Chapter II.
First fruits should be valued not by time but by sanctity: when faith, which is especially necessary, should be joined to true sacrifice; labor should be exchanged for fruit, and the soul should be freed from useless things.
Now let us consider what the power of first fruits is, and whether first fruits are valued by time or by holiness, that is, whether all firstborn have the sanctification of first fruits. Indeed, the first fruits of the harvest are considered holy according to the law (Num. XVIII, 8) because in them there is the best sacrifice of eager faith, but they are made holy by devotion, not by time, because it is not the produce that sanctifies, but devotion. Finally, where there is a quick yield, if devotion is delayed, offense is incurred. Therefore, not all firstborn are holy: only those that are holy are also firstborn. Indeed, Cain was the firstborn, but not holy. Likewise, the people of Israel, the holy people of God, are not the first in age; yet they are called firstborn, as it is written in the prophets: 'Israel is my firstborn' (Exodus 4:22). And Levi is holy, but not the firstborn; for it is recorded that he was the third son of Leah (Genesis 29:34); yet the Levites are called firstborn, from whom the name is derived. For it is written in Numbers: Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn that opens the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine; for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified every firstborn in Israel (Num. 3:12-13). Therefore, the Levites were called the firstborn, as they were set apart by sanctification before the other children of Israel. To understand why they were called the firstborn, listen to the Apostle saying: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Heb. 12:22). He made four orders: Mount Zion, the city of Jerusalem, the assembly of angels, and the primitive Churches. Therefore, the Lord God took the Levites from the midst of the people of Israel, because he did not want them to be sharers of human cares, but ministers of divine religion. And he made them his firstborn who open the spiritual womb; and therefore they were not from the womb of nature, like sinners of various crimes: but they are chosen after the secular worshippers have been destroyed. Where they do not have fellowship with plebeian possession, nor are they counted among the people; because they possess the word of God among themselves, as it is written in the Gospel: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst (Matt. XVIII, 20). And elsewhere: There stands among you one whom you do not know (John I, 26).
Therefore, we know that above all faith should commend us to God. When we have faith, let us strive for our works to be perfect. For this is a full and perfect sacrifice, as the Lord himself teaches us, saying: 'You shall offer to me your gifts and offerings on my feast days, without detracting or dividing them; but offering them in full, intact, and perfect.' Now, the feast day of the Lord is where the grace of perfected virtues resides. Those who are truly perfect are those whose mind, having conquered the allurements of worldly anxieties and bodily pleasures, is free from the world and dedicated to God, not diminishing anything from the straight path of their direct intention, nor dividing the times of their own affections now to luxury, now to labor. Therefore, only the wise celebrate this solemnity, no one else. For it is difficult to find a soul immune to such passions. Divide, therefore, according to the reason of the soul, the principal things and obedience, and then you will understand what is masculine and what is feminine. Virtue is nothing without labor, for labor is the process of virtue. This is also indicated by the very words of the law itself, which says: Whatever opens the womb of a donkey, you shall redeem with a lamb (Exodus 13:13). Indeed, the law separated unclean animals from sacrifice, and instead commanded clean ones to be offered in their place. Therefore, it commands that the offspring of a donkey, that is, something unclean, be replaced with a lamb, which is clean and suitable for sacrifice (Leviticus 27:27). This is according to the literal meaning. But if anyone pursues the meaning of the spiritual law more deeply, it is worth considering that the donkey is a laborious animal, the sheep productive. Therefore, it says that the labor should be changed into fruit, so that the end of one's work is fruitful. Or certainly in this way: you will commend all your labor, all your industry, with pure and simple affection.
9. But if you do not change, he says, you will redeem (Exod., XIII, 13). Therefore, according to the letter, it is commanded that another animal be offered for the unclean animal, or its price, so that nothing unclean or less than a tithe of the fruits appears to be offered. However, a deeper understanding teaches you to free your soul, so that it may abstain from those things that do not bear fruit. For whoever redeems himself, frees himself and in a way pays off a debt. Works that cannot produce true fruit and good results must be abandoned; such are the worldly things whose use cannot be lasting. In these things, he himself became naked and void of reality; and although he was sought after with the greatest effort, it brings no comfort to his soul. For those things which bring slavery to the soul are all useless, even if the effect is not lacking. The victory of the fighters seems great, the glory of the triumphant: but we frequently see those who have won, once again fall under uncertain wars and be transferred to the enemy by the outcome of the battle, and in that very moment when they were conquerors before, become more miserable. Therefore, it is necessary that you direct your actions towards God, and that His favor may aspire to you. The athlete himself, who judges with his own strength and not with that of others, believes that he undergoes uncertain events whenever he competes. And when he reaches the crown, he understands that this worldly glory, like the leaves of the crown itself, withers quickly. When a captain has steered a ship into port, he barely considers the end of his work and immediately seeks the beginning of new work. The soul is separated from the body, and after the end of this life, it is still held in suspense by the uncertain judgement of the future. So there is no end where an end is thought. From there, let us adhere to our God with vows and pure conscience and the spirit of charity, and let us obtain divine favor: praying that we may be able to be freed and stripped away from worldly cares like from cruel and rustic lords, and to exit from worldly service and enter into the freedom of supernatural knowledge, which is true and the only freedom, as we are called.