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these things. May the Lord add to you; to you, and to your sons. Do you see another kind of blessing, to increase the family? For this reason another, speaking of the opposite in the order of punishment, says: And we were made small, and we are few among all who inhabit the earth. They enjoyed this blessing even while in Egypt, although there were countless hindrances, the labors, the hardship, the cruelty of their present circumstances; but nothing interrupted the word of God, but the effects of the blessing so advanced, that in two hundred years they became six hundred thousand. But then the blessings were in these things, but now in much better things in the New [Testament]. Therefore Paul says: Blessed be God, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And again: To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask 55.312 or think, to him be glory in the Church. For this reason also the prophets of old, seeking benefits, provided this blessing. For Elisha repays the one who received him with the gift of a child. But in the New [Testament], not these things, but much greater ones. For indeed the seller of purple did not ask these things from the apostles, but what? If you have not judged me unworthy of the Lord, come and stay with me. Do you see how great the difference, and what things those in the Old [Testament] asked for, and what things those in the New? And again Christ: Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. And Paul: May God fill you with all grace and hope in believing, that you may abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you see the power of a blessing, bestowing unutterable good things, and having nothing earthly? And again Paul: God will soon crush Satan under your feet. But in the Old [Testament], when human affairs were cruder, the things of blessing were woven from perceptible things, and having many children was considered a very great thing. For since death entered through sin, God, comforting the race, and showing that not only would he not consume it, nor hand it over to utter destruction, but that they would also be much more numerous than before, says: Be fruitful and multiply. But when death became known to be a sleep, the good of virginity was introduced. Therefore Paul also said: I wish that all men were in continence, as I myself also am. And again: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. And Christ: There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. And otherwise he also hinted at this in the beginning, that there is need of virtue, not of having many children. And hear how. For a certain wise man says: Desire not a multitude of useless children, if the fear of God is not with them; and do not rely on their multitude; for one is better than a thousand, and to die childless than to have impious children; and one who does the will of the Lord is better than ten thousand transgressors. But the senseless Jews, always gaping at the flesh and neglecting virtue, said: What does God seek, but seed? Therefore, showing them that he does not seek this, he destroyed them countless times, being destitute of virtue. Blessed are you by the Lord. He well added, "By the Lord." For this is especially a blessing. For there are also those blessed by men, but their things are human. But this is the greatest blessing. For men bless, that is, they eulogize, they praise those in wealth and power and glory. But this blessing is temporary, and when it is present, it has no profit; but that of God is perpetual, and provides benefit in the greatest things. Who made heaven and earth. 6. Do you see how great is the strength of the blessing? For his words become deeds. For his word made the heaven. For by the word, he says, of the Lord the heavens

