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Commentary on the Gospel of Luke Sermons 47-56 - Cyril of Alexandria · Commentary on The Book of Genesis

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  Speaker 1: Commentary in the Gospel of Luke, Sermons forty seven through
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  Speaker 1: fifty six. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Sermon forty seven commentary in
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  Speaker 1: the Gospel of Luke, Sermons forty seven through fifty six
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  Speaker 1: by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith, Sermon
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  Speaker 1: forty seven, nine one through five. And when he had
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  Speaker 1: called the twelve apostles, he gave them power and authority
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  Speaker 1: over all the devils and to heal sicknesses. And he
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  Speaker 1: sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to
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  Speaker 1: heal the sick. And he said unto them, take nothing
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  Speaker 1: for the way, no staff, no script, neither bread nor money,
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  Speaker 1: nor shall ye have two coats. And into whatsoever house
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  Speaker 1: ye enter, there abide, and thence depart, And whosoever will
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  Speaker 1: not receive you when ye depart from that city, shake
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  Speaker 1: off the dust from your feet. For their testimony, it
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  Speaker 1: is a true saying that the fruit of good deeds
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  Speaker 1: is honorable for those who wish to lead lives pure
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  Speaker 1: and undefiled, as far as is possible for men Christ
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  Speaker 1: will adorn with his gifts and grant them an abundant
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  Speaker 1: recompense for all their saintly deeds, and make them partakers
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  Speaker 1: of His glory. For it is impossible that He should
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  Speaker 1: ever lie. Who says, as I live, saith the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: those who honor me I will honor. As a plain
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  Speaker 1: and clear proof of this, I take the glorious and
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  Speaker 1: noble company of the Holy Apostles. Behold them, highly distinguished
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  Speaker 1: and crowned with more than human glory by this fresh
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  Speaker 1: gift bestowed by Christ, for he gave them, it says,
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  Speaker 1: power and authority over all the devils, and to heal sicknesses.
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  Speaker 1: Observe again, I pray that the incarnate word of God
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  Speaker 1: exceeds the measure of humanity and is radiant with the
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  Speaker 1: dignities of the Godhead. For it transcends the limits of
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  Speaker 1: human nature to give authority over unclean spirits to whomsoever
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  Speaker 1: He will, as does also the enabling them to deliver
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  Speaker 1: from sicknesses such as were afflicted with them. For God
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  Speaker 1: indeed bestows on whom he will powers of this kind,
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  Speaker 1: and on his decree alone. It depends that any are
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  Speaker 1: able according to His good pleasure to work divine miracles
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  Speaker 1: and act as minister of the grace that is from above.
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  Speaker 1: But to impart to others the gift bestowed on them
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  Speaker 1: is altogether an impossibility. For the majesty and glory of
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  Speaker 1: the supreme Nature is found existing essentially in nothing that
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  Speaker 1: has being, except in itself. And it only be it therefore,
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  Speaker 1: Angel or Archangel, that any one mentions or thrones and dominions,
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  Speaker 1: or the set of fime, which again are higher in dignity.
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  Speaker 1: Let him wisely understand this, that they indeed possess pre
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  Speaker 1: eminent authority by the powers given them from above, such
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  Speaker 1: as language cannot describe, nor nature bestow. But reason altogether
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  Speaker 1: forbids the supposition of their imparting these powers to others.
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  Speaker 1: But Christ bestows them as being God therefore and as
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  Speaker 1: out of his own fullness, for He is himself the
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  Speaker 1: Lord of glory and of powers. The grace then bestowed
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  Speaker 1: upon the Holy Apostles is worthy of all admiration. But
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  Speaker 1: the bountifulness of the giver surpasses all praise and admiration,
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  Speaker 1: for He gives them, as I said, his own glory.
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  Speaker 1: Man receives authority over the evil spirits and reduces unto nothingness.
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  Speaker 1: The pride that was so high, exalted and arrogant, even
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  Speaker 1: that of the devil. His wickedness he renders ineffectual, and
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  Speaker 1: by the might and efficacy of the Holy Ghost, burning
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  Speaker 1: him as with fire, he makes him come forth with
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  Speaker 1: groans and weeping from those whom he had possessed. And
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  Speaker 1: yet in old time he had said, I will hold
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  Speaker 1: the whole world in my hand as a nest, and
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  Speaker 1: will take as eggs that are left, and there is
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  Speaker 1: no one that shall escape from me or speak against me.
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  Speaker 1: He missed then the truth, and fell from his hope,
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  Speaker 1: proud and audacious though he was, and vaunting himself over
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  Speaker 1: the infirmity of mankind. For the Lord of Powers marshaled
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  Speaker 1: against him the ministers of the Sacred Proclamations. And this
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  Speaker 1: verily had been foretold by one of the Holy prophets,
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  Speaker 1: when speaking of Satan and the Holy Teachers, that suddenly
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  Speaker 1: they shall arise that bite thee, and they shall awake
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  Speaker 1: that afflict thee, and thou shalt be their prey. For
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  Speaker 1: so to speak, they bit Satan by attacking his glory
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  Speaker 1: and making his goods a spoil, and bringing them unto
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  Speaker 1: Christ by means of faith in him, For so they
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  Speaker 1: attacked Satan himself. Great therefore was the power given under
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Apostles by the decree and will of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: the Savior of us. All, for he gave them power
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  Speaker 1: and authority over the unclean spirits. We will in the
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  Speaker 1: next place also inquire if it seemed good. Whence a
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  Speaker 1: grace thus illustrious and famous descended upon mankind, the only
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  Speaker 1: begotten word. Therefore of God crowned human nature with this
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  Speaker 1: great honor, by becoming flesh and taking upon him our likeness,
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  Speaker 1: and thus without in one single particular departing from the
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  Speaker 1: glories of his majesty, For he wrought deeds worthy of God,
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  Speaker 1: even though he became, as I said, like unto us,
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  Speaker 1: and was of flesh and blood. He broke the power
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  Speaker 1: of Satan by his almighty word, and by his rebuking
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  Speaker 1: the evil spirits, the inhabitants of earth became able to
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  Speaker 1: rebuke them also. And that what I say is true,
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  Speaker 1: I will endeavor to make quite certain. For the Savior,
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  Speaker 1: as I said, was rebuking the unclean spirits, but the
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  Speaker 1: Pharisees opening their mouth to deride his glory had the
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  Speaker 1: effrontery to say, this man casteth not out devils, but
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  Speaker 1: by Beelzebub, prince of the devils. But the Savior rebuked
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  Speaker 1: them for so speaking as men prone to mockery and
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  Speaker 1: ill disposed and utterly without understanding, thus saying, if I,
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  Speaker 1: by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons
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  Speaker 1: cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges. For
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  Speaker 1: the blessed Disciples, who were sons of the Jews, by
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  Speaker 1: their descent according to the flesh, were the terror of
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  Speaker 1: Satan and his angels, for they broke their power in
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And our Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Further said, but if I, by the Spirit of God
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  Speaker 1: cast out devils, then the Kingdom of God is come
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  Speaker 1: upon you. For he, as the only begotten son of
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  Speaker 1: the Father and the Word, both was and is omnipotent.
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  Speaker 1: And there is nothing that is not easy to him.
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  Speaker 1: But inasmuch as he rebuked evil spirits while he was man,
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  Speaker 1: human nature was triumphant in him and crowned with godlike glory,
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  Speaker 1: for it was capable of rebuking even the evil spirits
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  Speaker 1: with power by Christ casting out devils. Therefore, the Kingdom
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  Speaker 1: of God came unto us. For one may affirm that
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  Speaker 1: it is the perfection of godlike majesty to be able
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  Speaker 1: to beat down Satan in spite of his resistance. He
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  Speaker 1: glorified there for his disciples by giving them authority and
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  Speaker 1: power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he
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  Speaker 1: then thus honor them without reason and make them illustrious
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  Speaker 1: without any cogent cause. But how can this be true?
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  Speaker 1: For it was necessary, most necessary that, having been publicly
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  Speaker 1: appointed ministers of the sacred proclamations, they should be able
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  Speaker 1: to work miracles, and by means of what they wrought,
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  Speaker 1: convince men of their being the ministers of God and
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  Speaker 1: mediators of all beneath the heaven, inviting them all to
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  Speaker 1: reconciliation and justification by faith, and pointing out the way
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  Speaker 1: of salvation and of lif life that is thereby. For
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  Speaker 1: the devout and intelligent need generally only reasoning to make
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  Speaker 1: them understand the truth. But those who have wandered without
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  Speaker 1: restraint into rebellion and are not prepared to receive the
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  Speaker 1: sound speech of Him who would win them for their
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  Speaker 1: true prophet, such require miracles and the working of signs
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  Speaker 1: and scarcely. Even so are they brought to thorough persuasion.
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  Speaker 1: For we often find that the discourse of the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Apostles prospered in this way. For for example, Peter and
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  Speaker 1: John delivered from his malady that lame man who lay
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  Speaker 1: at the beautiful Gate, and upon his entering the temple,
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  Speaker 1: they had his aid, as it were, in testimony of
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  Speaker 1: the great deed that had been wrought, and spake with
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  Speaker 1: great boldness concerning Christ, the Savior of us, all even
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  Speaker 1: though they saw that those whose lot it was to
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  Speaker 1: be rulers of the Synagogue of the Jews were still
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  Speaker 1: travailing with bitter ill will against him. For they said, ye,
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  Speaker 1: men of Israel, why wonder ye at this, or why
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  Speaker 1: gaze ye at us? As though by our own might
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  Speaker 1: or righteousness we made this man to walk. The God
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  Speaker 1: of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God
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  Speaker 1: of Jacob, the God of our fathers hath glorified his
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  Speaker 1: son Jesus, whom ye delivered up and denied in the
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  Speaker 1: presence of Pilate, when he would have let him go.
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  Speaker 1: But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and
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  Speaker 1: asked for a murderer to be granted You and him,
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  Speaker 1: the Prince of life ye killed, whom God raised from
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  Speaker 1: the dead, and of him we are witnesses, and his name.
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  Speaker 1: Through faith in his name hath made this man strong,
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  Speaker 1: whom easye and know, and faith in him hath given
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  Speaker 1: him this soundness in the presence of you all. But
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  Speaker 1: although many of the Jews were embittered at a loftiness
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  Speaker 1: of speech such as this, yet against their will they
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  Speaker 1: put so to speak a bridle upon their wrath, being
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  Speaker 1: ashamed because of the greatness of the miracle. And there
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  Speaker 1: is another point we must not omit. For having first
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  Speaker 1: invested the Holy apostles with powers thus splendid, he then
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  Speaker 1: bids them depart with speed and commence their office of
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  Speaker 1: proclaiming His mystery to the inhabitants of the whole earth.
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  Speaker 1: For just as able generals, having equipped their bravest soldiers
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  Speaker 1: with weapons of war, send them against the failings of
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  Speaker 1: the enemy, so too does Christ, our common Savior and Lord,
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  Speaker 1: sent the holy teachers of His mysteries, clad as it were,
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  Speaker 1: in the grace that He bestows, and fully equipped in
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  Speaker 1: spiritual armor, against Satan and his angels, so that they
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  Speaker 1: may be unconquerable in hearty combatants, For they were about
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  Speaker 1: to do battle with those who in old time held
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  Speaker 1: mastery over the inhabitants of earth, even against the wicked
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  Speaker 1: and opposing powers, who had divided among them all under heaven,
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  Speaker 1: and had made those their worshipers who had been created
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  Speaker 1: in the image of God. These, then, the Divine Disciples,
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  Speaker 1: were about to vex by summoning to the knowledge of
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  Speaker 1: the truth those that were in error, and giving light
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  Speaker 1: to them that were in darkness. While those who in
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  Speaker 1: old time worshiped them, they rendered earnest followers of such
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  Speaker 1: pursuits as becomes saints. For this reason, very fitly he
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  Speaker 1: bade them take nothing with them, wishing them both to
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  Speaker 1: be free from all worldly care, and so entirely exempt
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  Speaker 1: from the labors that worldly things occasion, as even to
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  Speaker 1: pay no regard to their necessary and indispensable food. But manifestly,
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  Speaker 1: one who bids them abstain even from things such as
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  Speaker 1: these entirely cuts away the love of ridges and the
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  Speaker 1: desire of gain for their glory, he said. And so
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  Speaker 1: to speak, their crown is to possess nothing, And he
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  Speaker 1: withdraws them even from such things as are necessary for
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  Speaker 1: their use, by the command to carry nothing whatsoever, neither staff,
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  Speaker 1: nor script, nor bread, nor money, nor two coats observe. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: as I said that, he withdraws them from vain distractions
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  Speaker 1: and anxiety about the body, and bids them have no
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  Speaker 1: cares about food, repeating to them, as it were that
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  Speaker 1: passage in the Psalm, cast thy care upon the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: and he shall feed thee. For true also is that
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  Speaker 1: which Christ said, ye are not able to serve God
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  Speaker 1: and Mammon. And again, for where thy treasure is, there
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  Speaker 1: will thy heart be. Also that they may lead, therefore
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  Speaker 1: a consistent and simple life, and, being free from vain
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  Speaker 1: and superfluous anxiety, may devote themselves entirely to the duty
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  Speaker 1: of proclaiming His mystery and labor without ceasing in publishing
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  Speaker 1: to men everywhere the tidings of Salvation. He commands them
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  Speaker 1: to be indifferent, both as regards clothing and food, and
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  Speaker 1: to the same effect the Savior elsewhere spake. For let
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  Speaker 1: your loins, he says, be girt, and your lights burning.
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  Speaker 1: But by their loins be girt, He means the readiness
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  Speaker 1: of the mind for every good work, And by their
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  Speaker 1: lights burning, that their heart be filled with divine light.
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  Speaker 1: And in like manner. The law also of Moses plainly
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  Speaker 1: commands those who ate of the Lamb, thus shall ye
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  Speaker 1: eat it. Your loins shall be girt, and your staves
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  Speaker 1: in your hands, and your sandals on your feet. Observe therefore,
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  Speaker 1: that those in whom Christ, the True Lamb dwells, must
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  Speaker 1: be like men girt for a journey. For they must
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  Speaker 1: shew their feet with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace,
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  Speaker 1: as Blessed Paul wrote, unto us, and be glad as
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  Speaker 1: becometh wayfarers. For it is not fitting for those charged
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  Speaker 1: with the divine message, if they would prosper in their office,
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  Speaker 1: to remain stationary. But as it were, they must constantly
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  Speaker 1: be moving forward and run, not for an uncertainty, but
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  Speaker 1: to win a glorious hope, for even those who once
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  Speaker 1: had fallen under the head of the enemy, if by
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  Speaker 1: faith they fight for Christ, the Savior of us, all
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  Speaker 1: will inherit an incorruptible crown. But I can imagine some
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  Speaker 1: one saying, O, Lord, thou hast commanded thy ministers to
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  Speaker 1: carry with them no supply whatsoever of necessaries for food
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  Speaker 1: and raiment. Whence then will they obtain what is essential
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  Speaker 1: and indispensable for their use. This too, he at once
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  Speaker 1: points out, saying, into whatsoever house ye enter, there, abide
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  Speaker 1: and thence depart. The fruit, he says, which you will
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  Speaker 1: obtain from those you instruct shall be sufficient. For those
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  Speaker 1: who receive from you think spiritual and gain the divine
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  Speaker 1: seed for their souls shall take care of your bodily needs.
