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For to hear often and still not do, is to provoke the Master; but I myself also fear the other danger, that of silence, if indeed, having been appointed to the ministry of the word, I should be silent. What then shall we do, he says, that we may be saved? Let us begin virtue, while we have time; let us distribute the virtues among ourselves, as farmers do their farming; in this month let us master reviling, insolence, unjust anger, and let us set for ourselves 63.172 a law, and say, Today let us accomplish this; and in another month let us train ourselves in forbearance, and in another, another virtue; and when we have acquired the habit of this virtue, let us come to another, as in lessons, both guarding what we have already acquired and taking on others. After that let us come to the contempt of money; first let us restrain our hands from greed, and then let us do alms; let us not simply confound everything, with the same hands both seizing and supposedly showing mercy; after this to another virtue, and after that to another. Filthiness, he says, and foolish talking and jesting, let it not even be named among you. Let us for now accomplish these things. There is no need for expense, no need for toils, no need for sweat; it is enough only to be willing, and all is accomplished. It is not necessary to walk a long road, nor to cross an endless sea, but to be diligent and zealous, and to put a bridle on the tongue against untimely insults. Let us cast out anger, unseemly desires, luxury, extravagance, the desire for money, from our soul, perjuries, constant oaths. If we thus cultivate ourselves, plucking out the former thorns, and casting in the heavenly seed, we shall be able to obtain the promised good things. For the husbandman will come, and will lay us up in the granary, and we shall attain all good things; may it be that we all attain them, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, and worship, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 25. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises

offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac shall your seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 1. Great indeed was the faith of Abraham. For in the case of Abel and Noah and Enoch, it was a battle of reasonings only, and it was necessary to overcome human reasonings; but here it was necessary not only to overcome human reasonings, but also to show something more; for the things of God seemed to fight with the things of God, and faith fought with faith, and command with promise. What I mean is this: He said, 'Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and I will give you this land;' and He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's breadth. Do you see how what was happening fought with the promise? Again He says, 'In Isaac shall your seed be called,' and he believed; and again He says, 'Sacrifice this one to me,' who was destined to fill the whole world from his seed. Did you see the battle of commands and promise? He commanded things contrary to the promises, and not even so did the just man falter, nor did he say he had been deceived. For you, he says, could not say this, that He promised rest and gave affliction; 63.172 for here whatever He promised, this He also does. How? In the world, He says, you shall have tribulation. He that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me. He that hates not his own life, shall not find it; and, He who does not forsake, He says, all that he has, and follows after me, is not worthy of me; and again, Before governors and kings

