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that by so judging you make the tribunal more severe for yourself? And I say these things, not approving of those who administer the priesthood unworthily, but pitying and weeping for them. Yet for this reason I do not say they should be judged by those they rule, even if their life is thoroughly discredited. But if you 63.854 pay attention to yourself, you will suffer no harm in the things entrusted to him by God. For if He caused a voice to be uttered through a donkey, and through a prophet bestowed spiritual blessings, and having worked through the irrational mouth and unclean tongue of Balaam for the sake of the offending Jews, much more for your sakes who are well-disposed, even if the priests are utterly worthless, He will work all His purposes, and will send the Holy Spirit. For not even the pure man draws it down by his own purity, but it is grace that works everything. For all things, he says, are for your sake, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. For what is entrusted to the priest, it is for God alone to bestow; and wherever human philosophy may reach, it will appear less than that grace. And I say these things, not that we should live our own lives negligently, but so that, when some of the leaders are negligent, you who are ruled may not often heap evils upon yourselves. And what do I say of priests? Neither angel, nor archangel can accomplish anything regarding the things given by God, but the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit order all things; the priest but lends his tongue, and offers his hand. For it was not just that those who approach in faith to the symbols of our salvation should be harmed because of the wickedness of another. Knowing all these things, therefore, let us both fear God and hold His priests in honor, bestowing upon them all respect, so that both for our own good deeds, and for the service rendered to them we may receive a great reward from God, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

DISCOURSE 39. Concerning the fact that God has given us many ways for not

sinning, if we wish; and that he who is to attain the kingdom of heaven must keep all the commandments; but that he who keeps some and transgresses others, will in Gehenna know the difference from the others.

Again I am compelled, beloved, to speak against the present state of affairs. And

what am I to do? I did not wish to, but I am compelled. For if it were possible by being silent and saying nothing of what has happened to make what is happening disappear through silence, it would be necessary to be silent; but if the opposite occurs (for not only does it not disappear when we are silent, but it also becomes worse), it is necessary to speak. For he who accuses sinners, if nothing else, does not allow them to proceed further. For there is no soul so shameless and rash, that when it continually hears some reproaching it, it is not ashamed, nor does it yield from its great wickedness. For there is, there is in the shameless even a little bit of shame; for God has implanted shame in our nature. For since fear was not sufficient to regulate us, He also devised many other ways of not sinning; for instance, that a man be accused, that he fear the established laws, that he desire glory, that he cultivate friendships; for all these are ways of not sinning. For often what was not done for God's sake, was done for fear of men. For this is the object of our search: first to learn not to sin, and then we will later succeed in doing this for God's sake. 63.854 Since why does Paul exhort those who are about to overcome their enemies not by the fear of God, but by awaiting vengeance? For by doing this, he says, you will heap coals of fire on his head. For in the meantime, he wants this: that virtue be achieved. So, as I was saying, there is a certain sense of shame in us. We have many natural goods for the