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  Speaker 1: And this one no one can blame. For the wise
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  Speaker 1: Paul also send word as follows, if we have sown
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  Speaker 1: into you spiritual things, is it a great thing if
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  Speaker 1: we shall reap your bodily things. So the Lord also
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  Speaker 1: commanded that those who preach the gospel shall live of
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  Speaker 1: the gospel, and that this same truth is signified by
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  Speaker 1: the command of Moses. He clearly shows, saying it is
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  Speaker 1: written thou shalt not muzzle the trampling ox And what
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  Speaker 1: the intention of the law is he again showed, saying,
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  Speaker 1: doth God care for Oxen, or saith he it altogether
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  Speaker 1: on our account? Because it is fit that he who
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  Speaker 1: ploweth should plow in hope, and he who trample at
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  Speaker 1: the corn as having hope to share in it. For
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  Speaker 1: the teachers therefore, to receive from those taught these trifling
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  Speaker 1: and easily procurable matters, is in no respect injurious. But
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  Speaker 1: he commanded them both to abide in one house and
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  Speaker 1: from it to take their departure, For it was right
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  Speaker 1: both that those who had once received them should not
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  Speaker 1: be defrauded of the gift, and that the holy apostles
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  Speaker 1: themselves should not place any impediment in the way of
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  Speaker 1: their own zeal and earnestness in preaching God's message by
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  Speaker 1: letting themselves be carried off to various houses by those
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  Speaker 1: whose object was not to learn of them some necessary lesson,
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  Speaker 1: but to set before them a luxurious table beyond what
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  Speaker 1: was moderate and necessary. And that it is by no
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  Speaker 1: means without its reward to honor the saints. We learn
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  Speaker 1: from our Savior's words, for he said unto them, whosoever
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  Speaker 1: receiveth you, receiveth me, and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth him
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  Speaker 1: that sent me. For he purposely makes his own and
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  Speaker 1: takes unto himself the honor paid to the saints, in
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  Speaker 1: order that on every side they may have security. For
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  Speaker 1: what is there better or what is comparable unto the
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  Speaker 1: honor and love do unto God? But this is rendered
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  Speaker 1: by giving honor to the saints. And if he who
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  Speaker 1: receiveth them is right blessed and of glorious hope, how
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  Speaker 1: must not also the converse be entirely and absolutely true,
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  Speaker 1: for he must be full of utter misery, who is
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  Speaker 1: indifferent to the duty of honoring the saints. For this reason,
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  Speaker 1: he said that when you go out from that house,
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  Speaker 1: shake off the very dust from your feet for their testimony.
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  Speaker 1: And next we must see what this signifies. And it
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  Speaker 1: is this that from those who would not receive them,
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  Speaker 1: nor set store by the charge confided to them, nor
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  Speaker 1: obey the sacred message, nor receive the faith from such,
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  Speaker 1: they should refuse to receive any thing whatsoever. For it
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  Speaker 1: is unlikely that those who despise the master of the
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  Speaker 1: house will show themselves generous to the servants, and that
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  Speaker 1: those who impiously disregard the heavenly summons will ask a
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  Speaker 1: blessing of its preachers by offering them things of no value,
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  Speaker 1: and such as the disciples could without trouble, obtained from
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  Speaker 1: their own people. For it is written, let not the
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  Speaker 1: oil of the wicked anoint my head. And besides, they
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  Speaker 1: ought to feel that their love was due to those
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  Speaker 1: only who love and praise Christ, and avoid all others
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  Speaker 1: of a different character. For it is written, have I
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  Speaker 1: not hated, o Lord, them that hate thee and been
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  Speaker 1: hot exceedingly at thy enemies? I have hated them with
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  Speaker 1: a perfect hatred. They have become my enemies. So is
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  Speaker 1: the love proved of earthy soldiers, for it is not
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  Speaker 1: possible for them to love foreigners while paying a due
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  Speaker 1: regard to their king's interest. We learn this too by
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  Speaker 1: what Christ says, that he who is not with me
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  Speaker 1: is against me. And he that gathereth not with me
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  Speaker 1: altogether scattereth whatsoever. Therefore Christ commanded his holy apostles was
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  Speaker 1: exactly fitted for their use and benefit by home and
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  Speaker 1: with whom to God the Father be praise and dominion,
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  Speaker 1: with the Holy Ghost forever and ever Amen. End of
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  Speaker 1: Sermon forty seven, Sermon forty eight commentary in the Gospel
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  Speaker 1: of Luke, Sermons forty seven through fifty six by Cyril
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  Speaker 1: of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith. This LibriVox recording
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  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Sermon forty eight, nine twelve
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  Speaker 1: through seventeen. And the day began to decline, and the
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  Speaker 1: twelve drew near, and said unto him send the multitudes away,
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  Speaker 1: and let them go into the villages and fields round
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  Speaker 1: about and lodge and find victuals, for we are here
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  Speaker 1: in a desert place. But he said, unto them, give
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  Speaker 1: ye them to eat. But they said, we have no
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  Speaker 1: more than five loaves and two fishes unless we go
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  Speaker 1: and buy food for all this people. But they were
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  Speaker 1: about five thousand men, And he said to his disciples,
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  Speaker 1: make them sit down in companies of fifty each. And
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  Speaker 1: they did so, and made them all sit down. And
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  Speaker 1: when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes,
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  Speaker 1: he looked up to heaven and blessed them, and brake
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  Speaker 1: and gave to his disciples to set before the multitudes.
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  Speaker 1: And they did eat and were all filled. And that
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: which remained over unto them was taken up, even twelve
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: baskets of fragments. The Jews, in my opinion, have not
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: a single argument that can serve before the Tribunal of
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: God as a defense for their disobedience, For their opposition
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: had no appearance of reason on its side. And why so,
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: because the law of Moses, by shadows and figures, led
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: them unto the mystery of Christ. For the law, or
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: rather the things it contained was symbolical, and in it
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: the mystery of Christ was depicted by type and shadow
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: as any painting. And the blessed prophets also foretold long
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: before that in due time there should come one to
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: redeem all beneath the heaven, and further proclaimed the very
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: place of his birth in the flesh, and the signs
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: that he would accomplish. But they were so obdurate, and
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: their minds so indiscriminately set upon that alone, which agreed
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: with their prejudices, that they would not receive the words
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: of instruction, nor be brought to obedience, even by miracles.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: So splendid and glorious, such then was their conduct. But
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: let us, who have acknowledged the truth of his appearing,
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: offer him our praises for his godlike works, such as
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: that which the passage before us records. For we learn
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: by it that our Savior, from time to time went
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: out from Jerusalem and other cities and towns, followed by multitudes,
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: some seeking deliverance from the tyranny of devils or recovery
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: from sickness, but others desiring to receive instruction from him,
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: and constantly with great earnestness remaining with him, that they
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: might be made fully acquainted with his sacred doctrines. When
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: then the day was declining, as the evangelist says, and
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: evening had all but arrived, the disciples had care of
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: the multitudes and drew near, offering request on their behalf.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: For they said, send them, that they may go into
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: the neighboring villages and fields and lodge and find victuals.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: For we are in a desert place. But let us
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: carefully inquire what is the meaning of the expression send
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: them away? For we shall see by it both the
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: admirable faith of the Holy Apostles, and also the supernatural
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: and wonderful power of Christ, the Savior of us, all
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: in whatsoever he willeth to perform. For as I said,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: some of them followed beseeching him to deliver them from
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: the evil spirits that oppressed them, while others sought recovery
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: from various maladies. Since therefore the disciples knew that by
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: the mere ascent of his will, he could accomplish for
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: those sick persons what they wanted, they say, send them away,
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: not so speaking as though they were themselves at all annoyed,
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: and considered that the proper time had gone by, but
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: seized with love toward the multitudes, and beginning to have
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: a concern for the people, as being already intent upon
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: their pastoral office, so that we may even take pattern
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: by them ourselves. For to draw near and make supplication
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: on the people's behalf is an act becoming to the saints,
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: and the duty of spiritual fathers, and the proof of
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: a mind that has regard not to selfish objects alone,
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: but already considers as its own the interests of others,
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: of which surpassing love. This is a clear and very
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: evident instance. And if we may be permitted to carry
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: our argument above the level of human things, we say
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: for the benefit of such as meet with it that
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: when in earnest prayer we continue with Christ, whether asking
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: of him healing for the maladies of our souls, or
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: deliverance from other sicknesses, or desiring to obtain anything whatsoever
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: for our advantage, there is no doubt that when we
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: ask in prayer anything that is good for us, there
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: supplicate in our behalf, both the intelligent powers and those
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: holy men who have freedom of access unto Him, but
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: observe the incomparable gentleness of Him. Whom they supplicate for it.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: Not only does he grant all that they ask him
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: to bestow on those who followed him, but also adds
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: thereto of his own bountiful right hand, refreshing in every
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: way those that love him, and nurturing them unto spiritual courage.
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: And this we may see from what has now been read.
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: For the blessed desire besought Christ that those who were
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: following him, having had their request granted, them, might be
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: sent away and dispersed as they best could. But he
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: commanded them to supply them with food. The thing, however,
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: was impossible in the eyes of the disciples, for they
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: had brought nothing with them but five loves and two fishes.
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: And this they drew near and confessed to him. To
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: magnify therefore the greatness of the miracle, and make it
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: in every way evident that he is in his own
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: nagure God. He multiplies that little many times and looks
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: up to Heaven to ask a blessing from above, being
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: intent in this also upon our good, for he is
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: himself that which fileth all things, being the blessing that
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: cometh from above from the Father. But that we may
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: learn that when we commence a meal and are about
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: to break bread, it is our duty to offer it
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: to God, placing it so to speak, upon our stretched
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: out hands, and calling down a blessing upon it from above.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: He purposely became our precedent and type and example in
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: the matter. But what was the result of the miracle.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: It was the satisfying a large multitude with food, For
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: there were as many as five thousand men, besides women
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: and children, according to what another of the Holy Evangelists
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: has added to the narrative. Nor did the miracle end here.
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: But there were also gathered twelve baskets of fragments. And
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: what do we infer from this a plain assurance that
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: hospitality receives a rich recompense from God. The disciples offered
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: five loves, But after a multitude thus large had been satisfied,
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: there was gathered for each one of them a basket
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: full of fragments. Let nothing therefore prevent those who are
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: willing from receiving strangers whatever there may be likely to
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: blunt the will and readiness of men thereunto. And let
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: no one say I do not possess suitable means. What
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: I can do is altogether trifling and insufficient, for many
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: receive strangers. My beloved overcome that unreadiness, which wins no reward.
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: For the Savior will multiply thy little many times beyond expectation.
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: And though thou givest but little, thou wilt receive much,
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: for he that soeth blessings shall also reap blessings, according
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: to the Blessed Paul's words. The feeding therefore of the
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: multitudes in the desert by Christ is worthy of all admiration.
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: But it is also profitable in another way. For we
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: can plainly see that these new miracles accord with those
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: in old time, and that they are the acts of
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: one in the same power. He rained manna in the
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: desert upon the Israelites. He gave them bread from heaven.
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: Man did eat Angel's food, according to the words of
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: Praise in the Psalms. But lo again, in the desert,
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: he has abundantly supplied those in need of food, bringing
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: it down, as it were, from heaven. For his multiplying
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: that little many times, and feeding, so to speak, with
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: nothing so large a multitude, is not unlike that former miracle.
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: And to address myself once again to the throng of
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: the Jews, thou wast in need of the natural water,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: when thou thou wast walking in that long wilderness, and
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: God gave thee thy desire beyond thy hopes and from
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: an unlooked for quarter. For as the Psalmist says, he
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: claved the rock in the desert, he gave them drink
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: as from the vast abyss, and he brought forth water
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: out of the rock and made water flow like rivers.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: Tell me. Then, when thou hadst drunk, didst thou praise
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: the worker of the miracle? Didst thou raise thy tongue
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: for thanksgiving? Or wast thou induced by what happened to
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: acknowledge the ineffable power of God? Not so? For thou
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: murmurest against God, saying, can God prepare a table in
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: the wilderness? If he smote the rock and the waters flowed,
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: and he made this dreams overflow, can he also give
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: bread or prepare a table for his people? Thou wast
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: not astonished at seeing the flint rock, the source of
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: copious rivers, fountains issuing marvelously from stones, and streams running
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: with rapid force, but impudiest weakness to him who is Almighty.
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: And yet how was it not rather thy duty to
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: perceive that He is the Lord of powers? How indeed
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: could he be unable to prepare a table? Who made
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: the flint rock, a fountain and a stream flowing over
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: for that multitude? But since thou hast brought thyself to
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: so great folly as to imagine that there is anything
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: impossible with God and with empty Babble has said that
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: he could not prepare a table for his people in
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: the wilderness. Answer the question we now put to thee.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: Wilt thou embrace the faith, now that thou seest a
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: table prepared by Christ in the wilderness, and an innumerable
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: modultitude so abundantly supplied with food that twelve baskets of
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: remnants were collected, Or wilt thou still refuse to believe
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: and ask another sign? When therefore wilt thou be found believing?
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: When wilt thou seiz from finding fault with the ineffable
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: power of Christ, When wilt thou put a door and
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: bolt to thy tongue, and delivering it from the language
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: of blasphemy, change it to a better use by praising Him,
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: so that thou also mayest be a partaker of the
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: blessings he bestows, for his mercies are revealed upon those
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: who love him, and he delivers them from all sickness.
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: He supplies them also with spiritual food, by means of
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: which each one attains to manliness in everything that is praiseworthy.
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: But upon the unbelieving and contemptuous he bestows no such gifts,
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: but rather brings upon them that condemnation which they fitly deserve.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: For by one of his holy prophets, he as it
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: were said unto them, Behold, they who serve Me shall eat,
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: but ye shall suffer hunger. Behold, they who serve me
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: shall drink, but ye shall thirst. Behold, they who submit
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: themselves to Me shall rejoice in happiness, while ye shall
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: lament from sorrow of heart and wail from contrition of spirit.
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: And again it is written, the Lord killeth not the
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: righteous soul with hunger, but wasteth the life of the wicked.
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: For the flocks of the believers have, as it were,
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: a pasture full of divers, plants and flowers. In the
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: holy scriptures which are their wise guides, and filled with
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: spiritual joy. The glorious doctrines and instructions which they contain,
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: they frequent the sacred courts. And this it is which
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: long ago was proclaimed in the words of Isaiah. And
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: high hill, running waters upon that day and again, and
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: the mountains shall drop sweetness, and the hills flow with milk.
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: For it is the custom of divine scripture to compare
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: to mountains and hills those set over others, and whose
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: office it is to teach, inasmuch as they are high
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: exalted in respect I mean of their thoughts being occupied
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: with elevated subjects, and withdrawn from things earthly. While the
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: waters and the sweetness and the milk, or the instructions
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: which flow from them, as from fountains, there shall be, then,
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: he says, at that time, from every high mountain and
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: from every high hill, flowing waters and sweetness and milk.
