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Limit. Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth shall perform this. The word, being about to proclaim the good news of the Lord's incarnation, as if extending a proposition of spiritual gladness, thus greets the one being evangelized: Drink this first. He who drinks first receives the drink into himself, approaching it with desire. For then especially is the grace from it wont to be given forth, when one is not nauseated, nor spitting it out, but through extreme dryness longs for the comfort from the drink, and moistens himself with the wetness of what has been drunk. Therefore now also he who proclaims the good news to a people as if thirsty for the expected grace, says: Drink this first. Receive the gladness in your soul, take in the doctrine of salvation. Do not consider it second to another, nor think anything else is more precious than this. It is before all things. Neither can anything be conceived by you before your Creator, nor is anything in nature more honorable than the Firstborn of all creation. Drink first. Learn that in the beginning was the Word. Nothing is before the beginning, nothing is before that which is in the beginning. Do not drink an age before, nor an interval, nor a place empty of the Son's existence; not a time, not an occasion; nothing of the vain things according to imagination, which are able to arise in the soul. Drink this first, do it quickly. Do not come to the reception of the work slackly, nor listlessly, nor without zeal, nor feebly, but intensely and hastily. Such was Paul; at once he drank the faith, and he delayed no time for the proclamation; who indeed did not confer with flesh and blood, but immediately, like a runner, at once received the signal for the race, and hastened toward the end, pursuing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call. 9.225 Land of Zebulun. The Prophet addresses the same people among whom the Lord sojourned, who formerly, walking in the darkness of ignorance, at the rising of the true light, which enlightens every man coming into the world, saw a great light. And let no one think that what is from Matthew is in disagreement with the prophetic saying, since one said: The people who sat in darkness, but Isaiah appears to have said: The one walking in darkness. For to walk in darkness and to sit are of equal meaning, because both equally fall short of the appointed end; the one not moving, the other wandering about aimlessly. For he who walks without a goal, proceeds nowhere, and he who is fettered in idleness does not reach the end. This people, therefore, which was darkened in gentile ignorance, saw a light, not like that from a fire, nor like that from stars or the moon, nor like that of the sun or of lightning; but a great light, which shines upon both intelligibles and sensibles, which is with the Father, and enlightens men, and makes Angels bright, and suffices for all, and still has its own rays extending to more. But the people of the gentiles dwelt in what kind of land? Shadowed by death. For a deep cloud, as it were, lay upon them, because of idolatry, until the light came and cut through the mist, and spread over them the brightness of the truth. Then the word passes to the person of the Lord himself. Saying what? The multitude of the people, whom you have brought into your gladness. For not all received the word, but the multitude followed him who calls to eternal gladness, who also will rejoice before God, as those who rejoice in the harvest. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Therefore, on the day of recompense, those who received the word and bore fruit according to the proportion of what was sown for them here, receiving their rewards from the just Judge, will rejoice as those who rejoice in the harvest and in the way that those who divide the spoils. Those who rejoice in the harvest have the beginnings of their gladness from their own labors; but those who become rich from spoils, a sudden

