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to go on a long journey, in order to cure the disease; but when the soul is ill, no one takes any account of it; but we all have become supine, we all are slothful, we all are negligent, overlooking our children and wives and ourselves being overcome by this grievous disease. But afterwards we perceive it. Consider how shameful and utterly ridiculous it is to say afterwards, "We did not expect, we did not hope this would happen"; not only shameful, but also dangerous. For if in the present life it is the mark of the foolish not to foresee the future, much more so in the life to come, when we now also hear many counseling and telling us what must be done and what must not be done. Let us therefore hold fast to that 62.696 hope, let us take care for our salvation, let us call upon God in all things, that he might stretch out a hand. How long will we be slothful? How long careless? How long will we despise ourselves, and our fellow servants? He himself has richly poured out upon us the grace of the Spirit. Let us consider, therefore, how great a grace he has shown to us, and let us show so great a zeal; or rather, so great is not possible, but at least a lesser one. For if even after this grace we are unfeeling, our punishment will be greater. For if I had not come, he says, and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but now they have no excuse. But may it not be so said of us, but may we all be counted worthy of the good things promised to those who have loved him in Christ Jesus our Lord, and so on.

HOMILY VI. And I want you to affirm these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to maintain good

works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that such a one is subverted, and

sins, being self-condemned. 1. Having spoken of the loving-kindness of God, and of His unspeakable care for us, and what we were and what He has made us, he adds and says: And I want you to affirm these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to maintain good works; that is, to discourse on these things, and from these to exhort to almsgiving. For what has been said will not only fit us for humility, and for not being puffed up and reproaching others, but also for all other virtue. So, for instance, when discoursing to the Corinthians he says: You know that the Lord, though He was rich, yet became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich. Having considered the care of God and his exceeding loving-kindness, he exhorts them to almsgiving, not simply nor incidentally; but what? That they may be careful, he says, to maintain good works; that is, also to help those who are wronged, not with money only, but also with protection, and to defend widows and orphans, and to keep all who suffer ill in safety; for this is, To maintain good works. For these things, he says, are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. What do the genealogies mean? For indeed in the Epistle to Timothy he puts this, saying: Myths

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μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν στείλασθαι, ὥστε λῦσαι τὴν νόσον· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς κακῶς ἐχούσης, οὐδεὶς οὐδένα ποιεῖται λόγον· ἀλλὰ πάντες ἀναπεπτώκαμεν, πάντες ῥᾳθυμοῦμεν, πάντες ὀλιγωροῦμεν, καὶ παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς περιορῶντες ἁλισκομένους ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου ταύτης τῆς χαλεπῆς. Ἀλλ' ὕστερον λαμβάνομεν τὴν αἴσθησιν. Ἐννοήσατε ὡς αἰσχρὸν καὶ σφόδρα καταγέλαστον ὕστερον λέγειν, Οὐ προσεδοκῶμεν, οὐκ ἠλπίζομεν τοῦτο ἔσεσθαι· οὐκ αἰσχρὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ τῶν ἀνοήτων ἐστὶ τὸ τὰ μέλλοντα μὴ προορᾷν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ὅτε καὶ ἀκούομεν νῦν πολλῶν συμβουλευόντων καὶ λεγόντων τὰ πρακτέα καὶ τὰ μὴ πρακτέα. Ἀντεχώμεθα τοίνυν τῆς ἐλπίδος 62.696 ἐκείνης, φροντίζωμεν τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι παρακαλῶμεν, ὥστε χεῖρα ὀρέξαι. Μέχρι τίνος ῥᾴθυμοι; μέχρι τίνος ἀμελεῖς; μέχρι τίνος καταφρονοῦμεν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ τῶν ὁμοδούλων ἡμῶν; αὐτὸς πλουσίως ἐξέχεεν εἰς ἡμᾶς τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν. Ἐννοήσωμεν τοίνυν ὅσην χάριν ἐπὶ ἡμᾶς ἐνεδείξατο, καὶ τοσαύτην καὶ ἡμεῖς σπουδὴν ἐπιδειξώμεθα· μᾶλλον δὲ τοσαύτην μὲν οὐ δυνατὸν, κἂν γοῦν ἐλάττονα. Ἂν γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὴν χάριν ταύτην ὦμεν ἀναίσθητοι, μείζων ἡμῖν ἔσται ἡ κόλασις. Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο ταῦτα περὶ ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσιν αὐτὸν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΣΤʹ. Καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσι καλῶν

ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες τῷ Θεῷ. Ταῦτά ἐστι καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιίστασο· εἰσὶ γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. Αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν νουθεσίαν καὶ δευτέραν παραιτοῦ· εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ

τοιοῦτος, καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. αʹ. Εἰπὼν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀφάτου αὐτοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς κηδεμονίας, καὶ τίνας ὄντας ἡμᾶς τίνας εἰργάσατο, ἐπήγαγε καί φησι· Καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες τῷ Θεῷ· τουτέστι, ταῦτα διαλέγεσθαι, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων προτρέπειν ἐπὶ ἐλεημοσύνην. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον πρὸς ταπεινοφροσύνην ἡμῖν τὰ εἰρημένα ἁρμόσει, καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι καὶ ὀνειδίζειν ἑτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετήν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ πρὸς Κορινθίους διαλεγόμενος φησί· Γινώσκετε ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὢν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν. Ἐννοήσας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην αὐτοὺς προτρέπει, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ παρέργως· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἵνα φροντίζωσι, φησὶ, καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι· τουτέστι, καὶ ἀδικουμένοις βοηθεῖν, μὴ χρήμασι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προστασίαις, καὶ χήραις ἐπαμύνειν καὶ ὀρφανοῖς, καὶ πάντας τοὺς κακῶς πάσχοντας ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καθιστᾷν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, Καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι. Ταῦτα γάρ ἐστι, φησὶ, καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιίστασο· εἰσὶ γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. Τί ποτε βούλονται αἱ γενεαλογίαι; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον Ἐπιστολῇ τίθησι τοῦτο λέγων· Μύθους