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: And these are the spiritual consolations of holy instructors offer
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: to the people under their charge. Of these, the Jewish
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: congregations are deprived because they did not receive Christ, the
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: Lord of the hills and mountains, the giver of spiritual consolation,
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: who offers himself as the bread of life to those
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: who believe in him, for he it is who came
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: down from heaven and gave life to the world. By
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: whom and with whom, to God the Father be praise
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: and dominion with the Holy Ghost forever and ever. Amen
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: and of Sermon forty eight, Sermon forty nine commentary in
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: the Gospel of Luke Sermons forty seven through fifty six
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith. This
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Sermon forty nine,
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: nine eighteen through twenty two. And it came to pass
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: that as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him.
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: And he asked them, saying, whom do the multitudes say
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: of me that I am? And they answered and said some,
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: indeed John the Baptist, and others Elijah and others, that
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: some prophet of those in old time has risen again.
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: And he said, unto them, but whom do ye say
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: that I am? And Peter answered and said the Christ
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: of God. And he charged and commanded them to tell
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: this to no man, saying, the Son of Men is
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: about to suffer many things, and to be rejected of
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: and rise again the third day. Well, may we call
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: out to those who would search the sacred scriptures, arouse
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: thee and awake. For it is a thing impossible to
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: perceive the exact meaning of the mystery of Christ if
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: we use for this end a debauched mind and an
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: understanding drowned, so to speak, in sleep. Need rather, is
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: there of a wakeful mind and a penetrating eye. For
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: the subject is one difficult to comprehend in the highest degree.
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: And this is apparent now that our discourse has come
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: to the explanation of the passage before us. For what
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: says the evangelist, And it came to pass that as
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: he was alone praying, his disciples were with him, and
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: he asked them, saying, whom do the multitude say of me?
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: That I am? Now the first thing we have to
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: examine is what it was which led our Lord Jesus
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: Christ to propose to the Holy apostles this question or inquiry.
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: For no word or deed of his is either at
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: an unseasonable time or without a fitting reason. But rather
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: he does all things wisely and in their season. What therefore,
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: do we say, were what suitable explanation do we find
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: for his present acts. He had fed in the desert
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: a vast multitude of five thousand men, And how had
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: he fed them with five loaves, breaking with them into
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: morsels too small fish, And these so multiplied out of
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: nothing that twelve baskets of fragments even were taken up.
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: The blessed disciples therefore were astonished as well as the multitudes,
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: and saw by what had been wrought that He is
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: in truth, God and the Son of God. And afterwards,
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: when they had withdrawn from the multitude and he was alone,
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: he occupied himself in prayer, in this too, making himself
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: our example, or rather instructing the disciples how to discharge
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: efficiently their office as teachers. For it is, I think,
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: the duty of those who are set over the people,
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: and whose lot it is to guide Christ's flocks constantly
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: to occupy themselves with their necessary business and openly practice
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: those things with which God is well pleased, even that
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: saint like and virtuous conduct which gains great admiration and
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: is certain to profit the people under their charge. For
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: they ought either to be actively engaged in those duties
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: which are to the glory of God, or such as
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: in their retirement, bring upon them a blessing, and call
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: down upon them power from on high, of which latter
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: one and the most excellent is prayer, knowing which the
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: Divine Paul said, pray without ceasing. As I said, then,
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: the Lord and Savior of all made himself an example
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: to the disciples of Saint like conversation, by praying alone
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: with them only in his company. But his doing so
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: might perchance trouble the disciples and beget in them dangerous thoughts.
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: For they saw him praying in human fashion, whom yesterday
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: they beheld working miracles with god like dignity. It would
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: not therefore have been entirely without reason, had they said
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: among themselves, oh, strange conduct. Whom must we consider him
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: to be God or man? If we say man, and
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: like one of us, like one that is of the
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: Holy prophets, we see from the ineffable miracles which he works,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: that he far transcends the limits of human nature, For
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: in manifold ways he do it the wonders as God.
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: If we say he is God, surely to pray is
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: unbefitting one who is God by nature. For of whom
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: can God ask for what he wishes to receive, and
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: of what can God it all be in want to
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: chase away therefore such confusing thoughts, and to calm their faith, which,
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: so to speak, was tempest tossed. He makes this inquiry
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: not as though he were at all ignorant of what
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: was commonly said of him, either by those who did
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: not belong to the Synagogue of the Jews, or by
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: the Israelites themselves. His objects, rather was to rescue them
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: from the general mode of thinking and implant in them
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: a correct faith, whom, therefore he asks, do the multitude
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: say that I am? Thou seest the skillfulness of the question.
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: He did not at once say whom do ye say
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: that I am? But refers to the rumor of those
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: that were without that having rejected it and shown it
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: to be unsound, he may then bring them back to
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: the true opinion, which also happened. For when the disciples
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: had said some John the Baptist, and others, Elijah and others,
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: that some prophet of those in old time has risen up.
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: He said to them, but ye, whom do ye say
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: that I am? Oh? How full of meaning is that ye?
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: He separates them from all others, that they may also
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: avoid their opinions, and not conceive an unworthy idea of him,
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: nor entertain confused and wavering thoughts themselves to imagining that
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: John had risen again, or one of the prophets. Ye, therefore,
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: he says, who have been chosen, who by my decree
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: have been called to the apostleship, Who are the witnesses
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: of my miracles? Whom do ye say that I am
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: first before the rest? Peter again springs forth and makes
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: himself the mouthpiece of the whole company, pouring forth the
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: expression of love to God and giving utterance to a
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: correct and faultless confession of faith in him, saying, the
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: Christ of God. The disciple is unerring, a thoroughly intelligent
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: explainer of the mystery. For he does not simply say
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: that he is a Christ of God, but the Christ rather.
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: For there are many who have been called Christ from
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: having in various ways been anointed of God. For some
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: have been anointed as kings and some as prophets, while
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: others having received salvation by that Christ who is the
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: Savior of all. Even we ourselves obtain the appellation of
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: Christ as having been anointed by the Holy Ghost. For
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: it is said in the words of the Psalmist of
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: those in old time, that is, before the coming of
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: our Savior. Touch not my Christ, and do my prophets
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: no harm. But the words of Habakuk refer to us.
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: Thou hast gone forth to the salvation of thy people,
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: to save thy Christ Christ. Therefore there are many, and
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: they have so been called from the fact of having
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: been anointed. But he who is God the Father's Christ,
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: is one and one only, not as though we indeed
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: are Christ, and not God's Christ, but belonging to some
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: other person. But because he and he alone has as
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: his father, Him that is in Heaven. Since therefore most
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: wise Peter, confessing the faith correctly and without error, said
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: the Christ of God. It is plain that, distinguishing him
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: from those to whom the appellation generally belongs, he referred
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: him to God as being his soul Christ. For though
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: he be by nature God, and shown forth ineffably from
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: God the Father as his only Begoden word, yet he
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: became flesh according to the scripture. The blessed Peter therefore
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: professed faith in him, lending, as I said before his words,
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: to the whole company of the Holy Apostles, and acting
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: as spokesmen for them, all as being more accurate than
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: the rest. And this too we ought to observe that
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: in Matthew's account we find that the blessed disciples said,
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: thou art the Christ, the son of the Living God.
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: But the wise Luke, summing up so to speak, the Purport,
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: agrees with him in the thoughts, but using fewer words,
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: tells us that he said the Christ of God. Moreover,
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: no mention is here made of that which the Savior
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: spake to him. But in Matthew again we find that
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: he said to him plainly, blessed art thou Simeon, son
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: of Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: to thee, but my Father in Heaven. The Disciple therefore
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: was verily taught of God. Nor did he make this
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: profession of faith for us of his own thoughts merely,
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: but because the divine light shone upon his understanding, and
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: the Father led him to a correct knowledge of the
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: mystery of Christ. What therefore, do those mistaken innovators say
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: to this, who unwarrantably pervert the great and adorable mystery
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: of the incarnation of the Only Begotten and fall from
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: the right way walking in the path of crookedness. For
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: the wise Peter acknowledged one Christ, while they sever that
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: one into two in opposition to the doctrines of truth.
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: But yes, he replies, the disciple acknowledged one Christ. And
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: so do we also affirm that there is one Christ,
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: by whom we mean the Son, even the word that
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: is from God the Father. To this, then what do
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: we reply? Is it not plain? Then we say to
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: every one that Christ asks the Holy apostles, not whom
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: do men say that the Word of God is? But
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: who the Son of Man is? And that it was
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: of him that Peter confessed that he is the Christ
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: of God. Let them also explain this to us. How
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: is Peter's confession worthy of admiration if it contain nothing
• 52:24
  Speaker 1: profound and hidden, and so to speak, not a parent
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: to the generality? For what verily did God the Father
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: reveal to him that the Son of Man is a man?
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: Is this the God taught mystery? Is it for this
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: that he is admired and deemed worthy of such surpassing honors?
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: For thus he was addressed blessed art thou Simeon, son
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: of Jonah. The reason, however, for which he was thus
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: admired is a very just one. For it was because
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: he believed that he whom he saw as one of us,
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: that is, in our likeness, was the son of God,
• 53:07
  Speaker 1: the Father, the Word, namely that sprang forth from his
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: substance and became flesh and was made man. See here
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: I pray the profundity of the thoughts, the importance of
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: the confession, the high and weighty mystery. For he who
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: was there in the likeness of mankind and as a
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: portion of creation, was God who transcends all created things.
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: He who dwells in the high and lofty place, was
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: abased from his glory to be in poverty like unto us.
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: And he who, as God is Lord of all and
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: King of all, was in the likeness of a slave,
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: and in the measure of a slave. This is the
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: faith the Savior to those thus minded. He extends his
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: bountiful right hand. For when he had praised Peter and
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: said that he was taught of God as one who
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: had obtained the revelation from above from God the Father,
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: he makes him more assured and more abundantly confirmed in
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: the faith he had professed concerning him by saying, and
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: I say unto THEE that thou art a stone, And
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: upon this stone I will build my church, and I
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: will give thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven,
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: and whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth, shall be loosed
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: in heaven. For observe how he makes himself at once
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: the Lord of Heaven and of earth. For he promises
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: things that exceed our nature, and surpass the measure of
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: humanity yea rather even that of the angelic rank, and
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: are suitable for that nature only to bestow whose glory
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: and sovereignty transcend all. For at first he says that
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: the Church belongs to him. The Sacred scriptures nevertheless distinctly
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: ascribe it rather to God and to him only, saying
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: that it is the Church of God. For they say
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: that Christ presented it to himself, having neither spot nor stain,
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: but holy rather and blameless, as being God. Therefore, he
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: says that it is his, and promises moreover to found it,
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: granting it to be unshaken, as being himself the Lord
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: of powers. And next he says that he gives him
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: the keys of Heaven, who Is it then, that thus
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: pours forth language appropriate to God? Is it an angel
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: or some other intelligent power, whether principality or throne, or Dominion,
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: or those holy seraphs? Not at all. But as I
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: said before, such language belongs to Almighty God alone, whose
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: is the sovereignty of Earth and heaven. Let not, then,
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: these innovators divide the one Christ, so as to say
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: that one son is the Word of God the Father,
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: and that he who is of the seat of David
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: is another son. For Peter made mention of one Christ,
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: even the only begotton, who became man and was made flesh,
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: And for this confession was counted worthy of these extraordinary honors. When, however,
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: the disciple had professed his faith, he charged them, it says,
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: and commanded them to tell it to no man. For
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: the Son of Man, he said, is about to suffer
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: many things, and be rejected and killed, and the third
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: day he shall rise again. And yet, how was it
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: not rather the duty of disciples to proclaim him everywhere?
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: For this was the very business of those appointed by
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: Him to the apostleship. But as the Sacred Scripture saith,
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: there is a time for everything. There were things yet unfulfilled,
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: which must also be included in their preaching of him,
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: such as were the Cross, the Passion, the death in
• 57:39
  Speaker 1: the flesh, the resurrection from the dead, that great and
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: truly glorious sign by which testimony is borne him that
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: the Immanuel is truly God and by nature the Son
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: of God the Father. For that he utterly abolished death,
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: and effaced destruction, and spoiled hell, and overthrew the tyranny
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: of the enemy, and took away the sin of the world,
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: and opened the gates above to the dwellers upon earth,
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: and united earth to Heaven. These things proved him to
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: be as I said in truth. God. He commanded them
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: therefore to guard the mystery by a seasonable silence until
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: the whole plan of the dispensation should arrive at a
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: suitable conclusion. For then, when he arose from the dead,
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: he gave commandment that the mystery should be revealed to
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: all the inhabitants of the earth, setting before every man
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: justification by faith and the cleansing efficacy of holy baptism.
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: For he said, all power is given unto me in
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: Heaven and in earth. Go ye make disciples of all
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: nations baptizing them in the nas name of the Father
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and
• 59:05
  Speaker 1: teaching them to observe all those things which I have
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: commanded you. And lo I am with you always, even
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: under the end of the world. For Christ is with
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: us and in us by the Holy Ghost, and dwells
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: in the souls of us. All by whom and with whom,
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: to God the Father be praise and dominion and honor
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: with the Holy Ghost forever and ever. Amen. End of
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: Sermon forty nine, Sermon fifty commentary in the Gospel of Luke,
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: Sermons forty seven through fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria,
• 59:53
  Speaker 1: translated by Our Pain Smith. This LibriVox recording is in
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: the public domain. Sermon fifty fit to be read at
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: a time of persecution nine twenty three through twenty six.
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: And he said to them all, whosoever will come after me,
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 1: let him deny himself and take up his cross every
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: day and come after me. For whosoever will save his
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: life shall lose it. And whosoever will lose his life
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 1: for my sake shall save it. For what is a
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 1: man profited who hath gained the whole world? But hath
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: lost himself or fallen short. For whosoever shall be ashamed
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: of me and of my words of him, shall the
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: son of Man be ashamed when he shall come in
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: his glory and in his fathers and of his holy angels.
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: Mighty generals encourage their trained warriors to deeds of courage,
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: not only by promising them the honors of victory, but
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 1: even by telling them that the very fact of suffering
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: brings them glory and gains for them all praise. For
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: it is impossible for those who would win fame in
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: battle not sometimes to have to endure wounds also from
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: their opponents. But their suffering is not without its reward,
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 1: for they are praised as those who bravely assaulted the enemy,
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: and the very wound bears witness to the courage and
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: valor of their mind. And much the same arguments we
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: see our Lord Jesus Christ also using any discourse, the
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: occasion of which was as follows. He had just shown
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: the disciples that it was altogether necessary for him to
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: endure the wicked enterprises of the Jews, and be mocked
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: by them, and spit upon in the face and put
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: to death, and the third day rise again to prevent
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: them therefore from imagining that He, indeed, for the life
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: of the world, would suffer the scorn of those murderers
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: and the other cruelties which they inflicted upon him, but
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: that they would be permitted to live quietly, and might
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: without blame, avoid the suffering readily for their piety's sake,
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: and the endurance even of death itself in the flesh,
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: should it so befall, and by so doing would incur
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: no disgrace. He of necessity, so to speak, testifies that
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: those who would be thought worthy of the glory he
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: bestows must attain to it by proportionate acts of bravery,
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: saying he that will come after me, let him deny
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 1: himself and take up his cross every day, and come
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: after me. Here too, we must wonder at the love
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: of Christ, the Savior of us, all towards the world.
