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Demonact. Greater thanks is owed to the Asclepiads who check an oncoming disease, than to those who cure one that has occurred, for not to suffer is more preferable than to be delivered from an evil.

DISCOURSE 51.

Concerning faith. Matt. 17. Truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to the mountain

this, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Eph. 2. By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God, not from works, so that no one may boast.

Heb. 11. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Prov. 12. A righteous man will announce manifest faith.

Sirach 11. Trust in the Lord, and continue in your labor; for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord suddenly to make a poor man rich.

Sirach 2. The gift of the Lord remains with the devout; trust in him, and he will help you.

Basil. Let faith lead the way in words about God. Faith, and not demonstration. Faith which, beyond logical methods, draws the soul to assent; faith, not that which arises from geometric necessities, but that which comes to be by the energies of the Spirit.

Faith is an undoubting assent to what has been heard in the full assurance of the truth of the things preached, by the grace of God, which Abraham showed, being witnessed to, that He did not waver through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God has promised, He is also able to perform.

Theol. For that which is not attainable, is in no way believable on account of envy. For to profane souls none of the good things are worthy of belief.

Chrysost. This is especially of faith, not to seek explanations for the things being done, but to obey the things commanded.

(952) The devout and faithful man ought to be so firmly disposed toward the promises of God, that even if the things happening seem contrary to them, he should not be troubled, nor despair of the outcome. See, for example, the faithful Abraham, what a promise he received, and what he was compelled to do.

Faith is the mother and crown and consummation of the virtues.

For just as, if a root has not been planted, a fruit could not sprout; so, if faith has not been first laid down, the word of teaching could not come forth.

Gregor. Nys. Faith alone grasps the ungraspable; faith alone perceives the unseen; faith alone draws near to the unapproachable, as much as is possible and as much as is permissible.

Of Cyril. That which is received by faith, must be beyond curious inquiry. For that which is scrutinized, how is it still believed?

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∆ημονάκτ. Τοῖς Ἀσκληπιάδαις μείζων ὀφείλεται χάρις ἐπερχομένην ἀναστέλλουσι· νόσον, ἤ παραπεσοῦσαν ἰασαμένοις, τοῦ γάρ ἀπηλλάχθαι κακοῦ τό μή πάσχειν εἱρετώτερον.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΝΑ´.

Περί πίστεως. Ματθ. ιζ´. Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐάν ἔχετε πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, ἐρεῖτε τῷ ὄρει

τούτῳ, Μετάβηθι ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ, καί μεταβήσεται· καί οὐδέν ἀδυνατήσει ὑμῖν.

Ἐφ. β´. Χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διά τῆς πίστεως, καί τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν· Θεοῦ τό δῶρον, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται.

Ἑβρ. ια´. Πίστις ἐστίν ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων.

Παροιμ. ιβ΄. Ἐπιδεικνυμένην πίστιν ἀναγγελεῖα δίκαιος.

Σιράχ ια´. Πίστευε τῷ Κυρίῳ, καί ἔμμενε τῷ πόνῳ σου· ὅτι κοῦφον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Κυρίου ἐξάπινα πλουτίσαι πένητα.

Σιράχ β΄ . ∆όσις Κυρίου παραμενεῖ εὐσεβέσι· πίστευσον αὐτῷ, καί ἀντιλήψεταί σου.

Βασιλ. Πίστις ἡγείσθω τῶν περί Θεοῦ λόγων. Πίστις, καί μή ἀπόδειξις. Πίστις ἡ ὑπέρ τάς λογικάς μεθοδείας τήν ψυχήν εἰς συγκατάθεσιν ἕλκουσα· πίστις, οὐχ ἡ γεωμετρικαῖς ἀνάγκαις, ἀλλά ταῖς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείαις ἐγγινομένη.

Πίστις ἐστί συγκατάθεσις ἀδιάκριτος τῶν ἀκουσθένων ἐν πληροφορίᾳ τῆς ἀληθείας τῶν κηρυχθέντων, Θεοῦ χάριτι, ἥντινα ἐπεδείξατο Ἀβράαμ, μαρτυρηθείς, ὅτι Οὐ διεκρίθη τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐνεδυναμώθη τῇ πίστει, δούς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, καί πληροφορηθείς ὅτι ὅ ἐπήγγελται Θεός, δυνατός ἐστι καί ποιῆσαι.

Θεολ. Τό γάρ οὐκ ἐφικτόν, οὐδέ πιστόν πως διά τόν φθόνον. Ψυχαῖς γάρ βεβήλοις οὐδέν τῶν καλῶν ἀξιόπιστον.

Χρυσοστ. Τοῦτο μάλιστα πίστεως, μή ζητεῖν εὐθύνας τῶν πραττομένων, ἀλλά πείθεσθαι τοῖς ἐπιταττομένοις.

(952) Τόν εὐσεβῆ καί πιστόν ἄνδρα οὕτω βεβαίως διακεῖσθαι χρή πρός τάς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥστε κἄν ἐναντία αὐτοῖς φαίνεται τά γινόμενα, μηδέ οὕτως ταράττεσθαι, μηδέ ἀπογινώσκειν τήν ἔκβασιν. Ὅρα γοῦν ὁ πιστός Ἀβραάμ τίνα μέν ὑπόσχεσιν ἐδέξατο, τίνα δέ πράττειν ἠναγκάζετο.

Πίστις μήτηρ καί στεφάνῃ καί συμπεραίωσις τῶν ἀρετῶν ὑπάρχει.

Καθάπερ γάρ ῥίζης μή πεφυτευμένης, οὐκ ἄν βλαστήσειε καρπός· οὕτω πίστεως μή προκαταβεβλημένης, οὐκ ἄν προέλθοι διδασκαλίας λόγος.

Γρηγορ. Νύσ. Πίστις μόνη κρατεῖ τόν ἀκράτητον· πίστις μόνη κατανοεῖ τόν ἀθέατον· πίστις μόνη προσπελάζει τῷ ἀπροσπελάστῳ, ὅσον ἐγχωρεῖ καί ὅσον ἐνδέχεται.

Κυρίλλου. Τό πίστει παραδεκτόν, ἀπολυπραγμόνητον εἶναι χρή. Τό γάρ βασανοζόμενον πῶς ἔτι πεπίστευται;