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sufficiently the mind. O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart, (for I will begin my address to you from the loudest-voiced David)? Why do you love vanity, and seek after falsehood, supposing this present life to be something great, and luxury, and a little glory, and lowly power, and deceitful prosperity? Things which belong no more to those who have them than to those who have hoped for them, nor more to these than to those who never even expected them; like dust tossed and re-tossed from one to another by a whirlwind, or like smoke dissipating, and like a dream that plays with us, and like a shadow that cannot be grasped; neither are they hopeless to those who do not possess them when absent, nor trustworthy to those who have them when present.

Εʹ. Shall we not look up to heaven above? shall we not become sober? shall we not remove the film from our eyes? shall we not know, what is true wealth, and what is real splendor, and where is the dignity that does not fall away? what is endless happiness, and where is the good that is unshaken, not changing place, nor plotted against? Shall we not acquire these things with much sweat and toil, if it should so happen? shall we not, if we must find some luxury here, luxuriate in our hopes? shall we not know the holy martyrs, and all the others, who have occupied the whole world, like certain common bonds, and whose festival this is? For what cause did they readily endure wounds, and bonds, and tortures, and the threat of fire, and the edge of swords, and 35.1049 the fierceness of beasts, and darkness, and famine, and pits, and the plundering of possessions, and the loss of limbs, and finally death, and all things, as if contending in the bodies of others? To become what, and to inherit what, is surely clear to all, even if we do not say it. Shall we not, with the same hope, under the same judge and master of the contest, array ourselves against the same tyrant, the bitter persecutor of souls both then and now, the invisible enemy and adversary? Shall we not act bravely in a like manner as in a common theater, this world, if not in the height of danger which has a swift deliverance, yet at least in the daily contests and wrestlings, that we may be deemed worthy of the same crowns, or as near as possible?

ςʹ. I exhort everyone, both man and woman, both old and young, townsman and countryman, private citizen and ruler, rich and poor (for the same contest calls all), to strip readily for this, and not to be faint-hearted, nor to delay, nor to waste the opportunity, which it is impossible to get again. For the present is for work, the future for reward. Arise, let us go hence; you have heard the Savior saying, not so much leading away the disciples of that time from the region of Judea, but also causing all who come after to depart from here, and drawing them to Himself as He is lifted up, as is the promise. Let us follow a good Master; let us flee the worldly desires, let us flee the deceitful world and the world-ruler, let us become purely His who made us, let us honor the image, let us reverence the calling, let us change our life. Why do we make ourselves low, we who have been made high? Why do we abide in the things that are seen?

Ζʹ. Let each one, whatever he is able, bear fruit to God in every season, and in every form of life and circumstance, according to the measure of the power present in him, according to the gift given to him; that with all measures of virtue, we may fill all the mansions there, reaping as much as we have sown, or rather, storing up in the divine winepresses as much as we have farmed. Let one contribute, one money, 35.1052 another having nothing; one eagerness, another accepting the eager one; one a praiseworthy action, another accurate contemplation; one a timely word, another reasonable silence; one faultless teaching and a life not contradicting it, another obedient and grateful hearing; one pure virginity and

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ἱκανῶς τὴν διάνοιαν. Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι, (προοιμιά σομαι γὰρ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ μεγαλοφωνοτάτου ∆αβίδ); Ἵνα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα, καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος, μέγα τι τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον, καὶ τὴν τρυφὴν, καὶ τὸ μικρὸν δοξάριον, καὶ τὴν ταπεινὴν δυναστείαν, καὶ τὴν ψευδομένην εὐημερίαν ὑπολαμβάνοντες; Ἃ μὴ τῶν ἐχόντων μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἢ τῶν ἐλπισάντων, οὐδὲ τούτων μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν οὐδὲ προσδοκησάντων· ὥσπερ χοῦς ὑπὸ λαίλαπος ἄλλοτε εἰς ἄλλους ῥιπιζόμενά τε καὶ μεταῤῥιπτούμενα, ἢ ὥσπερ καπνὸς διαῤῥέοντα, καὶ ὡς ὄναρ παίζοντα, καὶ ὡς σκιὰ μὴ κρατούμενα· οὔτε ἀπόντα δυσέλπιστα τοῖς οὐ κεκτημένοις, οὔτε παρόντα πιστὰ τοῖς ἔχουσιν.