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: For he not only consented himself to suffer and bear
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: so great ignominy, humbling himself even to the cross and death,
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: for our sakes, but also rouses his chosen followers to
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: the same excellent desire, even those who were to be
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: the instructors of men everywhere and hold the post of
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 1: commanders in chief over the people committed to their care.
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 1: For those who were appointed to so great a ministry
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: must in very deed be thoroughly brave and valiant, armed
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 1: with an unshaken mind and invincible courage, so as to
• 1:03:34
  Speaker 1: dread no difficulties. And even if death befall to deride
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: its terrors and said at naught every fear, he who
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 1: thus acts denies himself sins. So to speak, he resigns
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: this temporal life and deems its concerns worthy of no regard.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: Inasmuch as his choice is to suffer for the blessedness
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: and love that is in Christ, so does a man
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: follow Christ. For the company of the Holy Apostles is
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: as it were set before us by the psalmest harp
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: is crying out unto Christ, the Savior of all, for
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: thy sake we are killed every day, we have been
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: counted as sheep for the slaughter. For in this also
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: they are like unto Emmanuel, who for the joy that
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: he had endured the cross, having despised the shame, he
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: would have those therefore who were to be the teachers
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: of all Beneath the sun, superior to timidity and the
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: base love of the world, laying it down as their
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: duty to suffer for love of him. And he has
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: himself taught us what is the character of those of
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: his apostles who love him? Where he said to the
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: blessed Peter Simeon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me feed
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: my lamb, feed my sheep. He was the good shepherd.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: He laid down his life for the sheep, for he
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: was not a hireling. Rather, those that were saved were
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: his own. He saw the wolf coming, he made no
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: attempt to flee. He despised not the flock, but on
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: the contrary, yielded himself to be torn by it, that
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 1: he might deliver and save us. For by his bruises
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: we have been healed, and he was afflicted for our sins.
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: Those therefore, who would follow him and earnestly desire to
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: be like him and are set over his intelligent flocks
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 1: must undergo similar labors, for numerous savage beasts encircle them,
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 1: violent and implacable, and that slay cruelly and hurry souls
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: to the pit of destruction. The more learned and skillful
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: of the heathen possessed great eloquence and adorned their false
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: doctrine with beautiful language, and thus they pervert some simple
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: minded men, making them often wish to share their malady
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: and depart from the God who is over all, to
• 1:06:18
  Speaker 1: worship others in his stead, which are no gods. These
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 1: heaped upon the Holy Apostle's unendurable persecutions and exposed them
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: again and again to dangers. For the blessed. Paul commemorates
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: the things he had been seen to suffer at Econium
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: and Listra, and at Ephesus and Damascus. For at one time,
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: he says, in Damascus, the chief captain of eretas the
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: king watched the city of the Damascenes, wishing to seize me,
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: And from a window they let me down from the
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: wallony basket, and I was delivered from his hands. And
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: again at another time, Alexander the Smith caused me much evil.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: What then is the testimony of this mighty evangelist, this
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 1: courageous and valiant champion, who everywhere despised the utmost dangers.
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: For to me he says that I live is Christ,
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 1: and that I die is Gain. And again I am
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: crucified with Christ. But henceforth I no more live, but
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 1: Christ liveth in me. And that which I live here
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 1: in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 1: of God, who loved me and yielded up himself for
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: my sake. But the violence of the Jews broke forth
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: frequently against the other apostles. Also they persecuted them, They
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: summoned them before their synagogues. They scourged them wickedly, commanding
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: them to keep silence and desist from their sacred preachings.
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: For they said, did we not strictly command you not
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: to speak to any man in this name, even the
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: name of Christ, the Savior of us all? And behold,
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. But after the
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: disciples had borne their violent accusation for the firm love
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: they had to Christ, they went out, rejoicing that they
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name. But
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: had they been timid and abject, and frightened at words,
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 1: and overpowered by the terrors of death, how would they
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 1: have been proved? Or how have offered us fruits to
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: God those who were called by their means. For also
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 1: the wise Paul, whom no difficulty whatsoever could overpower, when
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: on his way to Jerusalem, the prophet Agavos loosed his
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: girdle and bound his feet, and said, so shall the
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: Jews at Jerusalem bind the man to whom this girdle
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: belongs answered and said, what do ye that ye weep
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: and break my heart? For I am ready not only
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: to be bound, but also to die for the name
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 1: of our Lord Jesus Christ. Excellently Therefore did he command
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 1: them manfully to prevail over every persecution and boldly to
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 1: undergo trials, as being well assured that if thus they
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: will be zealous in his cause, they will become his
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: friends and share his glory. If therefore a man be
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: ready to endure and despise the terrors of death, has
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: he lost himself and departed? And is there nothing more
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: in store for him? By no means? For in that
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: he loses his life, he especially finds it, while to
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: find it is to bring upon himself self destruction. What
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 1: fear therefore can the saints now feel if that which
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: seem to be hard proves rather joyous to them that
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: bear it, While that which is dear to men as
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 1: being exempt from pain, leads them especially downwards to destruction
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: and the snare of hell. According to the scripture, But
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: that it is incomparably better, far above the splendor and
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: pleasure of the world, to excel in the love of Christ.
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: He shows us by saying, for what is a man profited,
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: who hath gained the whole world, but hath lost himself
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: or fallen short? For when a man looks chiefly to
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: that which is pleasant and profitable for the moment, and
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: therefore avoids suffering and desires to live joyously, even though
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: he have wealth and abundance of possessions, yet what profit
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: hath he therefrom when he has lost himself? Treasures profit
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: not the wicked, but the fashion of this world passeth away,
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: and like clouds, those pleasures recede and richest flies away
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 1: from those that possess it. But righteousness delivereth from death,
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: and further to set plainly before us the reward of
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: our being willing to labor. He says, For whosoever shall
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: be ashamed at me and at my words at him,
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: shall the son of Man be ashamed when he shall
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: come in his glory and of his Father and of
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: his holy angels. Much that is both useful and necessary
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: does he affect by these words. For in the first place,
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: he shows that entirely and altogether, it follows that those
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 1: who are ashamed at him and at his words will
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: meet with the reward they merit translator's note. In this argument,
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 1: Saint Cyril takes the being ashamed in a good sense
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 1: as feeling reverence at end translator's note. And what could
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: so give us? Joy us this? For if there are
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: some in whose presence the judge feels shame as owing
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: them the reward of obedience and the dignities and crown
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 1: due to their love and affection for him, and the
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: honors won by their bravery, how may we, not, without
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: fear of contradiction, say that they most certainly will henceforth
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: live in never ending honors and praises, who have attained
• 1:12:42
  Speaker 1: to such splendid blessings. But next he also begets in
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 1: them fear as well, in that he says that he
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: shall descend from heaven, not in his former lowliness and
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: humiliation like unto us, but in the glory of his Father,
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 1: even in godlike and transcend in glory, with the Holy
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: Angels keeping guard around him. Most miserable therefore and ruinous
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: would it be to be condemned of cowardice and indolence
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: when the Judge has descended from above and the angelic
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: ranks stand at his side. But great and most blessed,
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: and a foretaste of final blessedness is it to be
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: able to rejoice in labors already accomplished, and await the
• 1:13:33
  Speaker 1: recompense of past toils. For such as these shall be
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 1: praised Christ himself, saying unto them, come, ye, blessed of
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 1: my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: foundation of the world. May we also be deemed worthy
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 1: of these rewards by the grace and loving kindness of Christ,
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 1: the Savior of us, All by whom and home to
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: God the Father be praise in dominion with the Holy Ghost,
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 1: forever and ever Amen. End of Sermon fifty Sermon fifty one.
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 1: Commentary in the Gospel of Luke, Sermons forty seven through
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith.
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Sermon fifty
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 1: one nine twenty seven through thirty six. But I say
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: unto you, truly, there are some of those standing here
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 1: who shall not taste of death until they have seen
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God. And there were after these things
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: about eight days, and he took Peter and John and
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: James and went up to the mountain to pray. And
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: while he was praying, the look of his countenance was altered,
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: and his raiment was white, shining like lightning. And behold,
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: two men talked with him, who were Moses and Elijah,
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: who having appeared in glory, spake of his departure, that
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: they that were with him were heavy with sleep. But
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 1: having roused themselves, they both saw his glory and the
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: two men that stood with him. And it came to
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: pass that when they were separating from him, Peter said,
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here,
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee and
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: one for Moses and one for Elijah. Not knowing what
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: he said. While he spake these things, there came a
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: cloud and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: the cloud, and there was a voice from the cloud saying,
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: this is my beloved son. Hear him. And when there
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: was the voice, Jesus was found alone, and they kept
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 1: silence and told no man in those days ought of
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: the things they had seen. Those who were skillful in
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 1: the combat rejoice when the spectators clap their hands and
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: aroused to a glorious height of courage by the hope
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: of the chaplets of victory. And so those whose desire
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: it is to be counted worthy of the divine gifts
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 1: and to thirst to be made partakers of the hope
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: prepared for the saints, joyfully undergo combats for piety's sake
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: towards Christ and lead elect lives, not setting store by
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: a thankless indolence, nor indulging in a mean timidity, but
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: rather manfully resisting every tempting and setting at not the
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: violence of persecutions. While they count it gain to suffer
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: in His behalf. For they remember that the Blessed Paul
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: thus writes, the sufferings of this present time are not
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: worthy of the glory that is about to be revealed
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: in us observe. Therefore, how perfectly beautiful is the method
• 1:17:24
  Speaker 1: which our Lord Jesus Christ uses here also for the
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 1: benefit and edification of the Holy apostles. For he had
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: deny himself and take up his cross every day and
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: follow me. For he that will save his life shall
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: lose it, and he that will lose his life for
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 1: my sake shall find it. The commandment is indeed, both
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: for the salvation and honor of the saints and the
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: cause of the highest glory and the means of perfect joy.
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: For the choosing to suffer for the sake of Christ
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: is not a thankless duty, but on the contrary, makes
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: us sharers in everlasting life and the glory that is prepared.
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: But as the disciples had not yet obtained power from
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: on high, it probably occasionally happened that they also fell
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: into human weaknesses. And when thinking over with themselves any
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: such saying as this, may have asked, how does a
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: man deny himself? Or how having lost himself does he
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 1: find himself again? And what reward will compensate those who
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: thus suffer? Or of what gifts will they be made partakers?
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 1: To rescue them therefore from such timid thoughts, and so
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 1: to speak, to mold them unto manliness, by begetting in
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: them a desire of the glory about to be bestowed
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: upon them, he says, I say, unto you there are
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: some of those standing here who shall not taste of
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 1: death until they have seen the Kingdom of God. Does
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: he mean that the measure of their lives will be
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 1: so greatly prolonged as even to reach to that time
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: when He will descend from heaven at the consummation of
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: the world, to bestow upon the saints the kingdom prepared
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: for them. Even this was possible for him, for he
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: is omnipotent, and there is nothing impossible or difficult to
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 1: his all powerful will. But by the Kingdom of God
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: he means the sight of the glory in which he
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 1: will appear at his manifestation to the inhabitants of earth,
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 1: For he will come in the glory of God the Father,
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 1: and not in low estate like unto us. How therefore
• 1:19:59
  Speaker 1: did he make the those who had received the promise
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: spectators of a thing so wonderful. He goes up into
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: the mountain, taking with him three chosen disciples, and is
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: transformed to so surpassing in god like a brightness that
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: his garments even glittered with rays of fire and seemed
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 1: to flash like lightning. And besides, Moses and Elijah stood
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: at Jesus's side and spake with one another of his departure,
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: which he was about, it says, to accomplish at Jerusalem,
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 1: by which is meant the mystery of the dispensation in
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 1: the flesh and of his precious suffering upon the cross.
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: For it is also true that the Law of Moses,
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 1: in the word of the Holy Prophets, foreshowed the mystery
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 1: of Christ the One by types and shadows, painting it,
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: so to speak, as in a picture, while the rest
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: in manifold ways to cleared beforehand, both that in due
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: time He would appear in our likeness, and for the
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: salvation and life of us all consent to suffer death
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 1: upon the tree. The standing therefore of Moses and Elijah
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: before him, and their talking with one another, was a
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: sort of representation excellently displaying our Lord Jesus Christ as
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: having the Law and the prophets for his bodyguard, as
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: being the Lord of the Law and of the prophets,
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: and as foreshown in them by those things which in
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 1: mutual agreement they before proclaimed. For the words of the
• 1:21:42
  Speaker 1: prophets are not at variance with the teachings of the Law.
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: And this, I imagine was what Moses, the most priestly and Elijah,
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 1: the most distinguished of the prophets, were talking of with
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: one another. But the blessed decire, I will sleep awhile
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 1: as Christ continued long in prayer, for he performed these
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: human duties as belonging to the dispensation, and afterwards, on awaking,
• 1:22:13
  Speaker 1: they became spectators of changes, thus splendid and glorious. And
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: the divine Peter, thinking perchance that the time of the
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: Kingdom of God was even now come, proposes dwellings on
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: the mountain and says that it is fitting there should
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 1: be three tabernacles, one for Christ and the others for
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 1: the other two Moses and Elijah. But he knew not
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 1: it says what he was saying, For it was not
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 1: the time of the consummation of the world, nor for
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: the saints to take possession of the hope promised to them.
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: For as Paul says, he will change our humble body
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: into the likeness of his, that is Christ glorious body.
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 1: As therefore, the dispensation was still at its commencement and
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 1: not yet fulfilled, how would it have been fitting for
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: Christ to have abandoned his love to the world and
• 1:23:14
  Speaker 1: have departed from his purpose of suffering in its behalf,
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: for he redeemed all under heaven by both undergoing death
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: in the flesh and by abolishing it in the resurrection
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 1: from the dead. Peter therefore knew not what he said.
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: But besides the wonderful and ineffable sight of Christ's glory,
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: something else was done, useful and necessary for the confirmation
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: of their faith in Him, And not for the disciples only,
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 1: but even for us too. For a voice was given
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 1: forth from the cloud above, as from God the Father, saying,
• 1:23:57
  Speaker 1: this is my beloved son. Hear him. And when there
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 1: was the voice, it says, Jesus was found alone. What then,
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 1: will he who is disputatious and disobedient, and whose heart
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: is incurable say to these things? Lo, Moses is there,
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 1: and does the Father command the Holy apostles to hear him?
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: Had it been his will that they should follow the
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: commandments of Moses, he would have said, I suppose obey Moses,
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: keep the law. But this was not what God the
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 1: Father here said. But in the presence of Moses and
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 1: the prophets, he commands them rather to hear him, and
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 1: that the truth might not be subverted by any affirming
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 1: that The Father rather bade them hear Moses and not Christ,
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: the Savior of us. All the Evangelist has clearly marked it, saying,
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: when there was the voice, Jesus was found alone. When
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 1: therefore God the Father, from the cloud overhead commanded the
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: Holy apostles, saying hear him. Moses was far away, and
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: Elijah too was no longer nigh, but Christ was there
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 1: alone him. Therefore he commanded them to obey, For He
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: also is the end of the law and the prophets,
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: for which reason he cried aloud to the multitudes of
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: the Jews. If he had believed Moses, ye would have
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: believed me also, for he wrote of me. But as
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: they persevered even unto the end, in despising the commandment
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 1: given by most wise Moses, and in rejecting the word
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 1: of the Holy Prophets, they have justly been alienated and
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: expelled from those blessings that were promised to their fathers.
