salvation, and, being delivered from all curiosity and the guile of the adversary, may you be accounted worthy to be found unfallen and unconquered in the day of the judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and power together with the Father and His life-giving Spirit, now, and always, and unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.]
THE ASCETICAL WORKS OF OUR HOLY FATHER MACARIUS OF EGYPT
(GALLAND, *Bibliotheca Patrum*, vol. VII, p. 161.)These works were first published under the name of Saint Macarius the Egyptian by Petrus Possinus at Toulouse in 1683, within a quarto volume, from an ancient manuscript of Franciscus Turrianus of the Society of Jesus; thereafter they were published again by Georgius Preti among the works of Macarius (Leipzig, 1714, in octavo), and by Galland in his *Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum*. That these works are not truly the genuine compositions of Saint Macarius, but rather were compiled from his homilies, is evident from a comparison of the opuscula with the homilies, and is further confirmed by the testimony of Greek manuscripts in the Imperial Library of Vienna (nos. CIV, formerly CCXL, in folio; CXL, formerly CLXXIX, in quarto; CLXXIX, formerly CLVI, in quarto; CXCII, formerly CCXXXIV, in quarto). Codex CIV also clearly reveals that Simeon the Logothete, who flourished in the first part of the twelfth century (1152), was the compiler of these works. For the works are inscribed therein as follows: *Chapters of Saint Macarius transcribed by Simeon the Logothete.* EDIT.
OF THE GREAT MACARIUS: A DISCOURSE ON THE CUSTODY OF THE HEART
MACARIUS THE GREAT: A BOOK ON THE CUSTODY OF THE HEART
1. How can anyone say: "I am holy, because I fast, and live as a stranger, and distribute my possessions"? Is he holy who has not yet purified the inner man?
For A purification is not merely the abstaining from evils, but the perfect purification according to conscience. Enter, therefore, O man, through the intensity of your thoughts, to your mind—that captive and slave of sin—and behold, beneath your mind and deeper than your thoughts, in what are called the treasuries of your soul, the serpent that creeps and dwells there, the one that has murdered you through the most vital parts of your soul. For the heart is an unsearchable abyss; and if you kill this serpent, then you may truly boast to God of purity. But if not, then humble yourself as one in need and a sinner, and beseech God regarding your hidden sins.
II. True death is hidden within the heart, by which the outward man, however much he may seem to breathe, is in reality dead. If, therefore, anyone passes from death to life in that secret place of the heart, he truly lives for eternity and does not die anymore. Although the bodies of such people are also dissolved for a certain time when their souls depart from them, they are nonetheless sanctified and will rise in glory; for this reason, we call the death of the saints a sleep.
III. The entire struggle of the adversary is concentrated on this: to be able to drag our mind away from the remembrance and love of God, employing earthly allurements and striving with every art to turn our affection and sense away from Him who alone is truly good, and toward those things which are good only by opinion and not in solid truth. For whatever good a man does, the wicked one attempts to stain and pollute, exerting himself most especially, when he sees someone laboring to observe the law, to cast C the stain of either vainglory or arrogant self-regard upon his good work, so that what is done may not be done solely for the sake of God and from a good and truly praiseworthy intention.
IV. What, then? Since we are not accustomed to entering into our own hearts, how shall we begin? By fasting and prayer let us stand outside and knock, just as the Lord commanded, saying: "Knock, and it will be opened to you." For if we persevere in the word of the Lord, and in the deeply humble sense of our own poverty and worthlessness, and simultaneously in the practice of all the virtues commanded by the law, knocking night and day at the spiritual door of the Lord, we shall be able to attain that which we seek. For through this door, everyone who wishes to flee from the captivity of darkness can obtain deliverance. Indeed, he finds D there the freedom of the soul, and receives its proper thoughts, and acquires the heavenly King, Christ.
V. When the mind forgets this spiritual and pious affliction, then it also forgets the commandments; and where it seems to be running, it wanders from the straight path and walks in crooked ways. For this reason, it encounters wild beasts. For if we had not abandoned the labor of prayer and hope, we would certainly not have sinned. For to those who are in[wardly afflicted for the sake of the soul...]]
the Scripture says: "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able," but to the uninstructed, evils will occur.
