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to the manifest, therefore, the things foretold, but to the hidden, the things that are to be said. The house of God is the Church from the Gentiles, founded upon the unbreakable and saving rock. He calls "last days" those near the end of the present age; for time is kindred to visible things and perishes with perishing things. In harmony with these things Jacob prophesied, promising to tell his children the things that would be in the last days, "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." For now, he says, all the nations will come to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of God, indicating the Church of Christ, concerning which He Himself says: A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. And Paul explained to us the "on top of the mountains," saying, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets." You might perhaps say the mountain of God more bodily, as the Jews do, that which is in their regions. And how will it be manifest, he says, as if hidden before? For carnal Israel awaits neither the creation of another mountain, nor the construction of a second house to be on other mountains; but in the times of Isaiah both Mount Zion and the temple appeared to all, according to the present understanding, the high and heavenly word of the Lord, the evangelical one. Or, as the great Paul teaches that Mount Zion is heavenly, and the Jerusalem above, which he says is the mother of us all. This 1872 mountain was not, then, manifest to the ancient people; but when Christ was manifested for the setting aside of sin, having become for those on earth a rock, upon which He built His own Church. For now the evangelical word has appeared to all with the rock underlying it, when the mystery hidden from the ages was manifested at the consummation of the times. The Lord's descent to earth was compared to mountains, because a mountain on earth is high; and the flesh of the Lord, being earth according to its common nature, was exalted through its union with God, those who imitate Him are called mountains, and rocks supporting the house of God, such as Peter was to whom it was said, "And on this rock I will build my Church," and everyone who has a high and lofty mind, risen above earthly things, containing divine knowledge through greatness of intellect and purity of deeds. Such men are the tops of the mountains, upon whom the house of God is built, exalted above the hills, which are certain mounds of earth having an easily circumscribed elevation from the earth, rising above the lowly, but falling short of the most high. Since, therefore, the Lord's excellence in His humanity is incomparable to all together who are most distinguished in whatever achievements, for this reason also He is exalted above the hills. For He was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house; and than Abraham, who rejoiced to see the day of the incarnation, and saw it, and was glad, and gave tithes to Melchizedek, who was a type of the Lord. Such, then, is the incarnate economy of the Lord. "For He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth." For may we not glorify the divinity from its superiority to created things, whose magnificence was raised high above the heavens. To the Lord, therefore, every nation will come, he says. For all who are called by the saving proclamation will come to the faith; "For this Gospel will be preached in the whole world." And the sound of the apostles went out into all the earth. But how is it that he said all nations will come, but many will go? because the one is appointed for believing; but the going, for living one's life. For we all confess the faith. But we do not all walk according to the commandments. For concerning conduct the divine David also said, "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." "How then are there many nations," he says, "when the Lord says that those who find the way are few?" because a nation, the whole, is one thing; but the multitude under it is another.