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: For obedience is better than zac scrifices. And to hearken
• 1:26:02
  Speaker 1: then the fat of Rams as the scripture saith. And
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 1: thus much then of the Jews. But upon us, who
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 1: have acknowledged the revelation, all these blessings have necessarily been
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 1: bestowed by means of and as the gift of the
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: same Christ, by whom and with whom, to God the
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: Father be praised and dominion with the Holy Ghost forever
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 1: endeavor Amen. End of Sermon fifty one, Sermon fifty two
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: commentary in the Gospel of Luke, Sermons forty seven through
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith.
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Sermon fifty two,
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: nine thirty seven through forty three. But it came to
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 1: pass the day after, as they came down from the mountain,
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 1: a great crowd met him. And behold, a man cried
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: out from the crowd, saying, Teacher, I beseech thee to
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 1: regard my son, for he is my only one. And lo,
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: a spirit taketh him. And he suddenly crieth out, and
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: it convulseth and teareth him, and he foameth, and having
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: bruised him, scarcely departed from him. And I besought thy
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: disciples to cast him out, and they could not. And
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 1: Jesus answered and said, Oh, faithless and perverse generation, how
• 1:27:42
  Speaker 1: long shall I be with you and suffer you bring
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 1: thy son hither, and when he was yet coming, the
• 1:27:50
  Speaker 1: devil threw him down and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: the unclean spirit, and healed the child and gave him
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: to his father, and all wondered at the majesty of God.
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 1: All scripture is inspired of God and profitable, but especially
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: above all besides, this is the case with the Holy Gospels.
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: For he who in old times spake the law to
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 1: the Israelites by the ministry of angels, has in person
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 1: spoken unto us, when having taken our likeness, he appeared
• 1:28:27
  Speaker 1: upon earth and went about among men. For most wise,
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 1: Paul writes that while in old time God spake to
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: the fathers by the prophets and manifold parts and manifold manners,
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 1: he hath in these latter days spoken unto us by
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: the Sun and by one of his holy prophets. He
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 1: somewhere himself saith I, who speak am near as the
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: brightness upon the mountains, as the feet of him that
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 1: proclaimeth tidings of peace, as one that proclaimeth good things
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: for low He frees us from the tyranny of the enemy,
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: that we may in purity follow him, And that having
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 1: brought to naught the world rulers of this darkness, even
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 1: wicked spirits. He may present us unharmed unto God the Father,
• 1:29:23
  Speaker 1: for that it is by him that we have gained
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: deliverance from the power of unclean spirits. This lesson proves,
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: for we heard read that a man ran towards him
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 1: from among the multitude and related the intolerable malady of
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: his son. For he said that he was cruelly torn
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: by an evil spirit and suffered violent convulsions. But the
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: manner of his approach was not free from fault, for
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 1: he made loud outcries against the company of the Holy Apostles,
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 1: saying that they could not rebuke Satan, whereas it would
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 1: have been more fitting had he honored Jesus when asking
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: his aid and imploring grace, For he grants us our
• 1:30:10
  Speaker 1: request when we honor and confide in Him as being
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: the Almighty, whose power nothing can withstand, For he verily
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: is the Lord of powers, and nothing can offer resistance
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 1: to his will. Yea, Rather, everything whatsoever that is capable
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: of possessing power, obtains entirely from him the possibility of
• 1:30:35
  Speaker 1: being what it is, For just as he sheds his
• 1:30:39
  Speaker 1: light upon those who were capable of being illuminated as
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 1: being himself the true light. And just as in like manner,
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 1: he is the bestower of wisdom upon those who are
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: capable thereof as being himself wisdom and perfect understanding. So
• 1:30:58
  Speaker 1: inasmuch as he is power, he bestows power on those
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 1: capable of receiving it. When, then, by our disbelief we
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 1: despise his glory and wickedly scorn his supreme majesty, we
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 1: can receive nothing from him, for we must ask in faith,
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: nothing wavering, as his disciples said, And that this saying
• 1:31:23
  Speaker 1: is true, we may perceive even from what takes place
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 1: among us. For such as present petitions to those who
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 1: preside over affairs upon earth and govern mighty thrones, preface
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: their request with suitable praises, and confess their universal power
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 1: and majesty. Addressing the memorial they present to the lords
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 1: of earth and sea, and of every people and race
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: among mankind. And afterwards they add an account of what
• 1:31:55
  Speaker 1: they would ask. The father, therefore of the Demonia, was
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: rude and uncourteous, for he did not simply ask the
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 1: healing of the child, and in so doing crown the
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: healer with praises, but on the contrary, spake contemptuously of
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 1: the disciples and found fault with the grace given them.
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: For I brought him, he says to thy disciples, and
• 1:32:21
  Speaker 1: they could not cast it out. And yet it was
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 1: owing to thy own want of faith, that the grace
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: availed not. Dowest thou not perceive that thou wast thyself
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: the cause that the child was not delivered from his
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 1: severe illness. For that we must have faith when we
• 1:32:41
  Speaker 1: drawn near to Christ. And whosoever have obtained from him
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: the grace of healing. He teaches us himself by everywhere
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 1: requiring faith of those who approach him, desiring to be
• 1:32:53
  Speaker 1: counted worthy of any of his gifts. For for instance,
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: Lazarus died at Bethany, and Christ promised to raise him.
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 1: When then one of his sisters doubted of this and
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 1: had no expectation that the miracle would take place. Christ said,
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 1: I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: in me, even though he die, shall live. And we
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 1: find elsewhere a similar occurrence. For Jeris, the ruler of
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 1: the Synagogue of the Jews, when his only daughter was
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: now breathing, her last being caught so to speak, in
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: the meshes of death, besought Jesus to deliver the damsel
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 1: from what had happened, and Christ accordingly promised so to
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 1: do upon arriving at the house of the supplicant. But
• 1:33:47
  Speaker 1: as he was on his way, a man met him
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 1: from the relatives of the ruler of the synagogue, saying,
• 1:33:54
  Speaker 1: thy daughter is dead. Trouble not the teacher. And what
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 1: was Christ's reply? Fear not, only believe, and she shall live.
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 1: It was the duty therefore of the Father of the
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 1: lad rather to lay the blame upon his own unbelief
• 1:34:14
  Speaker 1: than upon the Holy apostles. For this reason, Christ justly
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 1: called out, Oh, faithless and perverse generation, how long shall
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: I be with you and suffer you. He justly therefore
• 1:34:29
  Speaker 1: calls both the man himself and those like him in mind,
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 1: a faithless generation. For it is a wretched malady, and
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: whosoever is seized by it is, as he shows, perverse
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 1: and utterly without knowledge to walk uprightly. And therefore the
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 1: sacred scriptures say of such persons that their ways are
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: crooked and their paths perverse. From this malady. The divine
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: David fled and in order that that he may also
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 1: benefit us. He reveals the set purpose of his mind,
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 1: thereupon saying, a crooked heart hath not cleaved unto me,
• 1:35:11
  Speaker 1: that is, one that cannot walk in an upright course.
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 1: To such the blessed Baptist as the forerunner of the Savior, cried, saying,
• 1:35:22
  Speaker 1: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
• 1:35:28
  Speaker 1: The man therefore was thoroughly and unbeliever and perverse, refusing
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: the straight paths, straying from the mark and wandering from
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: the right ways. And Christ deigns not to be with
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 1: such as are thus minded and have fallen into this wickedness.
• 1:35:47
  Speaker 1: And if one may speak in the manner of men,
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 1: he is tired and weary of them. And this he
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 1: teaches us, saying, how long shall I be with you
• 1:35:57
  Speaker 1: and suffer you? For he who says that those were
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 1: powerless for the expulsion of evil spirits, who by Christ's
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 1: will had received power to cast them out, finds fault
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: with the grace itself, rather than with the receivers of it.
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 1: It was wicked blasphemy. Therefore, for if grace be powerless,
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 1: the fault and blame is not theirs who have received it,
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: but rather belongs to the grace itself. For any who
• 1:36:29
  Speaker 1: will may see that the grace which wrought in them
• 1:36:32
  Speaker 1: was Christ. For for instance, the lame Man at the
• 1:36:36
  Speaker 1: beautiful gate of the Temple was made whole. But Peter
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 1: ascribed the miracle to Christ, saying to the Jews, for
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 1: him whom ye crucified even by him, this man stands
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: before you whole, And the grace which He bestows hath
• 1:36:53
  Speaker 1: given him this soundness. Elsewhere, the same blessed Peter proclaimed
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 1: to one of those who were healed by him, eneas
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ healeth thee. It is plain therefore in every
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 1: way that the man wickedly found fault with Christ power
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 1: in saying of the Holy apostles, they could not cast
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: it out. And besides, Christ is angry when wrong is
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: done into the holy preachers, who have been entrusted with
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 1: the word of His Gospel and appointed to teach it
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: to all under heaven, inasmuch as witness is borne them
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 1: by His grace that they are His disciples, and they
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 1: shed the light of the true knowledge of God on
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 1: those who everywhere were convinced by their doctrines and the
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 1: wonderful miracles they wrought for the miracle constantly, so to
• 1:37:50
  Speaker 1: speak leads on to faith. It would have been deserved therefore,
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 1: had the father of the demoniac gone away disappointed and
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 1: been refused the bounteous gift. But that no man might
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 1: imagine that Christ also was unable to work the miracle,
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: He rebuked the unclean spirit, and forthwith delivered the youth
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 1: from his malady and gave him to his father. For
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 1: up to this time he had not been his father's
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 1: but the property of the spirit that possessed him. But
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 1: being now delivered from his violence, he became once again
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: his father's property, as Christ's gift, who also gave the
• 1:38:36
  Speaker 1: Holy apostles authority to work divine miracles and rebuke with
• 1:38:41
  Speaker 1: irresistible might, impure spirits, and crush Satan and the multitudes.
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: The Blessed evangelist says, wondered at the majesty of God
• 1:38:54
  Speaker 1: when Christ then works miracles. It is God who was
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: glorified and God own only and solely, for he is
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 1: by nature God, and his majesty is incomparable, and his
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 1: supremacy without a rival, resplendent with the sovereignty of God
• 1:39:12
  Speaker 1: the Father. He is therefore to be extolled with praises,
• 1:39:17
  Speaker 1: And let us say, unto him, O Lord, God of powers,
• 1:39:21
  Speaker 1: who is like unto THEE powerful art thou, o Lord,
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 1: And thy truth is round about THEE. For all things
• 1:39:31
  Speaker 1: are possible to him and easy to accomplish, And nothing
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 1: whatsoever is too difficult or high. By whom and with whom,
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 1: to God the Father be praise in dominion with the
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 1: Holy Ghost, forever and ever Amen. End of Sermon fifty two,
• 1:39:58
  Speaker 1: Sermon fifty three commentary in the Gospel of Luke, Sermons
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: forty seven through fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria, translated
• 1:40:07
  Speaker 1: by R. Pain Smith. This LibriVox recording is in the
• 1:40:10
  Speaker 1: public domain. Sermon fifty three, nine forty three through forty five.
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: And while every one wondered at all things which he did,
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 1: he said, unto his disciples, lay ye these words to
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 1: your ears, for the son of Man is about to
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: be delivered up into the hands of men. But they
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: knew not this saying, and it was hid from them
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 1: that they should not understand it, And they feared to
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 1: ask him of this saying. Profound in very deed is
• 1:40:44
  Speaker 1: the mystery of Godliness. According to the expression of the
• 1:40:48
  Speaker 1: wise Paul. But God the Father reveals it to such
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 1: as are worthy of receiving it. For the Savior himself, also,
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: when speaking to the Jews, said murmur not among yourselves.
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 1: No man can come unto me unless the Father who
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 1: sent me draw him. When then the blessed Peter had
• 1:41:10
  Speaker 1: been counted worthy of a grace, thus glorious and wonderful,
• 1:41:15
  Speaker 1: being in the neighborhood of Cesarea Philippi, he made a
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 1: correct and faultless confession of faith in him, saying, thou
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: art the Christ, the son of the Living God. And
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: what was the reward of which he was thought worthy?
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 1: It was to hear Christ say, blessed art thou Simeon,
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 1: son of Jonah. For flesh and blood hath not revealed
• 1:41:41
  Speaker 1: it to thee, but my Father in Heaven. And he
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: further received surpassing honors, for he was entrusted by him
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 1: with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And the
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 1: confession of his faith was made the firm foundation for
• 1:41:57
  Speaker 1: the church. For thou, he says, art a stone, And
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 1: upon this stone I will build my church. And the
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: gates of Hell shall not overpower it. That those therefore
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: who were to teach the whole world might know exactly
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: his mystery. He usefully and necessarily explains it clearly to
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 1: them beforehand, saying, lay ye these words to your hearts,
• 1:42:25
  Speaker 1: for the son of Man is about to be delivered
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: into the hands of men. The reason, then, which led
• 1:42:32
  Speaker 1: Christ so to speak, is I think a subject both
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: useful and necessary for our consideration. He had then led
• 1:42:41
  Speaker 1: up into the mountain Peter and James and John, and
• 1:42:46
  Speaker 1: been transfigured before them, and his countenance shown as the sun.
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 1: And he showed them the glory with which in due
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 1: time he will arise upon the world. For he will
• 1:42:58
  Speaker 1: come not in him mumiliation such as ours, nor in
• 1:43:02
  Speaker 1: the meanness of man's estate, but in the majesty and
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 1: splendor of the Godhead, and in transcendent glory. And again,
• 1:43:12
  Speaker 1: when he came down from the mountain, he delivered a
• 1:43:15
  Speaker 1: man from a wicked and violent spirit. Yet he was
• 1:43:19
  Speaker 1: certainly about to bear for our sakes his saving passion
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 1: and endure the wickedness of the Jews. And, as the
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 1: Minister of his mysteries says, by the grace of God,
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 1: to taste death for every man. But when this came
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 1: to pass, there is nothing unlikely in supposing that the
• 1:43:40
  Speaker 1: disciples would be troubled, and in their secret thoughts perhaps
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 1: even say, how is one so glorious who raised the
• 1:43:48
  Speaker 1: dead by his godlike power, who rebuked the seas and
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: the winds, who by a word crushed Satan? How is
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 1: he now seized as a prisoner and caught in the
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 1: snares of these murderers? Were we then mistaken in thinking
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 1: that he is God? Have we fallen from the true
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 1: opinion regarding him? For that those who knew not the
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: mystery that our Lord Jesus Christ would endure the cross
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 1: and death, would find therein an occasion of stumbling is
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: easy to perceive, even from what the blessed Peter said
• 1:44:25
  Speaker 1: to him, For though he had not as yet been
• 1:44:29
  Speaker 1: witness of his passion, but only had heard beforehand that
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: it would befall him, he interrupted him, saying, that be
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: far from thee Lord, this shall not be unto THEE.
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 1: In order therefore that they might know what certainly would happen,
• 1:44:48
  Speaker 1: he bade them, so to speak, store up the mystery
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 1: in their mind. For lay ye it, he says to
• 1:44:55
  Speaker 1: your hearts, in which words the ye distinguishes them from
• 1:45:00
  Speaker 1: all others. For he wished indeed that they should themselves
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 1: know what would happen, but not that they should communicate
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: it to others. For it was not right for the
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: unlearned to be taught simply his future passion, but far
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 1: better to convince them at the same time of his
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 1: having risen divinely from the grave and abolished death, and
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: so avoid the danger of their being offended. When therefore
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 1: the time comes, he says that I must suffer. Ask not,
• 1:45:34
  Speaker 1: how is it that one so glorious, who performed all
• 1:45:37
  Speaker 1: these signs, has fallen, like one of us, unawares, into
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 1: the hands of his enemies. But on the contrary, be assured,
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 1: when reflecting upon the dispensation, that I am not led
• 1:45:51
  Speaker 1: by human conpulsion, but go willingly thereunto. For what is
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 1: there to hinder one who knows beforehand and clearly proclaims
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: what is to happen. To refuse to suffer if he
• 1:46:04
  Speaker 1: so will. But I submit to suffer in order that
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: I may redeem all beneath the heavens. For this he
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 1: plainly teaches us elsewhere, saying, no man taketh my life
• 1:46:17
  Speaker 1: from me, but I lay it down of my own
• 1:46:20
  Speaker 1: will I have power to lay it down and I
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 1: have power to take it again. But they, it says,
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 1: knew not this saying, and it was hid from them
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: that they might not perceive it. Now naturally, any one
• 1:46:37
  Speaker 1: may justly wonder, when meditating with himself, how it was
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 1: that the disciples knew not the mystery of Christ. For
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 1: though they belonged to the companies of the Jews, yet
• 1:46:48
  Speaker 1: were they neither slothful nor contemptuous, but on the contrary,
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 1: most earnest and diligent. For though reckoned as handicraftsmen whose
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: trade was fishing in the lake, yet as I said,
• 1:47:02
  Speaker 1: they had been soberly educated, and were far from ignorant
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 1: of the Mosaic scriptures. For for this very reason Christ
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: had chosen them. How then, were the ignorant of the
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 1: mystery of Christ, when it had been shadowed forth for
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: them in various places by the Law, and beautifully foreshown
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: in its types, as in a painting. For to show
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: my meaning by an example. They were not able to
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 1: flee away from the bondage of Egypt, nor escape from
• 1:47:35
  Speaker 1: the land that oppressed them, until they had sacrificed a
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: lamb according to the law of Moses, and when they
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: had eaten its flesh, they anointed the lentils with its blood,
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 1: and so put the destroyer to shame. But it was
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: not the mere sacrifice of a sheep that made them
• 1:47:54
  Speaker 1: superior to death, and the destroyer types travail with the truth.
• 1:47:59
  Speaker 1: In this act of theirs was, as I said, a
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 1: foreshowing by means of what was done in shadows of
• 1:48:07
  Speaker 1: the saving efficacy of the death of Christ and of
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: the abolition of destruction by His blood, who also further
• 1:48:15
  Speaker 1: drives away our cruel tyrant Satan, and delivers from the
• 1:48:20
  Speaker 1: mastery of impure spirits those whom they had enslaved, and who,
• 1:48:25
  Speaker 1: like the Israelites made to serve in bricklaying, had become
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 1: the victims of earthly cares and polluted fleshly lust and
• 1:48:34
  Speaker 1: the unprofitable distractions of this world. The mystery of the
• 1:48:40
  Speaker 1: passion may be seen also in another instance, For according
• 1:48:44
  Speaker 1: to the Mosaic law, two goats were offered, differing in
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 1: nothing from one another, but alike in size and appearance.
• 1:48:53
  Speaker 1: Of these, one was called the Lord, and the other
• 1:48:57
  Speaker 1: the scent Away. And when the law had been cast,
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 1: for that which was called Lord, it was sacrificed, while
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: the other was sent away from the sacrifice, and therefore
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 1: had the name of thee sent away, And who was
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 1: signified by this the Word, though he was God, was
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 1: in our likeness, and took the form of us sinners.
• 1:49:21
  Speaker 1: As far as the nature of the flesh was concerned,
• 1:49:25
  Speaker 1: the goat, then male or female, was sacrificed for sins.
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 1: But the death was our dessert, inasmuch as by sin
• 1:49:34
  Speaker 1: we had fallen under the divine curse. But when the
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 1: Savior of all himself, so to speak, undertook the charge,
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 1: he transferred to himself what was our due, and laid
• 1:49:47
  Speaker 1: down his life that we might be sent away from
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 1: death and destruction. The mystery therefore was revealed to the
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: Jews by what was shadowed in the Law. Had they
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 1: only been acquainted with the sacred scriptures. But as the
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 1: Blessed Paul wrote, blindness and part hath happened unto Israel.
• 1:50:08
  Speaker 1: And even to this day when Moses is read, the
• 1:50:12
  Speaker 1: veil is laid upon their heart, nor is it unveiled,
• 1:50:16
  Speaker 1: because in Christ it is done away. They then boast
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 1: indeed of the Law, but its purpose is entirely hidden
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: from them, for it leads us to the mystery of Christ.
• 1:50:29
  Speaker 1: But that they were without understanding. Our Savior shows saying,
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 1: search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have
• 1:50:38
  Speaker 1: eternal life, And they it is that testify of me,
• 1:50:43
  Speaker 1: and ye desire not to come unto me, that ye
• 1:50:47
  Speaker 1: may have life. For the divinely inspired scriptures conduct him
• 1:50:53
  Speaker 1: who has understanding to an accurate knowledge of the doctrines
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: of the truth. But they do not at all. I'll
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 1: benefit the unwise, the ignorant, and the careless, not because
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: they cannot do so, but because the infirmity of their
• 1:51:09
  Speaker 1: mind renders them incapable of receiving the light which the
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: scriptures give. For just as the light of the solar
• 1:51:18
  Speaker 1: radiance is useless to those deprived of sight, not as
• 1:51:23
  Speaker 1: though it cannot shine, but because their eyes are incapable
• 1:51:26
  Speaker 1: of admitting and receiving it, so the Holy scriptures, though
• 1:51:31
  Speaker 1: inspired by God, profit nothing the unlearned and foolish. Our duty,
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: therefore is to draw near unto God and say, open
• 1:51:44
  Speaker 1: mine eyes, and I shall perceive the wondrous things of
• 1:51:47
  Speaker 1: Thy law. So He will reveal Christ to us by home,
• 1:51:54
  Speaker 1: and with home to God the Father, be prais and
• 1:51:58
  Speaker 1: dominion with the Holy Ghost forever and ever amen end
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: of Sermon fifty three Sermon fifty four commentary in the
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 1: Gospel of Luke, Sermons forty seven through fifty six by
• 1:52:19
  Speaker 1: Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Painsmith. This LibriVox recording
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Sermon fifty four nine forty
• 1:52:30
  Speaker 1: six through forty eight. And there entered a thought among them,
• 1:52:35
  Speaker 1: which of them is the greatest. And Jesus, knowing the
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: thought of their heart, took a child and set him
• 1:52:43
  Speaker 1: by him, and said unto them, whosoever shall receive this
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: child in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever receiveth me,
• 1:52:53
  Speaker 1: receiveth him who sent me. For he that is least
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 1: among you all shall be the chief. Ye who are
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 1: zealous after spiritual skillfulness and thirst for the communication of
• 1:53:07
  Speaker 1: the sacred doctrines, receive once again the things ye love.
• 1:53:12
  Speaker 1: And it is no earthly teacher who leads you to
• 1:53:14
  Speaker 1: the gainful booty, nor one like unto us, whom ye
• 1:53:18
  Speaker 1: obtain as your guide, but the Word of God, who
• 1:53:22
  Speaker 1: came down from above, even from heaven, and is the
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 1: true light of heaven and earth. For the whole rational
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 1: creation is illuminated by His means. Inasmuch as He is
• 1:53:35
  Speaker 1: the giver of all wisdom and understanding. From him we
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 1: receive all knowledge of virtue and the perfect ability to
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 1: perform good works, such as become saints. For as Scripture saith,
• 1:53:49
  Speaker 1: we are taught of God. And the passage just laid
• 1:53:53
  Speaker 1: before us bears witness also to what I have said.
• 1:53:58
  Speaker 1: For there entered says a thought among them, that is
• 1:54:03
  Speaker 1: among the Holy apostles, which of them is chief? And
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 1: now let him who thinks that Jesus was a mere man,
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: learn that he is in error and far gone from
• 1:54:17
  Speaker 1: the truth. For let him know that though God the
• 1:54:21
  Speaker 1: Word became flesh, yet that it was not possible for
• 1:54:25
  Speaker 1: him to cease to be that which he was, and
• 1:54:29
  Speaker 1: that he continued to be God. For to be able
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: to search the hearts and reigns and know their secrets
• 1:54:37
  Speaker 1: is the attribute of the Supreme God alone, and besides him,
• 1:54:41
  Speaker 1: of no other being whatsoever. But behold, Christ searcheth the
• 1:54:47
  Speaker 1: thoughts of the Holy Apostles, and fixeth the eye of
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: Godhead upon their hidden feelings. Therefore, he too is God,
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 1: as being adorned with honors, thus glorious and divine. But
• 1:55:02
  Speaker 1: let us just now investigate this question whether all the
• 1:55:07
  Speaker 1: blessed disciples in common were seized with this malady, whether
• 1:55:12
  Speaker 1: this thought entered all at once. But it is, in
• 1:55:16
  Speaker 1: my opinion, altogether incredible to suppose that all of them
• 1:55:21
  Speaker 1: at the same moment became the common prey of one malady.
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: But when, as I imagine, it happened to one the
• 1:55:30
  Speaker 1: wise evangelists, that he might not be found framing an
• 1:55:33
  Speaker 1: accusation against an individual among his fellow disciples, expresses himself indefinitely, saying,
• 1:55:43
  Speaker 1: there entered a thought among them, who of them is chief?
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: By this, however, we are permitted to see how very
• 1:55:51
  Speaker 1: wily Satan is in doing evil. For most versatile and
• 1:55:56
  Speaker 1: full of contrivance is this snake for mischief, plotting in
• 1:56:01
  Speaker 1: a diversity of ways against those whose love is fixed
• 1:56:05
  Speaker 1: upon an honorable life, and too earnestly seek after more
• 1:56:09
  Speaker 1: excellent virtues. And if by fleshly pleasures he can prevail
• 1:56:14
  Speaker 1: over any one's mind, he savagely makes the assault and
• 1:56:19
  Speaker 1: sharpens the gode of voluptuousness, and by the very audacity
• 1:56:24
  Speaker 1: of his attacks humbles to base lust even a well
• 1:56:28
  Speaker 1: confirmed mind. But if any one be manly and escape
• 1:56:33
  Speaker 1: from these snares. He then uses other artifices, contriving bates
• 1:56:39
  Speaker 1: to tempt him unto mental maladies. For he sows some
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 1: seed or other displeasing to God, and in those in
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 1: whom there is something noble and the praise of an
• 1:56:51
  Speaker 1: excellent life, he excites the passion of vinglory, exciting them
• 1:56:56
  Speaker 1: by little and little to an abominable haughtiness. For just
• 1:57:00
  Speaker 1: as those who in warlike guise are equipped to do
• 1:57:04
  Speaker 1: battle with invaders use many contrivances against them, either drawing
• 1:57:10
  Speaker 1: bows which discharge arrows, or hurling stones from slings, or
• 1:57:15
  Speaker 1: manfully charging them with drawn swords, so also Satan uses
• 1:57:21
  Speaker 1: every artifice in carrying on war against the Saints, by
• 1:57:25
  Speaker 1: means of manifold sins. The passion therefore of lust of
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 1: vainglory attacked some one of the holy apostles. For the
• 1:57:35
  Speaker 1: mere disputing who of them is the chief is the
• 1:57:39
  Speaker 1: mark of an ambitious person, eager to stand at the
• 1:57:43
  Speaker 1: head of the rest. But he slept not, who knoweth
• 1:57:47
  Speaker 1: how to deliver Even Christ He saw in the disciples
• 1:57:52
  Speaker 1: mind this thought springing up in the words of scripture
• 1:57:56
  Speaker 1: like some bitter plant. He saw the tear the work
• 1:58:01
  Speaker 1: of the wicked sewer, and before it grew up high,
• 1:58:05
  Speaker 1: before it struck its root down deep, before it grew
• 1:58:09
  Speaker 1: strong and took possession of the heart, He, so to speak,
• 1:58:14
  Speaker 1: tears up the evil by the very root. He saw
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 1: the barbarian's arrow that had found entrance, and before it
• 1:58:22
  Speaker 1: prevailed and pierced through the mind. He contrives a medicine.
• 1:58:27
  Speaker 1: For when passions are but beginning in us, and so
• 1:58:31
  Speaker 1: to speak, as yet in their infancy, and not full
• 1:58:35
  Speaker 1: grown nor firmly rooted, they are easily overcome. But when
• 1:58:41
  Speaker 1: they have increased and grown strong, they are hard to
• 1:58:45
  Speaker 1: put off, and bear themselves with no little audacity. For
• 1:58:50
  Speaker 1: this reason, one of the wise said, if the spirit
• 1:58:54
  Speaker 1: of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy
• 1:58:58
  Speaker 1: place for yielding him many sins. In what way, then
• 1:59:04
  Speaker 1: does the physician of souls amputate the passion of being glory?
• 1:59:09
  Speaker 1: How does he deliver the beloved disciple from being the
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: prey of the enemy and from a thing hateful to
• 1:59:15
  Speaker 1: God and man? He took a child, it says, and
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 1: set it by him, and made the event a means
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 1: of benefiting both the Holy apostles themselves and us Their successors,
• 1:59:30
  Speaker 1: for this malady is a general rule. Prays upon all
• 1:59:34
  Speaker 1: those who are in any respect superior to other men.
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: But of what did he make the child? He had
• 1:59:42
  Speaker 1: taken a type and representation of an innocent and unambitious life.
• 1:59:49
  Speaker 1: For the mind of a child is void of fraud,
• 1:59:52
  Speaker 1: and his heart sincere. His thoughts are simple. He covets
• 1:59:57
  Speaker 1: not rank, and knows not what is meant by one
• 2:00:01
  Speaker 1: man being higher in station than another. He has even
• 2:00:05
  Speaker 1: no unwillingness to be regarded as the least, nor sets
• 2:00:09
  Speaker 1: himself above any other person whatsoever. And though he be
• 2:00:14
  Speaker 1: of good family by birth, he does not quarrel about
• 2:00:18
  Speaker 1: dignity even with a slave. Nor though he have rich parents,
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 1: is he aware of any difference between himself and poor children.
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 1: On the contrary, he likes being with them, and talks
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 1: and laughs with them without distinction. In his mind and
• 2:00:35
  Speaker 1: heart there is a great frankness arising from simplicity and innocence.
