Chapter XIV.
To have a pure heart is to be renewed by the sun; and within it, what are the organs, what is the spirit, of which the holy Prophet speaks? The averted face of the Lord is like a place of severe punishment; and how does He cast the same away from His presence? Who are subjected to this most dreadful punishment? After this, there is some discussion about freedom and unity of will in the Trinity.
Following: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:12). Above, it seeks to be cleansed from hidden faults (Psalm 19:13); here, it asks for a clean heart to be created for itself, which comes to one who is renewed in spirit. For in the new person, the heart is clean, in which the filth of past sins has been washed away, and no trace of iniquity remains inscribed. But it is indeed a great gift to have a clean heart. Where beautifully Solomon: Who will boast of having a pure heart? And the Lord in the Gospel: Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. The prophet David also desired to have a pure heart, so that he would not be cast away from the face of the Lord.
However, when the heart is clean, the spirit is renewed in its inner self. For just as the internal organs are the inner parts of the body, so are the intellectual organs of the soul, such as the organs of mercy (Colossians 3:12), as are the inner parts that bless the Lord, of which it is said: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my inmost being, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1). But the organs of the soul are the inventions of the senses, the pursuit of good thoughts, the perseverance of virtues, and finally those things that are called εὐνομίαι in Greek.
However, the straight spirit that directs well, that leads on the straight path, this is the spirit of truth; or certainly the straight conscience of a person unswayed by any sins, or the spirit that is in a person. We do not disregard what others may think; however, it seems to us that the reading speaks about mysteries and expresses the grace of future renewal, and the infusion of the Holy Spirit is required.
Then follows: Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Ps. L, 13). If someone offends us servants, we tend to turn our face away from them. However, many rich people are accustomed to send away their slaves and exile them to small farms, and this punishment is considered more severe. Finally, they tend to offer themselves to beatings. If this is considered serious among humans, how much more so in the sight of our Lord God. As though from this point forward parricidal grief did not burst forth (indeed, it would have been curbed if piety could have tempered it), because God turned his face away from Cain’s offerings; however, He looked upon Abel’s offerings. Therefore, with a silent countenance, He pronounced one innocent, the other guilty. Therefore, as if the lowest servant, he humbles himself; and as if caught in sin and deserving of offense, he beseeches that he be whipped rather than cast out from the face of the Lord.
How does God cast out from his presence, hear him saying: Cast him into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13). Whoever is not corrected, is placed in darkness before his face. Therefore, so that the righteous does not suffer darkness, he says: Your face, Lord, I will seek (Psalm 26:8). For where the Lord's face is, there is light, as it is written: Make your face shine upon your servant (Psalm 119:35). Finally, when he saw Peter for the first time, he enlightened him.
Therefore, a great punishment is to be cast away from the face of God. Adam was cast away when he left paradise, and not unjustly; for he had hidden himself from the face of God. Cain also went away from the face of God, not only after committing the act of parricide, but also because he thought he could deceive God and deny the crime. Therefore, the sinner is excluded from the face of God; but the righteous person says: Behold, here I am (Isaiah 6:8). Finally, David himself, when he saw the people perishing, offered himself, saying: It is I, I have sinned, and I have done evil as a shepherd (2 Kings 24:17); and thus the anger of the Lord was mitigated, and forgiveness was granted.
At the same time, it shows that the saints remain, while the guilty are cast out. Therefore, we must preserve spiritual grace, so that it is not taken from us because of our sins. For the one in whom the Holy Spirit resides is not cast out, but rather, with the unimpeded fruit of his calling, seeks to always offer himself to the Lord, like the one who, when the Lord said, 'Do you also want to go away?' responded, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we believe' (John 6:68-69).
Furthermore, it must be considered that the Holy Spirit is not taken away except by the will of the Lord, just as it is not given except by the will of the Lord. And when it is given, it does not operate as if compelled, but rather is divided according to its own will, as it is written, with the Apostle saying: 'But all these things one and the same Spirit works, dividing to each one as He wills' (1 Corinthians 12:11). Therefore, since it is not taken away except by the will of the Lord, it is evident that there is one will of the Trinity.