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to receive the prize. For why did He make one body? Was it not that this might prevail? Was it not that we might have an occasion for being at peace? Why are we all one body? And how are we one body? Through peace we are one body, and because we are one body, we are at peace. But why did he not say, Let the peace of God conquer, but, Let it rule as umpire? He made it more worthy of belief. He did not allow the evil thought to wrestle with it, but to stand lower. And the name of the prize lifted up the hearer. For if it gives the prize to the good thought, whatever shameless things the other may do, there is no longer any benefit. Besides, that one knew that whatever it may work, it will not receive the prize; however much it may pant and attempt to attack more vehemently, as laboring foolishly, it will depart. And he well added, And be ye thankful. For this is to be thankful, and very powerfully, to treat fellow-servants in the same way as God treats him, to yield to the master, to obey, to give thanks for all things, even if someone insults, even if someone strikes. For surely he who gives thanks to God for what he has suffered will not take vengeance on the one who did it; since he who takes vengeance does not give thanks. But let us not become like that man of the hundred denarii, lest we hear, Wicked servant; for nothing is worse than this ingratitude. Therefore, those who take vengeance are ungrateful. But why did he come first to fornication? For having said, Mortify your members which are upon the earth, he immediately says, Fornication, and this he does almost everywhere. Because this passion especially prevails; for indeed, when writing to the Thessalonians, he did this. And what wonder? since even to Timothy he says, Keep yourself pure; and again elsewhere, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. - Mortify, he says, your members. You know what a dead thing is, hateful, abominable, decaying. If you mortify it, it does not remain dead, but is immediately corrupted, just like the body. Quench therefore the heat, and nothing dead remains. He shows him working this, which Christ did at the font; for this reason he also calls them members; as introducing a certain champion, and leading to a greater emphasis. And he well said, Which are upon the earth; for here it remains, and here it is corrupted, much more than these members. So that the body is not so much from the earth, as sin is earthly; for the one sometimes appears beautiful, but the other never. And these members desire all things that are upon the earth. If the eye be of such a kind, it does not see the things in 62.356 the heavens; if the ear, if the hand, if any member you might name. The eye sees bodies and beauties and possessions; these things are from the earth, in these it delights; the ear in soft song, in lyre and flute and filthy language; and these things are about the earth. Since therefore he has set them above beside the throne, then he says, Mortify your members which are upon the earth. For it is not possible to stand above with these members; for that in which they must be active is not there. And this clay is worse than that; for that clay becomes gold; For, he says, this corruptible must put on incorruption; but this clay can no longer be remelted. So these things are more upon the earth than those. For this reason he did not say From the earth, but, which are upon the earth; for it is possible for these not to be from the earth. For these must necessarily be upon the earth, but those no longer necessarily. For when the ear hears nothing of the things here, but of the things spoken in heaven, when the eye sees nothing of the things here, but of the things above, it is not on the earth; when the mouth utters nothing of the things here, it is not on the earth; when the hand does nothing of evil things, it is not of the things on the earth, but of the things in the heavens. 4. This Christ also says, If your right eye offends you, that is, If you look with licentiousness, pluck it out; that is, the evil thought. But it seems to me that fornication, uncleanness, passion, desire, are saying the same thing, fornication, through