• 2:00:41
  Speaker 1: For even the Savior once said to the holy apostles,
• 2:00:45
  Speaker 1: or rather to all those who love him. Verily, I
• 2:00:49
  Speaker 1: say unto you that unless ye be converted and become
• 2:00:53
  Speaker 1: like these children, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
• 2:00:58
  Speaker 1: And at another time again, when the women were bringing
• 2:01:02
  Speaker 1: to him their infants, and the disciples prevented them, he said,
• 2:01:07
  Speaker 1: suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come
• 2:01:11
  Speaker 1: unto me, For of such as THEE is the kingdom
• 2:01:15
  Speaker 1: of heaven. And again the most wise Paul desires that
• 2:01:20
  Speaker 1: those who believe in Christ should be grown men in understanding,
• 2:01:25
  Speaker 1: but in malice. Babes and another of the Holy Apostles said,
• 2:01:31
  Speaker 1: as Babes, just born, love the rational and pure milk,
• 2:01:36
  Speaker 1: that ye may grow thereby into salvation. If so be
• 2:01:40
  Speaker 1: ye have tasted that the Lord is kind, as I said,
• 2:01:45
  Speaker 1: Then Christ brought forward the child as a pattern of
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 1: simplicity and innocence, and set him also by him, showing
• 2:01:54
  Speaker 1: by him as any figure, that he accepts and loves
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: those who are such, and deems them worthy, so to
• 2:02:01
  Speaker 1: speak of standing at his side, as being like minded
• 2:02:06
  Speaker 1: with him and anxious to tread in his stepths. For
• 2:02:10
  Speaker 1: he said, learn of me, for I am meek and
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 1: lowly in heart. And if he who transcends all and
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 1: is crowned with such surpassing glories is lowly in heart,
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: how must it not bring upon such as we are,
• 2:02:28
  Speaker 1: yea even upon our very selves the blame of utter madness,
• 2:02:33
  Speaker 1: if we do not bear ourselves humbly towards the poor
• 2:02:37
  Speaker 1: and learn what our nature is, but love to vaunt
• 2:02:41
  Speaker 1: ourselves ambitiously above our measure. And he further says, he
• 2:02:47
  Speaker 1: that receiveth this child in my name, receiveth me. And
• 2:02:52
  Speaker 1: he that receiveth me, receiveth Him that sent me. Since
• 2:02:58
  Speaker 1: therefore the reward those that honor the saints is one
• 2:03:02
  Speaker 1: and the same, whether he who is honored be, if
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 1: it so, chance, of modest rank, or of exalted station
• 2:03:11
  Speaker 1: and dignity, for he receiveth Christ, and by Him and
• 2:03:16
  Speaker 1: in him the Father. How was it not utterly foolish
• 2:03:21
  Speaker 1: for them to quarrel among themselves and aim at pre eminence,
• 2:03:26
  Speaker 1: and be unwilling to be thought inferior to others, when
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 1: they were to be accepted on equal terms. But he
• 2:03:35
  Speaker 1: makes the purport of this declaration even still more plain
• 2:03:39
  Speaker 1: by saying, for he that is least among you, all
• 2:03:43
  Speaker 1: the same is chief. And how is he the chief
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 1: who is regarded as the least is the comparison in
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 1: point of virtue? But how can this be the foremost
• 2:03:57
  Speaker 1: place is not assigned to him who is chief in
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 1: virtue above him who is otherwise. In what way, then
• 2:04:04
  Speaker 1: is he chief who is least? Probably, then he calls
• 2:04:09
  Speaker 1: him leads to whom lowly things please, and who from
• 2:04:13
  Speaker 1: modesty does not think highly of himself. Such a one
• 2:04:18
  Speaker 1: pleases Christ. For it is written that every one that
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 1: exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself
• 2:04:27
  Speaker 1: shall be exalted. And Christ himself somewhere says, Blessed are
• 2:04:33
  Speaker 1: the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: The ornament Therefore of a soul that is sanctified is
• 2:04:43
  Speaker 1: a poor and humble mind. But the wish to think
• 2:04:46
  Speaker 1: highly of oneself and to be its strife with the
• 2:04:50
  Speaker 1: brethren for the sake of honor and dignity, and foolishly
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 1: to quarrel with them, is in like manner a disgrace.
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 1: Such cond duct separates friends and makes even those perhaps
• 2:05:03
  Speaker 1: great enemies whose dispositions are similar. It overpowers the law
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 1: of nature and subverts that innate affection which we owe
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 1: our brethren. It divides lovers and sometimes makes even those
• 2:05:19
  Speaker 1: enemies of one another who are united by being born
• 2:05:23
  Speaker 1: from one womb. It fights against and resists the blessings
• 2:05:28
  Speaker 1: of peace. Miserable is it, and a malady invented by
• 2:05:32
  Speaker 1: the wickedness of the devil. For what is there more
• 2:05:36
  Speaker 1: delusive than vainglory? Like smoke, it is dispersed like a cloud,
• 2:05:43
  Speaker 1: it passeth away, and like the vision of a dream,
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 1: changes into nothingness. It scarcely equaleth the herbage and endurance,
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 1: and witheeth like grass. For it is written that all
• 2:05:58
  Speaker 1: flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as
• 2:06:01
  Speaker 1: the flower of grass. It is a weakness, therefore despised
• 2:06:07
  Speaker 1: even among us, and numbered among the greatest evils. For
• 2:06:11
  Speaker 1: who does not reckon a vinglorious man inflated with empty
• 2:06:15
  Speaker 1: airs and annoyance, who does not regard with contempt, and
• 2:06:20
  Speaker 1: give the name of boaster to one who refuses to
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 1: be on an equality with others, and thrust himself forward,
• 2:06:28
  Speaker 1: as if claiming to be accounted their superior Let then
• 2:06:32
  Speaker 1: the malady of vingloriousness be far from those who love Christ.
• 2:06:38
  Speaker 1: And let us rather consider our companions as better than
• 2:06:42
  Speaker 1: we are, and be anxious to adorn ourselves with that
• 2:06:46
  Speaker 1: humility of mind which is well pleasing to God. For
• 2:06:51
  Speaker 1: being thus simple minded as becometh saints. We shall be
• 2:06:56
  Speaker 1: with Christ, who honereth simplicity, by whom and with whom,
• 2:07:02
  Speaker 1: to God the Father be praise and dominion with the
• 2:07:05
  Speaker 1: Holy Ghost forever and ever Amen. End of Sermon fifty four,
• 2:07:19
  Speaker 1: Sermon fifty five Commentary in the Gospel of Luke, Sermons
• 2:07:23
  Speaker 1: forty seven through fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria, translated
• 2:07:28
  Speaker 1: by our painsmith. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 1: Sermon fifty five nine forty nine through fifty and John
• 2:07:40
  Speaker 1: answered and said, Teacher, we saw one casting out devils
• 2:07:44
  Speaker 1: in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth
• 2:07:48
  Speaker 1: not with us. But Jesus said, unto him, forbid him not,
• 2:07:53
  Speaker 1: for he is not against you. For whosoever is not
• 2:07:57
  Speaker 1: against you is on your part. Paul requires us to
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 1: prove everything, and says, be wise money changers. But an
• 2:08:08
  Speaker 1: exact and scrupulous knowledge of each particular matter we can
• 2:08:12
  Speaker 1: obtain from no other source than from divinely inspired scripture.
• 2:08:17
  Speaker 1: For David in the Psalms, addressing as it were, Christ
• 2:08:21
  Speaker 1: the Savior of All, declares, Thy law is a lamp
• 2:08:25
  Speaker 1: to my feet and a light unto my paths. And
• 2:08:29
  Speaker 1: Solomon also writes that the commandment of the Law is
• 2:08:33
  Speaker 1: a lamp and a light. For just as this sensible
• 2:08:37
  Speaker 1: light that is in the world, by falling on our
• 2:08:40
  Speaker 1: bodily eyes, dispels the darkness, so also the Law of God,
• 2:08:46
  Speaker 1: when admitted into the mind and heart of man, illuminates
• 2:08:50
  Speaker 1: it thoroughly and does not suffer it to fall against
• 2:08:53
  Speaker 1: the stumbling blocks of ignorance, nor be caught in the
• 2:08:56
  Speaker 1: wickednesses of sin. And this I say from admiration of
• 2:09:02
  Speaker 1: the skillfulness here also displayed in the lessons from the
• 2:09:06
  Speaker 1: Gospel just set before us, and the purport of which
• 2:09:10
  Speaker 1: ye doubtless wish to be taught. Seeing ye have assembled
• 2:09:14
  Speaker 1: here from love of the sacred doctrines, and with eagerness
• 2:09:18
  Speaker 1: have formed the present meeting. What therefore, do the wise
• 2:09:22
  Speaker 1: disciples say, or what do they wish to learn from
• 2:09:26
  Speaker 1: Him who endow with them with all wisdom and revealeth
• 2:09:30
  Speaker 1: to them the understanding of every good work? Teacher, we
• 2:09:34
  Speaker 1: saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we
• 2:09:38
  Speaker 1: forbade him. Has the sting of envy troubled the holy disciples?
• 2:09:44
  Speaker 1: Do they grudge those highly favored? Have even they admitted
• 2:09:49
  Speaker 1: within them a passion, so abominable and hateful to God.
• 2:09:54
  Speaker 1: We saw one, they say, casting out devils in thy name,
• 2:09:58
  Speaker 1: and we forbade him. Tell me, dost thou forbid one who,
• 2:10:04
  Speaker 1: in Christ's name troubles Satan and crushes evil demons? How
• 2:10:09
  Speaker 1: was it not thy duty rather to reflect that he
• 2:10:13
  Speaker 1: was not the doer of these wonders, but that the
• 2:10:16
  Speaker 1: grace which was in him wrought the miracle by the
• 2:10:19
  Speaker 1: power of Christ. How therefore dost thou forbid him who
• 2:10:24
  Speaker 1: in Christ wins the victory? Yes, he saith, for he
• 2:10:29
  Speaker 1: followeth not with us, o blind speech? For what if
• 2:10:34
  Speaker 1: he be not numbered among the holy apostles? Who is
• 2:10:38
  Speaker 1: crowned with christ grace? Yet is he equally with you
• 2:10:41
  Speaker 1: adorned with apostolic powers? There are many diversities of Christ's gifts,
• 2:10:47
  Speaker 1: as the Blessed Paul teacheth, saying that to one is
• 2:10:51
  Speaker 1: given the word of wisdom, but to another the word
• 2:10:55
  Speaker 1: of knowledge, and to another faith, and to another gifts
• 2:10:59
  Speaker 1: of healing. What therefore is the meaning of his not
• 2:11:04
  Speaker 1: walking with us? Or what is the force of the expression? Look, then,
• 2:11:10
  Speaker 1: for I will tell you as well as I can.
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 1: The Savior gave the Holy apostles authority over unclean spirits,
• 2:11:18
  Speaker 1: to cast them out and to heal all disease and
• 2:11:21
  Speaker 1: all sickness among the people. And so they did. Nor
• 2:11:26
  Speaker 1: was the grace given them ineffectual, for they returned with joy, saying, Lord,
• 2:11:32
  Speaker 1: even the devils are subject to us in thy name.
• 2:11:35
  Speaker 1: They imagined therefore that leave was given not to any
• 2:11:40
  Speaker 1: one else, but to themselves alone, to be invested with
• 2:11:43
  Speaker 1: the authority which He had granted them. For this reason,
• 2:11:47
  Speaker 1: they draw near and want to learn whether others also
• 2:11:51
  Speaker 1: might exercise it, even though they had not been appointed
• 2:11:55
  Speaker 1: to the apostleship, nor even to the office of teacher.
• 2:12:00
  Speaker 1: We find something like this also in the ancient sacred scriptures.
• 2:12:04
  Speaker 1: For God once said to the hierophant Moses, choose thee
• 2:12:09
  Speaker 1: seventy men of the elders of Israel, and I will
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 1: take of the spirit that is upon thee and give it,
• 2:12:16
  Speaker 1: he says to them. And when those who were chosen
• 2:12:20
  Speaker 1: had assembled that the former tabernacle, two men only excepted
• 2:12:25
  Speaker 1: who had remained in the camp, and the spirit of
• 2:12:28
  Speaker 1: prophecy descended upon them. Not only those who were assembled
• 2:12:33
  Speaker 1: in the Holy Tabernacle prophesiede, but those also who had
• 2:12:37
  Speaker 1: remained in the camp. But Jeshua, it says, who stood
• 2:12:42
  Speaker 1: before Moses, said, el Dad and me Dad Lo they
• 2:12:47
  Speaker 1: prophesy in the camp. My Lord Moses forbid them. And
• 2:12:52
  Speaker 1: Moses said to Jeshua, envioust thou me would that all
• 2:12:57
  Speaker 1: the Lord's people were prophets, the Lord Lord putting his
• 2:13:00
  Speaker 1: spirit upon them. But it was Christ at that time
• 2:13:06
  Speaker 1: made the high offend Moses. Thus speak by the Holy Ghost.
• 2:13:10
  Speaker 1: And here also in person, he saith to the Holy Apostles,
• 2:13:14
  Speaker 1: forbid not him who is crushing Satan, that is in
• 2:13:19
  Speaker 1: his name. For he is not against you, he says.
• 2:13:23
  Speaker 1: For he who is not against you is on your part.
• 2:13:28
  Speaker 1: For on the part of us who love Christ are
• 2:13:31
  Speaker 1: all who wish to act to His glory and are
• 2:13:34
  Speaker 1: crowned by His grace. And this is a law to
• 2:13:38
  Speaker 1: the churches continuing even to this day, for we honor
• 2:13:42
  Speaker 1: only those who lift up holy hands and purely and
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 1: without fault or blame in Christ's name, rebuke unclean spirits,
• 2:13:51
  Speaker 1: and deliver multitudes from various diseases, for we know that
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 1: it is Christ who worketh in them. We must, however,
• 2:14:01
  Speaker 1: examine such things carefully, for there are verily men who
• 2:14:06
  Speaker 1: have not been counted worthy of Christ's grace, but make
• 2:14:10
  Speaker 1: the reputation of being saints and honorable an opportunity of gain.
• 2:14:16
  Speaker 1: Of such one may say that they are bold and
• 2:14:20
  Speaker 1: shameless hypocrites, who seize honors for themselves, even though God
• 2:14:25
  Speaker 1: is not called them. There too, they praise themselves and
• 2:14:29
  Speaker 1: imitate the bold doings of the false prophets of old,
• 2:14:33
  Speaker 1: of whom God said, I have not sent the prophets,
• 2:14:38
  Speaker 1: yet they ran. I have not spoken unto them, yet
• 2:14:42
  Speaker 1: they prophesied. And so too may he say of these,
• 2:14:47
  Speaker 1: I have not sanctified them, but they falsely assumed the
• 2:14:51
  Speaker 1: gift for themselves. They have not been counted worthy of
• 2:14:55
  Speaker 1: My grace, but wickedly sees those things which I bestow,
• 2:15:00
  Speaker 1: such alone as are worthy to receive them. These making
• 2:15:05
  Speaker 1: a show of fasting, walk sadly with downcast looks, while
• 2:15:10
  Speaker 1: full of fraud and baseness. And often they pride themselves
• 2:15:14
  Speaker 1: on letting their nails grow long, and are especially fond
• 2:15:18
  Speaker 1: of their complexion being sallow. And though no one compel them,
• 2:15:23
  Speaker 1: they delight in enduring such misery as men have to
• 2:15:27
  Speaker 1: bear in prison, hanging collars on their necks, and putting fetters,
• 2:15:32
  Speaker 1: sometimes on their hands and feet. Such persons the Savior
• 2:15:36
  Speaker 1: has commanded us to avoid, saying, beware of those who
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 1: come to you in sheep's clothing, but within are ravening wolves.
