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that we have not been zealous first for spiritual things, and then for the things of this life, but we have reversed the order. For this reason also the sequence and right order of things has been reversed, and everything is full of much confusion for us. How do you think I am pained and grieved, when I consider that when a festival and feast arrives, even if no one is calling, the whole city runs together; but when the festival and feast have passed, even if we should spend the whole day bursting ourselves and calling you, there is no one who pays attention? For often turning these things over in my mind, I sighed heavily, and said to myself: What is the need of exhortation, or of counsel, when you do all things simply by habit, and become no more zealous from our teaching? For when during festivals you need no exhortation from us, but when they have passed you are in no way profited by our teaching, do you not show our discourse to be superfluous, at least as far as it pertains to you? 4. Perhaps many who hear these things are grieved. But the indifferent do not know this; for if they would put away their negligence, as we who care for your affairs each day. What do you gain so much from external matters, as you harm yourself? It is not possible to go away from another assembly or meeting having received so much profit, as from spending time here; whether you speak of a law court, or a council chamber, or the palace itself. For we do not entrust the administration of nations and cities, nor the command of armies to those who enter here, but another rule more venerable than royalty itself; or rather, it is not we who entrust it, but the grace of the Spirit. What then is the rule more venerable than royalty, which those who enter here receive? They are taught to have mastery over what is amiss, to reign over evil desire, to rule anger, to put away envy, to enslave vainglory. A king is not so venerable, sitting on the royal throne and wearing a diadem, as a man who has raised right reason in himself to the throne of rule over the slavish passions, 51.178 and has bound his head with their mastery as with some brilliant diadem. For what is the benefit of a purple robe, tell me, and of golden garments and a jeweled crown, when the soul is a captive of the passions? what is the gain from external freedom, when what is most sovereign in us is shamefully and pitiably enslaved? For just as when a fever sinks to the depths, and burns all that is within, there is no benefit from the outward appearance of the body, even if it suffers no such thing; so, when our soul is swept away by the passions within, there is no benefit from external rule, nor from the royal seat, when the mind with great tyranny is overthrown from the throne of its kingdom by the passions, and bows and trembles at their uprisings. And that this may not happen, prophets and apostles run together from all sides, suppressing our passions, and casting out all the beastliness of the irrationality in us, and entrusting to us the rule far more venerable than royalty. For this reason I was saying, that those who deprive themselves of this care receive the wound in vital parts, suffering a loss such as can come from nowhere else; since they also gain profits by coming here, such as they could gain from nowhere else; as indeed the discourse has shown. You shall not appear before the Lord empty, the law said; that is, do not enter without sacrifices. But if one must not enter the house of God without sacrifices, much more is it necessary in gatherings with the brethren; for this sacrifice and offering is better than that one, when you enter bringing a soul with you, Do you not see the doves

