not seeing the age to come, a blind soul, which sees the body of Christ, but does not recognize the divinity. That the soul which is ignorant of the things of God is blind, Isaiah testifies, saying: And the servants of God were blinded. How were they blinded? For you saw, he says, many times, and did not take heed; your ears were open, and you did not hear. And who is blind, but my children? and who is deaf, but those who rule over them? And the Savior, wishing to show a blindness of the mind, rebukes the Pharisees who are blind concerning the truth, saying: Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. And the soul is deaf that does not obey the law, that disregards the Master's voice, deaf not by nature, but by choice. For this reason the Savior said: He who has ears to hear, let him hear; not that some of those present did not have ears; (for how could they have attended to the teaching, not having the organ of hearing?) but he shows clearly, that while the visible ear is created for hearing, the sense of the soul is not in harmony for the hearing of the divine law. Therefore, there is no benefit from outward hearing when the inward mind has been made deaf. One is a leper in the soul, not who is disfigured in the body, but who is darkened in the soul. For what is leprosy in the body, but a twofold color? What is leprosy in the soul? A double-minded thought. Woe to the sinner who walks on two paths! When someone at one time believes, and at another disbelieves, and at one time is inclined to mercy, and at another to inhumanity, he is leprous in the soul, not having a healthy color, but being divided in his mind; and just as leprosy divides the body, so an evil thought divides the mind. Let each one therefore cry out concerning his own wounds, and call upon Jesus the physician of souls and bodies, as the blind man cried out: Son of David, have mercy on me. And those who went before rebuked him; but his boldness is not hindered by those who forbid it. Faith knows how to fight against all things, and to conquer all things. Men were rebuking him, and the faithful one does not shrink back, but follows the Master, knowing that shamelessness for the sake of piety is good. 2. For if many are shameless for the sake of money, is it not most excellent to put on good shamelessness for the salvation of the soul? Jesus commands him to be brought. The voice of him who called with faith stopped the Lord Jesus; he commanded him to be brought to him, who had first drawn near to him by faith, and to approach in body. He commanded him to be brought, and says, What do you want me to do for you, He does not ask idly; for he could have sent the healing even to him as he sat, but the Jews who slander the truth could have said, as in the case of the man blind from birth, 'This is not he, but one like him.' Therefore he calls the one who is receiving the benefit into the midst of the theater of the ungrateful, so that he might first show the defect of his nature, and then make known the authority of grace. What do you want me to do for you? He asks that one, but he teaches those present. And he says, Lord, that I might receive my sight. See, how many pledges he receives from the one receiving the therapy, so that he might shut out the slander of those who do evil. He says, therefore, Go, your faith has saved you. Do you see how what was said by us on the previous day is shown through the works themselves? and that the benefits are not for sale, yet are sold for faith? Jesus does not give his benefits for silver, but he sells them for faith. If you do not pay with faith, you do not receive the benefit; grace is spread out, but faith comes first. And just as a spring is one, but some draw from the spring with small vessels, and others with larger ones, and one draws a little water, and another much, not because the spring portions out the measures, but because each draws according to his own vessel; so grace is spread out like a spring, and the intention of the one who approaches becomes the vessel and container for the grace. If therefore you bring little faith like a small container, you draw little grace; but if you bring a great mind, you draw a great benefit. For this reason the Savior says, Do you believe,

τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα μὴ καθορῶσα, τυφλὴ ψυχὴ, ἡ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ βλέπουσα, τὴν δὲ θεότητα μὴ γνωρίζουσα. Ὅτι δὲ τυφλή ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἀγνοοῦσα τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ, μαρτυρεῖ Ἡσαΐας λέγων· Καὶ ἐτυφλώθησαν οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πῶς ἐτυφλώθησαν; Εἴδετε γὰρ, φησὶ, πλεονάκις, καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε· ἀνεῳγμένα τὰ ὦτα, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε. Καὶ τίς τυφλὸς, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ παῖδές μου; καὶ τίς κωφὸς, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ κυριεύοντες αὐτῶν; Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ βουλόμενος δεῖξαι τύφλωσιν διανοίας, Φαρισαίους τυφλώττοντας περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐλέγχει λέγων· Ἐάσατε αὐτοὺς, ὁδηγοί εἰσι τυφλοὶ τυφλῶν· τυφλὸς δὲ τυφλὸν ἐὰν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθρον ἐμπεσοῦνται. Κωφὴ δέ ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ νόμου μὴ ὑπακούουσα, ἡ τὴν ∆εσποτικὴν φωνὴν παραγραφομένη, κωφὴ οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἐκ προαιρέσεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω· οὐχ ὅτι τινὲς τῶν παρόντων οὐκ εἶχον ὦτα· (πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἐσχόλαζον τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, τὸ ὄργανον τῆς ἀκοῆς οὐκ ἔχοντες;) ἀλλὰ δείκνυσι σαφῶς, ὅτι τὸ μὲν φαινόμενον οὖς πρὸς ἀκοὴν δεδημιούργηται, ἡ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς αἴσθησις πρὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῦ θείου νόμου οὐ συναρμόζεται. Οὐδὲν οὖν ὄφελος τῆς ἔξωθεν ἀκοῆς, ἀποκεκωφωμένης τῆς ἔσωθεν διανοίας. Λεπρός τίς ἐστι τῇ ψυχῇ, οὐχ ὁ τὸ σῶμα ἀμαυρούμενος, ἀλλ' ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν σκοτιζόμενος. Τί γάρ ἐστι λέπρα ἐν σώματι, ἀλλ' ἢ διπλοῦν χρῶμα; Τί ἐστι λέπρα ἐν ψυχῇ; ∆ιπλοῦς διαλογισμός. Οὐαὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἐπιβαίνοντι ἐπὶ δύο τρίβους! Ὅταν τις ποτὲ μὲν πιστεύῃ, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπιστῇ, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ῥέπῃ, ποτὲ δὲ πρὸς ἀπανθρωπίαν, λεπρός ἐστι τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ ἔχων χρῶμα ὑγιὲς, ἀλλὰ μεριζόμενος τὴν διάνοιαν· καὶ ὥσπερ μερίζει λέπρα τὸ σῶμα, οὕτω μερίζει λογισμὸς πονηρὸς τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἕκαστος οὖν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ τραυμάτων βοήσῃ, καὶ ἐπικαλέσηται Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἰατρὸν ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων, καθὼς ἐβόα ὁ τυφλός· Υἱὲ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλέησόν με. Καὶ οἱ μὲν προάγοντες, ἐπετίμων· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται ἡ παῤῥησία διὰ τῶν κωλυόντων. Οἶδεν ἡ πίστις πρὸς πάντα μάχεσθαι, καὶ πάντα νικᾷν. Ἐπετίμων ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὁ πιστὸς οὐχ ὑποστέλλεται, ἀλλ' ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, εἰδὼς, ὅτι καλὴ ἡ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀναίδεια. βʹ. Εἰ γὰρ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων ἀναιδεῖς πολλοὶ, ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας ψυχῆς οὐ κάλλιστον τὴν καλὴν ἀναίδειαν ἐνδύσασθαι; Κελεύει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀχθῆναι. Ἔστησε τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ μετὰ πίστεως ἐπικαλουμένου· ἐκέλευσε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀχθῆναι τὸν ἐγγίσαντα αὐτῷ τῇ πίστει πρότερον, καὶ πλησιάσαι τῷ σώματι. Ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀχθῆναι, καί φησι, Τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω, Οὐκ ἀργῶς ἐρωτᾷ· ἠδύνατο γὰρ καὶ καθημένῳ τὴν ἴασιν πέμψαι, ἀλλ' Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ τὴν ἀλήθειαν συκοφαντοῦντες, ἠδύναντο εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλοῦ, Οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος, ἀλλ' ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ. Καλεῖ οὖν εἰς μέσον τῶν ἀγνωμόνων τὸ θέατρον τὸν εὐεργετούμενον, ἵνα πρῶτον δείξῃ τὸ πήρωμα τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τότε γνωρίσῃ τὴν αὐθεντίαν τῆς χάριτος. Τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω; Ἐρωτᾷ ἐκεῖνον, διδάσκει δὲ τοὺς παρόντας. Ὁ δὲ, Κύριε, φησὶν, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω. Βλέπε, ὅσα λαμβάνει ἐνέχυρα παρὰ τοῦ τὴν θεραπείαν δεχομένου, ἵνα ἀποκλείσῃ τὴν συκοφαντίαν τῶν πονηρευομένων. Λέγει οὖν, Πορεύου, ἡ πίστις σου ἔσωσέ σε. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς τὸ προειρημένον ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν προτεραίαν δι' αὐτῶν δείκνυται τῶν ἔργων; καὶ ὅτι ἄπρατοι αἱ εὐεργεσίαι, καὶ πωλοῦνται τῇ πίστει; Οὐ δίδωσιν ἀργυρίου τὰς εὐεργεσίας Ἰησοῦς, πωλεῖ δὲ αὐτὰς τῇ πίστει. Ἐὰν μὴ καταβάλῃς πίστιν, οὐ δέχῃ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν· ἡ χάρις ἥπλωται, ἡ δὲ πίστις προέρχεται. Καὶ ὥσπερ πηγὴ μία, ἀντλοῦσι δὲ ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς οἱ μὲν μικροῖς ἀγγείοις, οἱ δὲ μείζοσι, καὶ ὁ μὲν ὀλίγον ἀρύεται ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ πολὺ, οὐ τῆς πηγῆς μεριζούσης τὰ μέτρα, ἀλλ' ἑκάστου πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀγγεῖον ἀρυομένου· οὕτως ἡ χάρις ἥπλωται ὡς πηγὴ, ἡ πρόθεσις δὲ τοῦ προσερχομένου ἀγγεῖον καὶ σκεῦος γίνεται τῆς χάριτος. Ἐὰν οὖν προσαγάγῃς πίστιν ὀλίγην ὡς σκεῦος μικρὸν, μικρὰν ἀντλεῖς τὴν χάριν· ἐὰν δὲ μεγάλην προσαγάγῃς τὴν διάνοιαν, μεγάλην ἀντλεῖς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Σωτὴρ λέγει, Πιστεύεις,