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ἀναδέξασθαι τὸ βραβεῖον. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ ἓν σῶμα ἐποίησεν; οὐχ ἵνα αὕτη κρατῇ; οὐχ ἵνα ἀφορμὴν ἔχωμεν τοῦ εἰρηνεύειν; ∆ιὰ τί πάντες ἓν σῶμά ἐσμεν; πῶς δὲ ἓν σῶμά ἐσμεν; ∆ιὰ τὴν εἰρήνην σῶμα ἕν ἐσμεν, καὶ διὰ τὸ σῶμα ἓν εἶναι, εἰρηνεύομεν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Θεοῦ νικάτω, ἀλλὰ, Βραβευέτω; Ἀξιοπιστοτέραν αὐτὴν ἐποίησε. Τὸν πονηρὸν λογισμὸν οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτῇ προσπαλαίειν, ἀλλὰ κατώτερον ἑστάναι. Καὶ τὸ τοῦ βραβείου ὄνομα ἐπῆρε τὸν ἀκροατήν. Ἂν γὰρ δῷ βραβεῖον τῷ ἀγαθῷ λογισμῷ, ὅσα ἂν ἀναισχυντῇ ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲν ὄφελος λοιπόν. Ἄλλως δὲ ἐκεῖνος εἰδὼς ἦν, ὅτι ὅσα ἂν ἐργάσηται, οὐ λήψεται τὸ βραβεῖον· ὅσα ἂν πνεύσῃ καὶ ἐπιχειρήσῃ σφοδρότερον προσβαλεῖν, ἅτε ἀνόητα πονῶν ἀποστήσεται. Καὶ καλῶς προσέθηκε, Καὶ εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν εὐχάριστον εἶναι, καὶ σφόδρα ἐντρεπτικῶς, τὸ ὁμοίως κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις, ὥσπερ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ εἴκειν τῷ δεσπότῃ, τὸ πείθεσθαι, τὸ ὑπὲρ πάντων χάριν ὁμολογεῖν, κἂν ὑβρίσῃ τις, κἂν πλήξῃ. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁ τῷ Θεῷ χάριν ὁμολογῶν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔπαθε, τὸν ποιήσαντα ἀμυνεῖται· ὡς ὅγε ἀμυνόμενος οὐχ ὁμολογεῖ χάριν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τὰ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια γενώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσωμεν, Πονηρὲ δοῦλε· οὐδὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀχαριστίας ταύτης χεῖρον. Ὥστε ἀχάριστοι οἱ ἀμυνόμενοι. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πορνείαν πρώτην ἦλθεν; εἰπὼν γὰρ, Νεκρώσατε ὑμῶν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εὐθύς φησι, Πορνείαν, καὶ τοῦτο σχεδὸν πανταχοῦ ποιεῖ. Ὅτι μάλιστα τοῦτο κρατεῖ τὸ πάθος· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς γράφων, τοῦτο ἐποίησε. Καὶ τί θαυμαστόν; ὅπου γε καὶ Τιμοθέῳ φησὶ, Σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει· καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ, Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον. - Νεκρώσατε, φησὶ, τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν. Τὸ νεκρὸν ἴστε οἷόν ἐστι, μισητὸν, βδελυκτὸν, διαῤῥέον. Ἂν νεκρώσῃς, οὐ μένει νεκρὸν, ἀλλὰ φθείρεται εὐθέως, καθάπερ τὸ σῶμα. Σβέσον οὖν τὴν θερμότητα, καὶ οὐδὲν νεκρὸν μένει. ∆είκνυσιν αὐτὸν τοῦτο ἐργαζόμενον, ὅπερ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ λουτροῦ· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μέλη καλεῖ· καθάπερ ἀριστέα τινὰ εἰσάγων, καὶ εἰς μείζονα ἄγων ἔμφασιν. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ μένει, καὶ ἐνταῦθα φθείρεται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν μελῶν τούτων. Ὥστε οὐχ οὕτω τὸ σῶμά ἐστιν ἀπὸ γῆς, ὡς ἡ ἁμαρτία γηΐνη· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ καὶ καλὸν φαίνεταί ποτε, ἐκεῖνα δὲ οὐδέποτε. Καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐπιθυμεῖ ταῦτα τὰ μέλη. Ἂν ὀφθαλμὸς ᾖ τοιοῦτος, οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὰ ἐν 62.356 οὐρανοῖς· ἂν ἀκοὴ, ἂν χεὶρ, ἂν ὁτιοῦν εἴπῃς μέλος. Ὀφθαλμὸς σώματα ὁρᾷ καὶ κάλλη καὶ χρήματα· ταῦτα τὰ ἀπὸ γῆς, τούτοις τέρπεται· ἡ ἀκοὴ μέλε. μαλθακῷ, κιθάρᾳ καὶ σύριγγι καὶ αἰσχρολογίᾳ· ταῦτα δὲ περὶ γῆν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἔστησεν αὐτοὺς ἄνω παρὰ τὸν θρόνον, τότε φησὶ, Νεκρώσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἔνι στῆναι ἄνω μετὰ τούτων τῶν μελῶν· οὐκ ἔνι γὰρ ἐκεῖ, εἰς ὃ ἐνεργεῖν δεῖ. Καὶ οὗτος ὁ πηλὸς χείρων ἐκείνου· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ὁ πηλὸς γίνεται χρυσός· ∆εῖ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν· οὗτος δὲ ὁ πηλὸς οὐκέτι ἀναχωνευθῆναι δύναται. Ὥστε ταῦτα μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἢ ἐκεῖνα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν Ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀλλὰ, Τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἔνι γὰρ ταῦτα μὴ εἶναι ἀπὸ γῆς. Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ ἀνάγκη ἐπὶ γῆς εἶναι, ἐκεῖνα δὲ οὐκέτι ἀνάγκη. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀκοὴ μηδὲν ἀκούῃ τῶν ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς λαλουμένων, ὅταν ὀφθαλμὸς μηδὲν ὁρᾷ τῶν ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄνω, οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐστιν· ὅταν τὸ στόμα μηδὲν φθέγγηται τῶν ἐνταῦθα, οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐστιν· ὅταν ἡ χεὶρ μηδὲν πράττῃ τῶν πονηρῶν, οὐκ ἔστι τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. δʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησιν, Ἐὰν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζῃ σε, τουτέστιν, Ἐὰν ἀκολάστως ὁρᾷς, ἔκκοψον αὐτόν· τουτέστι, τὸν λογισμὸν τὸν πονηρόν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν, ταυτὸ λέγειν, τὴν πορνείαν, διὰ