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ορυττόντων πολυχειρία, αλλ' αυξεται και πλεονάζει. Και τι λεγω τους εμπροσθεν; ποσοι μετ ̓ ημας ερουσι, και μετ' εκείνους ετεροι παλιν, και ου παύσεται πηγαζων ο πλουτος, ουδε επιλείψει ταυτη τα με ταλλα, πνευματικα γαρ εστι, και ου πεφυκε δαπανασθαι ποτε.—Serm. xxvi. de verbis apost. 2 Cor. iv. 13. habentes autem eundem spiritum fidei, &c. Tom. v. p. 319. (Editio ut supra.)

therefore, it is not consumed, but increased and multiplied by the multitude of those who dig into it. But why do I speak of those who were before us ? How many shall speak after us, and many others after them, and the riches shall not cease to spring up like a fountain, nor shall the metals fail there, for they are spiritual, and can never be consumed.

There is no malady for which the Scriptures do not present a remedy.

Ειδες, αγαπητε, πως εκαστον των εν τη θεια γραφη εγγεγραμμένων δι' ουδεν ετερον μνημη παρεδόθη, αλλ' η δια την ωφέλειαν την ημετεραν και την σωτηρίαν του των ανθρωπων γενους ; ταύτη δη λογιζόμενοι, εκαστος ημων τα καταλληλα φαρμακα εντευθεν εαυτω επιτιθετω. Δια γαρ τουτο πασιν επ' αδειας προκειται, και εξεστι τω βουλομενω το αρμόδιον τω ενοχλούντι παθει φαρμακον επιτιθεναι, και ταχίστην την υγειαν δεξασθαι, μονον εαν αποσείσηται τις την απο της ιατρειας θεραπειαν, αλλα την οικείαν ευγνωμοσυνην επιδειξεται. Ουδεν γαρ εστι των την ανθρωπινην φυσιν συνεχοντων ούτε ψυχικόν ούτε σωματικον παθος, ο μη εντευθεν δεξασθαι δυναται,

μη

ιατρείαν

Have you seen, O beloved, how everything written in the divine Scripture was recorded for no other purpose than for our profit, and for the salvation of the human race ? Reflecting upon this, let each of us thence apply to himself his peculiar remedy. For upon this account it is freely exposed to all, and it is permitted to him who wills it to apply the fitting remedy to the disease which troubles him, and to receive speedy health (or soundness) provided he does not separate the cure from the medicine, but displays his own candour. For there is not one of the spiritual or bodily sufferings which afflicts human nature which cannot thence receive a cure.

The great advantage of reading the Scriptures; the Holy Spirit will interpret them to us.

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man

The reading of the divine Scriptures, my beloved, is a great good. This renders the soul desirous of wisdom, this transfers the mind to heaven, this makes a grateful, this causes him to fear nothing present, this makes us fix our calculations there, and do all things looking to the recompense of the Lord, and undertake with great eagerness the labours of virtue. For there we may learn accurately, by a quick perception, the Providence of the goodness of the Lord, and God, the fortitude of the just, the greatness of the rewards. Therein we may be excited to the emulation and imitation of the wisdom of the nobleminded, and not to be torpid respecting the struggles of virtue, but to gather courage before the event from the promises of God. Wherefore let us, I exhort you, practise the reading of the divine Scriptures with all possible haste; for we shall thus attain the knowledge of them if we continually approach their contents. For it cannot be that he who peruses these divine writings with desire and great eagerness can ever be overlooked, but although we may have no man as our instructor, the Lord himself from above

