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enters in. But righteousness is the opposite; at the beginning it has its labors, but at the end its pleasure and its rest. Therefore, neither in that case is pleasure pleasure, because of the expectation of shame and punishment; and here again, neither is labor labor, because of the hope of rewards. What then is drunkenness, tell me? Does it not have its pleasure only in the drinking? Or rather, not even in the drinking. For when one falls into insensibility, and sees no one present, but is in a worse state than madmen, what pleasure is there then? Or rather, not even in fornication itself is there any pleasure. For when the soul, being possessed by passion, is deprived of its judgment, what sort of pleasure is this? If this is pleasure, then an itch is pleasure. But I would call that the true pleasure, when the soul is not in a state of passion, being strained and torn by the body. For what sort of pleasure is this, to gnash the teeth, to roll the eyes, to be tickled and heated beyond what is fitting? And so it is not pleasure, because we hasten to be rid of it quickly, and having been rid of it, we are in pain. If it is pleasure, do not get rid of it, but remain in the pleasure. Do you see that it is only the name of pleasure? But our things are not such, but are truly pleasant, not having their pleasure with a flame, but setting the soul free, and making it glad and diffusing it. Such was the pleasure of Paul when he said, In this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice; and, Rejoice in the Lord always. For that pleasure has both shame and condemnation, that one is done in secret, and is filled with countless 62.515 unpleasantnesses; but this one is free from all these things. Let us therefore pursue this, that we may obtain the good things to come, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord 62.516 Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 3. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man; but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief; but the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is

in Christ Jesus. 1. We see that humility has much profit, but is nowhere quickly found, but there is much humble-speaking, even beyond what is fitting, but humility nowhere. But the blessed Paul so pursued it, as to devise many pretexts everywhere for humbling his own mind. For since it is especially likely for those who are conscious of great achievements to struggle when they wish to be humble, and it is likely that he too suffered much force, being puffed up by his good conscience, as by some current; see, then, what he does here also. He said, "I was entrusted with the Gospel of the glory of God"; a Gospel, in which it is not lawful for those who still use the law to participate; for it is still opposed to it, and the distance between them is so great, that those who are borne by that are not yet worthy to participate in this; just as if one were to say, that it is not lawful for those who need bonds and punishment to be brought into the company of philosophers. Since, then, he was puffed up, and had spoken a great thing, he at the same time restrains himself, and persuades others to do this very same thing; and writing, "Which was entrusted to me," he quickly checked himself, so that you might not think that from arrogance this

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ἐπεισέρχεται. Ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη τοὐναντίον· παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει τοὺς πόνους, πρὸς δὲ τῷ τέλει τὴν ἡδονὴν καὶ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν. Οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ μὲν οὖν ἡ ἡδονὴ ἡδονὴ γίνεται, τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῆς αἰσχύνης καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας· καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ πάλιν οὐδὲ ὁ πόνος πόνος τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν ἀμοιβῶν. Τί δὴ ἡ μέθη, εἰπέ μοι; οὐκ ἐν τῷ πίνειν μόνον ἔχει τὴν ἡδονήν; μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδ' ἐν τῷ πίνειν. Ὅταν γὰρ εἰς ἀναισθησίαν ἐμπέσῃ, καὶ μηδένα τῶν παρόντων βλέπῃ, ἀλλὰ τῶν μαινομένων χεῖρον διακέηται, ποία λοιπὸν ἡδονή; Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πορνείᾳ ἡδονή τίς ἐστιν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὑπὸ πάθους ἡ ψυχὴ κατεχομένη τὴν κρίσιν ἀφαιρῆται, ποία αὕτη ἡδονή; Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ ψῶρα ἡδονή. Ἡδονὴν δὲ ἐκείνην ἐγὼ εἴποιμι ἂν τὴν ἀληθῆ, ὅταν μὴ ᾖ ἐν πάθει ἡ ψυχὴ κατατεινομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος καὶ διασπωμένη. Ποία γὰρ αὕτη ἡδονὴ, τρίζειν ὀδόντας, διαστρέφειν ὀφθαλμοὺς, γαργαλίζεσθαι καὶ θερμαίνεσθαι πέρα τοῦ δέοντος; Οὕτω δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡδονὴ, ὅτι σπεύδομεν αὐτῆς ἀπαλλαγῆναι ταχέως, καὶ ἀπαλλαγέντες ἀλγοῦμεν. Εἰ ἡδονή ἐστι, μὴ ἀπαλλάττου αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ μένε ἐν τῇ ἡδονῇ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὄνομά ἐστι μόνον ἡδονῆς; Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν τοιαῦτα, ἀλλ' ὄντως ἐστὶν ἡδέα, οὐ μετὰ φλογὸς ἔχοντα τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἀλλ' ἐλευθέραν ἀφιέντα τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ εὐφραίνοντα καὶ διαχέοντα. Τοιαύτη ἦν ἡ Παύλου ἡδονὴ λέγοντος, Ἐν τούτῳ χαίρω, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρήσομαι· καὶ, Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε. Ἐκείνη γὰρ καὶ αἰσχύνην ἔχει καὶ κατάγνωσιν, ἐκείνη καὶ λάθρα γίνεται, καὶ μυρίων ἐμπέπλησται 62.515 ἀηδιῶν· αὕτη δὲ πάντων τούτων ἀπήλλακται. Ταύτην οὖν μεταδιώκωμεν, ἵνα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου 62.516 ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Γʹ. Χάριν ἔχω τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί με Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ὅτι πιστόν με ἡγήσατο θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν, τὸν πρότερον ὄντα βλάσφημον καὶ διώκτην καὶ ὑβριστήν· ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ· ὑπερεπλεόνασε δὲ ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν μετὰ πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς

ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. αʹ. Τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην πολὺ μὲν ἔχουσαν κέρδος ὁρῶμεν, οὐδαμοῦ δὲ ταχέως εὑρισκομένην, ἀλλὰ ταπεινοῤῥημοσύνην μὲν πολλὴν, καὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος, ταπεινοφροσύνην δὲ οὐδαμοῦ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος οὕτως αὐτὴν μετεδίωκε Παῦλος, ὡς καὶ ἐπινοεῖν πολλὰς πανταχοῦ προφάσεις πρὸς τὸ ταπεινοῦν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μάλιστα ἐκείνους εἰκὸς κάμνειν βουλομένους ταπεινοφρονεῖν τοὺς μεγάλα συνειδότας ἑαυτοῖς κατορθώματα, πολλὴν δὲ εἰκὸς καὶ αὐτὸν βίαν πάσχειν, ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καθάπερ ὑπό τινος ῥεύματος, ὀγκούμενον· ὅρα τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τί ποιεῖ. Εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ· Εὐαγγέλιον, οὗ μετέχειν θέμις οὐκ ἔνι τοὺς ἔτι νόμῳ χρωμένους· ἀντίκειται γὰρ αὐτῷ ἔτι, καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῦ τὸ μέσον, ὡς τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκείνου φερομένους μηδέπω ἀξίους εἶναι τούτου μετέχειν· ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις λέγοι, ὅτι τοὺς δεσμῶν δεομένους καὶ δίκης οὐ θέμις εἰς φιλοσόφων εἰσφέρειν χορόν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐφυσήθη, καὶ μέγα ἐφθέγξατο, ἅμα καὶ ἑαυτὸν καταστέλλει, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πείθει τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖν· γράφων τε, Ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ, ταχέως ἐπελάβετο ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐξ ὑπερηφανίας τοῦτό