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μὲν οὗν φανερῷ τὰ προειρημένα, τῷ δὲ κρυπτῷ τὰ μέλλοντα λέγεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία, τεθεμελιωμένη ἐπὶ τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ καὶ σωτήριον πέτραν. Ἐσχάτας δὲ ἡμέρας καλεῖ, τὰς τῷ τέλει τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος ἐγγύς· συγγενεῖς γὰρ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις ὁ χρόνος καὶ φθειρομένοις συμφθείρεται. Συνῳδὰ δὲ τούτοις τεθέσπικεν Ἰακὼβ τὰ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ἐσόμενα τοῖς παισὶ λέγειν ἐπαγγειλάμενος, "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ὃ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν." Καὶ νῦν γὰρ ἥξει, φησὶ, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν Χριστοῦ δηλῶν Ἐκκλησίαν, περὶ ἧς αὐτός φησιν· Οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη. Τὸ ἐπ' ἄκρου δὲ τῶν ὀρέων ὁ Παῦλος ἡμῖν ἐξηγήσατο φήσας, "Ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν προφητῶν." Τὸ δὲ ὅρος τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴποις ἂν ἴσως σωματικώτερον, ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸ ἐπὶ χωρὰς αὐτοῖς. Καὶ πῶς ἐμφανὲς ἔσται φησὶν, ὡς λανθάνοντος πρότερον; οὔτε γὰρ ἄλλου ὄρους γένεσιν, οὔτε δευτέρου οἴκου κατασκευὴν ἐπ' ἄλλων ὀρῶν ἐσομένην ὁ σάρκινος Ἰσραὴλ περιμένει· κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἡσαίου χρόνους καὶ τὸ Σιὼν ὄρος, καὶ ὁ ναὸς, πᾶσιν ἐφαίνετο κατὰ τὴν νῦν διάνοιαν ὁ ὑψηλὸς καὶ οὐράνιος τοῦ Κυρίου λόγος ὁ εὐαγγελικός. Ἢ, ὡς ὁ μέγας Παῦλος Σιὼν ὄρος ἐπουράνιον εἶναι διδάσκει, καὶ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἥν τινά φησιν εἶναι μητέρα πάντων ἡμῶν. Οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἄρα τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμφανὲς τοῦτο τὸ 1872 ὅρος· ἀλλ' ὅτε Χριστὸς εἰς ἀθέτησιν ἀμαρτίας πεφανέρωται, γενόμενος τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς πέτρα, ἐφ' ᾗ τὴν ἰδίαν ᾠκοδόμησεν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ἐφάνη γὰρ νῦν ἅπασιν ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος μετὰ τῆς ὑποκειμένης αὐτῷ πέτρας, ὅτε τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν χρόνων ἐφανερώθη. ὄρη δὲ ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου κάθοδος ἐπὶ γῆς παρεικάσθη, διότι τὸ ὄρος ἐπὶ γῆς ἐστιν ὑψηλόν· καὶ ἡ σὰρξ δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου, γῆ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν ὑπάρχουσα, διὰ τῆς συναφείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυψώθη, ὃν οἱ μιμούμενοι χρηματίζουσιν ὄρη, καὶ πέτραι τὸν οἶκον ἀνέχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ, οἷος ἦν ὁ Πέτρος πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται. "Καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν," καὶ πᾶς ὅς τις ὑψηλὸν καὶ ἐπηρμένον ἔχει τὸ φρόνημα τῶν γηΐνων ὑπερανεστηκὸς, χωροῦν τε τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν διὰ μέγεθος νοῦ καὶ καθαρότητα πράξεων. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι ἄκρα εἰσὶ τῶν ὀρέων, ἐφ' ὧν ᾠκοδόμηται ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ οἶκος ὑπερυψούμενος τῶν βουνῶν, οἵ τινες γήλοφοί τινές εἰσιν εὐπερίγραπτον ἔχοντες τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς ἐπανάστασιν, τῶν μὲν ταπεινῶν ὑπερέχοντες, τῶν δὲ ὑψηλοτάτων ἀπολιπόμενοι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀνείκαστος ἡ κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπεροχὴ πρὸς πάντας ὁμοῦ τοὺς ἐν οἵοις δήποτε διαφανεστάτους κατορθώμασιν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν βουνῶν ὑπερανέστηκε. Μείζονος γὰρ δόξης παρὰ Μωϋσὴν ἠξιώθη, καθ' ὅσον μείζονα τιμὴν ἔχει τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν· καὶ παρὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ὃς ἠγαλλιάσατο τὴν ἡμέραν ἰδεῖν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως, καὶ ἴδεν, καὶ ἐχάρη, καὶ δεκάτας δέδωκε τῷ Μελχισεδὲκ, ὃς ἦν τύπος τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἔνσαρκος τοῦ Κυρίου οἰκονομία τοιαύτη. "Ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ." Μὴ γὰρ εἴη τὴν θεότητα δοξάζειν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὰ δοῦλα ὑπεροχῆς, ἧς ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπεια ὑπὲρ ἄνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐπὶ οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου πᾶν ἔθνος ἥξει, φησίν. Ἥξει γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πίστιν πάντα κληθέντα τῷ σωτηρίῳ κηρύγματι· "Κηρυχθήσεται γὰρ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ." Καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἐν μὲν τῷ, ἥξειν πάντα ἔφη τὰ ἔθνη· ἐν δὲ τῷ, πορεύεσθαι πολλά; ὅτι τὸ μὲν, ἐπὶ τοῦ πιστεύειν τέτακται· τὸ δὲ πορεύεσθαι, ἐπὶ τοῦ πολιτεύεσθαι. Πάντες γὰρ ὁμολογοῦμεν τὴν πίστιν. Πάντες δὲ, κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς [οὐ] πορευόμεθα. Ἐπὶ γὰρ πολιτείας καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἔφη ∆αβὶδ, "Μακάριοι οἱ ἄμωμοι ἐν ὁδῷ οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου. "Πῶς οὖν ἔθνη πολλὰ, φησὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος ὀλίγους εἶναι τοὺς εὑρίσκοντας τὴν ὁδόν; ὅτι ἄλλο ἔθνος, ἡ ὁλότης· ἄλλο δὲ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ὑπ' αὐτό.