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walls? For indeed, seeing the very places where they spend time in the evening, they are stirred up. Here then allow me now to speak the apostolic word. Just as he says: “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity, so present your members to righteousness”; in the same way I also say: as we have loved these women, let us love one another, and we will consider it nothing terrible to suffer. And why do I say one another? Let us so love God. Have you shuddered on hearing that I demand such a measure of love for God as we have shown for the prostitute? But I shudder, that we do not show even that much. And, if you wish, let us go through the argument, even if what is being said is very burdensome. The beloved woman promises her lovers nothing good, but dishonor, and shame, and insolence. For this is what attending upon a prostitute woman makes one to be: ridiculous, shameful, dishonored. But God promises heaven, and the good things in heaven, and He made us sons, and brothers of the Only-begotten, and to you while living He has provided countless things, and at death, resurrection, and He promises to give so many good things as it is not even possible to conceive, and He makes us honored and revered. And again, that woman forces them to spend all their possessions into a pit and destruction; but God commands to sow heaven, and gives a hundredfold, and eternal life. Again, that woman uses the one who loves her as a slave, commanding more harshly than any tyrant; but God says, “I no longer call you slaves, but friends.” 5. Have you seen the excess both of the evils here, and of the good things from there? What then after these things? For her sake indeed many both stay awake, and whatever she may command, they obey with eagerness, and they leave house, and father, and mother, and friends, and money, and patronage, and all their affairs in difficulty and desolation; but for God’s sake often, or rather for our own sake, we do not choose to spend even a third part of our possessions, but seeing one who is hungry, we neglect him, and 59.432 we run past one who is naked, and we do not even give him a word. But if her lovers see even her maidservant, even a barbarian one, standing in the middle of the marketplace, as if adorning themselves and exulting, they converse with her, unwinding double courses of long speeches; and they consider all of life to be nothing on account of her, not rulers, not a kingdom (and as many as have had experience of this sickness know); and they are more grateful to her when she gives commands, than they are to others whom they serve. Is it not with reason that there is Gehenna? Is it not with reason that there are countless punishments? Let us become sober, therefore, and let us provide to the service of God at least this much, or at least the half part of what others provide to the prostitute, or at least the third. Perhaps you shudder again? For so do I. But I would not wish you to shudder at the words only, but also at the realities. But now, here, our heart is contracted, but having gone out, we throw everything away. What then is the profit? For if it is necessary to spend money there, no one laments his poverty, but having been caught, he has often given even by borrowing; but here, if we mention almsgiving, they put before us children, and wives, and house, and patronage, and countless excuses. But there is much pleasure, he says, there. For this is what I lament and mourn. What then, if I show that the pleasure is greater here? For there, indeed, not a little of the pleasure is cut away by the shame, and the insolence, and the expense, secondly, the war and the enmity; but here there is nothing of the sort. For what is equal to this pleasure, tell me, to sit expecting heaven and the kingdom there, and the splendor of the saints, and the unending life? But these things are in expectation, he says, while those are in experience. By what experience? Do you wish that I also speak of the things of experience here? Consider how much freedom you enjoy, and how you fear no one nor tremble, living with virtue, not an enemy, not a plotter, not a slanderer, not one who disapproves, not a rival lover, not a jealous person, not poverty, not sickness, nor anything else of human things; but there, even if countless things happen according to your mind, and wealth flows as if from springs, the war of rival lovers, and the

