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speaking to a lazy child who still wishes to linger on old lessons, wishing to lead him to higher things, he says, Consider how much time you have possessed this lesson. So also Christ, reminding them, that for a long time they studied and possessed the old law, and it is finally time to ascend to the higher one, 49.322 led them to the former legislation of the fathers, saying, You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. That was said to those of old, But I say to you. For if he were speaking to those of old, you would rightly be distressed, when your nature was more imperfect. But when nature has advanced, when it has become more perfect, it is finally time for more perfect teachings. For this reason also, beginning his legislation, so that no one, seeing the intensity of the philosophy, should hesitate and shrink back, he says, Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. You demand more labor from me? Why? Do I not share the same nature as they, am I not a man just as they are? So that they might not say these things, for what reason has he intensified the labors for us? for what reason has he made the contests greater? He preempted the objection by speaking of the kingdom of heaven. Greater, he says, are the prizes I bring. Having spoken of the labors, having spoken of the contests, having spoken of the intensity of the legislation, he also mentioned the prizes. For I have not given you Palestine, he says, nor the land flowing with milk and honey, but I bring you heaven itself. But not only do we have the advantage in the reward for our achievements, but also in the transgression of sins we endure a greater punishment. For just as those before the law receive a milder punishment than those under the law; For as many, he says, as have sinned without law will also perish without law, that is, they do not have the law as accuser, but from nature itself I will bring the verdict, he says, their thoughts accusing or even defending them; so compared to those who have stumbled under the law, those who sin under grace will undergo a more unbearable punishment. And Paul showed the difference between these thus, saying, Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses; of how much worse punishment, do you think, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, and counted the blood of the covenant a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? Do you see that under grace the punishment is greater, just as, therefore, the prizes are also greater? But since I have reminded you of the most awesome and spiritual mysteries, I exhort and implore and beg and with all earnestness ask, that having put away all sin you so approach this awesome table. For pursue peace, he says, with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. And he who is not worthy to see the Lord, is not worthy of the communion of the Lord’s body. For this reason Paul says, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. He did not uncover the wound, he did not bring the accusation into a public theater, he did not surround you with witnesses of your offenses. Within, in the conscience, with no one present except the all-seeing God, make the judgment, and the examination of your sins, and considering your whole life, bring your sins before the tribunal of your mind. Correct your offenses, and so with a clean conscience touch the sacred table, and partake of the holy sacrifice. These things 49.323 Keeping these things in mind, and remembering what has been said by us concerning licentiousness, and how great a punishment is laid up for those who simply and licentiously gaze upon the faces of women, and having the fear and love of God before your eyes, even before Gehenna, cleansing yourselves from every quarter, let us so approach the sacred mysteries, so that not for judgment 49.324 and condemnation, but for salvation and health of soul,