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 1: To this, however, some one may object. But who o
• 2:15:51
  Speaker 1: Lord knows the heart of men, who sees what is
• 2:15:55
  Speaker 1: concealed within us? But thou alone, who by thyself did
• 2:16:00
  Speaker 1: form our hearts and triest hearts and reins. Yes, he says,
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 1: by their fruits, ye shall know them, not by appearances,
• 2:16:10
  Speaker 1: not by outward show, but by fruits. For what is
• 2:16:14
  Speaker 1: the object of their hypocrisy? Plainly it looks to the
• 2:16:18
  Speaker 1: love of gain. For they gape at the hands of
• 2:16:22
  Speaker 1: those who visit them, and if they see them empty,
• 2:16:25
  Speaker 1: they are greatly distressed and stung with annoyance, For piety
• 2:16:30
  Speaker 1: is with them merchandise. If, however, thou lovest dwealth and
• 2:16:35
  Speaker 1: lustest after base gains, and hast given a place in
• 2:16:39
  Speaker 1: thy mind to that most base passion, the love of money,
• 2:16:45
  Speaker 1: put off the sheepskin. Why laborest thou in vain by
• 2:16:49
  Speaker 1: making a pretense of an austere and unworldly conduct, abandon
• 2:16:54
  Speaker 1: the successive rigor of life, and aim instead at being
• 2:16:58
  Speaker 1: one who is contented with little ask this of God,
• 2:17:02
  Speaker 1: seek his righteousness. Cast thy care upon the Lord, and
• 2:17:07
  Speaker 1: he shall nourish thee. But there are even some who
• 2:17:12
  Speaker 1: use from time to time incantations and certain abominable mutterings,
• 2:17:18
  Speaker 1: and wickedly make certain fumigations and command the use of amulets.
• 2:17:24
  Speaker 1: But yet, says one who has without thought taken part
• 2:17:28
  Speaker 1: in these practices. In their incantations they use the name
• 2:17:33
  Speaker 1: of the Lord of Savoth. Are we then to acquit
• 2:17:37
  Speaker 1: them of blame because they bestow on a wicked and
• 2:17:41
  Speaker 1: impure devil an expression suitable to God only? And call
• 2:17:46
  Speaker 1: the wicked Satan the Lord of Savioth, asking of him
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 1: as the reward of blasphemy aid in the things they
• 2:17:54
  Speaker 1: request of him, Not that he really aides them, for
• 2:17:58
  Speaker 1: he is powerless, but rather brings down to the pit
• 2:18:02
  Speaker 1: of destruction those that call upon him. For the Lord
• 2:18:06
  Speaker 1: speaketh not untruly. Where he says that Satan, casteth not
• 2:18:11
  Speaker 1: out Satan. It is necessary therefore for our salvation and
• 2:18:17
  Speaker 1: well pleasing to God to flee far from everything like this.
• 2:18:23
  Speaker 1: But when thou seest one who has been brought up
• 2:18:25
  Speaker 1: in the Church, innocent, simple, without hypocrisy, whose mode of
• 2:18:31
  Speaker 1: life is worthy of emulation, who is known of many
• 2:18:35
  Speaker 1: as the companion of holy monks, who flees from the
• 2:18:39
  Speaker 1: arts of the city, who is fond of desert places,
• 2:18:43
  Speaker 1: who loves not gain nor schisms. And besides all this
• 2:18:48
  Speaker 1: has a correct faith and is made honorable by the
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 1: grace of Christ through the operation of the Holy Ghost,
• 2:18:56
  Speaker 1: so as to be even able to work those things
• 2:19:00
  Speaker 1: that are by Christ. Unto such a one draw near
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 1: with confidence, he shall pray for thee purely, and his
• 2:19:09
  Speaker 1: gray shall minister unto THEE. For the Savior and Lord
• 2:19:13
  Speaker 1: of all grants the request of those who ask him,
• 2:19:17
  Speaker 1: by whom and with whom, to God the Father be
• 2:19:21
  Speaker 1: praised and dominion with the Holy Ghost, forever and ever Amen.
• 2:19:28
  Speaker 1: End of Sermon fifty five, Sermon fifty six. Commentary in
• 2:19:38
  Speaker 1: the Gospel of Luke Sermons forty seven through fifty six
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  Speaker 1: by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by R. Pain Smith. This
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  Speaker 1: librivus recording is in the public domain. Sermon fifty six,
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  Speaker 1: nine fifty one through fifty six. And it came to
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  Speaker 1: pass that when the days were fulfilled for his being
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  Speaker 1: taken up that he set his face to go to Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: and sent messengers before his face, and they went and
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  Speaker 1: entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready
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  Speaker 1: for him. And they did not receive him, because his
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  Speaker 1: face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And
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  Speaker 1: when his disciples, James and John saw it, they said,
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  Speaker 1: wilt thou that we bid fire come down from heaven
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  Speaker 1: to consume them. But he turned and rebuked them and
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  Speaker 1: went to another village. Those who are abundantly endowed with
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  Speaker 1: vast wealth, and pride themselves on their ample riches, assemble
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  Speaker 1: fit persons to their banquets, and set before them a
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  Speaker 1: sumptuously furnished table, producing by diversity of dishes and sauces
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  Speaker 1: of various kinds, a pleasure superior to the mere satisfying
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  Speaker 1: of hunger. But from this no benefit arises, but rather
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  Speaker 1: great injury to the banqueters, For more than a sufficiency,
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  Speaker 1: after the cause of hunger have been satisfied, is always hurtful.
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  Speaker 1: But those who possess heavenly riches, and know the sacred doctrines,
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  Speaker 1: and have been illuminated with divine light, nourish their souls
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  Speaker 1: by feasting them on instructive discourses, in order that they
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  Speaker 1: may become both fruitful towards God and skilled in the
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  Speaker 1: pathway unto all virtue, and earnest in accomplishing those things
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  Speaker 1: by means of which a man attains to a happy issue.
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  Speaker 1: To this intellectual and holy table. Therefore, the sacred Word
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  Speaker 1: invites us, for it says, eat and drink, and be drunken,
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  Speaker 1: my friends, but friends of home, evidently of God. And
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  Speaker 1: it is worthy of note that we are to be
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  Speaker 1: drunken with them these things, and that we can never
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  Speaker 1: be satiated with that which is to our edification. Let
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  Speaker 1: us see, therefore, what kind of profit the lesson from
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  Speaker 1: the Gospel sets before us upon the present occasion. For
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  Speaker 1: when it says the days were fulfilled for his being
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  Speaker 1: taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: by which is meant that as the time had now come,
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  Speaker 1: when at length having borne for us his saving passion,
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  Speaker 1: he should ascend to heaven and dwell with God the Father.
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  Speaker 1: He determined to proceed to Jerusalem. For this is I
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  Speaker 1: think the meaning of his having set his face. He sends,
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  Speaker 1: therefore messengers to prepare a lodging for him and his companions,
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  Speaker 1: and when they came to a village of the Samaritans,
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  Speaker 1: they were not received. At this the blessed Disciples were indignant,
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  Speaker 1: not so much on them their own account, as because
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  Speaker 1: they did not honor Him, who is Savior and Lord
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  Speaker 1: of all. And what followed they murmured greatly, And as
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  Speaker 1: his majesty and power was not unknown to them, they said, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: wilt thou that we bid fire come down from heaven
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  Speaker 1: and consume them. But Christ rebuked them for so speaking.
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  Speaker 1: And in these last words lies the purport of the lesson.
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  Speaker 1: And therefore let us accurately examine the whole passage, for
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  Speaker 1: it is written churned milk, and it becomes butter. It
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  Speaker 1: would be untrue, then, to affirm that our Savior did
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  Speaker 1: not know what was about to happen, For as he
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  Speaker 1: knows all things, he knew, of course, that his messengers
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  Speaker 1: would not be received by the Samaritans. Of this there
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  Speaker 1: can be no doubt. Why then, did he command them
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  Speaker 1: to precede him. The reason of it was his custom
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  Speaker 1: assiduously to benefit the Holy Apostles in every possible way,
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  Speaker 1: and for this end his practice sometimes was to put
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  Speaker 1: them to the proof, as for instance, he was sailing
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  Speaker 1: once upon the Lake of Tiberius with those named above,
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  Speaker 1: and while so doing he fell asleep purposely, and a
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  Speaker 1: violent wind, having risen upon the lake, a rough and
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  Speaker 1: unusual storm began to rage, and the boat was in danger,
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  Speaker 1: and the crew in alarm. For he intentionally permitted the
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  Speaker 1: storm and the fury of the tempest to rage against
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  Speaker 1: the ship, to try the faith of the disciples, and
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  Speaker 1: to make manifest the greatness of his power. And this
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  Speaker 1: also was the result, for they, in littleness of their faith, said, Master,
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  Speaker 1: save us, we perish. And he at once a run
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  Speaker 1: and showed that he is lord of the elements. For
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  Speaker 1: he rebuked the sea and the tempest, and there was
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  Speaker 1: an exceeding great calm. And so also on this occasion
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  Speaker 1: he knew, indeed that those who went forward to announce
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  Speaker 1: that he would lodge with them would not be received
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  Speaker 1: by the Samaritans, but he permitted them to go, that
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  Speaker 1: this again might be a means of benefiting the Holy Apostles.
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  Speaker 1: What then was the purpose of this occurrence? He was
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  Speaker 1: going up to Jerusalem, as the time of his passion
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  Speaker 1: was already drawing near. He was about to endure the
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  Speaker 1: contumalies of the Jews. He was about to be said
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  Speaker 1: at naught by the scribes and Pharisees, and to suffer
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  Speaker 1: those things which they inflicted upon him when they proceeded
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  Speaker 1: to the accomplishment of all violence and wicked audacity, in
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  Speaker 1: order therefore that they might not be offended when they
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  Speaker 1: saw him suffering, as understanding that He would have them
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  Speaker 1: also to be patient and not to murmur greatly, even
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  Speaker 1: though men treat them with contumeally, He so to speak,
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  Speaker 1: made the contempt they met with from the Samaritans a
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  Speaker 1: preparatory exercise in the matter they had not received the messengers.
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  Speaker 1: It was the duty of the disciples, treading in the
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  Speaker 1: footsteps of their Lord, to bear it patiently, as becometh saints,
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  Speaker 1: and not to say anything of them wrathfully. But they
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  Speaker 1: were not yet so disposed, but being seized with too
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  Speaker 1: hot indignation, they would have called down fire upon them
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  Speaker 1: from heaven as far as their will went. But Christ
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  Speaker 1: rebuked them for so speaking. See here I pray, how
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  Speaker 1: great is the difference between us and God? For the
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  Speaker 1: distance is immeasurable. He is slow to anger and long suffering,
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  Speaker 1: and of incomparable gentleness and love to mankind. But we
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  Speaker 1: children of earth are quick unto anger, hasty unto impatience,
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  Speaker 1: and refuse with indignation to be judged by others when
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  Speaker 1: we are found out in committing any wrong act, while
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  Speaker 1: we are most ready to find fault with others. And
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  Speaker 1: therefore God, the Lord of all, affirms, saying, for my
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  Speaker 1: thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor your ways as
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  Speaker 1: my ways. But as the heaven is far from the earth,
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  Speaker 1: so are my ways from your ways, and my thoughts
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  Speaker 1: from your thoughts. Such then is he who is Lord
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  Speaker 1: of all. But we, as I said, being readily vexed
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  Speaker 1: and easily led into anger, take sometimes severe and intolerable
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  Speaker 1: vengeance upon those who have occasioned us some trifling annoyance.
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  Speaker 1: And though commanded to live according to the Gospel, we
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  Speaker 1: fall short of the practice commanded by the Law. For
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  Speaker 1: the Law indeed said I for eye, tooth for tooth,
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  Speaker 1: hand for hand, and commanded that an equal retribution should suffice.
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  Speaker 1: But we, as I said, though perhaps we have suffered,
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  Speaker 1: but a trifling wrong, would retaliate very harshly, not remembering
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  Speaker 1: Christ who said, the disciple is not greater than his teacher,
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  Speaker 1: nor the slave than his master, who also, when he
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  Speaker 1: was reviled, reviled not again when suffering threatened not, but
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  Speaker 1: committed his cause to him who judges righteously as treading
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  Speaker 1: this path. Much enduring Job also is justly admired, for
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  Speaker 1: it is written of him, what man is like Job,
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  Speaker 1: who drink its wrongs like a draft. For their benefit, Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: he rebuked the disciples, gently restraining the sharpness of their wrath,
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  Speaker 1: and not permitting them to murmur violently against those who sinned,
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  Speaker 1: but persuading them rather to be long suffering and to
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  Speaker 1: cherish a mind immovable. By aught of this, it benefited
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  Speaker 1: them also in another way. They were to be the
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  Speaker 1: instructors of the whole world, and to travel through the
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  Speaker 1: cities and villages, proclaiming everywhere the good tidings of salvation
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  Speaker 1: of necessity. Therefore, while seeking to fulfill their mission, they
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  Speaker 1: must fall in with wicked men who would reject the
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  Speaker 1: divine tidings, and so to speak, not receive Jesus to
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  Speaker 1: lodge with them. Had Christ therefore praised them for wishing
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  Speaker 1: that fire should come down upon the Samaritan, and that
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  Speaker 1: so painfully torment should be inflicted upon them, they would
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  Speaker 1: have been similarly disposed in many other instances, And when
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  Speaker 1: men disregarded the sacred message, would have pronounced their condemnation
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  Speaker 1: and called down fire upon them from above. And what
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  Speaker 1: would have been the result of such conduct The sufferers
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  Speaker 1: would have been innumerable, and no longer would the disciples
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  Speaker 1: have been so much positions of the sick as torturers,
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  Speaker 1: rather and intolerable to men everywhere for their own good.
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  Speaker 1: Therefore they were rebuked when thus enraged beyond measure at
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  Speaker 1: the contumely of the Samaritans, in order that they might
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  Speaker 1: learn that as ministers of the divine tidings, they must
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  Speaker 1: rather be full of long suffering and gentleness, not revengeful,
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  Speaker 1: not given to wrath, nor savagely attacked those who offend them,
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  Speaker 1: and that the ministers of God's message were long suffering.
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  Speaker 1: Paul teaches us, saying, for I think that God hath
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  Speaker 1: set forth us the apostles last as it were condemned
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  Speaker 1: to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the
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  Speaker 1: world and to angels, and to men. Being reviled, we bless,
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  Speaker 1: being defamed, we persuade. We have become the offscouring of
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  Speaker 1: the world, the refuse of all men up to this day.
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  Speaker 1: He wrote also to others, or rather to all who
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  Speaker 1: had not yet received Christ in them, but so to speak,
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  Speaker 1: were still afflicted with the pride of the Samaritans. We
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  Speaker 1: pray you in Christ stead, be ye reconciled to God. Great.
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  Speaker 1: Therefore is the benefit of the Gospel lessons to those
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  Speaker 1: who are truly perfect in mind. And may we also,
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  Speaker 1: taking them unto ourselves, benefit our souls ever praising Christ,
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  Speaker 1: the Savior of all, by whom and with whom, to
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  Speaker 1: God the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Ghost,
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  Speaker 1: forever and ever Amen. End of Sermon fifty six. End
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  Speaker 1: of commentary in the Gospel of Luke Sermons forty seven
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  Speaker 1: through fifty six by Cyril of Alexandria, translated by Our
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  Speaker 1: Pain Smith,