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of furnaces. For just as there at the beginning the light of the fire is not very bright, but when the flame has taken hold of all the wood lying upon it, it rises to a great height; so indeed this happened also on that day then. At the beginning this congregation was not very moved in my view; but when the discourse was extended to some length and took hold of all the subjects at hand, and more teaching was laid down, then indeed, then the desire for hearing was kindled in you, and a more vehement applause broke forth. For this reason, although I had prepared to say less than what was spoken, I then exceeded 49.246 the proper measure; or rather, I never exceeded the proper measure; for I am accustomed to measure the quantity of teaching not by the multitude of things said, but by the disposition of the hearers. For one who has hearers that are nauseated, even if he shortens his teaching, seems to be troublesome; but he who has hearers that are fervent and roused and sober, even if he extends it to great length, even so does not satisfy their desire. But since it happens that there are some who are weak in so great a congregation, unable to follow the length of the discourse, I wish to advise them this: after hearing as much as they are able to receive, and taking what is sufficient, to depart; no one is hindering or forcing them to remain beyond their own strength; however, let them not compel the discourse to be cut short before its proper time and its own hour. For you have been filled, but your brother is still hungry; and you are intoxicated with the multitude of things said, but your brother is still thirsty. Let him not crush your weakness by compelling you to receive more than your own strength, nor should you vex his desire by preventing him from receiving all that he is able to receive. 2. This happens also at worldly tables; some are filled more quickly, others more slowly, and neither do these blame those, nor do those condemn these; but there, to leave more quickly is a cause for praise, while here to leave more quickly is not a cause for praise, but worthy of pardon; there to stop more slowly is an accusation and a reproach, here to leave more slowly is the greatest praise and commendation. Why is this? Because there the slowness comes from gluttony, but here the remaining and endurance consist of spiritual desire and divine appetite. But enough of prefaces; let us now proceed to that debt, which was left to us from that day. What then was it that was said then? That there was one speech for all men, just as there was also one nature, and no one was of a different voice or a different tongue. From where then came so great a discord? From the indolence of those who received the gift; both of which we spoke of then, showing through the unity of speech the Master's love for mankind, and through the discord the ingratitude of the servants. For he, even foreknowing that we would destroy the gift, nevertheless gave it; but those who were entrusted with it became bad stewards concerning the deposit. This then is one manner of defense, that it was not God who cast us out from the gift, but we who destroyed what was given. And a second after that, that we later received greater things than those that were lost; in place of temporary toils he honored us with eternal life, in place of thorns and thistles he caused the fruit of the Spirit to spring up in our souls. There was nothing more contemptible than man, and nothing has become more honored than man. He was the last part of the rational creation; but the feet have become the head, and through the firstfruits have been brought up to the 49.247 royal throne. For just as some ambitious and generous man, seeing someone who has escaped from a shipwreck, and has been able to save only his naked body from the waves, receives him with open arms, would put a splendid robe on him, and lead him to the highest honor; so also God did for our nature; it cast off all things, as many as