δεσποτης ανωθεν εμβατεύων της καρδιας της ημετερας φωτίζει την διανοιαν, καταυγάζει τον λογισμον, εκκαλυπτει τα λανθανοντα, διδασκολος ημιν γινεται των αγνουμενων μονον εαν ημεις τα παρ' εαυτων εισφερειν βουλωμεθα. Μη καλέσητε, γαρ, φησι, διδασκαλον επι της γης. Επειδαν ουν λαβωμεν μετα χειρας βιβλιον πνευματικον, συντείναντες εαυτων την διανοιαν, και συναγαγοντες τον λογισμον, και πασαν βιωτικην εννοιαν απωσαμενοι, ουτω την αναγνωσιν ποιωμεθα μετα πολλής της ευλαβείας, μετα πολλης της προσοχης, ινα δυνηθωμεν υπο του αγιου πνευματος οδηγηθηναι επι την κατανοησιν των γεγραμμένων και πολλην εκείθεν την ωφέλειαν καρπώσασθαι. Και γαρ ο ευνούχος εκείνος βαρβαρος ο της βασιλισσης* Αιθιοπων, εν τοσαυτη τυγχανων περιφάνεια, και επι του οχήματος φερομενος ουδε εν εκεινω τω καιρω της αναγνώσεως ημελει, αλλα την προφήτην εχων μετα χειρας πολλην εποιείτο την σπουδην

προς την αναγνωσιν, και ταύτα

ουκ ειδως τα εγκειμενα, κ. τ. λ.

Ιδετε όσον εστιν αγαθον το μετα προσοχής και σπουδης την αναγνωσιν ποεισθαι των θείων

entering our hearts, will enlighten our minds, ilumine

our

reason, reveal those things that are hidden, and instruct us in the things of which we are ignorant, provided only we contribute our own faculties. For, he says, ye shall call no man master upon earth. When, therefore, we take the spiritual book into our hands, exerting our minds and collecting our thoughts, and expelling all earthly reflections, let us thus practise the reading with much circumspection and with much attention, in order that we may be guided by the Holy Spirit into the understanding of the things that are written, and may thence derive much profit. For that barbarian eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, who lived in such splendour, and was carried in his chariot, did not at that season neglect the reading, but holding the Prophet in his hands, he employed much diligence in reading, and this he did not understanding the contents.†

You see how good a thing it is to prosecute the divine Scriptures with attention and

The Romanists remind us that the eunuch would not have understood the Scriptures without Philip as an interpreter; but we reply, that in the New Testament the Apostles interpreted the prophecies which foretold Christ, and salvation by Christ, and we remind them, as Chrysostom did the Christians in his day, that we have the Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher.

Here a page of the original is omitted as superfluous.

κατα Τον

γραφων ; δια γαρ τούτο και την βαρβαρον τουτον ιστορίαν εις μεσον υμιν παρηγαγον, να μη επαισχυνθωμεθα απαντες ζηλωται γινεσθαι του Αιθιοπος, του Ευνούχου, του μηδε εν οδοιπορια της αναγνώσεως αμελούντος. Ικανος γαρ ουτος ο βαρβαρος απασιν ημιν διδασκέλος γενεσθαι, και τοις τον ιδιωτικον βιον επανηρημένοις, και τοις εν στρατια και

τειλεγμένοις, και εν περιφάνεια

τυγχάνουσι, και πασιν απαξ απλως ουκ ανδρασιν, αλλα και γυναιξιν, όσω και διηνεκώς οικαι διατρίβουσιν, αλλα και τοις τον μοναχικον βιον επανηρημενοις, να μανθανωσι παντες, ως ουδεις καιρος κωλυμα γινεται προς την των θείων λογιων αναγνωσιν αλλα δυναται μη μόνον επι οικίας, αλλα και επ'

αγορας βαδίζοντας και οδοι

πορίαν ποιουμενους, και εν συν

των

νουσια πλειόνων τυγχανοντας, και πραγμασι συμπλεκομένους τούτων έχεσθαι σπουδης, ινα τα παρ' εαυτων εισφεροντες, ταχέως και του οδηγούντος επιτυχωμεν. Ορων γαρ ημων ο δεσποτης την περι τα πνευ ματικά επιθυμίαν ου περιόψεται, αλλα παρέξει την ανωθεν ελλαμψιν, και φωτιει ημων την διανοιαν μη τοινυν αμελωμεν, παρακαλώ, της αναγνώσεως, αλλα καν τε ειδωμεν των ει ρημενων την δυναμιν, καν τε αγνοώμεν, συνεχως αυτά επιω

