2. When by such faith and knowledge the saints have embraced this true life, they receive, doubtless, the joy which is in heaven; for which the wicked not caring, are deservedly deprived of the blessedness arising from it. For, let the wicked be taken away, so that he shall not see the glory of the Lord [4137] .' For although, when they shall hear the universal proclamation of the promise, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead [4138] ,' they shall rise and shall come even to heaven, knocking and saying, Open to us [4139] ;' nevertheless the Lord will reprove them, as those who put the knowledge of Himself far from them, saying, I know you not.' But the holy Spirit cries against them, The wicked shall be turned into hell, even all the nations that forget God. [4140] .' Now we say that the wicked are dead, but not in an ascetic life opposed to sin; nor do they, like the saints, bear about dying in their bodies. But it is the soul which they bury in sins and follies, drawing near to the dead, and satisfying it with dead nourishment; like young eagles which, from high places, fly upon the carcases of the dead, and which the law prohibited, commanding figuratively, Thou shalt not eat the eagle, nor any other bird that feedeth on a dead carcase [4141] ;' and it pronounced unclean whatsoever eateth the dead. But these kill the soul with lusts, and say nothing but, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die [4142] .' And the kind of fruit those have who thus love pleasures, he immediately describes, adding, And these things are revealed in the ears of the Lord of Hosts, that this sin shall not be forgiven you until ye die [4143] .' Yea, even while they live they shall be ashamed, because they consider their belly their lord; and when dead, they shall be tormented, because they have made a boast of such a death. To this effect also Paul bears witness, saying, Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them [4144] .' And the divine word declared before concerning them; The death of sinners is evil, and those who hate the righteous commit sin [4145] .' For bitter is the worm, and grievous the darkness, which wicked men inherit.
3. But the saints, and they who truly practise virtue, mortify their members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness passions, evil concupiscence [4146] ;' and, as the result of this, are pure and without spot, confiding in the promise of our Saviour, who said, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God [4147] .' These, having become dead to the world, and renounced the merchandise of the world, gain an honourable death; for, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints [4148] .' They are also able, preserving the Apostolic likeness, to say, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me [4149] .' For that is the true life, which a man lives in Christ; for although they are dead to the world, yet they dwell as it were in heaven, minding those things which are above, as he who was a lover of such a habitation said, While we walk on earth, our dwelling is in heaven [4150] .' Now those who thus live, and are partakers in such virtue, are alone able to give glory to God, and this it is which essentially constitutes a feast and a holiday [4151] . For the feast does not consist in pleasant intercourse at meals, nor splendour [4152] of clothing, nor days of leisure, but in the acknowledgment of God, and the offering of thanksgiving and of praise to Him [4153] . Now this belongs to the saints alone, who live in Christ; for it is written, The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord, neither all those who go down into silence; but we who live will bless the Lord, from henceforth even for ever [4154] .' So was it with Hezekiah, who was delivered from death, and therefore praised God, saying, Those who are in hades cannot praise Thee; the dead cannot bless Thee; but the living shall bless Thee, as I also do [4155] .' For to praise and bless God belongs to those only who live in Christ, and by means of this they go up to the feast; for the Passover is not of the Gentiles, nor of those who are yet Jews in the flesh; but of those who acknowledge the truth in Christ [4156] , as he declares who was sent to proclaim such a feast; Our Passover, Christ, is sacrificed [4157] .'
4. Therefore, although wicked men press forward to keep the feast, and as at a feast praise God, and intrude into the Church of the saints, yet God expostulates, saying to the sinner, Why dost thou talk of My ordinances?' And the gentle Spirit rebukes them, saying, Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner [4158] .' Neither hath sin any place in common with the praise of God; for the sinner has a mouth speaking perverse things, as the Proverb saith, The mouth of the wicked answereth evil things [4159] .' For how is it possible for us to praise God with an impure mouth? since things which are contrary to each other cannot coexist. For what communion has righteousness with iniquity? or, what fellowship is there between light and darkness? So exclaims Paul, a minister of the Gospel [4160] .
Thus it is that sinners, and all those who are aliens from the Catholic Church, heretics, and schismatics, since they are excluded from glorifying (God) with the saints, cannot properly even continue observers of the feast. But the righteous man, although he appears dying to the world, uses boldness of speech, saying, I shall not die, but live, and narrate all Thy marvelous deeds [4161] .' For even God is not ashamed to be called the God [4162] of those who truly mortify their members which are upon the earth [4163] , but live in Christ; for He is the God of the living, not of the dead. And He by His living Word quickeneth all men, and gives Him to be food and life to the saints; as the Lord declares, I am the bread of life [4164] .' The Jews, because they were weak in perception, and had not exercised the senses of the soul in virtue, and did not comprehend this discourse about bread, murmured against Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven, and giveth life unto men [4165] .'
