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having been deemed worthy indeed, for piety is dignity, wearing a temporary belt, having acquired a timely power, having perhaps conversed with a king or a prefect, not with God, having brought to the church gifts of their greed, or casting a small coin to the poor, they immediately raise their eyebrows, and as if they had peered out from heaven, they speak with us, they who are truly earth and ashes; or rather, they who are fruitless earth. For a field of thorns, brothers, is the soul of the greedy man, a fruitless field is the little soul of the avaricious man, an unprofitable possession is the enjoyment of others' things, a desolate farm is the little body of the fornicator, a precipitous place is the reasoning of the proud, an unprofitable trade are the words of accusers, an empty business, a partner of the devil is he who plots against his neighbor. Having learned these things in church, let us hate robbers, let us practice virtues, let us flee from evil, let us be zealous for love, let us turn away from pleasure, let us embrace purity, let us turn away from deceit, let us partake of simplicity; For Him that privily slandereth his neighbour, he says, him did I cut off. Let us prove ourselves to be fruitful earth, putting forth the shoot of righteousness, bearing the fruit of loving-kindness and self-control and also of gentleness, offering to God the ripe cluster of confession. For when, he says, you have done all these things, say that, We are unprofitable servants. This is the voice of the Lord Christ: to him be the glory and the power together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen. 60.715 On Fasting. Sermon 4. The springs of water, when drawn from, gush forth purer water, and, satisfying the need and thirst of all, they unceasingly cause the stream to spring forth from their 60.716 depths. It is possible, therefore, for all to draw from thence the stream for their thirst according to their own need, both for rich and poor, for wise and unlearned; and the springs, 60.717 richly providing drink for all, have an inexhaustible treasure. Just as, then, one spring gives drink to the mouths of many; so also one Scripture enlightens the minds of many. Come, therefore, you also, beloved, let us rush to the spring that has gone before, and let us partake of the teaching of the fasts. For this too was sufficient for the rich, and has not failed us who are poor. Having fasted, Elijah the charioteer parted the river with his sheepskin and his staff. The same man, having fasted, shut up the heavens; for by a word he locked up the rain-bearing clouds. The same man, having fasted, having bridled fiery horses with reins, drove a fiery chariot into the heavens. Having fasted, Moses the servant of God broke open the fearful sea, and turned the fish-bearing deep into dry land, and taking up the Hebrews, he saved them, and drowned the Egyptians. The fast of Moses, having graced his right hand with the holy staff, and through it having struck the rock, prepared it to bear drinkable water. Fasting, having made Daniel wise, showed him to be an interpreter of inscrutable dreams. The same man, having fasted, muzzled the beasts in the den, and having become a shepherd of lions, he taught them to look up to heaven. The fast of the three youths, having kept their bodies incorruptible, turned the all-consuming flame of the Babylonian furnace into dew; by fasting, Jonah the prophet, having bridled the sea-monster, using it as a beast of burden, traveled to Nineveh. For the animal did not go where it wanted, but where the charioteer within wished, there the sea-monster traveled. Having fasted, the Ninevites saved the city, and they withered the prophet's plant. Fasting is a gift of God, fasting is the food of angels; fasting initiated Moses, fasting made Abraham faithful, fasting justified Isaac, fasting was a stranger with Jacob, fasting made Joseph chaste, fasting exalted Melchizedek, fasting snatched Lot from Sodom, fasting contended with Job, fasting made prophets 60.718 wise, fasting kings

