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and the thief, but not so terrible as the adulterer; for the one, even if it is a poor excuse, can nevertheless put forward the necessity of poverty; but this one, with no necessity compelling him, falls into the pit of sin by folly alone. This can also be said of those who swear; for they too have no pretext to put forward, but only contempt. And I know that I seem to be burdensome now and tiresome, seeming to annoy by the continuity of my exhortation, but nevertheless I do not desist, so that even out of respect for my shamelessness, you may desist from the wicked habit of swearing. For if that harsh and cruel judge, respecting a widow's persistence, changed his way, how much more should you do this, and especially when the one exhorting you does this not for his own sake, but for your salvation; or rather, I would not deny doing this for my own sake too; for I consider your good deeds to be my own achievements. And I would have wished that you, just as I now labor and toil for your salvation, 49.119 so also you would care for your own soul, and certainly this good deed would have reached its end. And what need is there to say much? For if there were neither Gehenna nor punishment for those who disobey, nor a reward for those who obey, and I, approaching you, had asked this as a favor, would you not have consented? would you not have granted the request, to one asking for so light a favor? But when it is God who asks for it, for the sake of you who give, not for His own sake who receives, who is so ungrateful, who so wretched and miserable, as not to grant a favor to God 49.120 when He asks, and especially when the one giving is himself about to enjoy the favor? Considering these things, therefore, and having departed from here to yourselves, speak of all that has been said, and correct those who do not pay attention in every way, so that we may receive the reward for both our own and others' good deeds, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

49.119.10 Thanksgiving to God concerning the deliverance from the

evils expected from the sedition, and a remembrance of the things that happened then; and further, against those who slander our body, and concerning the whole constitution of man; and towards the end concerning

accomplishing not swearing. Homily 11. 1. Whenever I consider the past winter and the present calm,

I do not cease saying: Blessed is God who does all things, and changes them; who made light from darkness, who brings down to the gates of Hades and brings up, who chastens and does not put to death, and I want you to say this continually, and not to leave it off; for if he has benefited us by his deeds, what forgiveness would we be worthy of, if we do not repay him even with words? Therefore I beseech you never to leave off giving thanks to him; for if we are grateful for the first things, it is clear that we will also enjoy other, greater things. Let us say, therefore, continually: Blessed is God, who has given us leave to set before you the customary table, and has granted you to listen to our words with confidence; blessed is God, that no longer fleeing external danger, but desiring to hear, we run together here, no longer do we meet one another with agony and trembling and care, but having shaken off all fear, with great freedom; for in the days before, we were in no better state than those who are tossed about in the midst of the sea, and expecting shipwreck every hour, being driven by countless rumors throughout the whole day, being disturbed and shaken from every side, and every day being anxiously inquisitive

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μὲν καὶ ὁ κλέπτης, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω δεινὸν ὡς ὁ μοιχός· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ εἰ καὶ ψυχρὰν αἰτίαν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔχει προβαλέσθαι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πενίας ἀνάγκην· οὗτος δὲ, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀνάγκης αὐτὸν βιαζομένης, ὑπὸ ἀνοίας μόνης εἰς τὸ βάραθρον καταπίπτει τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀμνυόντων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὗτοί τινα πρόφασιν ἔχουσι προβαλέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καταφρόνησιν μόνον. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι ἐπαχθὴς εἶναι δοκῶ λοιπὸν καὶ φορτικὸς, τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς παραινέσεως δοκῶν ἐνοχλεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀφίσταμαι, ἵνα κἂν τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν αἰδεσθέντες τὴν ἐμὴν, ἀποστῆτε τῆς πονηρᾶς τῶν ὅρκων συνηθείας. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ δικαστὴς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀπηνὴς καὶ ὠμὸς, χήρας ἐνόχλησιν αἰδεσθεὶς τὸν τρόπον μετέβαλε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς τοῦτο ἐργάσασθε, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὁ παρακαλῶν ὑμᾶς μὴ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας τοῦτο ποιῇ σωτηρίας· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἀρνησαίμην τοῦτο ποιεῖν· τὰ γὰρ ὑμέτερα ἀγαθὰ ἐμαυτοῦ νομίζω εἶναι κατορθώματα. Ἐβουλόμην δὲ ὑμᾶς, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ νῦν πονῶ καὶ κόπτομαι περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας, 49.119 οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς φροντίζειν τῆς ὑμετέρας ψυχῆς, καὶ πάντως ἂν τέλος ἔλαβε τουτὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα. Καὶ τί χρὴ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ γέεννα ἦν μηδὲ κόλασις παρακούουσι, μηδὲ μισθὸς ὑπακούουσιν, ἐγὼ δὲ προσελθὼν ὁμῖν τοῦτο ἐν χάριτος ᾔτησα μέρει, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἐπενεύσατε; οὐκ ἂν ἐδώκατε τὴν αἴτησιν, κούφην οὕτως αἰτοῦντι χάριν; Ὅταν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὴν αἰτῶν ᾖ δι' ὑμᾷς τοὺς διδόντας, οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν τὸν λαμβάνοντα, τίς οὕτως ἀγνώμων, τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς Θεῷ 49.120 χάριν αἰτοῦντι μὴ δοῦναι, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν αὐτὸς ἀπολαύειν μέλλῃ τῆς χάριτος ὁ διδούς; Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοήσαντες, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἀναχωρήσαντες ἐντεῦθεν, λέγετε τὰ εἰρημένα ἅπαντα, καὶ τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας παντὶ διορθοῦτε τρόπῳ, ἵνα καὶ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κατορθωμάτων τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἀπολάβωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

49.119.10 Εὐχαριστία πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν περὶ τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς τῶν ἐκ

τῆς στάσεως προσδοκηθέντων κακῶν, καὶ ἀνάμνησις τῶν τότε συμβάντων· ἔτι δὲ καὶ κατὰ τῶν τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν διαβαλλόντων, καὶ δι' ὅλου περὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευῆς· καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει περὶ τοῦ

κατορθῶσαι τὸ μὴ ὀμνύειν. Ὁμιλία ιαʹ. αʹ. Ἐπειδὰν ἐννοήσω τὸν παρελθόντα χειμῶνα καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν γαλήνην,

οὐ παύομαι λέγων· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν πάντα, καὶ μετασκευάζων αὐτά· ὁ ποιήσας φῶς ἐκ σκότους, ὁ κατάγων εἰς πύλας ᾅδου καὶ ἀνάγων, ὁ παιδεύων καὶ μὴ θανατῶν, καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ὑμᾶς λέγειν βούλομαι διηνεκῶς, καὶ μὴ διαλιμπάνειν· εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς τοῖς ἔργοις ἡμᾶς εὐηργέτησε, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἄξιοι συγγνώμης ἡμεῖς, μηδὲ λόγοις αὐτὸν ἀμειβόμενοι; ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ μηδέποτε διαλιμπάνειν εὐχαριστοῦντας αὐτῷ· ἂν γὰρ περὶ τὰ πρῶτα γενώμεθα εὐγνώμονες, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἑτέρων μειζόνων ἀπολαύσομεν. Λέγωμεν τοίνυν διηνεκῶς· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ καὶ ἡμῖν δοὺς μετὰ ἀδείας τὴν εἰωθυῖαν ὑμῖν παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν, καὶ ὑμῖν παρασχὼν μετὰ τοῦ θαῤῥεῖν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀκροᾶσθαι λόγων· εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐκέτι τὸν ἔξωθεν φεύγοντες κίνδυνον, ἀλλ' ἀκροάσεως ἐπιθυμοῦντες, ἐνταῦθα συντρέχομεν, οὐκέτι μετὰ ἀγωνίας καὶ τρόμου καὶ φροντίδος ἀλλήλοις συγγινόμεθα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀδείας πολλῆς ἅπαν ἀποτιναξάμενοι τὸ δέος· ὡς τάς γε ἔμπροσθεν ἡμέρας τῶν κλυδωνιζομένων ἐν μέσῳ πελάγει, καὶ ναυάγιον καθ' ἑκάστην προσδοκώντων τὴν ὥραν, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διεκείμεθα, μυρίαις δι' ὅλης ἡμέρας σοβούμενοι φήμαις, ταραττόμενοι καὶ δονούμενοι πάντοθεν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν περιεργαζόμενοι