““The punishment pronounced by God has also a spiritual meaning. Indeed, God’s decree respecting man’s punishment is as truly fulfilled in a spiritual as in a material manner.2 By the term earth or ground the holy Fathers understood the heart. Just as the earth, on account of the curse, does not cease to produce from its injured nature thorns and thistles, so the heart poisoned by sin does not cease to give birth to sinful thoughts and feelings from its own injured nature. Just as no one troubles about the sowing and planting of weeds, but perverted nature produces them automatically, so sinful thoughts and feelings are conceived and spring up of their own accord in the human heart. In the sweat of one’s brow material bread is obtained. With intense labor of soul and body the heavenly bread is sown that secures eternal life in the human heart; with intense labor it grows, is gathered and harvested, is rendered fit for use, and is kept.””