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γὰρ πολλάκις ἀκούοντα μηδὲ οὕτω ποιεῖν, παροξῦναι τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐστίν· ἀλλὰ δέδοικα καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν ἕτερον κίνδυνον τὸν τῆς σιγῆς, εἴ γε εἰς λόγου διακονίαν τεταγμένος, μέλλοιμι σιγᾷν. Τί οὖν ποιήσομεν, φησὶν, ἵνα σωθῶμεν; Ἀρξώμεθα τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἕως καιρὸν ἔχομεν· διανείμωμεν ἑαυτοῖς τὰς ἀρετὰς, καθάπερ τὴν γεωργίαν οἱ γηπόνοι· ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τούτῳ κρατήσωμεν λοιδορίας, ὕβρεως, ὀργῆς ἀδίκου, καὶ θῶμεν ἑαυτοῖς 63.172 νόμον, καὶ εἴπωμεν, Σήμερον τόδε κατορθώσωμεν· καὶ ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν ἑαυτοὺς παιδεύσωμεν, καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ἄλλην ἀρετήν· καὶ ὅταν ἐν ἕξει ταύτης γενώμεθα τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἔλθωμεν, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν μαθημάτων, τά τε ἤδη κτηθέντα φυλάττοντες, καὶ ἕτερα προσλαμβάνοντες. Μετ' ἐκείνην ἔλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ὑπεροψίαν· πρῶτον κατάσχωμεν τὰς χεῖρας ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας, καὶ τότε ποιήσωμεν ἐλεημοσύνην· μὴ πάντα ἁπλῶς συγχέωμεν, ταῖς αὐταῖς χερσὶ καὶ ἁρπάζοντες, καὶ ἐλεοῦντες δῆθεν· μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἄλλην ἀρετὴν, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην ἐπ' ἄλλην. Αἰσχρότης, φησὶ, καὶ μωρολογία καὶ εὐτραπελία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω παρ' ὑμῖν. Ταῦτα τέως κατορθώσωμεν. Οὐκ ἔστι χρεία δαπάνης, οὐκ ἔστι πόνων, οὐκ ἔστιν ἱδρώτων· ἀρκεῖ θελῆσαι μόνον, καὶ πάντα ἤνυσται. Οὐ δεῖ μακρὰν ὁδὸν βαδίσαι, οὐδὲ πέλαγος διαβαλεῖν ἄπειρον, ἀλλὰ σπουδάσαι καὶ προθυμηθῆναι, καὶ χαλινὸν ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ γλώττῃ πρὸς τὰς ὕβρεις τὰς ἀκαίρους. Τὰς ὀργὰς, τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τὰς ἀτόπους, τὴν τρυφὴν, τὴν πολυτέλειαν ἐκβάλωμεν, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν χρημάτων, ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας, τὰς ἐπιορκίας, τοὺς ὅρκους τοὺς συνεχεῖς. Ἂν οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς γεωργῶμεν, τὰς πρότερον ἀκάνθας ἐκτίλλοντες, καὶ τὸν οὐράνιον σπόρον ἐμβάλλοντες, δυνησόμεθα τυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν. Ἥξει γὰρ ὁ γεωργὸς, καὶ ἀποθήσεται ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην, καὶ ἐπιτευξόμεθα πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΕʹ. Πίστει προσενήνοχεν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ πειραζόμενος, καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ

προσέφερεν ὁ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἀναδεξάμενος, πρὸς ὃν ἐλαλήθη, Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα· λογισάμε νος ὅτι καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγείρειν δυνατὸς ὁ Θεός· ὅθεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν παραβολῇ ἐκομίσατο. αʹ. Μεγάλη ὄντως ἡ πίστις τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Ἄβελ καὶ τοῦ Νῶε καὶ τοῦ Ἐνὼχ λογισμῶν ἦν μάχη μόνων, καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους ὑπερβῆναι ἐχρῆν λογισμούς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους μόνον ὑπερβῆναι ἐχρῆν λογισμοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερόν τι πλέον ἐπιδείξασθαι· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐδόκει τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ μάχεσθαι, καὶ πίστις ἐμάχετο πίστει, καὶ πρόσταγμα ἐπαγγελίᾳ. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Εἶπεν· Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου, καὶ δώσω σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην· καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ἐν αὐτῇ κληρονομίαν, οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδός. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰ γινόμενα τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ ἐμάχετο; Πάλιν φησίν· Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα, καὶ ἐπίστευσε· καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Θῦσον ἐμοὶ τοῦτον, τὸν μέλλοντα τὴν οἰκουμένην πᾶσαν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ πληροῦν. Εἶδες μάχην προσταγμάτων καὶ ἐπαγγελίας; Ἐναντία ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις προσέταξε, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἰλιγγίασεν ὁ δίκαιος, οὐδὲ ἠπατῆσθαι ἔφη. Ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιτε τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἄνεσιν ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ θλῖψιν ἔδωκεν· 63.172 ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἅπερ ἐπηγγείλατο, ταῦτα καὶ ποιεῖ. Πῶς; Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, φησὶ, θλῖψιν ἕξετε. Ὁ μὴλαβὼν τὸν σταυρὸν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθῶν ἐμοὶ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Ὁ μὴ μισῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ, οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ αὐτήν· καί· Ὃς οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται, φησὶ, πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ βασιλεῖς