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a healing for the fevered, 50.673 and forgiveness of sins, a destruction of wickedness, a therapy for the soul's diseases, fervent prayer, boldness toward God, all things spiritual, and full of heavenly goods.

These fruits, always being harvested, always abound, and never fail their own husbandmen. And while the trees growing on earth give their produce once a year, even if you do not harvest it, when the time of winter comes, it loses its own beauty, with the fruit being destroyed and falling down; but these know no winter, no summer, are not subject to the necessity of seasons, nor is it possible to see them bare of their own fruits, but they stand always in the same beauty; decay does not touch them, nor the change of seasons. How many, then, since this body was planted in the earth, have harvested countless healings from this holy reliquary, and the fruit has not failed; they have reaped the cornfields, and the ears of corn have not been used up; they have drawn from the springs, and the streams have not been emptied, but the inflow is continuous, never failing, but always providing the gushing wonder more than what is being taken. It not only works wonders, but also persuades to philosophy. For if you are rich, and are high-minded, and have a puffed-up soul, coming here, and seeing the martyr, and considering the difference between your wealth and his abundance, you will immediately check your arrogance, and putting aside your pride, you will depart having great health in your soul; and if you are poor and think you are easily despised, coming and seeing the wealth of the martyr, and laughing at external riches, you will thus depart having filled yourself with much philosophy, even if insults, or losses, or scourges are inflicted; seeing that you have not yet suffered as much as this holy martyr, you will again receive sufficient consolation from this. Have you seen what kind of fruits are from these roots? how they are incorruptible? how spiritual? how they touch the soul itself? I do not forbid you to go to the suburb, but I forbid you tomorrow; for what reason? So that the delight may not have condemnation, so that the pleasure may be pure, lest condemnation enter in; for it is possible on another day both to indulge in delight and to be freed from sin. But if you wish to enjoy delight even now, what is more delightful than this assembly? what more pleasing than the spiritual theater? than your own members? than the company of the brethren? But do you also wish to partake of a physical table? here it is possible, after the assembly is dismissed, to recline near the martyr's shrine under a fig tree and a vine, and to grant your body rest, and to free your conscience from condemnation.

For the martyr, being seen from nearby and being near and standing by the table itself, does not permit pleasure to be poured out into sin, but like some tutor, or an excellent father, being seen with the eyes of faith, he suppresses laughter, cuts off unseemly pleasures, destroys all the leapings of the flesh, which it is not possible to escape there. For what reason? Because choirs of men occupy the suburb tomorrow; and the sight of such things often leads even one who wishes to be sober-minded unwillingly toward the imitation of the same indecency, and especially when the devil is also present in their midst; for he is present, being summoned by the lewd songs, by the shameful words, by the demo- 50.674 -niac procession. But you renounced all this procession, and you enlisted in the service of Christ on that day, on which you were deemed worthy of the holy mysteries. Remember, therefore, those words and the covenant, and flee the transgression.

5. But I wish to speak also to those present and not going up, and

to entrust to them the salvation of those others. For a physician, entering in to the one who is sick

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πεπυρωμένων ἴασις, 50.673 καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων συγχώρησις, κακίας ἀναίρεσις, νοσημάτων ψυχῆς θεραπεία, εὐχὴ ἐκτενὴς, παῤῥησία πρὸς Θεὸν, πάντα πνευματικὰ, καὶ οὐρανίων γέμοντα ἀγαθῶν.