Εʹ. Οὐκ ἀναβλέψομεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω; οὐκ ἐκνήψομεν; οὐ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν λήμην περιαιρή σομεν; οὐκ εἰσόμεθα, τίς ὁ ἀληθινὸς πλοῦτος, καὶ τίς ἡ ὄντως λαμπρότης, καὶ ποῦ τὸ μὴ διαπῖπτον ἀξίωμα; τίς ἡ ἀπέραντος εὐδαιμονία, καὶ ποῦ τὸ ἀσάλευτον ἀγαθὸν, μηδὲ μεθιστάμενον, ἢ ἐπι βουλευόμενον; Οὐ κτησόμεθα ταῦτα πολλοῖς ἱδρῶσι καὶ πόνοις, ἂν οὕτω συμβαίνῃ; οὒκ, εἴ τι δεῖ τρυ φᾷν ἐντεῦθεν, ἐν ταῖς ἐλπίσι τρυφήσομεν; οὐ γνω σόμεθα τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας, τούς τε ἄλλους πάντας, οἳ πᾶσαν διειλήφασι τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὥσπερ τινὲς κοινοὶ σύνδεσμοι, καὶ ὧν ἡ παροῦσα πανήγυ ρις; Ὑπὲρ τίνος τραύματα, καὶ δεσμὰ, καὶ στρε βλώσεις, καὶ πυρὸς ἀπειλὴν, καὶ ξιφῶν ἀκμὴν, καὶ 35.1049 θηρῶν ἀγριότητα, καὶ σκότος, καὶ λιμὸν, καὶ βάρα θρα, καὶ χρημάτων ἁρπαγὰς, καὶ μελῶν ἀποβολὰς, καὶ θανάτους τὸ τελευταῖον, καὶ πάντα προθύμως ὑπέστησαν, ὥσπερ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγωνιζόμενοι σώμασιν; ἵνα τί γένωνται, καὶ τίνα κληρονομήσωσιν, ἢ πᾶσι δῆλα, κἂν ἡμεῖς μὴ λέγωμεν; Οὐ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐλπίδος, ὑπὸ τῷ αὐτῷ βραβευτῇ καὶ ἀγωνοθέτῃ, πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν παραταξόμεθα τύ ραννον, τὸν πικρὸν καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν τῶν ψυχῶν διώκτην, τὸν ἀόρατον ἐχθρὸν καὶ πολέμιον; Οὐκ ἀνδριούμεθα παραπλησίως ὥσπερ ἐν κοινῷ θεάτρῳ τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀκμῇ τοῦ κινδύνου ταχεῖαν ἐχούσῃ καὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς γε καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀγωνίσμασι καὶ πα λαίσμασιν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν στεφάνων ἀξιωθῶμεν, ἢ ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω;

ςʹ. Ἐγὼ μὲν παντὶ διακελεύομαι, καὶ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικὶ, καὶ πρεσβύτῃ καὶ νέῳ, ἀστικῷ τε αὖ καὶ ἀγροίκῳ, ἰδιώτῃ καὶ ἄρχοντι, πλουσίῳ καὶ πένητι (καὶ γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς ἀγὼν καλεῖ πάντας), πρὸς τοῦτον ἀποδύεσθαι προθύμως, καὶ μὴ μαλακίζεσθαι, μηδὲ μέλλειν, μηδὲ προΐεσθαι τὸν καιρὸν, οὗ πάλιν τυ χεῖν ἀμήχανον. Ἐργασίας γὰρ ὁ παρὼν, ὁ δὲ μέλλων ἀνταποδόσεως. Ἐγείρεσθε, ἄγωμεν ἐν τεῦθεν, ἠκούσατε τοῦ Σωτῆρος λέγοντος, οὐ μᾶλλόν τι τοὺς τότε μαθητὰς ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀπάγοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὕστερον ἅπαντας ἐντεῦθεν ἀπανιστάντος, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὑψούμενον ἕλ κοντος, ὡς ἡ ὑπόσχεσις. Ἀκολουθήσωμεν ἀγαθῷ ∆εσπότῃ· φύγωμεν τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας, φύγω μεν τὸν πλάνον κόσμον καὶ κοσμοκράτορα, γενώμεθα καθαρῶς τοῦ ποιήσαντος, τιμήσωμεν τὴν εἰκόνα, αἰδεσθῶμεν τὴν κλῆσιν, μεταθώμεθα τὴν ζωήν. Τί ποιοῦμεν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ταπεινοὺς, ὑψηλοὶ γεγονότες; Τί τοῖς ὁρωμένοις ἐγκαταμένομεν;

Ζʹ. Ἕκαστος, ὅ τι ἂν οἷός τε ᾖ, καρποφορείτω τῷ Θεῷ ἐν καιρῷ παντὶ, καὶ ἰδέᾳ πάσῃ καὶ βίων καὶ περιστάσεων, κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς παρούσης αὐτῷ δυνάμεως, κατὰ τὸ δοθὲν αὐτῷ χάρισμα· ἵνα πᾶσι μέτροις τῆς ἀρετῆς, πάσας τὰς ἐκεῖθεν μονὰς πληρώ σωμεν, τοσοῦτον θερίσαντες, ὅσον ἐσπείραμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐναποθέμενοι ταῖς θείαις ληνοῖς, ὅσον ἐγεωργήσαμεν. Εἰσφερέτω τις, ὁ μὲν χρή 35.1052 ματα, ὁ δὲ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν· ὁ μὲν τὸ προθυμεῖ σθαι, ὁ δὲ τὸ τὸν προθυμούμενον ἀποδέχεσθαι· ὁ μὲν πρᾶξιν ἐπαινετὴν, ὁ δὲ θεωρίαν εὔστοχον· ὁ μὲν λόγον καίριον, ὁ δὲ σιωπὴν εὔλογον· ὁ μέν τις διδα σκαλίαν ἄπταιστον καὶ βίον μὴ ἀνθιστάμενον, ὁ δὲ ἀκοὴν εὐπειθῆ καὶ εὐγνώμονα· ὁ μὲν παρθενίαν ἁγνὴν καὶ