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ὅριον. Ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, κατορθῶ σαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀντέχεσθαι ἐν κρίματι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὁ ζῆλος Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ποιήσει ταῦτα. Εὐαγγελίζεσθαι μέλλων τὰ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνανθρωπήσεως ὁ λόγος, ὥσπερ τινὰ πρότασιν ὀρέγων πνευματικῆς εὐφροσύ νης, οὕτω δεξιοῦται τὸν εὐαγγελιζόμενον· Τοῦτο πρῶτον πίε. Ὁ πίνων πρῶτον, εἰς ἑαυτὸν καταδέχεται τὸ ποτὸν, μετ' ἐπιθυμίας αὐτὸ προσιέμενος. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα καὶ ἡ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χάρις ἀναδίδοσθαι πέφυκεν, ὅταν μὴ ναυτιῶν, μηδὲ ἀποβλύζων, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑπερβολὴν ξηρότητος ἐφιέμενος τῆς ἐκ τοῦ ποτοῦ παραμυθίας, καὶ ταῖς νοτίσι τοῦ ποθέντος ἑαυτὸν διυγραίνει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος ὡς δεδι ψηκότι λαῷ τὴν προσδοκωμένην χάριν, φησί· Τοῦτο πρῶτον πίε. Ὑπόδεξαι τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν εὐφροσύνην, ἔνθου τὸ δόγμα τῆς σωτηρίας. Μὴ δεύτερον ἄλλου ἡγήσῃ, μηδὲ προτιμότερόν τι τούτου νομίσῃς ἕτερον. Πρὸ πάντων ἐστίν. Οὔτε σοί τι πρό τερον νοηθῆναι δύναται τοῦ Κτίσαντός σε, οὔτε τῇ φύσει τιμιώτερόν τι, τοῦ Πρωτοτόκου πάσης κτίσεως. Πρῶτον πίε. Μάθε ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Οὐδὲν πρὸ ἀρχῆς, οὐδὲν πρὸ τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ. Μὴ αἰῶνα προπίῃς, μὴ διάστημα, μὴ τόπον ἔρημον τῆς Υἱοῦ ὑπάρξεως· μὴ χρόνον, μὴ καιρόν· μηδὲν τῶν κατὰ φαντασίαν ματαίων, δυναμένων τῇ ψυχῇ ἐγγί νεσθαι. Τοῦτο πρῶτον πίε, ταχὺ ποίει. Μὴ χαύνως, μηδὲ καταβεβλακευμένως, μηδὲ ἀσπούδως, μηδὲ ἐκλύτως ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἔργου ἔρχου παραδοχὴν, ἀλλὰ συν τόνως καὶ κατεσπευσμένως. Οἷος ἦν Παῦλος· ὁμοῦ τε ἔπινε τὴν πίστιν, καὶ οὐδένα καιρὸν ἀνεβάλλετο πρὸς τὸ κήρυγμα· ὅς γε οὐδὲ προσανέθετο σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς, ὥσπερ τις δρομεὺς, ὁμοῦ τε ἔλαβε τὸ τοῦ δρόμου σύνθημα, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐπείγετο, κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκων, εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως. 9.225 Χώρα Ζαβουλών. Πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀποτείνεται ὁ Προφήτης, πρὸς οὓς ἐπεχωρίαζεν ὁ Κύριος, οἵτινες πρότερον ἐν τῷ σκότει τῆς ἀγνοίας πορευόμενοι, ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, Ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, εἶδον φῶς μέγα. Καὶ μηδεὶς οἰέσθω διαφωνίαν ἔχειν πρὸς τὸ προ φητικὸν ῥητὸν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Ματθαίου, εἴπερ ὁ μὲν εἶπεν· Ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει, ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας φαίνεται εἰρηκώς· Ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει. Ἴσον γὰρ δύναται καὶ τὸ ἐν σκότει πορεύεσθαι, καὶ τὸ καθέζεσθαι, διότι τοῦ ἀποκειμένου τέλους ὁμοίως ἀμφότεροι ἀπολείπονται· ὁ μὲν μὴ κινούμενος, ὁ δὲ εἰκῆ περιερχόμενος. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄνευ σκοποῦ βαδίζων, οὐδαμοῦ προχωρεῖ, καὶ ὁ ἐν ἀργίᾳ πεπεδημένος οὐκ ἐφικνεῖται τοῦ τέλους. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ λαὸς, ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐθνικῇ ἀγνοίᾳ ἐσκοτω μένος, εἶδε φῶς, οὐχ οἷον τὸ ἀπὸ πυρὸς, οὐδὲ οἷον τὸ ἀπὸ ἀστέρων ἢ σελήνης, οὐδὲ οἷον τὸ ἡλιακὸν ἢ ἀστραπαῖον· ἀλλὰ φῶς μέγα, ὃ καὶ νοητοῖς ἐπιλάμπει καὶ αἰσθητοῖς, ὃ καὶ Πατρὶ σύνεστι, καὶ ἀνθρώπους φωτίζει, καὶ Ἀγγέλους φαιδρύνει, καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπαρκεῖ, καὶ ἔτι ἑαυτοῦ τὰς αὐγὰς ἔχει ὑπερτεινομένας πρὸς τὸ πλεῖον. Ὁ δὲ λαὸς ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν ᾤκει ἐν χώρᾳ ποδαπῇ; Σκιαζομένῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ νεφέλη βαθεῖα ἐπέκειτο αὐτοῖς, διὰ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, ἕως ἐλθὸν τὸ φῶς διέκοψε μὲν τὴν ἀχλὺν, ἐφήπλωσε δὲ αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φέγγος. Εἶτα πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου πρόσωπον μεταβαίνει ὁ λόγος. Τί λέγων; Τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ λαοῦ, ὃ κατήγαγες ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ σου. Οὐ γὰρ πάντες ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ' οἱ πλεῖστοι ἠκολούθησαν τῷ καλοῦντι εἰς εὐφροσύνην αἰώνιον, οἵτινες καὶ εὐφρανθήσονται ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ὡς οἱ εὐφραι νόμενοι ἐν ἀμήτῳ. Ὃ γὰρ σπείρει ἕκαστος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει. Ἐν οὖν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως οἱ τὸν λόγον δεξάμενοι καὶ καρποφορήσαντες κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῶν ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῖς προκαταβεβλημένων, κομιζόμενοι παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου Κριτοῦ τὰς ἀντιμισθίας, εὐφρανθήσονται Ὡς οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν ἀμήτῳ καὶ ὃν τρόπον οἱ διαιρούμενοι σκῦλα. Οἱ μὲν εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν ἀμήτῳ, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων πόνων τὰς ἀρχὰς τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἔχουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ σκύλων πλου τοῦντες, ἀθρόαν