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is this also shown here because of the weakness of the hearers? For He says most things with regard to their suspicion, and through all things shows that they are in safety, and that their enemies are perishing, and that all that they have, they have from the Son, and that, if they should show forth a pure life, no one shall ever prevail against them. But observe Him discoursing to them with more authority. For He did not say, Abide in the love of the Father, but, In Mine. Then, lest they should say, When You have made us enemies to all, then You leave us and depart; He shows that He does not leave them, but is so joined to them, if they wish, as the branch is to the vine. And again, lest being confident they should become supine, He does not say that the good thing is unmovable, if they are slothful. Then, lest He should center the matter in Himself and rather cause them to fall, He says, Herein is the Father glorified. For everywhere He shows His own love and the Father's toward them. Not then the doctrines of the Jews, but these things which they were about to receive. Then, lest they should say, We have fallen away from our fathers’ ways, we have been forsaken, we have become naked and destitute of all things; Look to Me, He says; I am loved by the Father, but yet I suffer these things that are set before 59.413 Me. I do not, therefore, now forsake you either because I do not love you. For if I am slain, and do not make this a proof of not being loved by the Father, neither should you be troubled. For if you abide in My love, these terrible things will be able to harm you in no way with respect to the matter of love. 3. Since then love is great and unconquerable, and is not a mere word, let us show it forth by our deeds. He reconciled us when we were enemies, let us, having become friends, remain so; He began, let us at least follow; He loves not for His own profit (for He is without need), let us at least for our own advantage; He loved us when we were enemies, let us at least love a friend; for as it is we do the contrary. For every day God is blasphemed because of us, because of our robberies, because of our covetousness. And perhaps some one of you will say: Every day you discourse about covetousness. Would that it were possible to say this every night! would that it were possible in the marketplace while following, and at the table! would that it were possible for wives, and friends, and children, and servants, and farmers, and neighbors, and the very ground, and the walls to always break forth with this voice, that even so we might yield a little! For this disease has seized the whole world, and holds the souls of all, and great is the tyranny of mammon. We were redeemed by Christ, and we are slaves to gold. We proclaim the dominion of one, and we obey another; and whatever it commands, we obey with readiness, and we have ignored family, and friendship, and nature, and laws, and everything for its sake. No one looks up to heaven, no one considers the things to come. But there will be a time, when there will be no profit even from these words. For in Hades, he says, who will confess to You? Gold is desirable, and provides us with much luxury, and makes us to be honored; but not so much as heaven. For many both turn away from and hate the rich man; but they reverence and honor the one living in virtue. But the poor man is laughed at, even if he be virtuous, he says. But not by men, but by the irrational; for which reason one must not even pay attention. For not even if donkeys were braying, and jackdaws were cawing, but all the wise were praising, would we, leaving this theatre, have looked to the cries of the irrational creatures. For they are like jackdaws, and worse than donkeys 59.414 are those who admire the present things. Then if an earthly king admires, he makes no account of the many, even if all laugh; but if the Master of all praises you, do you seek the acclamations of beetles and gnats? For this is what they are in comparison to God, or rather not even this, but if anything is more contemptible than these. How long do we wallow in the mire? how long do we set for ourselves spectators who are stupid and gluttonous? They are able to judge gamblers well, drunkards,