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ἠξιωμένοι κυρίως γὰρ ἀξίωμα θεοσέβεια, ζώνην πρόσκαιρον περικείμενοι, ἐπίκαιρον δυναστείαν κτησάμενοι, βασιλεῖ ἂν ἄρα ἢ ὑπάρχῳ ὁμιλήσαντες, οὐ Θεῷ, ἐκκλησίᾳ προσενέγκαντες τῆς πλεονεξίας δῶρα, ἢ ὀλίγον πτωχοῖς καταβάλλοντες κερμάτιον, εὐθὺς ἀνασπῶσι τὰς ὀφρῦς, καὶ ὡς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ προκύψαντες, ἡμῖν διαλέγονται, οἱ κυρίως γῆ τυγχάνοντες καὶ σποδός· μᾶλλον δὲ οἱ γῆ ὑπάρχοντες ἄκαρπος. Ἀκανθῶν γὰρ χωρίον, ἀδελφοὶ, ἡ τοῦ πλεονέκτου ψυχὴ, ἄκαρπος ἀγρὸς τὸ τοῦ φιλαργύρου ψυχάριον, ἀπροσόδευτος κτῆσις ἡ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀπόλαυσις, ἔρημον γεώργιον τὸ τοῦ πόρνου σωμάτιον, πολύκρημνος χῶρος τῶν ὑπερηφάνων λογισμὸς, ἀκερδὴς ἐμπορία τῶν κατηγόρων τὰ ῥήματα, κενὴ πραγματεία, διαβόλου κοινωνὸς ὁ τοῦ πλησίον ἐπίβουλος. Ταῦτα ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας μεμαθηκότες, μισήσωμεν ἅρπαγας, ἀσκήσωμεν ἀρετὰς, φύγωμεν κακίαν, ἀγάπην ζηλώσωμεν, ἐκκλίνωμεν ἡδονὴν, ἁγνείαν ἀγκαλισώμεθα, ἀποστραφῶμεν δόλον, ἁπλότητα κοινωνήσωμεν· Τὸν γὰρ καταλαλοῦντα, φησὶ, λάθρα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον. Καρποφόρον γῆν ἑαυτοὺς ἀποδείξωμεν, τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐκφύοντες βλαστὸν, τὸν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας καὶ σωφροσύνης ἅμα τε καὶ ἐπιεικείας προσφέροντες καρπὸν, τὸν τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως πέπειρον βότρυν προσφέροντες Θεῷ. Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶ, ταῦτα πάντα ποιήσητε, εἴπατε ὅτι ∆οῦλοι ἀχρειοί ἐσμεν. Αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ ἐστιν αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος ἅμα τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. 60.715 Περὶ νηστείας. Λόγος δʹ. Αἱ τῶν ὑδάτων πηγαὶ ἀντλούμεναι καθαρώτερον τὸ ὕδωρ βλυστάνουσι, καὶ πάντων τὴν χρείαν καὶ τὴν δίψαν πληροῦσαι ἄπαυστον ἐκ λαγόνων τὸ νᾶμα πη 60.716 γάζουσιν. Ἔξεστιν οὖν πᾶσι κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν χρείαν τὸ νᾶμα τῆς δίψης ἐκεῖθεν ἀρύσασθαι, πλουσίῳ τε καὶ πένητι, σοφῷ τε καὶ ἰδιώτῃ· καὶ πᾶσιν αἱ πηγαὶ τὸν 60.717 πότον πλουσίως παρέχουσαι, ἀνεξάντλητον ἔχουσι τὸν θησαυρόν. Καθάπερ οὖν μία πηγὴ τὰ τῶν πολλῶν στόματα ποτίζει· οὕτω καὶ μία Γραφὴ τῶν πολλῶν νοήματα φωτίζει. ∆εῦτε τοίνυν καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ προλαβόντος πηγὴν ὁρμήσωμεν, καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τῶν νηστειῶν κοινωνήσωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ὡς πλουσίῳ ἐπήρκεσε, καὶ ἡμῖν ὡς πένησιν οὐκ ἐξέλειπε. Νηστεύσας Ἠλίας ὁ ἁρματηλάτης, μηλωτῇ καὶ ῥάβδῳ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐδίχασεν. Ὁ αὐτὸς νηστεύσας οὐρανοὺς ἔκλεισε· ῥήματι γὰρ τὰς ὀμβροτόκους νεφέλας ἐκλειδούχησεν. Ὁ αὐτὸς νηστεύσας πυρίνους ἵππους ἡνίαις χαλινώσας, φλογίνῳ ἅρματι εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἡνιόχησε. Νηστεύσας Μωϋσῆς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράπων φοβερὸν πέλαγος ἔῤῥηξε, καὶ τὴν ἰχθυοφόρον εἰς ἄρουραν μετέστρεψε, καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους ἄρας ἔσωσε, καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους κατεπόντισε. Νηστεία Μωϋσέως δεξιὰν ῥάβδῳ ἁγίᾳ χαριτώσασα, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τὴν πέτραν πατάξασα, ὕδωρ πότιμον καρποφορῆσαι παρεσκεύασε. Νηστεία τὸν ∆ανιὴλ σοφίσασα, τῶν ἀψηλαφήτων ἐνυπνίων μυσταγωγὸν ἀπεδείκνυεν. Ὁ αὐτὸς νηστεύσας τοὺς ἐν λάκκῳ θῆρας ἐφίμωσε, καὶ τῶν λεόντων ποιμὴν γενόμενος, εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναβλέπειν τούτους ἐπαιδαγώγησε. Νηστεία τῶν τριῶν παίδων τὰ σώματα ἀδιάφθορα τηρήσασα, τὴν παμφάγον φλόγα τῆς Βαβυλωνίας καμίνου εἰς δρόσον μετέβαλε· νηστείᾳ Ἰωνᾶς ὁ προφήτης τὸ κῆτος χαλινώσας, καθάπερ ὑποζυγίῳ χρησάμενος, εἰς τὴν Νινευὶ ἐπορεύετο. Οὐ γὰρ ὅπου ἤθελε τὸ ζῶον, ἀπήρχετο, ἀλλ' ὅπου ὁ ἔνδον ἡνιοχῶν ἐβούλετο, ἐκεῖ τὸ κῆτος ἐπορεύετο. Νηστεύσαντες Νινευῖται τὴν πόλιν διέσωσαν, καὶ τὸ φυτὸν τοῦ προφήτου ἐμάραναν. Νηστεία Θεοῦ χάρισμα, νηστεία ἀγγέλων τροφή· νηστεία τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐμυσταγώγησε, νηστεία τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιστώσατο, νηστεία τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἐδικαίωσε, νηστεία σὺν τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἐξενίτευσε, νηστεία τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐσέμνυνε, νηστεία τὸν Μελχισεδὲχ ὕψωσε, νηστεία τὸν Λὼτ ἐκ Σοδόμων ἥρπασε, νηστεία σὺν τῷ Ἰὼβ ἤθλησε, νηστεία προφήτας ἐσό 60.718 φισε, νηστεία βασιλεῖς