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τῶν καμίνων. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐ σφόδρα λαμπρόν ἐστι τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἁπάντων ἐπιλάβηται τῶν ἐπικειμένων ξύλων ἡ φλὸξ, εἰς ὕψος αἴρεται μέγα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμέρας τότε ἐκείνης τοῦτο συνέβη. Παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐ σφόδρα μοι ὁ σύλλογος οὗτος ἐκεκίνητο· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ λόγος εἰς μῆκος ἐξετάθη καὶ πάντων ἐπελάβετο τῶν ὑποκειμένων, καὶ πλείων ἡ διδασκαλία κατεβλήθη, τότε δὴ, τότε ὑμῖν ἐξεκαίετο τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἡ ἐπιθυμία, καὶ σφοδρότερος ὁ κρότος ἐξεῤῥήγνυτο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, καίτοι ἐλάττω τῶν εἰρημένων παρεσκευασμένος εἰπεῖν ὑπερ 49.246 έβην τότε τὴν συμμετρίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδέποτε τὴν συμμετρίαν ὑπερέβην ἐγώ· τὴν γὰρ ποσότητα τῆς διδασκαλίας οὐ τῷ πλήθει τῶν λεγομένων, ἀλλὰ τῇ διαθέσει τῶν ἀκροωμένων μετρεῖν ἂν πέφυκα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ναυτιῶντας λαβὼν ἀκροατὰς, κἂν συστείλῃ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, παρενοχλεῖν δοκεῖ· ὁ δὲ θερμοὺς καὶ διεγηγερμένους καὶ νήφοντας, κἂν ἐκτείνῃ πρὸς μῆκος, οὐδὲ οὕτω τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμπίπλησιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ συμβαίνει εἶναί τινας καὶ ἀσθενεῖς ἐν δήμῳ τοσούτῳ, ἀδυνατοῦντας παρακολουθῆσαι τῷ μήκει τοῦ λόγου, ἐκεῖνο αὐτοὺς παραινέσαι βούλομαι, ἀκούσαντας ὅσα δύνανται δέξασθαι, καὶ τὰ ἀρκοῦντα λαβόντας ἀναχωρῆσαι· οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων οὐδὲ βιαζόμενος πέρα τῆς οἰκείας μένειν δυνάμεως· τὸν μέντοι λόγον μὴ ἀναγκαζέτωσαν πρὸ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ὥρας συστέλλεσθαι. Ἐνεπλήσθης γὰρ σὺ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔτι πεινᾷ· καὶ σὺ μεθύεις τῷ πλήθει τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔτι διψᾷ. Μήτε ἐκεῖνος συντριβέτω σου τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἀναγκάζων πλείω τῆς οἰκείας δέξασθαι δυνάμεως, μήτε σὺ ἐπηρέαζε τῇ ἐκείνου ἐπιθυμίᾳ κωλύων ἅπαν, ὅσον δύναται δέξασθαι, λαβεῖν. βʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν γίνεται τραπεζῶν· οἱ μὲν θᾶττον, οἱ δὲ βραδύτερον ἐμπίπλανται, καὶ οὔτε οὗτοι ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἐκείνοις, οὔτε ἐκεῖνοι τούτων καταγινώσκουσιν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν τὸ ταχύτερον ἀποστῆναι, ἐγκώμιον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ ταχύτερον ἀποστῆναι, οὐχὶ ἐγκώμιον, ἀλλὰ συγγνώμης ἄξιον· ἐκεῖ τὸ βραδύτερον παύσασθαι, κατηγορία καὶ μέμψις, ἐνταῦθα τὸ βραδύτερον ἀποστῆναι, ἔπαινος καὶ εὐφημία μεγίστη. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν ἐξ ἀδδηφαγίας ἡ βραδύτης γίνεται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐξ ἐπιθυμίας πνευματικῆς καὶ θείας ὀρέξεως ἡ παραμονὴ καὶ ἡ καρτερία συνίσταται. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν προοιμίων ἅλις· ἡμεῖς δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸ χρέος ἐκεῖνο βαδιούμεθα, ὅπερ ἐξ ἐκείνης ἡμῖν ὑπελείφθη τῆς ἡμέρας. Τί οὖν τὸ λεγόμενον τότε ἦν; Ὅτι μία φωνὴ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἦν, καθάπερ καὶ φύσις μία, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἑτερόφωνος ἢ ἑτερόγλωσσος ἦν. Πόθεν οὖν ἡ τοσαύτη διαφωνία; Ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τῶν λαβόντων τὸ δῶρον· ἅπερ ἀμφότερα τότε εἰρήκαμεν, καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁμοφωνίας τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν δεικνύντες, καὶ διὰ τῆς διαφωνίας τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν οἰκετῶν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ καὶ προειδὼς, ὅτι ἀπολοῦμεν τὸ δῶρον, ὅμως ἔδωκεν· οἱ δὲ ἐμπιστευθέντες κακοὶ περὶ τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἐγένοντο. Εἷς μὲν οὖν ἀπολογίας οὗτος ὁ τρόπος, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξέβαλε τῆς δωρεᾶς, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἀπωλέσαμεν τὰ δοθέντα· δεύτερος δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνον, ὅτι μείζονα τῶν ἀπολωλότων τὰ δοθέντα ὕστερον ἐλάβομεν· ἀντὶ πόνων προσκαίρων ἐτίμησεν αἰωνίῳ ζωῇ, ἀντὶ ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν βλαστῆσαι παρεσκεύασεν. Οὐδὲν ἦν εὐτελέστερον ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οὐδὲν γέγονε τιμιώτερον ἀνθρώπου. Τὸ ἔσχατον μέρος τῆς λογικῆς κτίσεως οὗτος ἦν· ἀλλ' οἱ πόδες ἐγένοντο κεφαλὴ, καὶ εἰς τὸν 49.247 θρόνον ἀνηνέχθησαν τὸν βασιλικὸν διὰ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός τις φιλότιμος καὶ μεγαλόδωρος ἰδών τινα ἐκ ναυαγίου διαφυγόντα, καὶ τὸ σῶμα γυμνὸν ἀπὸ τῶν κυμάτων διασῶσαι δυνηθέντα μόνον, δεξάμενος ὑπτίαις ταῖς χερσὶ, λαμπρὰν περιβάλοι στολὴν, καὶ πρὸς τιμὴν ἀγάγοι τὴν ἀνωτάτω· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐποίησε· πάντα ἀπέβαλεν, ὅσα