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me, to be a lessening, he says, "He is with me." For the one refers to the economy; the other, to his divinity. "And he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him." Again he brought his discourse down to what was more humble, constantly addressing what they were saying, that he was not from him, and that he did not keep the Sabbath. To this he says: "I always do what is pleasing to him"; showing that even the breaking of the Sabbath was pleasing to him. Thus, for instance, even on the cross he says, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father?" And yet, by only saying, "Whom do you seek?" he threw them on their backs. Why then does he not say, "Do you think that I cannot destroy you," demonstrating this by his action? He condescends to their weakness. For he was very zealous to show that he does nothing contrary to the Father. So also here he speaks in a more human way. And just as "He has not left me alone" was said; so also was "for I always do what is pleasing to him." "As he spoke these things, many believed in him." When he brought the discourse down to what was humble, then many believed. Do you still ask, then, why he speaks humbly? And yet the evangelist clearly hinted at this when he said, "As he spoke these things, many believed in him," all but shouting through these events: Do not be disturbed, O hearer, if you hear something humble. For those who after so much teaching were not yet persuaded that he is from the Father, rightly heard humbler things that they might be persuaded. And this, therefore, is a defense for the things about to be spoken humbly. They believed, therefore, but not as they ought, but simply and as it happened, pleased and resting in the humility of his words. For that they did not have perfect faith, the evangelist shows from the subsequent words, in which they again insult him. And that these are those very ones, he made clear by saying, "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in my word'"; showing that they had not yet received the teaching, but were only paying attention to what was said. Therefore he also 59.295 spoke more rebukingly. For there he simply said, "You will seek me"; but now he added a greater thing, that "You will die in your sins." And he shows how, that you cannot, having come there, entreat me any longer. "These things that I speak to the world." Through these he indicated that he was now going out to the Gentiles. But since they did not now understand that he was speaking to them of the Father before, he speaks again about him; and the evangelist has set forth the reason for the humility of his words. 3. If, then, we wish thus to search the Scriptures with exactness and not simply, we will be able to attain our salvation; if we constantly occupy ourselves with them, we will know both correctness of doctrine and an exact life. And though one be very hard, and harsh, and dissolute, and though he gain nothing at other times, he will at least profit from this time, and will receive some benefit, even if not so much as to be perceptible, yet he will receive it. For if someone passing by a perfumer's shop and sitting near such workshops is unwillingly tinged by the fragrance; much more so one who goes to church. For just as idleness is born of idleness, so also eagerness is born of activity. And though you are full of countless evils, though you are unclean, do not flee from spending time here. What then, he says, that hearing I do not do? It is no small gain to count oneself miserable; this fear is not useless; this dread is not untimely. If you only groan that "hearing I do not do," you will surely one day come to doing. For it is not possible for one conversing with God, and hearing God conversing, not to gain. At least we are immediately restrained, and we wash our hands, whenever we want to take a book. Do you see how much reverence there is even before the reading? And if we indeed approach with exactness, we will reap much benefit. For we would not have washed our hands, if it did not set the soul in reverence; and a woman, even if she is unveiled, immediately puts on her mantle, showing a sign of inward reverence; and a man, if he is covered,