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ὅτι οὐ περὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ πρῶτον ἐσπουδάκαμεν, καὶ τότε περὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ, ἀλλ' ἀντεστρέψαμεν τὴν τάξιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθία καὶ εὐθύτης ἀντέστραπται, καὶ πολλῆς ἡμῖν ἅπαντα γέμει ταραχῆς. Πῶς οἴεσθέ με ὀδυνᾶσθαι καὶ ἀλγεῖν, ὅταν ἐννοήσω, ὅτι πανηγύρεως μὲν καὶ ἑορτῆς ἐπιστάσης, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ καλῶν ᾖ, πᾶσα ἡ πόλις συντρέχει· πανηγύρεως δὲ καὶ ἑορτῆς ἀπελθούσης, κἂν ἅπασαν τὴν ἡμέραν διατελέσωμεν διαῤῥηγνύντες ἑαυτοὺς καὶ καλοῦντες ὑμᾶς, οὐδεὶς ὁ προσέχων ἐστί; Ταῦτα γὰρ πολλάκις ἐν διανοίᾳ στρέφων, χαλεπῶς ἀνεστέναξα, καὶ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν εἶπον· Τί δεῖ παραινέσεως, ἢ συμβουλῆς, συνηθείᾳ ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα ποιούντων ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας προθυμοτέρων γινομένων τῆς ἡμετέρας; Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν ἑορταῖς μὲν μηδὲν δεήσητε τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν παραινέσεως, ἀπελθουσῶν δὲ ἐκείνων μηδὲν ὠφελῆσθε παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας διδασκαλίας, οὐχὶ περιττὸν ἡμῶν ἀποφαίνετε τὸν λόγον, τό γε εἰς ὑμᾶς ἧκον; δʹ. Τάχα ἀλγοῦσι πολλοὶ τῶν ταῦτα ἀκουόντων. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ῥᾳθυμοῦντες ἴσασιν· εἰ γὰρ, ἂν ἀπέθεντο τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν, ὡς ἡμεῖς οἱ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τὰ ὑμέτερα μεριμνῶντες. Τί τοσοῦτον κερδαίνεις ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν πραγμάτων, ὅσον ζημιοῖς ἑαυτόν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξ ἑτέρας συνάξεως ἢ συνόδου τοσοῦτον κέρδος λαβόντας ἀπελθεῖν, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς· κἂν δικαστήριον λέγῃς, κἂν βουλευτήριον, κἂν αὐτὰ τὰ βασίλεια. Οὐ γὰρ οἰκονομίαν τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ πόλεων, οὐδὲ στρατοπέδων ἐπιστασίαν τοῖς ἐνταῦθα εἰσιοῦσιν ἐγχειρίζομεν, ἀλλ' ἑτέραν ἀρχὴν καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς βασιλείας σεμνοτέραν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐγχειρίζομεν, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ τῆς βασιλείας σεμνοτέρα, ἢν οἱ ἐνταῦθα εἰσιόντες λαμβάνουσι; Παιδεύονται τῶν ἀτόπων κρατεῖν, βασιλεύειν ἐπιθυμίας πονηρᾶς, ἄρχειν ὀργῆς ἀποτάσσειν φθόνον, δουλοῦσθαι κενοδοξίαν. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτω βασιλεὺς σεμνὸς, ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθήμενος τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, καὶ διάδημα περικείμενος, ὡς ἄνθρωπος τὸν ὀρθὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ λογισμὸν ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν δουλοπρεπῶν παθῶν 51.178 ἀναβιβάσας, καὶ τῇ κατ' ἐκείνων δεσποτείᾳ, καθάπερ τινὶ διαδήματι λαμπρῷ, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀναδήσας. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἁλουργίδος, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ χρυσῶν ἱματίων καὶ διαλίθου στεφάνου, ὅταν ἡ ψυχὴ τῶν παθῶν αἰχμάλωτος ᾖ; τί κέρδος ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐλευθερίας, ὅταν κυριώτερον ἐν ἡμῖν δουλαγωγῆται αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἐλεεινῶς; Ὥσπερ γὰρ πυρετοῦ πρὸς τὸ βάθος καταδυομένου, καὶ τὰ ἔνδον ἅπαντα καταφλέγοντος, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐπιφανείας τοῦ σώματος, ἂν μηδὲν πάσχῃ τοιοῦτον· οὕτως, τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τῶν ἔνδον παθῶν παρασυρομένης, οὐδὲ ὄφελος τῆς ἔξωθεν ἀρχῆς, οὐδὲ τῆς καθέδρας τῆς βασιλικῆς, ὅταν ὁ νοῦς μετὰ πολλῆς τυραννίδος ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν καταστρέφηται, καὶ ὑποκύπτῃ καὶ τρέμῃ τὰς ἐπαναστάσεις αὐτῶν. Ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ γένηται, προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι πάντοθεν συντρέχουσι, καταστέλλοντες ἡμῶν τὰ πάθη, καὶ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ἀλογίας τὴν θηριωδίαν πᾶσαν ἐκβάλλοντες, καὶ τὴν πολλῷ τῆς βασιλείας σεμνοτέραν ἀρχὴν ἡμῖν ἐγχειρίζοντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ὅτι οἱ ταύτης ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστεροῦντες τῆς ἐπιμελείας περὶ τὰ καίρια λαμβάνουσι τὴν πληγὴν, ζημίαν ὑπομένοντες, ὅσην οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ κέρδη κερδαίνουσιν ἐνταῦθα ἐρχόμενοι, ὅσα οὐδαμόθεν ἑτέρωθεν κερδᾶναι δύναιντ' ἄν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξεν. Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου κενὸς, ὁ νόμος ἔλεγε· τουτέστι, χωρὶς θυσιῶν μὴ εἰσέλθῃς. Εἰ δὲ χωρὶς θυσιῶν οὐ δεῖ εἰσιέναι εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰς συνάξεις μετὰ ἀδελφῶν χρή· βελτίων γὰρ ἐκείνης αὕτη ἡ θυσία καὶ ἡ προσφορὰ, ὅταν ψυχὴν μετὰ σαυτοῦ λαβὼν εἰσέλθῃς, Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τὰς περιστερὰς