VI. Just as the outer eyes see thorns and precipices from afar, so too the vigilant mind, being quick, foresees the arts and traps of the opposing power, and secures the soul, as it is its eye.
VII. There is need for much struggle and hidden and invisible labor to engage in the examination of thoughts, and to exercise the weakened senses of our soul for the discernment of good and evil. It is necessary always to stir up through the mind, as it urges itself towards God, the weakened members of the soul, with our mind always calling upon the Lord, so that it may become one spirit according to the word of Paul. We must hold this hidden struggle and meditation on the Lord and labor, night and day, for every endeavor of a commandment—whether we are praying, eating, ministering, drinking, or doing anything else—so that every good deed may be done for the glory of God. For the entire succession of the commandments is sanctified and is performed purely by you through the unceasing memory of God, and fear, and love towards God, and we are kept apart from Bthat which defiles the commandments of God.
VIII. For the patriarch Abraham offered the spoils to the priest of God, Melchisedech, and thus received the blessing from him. And what else does the Spirit hint at through this, but by indicating a higher contemplation, namely, the summits and the "bones"—the entire structure of our nature—that is, the mind itself, the conscience itself, the disposition itself, the thought itself, and the soul’s power for loving; [showing] that we must always bring as first fruits to God first, before all else, the holy sacrifice of our heart? The spoils, and the peaks of good thoughts, are for one who is always occupied with the same memory and meditation on Him. And thus we can daily receive increase and progress, being helped by divine grace, and the burden of the justice of the commandments will appear light to us, as we perform them purely and blamelessly, being Cco-operated with by the Lord himself through our faith in Him.
But concerning the visible exercise and which good endeavor is greater and primary, know this, beloved, that all virtues hang from one another and are bound together to one another, and just as a sacred spiritual chain, one hangs from the next: prayer from love, love from joy, joy from gentleness, gentleness from humility, humility from service, service from hope, hope from faith, faith from obedience, obedience from simplicity.
Just as on the contrary, vices are also joined to one another, and from one another another arises; for instance, hatred from anger, anger from pride, pride from vainglory, vainglory from unbelief, unbelief from hardness of heart, hardness of heart from negligence, negligence from listlessness, listlessness from disdain, disdain from sloth, sloth from pusillanimity, pusillanimity from the love of pleasure; and thus other members of malice are suspended from one another and dragged along together. By a like example, also in the better part, virtues depend on one another. The head, however, of every virtue and the supreme vertex of praiseworthy works is constant perseverance in prayer, through which we are able to attain daily the remaining virtues also, procured by continuous petition from God.
IX. Unless humility, and simplicity, and kindness adorn us, the habit of prayer will profit us nothing. But we do not say this only concerning prayer, but also concerning every other contest and labor, whether it be in the guarding of virginity, in the recitation of prayers, or in any other toilsome function of virtue undertaken; unless we find within ourselves, in purity, the fruits of charity, peace, joy, gentleness, humility, simplicity, and sincerity, faith and long-suffering, our labors are undertaken in vain and to no purpose; for all this exercise and contest ought to be undertaken for the sake of these fruits. Wherefore, if these fruits do not appear within us, all that operation was fruitless and void, and thus those who work without these will be found in the day of judgment like the five foolish virgins 7, who, because they had not carried from here, in the vessels of their hearts, the spiritual oil by which the aforementioned virtues are designated, were named foolish and excluded from the spiritual bridal chamber of the kingdom. C And the labor of virginity, on account of the lack of virtues and the privation of the manifest indwelling of the Spirit, was accounted as nothing. For just as in the cultivation of the vine every industry and labor is directed toward the gathering of the fruits; and if that should fail in the end, with no grapes found on the vine, the vine-dresser is considered to have labored in vain and without reward; so, unless through the operation of the Holy Spirit we recognize in ourselves, in all certainty and spiritual sense, the fruits of charity, peace, joy, humility, and the other gifts enumerated by the Apostle 8, we are convinced that we have undertaken the contest of virginity, oration, psalmody, fasting, and the labor of vigils in vain. For these labors of soul and body ought to be exercised in the hope of such spiritual fruits; but the fruit-bearing of the Spirit in the virtues is spiritual enjoyment in incorrupt pleasure, in faithful hearts animated by the operation of the Holy Spirit; for with much discretion of prudence, the operation, labors, and toils of nature are to be considered as effectively bestowed by the Holy Spirit, through faith and hope, upon those who are worthy. Fasting is good, watching is good; flight from one's country and human conversation into solitude is good. But these are the very flower and vigor of conversation
Christians is beyond these, and no one ought to have their confidence in these things alone. It happens that there are some who are participants of grace, but in whom malice, while it truly subsists, strives to lie hidden deceitfully, ceasing of its own accord to act and hiding itself, so that it may deceive the very person in whom it dwells, falsely persuading him that his mind is already purified. Hence he is inflated with arrogance, saying, "I am a perfect Christian." But while the wretched man sleeps in this confidence, proclaiming himself free, malice—which, like a robber from the hiding-place where it had sat, attacks him unexpectedly and with a vehement temptation—overpowers and casts him down into the lowest depths of the earth. For if men often, when given over to robbery or warfare, know how to use strategy, lying in wait in hidden places and suddenly rising from their ambush against the backs of the enemy, and slaughtering those who are surrounded by them with sudden force, how much more does malice, which has practiced this work for so many thousands of years B and has destroyed so many souls, know how to make an ambush in the heart, occasionally ceasing to act, so that by this persuasion it may infect the soul, convincing it that it is perfect?
