All this Abraham undergoes that he may dwell in a land of promise watered from above, and not like Egypt, from below, no producer of herbs for the weak and ailing but a land that looks for the early and the latter rain from heaven. It is a land of hills and valleys and stands high above the sea. The attractions of the world it entirely lacks, but its spiritual attractions are for this all the greater.

What do we understand here by rain, except the words of sacred preaching? We apply this passage to the holy teachers who were preachers in Judea. Of them it is written, I will command the clouds not to pour down rain upon her.^[1] We are watered by the word of their holy preaching when we acknowledge the aridity of our hearts with true humility. Thus the psalmist says rightly, My soul is like a land without water before you.^[2] The prophet urges us to be drenched with the flowing words of doctrine when he says, You who thirst, come to the waters.^[3] We, in the late ages of the world, now receive the words of holy preaching. We are watered, as it were, with late rain. This preaching of the late rain went forth from his sacrifice to us. For he says through the psalmist, The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice.^[4] Because our Redeemer suffered the attack of his persecutors in the last age of the world, he offered himself as an evening sacrifice for us. Early and late rains are promised as a gift to the people destined to enter the land of promise, and we now see this promise accomplished spiritually. He gave early rain, because he conferred understanding on his elect in the earlier time, the time of the law. He also gave late rain, because he allowed the mystery of his incarnation to be proclaimed in the last days.

Give no credit to their words, neither be afraid of them. They say that we are enemies of their idols. So be it; may God give them all into our power, as he has already given us what we have broken down. For I say this, beloved, that you may not attempt to overcome those which it is not lawfully in your power to overcome. It is the way of ill-regulated men and the mad Circum-celliones^[1] to be violent when they have no power and to be ever eager to die without cause. You heard what we read to you, all of you who were present in the Mappalia:^[2] When the land shall have been given into your power—he says first into your power and so enjoins what is to be done—then you shall destroy their altars and break in pieces their groves, and hew down all their images.^[3] When the power has not been given us, do not do it; when it is given, do not neglect it.

For it is you, Master, the heavenly King of eternity,^[1] who gives the sons of men glory and honor and authority over the earth’s people. Direct their plans, O Lord, in accord with what is good and pleasing to you so that they may administer the authority you have given them with peace, consideration and reverence, and so win your mercy.

You must hate all hypocrisy and everything that fails to please the Lord. You must not forsake the Lord’s commandments but observe the ones you have been given, neither adding nor subtracting anything. At the church meeting you must confess your sins and not approach prayer with a bad conscience. ^[1] IGNORE FALSE TEACHERS. VINCENT OF LÉRINS: Hence [Montanus]^[1] richly deserved that it also ought to be said of him and his writings: If there rises in the midst of you a prophet, you shall not hear the words of that prophet. And why not? For, it is said, the Lord your God tries you whether you love him or not. By virtue of these many convincing examples^[2] from church history and others of the same kind, we must clearly perceive and, according to the rules of Deuteronomy, fully understand that if at any time a teacher of the church deviates from the faith, divine providence permits this to happen in order to test and to try us, whether we love God or not with all our heart and all our soul.^[3] Since this is so, we may say that a true and genuine Catholic is the person who loves the truth of God, the church and the body of Christ.^[4] [Such a person] does not put anything above divine religion and the Catholic faith—neither the authority, nor the affection, nor the genius, nor the eloquence nor the philosophy of any other human being. ^[5]

God is said to know even when he causes someone to know, as it has been written: The Lord your God puts you to the test that he might know if you love him. Now this manner of speaking does not mean that God does not know; rather, [it was said] in order that people might know how far they have progressed in the love of God—a thing which is not fully recognized by them except by way of the testings which come about. As for the expression he puts to the test, it means that God permits testing. Therefore when it is also said that God does not know, this means either that he does not approve (i.e., does not recognize [as conformable to] his discipline and teaching), as it has been said: I do not know you.^[1] Or [it means] that he causes people not to know for their own good, because it serves no useful purpose for them to know. Accordingly the text the Father alone knows^[2] is correctly grasped if understood to say that he causes the Son to know, and the text the Son does not know,^[3] if understood to say that the Son causes men not to know (i.e., does not disclose to them what would serve no useful purpose for them to know).

He permits us to be tested not in order that he, for whom nothing lies hidden, might know but in order that he might make us know the extent of our progress in love for him. According to this same mode of speech our Lord also says that he does not know the day or the hour of the end of the world.^[1] What can there be that he does not know? He was concealing it from the disciples for their benefit, and he said that he did not know it because he was causing them not to know by concealing it.

Take, for instance, the text God tempts no one:^[1] it cannot be understood as meaning every kind of temptation but only of a particular kind which God doesn’t tempt anyone with. Otherwise that other text, the Lord your God is tempting you, would be false. Otherwise too we might be denying that Christ is God or that the gospel is not telling the truth when we read that he questioned one of the disciples, tempting him, but he himself knew what he was going to do.^[2] You see, there is a temptation that leads to sin, and in that way God tempts no one. Then there is a temptation or testing that proves the quality of faith, and that way even God is prepared to tempt people. In the same sort of way, when we hear whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit,^[3] we shouldn’t take it as meaning every kind of blaspheming, just as in the other case we don’t understand every kind of tempting.

Do you see then that this was not said about penitents but about those who not only themselves persevere in wickedness but also do not cease to put obstacles in our way? It is these very ones, however dear they may be, that must be relinquished. However useful they seem, they must be abandoned.