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με, ἐλαττώσεως εἶναι, λέγει, Μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ, τῆς οἰκονομίας· τὸ δὲ, τῆς θεότητος. Καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκέ με μόνον, ὅτι ἐγὼ τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ ποιῶ πάντοτε. Πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ ταπεινότερον τὸν λόγον κατήγαγε, πρὸς ἐκεῖνο συνεχῶς ἱστάμενος ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι τὸ σάββατον οὐ τηρεῖ, πρὸς τοῦτό φησι· Τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ ποιῶ πάντοτε· δεικνὺς, ὅτι καὶ τὸ λύεσθαι τὸ σάββατον, ἀρεστὸν αὐτῷ. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ φησι· ∆οκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι παρακαλέσαι τὸν Πατέρα μου; Καίτοι γε εἰπὼν μόνον· Τίνα ζητεῖτε; ἔῤῥιψεν ὑπτίους. Τί οὖν οὐ λέγει. ∆οκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι ὑμᾶς ἀπολέσαι, ἔργῳ τοῦτο ἐπιδειξάμενος; Πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν καταβαίνει. Πολλὴν γὰρ ἐποιεῖτο σπουδὴν, ὥστε δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐναντίον ποιεῖ τῷ Πατρί. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀνθρωπινώτερον φθέγγεται. Ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ, Οὐκ ἀφῆκέ με μόνον, εἴρηται· οὕτω καὶ τὸ, ὅτι Ἐγὼ τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ ποιῶ πάντοτε. Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν. Ὅτε εἰς τὸ ταπεινὸν τὸν λόγον κατήγαγε, τότε πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν. Ἔτι οὖν ἐρωτᾷς, τίνος ἕνεκεν ταπεινῶς φθέγγεται; Καίτοι γε σαφῶς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ᾐνίξατο τοῦτο, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν· μονονουχὶ βοῶν διὰ τούτων τῶν πραγμάτων· Μὴ θορυβοῦ, ὦ ἀκροατὰ, ἐάν τι ταπεινὸν ἀκούσῃς. Οἱ γὰρ μετὰ τοσαύτην διδασκαλίαν μηδέπω πεπεισμένοι ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός ἐστιν, εἰκότως ταπεινότερα ἤκουον ἵνα πεισθῶσι. Καὶ τοῦτο οὖν ἀπολογία ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων ταπεινῶς εἰρήσεσθαι. Ἐπίστευσαν μὲν οὖν, οὐχ ὡς ἐχρῆν δὲ, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἡσθέντες καὶ ἀναπαυσάμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν λόγων ταπεινότητι. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τελείαν πίστιν εἶχον, δείκνυσιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα λόγων, ἐν οἷς αὐτὸν πάλιν ὑβρίζουσι. Καὶ ὅτι οὗτοι αὐτοί εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι, ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ· δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδέπω παρεδέξαντο τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἀλλὰ μόνον προσεῖχον τοῖς λεγομένοις. ∆ιὸ καὶ 59.295 πληκτικώτερον εἶπεν. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ζητήσετέ με· νῦν δὲ μεῖζον προσέθηκεν, ὅτι Ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε. Καὶ τὸ πῶς δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθόντες ἐκεῖ, παρακαλέσαι με λοιπόν. Ταῦτα ἃ λαλῶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ∆ιὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε λοιπὸν ἐξερχόμενον αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν λοιπὸν ὅτι τὸν Πατέρα αὐτοῖς λέγει ἔμπροσθεν, πάλιν φθέγγεται περὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ταπεινότητος τῶν ῥημάτων τέθεικεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. γʹ. Ἂν οὕτω τοίνυν θέλωμεν τὰς Γραφὰς ἐρευνᾷν μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς, δυνησόμεθα τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπιτυχεῖν· ἂν διὰ παντὸς αὐταῖς ἐνδιατρίβωμεν, καὶ δογμάτων ὀρθότητα, καὶ βίον εἰσόμεθα ἠκριβωμένον. Κἂν σφόδρα σκληρός τις εἴη, καὶ ἀπηνὴς, καὶ χαῦνος, κἂν μηδὲν κερδαίνῃ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις χρόνοις, τὸν χρόνον γοῦν καρπώσεται τοῦτον, καὶ λήψεταί τινα ὠφέλειαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοσαύτην, ὡς αἴσθησιν ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ὅμως λήψεται. Εἰ γὰρ μυρεψεῖόν τις παριὼν καὶ προσκαθήμενος ἐργαστηρίοις τοιούτοις, καὶ ἄκων ἀναχρώννυται ἐκ τῆς εὐωδίας· πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀπιών. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐξ ἀργίας ἀργία τίκτεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐνεργείας προθυμία γεννᾶται. Κἂν μυρίων ᾖς γέμων κακῶν, κἂν ἀκάθαρτος, μὴ φύγῃς τὴν ἐνταῦθα διατριβήν. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀκούων οὐ ποιῶ; Οὐ μικρὸν τὸ κέρδος ταλανίζειν ἑαυτόν· οὐκ ἄχρηστος οὗτος ὁ φόβος· οὐκ ἄκαιρον τοῦτο τὸ δέος. Ἐὰν στενάξῃς μόνον, ὅτι ἀκούων οὐ ποιῶ, πάντως καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ποιεῖν ἥξεις ποτέ. Οὐ γὰρ ἔνεστι τῷ Θεῷ διαλεγόμενον, καὶ ἀκούοντα Θεοῦ διαλεγομένου, μὴ κερδαίνειν. Εὐθέως γοῦν συστελλόμεθα, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας νιπτόμεθα, ὅταν βιβλίον βουλώμεθα λαβεῖν. Ὁρᾷς καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως πόση εὐλάβεια; Ἂν δὴ καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπέλθωμεν, πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ καθίστη τὴν ψυχὴν, τὰς χεῖρας ἂν ἀπενιψάμεθα· καὶ γυνὴ, κἂν ἀκατακάλυπτος ᾖ, περιτίθεται εὐθέως τὸ φάρος, τῆς ἔνδοθεν εὐλαβείας τὸ δεῖγμα ἐνδεικνυμένη· καὶ ἀνὴρ, ἐὰν κατακεκαλυμμένος ᾖ,