[That It is an Horrible and Destructive Thing to Deny Christ.]

IV. But he that denies himself to be a Christian, that he may not be hated of men, and so loves his own life more than he does the Lord, in whose hand his breath is, is wretched and miserable, as being detestable and abominable, who desires to be the friend of men, but is the enemy of God, having no longer his portion with the saints, but with those that are accursed; choosing instead of the kingdom of the blessed, that eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: not being any longer hated by men, but rejected by God, and cast out from His presence. For of such a one our Lord declared, saying: “Whosoever shall deny me before men, and shall be ashamed of my name, I also will deny and be ashamed of him before my Father which is in heaven.”  10  Rom. xiii. 8. Rom. xiii. 8. And again He speaks thus to us ourselves, His disciples: “He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”  11  See 1 Cor. vii. 25. See 1 Cor. vii. 25. And afterwards: “Fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  12  Eccles. v. 5. Eccles. v. 5.

[4] Ὁ δὲ ἀρνησάμενος ἑαυτὸν Χριστοῦ εἶναι διὰ τὸ μὴ μισεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, φιλήσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν Κύριον, οὗ ἡ πνοὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, οὗτος ἐλεεινός, ἄθλιος, ὡς ἐναγὴς καὶ βδελυκτός, φίλος μὲν ἀνθρώπων θελήσας εἶναι, ἐχθρὸς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μερίδα λαβὼν οὐκέτι μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν κατηραμένων, ἀντὶ βασιλείας εὐλογημένων ποθήσας τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ: οὐχ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ἔτι μισούμενος, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπωσμένος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἐκβεβλημένος. Περὶ γὰρ τούτου ἀπεφήνατο ὁ Κύριος λέγων: «Ὅστις ἀρνήσεταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπαισχυνθῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ἀρνήσομαι αὐτὸν κἀγὼ καὶ ἐπαισχυνθήσομαι ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Καὶ πάλιν λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, οὕτως: «Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος, καὶ ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος, καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος: ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. Τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; Ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;» Καὶ ἑξῆς: «Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτενόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι: φοβήθητε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ.»