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of the Hebrews, in the midst of Egypt, being smeared upon the doorposts; much more the truth. This is the blood that sanctified the golden altar; without this the high priest did not dare to enter into the holy of holies; this blood ordained priests; this washed away sins in the types. And if in the types it had such power, if death so shuddered at the shadow, tell me, how would it not have feared the truth itself? This is the salvation of our souls, by this the soul is washed, by this it is adorned, by this it is set on fire, this makes our mind brighter than fire, this makes the soul more radiant than gold, this blood was poured out, and made heaven accessible. 4. Truly awesome are the mysteries of the Church, truly awesome is the altar. A spring went up from paradise, pouring forth perceptible rivers; from this table a spring arises, sending forth spiritual rivers. By this spring are planted, not fruitless willows, but trees reaching to heaven itself, bearing fruit ever ripe and unfading. If anyone is burning, let him come to this spring, and cool the heat. For it relieves droughts, and cools all things that are burning, not those things scorched by the sun, but those from the flaming darts. For it has its beginning from above, and its root from there, from whence it is also watered. Many are the streams of this spring, which 59.262 the Paraclete sends forth; and the Son becomes the mediator, not holding a mattock and making a way, but opening our disposition. This spring is a spring of light, gushing forth rays of truth. By this also the powers above stand, gazing at the beauty of the streams, since they also behold more clearly the power of the things set forth, and their unapproachable splendors. For just as with molten gold, if one were to dip in his hand, if it were possible, or his tongue, it would immediately make it golden; so indeed and much more here do the things set forth work upon the soul. For the river boils more fiercely than fire, but it does not burn, but only baptizes whatever it takes. This blood was always prefigured from the beginning, in altars, in the slaughters of the just; this is the price of the world, with this Christ bought the Church, with this He adorned her completely. For just as a man buying slaves gives gold, and wishing to adorn them again, does this with gold; so also Christ both bought us with blood, and adorned us with blood. Those who partake of this blood stand with angels, and archangels, and the powers above, clothed in the very royal robe of Christ, having spiritual weapons. But I have not yet said anything great; for they are clothed in the King Himself. But just as it is great and wonderful, so if you approach with purity, you have approached for salvation; but if with an evil conscience, for punishment and vengeance. For he who eats, it says, and drinks unworthily of the Lord, eats and drinks judgment to himself. If, then, those who defile the royal purple are punished just like those who tear it; what is unreasonable that those who receive the body with an unclean mind should endure the same punishment as those who rent it with the nails? See, then, how terrible a punishment Paul showed, saying: Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses; how much worse punishment, do you think, will he be thought worthy of, who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing? Let us therefore take heed to ourselves, beloved, enjoying such good things; and whenever we wish to say something shameful, or see ourselves carried away by anger, or any other such passion, let us consider of what things we have been deemed worthy, how much of the Spirit we have enjoyed; and this consideration will be a restraint for us from irrational passions. For how long shall we be nailed to present things? How long will we not be roused? How long will we not care for our own salvation? Let us consider of what things the

