John Chrysostom, On False Prophets

and you have shown the gloomy things, and reminded of the punishments, and described the retributions, and you have exceedingly astonished and frightened us. And I know truly that it is so; and I know that each of you will give an account of himself to God, and each will reap what he has sown, and each will bear his own burden. But since you have announced these things, and brought them into the open, and astonished and frightened us, show us then also the way of salvation, give also the healing for the wound; just as you said the terrifying things, say also the things that bring joy. Behold, I want to be saved, what shall I do? How can I be saved? What way shall I use? To whom shall I flee for refuge? For I have sinned much, both in deeds and in words, both voluntarily and involuntarily, both by night and by day, and at every hour. What then shall I do? How can I be saved? To whom shall I flee for refuge? I tell you to whom you should flee for refuge. The blessed David showed to whom one must flee for refuge, saying: Our God is our refuge and strength. This also John showed, who is greater than all the prophets, saying: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This also the angel announced, saying: For he will save his people from their sins; and again the prophet David says: Lord, to you have I fled for refuge. To him you also flee for refuge, who said: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners; who said, Those who are well have no need 59.566 of a physician, but those who are sick; who said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; who says, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; who said, The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins; who says that, Him who comes to me, I will by no means cast out; who said through the prophet, As I live, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live; who said that, He will avenge those who cry out to him day and night; who said, There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. To him flee for refuge, repenting and weeping. Repent, and do not doubt; repent, and do not be disheartened, nor despair of yourself, having the medicines of salvation. In heaven there is joy over your repentance, and you are lazy? angels leap for joy, and you are drowsy? for your sake the physician of souls has come, and you hide the wound? he himself cries out: turn to me, sons of men, come to me; and you are not eager? he himself cries out: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. O indescribable love for mankind of the Master! I came not to call the righteous, he says, but sinners. Take courage therefore, sinner, and be not disheartened. For you the good shepherd came to call; for you he bowed the heavens and came down, saying: Come to me, all you who are heavy laden. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. But see that you not become complacent at the word, hearing his ineffable love for mankind; for he has not only spoken the bare call, but added this, "To repentance." For I came not, he says, to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; not to jests, but to tears; not to shameful speech, but to doxology; not to breakfasts and dinners and drunkenness, but to fasting and vigilance and tears; not to dances and lyre-playing and songs, but to mourning and affliction and distress, saying: Blessed are those who mourn and weep, that is, for their sins. Begin then to repent; only make the beginning, and the God of the repentant will work with you, and strengthen you, and you will find much grace, and it will become in you sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Many are the ways of life, as it is written, and many are the ways of salvation. In whatever way you wish, be saved, only be saved. If you have, show mercy; but if you do not have, God does not ask it. You do not have bread, you do not have

