of the Holy Spirit, so that it abandoned him and fled from his governing faculty; which David also feared then after his sin, and said: "and take not your Holy Spirit from me"), if, then, the Holy Spirit prophesies, and Samuel was a prophet, "but he who prophesies builds up the church," whom does he build up? Does he prophesy to heaven? To whom? To angels, who have no need? <"Those who are well have no need> of a physician, but those who are sick." Some have need of his prophecy; for prophetic grace is not idle, nor is any gift of the Holy One idle. Therefore, the souls of those who were sleeping (<so that> I may dare to say it) had need of prophetic grace. But here Israel had need of the prophet; and he who was sleeping, who had been released from life, had need of the prophets, so that the prophets might again proclaim to him the coming of Christ. Moreover, before the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ it was impossible for anyone to pass where the tree of life is, it was impossible to pass by those appointed to guard the way to the tree of life; "He placed the Cherubim and a flaming sword which turned to guard the way to the tree of life." Who was able to make a way? Who was able to make someone pass through the flaming sword? Just as it was not for <anyone> to make a way through the sea except for God and the pillar of fire, the pillar of light from God, just as it was not for anyone to make a way through the Jordan except Joshua (that Joshua was a type of the true God); so Samuel was not able to pass through the flaming sword, nor was Abraham. For this reason Abraham is also seen by the one being tormented, and "the rich man, being in torments, lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham," even if "he sees from afar," yet he sees, "and Lazarus in his bosom." Therefore, patriarchs and prophets and all awaited the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ, that he might open the way. "I am the way," "I am the door." He is the way to the tree of life, so that it might come to pass, "if you pass through fire, the flame shall not burn you." Of what fire? "He placed the Cherubim and a flaming sword which turned to guard the way to the tree of life"; so for this reason the blessed waited there, fulfilling a dispensation and not being able to be where the tree of life is, where the paradise of God is, where God is the husbandman, where the blessed and elect and holy of God are. 10 Therefore there is no stumbling block in the passage, but all things are wonderfully written and understood by those to whom God might reveal them. But we who have come to the end of the ages have something more. What more? If we depart from here, having become good and virtuous, not carrying the burdens of sin, we ourselves will also pass through "the flaming sword," and we will not go down to the place where those who were sleeping before his coming awaited Christ; but we will pass through, being in no way harmed by the flaming sword. "But each one's work, of what sort it is, the fire itself will test. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." We will pass through, therefore; and we have something more, and we are not able, having lived well, to depart badly. The ancients did not say, nor the patriarchs, nor the prophets, what we are able to say, if we live well: "for it is better to depart and be with Christ." Therefore, having something more and much profit in having come at the end of the ages, we receive the denarius first; for hear the parable, that "beginning from the last, he gave the denarius; but the first thought that they would receive more." You, therefore, who came last, are first to receive the wages from the master of the house in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, ὥστ' ἐγκα ταλιπεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὅπερ ἐφοβεῖτο τότε μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ὁ ∆αβίδ, καὶ ἔλεγεν· «καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιόν σου μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ»), εἰ τοίνυν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον προφητεύει, καὶ Σαμουὴλ προφήτης ἦν, «ὁ δὲ προφητεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ», τίνα οἰκοδομεῖ; εἰς οὐρανὸν προφητεύει; τίνι; ἀγγέλοις, τοῖς μὴ χρείαν ἔχουσιν; <«οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν> οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰα τρῶν, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες». δέονταί τινες τῆς προφητείας αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἀργεῖ χάρις προφητική, οὐδὲν χάρισμα ἀργεῖ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ. τῆς οὖν χάριτος τῆς προφητικῆς αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων (<ἵνα> τολμήσω καὶ εἴπω) ἐδέοντο. ἀλλ' ἐνθάδε μὲν χρείαν εἶχεν τοῦ προφήτου Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ὁ κοιμώμενος δέ, ὁ ἀπηλλαγμένος τοῦ βίου, χρείαν εἶχεν τῶν προ φητῶν, ἵνα πάλιν οἱ προφῆται αὐτῷ κηρύξωσιν τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐπιδη μίαν. ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπι δημίας ἀδύνατον ἦν τινα παρελθεῖν ὅπου τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ἀδύνατον ἦν παρελθεῖν τὰ τεταγμένα φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς· «ἔταξεν τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς». τίς ἠδύ νατο ὁδοποιῆσαι; τίς ἠδύνατο τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν ποιῆσαι διελ θεῖν τινα; ὥσπερ θάλασσαν οὐκ ἦν <οὐδενὸς> ὁδοποιῆσαι ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ στύλου τοῦ πυρίνου, τοῦ στύλου τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὥσπερ τὸν Ἰορδάνην οὐκ ἦν οὐδενὸς ὁδοποιῆσαι ἢ Ἰησοῦ (τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ τύπος ἦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ Ἰησοῦς)· οὕτω διὰ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομ φαίας Σαμουὴλ οὐκ ἠδύνατο διελθεῖν, οὐκ Ἀβραάμ. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἀβραὰμ βλέπεται ὑπὸ τοῦ κολαζομένου, καὶ «ὑπάρχων ἐν βασάνοις ὁ πλούσιος ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁρᾷ Ἀβραάμ», εἰ καὶ «ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ὁρᾷ», ἄλλ' ὁρᾷ, «καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ἐν τοῖς κόλποις αὐτοῦ». περιέμενον οὖν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίαν καὶ πα τριάρχαι καὶ προφῆται καὶ πάντες, ἵν' οὗτος τὴν ὁδὸν ἀνοίξῃ. «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός», «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα». ὁδός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ἵνα γένηται «ἐὰν διέλθῃς διὰ πυρός, φλὸξ οὐ κατακαύσει σε». ποίου πυρός; «ἔταξεν τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρε φομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς»· ὥστε διὰ τοῦτο περιέμενον οἱ μακάριοι ἐκεῖ, οἰκονομίαν ποιοῦντες καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι ὅπου τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ὅπου ὁ παράδεισος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅπου θεὸς γεωργός, ὅπου οἱ μακάριοι καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ ἅγιοι θεοῦ γενέσθαι. 10 Οὐδὲν οὖν πρόσκομμα κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ πάντα θαυμασίως γέγραπται καὶ νενόηται οἷς ἂν ὁ θεὸς ἀποκαλύψῃ. περισσὸν δέ τι ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἐληλυθότες. τί περισσόν; ἐὰν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν ἐντεῦθεν, γενόμενοι καλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοί, μὴ ἐπαγόμενοι τὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας φορτία, διελευσόμεθα καὶ αὐτοὶ «τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν», καὶ οὐ κατελευσόμεθα εἰς τὴν χώραν ὅπου περιέμενον τὸν Χριστὸν οἱ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ κοιμώμενοι· διελευσόμεθα δέ, μηδὲν βλαπτόμενοι ὑπὸ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομφαίας. «ἑκάστου δὲ τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστι, τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ δοκιμάσει. εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται οὕτως ὡς διὰ πυρός». διελευσόμεθα οὖν· καὶ πλέον ἔχομέν τι, καὶ οὐχὶ δυνάμεθα καλῶς βιώσαντες κακῶς ἀπαλλάξαι. οὐκ ἔλεγον οἱ ἀρχαῖοι οὐδὲ οἱ πατριάρχαι οὐδὲ οἱ προφῆται, ὃ δυνάμεθα ἡμεῖς εἰπεῖν, ἐὰν καλῶς βιώσωμεν· «κάλλιον γὰρ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι». διόπερ οὕτως ἔχοντές τι πλέον καὶ πολὺ κέρδος ἐν τῷ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἐληλυθέναι, πρῶτοι τὸ δηνάριον λαμβάνομεν· ἄκουε γὰρ τῆς παραβολῆς, ὅτι «ἀρξάμενος ἐδίδου τὸ δηνάριον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων· οἱ δὲ πρῶτοι ᾤοντο ὅτι πλεῖόν τι λήψονται». σὺ οὖν πρῶτος, ὁ ἔσχατος ἐλθών, λαμβάνεις τοὺς μισθοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ οἰ- κοδεσπότου ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.