X. The Foundation of Christianity
X. The foundation of Christianity is this: that a man, after any good works whatsoever, should not rest in them or think himself great, but should persevere in being poor in spirit. And when he has become a participant of grace, he should not imagine that he has attained anything, or think he is someone, or begin to act as a teacher. Nor should he think himself to be someone above the common people; indeed, even when he has withdrawn into solitude and has walked well, fasting much, enduring the exile of the world, praying piously, a possessor of the gifts of grace, he should nonetheless not consider his soul precious. Rather, then especially, when he first feels the approach C of grace, let him labor solicitously and show a thirst for further progress, being very careful not to act as if he were already satisfied, or that he is abundantly righteous or wealthy, but on the contrary, let him rather mourn and weep. Just as if a mother had raised an only son with great care, and when he reaches manhood he happens to die, those who come to console the mother only increase the incentives for grief, and she is inconsolable; so the Christian ought to weep for his fall and weep unceasingly, and above all have a contrite heart.
XI. That we should not rest in exterior things
XI. As if the palace of some king had many rooms, and various courtyards, and many vestibules, and interior chambers where the king dwells and where the purple and the treasures are laid up, D a person entering into the outer courtyards should not think that he has already come into the interior chambers where the glory of the king, the purple, and the treasures are; so in spiritual matters, those who fast, who keep watch, who chant psalms and pray, should not think that they have entered into the rest, but merely that they are entering into the vestibules and into the courtyards, not where the purple and the treasures are. Therefore, brothers, they ought not to trust in their exterior way of life, and say, "I am someone;" and if one becomes a participant of grace, he should not imagine that he has taken hold of it, or has become very close to the king; for he still lingers in the outer rooms. He ought not to seek
A to find out whether he has discovered the treasure in the earthen vessel, or has put on the royal purple of the Spirit, or has found the king and enjoys rest. For the soul is such: it has a certain depth and many members, and consequently sin, having entered in, holds all its members and the thoughts of the heart. Then, when the man seeks, grace comes to him and takes hold of two members of the soul. He, therefore, being inexperienced in such matters, when encouraged by grace, thinks that the grace which has come has taken hold of all the members of the soul, and that sin has been rooted out. B At that moment, therefore, the greater part is held by sin and a portion by grace, and he is deceived and does not know it; for grace is often working ceaselessly, just as the eye is established in the body, and sin is present, stealing away the mind. And the undiscerning man, as if he had already grasped it, thinks something of himself and is puffed up as though he were set free. But things are not so; for, as I have said, Satan carries out a concealment, not working for a time, so that he may cause the man to think, "I am pure and perfect." For the one planting a vineyard does not immediately gather grapes or make wine, and he who sows seed in the earth does not straightway harvest and take the fruits, and the newly born child cannot immediately become a full-grown man, nor does a recruit laying down the first rudiments of warfare at once become fit to hold military commands; for it is necessary for him first to become accustomed to labor with long patience; then, when the opportunity for battle comes, to stand bravely in the field, defeat the enemy, and be crowned.
