16

would you not have done all things for this? He has called us to the heavens, to the table of the great and wonderful king, and we shrink back and delay, and do not hasten nor run to the matter? and what hope of salvation is there for us? It is not possible to blame weakness, it is not possible to blame nature; sloth alone renders us unworthy. These things have been said by us; but may He who pricks hearts, He who gives a spirit of compunction, prick your hearts, and place the seeds in the depths, so that from fear of Him you may conceive in the womb and bring forth a spirit of salvation, and be present with boldness. For your sons, he says, shall be like olive shoots around your table. Let nothing, therefore, be old, nothing wild, nothing untamed, nothing raw. For such are the young shoots that are suitable for fruit, and I mean the wonderful fruit of the olive, and strong so that all may be around the table, and not come together here rashly nor at random, but with fear and trembling. For thus you will also see Christ Himself there with boldness, and will be deemed worthy of the heavenly kingdom; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY IV.

And you who were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once

walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest. 1. There is a bodily death; and there is also a spiritual one; but that one involves neither blame nor danger; for the matter is of nature, not of choice. For it came from the transgression of the first-formed man, but then the matter passed into nature, and moreover it will be quickly undone. But this spiritual death, being of choice, has blame and no release. See therefore how exceedingly great a thing Paul has already shown, that to heal a deadened soul is much greater than to raise the dead, and now, as something great, so he puts it. And you, he says, being dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Do you see the gentleness of Paul, and how everywhere he comforts the listener, not burdening him? For since he said that, "You have driven to the extreme of evil" (for this is to be deadened); so as not to burden them exceedingly (for men are ashamed of their former evils being brought into the open, even if they are destroyed and have no danger), he gives them a co-worker, so that it might not be thought that the whole thing was their own, and a strong co-worker. Who then is this? The devil. Thus indeed he also does in the epistle to the Corinthians; for having said, "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters," and having listed all the rest, and having added, "will not inherit the kingdom of God," then he says, "And such were some of you." He did not simply say, "You were," but, "Some of you were;" that is, "You were somewhat so." Here the heretics strongly attack us; for they say these things were said about God, and letting out their unbridled tongue for a long time, they apply these things to God, which belong to the devil alone. How then shall we silence them? From the words themselves. For if he is just, as you also say, but he did these things, this is no longer the work of a just one, but of one exceedingly unjust and defiled; but a defiled God could never be. And why does he call him the ruler of this age? Because almost all human nature

16

τούτου οὐκ ἂν πάντα ἐπράξατε; Εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἡμᾶς ἐκάλεσεν, εἰς τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ θαυμαστοῦ, καὶ ἀναδυόμεθα καὶ μέλλομεν, καὶ οὐ σπεύδομεν οὐδὲ ἐπιτρέχομεν τῷ πράγματι; καὶ τίς ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἐλπὶς σωτηρίας; Οὐκ ἔστιν αἰτιάσασθαι ἀσθένειαν, οὐκ ἔστιν αἰτιάσασθαι φύσιν· ῥᾳθυμία μόνον ἀναξίους ἡμᾶς καθίστησι. Ταῦτα μὲν παρ' ἡμῶν εἴρηται· ὁ δὲ κατανύσσων καρδίας, ὁ διδοὺς πνεῦμα κατανύξεως, κατανύξῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐνθῇ εἰς βάθος τὰ σπέρματα, ὥστε ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τεκεῖν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας παραγενέσθαι. Οἱ υἱοί σου γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν κύκλῳ τῆς τραπέζης σου. Μηδὲν τοίνυν ἔστω παλαιὸν, μηδὲν ἄγριον, μηδὲν ἀνήμερον, μηδὲν ὠμόν. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ νεόφυτα πρὸς καρπόν ἐστιν ἐπιτήδεια, καρπὸν δὲ τὸν θαυμαστὸν, τὸν τῆς ἐλαίας λέγω, καὶ ἰσχυρὰ ὥστε πάντας γενέσθαι κύκλῳ τῆς τραπέζης, καὶ μὴ εἰκῆ μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐνταῦθα συνέρχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ φόβου καὶ δέους. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε ἐκεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν μετὰ παῤῥησίας, καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου ἀξιωθήσεσθε βασιλείας· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου 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 ∆ʹ.

Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ἐν αἷς ποτε

περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπει θείας, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί. αʹ. Ἔστι μὲν νέκρωσις σωματική· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ψυχική· ἀλλ' ἐκείνης μὲν οὔτε ἔγκλημα μετέχειν οὔτε κίνδυνος· φύσεως γὰρ, οὐ προαιρέσεως τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι. Γέγονε μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου παραβάσεως, λοιπὸν δὲ εἰς φύσιν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξέβη, ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ταχέως λυθήσεται. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ νέκρωσις ἡ ψυχικὴ, προαιρέσεως οὖσα, ἔγκλημα ἔχει καὶ λύσιν οὐδεμίαν. Ὅρα τοίνυν πῶς μέγα σφόδρα ὁ Παῦλος δείξας ἤδη, ὅτι τοῦ νεκροὺς ἀνιστᾷν τὸ ψυχὴν νενεκρωμένην ἰάσασθαι πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστι, καὶ νῦν, ὥσπερ μέγα, οὕτως αὐτὸ τίθησι. Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας, φησὶ, νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας. Ὁρᾷς τὸ προσηνὲς τοῦ Παύλου, καὶ πῶς πανταχοῦ παραμυθεῖται τὸν ἀκροατὴν, οὐ βαρῶν αὐτόν; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Εἰς ἔσχατον κακίας ἠλάσατε (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι νεκρωθῆναι)· ὥστε μὴ σφόδρα βαρῦναι αὐτοὺς (αἰσχύνονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τῶν προτέρων κακῶν εἰς μέσον φερομένων, κἂν ἀπολλύμενα ᾖ καὶ κίνδυνον οὐκ ἔχοντα), δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς συνεργὸν, ὥστε μὴ νομισθῆναι τὸ πᾶν αὐτῶν εἶναι, καὶ συνεργὸν ἰσχυρόν. Τίνα δὴ τοῦτον; Τὸν διάβολον. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους ποιεῖ· εἰπὼν γὰρ, Μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἅπαντα καταλέξας, καὶ ἐπαγαγὼν, Βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι, τότε φησί· Καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ἦτε, ἀλλὰ, Τινὲς ἦτε· τουτέστιν, Οὕτω πως ἦτε. Ἐνταῦθα σφόδρα ἡμῖν ἐπιφύονται οἱ αἱρετικοί· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι λέγουσι, καὶ τὴν ἀχαλίνωτον γλῶσσαν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐξάγοντες, ταῦτα ἁρμόζουσι τῷ Θεῷ, ἃ τοῦ διαβόλου μόνου ἐστί. Πῶς οὖν αὐτοὺς ἐπιστομίσομεν; Ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημάτων. Εἰ γὰρ δίκαιός ἐστιν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς φατε, ταῦτα δὲ ἔπραξεν, οὐκ ἔτι δικαίου τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἀδίκου καὶ μιαροῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα· μιαρὸς δὲ Θεὸς οὐκ ἂν εἴη ποτέ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ αὐτὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου φησίν; Ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα σχεδὸν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις