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to turn aside through lack of moderation. For the Master has bound us to such a body, which cannot subsist otherwise, unless it partakes of this; only let the things of lack of moderation be cut off; for this contributes the greatest things to its health and well-being. Or do you not see every day countless diseases brought on from luxurious tables and immoderate gluttony? From where come pains in the feet? from where headaches? from where the excess of corrupt humors? from where the other countless diseases? Is it not from a lack of moderation and from pouring out for themselves unmixed wine more than is necessary? For just as a ship that has taken on too much water is quickly sunk and submerged; so also a man, when he gives himself over to gluttony and drunkenness, goes down cliffs, and submerges his reason, and lies thereafter like a living corpse, being able often to work evil, but with respect to all good things being disposed no better than the dead. So terrible a thing is drunkenness, as to be able to cripple the senses, and to cause the rational man, 63.652 who has received dominion over all things, having bound him with certain unbreakable fetters like an inactive corpse, to lie prostrate; or rather, even worse than a corpse; for the one is inactive toward both good and evil, but this one is set forth as a common laughingstock for all. For his friends, considering the shame their own, cover their faces and are ashamed; but his enemies rejoice, and mock, and curse, all but saying these words: Should this one live at all? Should this one breathe the air? The beast, the swine? and uttering things from f. still more harsh than these. Having fled these things, beloved, with as much strength as we have, let us be eager to eat so much as has true pleasure, and is able to nourish the body, and to render it well-ordered and well-suited for us for the works of the commandments of Christ; so that we may both complete the present life with ease, and obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY XIII. On sickness and physicians. When you fall into sickness, O man, remember the body of Job,

and that holy flesh; for it was holy and pure, and had such wounds. For who was ever so sick? who received so great a blow, or saw another who had received one? there is no one, there is not. Little by little his body was being consumed, and a fountain of worms gushed forth from his limbs on all sides, and this discharge was continuous, and the stench from all sides was great, and his body being divided little by little, and wasting away with such putrefaction, made his food unpleasant. And hunger was to him strange and paradoxical; for though it was given, he could not enjoy the food; For "I see my food as filth," he says. But this man, he says, had sufficient exhortation and comfort in knowing that God was bringing these things upon him. This, then, most of all disturbed and troubled him, that he thought the just God, who had been served by him in every way, was warring against him, and he could not find any reasonable pretext for what was happening. But if you think this is enough for exhortation, you will be able also to have this comfort yourself. For even if you do not suffer any of the terrible things because of God, but from the insolence of men, you should give thanks, and not blaspheme the one who is able to prevent it, but has allowed it for the sake of your testing; just as those who suffer for God are crowned, so also you will obtain the same rewards, because you have borne nobly the calamities brought upon you by men, and have given thanks to the one who was able to prevent them, but was unwilling. For no one is good without sin, nor is anyone evil without righteousness; but for both there is a reward and a recompense. If there is a just man and he does something wicked, and he falls ill, and is given over to punishment, do not be disturbed, but say, that This one

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παρατρέψαι διὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας. Σώματι γὰρ τοιούτῳ συνέπλεξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὃ μὴ δυνατὸν ἑτέρως συνεστάναι, εἰ μὴ ταύτης μεταλάβοι· μόνον τὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας ἐκκοπτέσθω· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν τούτου καὶ εὐεξίαν τὰ μέγιστα συμβάλλεται. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾶτε καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀπὸ τῶν πολυτελῶν τραπεζῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀμέτρου ἀδηφαγίας μυρία ἐπαγόμενα νοσήματα; Πόθεν ποδαλγίαι; πόθεν καρηβαρίαι; πόθεν ὁ τῶν χυμῶν τῶν διεφθαρμένων πλεονασμός; πόθεν τὰ ἄλλα μυρία νοσήματα; οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀμετρίας καὶ τοῦ πλέον τοῦ δέοντος ἐκχέειν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ἄκρατον; Καθάπερ γὰρ πλοῖον ὑπέραντλον γεγονὸς, ταχέως καταβαπτίζεται καὶ ὑποβρύχιον γίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ὅταν τῇ ἀδηφαγίᾳ καὶ μέθῃ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδῷ, κατὰ κρημνῶν ἄπεισι, καὶ ὑποβρύχιον ἐργάζεται τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ κεῖται λοιπὸν καθάπερ νεκρὸς ἔμψυχος, πρὸς μὲν τὰ κακὰ πολλάκις ἐνεργεῖν δυνάμενος, πρὸς δὲ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἅπαντα οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῶν νεκρῶν διακείμενος. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ μέθη δεινὸν, ὡς καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις πηρῶσαι δύνασθαι, καὶ τὸν λογικὸν ἄνθρω 63.652 πον, καὶ τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἀρχὴν ἀναδεδεγμένον καθάπερ νεκρὸν ἀνενέργητον δεσμοῖς τισιν ἀλύτοις πεδήσασα κεῖσθαι παρασκευάζει· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ νεκροῦ χεῖρον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τὰ καλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὰ κακὰ ἀνενέργητος, οὗτος δὲ κοινὸς ἅπασι γέλως πρόκειται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ φίλοι, οἰκείαν τὴν αἰσχύνην λογιζόμενοι, ἐγκαλύπτονται, καὶ αἰσχύνονται· οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ ἐφήδονται καὶ κωμῳδοῦσι καὶ ἐπαρῶνται, μονονουχὶ ταῦτα λέγοντες τὰ ῥήματα· Τοῦτον δεῖ ὅλως ζῇν; τοῦτον δεῖ ἀναπνεῖν τὸν ἀέρα; τὸ βόσκημα, τὸν χοῖρον; καὶ τὰ ἐκ φ. ἔτι τούτων χαλεπώτερα φθεγγόμενοι. Ἅπερ φυγόντες, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὅση δύναμις, τοσοῦτον σιτεῖσθαι σπουδάσωμεν, ὃ καὶ ἡδονὴν ἔχει τὴν ὄντως ἡδονὴν, καὶ θρέψαι δύναται τὸ σῶμα, καὶ εὔτακτον ἡμῖν καὶ εὐάρμοστον πρὸς τὰς ἐνεργείας παρασχεῖν τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἵνα καὶ τὸν παρόντα βίον εὐμαρῶς διανύσωμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτευξώμεθα ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΓʹ. Περὶ ἀῤῥωστίας καὶ ἰατρῶν. Ὅταν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπέσῃς, ἄνθρωπε, ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Ἰὼβ,

καὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἐκείνης σαρκός· ἁγία γὰρ ἦν καὶ καθαρὰ, καὶ τοιαῦτα ἔχουσα τραύματα. Τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἠῤῥώστησέ ποτε; τίς τοσαύτην πληγὴν ἐδέξατο, ἢ ἕτερον δεξάμενον εἶδεν; οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς, οὐκ ἔστι. Κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτῷ τὸ σῶμα ἐδαπανᾶτο, καὶ πηγὴ σκωλήκων αὐτῷ πάντοθεν ἔβρυεν ἀπὸ τῶν μελῶν, καὶ διηνεκὴς ἦν αὕτη ἡ ἐπιῤῥοὴ, καὶ πολλὴ πανταχόθεν ἡ δυσωδία, καὶ τὸ σῶμα κατὰ μικρὸν διαιρούμενον, καὶ τοιαύτῃ σηπεδόνι τηκόμενον, ἀηδῆ τὰ σιτία ἐποίει. Καὶ λιμὸς ἦν αὐτῷ ξένος καὶ παράδοξος· οὐ γὰρ διδομένης ἠδύνατο τῆς τροφῆς ἀπολαύειν· Βρόμον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁρῶ τὰ σιτία μου. Ἀλλ' ἱκανὴν εἶχεν οὗτος παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν, φησὶ, τῷ εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῷ ταῦτα ἐπάγοντα. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν μάλιστα ἐτάραττε καὶ ἐθορύβει, ὅτι τὸν δίκαιον Θεὸν, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ παρ' αὐτοῦ θεραπευθέντα, τοῦτον ἐνόμιζεν αὐτῷ πολεμεῖν, καὶ πρόφασίν τινα εὔλογον εὑρεῖν τῶν γινομένων οὐκ εἶχεν. Εἰ δὲ ἀρκεῖν τοῦτο εἰς παράκλησιν νομίζεις, δυνήσῃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ταύτην τὴν παραμυθίαν σχεῖν. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν πάθῃς τι τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐπηρείας, εὐχαριστήσῃς δὲ, καὶ μὴ βλασφημήσῃς τὸν δυνάμενον κωλῦσαι μὲν, ἀφέντα δὲ τῆς σῆς ἕνεκεν δοκιμῆς· ὥσπερ οἱ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν παθόντες στεφανοῦνται, οὕτω καὶ σὺ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτεύξῃ μισθῶν, ὅτι τὰς παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐπαχθείσας σοι συμφορὰς γενναίως ἤνεγκας, καὶ τῷ δυναμένῳ αὐτὰς κωλῦσαι, μὴ βουληθέντι δὲ, ηὐχαρίστησας. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀγαθός τίς ἐστι χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, οὔτε κακός τίς ἐστι χωρὶς δικαιοσύνης· ἀμφοτέροις δὲ ἀμοιβὴ καὶ ἀντίδοσις. Ἐὰν ᾖ τις δίκαιος καὶ φαῦλον ἐργάσηταί τι, καὶ νοσήσῃ, καὶ τιμωρίᾳ παραδοθῇ, μὴ θορυβηθῇς, ἀλλ' εἰπὲ, ὅτι Οὗτος