4.

But you will say, "I am walking in this way already; once there was need for me to learn, there was need for me to know by the teaching of the law what I had to do: now I have the free choice of the will; who shall withdraw me from this way?" If thou read carefully, thou wilt find that a certain man began to uplift himself, on a certain abundance of his, which he had nevertheless received; but that the Lord in mercy, to teach him humility, took away what He had given; and he was on a sudden reduced to poverty, and confessing the mercy of God in his recollection, he said, "In my abundance I said, I shall never be moved." ¹ "In my abundance I said." But I said it, I who am a man said it; "All men are liars, I said." ² Therefore, "in my abundance I said;" so great was the abundance, that I dared to say, "I shall never be moved." What next? "O Lord, in Thy favour Thou gavest strength to my beauty." But "Thou turnedst away Thy Face from me, and I was troubled." ³ "Thou hast shown me," saith he, "that that wherein I did abound, was of Thee. Thou hast shown me Whence I should seek, to Whom attribute what I had received, to Whom I ought to render thanks, to Whom I should run in my thirst, Whereby be filled, and with Whom keep that whereby I should be filled. For my strength will I keep to Thee;' ⁴ whereby I am by Thy bounty filled, through Thy safe keeping I will not lose. My strength will I keep to Thee.' That Thou mightest show me this, Thou turnedst away Thy Face from me, and I was troubled.' Troubled,' because dried up; dried up, because exalted. Say then thou dry and parched one, that thou mayest be filled again; My soul is as earth without water unto Thee.' ⁵ Say, My soul is as earth without water unto Thee.' For Thou hast said, not the Lord, I shall never be moved.' Thou hast said it, presuming on thine own strength; but it was not of thyself, and thou didst think as if it were."