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Let us put on that robe which not poor men and slaves make, but the Master Himself. But will you say that gold is sown upon this garment? And what is that to you? For all admire the one who made it, not the one who wears it; for the wonder is truly his. For just as with simple garments we do not admire the wood, on which the garment is stretched at the fuller's, but the one who works it, although wood wears it, and it is bound to wood. Therefore, just as those things are not bound for their own need, so neither are these, but for the need of the garment, that it may be shaken out, he says, that it may not be consumed by moths. How then is this not the utmost folly, to make so much effort for nothing, and to contrive everything, and to betray their own salvation, and to despise Gehenna, and to act insolently toward God, and to overlook the hungry Christ? What could one say of the costliness of perfumes, of the Indian, the Arabian, the Persian. of the dry, of the wet, of the unguents, of the incenses, all of which involve great and foolish expense? Why do you perfume, O woman, the body which is full of uncleanness within? Why do you spend on that which is foul-smelling, and do the same thing, as if someone were to put perfume on filth, or drench a brick with balsam? There is, if you wish, an unguent, there is a perfume, with which you will be able to anoint the soul, not from Arabia, nor from Ethiopia, nor from Persia, but brought from heaven itself, sold not for gold, but for good will and unfeigned faith. Purchase this unguent, whose fragrance can fill the world; of this the apostles breathed forth; For we are a sweet savor, he says, to some unto death, to others unto life. What does this mean? That even a swine is said to be choked by the sweet savor. Not only the bodies of the apostles, but also their garments breathed forth of the spiritual unguent. For so sweetly did the garments of Paul smell, as to drive out demons. Than what leaf, what cassia, what myrrh is not this fragrance both sweeter and more useful? For if it drove out demons, what else would it not have worked? Let us prepare this unguent; spiritual grace prepares it through almsgiving. 62.514 When we have departed thither, we shall breathe of this, and turn the saints towards ourselves; and just as here those who are imbued with fragrances attract everyone, whether he who breathes of this goes into a bath, or into a church, or into another crowded place, all depend on him, and all are turned towards him; so also in that world, when the souls breathing the spiritual fragrance enter, all will stand aside and make way. And here too both demons and all evils do not dare to approach nor do they remain; for they are choked. Let us then put on that perfume. For this one puts upon us a reputation for stupidity, but that one a reputation for courage and truly for wonder; and it gives us great boldness. This perfume the earth does not produce, but virtue begets it, it does not wither, but flourishes; it makes honorable those who possess it. We are anointed with this when we are baptized; then we breathe a sweet fragrance. But to breathe of this continually is a matter of our own diligence. For this reason also in ancient times the priests were anointed with unguent, giving a symbol of virtue, that the priest must breathe a sweet fragrance. But of sin nothing is more foul-smelling. See how the prophet describes its nature. My wounds have become foul and are corrupt. For truly worse than decay and more foul-smelling is sin. For what, tell me, is more foul-smelling than fornication? But if you do not perceive it while it is being done, consider for me what the sin is after the deed, and then you will see its stench, then the uncleanness that has rubbed off on you, then the pollution, then the defilement. Such is every sin; before it is committed, it has a certain pleasure, but after it is finished the pleasure ceases and withers, but the painful and gloomy

