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we shall live the present life with sobriety, and we shall obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

57.427.50 HOMILY 38. At that time Jesus answered and said,

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.

1. Do you see by how many ways He leads them to the faith? First, through the praises

of John. For having shown him to be great and wonderful, He declared all things from him to be worthy of credit, by which He drew them to the knowledge of Himself. 57.428 Secondly, by saying, The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force; for this is the part of one urging and pushing on. Thirdly, by showing that all the prophets were fulfilled; for this also signified that He was the one proclaimed beforehand by them. Fourthly, by showing that all things that ought to have been done by Him, have all been done, when He also mentioned the parable of the children. Fifthly, by reproaching those 57.429 who did not believe, and frightening and threatening them with great things. Sixthly, by giving thanks for those who had believed. For "I confess to Thee" here is "I thank Thee." "I thank thee," He says, "that thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent." What then? Does He rejoice in their destruction, and in their not having learned these things? By no means; but this is the best way of salvation, not to compel those who spurn and are unwilling to receive what is said; so that, since they did not become better by being called, but grew worse and were contemptuous, by being cast out they might fall into a desire for these things. For thus also those who paid attention were about to become more diligent. For that it was revealed to these is worthy of joy; but that it was hidden from those is no longer worthy of joy, but of tears. This, at any rate, He does, weeping over the city. He does not rejoice, therefore, for this reason, but because what the wise did not know, these knew. As when Paul says: "I thank God, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." So neither does Paul rejoice because they were servants of sin, but because being such, they enjoyed such things. And by "wise" here He means the scribes and the Pharisees. And He says these things, making His disciples more eager, and showing what things the fishermen were counted worthy of, from which all those others had fallen away. But when He said "wise," He does not mean true and praiseworthy wisdom, but that which they seemed to have from their cleverness (for this reason He did not say, "You have revealed it to fools," but, "to babes;" to the artless, He says, the simple;) and He shows not only that they did not enjoy these things unworthily, but also that it was according to what was fitting; and He teaches us through all things to be free from arrogance, and to emulate simplicity. For this reason Paul also said the same thing with greater exaggeration, writing thus: "If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." For so is the grace of God shown. But why does He give thanks to the Father, although He Himself did it? Just as He prays and makes intercession to God, showing His great love for us, so He does this also; for this too is of great love; and it shows that they fell away not only from Him, but also from the Father. For what He said to the disciples, saying, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs," this He Himself had done beforehand. Then He shows from these things both His own primary will, and that of the Father; His own, indeed, by giving thanks and rejoicing at what had happened; and the Father's, by showing that He did not do this when entreated, but that He Himself was moved from within;

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τὸν παρόντα μετὰ σωφροσύνης βιωσόμεθα βίον, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.427.50 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΗʹ. Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν·

Ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, Πάτερ, Κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἀπέκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις. Ναὶ, ὁ Πατὴρ, ὅτι οὕτως ἐγένετο εὐδοκία ἔμπροσθέν σου.