XII. Voluntary poverty, psalmody, fasting, vigils, and partaking of the grace of God are indeed beautiful and good things; C but they profit little one who has not yet, as he ought, begun to dig where he may lay a foundation. And let the mind not suffer itself to be deceived in this, however much it may be a participant of grace; nor let it flatter itself because of it, thinking its own soul precious. Look unto Jesus, from what glory the Son of God, being God himself, came down to what sufferings and to crucifixion? Because of this humility, therefore, He was exalted and sits at the right hand of the Father. But the serpent from the beginning sowed in Adam [the desire for] exaltation, suggesting, *You shall be as Gods*; but through this affectation of sublimity, you see into what ignominy the race of Adam fell. Indeed, I seek a man poor in spirit, and I do not find one. Just as if someone having treasures hidden away at home D should nevertheless go about begging and asking from all, so are Christians, who are wealthy in the possession of grace before God, yet are poor in their humble estimation of themselves, as if they had nothing. If a hundred pounds of gold were owed to someone, and he were content upon having received five, and sought nothing further, would he act wisely? Some counsel themselves even worse, having, if I may so say, ten unciae
A of grace, and multiplying them in their own minds into a hundred through the vain swelling of false pride; while on the contrary, others, having five unciae of sin, diminish them down to a half-uncia. This happens to them either through ignorance, because they do not know from the truth how small a measure of grace they have been granted, or through an appetite for vain glory, not enduring to confess the operation of evil which they experience in themselves. For they already proclaim themselves to be perfect. Yet it is necessary for a man both to be and to speak what is just; and to acknowledge both the gifts of grace that he receives, and not to dissimulate the operation of sin which he feels within himself. For such a person lies, claiming to have a pure heart; for things are not in such a state, as if the man were rendered pure in every respect as soon as grace arrives. For he is delivered to enemies and exposed to their temptations for exercise and discipline, just as Job was proved by temptation. For evil co-operates with the good, though not with a good intention. It behooves a Christian, however, who has five unciae of sin, to say in self-humiliation, "I have twenty, and I am full of iniquity." And he who has, for example, twenty unciae of goodness, should say, "I have scarcely a half-uncia of good." But if he is ashamed to say this on account of a desire for vain glory, let him at least declare what is just. Let him acknowledge both the operation of grace and the sin in part. As I said before concerning the soul, that it has a depth, we shall use examples to describe its members. B Just as there is a sun, and there are many rays from it; or as there is a tall tree having branches; or as there is a great city having many neighborhoods; so is the intellectual substance, the immortal soul, a beauty precious above all creatures, the image and likeness of God. Eventually, grace coming, shines upon two rays of the soul; or from the whole tree upon two branches, or from the whole city onto two neighborhoods. But still, the greater parts of the soul are held by sin; and he thinks that he has become entirely, through and through, of the good part, and of grace, and of brilliance; just as if someone having obtained five pounds of gold, it seems to him that he has acquired a hundred pounds. Has the embryo in the womb already become a man? Or, because one has placed one stone of the foundation, has he already finished the building? Or is the seed buried in the earth already become an ear of corn? Or has one who begins to trade already filled the storehouse? And is he who participates in a little grace, on account of this alone already a perfect Christian? Even the first and the great are so situated toward perfection as an official is to an emperor, or as a small stream to the river Euphrates. C He who has the intention to set off to a city thirty days' journey away, let him not think, if he has traveled two or three days, that he has entered the city. Since, therefore, the opposing power is persuasive, not compelling, and divine grace is persuasive—because of the self-willed and pliable nature of man—if a man does evil, being persuaded by Satan, Satan is not judged in his stead; but the man himself is punished and chastised, as having become a subject of evil by his own will. Likewise, even if a man should turn to the good and prevails through the grace of God, grace does not attribute the good to itself, but renders it to the man and glorifies him; D because the man himself was the cause...
of the good; such is the nature of this. However, grace does not, by coming to him, bind his will with compelling power, and subsequently make him, whether willing or unwilling, unchangeable toward the good; but the divine power, while being present, makes room for free will, so that it may be demonstrated whether the will of man holds his own soul in esteem or not, whether it consents or does not consent. For many have held it in esteem and have consented; others have turned away. For the Apostle says: "Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect in the flesh?" For no law is imposed upon nature, but rather upon free predilection, which is able to turn toward the good and toward the evil. Therefore the Lord says: "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and what will I, but that it be kindled?" The Lord desires the heavenly fire to be kindled in the hearts of men, and some indeed desire it, while others do not. Similarly, he says again: "How often would I have gathered you together, as a hen gathers her own brood, and you would not?" You see that the Lord wills it, but again that men do not will to approach the Lord and obtain mercy.