μεν, η γαρ διηνεκής μελετη ανεξάλειπτον εργαζεται την μνημην. Και πολλακις οπερ

earnestness. For this reason I have introduced to you this story of the barbarian, that we may none of us be ashamed of emulating the Ethiopian eunuch, who neglected not the reading even on his journey. For this barbarian is fit to be an instructor to us all, to those who have selected a private life, to those who are engaged live in splendour, and, in fiue, in the army, to those who to all persons whatsoever, not men only, but women, as well to those who spend their time at home, as to those who have chosen the monastic life, that all may learn that to the reading of the divine no season is an impediment Word, but that it is possible not only for those who are at home, but for those who go to the forum and are journeying, and for those who are mixed up with the crowd, and for those who are involved in business, to be eagerly occupied with them, so that, applying our own faculties, we may quickly obtain a guide. For the Lord seeing our earnestness about spiritual things, will not overlook it, but will afford illumination from above, and enlighten our understanding. Let us not, then, neglect, I exhort you, this reading, but whether we understand the force of what is said, or are ignorant of it, let us perseveringly

σήμερον ευρείν ουκ ισχυσαμεν αναγνοντες, τουτο παλιν αυριον επελθοντες αθροον ευρομεν, του φιλανθρωπου Θεου αοράτως ημων την διανοιαν φωτίζοντος. Chrys. in c. xiv. Gen. Hom. xxxv. tom. ii. p. 391. (Bened. edit. Parisiis, 1839.)

pursue them ; for perpetual meditation makes the recollection indelible, and frequently what we have not been able to discover to-day, when we have returned to it on the morrow, we have found clear, God, who loves mankind, enlightening our understanding.

The Scriptures are a medicinal treasury.
Chrys. in cap. v. Evang.
Joann. Hom. xxxvi. tom. viii.
p. 227. (Editio ut supra.)

Μεγα των θείων γραφων το κερδος, και διαρκης η εξ αυτων ωφελεια. Και τουτο δεικνυς ο Παυλος ελεγεν οσα γαρ προέγραφε, προς νουθεσίαν ημων προεγράφη, εις ους τα τελη των αιωνων κατηντησεν, ινα δια υπομονης και της παρακλησεως των γραφων την ελπιδα εχωμεν. Παντοδαπων γαρ εστι φαρμακων θησαυρος τα θεια λογια

της

ώστε καν απονοιαν

σβεσαι δεη, καν επιθυμιαν κοι μισαι, καν την των χρημάτων

καταπατησαι έρωτα, καν οδύνην υπερίδειν, καν ευθυμιαν ενθείναι, και υπομονην κατασκευασαι, πολλην εντευθεν αν τις ευροι την αφορμην.

Chrys. on the 5th chapter of John's Gospel, Sermon xxxvi. vol. viii. p. 227.

Great is the gain from the holy Scriptures, and abundant is the profitableness. And Paul witnessing this, said, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were writ. ten for our admonition, upon have whom the ends of ages come, that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures For we may have hope. the divine Word is a treasure of every kind of medicine, so that if it is needful to extin

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guish folly, or to calm passion, or to expel the love of riches, or to despise grief, or to infuse courage, or to furnish patience, one may find therein ample resources.

He who does not enter the sheepfold by the Scriptures is a thief. Chrys. in cap. x. Evang. Joan. Hom. lviii. tom. viii. p. 371. (Edit. ut supra.)

Αμην, αμην λεγω υμιν, ο μη εισερχόμενος δια της θύρας εις την αυλην των προβάτων, αλλα

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,

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