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of the Lord; for I have not used these words out of rashness, but because of the poverty of the weakness and nature of our tongue. Be merciful, O Lord; for not using them out of rashness do I speak these words, but I have no others; I do not however stand in the meanness of the word, but I ascend on the wing of the thought. And for this reason we have said these things, and have read to you the history concerning the blessed Daniel, and we constantly showed him turning pale, trembling, giving up the ghost, as his soul was hastening to break the bond of the flesh; so that from great abundance you who say that God is comprehensible might know, that it is not bearable to look upon not only an appearance of God, but not even of an angel. For just as a tame and gentle dove living in some little house, whenever it perceives some fear, startled it flies up to the roof, and seeks some exit through the windows, desiring to be freed from the agony; so indeed also the soul of that blessed one then, was eager to ascend from the body, and hastened towards the things outside. And it would have gone out and flown away and left the body desolate, if the angel had not quickly anticipated it and freed it from its agony, and led it back again to its own lodging. But if that righteous man, having such great confidence, could not bear seeing an angel; what will they suffer, who are so far from him, and are scrutinizing not an angel, but the very Lord of angels? He tamed the rage of lions; but we cannot even overcome foxes; he tore a dragon in two; but we are afraid even of mere reptiles. And if such and so great a man, seeing an angel come to him, was seized with a grievous dizziness, what defense will they have, who attempt to intrude upon that blessed nature? For 63.701 this reason Paul, being astonished, said, O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! He did not say, incomprehensible, but, Unsearchable. And if they cannot be searched out, much more is it impossible for them to be comprehended. And his ways are past finding out. His ways are past finding out, and He is comprehensible, tell me? What do you say? His judgments are unsearchable, His ways are past finding out, the things He has prepared for those who love Him have not entered into the heart of man, His greatness has no end, His understanding 63.702 has no number, all things are incomprehensible; and He alone is comprehensible; and what excess of madness would this not be? and who would not lament your derangement and this utter folly? Let us hasten to cast this off, beloved, with all our strength, imagining Paul to be always standing before our eyes, crying out with astonishment and saying: How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! To Him be the glory for ever. Amen. 63.701 SERMON XXII. On patience and long-suffering. If you wish, let us set before you for the encouragement of patience, beloved, the brave deeds of the righteous Job. For this man, this man who enjoyed such great glory, and was attended by all as a bodyguard, and was everywhere proclaimed with much distinction, having been suddenly cast down into dishonor and meanness, struggled with poverty and sickness and the loss of children and the rising up of enemies and the ingratitude of friends and hunger and pains of the flesh and insults and slanders; and what was indeed more difficult, these things came upon him when he was unpracticed. For one who is born of poor parents, and raised in such a house, since he has been trained and practiced, would easily bear the burden of poverty; but one who is surrounded by so much money and prides himself on such great wealth, then suddenly falls into the opposite state, would not easily endure such a change. And he who has lost children again, even if he loses all of them, but not at one time, has the remaining ones as a comfort for those who have departed; and when the grief for the death of the first has ceased, if that of the second happens after a time, for this very reason the suffering becomes more gentle. For not