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τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα δείκνυται διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀκροωμένων ἀσθένειαν; Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν αὐτῶν τὰ πολλὰ λέγει, καὶ διὰ πάντων δείκνυσιν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὄντας, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἀπολλυμένους, καὶ ὅτι πᾶν ὅπερ ἔχουσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἔχουσιν, καὶ ὅτι, βίον ἂν ἐπιδείξωνται καθαρὸν, οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν περιέσται ποτέ. Σκόπει δὲ αὐτὸν αὐθεντικώτερον αὐτοῖς διαλεγόμενον. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλ', Ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν, ὅτε πᾶσιν ἡμᾶς ἐξεπολέμωσας, τότε ἡμᾶς ἀφίης καὶ ἀναχωρεῖς· δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἀλλ' οὕτως αὐτοῖς κεκόλληται, ἐὰν θέλωσιν, ὡς τὸ κλῆμα ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ. Καὶ πάλιν ἵνα μὴ θαῤῥήσαντες, ὕπτιοι γένωνται, οὐ φησὶν ἀκίνητον εἶναι τὸ καλὸν, ἐὰν ῥᾳθυμῶσιν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἑαυτὸν περιστήσῃ τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ πεσεῖν παρασκευάσῃ μᾶλλον, φησίν· Ἐν τούτῳ ἐδοξάσθη ὁ Πατήρ. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς δείκνυσιν ἀγάπην πρὸς αὐτούς. Οὐκ ἄρα τὰ Ἰουδαίων δόξα, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα, ἃ ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν, Ἐξεπέσομεν τῶν πατρῴων, ἐγκατελείφθημεν, γυμνοὶ καὶ ἔρημοι πάντων ἐγενόμεθα· Εἰς ἐμὲ, φησὶ, βλέπετε· ἠγάπημαι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλ' ὅμως πάσχω ταῦτα τὰ προκεί 59.413 μενα. Οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀγαπᾷν ἐγκαταλιμπάνω νῦν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀναιροῦμαι, καὶ οὐ ποιοῦμαι τοῦτο τεκμήριον τοῦ μὴ ἀγαπᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὐδὲ ὑμᾶς θορυβεῖσθαι χρή. Ἂν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγάπης μένητε τῆς ἐμῆς, οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ταῦτα τὰ δεινὰ παραβλάψαι δυνήσεται εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον. γʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν μέγα καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον ἡ ἀγάπη, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι ῥῆμα ψιλὸν, ἐπιδειξώμεθα διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτήν. Αὐτὸς ἐχθροὺς ὄντας κατήλλαξεν, ἡμεῖς φίλοι γενόμενοι μείνωμεν· αὐτὸς ἤρξατο, ἡμεῖς κἂν ἀκολουθήσωμεν· αὐτὸς οὐκ εἰς οἰκεῖον κέρδος ἀγαπᾷ (ἀνενδεὴς γάρ ἐστιν), ἡμεῖς κἂν εἰς τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν· αὐτὸς ἐχθροὺς ὄντας ἐφίλησεν, ἡμεῖς κἂν φίλον ὄντα ἀγαπήσωμεν· ὡς νῦν γε τὰ ἐναντία ποιοῦμεν. Καθ' ἑκάστην γὰρ ἡμέραν βλασφημεῖται δι' ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, διὰ τὰς ἁρπαγὰς, διὰ τὰς πλεονεξίας. Καὶ τάχα τις ὑμῶν ἴσως ἐρεῖ· Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν περὶ πλεονεξίας διαλέγῃ. Εἴθε καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην νύκτα ἐνῆν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν! εἴθε καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ παρακολουθοῦντα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης! εἴθε καὶ γυναῖκας, καὶ φίλους, καὶ παῖδας, καὶ οἰκέτας, καὶ γεωργοὺς, καὶ γείτονας, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔδαφος, καὶ τοὺς τοίχους ἦν δυνατὸν ταύτην ἀεὶ ῥηγνύναι τὴν φωνὴν, ἵνα κἂν μικρὸν οὕτως ἐνεδώκαμεν! Τὴν γὰρ οἰκουμένην κατέλαβεν ἅπασαν τουτὶ τὸ νόσημα, καὶ τὰς πάντων κατέχει ψυχὰς, καὶ πολλὴ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ ἡ τυραννίς. Ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ ἐλυτρώθημεν, καὶ τῷ χρυσίῳ δουλεύομεν. Ἑτέρου τὴν δεσποτείαν ἀνακηρύττομεν, καὶ ἑτέρῳ πειθόμεθα· καὶ ὅπερ ἂν ἐπιτάξῃ, μετὰ προθυμίας ὑπακούομεν, καὶ γένος, καὶ φιλίαν, καὶ φύσιν, καὶ νόμους, καὶ πάντα ἠγνοήσαμεν δι' ἐκεῖνον. Οὐδεὶς ἀναβλέπει εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὐδεὶς ἐννοεῖ τὰ μέλλοντα. Ἀλλ' ἔσται καιρὸς, ὅτε οὐδὲ τῶν λόγων τούτων ἔσται κέρδος. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ᾅδῃ, φησὶ, τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι; Ποθεινὸν τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ πολλὴν παρέχει τὴν τρυφὴν ἡμῖν, καὶ τιμίους εἶναι ποιεῖ· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὡς ὁ οὐρανός. Τὸν γὰρ πλουτοῦντα καὶ ἀποστρέφονται πολλοὶ καὶ μισοῦσι· τὸν δὲ ἐν ἀρετῇ ζῶντα αἰδοῦνται καὶ τιμῶσιν. Ἀλλὰ καταγελᾶται ὁ πένης, κἂν ἐνάρετος ᾖ, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἀλόγοις· διόπερ οὐδὲ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι χρή. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, εἰ κατεμυκῶντο μὲν ὄνοι, καὶ κατέκραγον κολοιοὶ, οἱ δὲ σοφοὶ πάντες ἐπῄνουν ἀφέντες τοῦτο τὸ θέατρον, πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων κραυγὰς εἴδομεν ἄν. Καὶ γὰρ ὅμοιοι κολοιῶν, καὶ ὄνων χείρους 59.414 οἱ τὰ παρόντα θαυμάζοντες. Εἶτα ἂν μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐπίγειος θαυμάζῃ, οὐδένα τῶν πολλῶν ποιῇ λόγον, κἂν πάντες καταγελῶσιν· ἂν δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότης σε ἐπαινῇ, κανθάρων καὶ κωνώπων εὐφημίας ἐπιζητεῖς; Τοῦτο γὰρ οὗτοι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' εἴ τι τούτων εὐτελέστερον. Μέχρι τίνος ἐν βορβόρῳ στρεφόμεθα; μέχρι τίνος βλᾶκας καὶ γαστριμάργους καθίζομεν ἡμῖν θεατάς; Ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς κυβεύοντας δύνανται δοκιμάζειν καλῶς, τοὺς μεθύοντας,