10. Nor ought we, beloved brethren, only to observe and understand that we should call Him Father who is in heaven; but we add to it, and say our Father, that is, the Father of those who believe—of those who, being sanctified by Him, and restored by the nativity of spiritual grace, have begun to be sons of God. A word this, moreover, which rebukes and condemns the Jews, who not only unbelievingly despised Christ, who had been announced to them by the prophets, and sent first to them, but also cruelly put Him to death; and these cannot now call God their Father, since the Lord confounds and confutes them, saying, “Ye are born of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. For he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.”26    John viii. 44. And by Isaiah the prophet God cries in wrath, “I have begotten and brought up children; but they have despised me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood me. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with sins, a wicked seed, corrupt children!27    “A very evil seed, lawless children.” Ye have forsaken the Lord; ye have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger.”28    Isa. i. 3. In repudiation of these, we Christians, when we pray, say Our Father; because He has begun to be ours, and has ceased to be the Father of the Jews, who have forsaken Him. Nor can a sinful people be a son; but the name of sons is attributed to those to whom remission of sins is granted, and to them immortality is promised anew, in the words of our Lord Himself:  “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever.”29    John viii. 34.

X. Nec hoc solum, fratres dilectissimi, animadvertere et intelligere debemus, quod appellemus Patrem 0525C qui sit in coelis, sed conjungimus et dicimus, PATER NOSTER, id est eorum qui credunt, eorum qui, per eum sanctificati et gratiae spiritalis nativitate reparati, filii Dei esse coeperunt. Quae vox etiam Judaeos perstringit et percutit, qui Christum, sibi per Prophetas annuntiatum et ad se prius missum, non tantum infideliter spreverunt, sed et crudeliter necaverunt: qui jam non possunt patrem Deum vocare, cum Dominus eos confundat et redarguat dicens: Vos de diabolo patre nati estis, et concupiscentias patris vestri facere 0526A vultis. Ille enim homicida fuit ab initio, et in veritate non stetit, quia veritas non est in illo (Joan. VIII, 44). Et per Esaiam prophetam Deus clamat indignans: Filios generavi et exaltavi, ipsi autem me spreverunt. Agnovit bos possessorem suum, et asinus praesepe domini sui; Israel autem me non cognovit, et populus meus me non intellexit. Vae! gens peccatrix, populus plenus peccatis, semen nequam, filii scelesti. Dereliquistis Dominum, et in indignationem misistis illum Sanctum Israel (Isa. I, 2-4). In quorum exprobrationem Christiani quando oramus, PATER NOSTER dicimus, quia noster esse coepit et Judaeorum, qui eum relinquerunt, esse desiit. Nec peccator populus potest esse filius, sed quibus remissa peccatorum datur , eis filiorum nomen adscribitur, et eis aeternitas repromittur, Domino ipso 0526B dicente: Omnis qui facit peccatum servus est peccati. Servus autem non manet in domo in aeternum, filius autem manet in aeternum (Joan. VIII, 34, 35).