Οὗτοι οἱ καρποὶ ἀεὶ τρυγώμενοι ἀεὶ βρύουσι, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀπολιμπάνουσι τοὺς οἰκείους αὐ τῶν γεωργούς. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ γῆς φυόμενα δένδρα ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ δίδωσι τὴν φορὰν, κἂν μὴ τρυγή σῃς, ἐπιστάσης τῆς ὥρας τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀπόλλυσι τὴν οἰκείαν εὐπρέπειαν, φθειρομένου τοῦ καρποῦ καὶ κα ταῤῥέοντος· ταῦτα δὲ οὐ χειμῶνα οἶδεν, οὐ θέρος, οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ καιρῶν ὑπόκειται, οὐδὲ ἔστι γυμνὰ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἕστηκεν εὐπρεπείας· οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτῶν φθορὰ, οὐδὲ μεταβολὴ καιρῶν. Πόσοι γοῦν, ἐξ οὗ τὸ σῶμα ἐφυτεύθη τοῦτο ἐν τῇ γῇ, μυρίας ἐτρύγησαν ἰάσεις ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης θήκης, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέλιπεν ὁ καρπός· ἐθέρισαν τὰ λήϊα, καὶ οὐκ ἐδαπανήθησαν οἱ στάχυες· ἤντλησαν τὰς πηγὰς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκενώθη τὰ νάματα, ἀλλὰ συνεχής τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιῤῥοὴ, οὐδέ ποτε ἐπιλιμπάνουσα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κενουμένου πλέον ἀεὶ παρέχουσα τὸ ἀναβλύζον θαῦμα. Οὐ θαύματα δὲ μό νον ἐργάζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν πείθει. Ἄν τε γὰρ πλούσιος ᾖς, καὶ μεγαλοφρονῇς, καὶ φλεγμαίνου σαν ἔχῃς τὴν ψυχὴν, ἐλθὼν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν μάρτυρα, καὶ τὸ μέσον λογισάμενος τοῦ σοῦ πλούτου, καὶ τῆς τούτου περιουσίας, καταστελεῖς εὐθέως τὸ φύση μα, καὶ τὴν φλεγμονὴν ἀποθέμενος ἀπελεύσῃ πολλὴν ἔχων ὑγίειαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ· ἄν τε πένης καὶ εὐκατα φρόνητος εἶναι νομίσῃς, ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν πλοῦτον τοῦ μάρτυρος, καὶ καταγελάσας τῶν χρημάτων τῶν ἔξωθεν, οὕτως ἀναχωρήσεις πολλῆς σαυτὸν ἐμπλήσας φιλοσοφίας, κἂν ἐπήρειαι, κἂν ζημίαι, κἂν μάστιγες ἐπενεχθῶσιν· ἰδὼν, ὅτι οὐδέπω τοσαῦτα ἔπαθες, ὅσα ὁ μάρτυς οὗτος ὁ ἅγιος, ἱκανὴν πάλιν λήψῃ παραμυ θίαν ἐντεῦθεν. Εἶδες οἷοι οἱ καρποὶ τῶν ῥιζῶν τού των; πῶς ἀνάλωτοι; πῶς πνευματικοί; πῶς αὐτῆς ἅπτονται τῆς ψυχῆς; Οὐ κωλύω ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ προ άστειον, ἀλλ' αὔριον κωλύω· τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἵνα ἡ τέρψις μὴ ἔχῃ κατάγνωσιν, ἵνα καθαρὰ ᾖ ἡ ἡδονὴ, μὴ ὑπεισέλθῃ δὲ ἡ κατάγνωσις· καὶ γὰρ ἔξεστιν ἐν ἄλλῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τῇ τέρψει χαρίσασθαι, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρ τίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ νῦν τέρψεως ἀπο λαῦσαι, τί τερπνότερον τοῦ συλλόγου τούτου; τί χα ριέστερον τοῦ θεάτρου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ; τῶν μελῶν τῶν σῶν; τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν συνουσίας; Ἀλλὰ καὶ σωματικῆς θέλεις τραπέζης μετασχεῖν; ἐνταῦθα ἔξεστι μετὰ τὸ λυθῆναι τὸν σύλλογον, τοῦ μαρτυρίου πλη σίον ὑπὸ συκῆν καὶ ἄμπελον καταλύσαντι, καὶ τῷ σώματι χαρίσασθαι τὴν ἄνεσιν, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἀπαλ λάξαι καταγνώσεως.

Ὁ γὰρ μάρτυς ἐγγύθεν ὁρώμε νος καὶ πλησίον ὢν καὶ παρεστηκὼς αὐτῇ τῇ τρα πέζῃ, οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν ἡδονὴν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ἐκχυθῆ ναι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις παιδαγωγὸς, ἢ πατὴρ ἄριστος τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὁρώμενος ὀφθαλμοῖς καταστέλλει τὸν γέλωτα, περικόπτει τὰς ἡδονὰς τὰς ἀτόπους, τὰ σκιρ τήματα τῆς σαρκὸς ἅπαντα ἀναιρεῖ, ἅπερ ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἔστι διαφυγεῖν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι χοροὶ ἀνδρῶν αὔ ριον τὸ προάστειον καταλαμβάνουσιν· ἡ δὲ τῶν τοι ούτων ὄψις καὶ τὸν βουλόμενον σωφρονεῖν ἄκοντα ὑπεξάγει πολλάκις πρὸς τὴν τῆς αὐτῆς ἀσχημοσύνης μίμησιν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν καὶ ὁ διάβολος μέσος ἐκείνοις παρῇ· καὶ γὰρ πάρεστιν ὑπὸ τῶν πορνικῶν ᾀσμάτων, ὑπὸ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ῥημάτων, ὑπὸ τῆς δαιμο 50.674 νικῆς πομπῆς καλούμενος. Σὺ δὲ ἀπετάξω πάσῃ ταύ τῃ τῇ πομπῇ, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λατρείᾳ συνετάξω κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν τῶν ἱερῶν κατ ηξιώθης μυστηρίων. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοίνυν τῶν ῥημά των ἐκείνων καὶ τῆς συνθήκης, καὶ φύγε τὴν παρά βασιν.

εʹ. Βούλομαι δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας καὶ μὴ ἀνιόν τας διαλεχθῆναι, καὶ

τούτοις ἐγχειρίσαι τὴν ἐκείνων σωτηρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἰατρὸς πρὸς τὸν κάμνοντα εἰσελ