XIII. On those who wish to approach the Lord and be made worthy of eternal life.
C Whoever wishes to approach the Lord and to be made worthy of eternal life, and to become a dwelling place of God and worthy of the Holy Spirit, so that he may be able to perform His fruits according to the commandments of the Lord irreprehensibly and purely, must begin in this way: First, to believe in the Lord firmly, and to give himself over entirely to the words of His commandments, and to renounce the world in all things, so that the mind may in no way at all be occupied by any of the things that appear. And he must always strengthen himself with every endeavor for perseverance in prayer, and not despair, awaiting with confidence the inspection and help of the Lord everywhere, always having the goal of his mind fixed upon Him. Then, he must urge himself with effort and contention unceasingly toward every good, and toward the execution of all the commandments of God, however much his heart may be unwilling due to the sin that adheres to it; for example, by forcing himself to feel humble before all men, and to consider himself less and worse than everyone, not seeking honor or praise or glory from anyone, as it is written in the Gospel, but always keeping only the Lord before his eyes, and His commandments, desiring to please Him alone. D Likewise, he should force himself toward meekness, even while the heart resists, as the Lord says: "Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart; and you shall find rest for your souls." Similarly, he should accustom himself with violence, as much as he is able, to being merciful, kind, compassionate, and good, according to what the Lord says: "Be you good and kind, as your Father who is in heaven is merciful." And again He says: "If you love me, keep my commandments."
A And again, "Use violence; for the violent take the kingdom of heaven by force." And: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate." Let a man always keep the Lord’s humility, His manner of life, and His conduct before his eyes, as a model in an unforgetting memory; and let him strive with all his might to persevere in prayers, always asking and believing, so that the Lord may come and dwell in him, and establish and strengthen him in all His commandments, and that his soul may become a habitation of Jesus Christ. And thus, that which he now does by constraint and with an unwilling heart will train him for all time toward the good, and toward having an ever-living memory of God, and toward awaiting Him always in great goodness and love.
Then, when the Lord beholds such a purpose of his, and his good zeal—how he constantly uses violence upon himself for His remembrance, and for the good, and for humility, and for meekness and love—and how he constrains his heart even when it is unwilling and leads it, as much as he is able, by force, He shows His mercy to him. He delivers him from his enemies and from the sin that dwells within him, filling him with the Holy Spirit. By the help of the Spirit, he henceforth performs all the Lord's commandments in truth without violence or labor; or rather, the Lord performs His own commandments and the fruits of the Spirit in him, when He bears fruit purely.
It is necessary, however, for anyone B first approaching the Lord to use violence upon himself by urging himself toward the good, and in this to break the resistance of his heart, awaiting everywhere and always—with faith that drives away all doubt—His mercy. He must also compel himself to have pity on others and to have a heart that is beneficent toward all who are in need; also, to tolerate whatever is hard with long-suffering, and when he is vilified and despised, not to grow angry; according to the saying: "Not defending yourselves, beloved." C He must also use violence upon himself to pray, when he has not yet received the gift of prayer through the Spirit. For God, seeing one who struggles in this way and compels himself toward the good, even with an unwilling heart, gives him the true prayer of Christ; He gives him the bowels of mercy, true kindness, and, in a word, He bestows and confers upon him the whole fruit of the Spirit.