5. For sin has her own special bread, of her death, and calling to those who are lovers of pleasure and lack understanding, she saith, Touch with delight secret bread, and sweet waters which are stolen [4166] ;' for he who merely touches them knows not that that which is born from the earth perishes with her. For even when the sinner thinks to find pleasure, the end of that food is not pleasant, as the Wisdom of God saith again, Bread of deceit is pleasant to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel [4167] .' And, Honey droppeth from the lips of a whorish woman, which for a time is sweet to thy palate; but at the last thou shalt find it more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword [4168] .' Thus then he eats and rejoices for a little time; afterwards he spurneth it when he hath removed his soul afar. For the fool knoweth not that those who depart far from God shall perish. And besides, there is the restraint of the prophetic admonition which says, What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Gihon? And what hast thou to do in the way of Asshur, to drink the waters of the rivers [4169] ?' And the Wisdom of God which loves mankind forbids these things, crying, But depart quickly, tarry not in the place, neither fix thine eye upon it; for thus thou shalt pass over strange waters, and depart quickly from the strange river [4170] .' She also calls them to herself, For wisdom hath builded her house, and supported it on seven pillars; she hath killed her sacrifices, and mingled her wine in the goblets, and prepared her table; she hath sent forth her servants, inviting to the goblet with a loud proclamation, and saying, Whoso is foolish, let him turn in to me; and to them that lack understanding she saith, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mingled for you [4171] .' And what hope is there instead of these things? Forsake folly that ye may live, and seek understanding that ye may abide [4172] .' For the bread of Wisdom is living fruit, as the Lord said; I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever [4173] .' For when Israel ate of the manna, which was indeed pleasant and wonderful, yet he died, and he who ate it did not in consequence live for ever, but all that multitude died in the wilderness. The Lord teaches, saying, I am the bread of life: your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which came down from heaven, that a man should eat thereof, and not die [4174] .'
6. Now wicked men hunger for bread like this, for effeminate souls will hunger; but the righteous alone, being prepared, shall be satisfied, saying, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when Thy glory is seen by me [4175] .' For he who partakes of divine bread always hungers with desire; and he who thus hungers has a never-failing gift, as Wisdom promises, saying, The Lord will not slay the righteous soul with famine.' He promises too in the Psalms, I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.' We may also hear our Saviour saying, Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled [4176] .' Well then do the saints and those who love the life which is in Christ raise themselves to a longing after this food. And one earnestly implores, saying, As the hart panteth after the fountains of waters, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God! My soul thirsteth for the living God, when shall I come and see the face of God?' And another; My God, my God, I seek Thee early; my soul thirsteth for Thee; often does my flesh, in a dry and pathless land, and without water. So did I appear before Thee in holiness to see Thy power and Thy glory [4177] .'
7. Since these things are so, my brethren, let us mortify our members which are on the earth [4178] , and be nourished with living bread, by faith and love to God, knowing that without faith it is impossible to be partakers of such bread as this. For our Saviour, when He called all men to him, and said, If any man thirst, let him [come] to Me and drink [4179] ,' immediately spoke of the faith without which a man cannot receive such food; He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water [4180] .' To this end He continually nourished His believing disciples with His words, and gave them life by the nearness of His divinity, but to the Canaanitish woman, because she was not yet a believer, He deigned not even a reply, although she stood greatly in need of food from Him. He did this not from scorn, far from it (for the Lord is loving to men and good, and on that account He went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon); but because of her unbelief, and because she was of those who had not the word. And He did it righteously, my brethren; for there would have been nothing gained by her offering her supplication before believing, but by her faith she would support her petition; For He that cometh to God, must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him;' and that without faith it is impossible for a man to please Him [4181] .' This Paul teaches. Now that she was hitherto an unbeliever, one of the profane, He shews, saying, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs [4182] .' She then, being convinced by the power of the word, and having changed her ways, also gained faith; for the Lord no longer spoke to her as a dog, but conversed with her as a human being, saying, O woman, great is thy faith [4183] !' As therefore she believed, He forthwith granted to her the fruit of faith, and said, Be it to thee as thou desirest. And her daughter was healed in the self-same hour.'