.' But unable to express the magnitude of my joy with my mouth, you will think silently in your heart, and say: Who has given birth to these for me? I was barren and a widow, forsaken and captive among the people of Judah, I had ceased to have children, for a long time I had not given birth. After Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi, I had seen no other prophets until John the Baptist; and how is it that being alone and deprived of the help of a husband, I have now begun to have so many children? But so that we may know that Christ is built upon a rock and foundation from both peoples, Paul speaks to the believers: Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20.) From this it is clear that the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets is one, our Lord Jesus Christ.

904. And Zion said. Here he excludes their doubt.

And first, that which arose from divine indignation;

second, that which arose from their dejection: and you shall say in your heart (Isa 49:21);

third, that which arose from the power of their enemies, where it says, shall the prey be taken from the strong? (Isa 49:24).

Concerning the first, he does three things:

first, he sets out their doubt, the Lord has forsaken me, without help, and therefore I cannot hope for liberation: I am left alone (Bar 4:19);

The blessed Virgin paid that price as a woman strong and devout with the piety of mercy toward the world, and especially toward the Christian people. Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have mercy on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet I will not forget you." This is said of Christ. And it can be understood here that the entire Christian people was brought forth from the womb of the glorious Virgin, which is signified to us by the woman formed from the side of the man, who signifies the Church.

This design and love of his, which the Lord deigns with unwearying kindness to benefit us with and which he wishes to express by an act of human affection, although he discovers no such loving disposition in his creation to which he could worthily compare it, he has compared with the most tender heart of a loving mother. He uses this example because he can find nothing dearer in the nature of human beings. - "Conference 13.17.4"

This providence and love of God therefore, which the Lord in His unwearied goodness vouchsafes to show us, He compares to the tenderest heart of a kind mother, as He wishes to express it by a figure of human affection, and finds in His creatures no such feeling of love, to which he could better compare it. And He uses this example, because nothing dearer can be found in human nature, saying: "Can a mother forget her child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" But not content with this comparison He at once goes beyond it, and subjoins these words: "And though she may forget, yet will not I forget thee."

So tell me, where did you learn that you did not belong to those who are foreknown and predestined to become conformed to the image of God's glory? Tell me, who told you this? Was it, maybe, God Who announced this to you, Himself, or by one of His prophets, or through an angel? "No," you say, "but I do suppose that I am not predestined to salvation, and that all my effort would be in vain." And why do you not believe instead with all your soul that God has sent His only-begotten Son on the earth for your sake alone, and for your salvation, that He knew you beforehand and predestined you to become His brother and co-heir? Why are you not eager to love Him with all your heart and to honor His saving commandments? Why do you not rather believe that, having been slaughtered for your sake, He will never abandon you, nor allow you to perish? Do you not hear Him saying: "Can a woman forget her suckling child . . . yet I will not forget you" [Isaiah 49:15]? So, if by anticipation you judge yourself unworthy, and willfully separate yourself from the flock of Christ's sheep, you should understand that it is none other than you who are the cause of your own damnation.

Therefore, casting out of our souls all faithlessness, sloth, and hesitation, let us draw near with all our heart, with unhesitating faith and burning desire, like slaves who have been newly purchased with precious blood. Indeed, with reverence for the price paid on our behalf, and with love for our Master Who paid it, and as having accepted His love for us, let us recognize that, if He had not wished to save by means of Himself us who have been purchased, He would not have come down to earth, nor would He have been slain for our sake. But, as it is written, He has done this because He wills that all should be saved. Listen to Him say it Himself: "I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world" [John 12:17]. - "Second Ethical Discourse"

Only let us put the rudders of our lives in his hands, and we shall encounter an unfailing providence. God's guardianship will be surer than that of any person, for his are the words, "Can a woman forget her nursing child? Will she not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yet I will not forget you." God is nearer to us than a father and mother, for he is our Maker and Creator.

Concerning the first, he does three things:

first, he sets out their doubt, the Lord has forsaken me, without help, and therefore I cannot hope for liberation: I am left alone (Bar 4:19);

second, he excludes this doubt through the similitude of a mother: can a woman forget her infant: surely Ephraim is an honorable son to me (Jer 31:20);

third, he adds the promise of the restoration of the city.