αʹ. Ὁρᾷς διὰ πόσων αὐτοὺς ἐνάγει εἰς τὴν πίστιν; Πρῶτον, διὰ τῶν ἐγκωμίων

τῶν Ἰωάννου. ∆είξας γὰρ αὐτὸν μέγαν καὶ θαυμαστὸν, ἀξιόπιστα καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἅπαντα ἀπέφηνε, δι' ὧν εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν αὐτοὺς ἐφείλκετο. 57.428 ∆εύτερον, τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἐπείγοντος καὶ ὠθοῦντος. Τρίτον, διὰ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι οἱ προφῆται πάντες ἀπηρτίσθησαν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐδήλου αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν δι' ἐκείνων προαναφωνούμενον. Τέταρτον, διὰ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι πάντα ὅσα γενέσθαι ἐχρῆν παρ' αὐτοῦ, πάντα γέγονεν, ὅτε καὶ τῆς παραβολῆς τῶν παίδων ἐμνημόνευσε. Πέμπτον, διὰ τοῦ ὀνειδίσαι τοὺς 57.429 μὴ πιστεύσαντας, καὶ φοβῆσαι καὶ ἀπειλῆσαι μεγάλα. Ἕκτον, διὰ τοῦ εὐχαριστῆσαι ὑπὲρ τῶν πιστευσάντων. Τὸ γὰρ Ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, ἐνταῦθα Εὐχαριστῶ ἐστιν· Εὐχαριστῶ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀπέκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν. Τί οὖν; ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ χαίρει, καὶ τῷ μὴ μαθεῖν ἐκείνους ταῦτα; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' αὕτη τῆς σωτηρίας ὁδὸς ἀρίστη, τὸ τοὺς διαπτύοντας καὶ μὴ βουλομένους δέχεσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα μὴ καταναγκάζειν· ἵν' ἐπειδὴ τῷ κληθῆναι βελτίους οὐκ ἐγένοντο, ἀλλ' ἀνέπεσον καὶ κατεφρόνησαν, τῷ ἐκβληθῆναι εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν τούτων ἐμπέσωσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ προσέχοντες σπουδαιότεροι γίνεσθαι ἔμελλον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τούτοις, ἄξιον χαρᾶς· τὸ δὲ κρυβῆναι ἐξ ἐκείνων, οὐκέτι χαρᾶς, ἀλλὰ δακρύων ἄξιον. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ποιεῖ, δακρύων τὴν πόλιν. Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο χαίρει, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἃ σοφοὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, ἔγνωσαν οὗτοι. Ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ Παῦλος· Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ἦτε δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὑπηκούσατε δὲ ἐκ καρδίας εἰς ὃν παρεδόθητε τύπον διδαχῆς. Οὐ τοίνυν οὔτε Παῦλος διὰ τοῦτο χαίρει, ὅτι ἦσαν δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλ' ὅτι ὄντες τοιοῦτοι, τοιούτων ἀπέλαυσαν. Σοφοὺς δὲ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς γραμματέας φησὶ καὶ τοὺς Φαρισαίους. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, τοὺς μαθητὰς προθυμοτέρους ποιῶν, καὶ δηλῶν τίνων κατηξιώθησαν οἱ ἁλιεῖς, ὧν ἐκεῖνοι πάντες ἐξέπεσον. Εἰπὼν δὲ σοφοὺς, οὐ τὴν ἀληθινὴν σοφίαν λέγει καὶ ἐπαινετὴν, ἀλλὰ ταύτην ἣν ἐδόκουν ἀπὸ δεινότητος ἔχειν (διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ εἶπεν, Ἀπεκάλυψας μωροῖς, ἀλλὰ, Νηπίοις· ἀπλάστοις, φησὶν, ἀφελέσι·) καὶ δείκνυσιν οὐ μόνον παρ' ἀξίαν οὐκ ἀπολαύσαντας τούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ εἰκός· καὶ παιδεύει διὰ πάντων ἡμᾶς, ἀπονοίας μὲν ἀπηλλάχθαι, ἀφέλειαν δὲ ζηλοῦν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος αὐτὸ ἔλεγε μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ὑπερβολῆς, οὕτω γράφων· Εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός. Οὕτω γὰρ δείκνυται ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις. ∆ιατί δὲ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ Πατρὶ, καίτοιγε αὐτὸς αὐτὸ ἐποίησεν; Ὥσπερ εὔχεται καὶ ἐντυγχάνει τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐνδεικνύμενος, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ· πολλῆς γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀγάπης· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεσον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Ὅπερ γὰρ εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς λέγων, Μὴ βάλητε τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, τοῦτο προλαβὼν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν ἐκ τούτων καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ προηγούμενον θέλημα, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Πατρός· αὐτοῦ μὲν γὰρ, τῷ εὐχαριστεῖν καὶ χαίρειν ἐπὶ τῷ γενομένῳ· τοῦ Πατρὸς δὲ, τῷ δεικνύναι, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος παρακληθεὶς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὸς οἴκοθεν ὁρμηθείς·