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Περιβάλωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνῃ τῇ στολῇ, ἣν οὐκ ἄνθρωποι πένητες καὶ δοῦλοι κατασκευάζουσιν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης. Ἀλλὰ ἐρεῖς ὅτι κατέσπαρται τῷ ἱματίῳ τούτῳ χρυσός; Καὶ τί τοῦτο πρὸς σέ; τὸν γὰρ ἐργασάμενον πάντες θαυμάζουσιν, οὐ τὸν περικείμενον· ἐκείνου γὰρ ὄντως τὸ θαῦμα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἱματίων τῶν λιτῶν οὐ τὸ ξύλον, ἐν ᾧ ἐντέταται τὸ ἱμάτιον ἐπὶ τὸ κναφεῖον, θαυμάζομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐργαζόμενον, καίτοι ξύλον αὐτὰ φορεῖ, καὶ ξύλῳ ἐνδέδεται. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνα οὐ χρείας ἕνεκεν ἐνδέδεται, οὕτως οὐδὲ αὗται, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ ἱματίου χρείας, ἵνα τινάσσηται, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ σητὶ κατατείνηται. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης τοῦτο ἀνοίας ἐστὶν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδενὸς τοσαύτην ποιεῖσθαι σπουδὴν, καὶ πάντα μηχανᾶσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν προδιδόναι σωτηρίαν, καὶ τῆς γεέννης καταφρονεῖν, καὶ εἰς Θεὸν ὑβρίζειν, καὶ περιορᾷν τὸν Χριστὸν πεινῶντα; Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν τῶν ἀρωμάτων πολυτέλειαν, τῶν Ἰνδικῶν, τῶν Ἀραβικῶν, τῶν Περσικῶν. τῶν ξηρῶν, τῶν ὑγρῶν, τῶν μύρων, τῶν θυμιαμάτων, ἅπερ ἅπαντα δαπάνην ἔχει πολλὴν καὶ ἀνόητον; Τί μυρίζεις, ὦ γύναι, τὸ σῶμα ἔσωθεν ἀκαθαρσίας γέμον; τί περὶ τὸ δυσῶδες ἀναλίσκῃ, καὶ ταυτὸ ποιεῖς, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐπιβάλοι βορβόρῳ μύρον, ἢ πλίνθῳ διαβρέχοι βάλσαμον; Ἔστιν, εἰ βούλει, μύρον, ἔστιν ἄρωμα, ᾧ δυνήσῃ χρῖσαι τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ ἐξ Ἀραβίας, οὐδὲ ἐξ Αἰθιοπίας, οὐδ' ἀπὸ Περσίδος, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ φερόμενον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πωλούμενον οὐ χρυσίου, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως ἀγαθῆς καὶ πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου. Τοῦτο ἀγόρασαι τὸ μύρον, οὗ ἡ ὀσμὴ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπλῆσαι δύναται· τούτου ἀπέπνεον οἱ ἀπόστολοι· Ὀσμὴ γάρ ἐσμεν εὐωδίας, φησὶν, οἷς μὲν εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ εἰς ζωήν. Τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅτι καὶ ὗς ἀποπνίγεσθαι λέγεται ἀπὸ τῆς εὐωδίας. Οὐ τὸ σῶμα δὲ μόνον τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ μύρου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἀπέπνεον. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔπνει καλὸν τὰ ἱμάτια Παύλου, ὡς δαίμονας ἀπελαύνειν. Ποίου φύλλου, ποίας κασίας, ποίας σμύρνης οὐχὶ καὶ ἡδίων καὶ χρησιμωτέρα αὕτη ἡ εὐωδία; Εἰ γὰρ δαίμονας ἀπήλαυνε, τί οὐκ ἂν ἕτερον εἰργάσατο; Τοῦτο κατασκευάζωμεν τὸ μύρον· κατασκευάζει δὲ αὐτὸ δι' ἐλεημοσύνης ἡ πνευματικὴ χάρις. 62.514 Τούτου καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀπελθόντες μέλλομεν ἀποπνεῖν, καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιστρέφειν· καὶ καθάπερ ἐνταῦθα πάντας ἐπιστρέφουσιν οἱ ἀνακεχρωσμένοι ταῖς εὐωδίαις, κἄν τε εἰς βαλανεῖον, κἄν τε εἰς ἐκκλησίαν, κἄν τε εἰς ἕτερον πολυάνθρωπον τόπον ἀπέλθῃ ὁ τοῦτο ἀποπνέων, πάντες αὐτοῦ ἐξαρτῶνται, καὶ πάντες ἐπιστρέφονται· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ κόσμῳ τῶν ἀποπνεουσῶν ψυχῶν τῆς πνευματικῆς εὐωδίας εἰσιουσῶν, πάντες ὑπεξίστανται καὶ παραχωροῦσι. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ δαίμονες καὶ κακίαι πᾶσαι προσελθεῖν οὐ τολμῶσιν οὐδὲ ὑπομένουσιν· ἀποπνίγονται γάρ. Ἐκεῖνο τοίνυν τὸ ἄρωμα περιθώμεθα. Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ καὶ βλακείας δόξαν ἡμῖν περιτίθησιν, ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἀνδρείας καὶ θαύματος ὄντως· καὶ παῤῥησίαν δὲ ἡμῖν παρέχει πολλήν. Τοῦτο τὸ ἄρωμα οὐ γῆ ἀναδίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ἀρετὴ τίκτει, οὐ μαραίνεται, ἀλλ' ἀνθεῖ· τοῦτο τιμίους τοὺς ἔχοντας ποιεῖ. Τούτῳ χριόμεθα, ὅταν βαπτιζώμεθα· τότε καλὸν ἀποπνέομεν. Τὸ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς τούτου ἀποπνεῖν, τῆς ἡμῶν ἐστι σπουδῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ παλαιὸν μύρῳ ἐχρίοντο οἱ ἱερεῖς, τῆς ἀρετῆς σύμβολον διδόντες, ὅτι τὸν ἱερέα καλὸν ἀποπνεῖν δεῖ. Τῆς δὲ ἁμαρτίας οὐδέν ἐστι δυσωδέστερον. Ὅρα αὐτῆς πῶς διαγράφει τὴν φύσιν ὁ προφήτης. Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου. Ὄντως γὰρ σηπεδόνος χείρων ἐστὶ καὶ δυσωδεστέρα ἡ ἁμαρτία. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, πορνείας δυσωδέστερον; Εἰ δὲ μὴ αἰσθάνῃ ἐργαζομένης, ἐννόησόν μοι τίς ἡ ἁμαρτία μετὰ τὴν ἐργασίαν, καὶ τότε αὐτῆς ὄψει τὴν δυσωδίαν, τότε τὴν προστριβεῖσαν ἀκαθαρσίαν, τότε τὸ ἄγος, τότε τὸ μύσος. Τοιαύτη πᾶσα ἁμαρτία· πρὶν ἢ μὲν ἐργασθῆναι, ἔχει τινὰ ἡδονὴν, μετὰ δὲ τὸ τελεσθῆναι τὸ μὲν ἡδὺ παύεται καὶ μαραίνεται, τὸ δὲ λυπηρὸν καὶ κατηφὲς