Chapter IV.
Sinners are clothed with their own iniquity: which garment must be rejected by us, so that we may be clothed with the garment of virtues, especially fasting; Joseph found it profitable to clothe himself with this, while Adam suffered great loss in casting it off; and, finally, the iniquity of the Jews has manifestly and deliberately emerged as if from fat.
Therefore, he says, their pride has gained control over them, they are covered in their own wickedness and impiety. Wickedness is a harmful garment, which, if anyone wishes to hold onto in us, we must forgive, lest it begin to come to judgment with us; and if anyone should try to take away our spiritual tunic that we have received, let go of the cloak of wickedness, take up the covering of faith and patience, with which David covered himself in fasting, lest he lose the covering of virtue. Fasting is a covering. Indeed, unless the holy Joseph had observed the sobriety of fasting, he would have stripped off the impudence of the adulteress. If Adam had desired to cover himself with this fasting, he would not have become naked. But because he tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil against the divine prohibition, and transgressed the commanded fasting with food of disobedience, he knew himself to be naked. If he had fasted and preserved the vestiges of faith, he would not have looked at himself uncovered. Therefore, let us not clothe ourselves in iniquity and impiety, lest it be said of any of us: And he put on a curse (Psalm 108:18). And Adam also clothed himself poorly, for while he was seeking the covering of leaves, he received the sentence of curse.
11. They have clothed themselves in the curse of the Jews, of whom it is written: Their wickedness has come forth as from fatness, they have passed into the disposition of the heart (Psalm 72:7). For from fatness, they are called fat, that is, rich. Just as the soul, nourished by good things and filled with virtues, is filled with fatness and richness, as it is written (Psalm 62:6): so wickedness, which proceeds as from fatness, is not thin and lean, but full of vices. Finally, they did not accidentally fall into error, but with deliberate intent and planning, they crossed over into sacrilege.