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πρὸς παιδίον λέγων ὀκνηρὸν τοῖς πάλαι βουλόμενον ἐνδιατρίβειν ἔτι μαθήμασιν, ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα ἀναγαγεῖν θέλων λέγει, Ἐννόησον πόσον χρόνον τὸ μάθημα τοῦτο κατέσχες· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀναμιμνήσκων, ὅτι πολὺν χρόνον ἐμελέτησαν, καὶ κατέσχον τὸν παλαιὸν νόμον, καὶ καιρὸς λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸν ὑψηλότερον ἀνελθεῖν, εἰς 49.322 τήν ποτε αὐτοὺς νομοθεσίαν τῶν πατέρων ἀνήγαγε λέγων, Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις. Ἐκεῖνο τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐῤῥέθη, Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἔλεγεν, εἰκότως ἤσχαλλες, ὅτε ἀτελέστερον ὑμῶν ἡ φύσις διέκειτο· ὅτε δὲ ἐπέδωκεν ἡ φύσις, ὅτε τελειοτέρα γέγονε, καὶ διδαγμάτων τελειοτέρων λοιπὸν καιρός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀρχόμενος τῆς νομοθεσίας, ἵνα μή τις τὴν ἐπίτασιν ὁρῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ὀκνῇ καὶ ἀναδύηται, φησὶν, Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Πλείονά με ἀπαιτεῖς τὸν πόνον; διὰ τί; οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς κοινωνῶ φύσεως ἐκείνοις, οὐχὶ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι; Ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα λέγωσι, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπέτεινεν ἡμῖν τοὺς πόνους; τίνος ἕνεκεν μείζονα ἔθηκε τὰ σκάμματα; προανεῖλε τὴν ἀντίθεσιν εἰπὼν τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· Μείζονα, φησὶ, φέρω τὰ ἔπαθλα· εἰπὼν τοὺς πόνους, εἰπὼν τοὺς ἀγῶνας, εἰπὼν τὴν ἐπίτασιν τῆς νομοθεσίας, ἐμνημόνευσε καὶ τῶν ἐπάθλων. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν Παλαιστίνην ὑμῖν δέδωκα, φησὶν, οὐδὲ τὴν γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ὑμῖν κομίζω τὸν οὐρανόν. Οὐκ ἐν τῷ μισθῷ δὲ τῶν κατορθωμάτων πλεονεκτοῦμεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παραβάσει τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μείζονα τὴν κόλασιν ὑπομένομεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου πραοτέραν διδόασι τιμωρίαν τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ· Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον, ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται, τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἔχουσι τὸν νόμον κατήγορον, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς οἴσω τὴν ψῆφον, φησὶ, μεταξὺ τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων, ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων· οὕτω τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ πταισάντων οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς χάριτος ἁμαρτάνοντες ἀφορητοτέραν ὑποστήσονται τὴν κόλασιν. Καὶ τούτων τὴν διαφορὰν οὕτως ἔδειξεν ὁ Παῦλος εἰπὼν, Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει· πόσῳ δοκεῖτε χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρίσας; Ὁρᾷς ἐπὶ τῆς χάριτος μείζονα τὴν τιμωρίαν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὰ ἔπαθλα μείζονα; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν μυστηρίων ὑμᾶς ἀνέμνησα τῶν φρικωδεστάτων καὶ πνευματικῶν, παρακαλῶ καὶ ἀντιβολῶ καὶ δέομαι καὶ μετὰ πάσης ἀξιῶ σπουδῆς, ὥστε πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀποθεμένους οὕτω προσιέναι τῇ φρικτῇ ταύτῃ τραπέζῃ. Εἰρήνην γὰρ, φησὶ, διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον. Ὁ δὲ τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ὢν ἄξιος ἰδεῖν, οὐδὲ τῆς κοινωνίας ἄξιός ἐστι τοῦ σώματος τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, Ἕκαστος δὲ δοκιμαζέτω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου ἐσθιέτω καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου πινέτω. Οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψε τὸ ἕλκος, οὐκ εἰς κοινὸν θέατρον ἤγαγε τὴν κατηγορίαν, οὐ περιέστησε μάρτυρας τῶν πλημμελημάτων· ἔνδον ἐν τῷ συνειδότι, μηδενὸς παρόντος πλὴν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ὁρῶντος Θεοῦ, ποιοῦ τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων τὴν ἐξέτασιν, καὶ πάντα τὸν βίον ἀναλογιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ τὸ κριτήριον ἄγε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· διόρθου τὰ πλημμελήματα, καὶ οὕτω μετὰ καθαροῦ τοῦ συνειδότος τῆς ἱερᾶς ἅπτου τραπέζης, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας μέτεχε θυσίας. Ταῦτα 49.323 ἔχοντες ἐν νῷ, καὶ τῶν περὶ ἀκολασίας ἡμῖν εἰρημένων μεμνημένοι, καὶ ὅση κεῖται τιμωρία τοῖς ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀκολάστως ὁρῶσι τὰς τῶν γυναικῶν ὄψεις, καὶ πρὸ τῆς γεέννης τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες, πανταχόθεν ἑαυτοὺς καθαίροντες, οὕτω καὶ προσίωμεν τοῖς ἱεροῖς μυστηρίοις, ἵνα μὴ εἰς κρῖμα 49.324 καὶ κατάκριμα, ἀλλ' εἰς σωτηρίαν καὶ ὑγίειαν ψυχῆς,