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τοίχους; Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς τόπους αὐτοὺς, ἔνθα διατρίβουσιν ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ, ὁρῶντες διανίστανται. Ἐνταῦθα δέ μοι δότε λοιπὸν τὸ ἀποστολικὸν εἰπεῖν. Καθάπερ ἐκεῖνός φησιν· Ὥσπερ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, οὕτω παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κἀγὼ λέγω· ὡς ἠγαπήσαμεν ταύτας, ἀγαπήσωμεν ἀλλήλους, καὶ οὐδὲν δεινὸν ἡγησόμεθα πάσχειν. Καὶ τί λέγω ἀλλήλους· οὕτως ἀγαπήσωμεν τὸν Θεόν. Ἐφρίξατε ἀκούσαντες, ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἀπαιτῶ μέτρον ἀγάπης ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, ὅσον περὶ τὴν πόρνην ἐπεδειξάμεθα; Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ φρίττω, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον ἐπιδεικνύμεθα. Καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἐπεξέλθωμεν τῷ λόγῳ, εἰ καὶ σφόδρα φορτικὸν τὸ λεγόμενον. Ἡ ἐρωμένη τοῖς ἐρῶσιν οὐδὲν ὑπισχνεῖται χρηστὸν, ἀλλ' ἀτιμίαν, καὶ αἰσχύνην, καὶ ὕβριν. Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι ποιεῖ τὸ προσεδρεύειν πόρνῃ γυναικὶ, καταγέλαστον, αἰσχρὸν, ἄτιμον. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐπαγγέλλεται ἀγαθὰ, καὶ υἱοὺς ἡμᾶς ἐποίησε, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, καὶ ζῶντί σοι μυρία παρέσχε, καὶ τελευτῶντι ἀνάστασιν, καὶ τοσαῦτα ἐπαγγέλλεται δώσειν ἀγαθὰ, ὅσα μηδὲ ἐννοῆσαι δυνατὸν, καὶ τιμίους καὶ αἰδεσίμους ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ. Καὶ πάλιν, ἐκείνη δαπανᾷν ἀναγκάζει πάντα τὰ αὐτῶν εἰς βάραθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς σπείρειν κελεύει τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα δίδωσι, καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Πάλιν, ἐκείνη ὡς ἀνδραπόδῳ κέχρηται τῷ φιλοῦντι, τυράννου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον ἐπιτάττουσα· ὁ δὲ Θεός φησιν, Οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. εʹ. Εἴδετε τὴν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα κακῶν, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐκεῖθεν; Τί οὖν τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα; Ταύτης μὲν ἕνεκεν καὶ ἀγρυπνοῦσι πολλοὶ, καὶ ἅπερ ἂν ἐπιτάξῃ, μετὰ προθυμίας ὑπακούουσι, καὶ οἰκίαν ἀφιᾶσι, καὶ πατέρα, καὶ μητέρα, καὶ φίλους, καὶ χρήματα, καὶ προστασίαν, καὶ πάντα ἐν ἀπορίᾳ καὶ ἐρημίᾳ τὰ αὐτῶν· τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ πολλάκις ἕνεκεν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἕνεκεν, οὐδὲ τρίτην μοῖραν ἀναλῶσαι αἱρούμεθα τῶν ὄντων, ἀλλὰ πεινῶντα ὁρῶντες περιορῶμεν, καὶ 59.432 παρατρέχομεν γυμνὸν, καὶ οὐδὲ λόγου μεταδίδομεν. Ἐκείνης δὲ κἂν θεραπαινίδα ἴδωσιν οἱ ἐρασταὶ, καὶ βάρβαρον, ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἑστῶτες, ὥσπερ ἐγκαλλωπιζόμενοι, καὶ ἀγαλλόμενοι διαλέγονται, μακρῶν λόγων ἀνελίττοντες διαύλους· καὶ οὐδὲν εἶναι τὸν βίον πάντα νομίζουσι δι' αὐτὴν, οὐκ ἄρχοντας, οὐ βασιλείαν (καὶ ἴσασιν ὅσοι τοῦ νοσήματος εἰλήφασι πεῖραν)· καὶ χάριν ἔχουσι πλείονα ἐπιταττούσῃ, ἢ δουλεύουσιν ἑτέροις. Ἆρ' οὐκ εἰκότως γέεννα; ἆρ' οὐκ εἰκότως μυρίαι κολάσεις; Ἀνανήψωμεν τοίνυν, καὶ παράσχωμεν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διακονίᾳ κἂν τοσοῦτον, κἂν τὸ ἥμισυ μέρος, οὗ τῇ πόρνῃ παρέχουσιν ἕτεροι, κἂν τὸ τρίτον. Τάχα φρίττετε πάλιν; καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτός. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠβουλόμην ἐπὶ τῶν λόγων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων φρίττειν ὑμᾶς. Νῦν δὲ ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἡμῖν ἡ καρδία συστέλλεται, ἐξελθόντες δὲ πάντα ῥίπτομεν. Τί οὖν τὸ κέρδος; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖ δέῃ χρήματα ἀναλίσκειν, οὐδεὶς πενίαν ὀδύρεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ δανεισάμενος ἔδωκε πολλάκις ἁλούς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐὰν ἐλεημοσύνης μνησθῶμεν, παῖδας, καὶ γυναῖκας, καὶ οἰκίαν, καὶ προστασίαν, καὶ μυρίας προφάσεις ἡμῖν προβάλλονται. Ἀλλ' ἡδονὴ πολλὴ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὃ θρηνῶ καὶ ὀδύρομαι. Τί οὖν, ἐὰν δείξω μείζονα ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἡδονήν; Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ οὐ μικρὸν ὑποτέμνεται τῆς ἡδονῆς ἡ αἰσχύνη, καὶ ἡ ὕβρις, καὶ ἡ δαπάνη, δεύτερον ὁ πόλεμος καὶ ἡ ἀπέχθεια· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον. Τί γὰρ τῆς ἡδονῆς ταύτης ἴσον, εἰπέ μοι, καθῆσθαι προσδοκῶντα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ βασιλείαν, καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἀτελεύτητον; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἐν προσδοκίαις, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἐν πείρᾳ. Ποίᾳ πείρᾳ; Βούλει καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἐν πείρᾳ εἴπω; Ἐννόησον πόσης ἐλευθερίας ἀπολαύεις, καὶ πῶς οὐδένα δέδοικας οὐδὲ τρέμεις ἀρετῇ συζῶν, οὐκ ἐχθρὸν, οὐκ ἐπίβουλον, οὐ συκοφάντην, οὐ τὸν παραδοκιμοῦντα, οὐκ ἀντεραστὴν, οὐ ζηλότυπον, οὐ πενίαν, οὐ νόσον, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὐδέν· ἐκεῖ δὲ, κἂν μυρία κατὰ γνώμην γένηται, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ὁ πλοῦτος ἐπιῤῥέῃ, ὁ τῶν ἀντεραστῶν πόλεμος, καὶ αἱ