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Ἑβραίων, ἔν τε Αἰγύπτῳ μέσῃ, ταῖς φλιαῖς ἐπιχριόμενον· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ ἀλήθεια. Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα, τὸ χρυσοῦν θυσιαστήριον ἡγίασε· τούτου χωρὶς οὐκ ἐτόλμα ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰς τὰ ἄδυτα εἰσιέναι· τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα ἱερέας ἐχειροτόνει· τοῦτο ἀπέλουεν ἁμαρτίας ἐν τοῖς τύποις. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς τύποις τοσαύτην ἔσχεν ἰσχὺν, εἰ τὴν σκιὰν οὕτως ὁ θάνατος ἔφριξε, τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτὴν, εἰπέ μοι, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἐφοβήθη; Τοῦτο ἡ σωτηρία τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, τούτῳ λούεται ἡ ψυχὴ, τούτῳ καλλωπίζεται, τούτῳ πυροῦται, τοῦτο πυρὸς λαμπρότερον ἐργάζεται τὸν νοῦν τὸν ἡμέτερον, τοῦτο χρυσίου φαιδροτέραν τὴν ψυχὴν ποιεῖ, τοῦτο ἐξεχύθη τὸ αἷμα, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐποίησε βατόν. δʹ. Φρικτὰ ὄντως τὰ μυστήρια τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, φρικτὸν ὄντως τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Ἀνέβαινεν ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου πηγὴ, ποταμοὺς αἰσθητοὺς προχέουσα· ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης ταύτης ἄνεισι πηγὴ, ποταμοὺς ἀφιεῖσα πνευματικούς. Παρὰ ταύτην τὴν πηγὴν πεφυτευμέναι εἰσὶν, οὐκ ἰτέαι ἄκαρποι, ἀλλὰ δένδρα πρὸς αὐτὸν φθάνοντα τὸν οὐρανὸν, καρπὸν ἔχοντα ὥριμον ἀεὶ καὶ ἀμάραντον. Εἴ τις καυσοῦται, παρὰ ταύτην ἡκέτω τὴν πηγὴν, καὶ καταψυχέτω τὸ καῦσος. Καὶ γὰρ αὐχμοὺς λύει, καὶ τὰ διακαῆ πάντα παραψύχει, οὐ τὰ ἐξ ἡλίου διακαιόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν βελῶν τῶν πεπυρωμένων. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄνωθεν ἔχει, καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν ἐκεῖθεν, ὅθεν καὶ ἄρδεται. Πολλοὶ ταύτης οἱ ῥύακες τῆς πηγῆς, οὓς 59.262 ἀφίησιν ὁ Παράκλητος· καὶ μεσίτης ὁ Υἱὸς γίνεται, οὐ δίκελλαν ἔχων καὶ ὁδοποιῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν διάθεσιν ἀνοίγων τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν. Αὕτη ἡ πηγὴ φωτός ἐστι πηγὴ, ἀναβλύζουσα ἀληθείας ἀκτῖνας. Ταύτῃ καὶ αἱ ἄνω παρεστήκασι δυνάμεις, πρὸς τὸ κάλλος ἐνορῶσαι τῶν ῥείθρων, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σαφέστερον ἐκεῖναι τῶν προκειμένων θεωροῦσι τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς τὰς ἀπροσίτους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ χρυσοῦ τηκομένου, ἄν τε τὴν χεῖρά τις ἐμβάλῃ, εἰ οἷόν τε ἦν, ἄν τε τὴν γλῶτταν, χρυσῆν εὐθέως αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν ἄν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν ἐργάζεται τὰ προκείμενα. Ἀναζεῖ μὲν γὰρ πυρὸς σφοδρότερον ὁ ποταμὸς, ἀλλ' οὐ καίει, ἀλλὰ βαπτίζει μόνον ὅπερ ἂν λάβῃ. Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα ἄνωθεν προετυποῦτο ἀεὶ, ἐν θυσιαστηρίοις, ἐν δικαίων σφαγαῖς· τοῦτο ἡ τιμὴ τῆς οἰκουμένης, τούτῳ ἠγόρασε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ Χριστὸς, τούτῳ κατεκόσμησεν αὐτὴν ἅπασαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οἰκέτας ὠνούμενος χρυσίον δίδωσι, καὶ καλλωπίσαι πάλιν αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος, χρυσῷ τοῦτο ποιεῖ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἠγόρασεν ἡμᾶς αἵματι, καὶ ἐκόσμησεν αἵματι. Οἱ τούτου μετέχοντες τοῦ αἵματος, μετὰ ἀγγέλων, καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων, καὶ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἑστήκασιν, αὐτὴν περικείμενοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν βασιλικὴν στολὴν, τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες τὰ πνευματικά. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν εἶπον οὐδέπω μέγα· αὐτὸν γάρ εἰσιν ἐνδεδυμένοι τὸν βασιλέα. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐστὶ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν, οὕτως ἂν μὲν μετὰ καθαρότητος προσέλθῃς, εἰς σωτηρίαν προσῆλθες· ἂν δὲ μετὰ πονηροῦ συνειδότος, εἰς κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐσθίων, φησὶ, καὶ πίνων ἀναξίως τοῦ Κυρίου, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει. Εἰ τοίνυν οἱ ῥυποῦντες τὴν πορφύραν τὴν βασιλικὴν κολάζονται ὁμοίως, ὥσπερ οἱ διαῤῥηγνύντες· τί ἀπεικὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀκαθάρτῳ διανοίᾳ δεχομένους τὸ σῶμα, τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπομεῖναι τιμωρίαν τοῖς αὐτὸ διαῤῥήξασι διὰ τῶν ἥλων; Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς φοβερὰν ἔδειξεν ὁ Παῦλος τὴν κόλασιν, εἰπών· Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωϋσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει· πόσῳ, δοκεῖτε, χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας, ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος ἐν ᾧ ἡγιάσθη; Προσέχωμεν τοίνυν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, τοιούτων ἀπολαύοντες ἀγαθῶν· καὶ ὅταν βουληθῶμεν αἰσχρόν τι εἰπεῖν, ἢ συναρπαζομένους ἑαυτοὺς ἴδωμεν ὑπὸ ὀργῆς, ἢ ἑτέρου τινὸς τοιούτου πάθους, λογισώμεθα τίνων κατηξιώθημεν, ὅσου Πνεύματος ἀπηλαύσαμεν· καὶ ἔσται σωφρονισμὸς ἡμῖν τῶν ἀλόγων παθῶν οὗτος ὁ λογισμός. Μέχρι γὰρ τίνος τοῖς παροῦσι προσηλώμεθα; μέχρι τίνος οὐ διεγειρόμεθα; μέχρι τίνος οὐ φροντίζομεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας; Ἐννοήσωμεν τίνων ἡμᾶς κατηξίωσεν ὁ