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gloomy, but everything is full of spiritual joy. For this reason John also calls him a bridegroom; for this reason Paul also says: For I have betrothed you to one husband; and again, This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Why then is the bride not said to be betrothed to Him, but to the Son? Because she who is betrothed to the Son is betrothed to the Father. For it is indifferent to Scripture for this or that to be said, because of the unchangeable nature of the substance. From this he also proclaimed the resurrection. For since he spoke of death before, he shows that even after death, then are the weddings, then the bridegroom. But not even so do these become better, nor more gentle; of which what could be worse; For this is a third accusation. First, that they killed prophets; then, the Son; after this, that having killed him, and being called to the wedding of the one who was killed by the very one who was killed, they do not come, but invent excuses, yokes of oxen, and fields, and wives. And yet the excuses seem to be reasonable; but from this we learn, even if the things that hold us are necessary, to make spiritual things a priority over all. And he calls not recently, but a long time before. For he says, Tell those who have been called and again, Call those who have been called; which made the accusation greater. And when were they called? Through all the prophets, through John again; for he sent all to him, saying: He must increase, but I must decrease; through the Son himself again; For come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; and again. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Not by words only, but also by deeds he called them, and after the ascension through Peter and those 58.649 with him. For he who worked, he says, through Peter for the apostleship to the circumcision, worked also through me for the Gentiles. For since, having seen the son, they were angry and killed him, he calls again through the servants. And to what does he call? To toils and labors and sweats? No, but to luxury; For my bulls, he says, and my fatlings are killed. See how great the feast; how great the generosity. And not even this turned them, but the more he was longsuffering, the more they were hardened. For they did not come not because they were busy, but because they were neglectful. How then do some put forward weddings, and others yokes of oxen? these at least are occupations. Not at all; for when spiritual things call, no occupation is necessary. But it seems to me they also used these excuses, putting these things forward as cloaks for their neglect. And not only is this terrible, that they did not come, but also that which is much worse and more manic, to beat those who came, and to insult them, and to kill them; this is worse than the former. For those came demanding revenue and fruits, and were slain; but these, calling to the wedding of him who was slain by them, these too are murdered. What is equal to this madness? This Paul also said, accusing them: Who both killed the Lord and their own prophets, and have persecuted us. Then, so that they might not say, He is an Antigod, and for this reason we do not come, hear what those who are calling say; that it is the Father who is making the wedding, and He who is calling. What then after this? Since they did not wish to come, but also killed those who came to them, he burns the cities, and sending his armies, he killed them. But he says these things, foreshowing the things that happened under Vespasian and Titus, and that they provoked the Father also by not believing in him; for he it is who came forth against them. For this reason the capture did not happen immediately after Christ was killed, but after forty years, that he might show his long-suffering; when they killed Stephen, when they killed James, when they insulted the apostles. Did you see the truth and swiftness of events? For while John was still living, and many others who had been with Christ, these things were coming to pass. and those who heard these things were witnesses of what was happening. See, then, an unspeakable care. He planted a vineyard,

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σκυθρωπὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα χαρᾶς γέμει πνευματικῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νυμφίον αὐτὸν Ἰωάννης καλεῖ· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος λέγει· Ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρί· καὶ πάλιν, Τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστὶν, ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Τί οὖν οὐκ αὐτῷ ἁρμόζεσθαι λέγεται ἡ νύμφη, ἀλλὰ τῷ Υἱῷ; Ὅτι ἡ τῷ Υἱῷ ἁρμοζομένη τῷ Πατρὶ ἁρμόζεται. Καὶ γὰρ ἀδιάφορον τῇ Γραφῇ τοῦτο ἢ τοῦτο λέγεσθαι, διὰ τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον τῆς οὐσίας. Ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀνεκήρυξεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν τὸν θάνατον εἶπε, δείκνυσιν ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον τότε οἱ γάμοι, τότε ὁ νυμφίος. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως οὗτοι γίνονται βελτίους, οὐδὲ ἡμερώτεροι· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν χεῖρον· Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη τρίτη κατηγορία. Πρώτη μὲν, ὅτι προφήτας ἀπέκτειναν· ἔπειτα, ὅτι τὸν Υἱόν· μετὰ ταῦτα, ὅτι καὶ ἀνελόντες, καὶ εἰς τοὺς γάμους τοῦ ἀναιρεθέντος καλούμενοι παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀναιρεθέντος οὐ παραγίνονται, ἀλλ' αἰτίας πλάττουσι, ζεύγη βοῶν, καὶ ἀγροὺς, καὶ γυναῖκας. Καίτοι δοκοῦσιν εὔλογοι αἱ προφάσεις εἶναι· ἀλλ' ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, κἂν ἀναγκαῖα ᾖ τὰ κατέχοντα, πάντων προτιμότερα ποιεῖσθαι τὰ πνευματικά. Καὶ καλεῖ οὐχὶ προσφάτως, ἀλλὰ πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου. Εἴπατε γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς κεκλημένοις καὶ πάλιν, Καλέσατε τοὺς κεκλημένους· ὅπερ μείζονα τὴν κατηγορίαν ἐποίει. Καὶ πότε ἐκλήθησαν; ∆ιὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἁπάντων, διὰ Ἰωάννου πάλιν· αὐτῷ γὰρ παρέπεμπεν ἅπαντας, λέγων· Ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι· δι' αὐτοῦ πάλιν τοῦ Υἱοῦ· ∆εῦτε γὰρ πρός με, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς· καὶ πάλιν. Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με, καὶ πινέτω. Οὐ διὰ ῥημάτων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων αὐτοὺς ἐκάλει, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάληψιν διὰ Πέτρου καὶ τῶν 58.649 κατ' αὐτόν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας, φησὶ, Πέτρῳ εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς, ἐνήργησε καὶ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν υἱὸν ἰδόντες ὠργίσθησαν καὶ ἀνεῖλον, διὰ τῶν δούλων καλεῖ πάλιν. Καὶ ἐπὶ τί καλεῖ; Ἐπὶ μόχθους καὶ πόνους καὶ ἱδρῶτας; Οὐχὶ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τρυφήν· Οἱ ταῦροι γάρ μου, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ σιτιστὰ τεθυμένα. Ὅρα πόση ἡ πανδαισία· πόση ἡ φιλοτιμία. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐνέτρεψεν, ἀλλ' ὅσῳ μειζόνως ἐμακροθύμησε, τοσούτῳ μειζόνως ἐσκληρύνοντο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀσχολούμενοι, ἀλλ' ἀμελήσαντες οὐκ ἦλθον. Πῶς οὖν οἱ μὲν γάμους, οἱ δὲ ζεύγη βοῶν προβάλλονται; ταῦτα γοῦν ἀσχολίας. Οὐδαμῶς· τῶν γὰρ πνευματικῶν καλούντων, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀσχολία οὐδεμία ἀναγκαία. Ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκοῦσι καὶ ταύταις ταῖς προφάσεσι κεχρῆσθαι, τῆς ἀμελείας παρακαλύμματα ταῦτα προβαλλόμενοι. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον καὶ μανικώτερον, τὸ καὶ συγκόψαι τοὺς ἐλθόντας, καὶ ὑβρίσαι, καὶ ἀνελεῖν· τοῦτο τοῦ προτέρου χεῖρον. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἦλθον ἀπαιτοῦντες πρόσοδον καὶ καρποὺς, καὶ ἐσφάγησαν· οὗτοι δὲ εἰς γάμους καλοῦντες τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν σφαγέντος, καὶ οὗτοι πάλιν φονεύονται. Τί ταύτης τῆς μανίας ἴσον; Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἐγκαλῶν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγε· Τῶν καὶ τὸν Κύριον ἀποκτεινάντων καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους προφήτας, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιωξάντων. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν, ὅτι Ἀντίθεός ἐστι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ παραγινόμεθα, ἄκουσον τί λέγουσιν οἱ καλοῦντες· ὅτι Ὁ Πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς γάμους, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ καλῶν. Τί οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα; Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνεῖλον τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐλθόντας, κατακαίει τὰς πόλεις, καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα πέμψας, ἀνεῖλεν αὐτούς. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, προδηλῶν τὰ ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καὶ Τίτου γενόμενα, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὸν Πατέρα παρώξυναν αὐτῷ μὴ πιστεύσαντες· αὐτὸς γοῦν ἐστιν ὁ ἐπεξελθών. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐκ εὐθέως ἀναιρεθέντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγονεν ἡ ἅλωσις, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη, ἵνα δείξῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν μακροθυμίαν· ὅτε ἀπέκτειναν τὸν Στέφανον, ὅτε ἀνεῖλον Ἰάκωβον, ὅτε ὕβρισαν τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Εἶδες πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν καὶ τάχος; Ἔτι γὰρ Ἰωάννου ζῶντος, καὶ ἑτέρων πολλῶν τῶν τῷ Χριστῷ συγγενομένων, ταῦτα ἐξέβαινε. καὶ μάρτυρες ἦσαν τῶν γινομένων οἱ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες. Ὅρα τοίνυν κηδεμονίαν ἄφατον. Ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα,