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the success of the later ones; and he who looks at the root knows this, but he who learns from above, from the trunk, can perceive nothing of the sort; so also is it here. And often when physicians have applied many medicines, there has been no benefit, but afterwards someone came and accomplished the whole thing; yet the work is not his alone, but also of those who had already worked upon the disease. So even if we do not now yield the fruits of our hearing, we will yield them later; for that we will yield them, I am strongly persuaded. For it is not, it is not possible for such love of hearing, and such desire to fall away; may it not be; but may we all, becoming worthy of the exhortations of Christ, obtain eternal goods.

HOMILY VI. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

1. It still troubles many people even now, why do the wicked remain, and are not destroyed? There are, then, many other reasons for this, for instance, that they may change, that through their punishment they may become an example to the many; but here Paul says something similar. For in a great house, he says, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; showing by this, that just as in a great house it is likely there is a great variety of vessels, so also here in the whole inhabited world; not speaking of the Church, but of the whole world. For do not take this to mean the Church; for here he desires no vessel to be wooden or earthen, but all golden and silver, where the body of Christ is, where the pure Virgin is, not 62.630 having spot or wrinkle. What he says is this: Let it not trouble you that there are wicked and defiled men; for in a great house there are also such vessels. What then? But it does not enjoy the same honor, he says, but some are for honor, and some for dishonor. Yes, he says, but here it serves some use, but in the world, not at all. Even if not for such an operation, yet God has used these very things for other purposes; for instance, the vainglorious man builds much, the covetous man, the merchant, the retailer, the ruler; there are certain works in the world suitable for them. But the golden vessel is nothing of the sort, but is occupied around the royal table. He does not say, then, that wickedness is a necessary thing; for how could he? but that they too have a work. For if all were of gold and silver, there would have been no need of those; for example, if all were hardy, there would be no need of buildings; if all were free from luxury, there would be no need of delicacies; if all cared for what is necessary, there would be no need of splendid buildings. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified. Do you see that it is not of nature nor of material necessity to be golden or earthen, but of our own choice? For in that case the earthen vessel could not become golden, nor could the latter descend to the lowliness of the former; but here there is much change and transposition. Paul was an earthen vessel, but 62.631 he became golden; Judas was a golden vessel, but he became earthen. So then, the earthen vessels are from impurity; the fornicator, the covetous man, becomes earthen. How then does he say elsewhere, Having the treasure

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ὑστέρας κατόρθωμα· καὶ ὁ μὲν πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν ἰδὼν οἶδε τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ στελέχους καταμανθάνων οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο δύναται συνιδεῖν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ ἰατρῶν δὲ πολλάκις πολλὰ προσενεγκάντων φάρμακα, οὐδεμία γέγονεν ὠφέλεια, ὕστερον δέ τις προσελθὼν, τὸ πᾶν κατώρθωσεν· οὐκ ἐκείνου δέ ἐστι μόνου τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνων τῶν ἤδη κατεργασαμένων τὸ πάθος. Ὥστε κἂν μὴ νῦν δῶμεν τῆς ἀκροάσεως τοὺς καρποὺς, ὕστερον δώσομεν· ὅτι γὰρ δώσομεν, σφόδρα πέπεισμαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τοσαύτην φιληκοΐαν, καὶ τοσοῦτον πόθον διαπεσεῖν· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ πάντες ἄξιοι τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραινέσεων γενόμενοι, τύχοιμεν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΣΤʹ. Ἐν μεγάλῃ δὲ οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔστι μόνον σκεύη χρυ σᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστρά κινα· καὶ ἃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν, ἃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν. Ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τούτων, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν ἡγιασμένον, εὔχρηστον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον.

αʹ. Πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων θορυβεῖ ἔτι καὶ νῦν, τί δήποτε μένουσιν οἱ κακοὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπόλλυνται Εἰσὶ μὲν οὖν τούτου καὶ ἕτεραι πολλαὶ αἰτίαι, οἷον, ἵνα μεταβάλωνται, ἵνα διὰ τῆς κολάσεως ὑπόδειγμα γένωνται τοῖς πολλοῖς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ Παῦλος πρᾶγμά φησιν ἐοικός. Ἐν μεγάλῃ γὰρ οἰκίᾳ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστι μόνον σκεύη χρυσᾶ, καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα· δηλῶν διὰ τούτου, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ εἰκὸς εἶναι πολλὴν διαφορὰν σκευῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ· οὐ περὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας λέγων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντός. Μὴ γάρ μοι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὑπολάβῃς· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὐδὲν βούλεται εἶναι σκεῦος ξύλινον οὐδὲ ὀστράκινον, ἀλλὰ πάντα χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἔνθα σῶμα Χριστοῦ, ἔνθα Παρθένος ἁγνὴ μὴ 62.630 ἔχουσα σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Μή σε ταραττέτω, ὅτι εἰσὶν ἄνθρωποι πονηροὶ καὶ μιαροί· καὶ γὰρ ἐν μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ ἐστὶ σκεύη τοιαῦτα. Τί οὖν; Ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς, φησὶν, ἀπολαύει τιμῆς, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν εἰς τιμήν ἐστι, τὰ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν. Ναὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν χρῆσίν τινα πληροῖ, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου οὐδαμῶς. Εἰ καὶ μὴ πρὸς τοιαύτην ἐνέργειαν, ἀλλὰ κέχρηται αὐτοῖς τούτοις πρὸς ἕτερα ὁ Θεός· οἷον, ὁ κενόδοξος πολλὰ οἰκοδομεῖ, ὁ πλεονέκτης, ὁ ἔμπορος, ὁ κάπηλος, ὁ ἄρχων· ἔστιν ἔργα τινὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ αὐτοῖς ἁρμόζοντα. Τὸ δὲ χρυσοῦν σκεῦος οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τράπεζαν στρέφεται τὴν βασιλικήν. Οὐ τοῦτο οὖν φησιν, ὅτι ἀναγκαῖον πρᾶγμα ἡ πονηρία· πῶς γάρ; ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔχουσιν ἔργον. Εἰ γὰρ πάντες ἦσαν χρυσοῖ καὶ ἀργυροῖ, οὐκ ἂν ἐδέησεν ἐκείνων· οἷον, εἰ πάντες ἦσαν καρτερικοὶ, οὐκ ἔδει οἰκοδομημάτων· εἰ πάντες τρυφῆς ἦσαν ἀπηλλαγμένοι, οὐκ ἔδει ἐδεσμάτων· εἰ τῆς χρείας ἐπεμέλοντο πάντες, οὐκ ἔδει λαμπρᾶς οἰκοδομῆς. Ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τούτων, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν ἡγιασμένον. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ φύσεως οὐδὲ ὑλικῆς ἀνάγκης ἐστὶ τὸ εἶναι χρυσοῦν ἢ ὀστράκινον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας προαιρέσεως; Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ὀστράκινον οὐκ ἂν γένηται χρυσοῦν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου καταπεσεῖν εὐτέλειαν δυνήσεται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολλὴ ἡ μεταβολὴ καὶ ἡ μετάστασις. Σκεῦος ὀστράκινον ἦν ὁ Παῦλος, ἀλλ' 62.631 ἐγένετο χρυσοῦν· σκεῦος χρυσοῦν ἦν ὁ Ἰούδας, ἀλλ' ἐγένετο ὀστράκινον. Ἄρα ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσίας τὰ ὀστράκινα· ὁ πόρνος, ὁ πλεονέκτης, ὀστράκινος γίνεται. Πῶς οὖν ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, Ἔχοντες τὸν θησαυρὸν