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Having been made immortal, partakers of the heavenly calling, and heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, and citizens of heaven, (162) we have not yet received a perception of such great good things; but insensibly, so to speak, just as iron is cast into the fire or as a lifeless skin is dipped insensibly into scarlet dye, so we too are disposed while still in the midst of such great good things of God, confessing to have no perception in ourselves. And as if already saved and numbered among the saints, we put on airs, fashioning and adorning ourselves and feigning holiness, living wretchedly as if on an orchestra or a stage, we become like mimes and prostitutes, who, not having natural beauty, foolishly think to adorn themselves with cosmetics and foreign dyes. But such are not the characteristics of the saints who are born from above.

But it is necessary to know that just as an infant, when it comes forth from its mother's womb, insensibly perceives this air and is immediately and automatically moved to crying and wailing, so too one who has been born from above, having come forth from this world as from a dark womb, and having entered into the intelligible and heavenly light and having, as it were, peered a little inside it, is immediately filled with unspeakable joy and sheds tears without pain, understanding, it is likely, from what he was delivered and in what sort of light he was deemed worthy to be; for this is the beginning of one's being numbered among Christians. But those who have not yet come in knowledge and vision of such a good, nor have sought it with much perseverance and with wailing and tears, so that, having been purified by such actions, they might attain it and, being perfectly united with it, have communion with it, (163) tell me, can they be called Christians at all? For they are not as they should be. For if that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, how then can one who has been born bodily and has become a man, but has never understood or believed or been zealous that he ought to be born spiritually, become spiritual and number himself among spiritual men, unless secretly, like the one clothed in filthy garments, he inserts himself among the saints who wear shining robes, and having reclined with them at the royal table, he be cast out with his hands and feet bound, as one not a son of light but of flesh and blood, and be sent to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels? For he who received authority to become a son of God and an heir of the kingdom of heaven and of eternal good things, who learned in many ways through what works and commandments he ought to be raised to this honor and glory, and yet despised all these things, preferring earthly and corruptible things and choosing a swinish life and considering fleeting glory better than eternal glory, how shall he not be justly separated from all the faithful and be condemned with the unbelievers together with the devil himself?

Therefore I beseech you all, brothers and fathers, be zealous while there is time and we are among the living, strive to become sons of God, that you may be called children of light—for this is what birth from above gives us—, hate the world and the things in the world, (164) hate the flesh and the passions born of it, hate every evil desire and covetousness down to the least form and thing. And this we shall be able to do, if we consider the magnitude of the glory and joy and delight that is to succeed us. For what, tell me, is so much greater in heaven or on earth as for someone to become a son of God and His heir and a co-heir with Christ? Absolutely nothing! But because we prefer earthly things and things at hand, and because we do not seek the good things laid up in heaven nor hang upon the desire for them, we provide clear proof to those who see that, first, we are held by the disease of unbelief, as it is written: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?"; and then also

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ἀπαθανατισθέντες ἐπουρανίου τε κλήσεως μέτοχοι καί κληρονόμοι Θεοῦ καί συγκληρονόμοι Χριστοῦ καί πολῖται τῶν οὐρανῶν γενόμενοι, (162) αἴσθησιν οὔπω τῶν τοσούτων ἐλάβομεν ἀγαθῶν· ἀλλ᾿ ἀναισθήτως, ἵν᾿ οὕτως εἴπω, ὥσπερ σίδηρος ἐμβάλλεται τῷ πυρί ἤ ὡς ἄψυχον δέρμα ἐμβάπτεται ἀνεπαισθήτως κοκκίνῃ βαφῇ, οὕτω καί ἡμεῖς ἔτι ἐν τοῖς τοσούτοις ἀγαθοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ μέσον ὄντες διακείμεθα, μηδεμίαν αἴσθησιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχειν ὁμολογοῦντες. Καί ὡς ἤδη σεσωσμένοι καί τοῖς ἁγίοις κατειλεγμένοι ἐνσεμνυνόμεθα, σχηματιζόμενοί τε καί κοσμούμενοι καί τήν ἁγιωσύνην ὑποκρινόμενοι, ὡς ἐπί ὀρχήστρας ἤ σκηνῆς ἀθλίως βοιοῦντες, τοῖς μίμοις καί ταῖς πόρναις ἐξομοιούμεθα, αἵ τό φυσικόν οὐκ ἔχουσαι κάλλος ἐπιτρίμμασι καί βαφαῖς ξέναις ἑαυτάς κοσμεῖν ἀφρόνως οἴονται. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐχί καί τῶν ἁγίων τῶν ἄνωθεν γεννωμένων οἱ χαρακτῆρες τοιοῦτοι.

