146

you should commit fornication, but that He might furnish you with a proof of his own wisdom. Therefore, do not insult the craftsman, nor make the work of His wisdom a pretext for licentiousness and fornication. Admire beauty only so far as to glorify the craftsman, but do not go further, anointing the passion. The work is beautiful; therefore, one must worship the one who made it, not insult him. If someone, tell me, having taken a golden statue of someone and a royal image, disgraced it with mud and other such things, would he not have paid the ultimate penalty? And if the ungrateful man in human affairs is liable to so great a punishment, what will he suffer who has enveloped the work of God with so much dishonor, and especially when he who does these things is seen to have a wife? For do not speak to me of the desire of nature. For this reason marriage was permitted, that you might not go beyond your own bounds. For see what great punishment you will be worthy of. For God has provided for both your rest and your glory, so that you might both release the rage of nature through your wife, and do this without danger, and be delivered from all indecency. But do you wantonly insult the one who so provides for you? For tell me, if He had not wished to legislate marriage, what violence would you have endured? what punishment? Therefore, you ought to give thanks and glorify, because He has cut away for you the greater part of the pains, having devised no ordinary consolation; but you insult ungratefully, and are shameless, and transgress the established bounds, and disgrace your own 55.182 glory? Do you not hear Paul saying even now, and crying out in the midst, "Flee fornication," or rather, Christ who moves his soul? Why do you study another's beauty? Why do you scrutinize a face that is not yours? Why are you borne down cliffs? Why do you cast yourself into nets? Wall up your eyes, fence in your sight, set a law for your eyes. Hear Christ threatening, and judging the licentious gaze as equal to adultery. What is the benefit of pleasure, when it begets the worm? when perpetual fear? when immortal punishment for the one who did it? How much better to endure for a short time the violence from our own thoughts and be continually at ease, than to gratify wicked desires for a little while and be punished immortally? Do not, children, do not do so; the report which I hear of you is not good. I know to whom the word is directed, not to all; but wherever it finds the wound, there it applies the medicine. Why do you insult marriage? Why do you wrong the marriage bed? Why do you mistreat your own member? Why do you disgrace your glory? Cut off the passion, take away luxuries. Luxury and drunkenness are the sources of fornication. If you do not use ease as you ought, it brings affliction upon you. Hear what the Jews suffered who committed fornication, who did not partake of the body of Christ, who did not enjoy the spiritual table: "Let us not commit fornication," he says, "as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand." Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for your name's sake. Another: Stand up for our help, and deliver us for your mercy's sake. See where they concluded the word; after their countless achievements, from where do they think it right to be saved? From mercy, from loving-kindness, for the sake of the name of God. What is, "For your name's sake"? That it may not be profaned, which he himself also often says, "I do it for my name's sake." Have you seen humility and a contrite mind? And from where do they think it right to be saved? From loving-kindness, from mercy; as those destitute of achievements, as those having no right of salvation, although boasting in so many labors and dangers, they referred everything to God. Let us, who are in grace, imitate these men, and let us send up glory to God, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

146

πορνεύσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῆς οἰκείας σοφίας ἀπόδειξίν σοι παράσχηται. Μὴ τοίνυν ὑβρίσῃς τὸν τεχνίτην, μηδὲ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ τῆς σοφίας, ἀσελγείας καὶ πορνείας ὑπόθεσιν ποιοῦ. Μέχρι τοσούτου θαύμαζε τὴν ὥραν, μέχρι τοῦ δοξάσαι τὸν τεχνίτην, περαιτέρω δὲ μὴ προέλθῃς, τὸ πάθος ἀλείφων. Καλὸν τὸ ἔργον· οὐκοῦν τὸν ἐργασάμενον προσκυνεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑβρίζειν χρή. Εἴ τις, εἰπέ μοι, χρυσοῦν ἀνδριάντα τινὸς καὶ εἰκόνα βασιλικὴν λαβὼν, κατῄσχυνε βορβόρῳ καὶ ἑτέροις τοιούτοις, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ἐσχάτην ἔδωκε δίκην; Εἰ δὲ ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἀγνώμων τοσαύτης ὑπεύθυνός ἐστι τιμωρίας, ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοσαύτῃ περιβαλὼν ἀτιμίᾳ, τί πείσεται, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν καὶ γυναῖκα ἔχων φαίνηται ὁ ταῦτα ποιῶν; Μὴ γάρ μοι λέγε τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ γάμος ἐπετράπη, ἵνα μὴ πέρα τῶν οἰκείων ὅρων προβαίνῃς. Θέα γὰρ ὅσης ἄξιος ἔσῃ τιμωρίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς καὶ τῆς ἀναπαύσεώς σου καὶ τῆς δόξης προενόησεν, ἵνα καὶ ἐκλύσῃς τὴν λύτταν τῆς φύσεως διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ ἀκινδύνως τοῦτο ποιῇς, καὶ πάσης ἀπαλλαγῇς ἀσχημοσύνης. Σὺ δὲ τὸν οὕτω σου προνοοῦντα ἐκ περιουσίας ὑβρίζεις; Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἰ μὴ ἐβουλήθη νομοθετῆσαι γάμον, πόσην ἂν ὑπέστης βίαν; πόσην κόλασιν; ∆έον οὖν σε εὐχαριστεῖν καὶ δοξάζειν, ὅτι τὸ πλέον ὑπετέμετό σοι τῶν πόνων, παραμυθίαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐπινοήσας, σὺ δὲ ἐνυβρίζεις ἀγνωμόνως, καὶ ἀναισχυντεῖς, καὶ τοὺς κειμένους ὑπερβαίνεις ὅρους, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καταισχύνεις 55.182 δόξαν; Οὐκ ἀκούεις Παύλου λέγοντος καὶ νῦν, καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ βοῶντος, Φεύγετε τὴν πορνείαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ τὴν ἐκείνου ψυχὴν κινοῦντος; Τί καταμανθάνεις κάλλος ἀλλότριον; τί περιεργάζῃ πρόσωπον οὐ σόν; τί φέρῃ κατὰ κρημνῶν; τί τοῖς δικτύοις ἐμβάλλεις σαυτόν; Τείχισόν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, περίφραξόν σου τὸ ὄμμα, τίθει νόμον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς. Ἄκουσον ἀπειλοῦντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἀκόλαστον ὄψιν ἐν ἴσῳ μοιχείας κρίνοντος. Τί τῆς ἡδονῆς ὄφελος, ὅταν σκώληκα τίκτῃ; ὅταν διηνεκῆ φόβον; ὅταν ἀθάνατον τῷ δράσαντι τιμωρίαν; Πόσῳ βέλτιον μικρὸν ἀνασχόμενον τῆς βίας τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων λογισμῶν, διαπαντὸς ἐν ἀνέσει εἶναι, ἢ ὀλίγα χαρισάμενον ταῖς ἀτόποις ἐπιθυμίαις ἀθάνατα τιμωρεῖσθαι; Μὴ τέκνα, μὴ ποιεῖτε οὕτως· οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἀκοὴ, ἣν ἐγὼ ἀκούω περὶ ὑμῶν. Οἶδα πρὸς τίνας ὁ λόγος ἀποτείνεται, οὐ πρὸς ἅπαντας· ἀλλ' ἔνθα ἂν εὕρῃ τὸ τραῦμα, ἐκεῖ ἐπάγει τὸ φάρμακον. Τί τὸν γάμον ὑβρίζεις; τί τὴν εὐνὴν ἀδικεῖς; τί τὸ μέλος τὸ σὸν ἐπηρεάζεις; τί τὴν δόξαν σου καταισχύνεις; Ἔκκοψον τὸ πάθος, ἄνελε τὰς τρυφάς. Τρυφὴ καὶ μέθη πηγαὶ πορνείας. Ἂν τῇ ἀνέσει μὴ χρήσῃ εἰς δέον, ἐπάγει σοι θλίψιν. Ἄκουσον τί ἔπαθον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πορνεύσαντες, οἱ μὴ μεταλαβόντες σώματος Χριστοῦ, οἱ τραπέζης μὴ ἀπολαύσαντες πνευματικῆς, Μηδὲ πορνεύωμεν, φησὶ, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν ἐπόρνευσαν, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἴκοσι τρεῖς χιλιάδες. Ἀνάστα, Κύριε, βοήθησον ἡμῖν, καὶ λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου. Ἄλλος, Στῆθι ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἡμῶν, καὶ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς διὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου. Ὅρα ποῦ τὸν λόγον κατέκλεισαν· μετὰ μυρία αὐτῶν κατορθώματα, πόθεν ἀξιοῦσι σώζεσθαι; Ἀπὸ ἐλέους, ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας, διὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τί ἐστιν, Ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου; Ἵνα μὴ αὐτὸ βεβηλωθῇ, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς πολλάκις λέγει, ὅτι Ποιῶ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός μου. Εἶδες ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν; Καὶ πόθεν ἀξιοῦσι σωθῆναι; Ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας, ἀπὸ ἐλέους· ὡς οἱ ἔρημοι κατορθωμάτων, ὡς οἱ μηδέ τι ἔχοντες δικαίωμα σωτηρίας, καίτοι τοσούτοις κομῶντες πόνοις καὶ κινδύνοις, εἰς τὸν Θεὸν τὸ πᾶν ἀνέφερον. Τούτους δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐν τῇ χάριτι μιμησώμεθα, καὶ δόξαν ἀναπέμψωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.