But if anyone, while desiring the gift of prayer which he lacks, uses violence upon himself only for prayer, in order to obtain it, and does not use violence upon himself for humility, and for love, and for the remaining commandments of the Lord, sometimes the gift of prayer is given to him, even with rest and joy in part, according to his request; yet in his character he remains the same as he was before. For he does not have meekness, because he did not seek it strenuously nor did he prepare himself to become so. He does not have humility, since he did not ask for it, D nor did he apply violence to himself in order to exercise it. He does not have love toward all, since he had no concern or struggle for this in his petition for prayer. For it is necessary for each man, just as he uses violence upon himself and constrains his heart in prayer, even when it is unwilling
A to do so, that he likewise constrain himself—with joy, according to what is written—into love, into meekness, and into all patience and long-suffering; that he push himself to willingly bear reproaches and to consider himself worse than all and the lowest of all; that he not utter in conversation what is not useful, but always meditate upon the oracles of the Lord in his heart and speak them with his mouth. Similarly, let him force himself not to be angry, according to that which is said: "Let all bitterness and wrath and clamor be put away from you, with all malice." Thus, the Lord, observing his zeal, will grant him all these things easily and without struggle, which before he could only maintain with violent effort because of the sin indwelling within him. And all these practices of virtue will become for him as if they were nature; for thereafter the Lord, coming and dwelling within him—and he in turn remaining in the Lord—performs His own commands within him without any distress, filling him with the fruits of the Spirit.
B XIV. If, however, someone uses violence upon himself to pour out prayer until he obtains some grace from God, but in these other matters—namely, in humility, love, meekness, and the remaining virtues—he does not apply himself with equal effort by doing violence to himself, C sometimes divine grace is granted to him when he asks and entreats; for God is good and kind, and readily grants to those who ask what they desire. Yet since such a person has not prepared himself, nor accustomed himself to the aforementioned virtues, he either loses the grace, or receives it and falls, or fails to make progress, being puffed up with pride; for he does not surrender himself entirely to the commands of the Lord according to his purpose. For the dwelling place and rest of the Spirit is humility, and love, and meekness, and the other virtues prescribed by the Lord. Therefore, those who wish in truth to please God, and to receive from Him heavenly grace, D and to grow and perfect themselves in the Holy Spirit, must first compel themselves to practice the duties of all the virtues, however much the mind may struggle against it, just as it is written: "Therefore I kept straight to all thy commandments" (Ps. CXVII, 128). For just as someone uses violence upon himself and constrains himself to persevere in prayer until he performs this duty rightly, so also must he, in like manner, compel himself toward all the duties of virtue, urging and forcing himself until, through habit, he acquires a good disposition. For thus, having obtained what he persistently asked of the Lord, he will rejoice in the full and secure possession of his desire: as the grace of the Spirit—the grace that is granted to him and rests in his humility and in the other virtues—will grow and flourish within him permanently, and it teaches him true love and true meekness, which he compelled himself to seek. And thus, having grown in progress and having been raised to the very pinnacle of perfection in God, he is deemed worthy of the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. For the humble man never falls. For where has he to fall, being beneath all? Great is the exaltation of humility; and humility is honor and dignity. Let us therefore also accustom ourselves, and let us use violence in the direction of humility, and let us not be willing
A to think of ourselves as anything, even when our heart is reluctant; and let us beseech God without ceasing, with faith, hope, and charity, in long-suffering expectation, that He may send His Spirit into our hearts, that we may pray and worship in the Spirit the Father; and that the Spirit Himself may pray within us; that the same Spirit may teach us true prayer, humility, meekness, and charity—things which we can now scarcely practice, even with violence—and that He may teach us to perform the bowels of mercy, kindness, and all the good works prescribed by the commandments of the Lord, without labor and without constraint; for the Spirit Himself knows how to fill us with His gifts. And so it shall be, that when the commandments of God have been fulfilled in us through His Spirit, who alone perfectly knows the will of Christ, since He cleanses us from the filth of sin, the same Spirit shall present us to Christ as B beautiful, pure, and blameless brides; and we shall rest in God, and Christ shall rest in us throughout the endless ages. Glory to His mercies, and to His pity, and to His charity, because He has deemed the human race worthy of such honor, vouchsafing to call us His own brothers and sons of the heavenly Father. Glory, I say, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
OF MACARIUS THE GREAT ON PERFECTION IN THE SPIRIT BOOK
C I. Every one of us obtains salvation through the grace and divine gift of the Spirit; but by faith and charity, and by the struggle of the free will, one is able to reach the perfect measure of virtue, so that, just as by grace, so also by righteousness, he may inherit eternal life. For one is not deemed worthy of perfect progress by divine power and grace alone, without also having contributed his own efforts; nor, conversely, by his own diligence and power alone, without the divine hand assisting from above, does he attain to the perfect measure of freedom and purity.