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you will prepare the way for your supplication, but you will also gladden the God who hears, asking something worthy of His commands; wherefore He will also readily grant it. This is worthy of that adoption; this especially shows that character. Be, He says, merciful, as your Father who is in heaven, and again, Pray for those who mistreat you, so that you may be like your Father who is in heaven. What, then, is equal to this prayer? It makes one like not angels, nor archangels, but the King Himself. But he who has become like the King, as far as is possible, consider how much confidence he will enjoy in his prayers. Sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Why do you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? To whom does he direct his speech, and make his rebuke, and offer his counsel? Whom does he call sons of men? Those living in wickedness, those inclined toward evil. Why indeed? For are we not sons of men? By nature, we are sons of men, but by grace no longer, but sons of God. If, then, we should also preserve the image of virtue toward Him, the gift will be ours intact; for those who have become sons of God through grace must also characterize this image through their way of life. And that he calls the more worldly, and those inclined to evil, sons of men, listen: And the sons of God, seeing the daughters of men. And yet, he says, you have said the opposite. Not at all; for here he called sons of God those who before this were from virtuous men and had enjoyed the honor of God, then were changed, and became worse, and betrayed their honor. So that, in order to increase the accusation against them, he recalled their honor, showing it to be a very great ground for accusation, that being such men, and from such men, they were brought down to such wickedness. And again God: I said, You are gods, 55.47 and all of you sons of the Most High. But you die like men. And behold the Prophet's understanding. Having first shown God's strength, and resourcefulness, and ingenuity, and goodness, and love for mankind, that in affliction He gives relief, that in pitying He grants favor; then, considering the wickedness poured out among men, and the tyranny of impiety, as if being choked by despondency, he turns his discourse to those living in wickedness, all but saying, that having such a God, so good, so loving to mankind, so powerful, how did you turn aside to impiety? And see the exhortation, how full of gentleness along with anger it is, how full of philosophy. For what does he say? Sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Here he rebukes them severely also on account of the time. For if not to perceive God's beneficence from the beginning is an accusation, what pardon will it have to be blind to the truth for so long? And what is, Heavy of heart? Dull of heart, carnal, nailed to the earth, pursuing evil, practicing wickedness, rotting in sensual pleasures; for such is the carnal man. And denouncing their life, he shows the source of their impiety, making it clear that this is what especially hinders them with respect to sublime doctrines. For nothing makes the heart so heavy as wicked desire, and attachment to the things of this life, and being nailed to the earth. One would not be wrong to call such a heart a heart of clay; wherefore he also called it heavy; and he said this is the cause of evils, that holding the position of a charioteer, it not only does not restrain the horse with the reins, but is itself dragged along; and when it ought to give wings to the flesh, and make it rise up, and lead it to heaven, it is instead dragged down along with it by the very heavy burden of its infirmities. When, therefore, the charioteer or the pilot is such a one, what hope of salvation is there? Just as when he says, If the light that is in you is darkness,

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προοδοποιήσεις σου τῇ ἱκετηρίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀκούοντα Θεὸν εὐφρανεῖς, ἄξιόν τι τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιταγμάτων αἰτῶν· διὸ καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἐπινεύσει. Τοῦτο ἄξιον τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἐκείνης· τοῦτο μάλιστα τὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐκεῖνον δείκνυσι. Γίνεσθε, φησὶν, οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ πάλιν, Εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, ὅπως γένησθε ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Τί τοίνυν ταύτης τῆς εὐχῆς ἴσον; Αὕτη οὐκ ἀγγέλοις, οὔτε ἀρχαγγέλοις, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ Βασιλεῖ ὅμοιον ποιεῖ. Ὁ δὲ τῷ Βασιλεῖ ὅμοιος γενόμενος κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν, ἐννόησον ὅσης ἀπολαύσεται τῆς παῤῥησίας ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς. Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; Ἵνα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα, καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος; Πρὸς τίνας ἀποτείνει τὸν λόγον, καὶ ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, καὶ ἐπάγει τὴν συμβουλήν; τίνας υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων καλεῖ; Τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντας, τοὺς πρὸς κακίαν ἐπιῤῥεπεῖς. Τί δή ποτε; ἡμεῖς γὰρ οὐχ υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων; τῇ φύσει μὲν ἀνθρώπων υἱοὶ, τῇ χάριτι δὲ οὐκ ἔτι, ἀλλ' υἱοὶ Θεοῦ. Εἰ γοῦν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν κατ' ἀρετὴν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν διατηρήσαιμεν, ἀκέραιον ἡμῖν ἔσται τὸ δῶρον· τοὺς γὰρ γενομένους υἱοὺς Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς χάριτος, καὶ διὰ τῆς πολιτείας ταύτην δεῖ χαρακτηρίζειν τὴν εἰκόνα. Ὅτι δὲ τοὺς βιωτικωτέρους, καὶ πρὸς κακίαν ῥέποντας, υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων καλεῖ, ἄκουσον· Ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ μὴν τὸ ἐναντίον, φησὶν, εἴρηκας. Οὐδαμῶς· υἱοὺς γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα ἐκάλεσε τοὺς πρὸ τούτου ἐξ ἐναρέτων ὄντας ἀνδρῶν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμῆς ἀπολελαυκότας, εἶτα μεταβαλλομένους, καὶ γεγονότας χείρους, καὶ προδεδωκότας αὐτῶν τὴν τιμήν. Ὥστε γὰρ αὐξῆσαι αὐτῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν, ἀνεμνήσθη αὐτῶν τῆς τιμῆς, μέγιστον εἰς ἐγκλήματος ὑπόθεσιν δεικνὺς ὂν, τὸ τοιούτους ὄντας, καὶ ἐκ τοιούτων, πρὸς τοιαύτην κατενεχθῆναι κακίαν. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Θεός· Ἐγὼ εἶπα, Θεοί ἐστε, 55.47 καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε. Καὶ θέα τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν σύνεσιν. ∆είξας πρότερον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τὸ εὔπορον, καὶ τὸ εὐμήχανον, καὶ τὸ χρηστὸν, καὶ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, ὅτι ἐν θλίψει πλατύνει, ὅτι ἐλεῶν ἐπινεύει· εἶτα ἐννοῶν τὴν κεχυμένην ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακίαν, καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν τυραννίδα, καθάπερ ἀποπνιγόμενος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας, τρέπει τὸν λόγον πρὸς τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντας, μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὅτι Τοιοῦτον ἔχοντες Θεὸν, οὕτω χρηστὸν, οὕτω φιλάνθρωπον, οὕτω δυνατὸν, πῶς εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐξεκλίνατε; Καὶ ὅρα τὴν παραίνεσιν, πόσης μετὰ τοῦ θυμοῦ γέμει καὶ τῆς προσηνείας, πόσης τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Τί γάρ φησιν; Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; Ἐνταῦθα σφόδρα ἐστὶ καθαπτομένου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὴ συνιδεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἔγκλημα, ποίαν ἕξει συγγνώμην τὸ μέχρι τοσούτου πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τυφλώττειν; Τί δέ ἐστι, Βαρυκάρδιοι; Παχυκάρδιοι, σαρκικοὶ, τῇ γῇ προσηλωμένοι, κακίαν διώκοντες, πονηρίαν μετιόντες, ταῖς ἡδυπαθείαις κατασηπόμενοι· τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ σαρκικὸς ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ διαβάλλων αὐτῶν τὸν βίον, δείκνυσι τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας, δηλῶν ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ πρὸς τὰ δόγματα αὐτοῖς ἐμποδίζον τὰ ὑψηλά. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω βαρεῖαν καρδίαν ποιεῖ, ὡς ἐπιθυμία πονηρὰ, καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὰ βιωτικὰ συμπάθεια, καὶ τὸ προσηλῶσθαι τῇ γῇ. Τὴν τοιαύτην οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι πηλίνην καρδίαν προσειπών· διὸ καὶ βαρεῖαν αὐτὴν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ τῶν κακῶν αἴτιον τοῦτο ἔφησεν εἶναι, ὅτι ἡνιόχου τάξιν ἐπέχουσα, οὐ μόνον οὐ κατέχει τὸν ἵππον ταῖς ἡνίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ καταφέρεται συρομένη· καὶ δέον πτεροῦν τὴν σάρκα, καὶ μετάρσιον ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνάγειν, ἡ δὲ συγκαθέλκεται τῷ βαρυτάτῳ τῶν νοσημάτων φορτίῳ. Ὅταν οὖν ὁ ἡνίοχος τοιοῦτος ᾖ, ἢ ὁ κυβερνήτης, ποία σωτηρίας ἐλπίς; Ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ, Εἰ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστὶ,