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being of different kinds, those fasting and praying for show, and those coming in sheep's clothing, and those who ravage it, whom He also called swine and dogs, showing, therefore, how great is the profit of virtue even here, and how great the harm of wickedness, He says: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, will be likened to a wise man. For what those who do them not, even if they work miracles, will suffer, you have heard; but it is necessary for you to know, also what those who obey all that has been said will enjoy, not only in the age to come, but also here. For everyone, He says, who hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, will be likened to a wise man. Do you see how He varies His discourse, at one time saying, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, and revealing Himself; at another time saying, He who does the will of My Father; and again introducing Himself as judge; For many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? And I will say, I do not know you. And here again He shows Himself as having authority over all; wherefore He also said, Whoever hears these sayings of Mine. For since He discoursed on all things concerning the future, speaking of a kingdom, and an unspeakable reward, and comfort, and all such things, He wishes also from this present life to give them fruits, and to show how great is the power of virtue even in the present life. What then is the power? To live with security, to be easily overcome by none of the terrible things, to stand superior to all who would harm; to which what could be equal? For not even he who wears the diadem could procure this for himself, but he who pursues virtue. For he alone possesses it in great abundance, enjoying great calm in the Euripus of present affairs. For this is the wonderful thing, that when there is no fair weather, but a violent storm, and great disturbance, and continual temptations, he cannot be shaken even a little. For the rain descended, He says, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it did not fall; for it was founded upon the rock; here speaking metaphorically of rain and floods and winds as human calamities and misfortunes, such as slanders, plots, griefs, deaths, loss of family, insults from strangers, all the evils one might mention in life. But such a soul, He says, yields to none of these; and the reason is, that it is founded on the rock. And by "rock" He calls the security of His own teaching. For His commandments are stronger than a rock, 57.324 making one higher than all the waves of human affairs. For he who keeps these things with exactness, will not only overcome men who harm him, but also the demons themselves plotting against him. 3. And that what has been said is no boast, Job is our witness, having received all the assaults of the devil, and remained unmoved; and the apostles would also bear witness, when the waves of the world dashed against them, both of peoples and of tyrants, both of their own and of strangers, both of demons and of the devil, and every machination being set in motion, they stood firmer than a rock, and dissolved all these things. What then could be more blessed than this life? For neither wealth, nor strength of body, nor glory, nor power, nor anything else will be able to promise this, but only the possession of virtue. For it is not, it is not possible to find another life free from all evils, except this one alone. And you are witnesses, who know the plots in palaces, the tumults and disturbances in the houses of the rich. But there was nothing like this among the apostles. What then? Did nothing of the sort happen, nor did they suffer anything terrible from anyone? For this is the most wonderful thing of all, that they endured many plots, and many storms broke upon them, but they did not overturn their soul, nor cast it into despondency; but wrestling with naked bodies they prevailed and were victorious. You too, therefore, if you are willing to do these things with exactness, will laugh at all things. For even if

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διαφόρους ὄντας, τούς τε νηστεύοντας πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν καὶ εὐχομένους, τούς τε ἐν δορᾷ προβάτων παραγενομένους, τούς τε λυμαινομένους αὐτὴν, οὓς καὶ χοίρους καὶ κύνας ἐκάλεσε, δεικνὺς λοιπὸν πόσον μὲν τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ κέρδος, πόσον δὲ τῆς κακίας τὸ βλάβος, φησί· Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους, καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτοὺς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ. Ἃ μὲν γὰρ οἱ μὴ ποιοῦντες, κἂν σημεῖα ἐργάζωνται, πείσονται, ἀκηκόατε· δεῖ δὲ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι, καὶ τίνων οἱ πειθόμενοι τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἅπασιν ἀπολαύσονται, οὐκ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Πᾶς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους, καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτοὺς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ. Εἶδες πῶς ποικίλλει τὸν λόγον, ποτὲ μὲν λέγων, Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι, Κύριε, Κύριε, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐκκαλύπτων· ποτὲ δὲ λέγων, Ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρός μου· καὶ πάλιν κριτὴν ἑαυτὸν εἰσάγων· Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐροῦσί μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, Κύριε, Κύριε, οὐ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι προεφητεύσαμεν; Καὶ ἐρῶ· Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα τοῦ παντός· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάντα περὶ τῶν μελλόντων διελέχθη, καὶ βασιλείαν λέγων, καὶ μισθὸν ἄφατον, καὶ παράκλησιν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, βούλεται καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς δοῦναι τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ δεῖξαι πόση καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἡ ἰσχὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἰσχύς; Τὸ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ζῇν, τὸ μηδενὶ τῶν δεινῶν εὐχείρωτον εἶναι, τὸ πάντων ἀνώτερον ἑστάναι τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον; Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάσαι δύναιτ' ἂν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀρετὴν μετιών. Αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος μετὰ πολλῆς κέκτηται τῆς περιουσίας, ἐν τῷ τῶν παρόντων εὐρίπῳ πραγμάτων πολλῆς ἀπολαύων γαλήνης. Τὸ γὰρ δὴ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐκ εὐδίας οὔσης, ἀλλὰ σφοδροῦ τοῦ χειμῶνος, καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ταραχῆς, καὶ συνεχῶν τῶν πειρασμῶν, αὐτὸς οὐδὲ μικρὸν σαλευθῆναι δύναται. Κατέβη γὰρ ἡ βροχὴ, φησὶν, ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ, ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι, καὶ προσέπεσον τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔπεσε· τεθεμελίωτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν· βροχὴν ἐνταῦθα καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ ἀνέμους μεταφορικῶς τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας λέγων συμφορὰς καὶ δυσπραγίας, οἷον συκοφαντίας, ἐπιβουλὰς, πένθη, θανάτους, οἰκείων ἀποβολὰς, ἀλλοτρίων ἐπηρείας, πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴποι τις τὰ ἐν τῷ βίῳ κακά. Ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ εἴκει, φησὶν, ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχή· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας τεθεμελίωται. Πέτραν δὲ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διδασκαλίας καλεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ πέτρας ἰσχυρότερα τὰ προσ 57.324 τάγματα, ὑψηλότερον πάντων ποιοῦντα τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κυμάτων. Ὁ γὰρ ταῦτα μετὰ ἀκριβείας φυλάττων, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων περιέσται μόνον ἐπηρεαζόντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλευόντων αὐτῷ. γʹ. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ κόμπος τὰ εἰρημένα, μάρτυς ἡμῖν ὁ Ἰὼβ, πάσας δεξάμενος τοῦ διαβόλου τὰς προσβολὰς, καὶ μείνας ἀκίνητος· μαρτυρήσειαν δ' ἂν καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, τῶν κυμάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης προσρηγνυμένων αὐτοῖς, καὶ δήμων καὶ τυράννων, καὶ οἰκείων καὶ ἀλλοτρίων, καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ διαβόλου, καὶ πάσης μηχανῆς κινηθείσης, πέτρας στεῤῥότερον στάντες, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διαλύσαντες. Τί τοίνυν τοῦ βίου τούτου μακαριώτερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐ σώματος ἰσχὺς, οὐ δόξα, οὐ δυναστεία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ὑποσχέσθαι δυνήσεται, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς κτῆσις μόνη. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι βίον εὑρεῖν ἕτερον κακῶν ἐλεύθερον ἁπάντων, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτον μόνον. Καὶ μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς, οἱ τὰς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις εἰδότες ἐπιβουλὰς, οἱ τοὺς θορύβους καὶ τὰς ταραχὰς τὰς ἐν ταῖς τῶν πλουτούντων οἰκίαις. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τοιοῦτον οὐδέν. Τί οὖν; οὐδὲν γέγονε τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἔπαθόν τι δεινὸν παρ' οὐδενὸς ἐκεῖνοι; Τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων ἐστὶν, ὅτι πολλὰς μὲν ὑπέμειναν ἐπιβουλὰς, καὶ πολλοὶ κατεῤῥάγησαν ἐπ' αὐτῶν οἱ χειμῶνες, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτῶν οὐ περιέτρεψαν, οὐδὲ εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐνέβαλον· ἀλλὰ γυμνοῖς σώμασι παλαίοντες ἐκράτησαν καὶ περιεγένοντο. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ἐὰν θέλῃς ταῦτα ποιεῖν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, πάντων καταγελάσῃ. Κἂν γὰρ