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∆εσπότου· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀπονοίας ταῖς λέξεσι ταύταις κέχρημαι, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀπορίαν τῆς ἀσθενείας καὶ τῆς φύσεως τῆς γλώττης τῆς ἡμετέρας. Ἵλεως ἔσο, ∆έσποτα· οὐ γὰρ ἀπονοίᾳ κεχρημένος ταύτας λέγω τὰς λέξεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχω ἄλλας· οὐ μὴν ἵσταμαι ἐν τῇ εὐτελείᾳ τῆς λέξεως, ἀλλ' ἀναβαίνω τῷ πτερῷ τοῦ νοήματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ταῦτα εἰρήκαμεν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν μακάριον ∆ανιὴλ ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν ἀνέγνωμεν, καὶ συνεχῶς ἐδείκνυμεν αὐτὸν ὠχριῶντα, τρέμοντα, ψυχοῤῥαγοῦντα, τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπειγομένης ἀποῤῥῆξαι τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς δεσμόν· ἵνα ἐκ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας εἰδῆτε οἱ τὸν Θεὸν καταληπτὸν εἶναι λέγοντες, ὅτι οὐχὶ Θεοῦ ἐπιφάνειαν μόνον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀγγέλου φορητὸν κατιδεῖν. Καθάπερ γὰρ περιστερὰ χειροήθης καὶ ἥμερος ἐν οἰκίσκῳ τινὶ διατρίβουσα, ὅταν ποτὲ αἴσθηταί τινος φόβου, πτοηθεῖσα πρὸς τὴν ὀροφὴν ἵπταται, καὶ διὰ τῶν θυρίδων ἔξοδόν τινα ἐπιζητεῖ, τῆς ἀγωνίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἐπιθυμοῦσα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ μακαρίου τότε ἐκείνου, ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἀναβῆναι ἔσπευδε, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἔξωθεν ἠπείγετο. Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἂν καὶ ἀπέπτη καὶ τὸ σῶμα κατέλιπεν ἔρημον, εἰ μὴ ταχέως ὁ ἄγγελος προκαταλαβὼν αὐτὴν ἀπήλλαξε τῆς ἀγωνίας, καὶ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον πάλιν ἐπανήγαγε καταγώγιον. Εἰ δὲ ὁ δίκαιος ἐκεῖνος, ὁ παῤῥησίαν τοσαύτην ἔχων, ἄγγελον ἰδὼν οὐκ ἤνεγκεν· οἱ τοσοῦτον ἀφεστηκότες αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐχὶ ἄγγελον, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων περιεργαζόμενοι ∆εσπότην, τί πείσονται; Ἐκεῖνος λεόντων θυμὸν ἐδάμασεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ ἀλωπέκων περιγενέσθαι δυνάμεθα· ἐκεῖνος δράκοντα μέσον ἔῤῥηξεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τὰ ψιλὰ ἑρπετὰ δεδοίκαμεν. Καὶ εἰ ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἄγγελον ἐλθόντα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰδὼν, σκοτοδινίᾳ κατείχετο χαλεπῇ, τίνα ἕξουσιν ἀπολογίαν, οἱ τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην φύσιν ἐμβατεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντες; ∆ιὰ 63.701 τοῦτο Παῦλος ἐκπληττόμενος ἔλεγεν, Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ! ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀκατάληπτα, ἀλλ', Ἀνεξερεύνητα. Εἰ δὲ ἐξερευνηθῆναι οὐ δύναται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καταληφθῆναι ἀδύνατον. Καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ. Αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι, καὶ αὐτὸς καταληπτὸς, εἰπέ μοι; Τί λέγεις; τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ἀνεξερεύνητα, αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι, ἃ ἡτοίμασε τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου, ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ πέρας οὐκ ἔχει, ἡ σύνεσις 63.702 ἀριθμὸν οὐκ ἔχει, πάντα ἀκατάληπτα· καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος καταληπτός· καὶ ποίαν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο μανίας ὑπερβολήν; τίς δὲ οὐκ ἂν θρηνήσειεν ὑμᾶς τῆς παραπληξίας καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ταύτης ἀνοίας; Ἣν ἀποβαλέσθαι σπουδάσωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὅση δύναμις, τὸν Παῦλον ἀεὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἑστάναι δοκοῦντες τῶν ἡμετέρων, μετ' ἐκπλήξεως βοῶντα καὶ λέγοντα· Ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. 63.701 ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΒʹ. Περὶ ὑπομονῆς καὶ μακροθυμίας. Εἰ βούλεσθε, προθῶμεν ὑμῖν εἰς ὑπομονῆς παράκλησιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὰ τοῦ δικαίου Ἰὼβ ἀνδραγαθήματα. Οὗτος γὰρ, οὗτος ὁ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσας δόξης, καὶ παρὰ πάντων δορυφορούμενος, καὶ πανταχοῦ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνακηρυττόμενος τῆς περιφανείας, εἰς ἀτιμίαν καὶ εὐτέλειαν ἀθρόον κατενεχθεὶς, πενίᾳ καὶ νόσῳ καὶ παίδων ἀποβολῇ καὶ ἐχθρῶν ἐπαναστάσει καὶ φίλων ἀγνωμοσύνῃ καὶ λιμῷ καὶ σαρκὸς ὀδύναις καὶ λοιδορίαις καὶ συκοφαντίαις προσεπάλαιε· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ ἀμελετήτῳ ὄντι ταῦτα ἐπέθεντο. Ὁ γὰρ ἐκ πενήτων τεχθεὶς, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ τοιαύτῃ τραφεὶς, ἅτε γυμνασάμενος καὶ μελετήσας ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐνέγκοι τῆς πενίας τὸ βάρος· ὁ δὲ τοσούτοις περιῤῥεόμενος χρήμασι καὶ τοσούτῳ πλούτῳ κομῶν, εἶτα ἀθρόον εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον μεταπεσὼν, οὐκ ἂν εὐκόλως ὑπομείναι τὴν τοιαύτην μεταβολήν. Καὶ ὁ παῖδας ἀποβαλὼν πάλιν, κἂν ἅπαντας ἀποβάλῃ, μὴ ἐν ἑνὶ δὲ καιρῷ, τοὺς λειπομένους τῶν ἀπελθόντων ἔχει παραμυθίαν· καὶ τῆς τῶν προτέρων τελευτῆς τοῦ πάθους λήξαντος, ἂν ἡ τοῦ δευτέρου προσγένηται μετὰ χρόνον, τούτῳ αὐτῷ προσηνέστερον γίνεται τὸ πάθος. Οὐ γὰρ