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ὅτι χαλεπώτερον σαυτῷ ποιεῖς τὸ δικαστήριον οὕτω δικάζων; Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐκ ἀποδεχόμενος τοὺς ἀναξίως τὴν ἱερωσύνην διοικοῦντας, ἀλλ' ἐλεῶν καὶ δακρύων. Οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτό φημι παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων κρίνεσθαι, κἂν ὁ βίος αὐτῶν σφόδρα διαβεβλημένος ᾖ. Σὺ δὲ ἂν 63.854 σαυτῷ προσέχῃς, οὐδὲν παραβλαβήσῃ εἰς τὰ ἐγκεχειρισμένα αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ὄνου φωνὴν ἀφεθῆναι ἐποίησε, καὶ διὰ μάντεως εὐλογίας πνευματικὰς ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ ἐν ἀλόγῳ στόματι καὶ ἐν ἀκαθάρτῳ γλώττῃ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ ἐνεργήσας διὰ τοὺς προσκεκρουκότας Ἰουδαίους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον δι' ὑμᾶς τοὺς εὐγνώμονας, καὶ εἰ σφόδρα φαῦλοί εἰσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς, τὰ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐργάσεται, καὶ πέμψει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ καθαρὸς ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπισπᾶται αὐτὸ καθαρότητος, ἀλλὰ χάρις ἐστὶν ἡ τὸ πᾶν ἐργαζομένη. Πάντα γὰρ, φησὶ, δι' ὑμᾶς, εἴτε Παῦλος, εἴτε Ἀπολλὼς, εἴτε Κηφᾶς. Ἃ γὰρ ἐγκεχείρισται ὁ ἱερεὺς, Θεοῦ μόνον ἐστὶ δωρεῖσθαι· καὶ ὅπουπερ ἂν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φθάσῃ φιλοσοφία, ἐλάττων τῆς χάριτος ἐκείνης φανεῖται. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ῥᾳθύμως τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον οἰκονομῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ, ῥᾳθυμούντων τινῶν τῶν προεστώτων, ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀρχόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς πολλάκις ἐπισωρεύητε τὰ κακά. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς ἱερεῖς; οὔτε ἄγγελος, οὔτε ἀρχάγγελος ἐργάσασθαί τι δύναται εἰς τὰ δεδομένα παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ Πατὴρ καὶ Υἱὸς καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα πάντα οἰκονομεῖ· ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δανείζει γλῶτταν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρέχει χεῖρα. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ δίκαιον ἦν διὰ τὴν ἑτέρου κακίαν, εἰς τὰ σύμβολα τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τοὺς πίστει προσιόντας παραβλάπτεσθαι. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα εἰδότες, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν φοβώμεθα, καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας αὐτοῦ ἐντίμως ἔχωμεν, πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς ἀπονέμοντες τιμὴν, ἵνα καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς ἐκείνους θεραπείας πολλὴν λάβωμεν παρὰ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΛΘʹ. Περὶ τοῦ, ὅτι πολλὰς ὁδοὺς ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἔδωκε πρὸς τὸ μὴ

ἁμαρτάνειν, ἐὰν θέλωμεν· καὶ ὅτι τὸν μέλλοντα ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν πάσας δεῖ φυλάττειν τὰς ἐντολάς· τὸν δὲ τινὰ μὲν κατορθοῦντα, τινὰ δὲ παραβαίνοντα, ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ γνῶναί ἐστι τὴν διαφορὰν πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους.

Πάλιν ἀναγκάζομαι, ἀγαπητοὶ, κατηγορῆσαι τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων. Καὶ

τί πάθω; οὐκ ἐβουλόμην, ἀλλ' ἀναγκάζομαι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν σιγήσαντα καὶ μηδὲν εἰπόντα τῶν γενομένων ἀφανίσαι διὰ τῆς σιγῆς τὰ γινόμενα, ἔδει σιγᾷν· εἰ δὲ τοὐναντίον γίνεται (οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐκ ἀφανίζεται, ἡμῶν σιγώντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαλεπώτερα γίνεται), ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ κατηγορῶν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον, οὐκ ἀφίησι περαιτέρω προελθεῖν. Οὐδεμία γάρ ἐστιν οὕτως ἀναίσχυντος ψυχὴ καὶ ἰταμὴ, ὡς συνεχῶς ἀκούουσα κακιζόντων αὐτήν τινων, μὴ ἐντρέπεσθαι, μηδὲ καθυφεῖναι τῆς κακίας τῆς πολλῆς. Ἔνι γὰρ, ἔνι καὶ τοῖς ἀναισχύντοις μικρόν τι αἰδοῦς· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ ἐνέσπειρε τὴν αἰδὼ τῇ φύσει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ φόβος οὐκ ἤρκει ῥυθμίσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ πολλὰς ἑτέρας κατεσκεύασεν ὁδοὺς τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν· οἷον, τὸ κατηγορεῖσθαι ἄνθρωπον, τὸ δεδοικέναι νόμους τοὺς κειμένους, τὸ δόξης ἐρᾷν, τὸ φιλίας ἀντιποιεῖσθαι· πᾶσαι γὰρ αὗται αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν εἰσί. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἃ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐγένετο, διὰ φόβον ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο. Τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον τοῦτό ἐστι· πρότερον μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν μαθεῖν, εἶτα τὸ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὕστερον κατορθώσομεν. 63.854 Ἐπεὶ διὰ τί Παῦλος τοὺς μέλλοντας κρατεῖν τῶν ἐχθρῶν οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου προτρέπει τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐκδικίαν ἀναμένειν; Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, φησὶν, ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Τέως γὰρ τοῦτο βούλεται, κατορθωθῆναι τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον, ἔνεστί τι αἰσχυντηρὸν ἐν ἡμῖν. Πολλὰ φυσικὰ ἔχομεν ἀγαθὰ πρὸς τὴν