καὶ τὰ σκυθρωπὰ ὑπέδειξας, καὶ τὰς κολάσεις ὑπέμνησας, καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας διεγράψω, καὶ περισσῶς κατέπληξας καὶ ἐφόβησας. Καὶ οἶδα ἀληθῶς, ὅτι οὕτως ἐστίν· καὶ οἶδα, ὅτι ἕκαστος ὑμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἀποδώσει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἕκαστος θερίσει ὃ ἔσπειρεν, καὶ ἕκαστος τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάσει. Ἀλλ' ὡς ταῦτα ἀπήγγειλας, καὶ εἰς μέσον ἤγαγες, καὶ κατέπληξας καὶ ἐφόβησας, ὑπόδειξον ἡμῖν λοιπὸν καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τὸν τρόπον, δὸς καὶ τῆς πληγῆς τὴν ἴασιν· ὥσπερ εἶπες τὰ καταπληκτικὰ, εἰπὲ καὶ τὰ χαροποιά. Ἰδοὺ σωθῆναι θέλω, τί ποιήσω; πῶς σωθῶ; ποίῳ τρόπῳ χρήσομαι; πρὸς τίνα καταφεύξομαι; Πολλὰ γὰρ ἥμαρτον, καὶ ἐν ἔργοις καὶ ἐν λόγοις, καὶ ἑκουσίως καὶ ἀκουσίως, καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ὥραν. Τί οὖν ποιήσω; πῶς σωθῶ; πρὸς τίνα καταφεύξομαι; Ἐγώ σοι λέγω πρὸς τίνα καταφύγῃς. Ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ ὑπέδειξε πρὸς τίνα δεῖ καταφυγεῖν, εἰπών· Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν καταφυγὴ καὶ δύναμις. Τοῦτο ὑπέδειξεν καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὁ μείζων πάντων τῶν προφητῶν, λέγων· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἵρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Τοῦτο ἀπήγγειλε καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος, λέγων· Αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης ∆αυῒδ λέγει· Κύριε, πρὸς σὲ κατέφυγον. Πρὸς τοῦτον καὶ σὺ κατάφυγε τὸν εἰπόντα· Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς· τὸν εἰπόντα, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες 59.566 ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες· τὸν εἰπόντα, Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· τὸν λέγοντα, ∆εῦτε πάντες πρός με οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς· τὸν εἰπόντα, Ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας· τὸν λέγοντα, ὅτι Τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς μὲ, οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω· τὸν εἰπόντα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, Ζῶ ἐγὼ, ὅτι οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν· τὸν εἰπόντα, ὅτι Ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· τὸν εἰπόντα, Χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. Πρὸς τοῦτον κατάφευγε μετανοῶν καὶ δακρύων. Μετανόησον, καὶ μὴ διακριθῇς· μετανόησον, καὶ μὴ ἀθυμήσῃς, μηδὲ ἀπογνώσῃς σεαυτὸν ἔχοντα σωτηρίας φάρμακα. Ἐν οὐρανῷ χαρὰ γίνεταί σου μετανοοῦντος, καὶ σὺ ῥᾳθυμεῖς; ἄγγελοι σκιρτῶσι, καὶ σὺ νυστάζεις; διὰ σὲ παραγέγονεν ὁ ἰατρὸς τῶν ψυχῶν, καὶ σὺ τὸ τραῦμα κρύπτεις; αὐτὸς κράζει· ἐπιστράφητε πρὸς μὲ, υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, δεῦτε πρὸς μέ· καὶ σὺ οὐ σπουδάζεις; αὐτὸς κράζει· Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Ὢ φιλανθρωπία ∆εσπότου ἀνείκαστος! Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς. Θάρσει οὖν, ἁμαρτωλὲ, καὶ μὴ ἀθυμήσῃς. Σὲ γὰρ ἦλθε καλέσαι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός· διὰ σὲ ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς, καὶ κατέβη, λέγων· ∆εῦτε πρὸς μὲ, πάντες οἱ πεφορτισμένοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς. Ὅρα δὲ μὴ χαυνωθῇς ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ, ἀκούων τὴν αὐτοῦ ἄφατον φιλανθρωπίαν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὴν κλῆσιν ψιλὴν εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε τὸ, Εἰς μετάνοιαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον, φησὶ, καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν· οὐκ εἰς γελοῖα, ἀλλ' εἰς δάκρυα· οὐκ εἰς αἰσχρολογίαν, ἀλλ' εἰς δοξολογίαν· οὐκ εἰς ἄριστα καὶ δεῖπνα καὶ μέθην, ἀλλ' εἰς νηστείαν καὶ ἀγρυπνίαν καὶ δάκρυα· οὐκ εἰς χορεύματα καὶ κιθαρισμοὺς καὶ καταλέγματα, ἀλλ' εἰς πένθος καὶ θλίψιν καὶ στενοχωρίαν, λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες καὶ κλαίοντες, δηλονότι, τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἄρξαι οὖν τοῦ μετανοεῖν· βάλε τὴν ἀρχὴν μόνον, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν μετανοούντων συνεργήσει, καὶ ἐνισχύει σε, καὶ εὑρήσεις χάριν πολλὴν, καὶ γενήσεται ἐν σοὶ ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον. Πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου, καθὼς γέγραπται, καὶ πολλοὶ τρόποι τῆς σωτηρίας. Οἵῳ τρόπῳ θέλεις, σώθητι, μόνον σώθητι. Ἐὰν ἔχῃς, ἐλέησον· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχεις, οὐ ζητεῖ ὁ Θεός. Οὐκ ἔχεις ἄρτον, οὐκ ἔχεις