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did he not ordain even unworthily? Truly, no one among these exists today having a pure heart in all things, not being pricked by his conscience that he has surely done one of the things I have said, but we all sin fearlessly, neither practicing the cutting off of evil, nor performing the doing of good; and for this reason we do not even repent, having been plunged into the depth of evils, and we are insensibly disposed towards these things. For being without a taste of divine glory, we are not able to disregard the glory below; and a love of glory, I mean that of men, does not allow the soul to be humbled at all, nor to blame itself willingly. How then, tell me, when things are so, will the one who hunts after the glory of men and needs perishable wealth, the one who desires to have a multitude of gold, the one who is insatiable for plunder and bears a grudge against those who do not give frequently, dare to say he has God dwelling within, or that he loves Christ, or has the Spirit of Christ? But he who has not received Christ and His Father and the Holy Spirit, the one God dwelling and walking about perceptibly in his heart, how will he show genuine servitude, (416) from whom else would he learn humility or how will he be taught the divine will? Who will mediate for this man or reconcile him to God and present him as a shameless servant to God who alone is pure and spotless, at whom the Cherubim dare not gaze, who is unapproachable to all the angels? Who will certify that he holds blamelessly and ministers without condemnation this fearful worship of the spotless sacrifice? What angel, what man is able to say this or will have the strength to do it? For I say and bear witness to all

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οὐκ ἐχειροτόνησε καί παρ᾿ ἀξίαν; Ὄντως οὐδείς σήμερον τούτων ὑπάρχει ἔχων ἁπάντων καθαράν τήν καρδίαν, μή κεντούμενος ὑπό τοῦ συνειδότος, ὅτι πάντως ἕν ἐποίησεν ὧν εἶπον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξαμαρτάνομεν ἀδεῶς πάντες, μήτε τοῦ κακοῦ ἐκκοπήν μελετῶντες, μηδέ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιούμενοι τήν πρᾶξιν˙ καί διά τοῦτο οὐδέ μετανοοῦμεν εἰς τό βάθος τῶν κακῶν βαπτισθέντες, καί ἀναλγήτως ἐγκείμεθα πρός ταῦτα. ∆όξης γάρ ὑπάρχοντες ἄγευστοι θείας τήν κάτω δόξαν παριδεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα˙ ἔρως δέ δόξης, τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λέγω, ψυχήν οὐκ ἐᾷ ταπεινωθῆναι ὅλως, οὐδέ μέμψασθαι ἑαυτήν ἑκουσίως. Πῶς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὁ δόξαν θηρώμενος τήν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καί πλούτου δεόμενος τοῦ φθειρομένου, ὁ ἐπιθυμῶν χρυσίου πλῆθος ἔχειν, ὁ εἰς ἁρπαγήν ἀκόρεστος τυγχάνων καί μνησικακῶν τοῖς μή συχνῶς διδοῦσι, Θεόν ἔνοικον ἔχειν εἰπεῖν τολμήσει ἤ φιλεῖν Χριστόν ἤ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ ἔχειν; Ὁ δέ μή Χριστόν καί τόν αὐτοῦ Πατέρα καί τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον εἰσδεδεγμένος, γνωστῶς οἰκοῦντα καί ἐμπεριπατοῦντα τόν ἕνα Θεόν ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ καρδίᾳ, πῶς τήν δουλείαν ἐνδείξεται γνησίαν, (416) ἐκ τίνος δ᾿ ἄλλου τήν ταπείνωσιν μάθῃ ἤ πῶς διδαχθήσεται θέλημα θεῖον; Τίς μεσιτεύσει τοῦτον ἤ Θεῷ καταλλάξει καί παραστήσει ἀνεπαίσχυντον λάτρην Θεῷ τῷ μόνῳ καθαρῷ καί ἀχράντῳ, ᾧ τά Χερουβίμ οὐ τολμᾷ ἀτενίσαι, ὄντι ἀγγέλοις ἀπροσίτῳ τοῖς πᾶσι; Τίς βεβαιώσει κρατεῖν ἀναμαρτήτως καί ἱερουργεῖν ἀκατακρίτως τοῦτον τοῦ ἀμώμου θύματος φρικτήν λατρείαν; Ποῖος ἄγγελος, ποῖος ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο εἰπεῖν δύναται ἤ ποιοῆσαι ἰσχύσει; Ἐγώ γάρ λέγω καί μαρτύρομαι πᾶσι