Χρεών δέ εἰδέναι, ὅτι ὥσπερ τό βρέφος ὅταν τῆς μητρικῆς νηδύος προέλθοι, τοῦ ἀέρος τούτου ἀνεπαισθήτως αἰσθάνεται καί εὐθέως πρός κλαυθμόν καί θρῆνον αὐτομάτως κινεῖται, οὕτω καί ὁ γεννηθείς ἄνωθεν καί ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου μέν τούτου ὡς ἐκ νηδύος σκοτεινῆς προελθών, εἰσελθών δέ εἰς τό νοητόν καί οὐράνιον φῶς καί οἱονεί προκύψας ἔνδον τούτου μικρόν, εὐθύς χαρᾶς ἀφάτου πληροῦται καί δάκρυα ἀνωδύνως προχέει, ἐννοῶν, τό εἰκός, ὅθεν ἐρρύσθη καί ἐν οἵῳ γενέσθαι κατηξιώθη φωτί· ἀρχή γάρ τοῦ εἰς χριστιανούς καταλεγῆναί τινα τοῦτό ἐστιν. Οἱ δέ γε τοῦ τοιούτου καλοῦ ἐν γνώσει καί θεωρίᾳ μήπω γενόμενοι, μηδέ ζητήσαντες αὐτό ἐν ἐπιμονῇ πολλῇ καί θρήνοις καί δάκρυσιν, ἵνα διά τῶν τοιούτων πράξεων καθαρθέντες τύχωσιν αὐτοῦ καί τέλεον ἑνωθέντες αὐτῷ κοινωνίαν σχῶσι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, (163) εἰπέ, χριστιανοί καθόλου κληθῶσιν; Οὐκ εἰσί γάρ ὡς χρή. Εἰ γάρ τό γεννώμενον ἐκ τῆς σαρκός σάρξ ἐστι καί τό γεννώμενον ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ὁ σωματικῶς γεννηθείς καί ἀνήρ γεγονώς, πνευματικῶς δέ μηδέ ὅτι γε ὀφείλει γεννηθῆναι ἐννοήσας ἤ πιστεύσας ἤ σπουδάσας ποτέ, πῶς ἄρα πνευματικός γένηται καί πνευματικοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἑαυτόν συναριθμήσειεν, εἰ μή λάθρᾳ, ὡς ὁ τά ῥυπαρά ἱμάτια ἐνδεδυμένος, ἑαυτόν παρενείρει τοῖς λαμπροφοροῦσιν ἁγίοις, καί ἐπί τῆς βασιλικῆς τραπέζης μετ᾿ αὐτῶν συνανακλιθείς ἔξω βληθείη χεῖρας καί πόδας δεθείς, ὡς μή φωτός υἱός ἀλλά σαρκός καί αἵματος, καί παραπεμφθείη τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρί, τῷ ἡτοιμασμένῳ τῷ διαβόλῳ καί τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ; Ὁ γάρ λαβών ἐξουσίαν υἱός γενέσθαι Θεοῦ βασιλείας τε οὐρανῶν καί αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμος, ὁ μαθών πολυτρόπως διά ποίων ἔργων και ἐντολῶν ὀφείλει εἰς ταύτην τήν τιμήν καί τήν δόξαν ἀναχθῆναι, καί τούτων μέν ἁπάντων καταφρονήσας, προτιμήσας δέ τά ἐπίγεια καί φθειρόμενα καί τόν χοιρώδη βίον προκρίνας καί τήν πρόσκαιρον δόξαν τῆς αἰωνίου δόξης κρείττονα ἡγησάμενος, πῶς οὐχί δικαίως πάντων τῶν πιστῶν χωρισθήσεται καί μετά τῶν ἀπίστων σύν αὐτῷ τῷ διαβόλῳ κατακριθήσεται;

∆ιό παρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί καί πατέρες, σπουδάσατε ἕως καιρός ἐστι καί ἐν τοῖς ζῶσίν ἐσμεν, ἀγωνίσασθε ἵνα υἱοί Θεοῦ γένησθε, ἵνα φωτός χρηματίσητε τέκνα - ταῦτα γάρ ἡ ἄνωθεν ἡμῖν γέννησις δίδωσι , μισήσατε τόν κόσμον καί τά ἐν κόσμῳ, (164) μισήσατε τήν σάρκα καί τά ἐξ αὐτῆς τικτόμενα πάθη, μισήσατε πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν καί τήν πλεονεξίαν μέχρι ἐλαχίστου εἴδους καί πράγματος. Τοῦτο δέ ποιῆσαι δυνησόμεθα, ἐάν τό μέγεθος τῆς μελλούσης ἡμᾶς διαδέξασθαι δόξης καί χαρᾶς καί τρυφῆς ἐννοήσωμεν. Τί γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, τοσοῦτον μεῖζον ἐν οὐρανῷ ἤ ἐπί τῆς γῆς ὡς τό γενέσθαι τινά υἱόν Θεοῦ καί κληρονόμον αὐτοῦ καί συγκληρονόμον Χριστοῦ; Πάντως οὐδέν! Ἀλλά διά τό προτιμᾶν ἡμᾶς τά ἐπίγεια καί τά ἐν χερσί καί διά τό μή ζητεῖν τά ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀποκείμενα ἀγαθά μηδέ τῷ πόθῳ τούτων ἐκκρέμασθαι, σαφῆ παρέχομεν τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἀπόδειξιν ὅτι πρῶτον μέν ἀπιστίας νόσῳ κρατούμεθα, καθώς γέγραπται· "Πῶς δύνασθε πιστεύειν δόξαν παρά ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνοντες, τήν δέ δόξαν τήν παρά τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ μή ἐπιζητοῦντες;"ἔπειτα καί