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ταῦτα. Προσθείη Κύριος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς· ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν. Εἶδες ἕτερον εὐλογίας εἶδος, τὸ ἐπιδοῦναι τὸ γένος; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐν τάξει κολάσεως τὸ ἐναντίον ἕτερος προφέρων φησί· Καὶ ἐσμικρύνθημεν, καὶ ἐσμὲν ὀλιγοστοὶ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν. Ταύτης τῆς εὐλογίας καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὄντες ἀπήλαυον, καίτοι μυρίων ὄντων τῶν διακωλυόντων, τῶν ἔργων, τῆς ταλαιπωρίας, τῆς τῶν ἐνεστηκότων ὠμότητος· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν λόγον διέκοπτεν, ἀλλ' οὕτω προῄει τὰ τῆς εὐλογίας, ὡς ἐν διακοσίοις ἔτεσιν ἑξακοσίας γενέσθαι χιλιάδας. Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ἐν τούτοις τὰ τῆς εὐλογίας, νυνὶ δὲ ἐν πολλῷ βελτίοσιν ἐπὶ τῆς Καινῆς. ∆ιό φησι Παῦλος· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ. Καὶ πάλιν· Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπὲρ ἐκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτού 55.312 μεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ προφῆται τὸ παλαιὸν εὐεργεσίας ζητοῦντες, ταύτην τὴν εὐλογίαν παρεῖχον. Ὁ γὰρ Ἐλισσαῖος τὴν ὑποδεξαμένην τῇ τοῦ παιδὸς δόσει ἀμείβεται. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς Καινῆς οὐ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μείζονα. Ἡ γοῦν πορφυροπῶλις οὐ ταῦτα ᾔτει παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἀλλὰ τί; Εἰ οὐ κεκρίκατέ με ἀναξίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ, εἰσελθόντες μείνατε παρ' ἐμοί. Εἶδες πόσον τὸ μέσον, καὶ τίνα μὲν ᾔτουν οἱ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, τίνα δὲ οἱ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ; Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός· Χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐγράφη ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πληρώσαι ὑμᾶς πάσης χάριτος καὶ ἐλπίδος ἐν τῷ πιστεύειν, εἰς τὸ περισσεύειν ἐν τῇ ἐλπίδι, ἐν δυνάμει Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Εἶδες εὐλογίας δύναμιν τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα χαριζομένην ἀγαθὰ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχουσαν γήϊνον; Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ὁ Θεὸς συντρίψει τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐν τάχει. Ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, ὅτε παχύτερον τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διέκειτο, ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τὰ τῆς εὐλογίας ὑφαίνετο, καὶ ἡ πολυπαιδία μέγιστον πρᾶγμα εἶναι ἐνομίζετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θάνατος, παραμυθούμενος τὸ γένος ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀναλώσει, οὔτε πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδώσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ἔσονται τοῦ προτέρου, φησίν· Αὐξάνεσθε, καὶ πληθύνεσθε. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐγνώσθη ὕπνος ὢν ὁ θάνατος, εἰσήγετο τὸ τῆς παρθενίας καλόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ, ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν. Καὶ πάλιν· Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι. Καὶ ὁ Χριστός· Εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο, ὅτι ἀρετῆς, οὐ πολυπαιδίας χρεία. Καὶ ἄκουε πῶς. Λέγει γάρ τις σοφός· Μὴ ἐπιθύμει πλῆθος τέκνων ἀχρήστων, εἰ μή ἐστι μετ' αὐτῶν φόβος Θεοῦ· καὶ μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν· κρεῖσσον γὰρ εἷς, ἢ χίλιοι, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ἄτεκνον, ἢ ἔχειν τέκνα ἀσεβῆ· καὶ κρείσσων εἷς ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα Κυρίου, ἢ μυρίοι παράνομοι. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἀναίσθητοι Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν σάρκα κεχηνότες ἀεὶ, καὶ ἀρετῆς ἀμελοῦντες, ἔλεγον· Τί ζητεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἢ σπέρμα; ∆εικνὺς τοίνυν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐ τοῦτο ζητεῖ, μυριάκις αὐτοὺς ἀπώλεσεν, ἀρετῆς ἐρήμους ὄντας. Εὐλογημένοι ὑμεῖς τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καλῶς προσέθηκε, Τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα εὐλογία, Εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις εὐλογούμενοι, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπινα τὰ ἐκείνων. Ἡ δὲ μεγίστη εὐλογία αὕτη. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ εὐλογοῦσι, τουτέστι, ἐγκωμιάζουσιν, ἐπαινοῦσι τοὺς ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ δυναστείαις καὶ δόξαις ὄντας. Ἀλλ' αὕτη ἡ εὐλογία πρόσκαιρος, καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν παρῇ, οὐδὲν ἔχουσα κέρδος· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ διηνεκὴς, καὶ ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις παρέχουσα τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. ςʹ. Εἶδες ὅση τῆς εὐλογίας ἡ ἰσχύς; Τὰ γὰρ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἔργα γίνεται. Τὸν γοῦν οὐρανὸν τὸ ῥῆμα αὐτοῦ πεποίηκε. Τῷ λόγῳ γὰρ, φησὶ, Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