with men, and the frail female nature behaves manfully in the fight. The stadium of fasting is open to those who desire it. For Christ sits as the liberal bestower of rewards. Let us hasten to the middle contest of the fast: let no one disgrace this spiritual contest, let no one desert his post in these spiritual struggles. For the enemy has let down his ferocity; a great part of the struggle is removed; the enemy is vanquished by the judgment of God; he has been reduced to slavery, he has been driven out through fasting, cast to the ground by laughing little children, and presented with a shameful epitaph in his own disgrace. Let no one therefore hesitate, beloved, in proceeding into the midst of the fasts; let no one act sluggishly in the middle of these contests; for our generosity is his destruction. If one fights idly, he adds strength to him; if one struggles remissly, he emboldens him. Let us therefore stand strenuously in the struggle, so that the enemy may fall more heavily. Let us flee the desire for foods, let us persevere for a little while, that we may receive immortal grace. Adam ate, and was condemned to death; Elias fasted, and the keys of the heavens were entrusted to him; Noah drank, and was transformed in mind; Enoch acted temperately, and was translated by the angels; Pharaoh gorged himself, and was submerged in the sea with his chariots; Moses fasted, and he crossed the sea, and built new walls out of the fluid nature of the waters, and leading the people through a strange land, he crossed the sea with dry foot. Eve ate unlawful food, and all those who have sprung from her are delivered to death; but the Lord, who was born of Mary, abstained even from lawful food, and freed all from the condemnation of death. The fruit of the tree of paradise was a taste and a nourishment of death. "On whatever day," says God, "you eat of it, you shall die the death" (Gen. 2:17). The flight of death was the wood of the cross; for from there the immortal life flowed. From the cross, the thief passed over into paradise, and exchanged death for life. That eating of the fruit placed in paradise was the fruit of envy, and the sharing of the cross took away the envy. If Adam had fasted, he would not have been condemned to death, he would not have been cast out of a pleasure devoid of all labor, he would not have been subjected to corruption; for the divine Scripture says: *God created man for incorruption; but by the envy of the devil, death entered into the world* (Wis. 2:23-24). But Christ came, our B Peace, and breaking down the middle wall of partition, *the enmity in His flesh* (Ephes. 2:14), He nailed the handwriting of sin to the cross, *canceling the written bond of death against us* (Col. 2:14). Truly Paul cries out: *Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us* (Gal. 3:13). Therefore, let us make return to the Benefactor according to our strength, beloved; let us honor Him with small coins, who is rich in mercy. Our Lord was crucified for us; let us feed the poor man who was created in His image: He was concerned with death, so that He might free us from death; let us, for His sake, rescue our fellow men from destructive famine with small coins. For He Himself, He is the One who receives what is offered through the poor. Do not pass by, O man, when the poor man extends his hand, looking to the Lord whom you receive through him; but let the hand of the poor man be to you as a censer placed in the marketplace. For instead of fire, it has the coals of famine consuming themselves. Let us therefore throw in two coins instead of incense, and fill heaven with a good fragrance, so that we may hear Christ from heaven crying out: *Inasmuch as you did it to one of these least, you did it to Me* (Matt. 25:40): to Him be glory and power for ages of ages.
ADMONITION TO THE FOLLOWING ORATION
This discourse is by some Greek who placed the name of John Chrysostom before it in order to sell his own wares. We would not even have thought of publishing so flavorless a booklet, had Savile not published it beforehand.ON PALM SUNDAY
C brethren, and let us advance as from strength to strength. Just as a chain in a golden chain consists of rings inserted into one another, one is coupled to another, and each is inserted into another successively: so the miracles of the holy Gospels are coupled to one another mutually and successively, leading and gladdening the Church of God, which loves the celebration, not with the food that perishes, but with the food remaining unto eternal life. Come, therefore, and let us, beloved, with the preparation of our heart and attentive ears, hear what the Lord God speaks to us in the prophets and the Gospels concerning this most divine festival. *He will speak peace unto His people and to His saints, and to those who turn their heart to Him* (Ps. 84:9). Today the prophetic trumpets have stirred the world and have rendered the Churches of the Lord everywhere joyful and crowned, and while they receive the faithful from the stadium of the holy fasts and D from that wrestling school against vices, they have taught them to sing a triumphal song and a new spectacle of peace unto the victorious Christ. Come, therefore, all, let us exult in the Lord: come, all nations, let us clap our hands, let us jubilate to God our Savior with a voice of exultation. Let no one be void of joy, let no one be deprived of the calling; for the seed of the disobedient has gone to ruin: let no one be ungrateful regarding the King's arrival, lest he be excluded from the bridal chamber: let no one among us be sad or mournful in receiving Him, lest he be condemned with the wicked citizens. I speak of those citizens, who do not want to receive their Lord the King into themselves. All let us run together, all let us alacritously receive, and let us celebrate the feast most elegantly. Instead of garments, let us spread out our hearts before Him; in psalms and hymns and acts of thanksgiving let us strive toward Him; and that, *Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord* (Matt. 21:9; Luc. 19:38), let us tirelessly cry out. For they who bless Him are blessed; and they who curse, cursed. Again I say, nor will I make an end of exhorting to the good: let us bless the Blessed One, that we may be blessed by Him. Every age and dignity is invited to the praises of the Lord; *Kings of the earth, and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, young men and virgins* (Ps. 148:11–12). And what is new in this miracle, He gave the first place to the tender age of infants and sucklings, unacquainted with wickedness, that they might begin to sing to the Lord in confession that canticle given by God, as once Moses did to the people who had departed from Egypt: *Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.* Today the blessed David rejoices exceedingly that infants have stolen his cithara; with whom, dancing and holding feasts in spirit, as once before the ark of God, he modulates placidly with them and stammers, bringing forth that, *Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.* To whom we shall say: Tell us, O prophet, Who is this who comes in the name of the Lord? Not mine, he will reply, is the doctrine: for that has been assigned today to infants by Him who *out of the mouth of infants and sucklings has perfected praise, that He might destroy the enemy and the avenger*; that through this miracle the hearts of the fathers might be turned to the sons, and of the incredulous to the prudence of the just (Luc.1. 17). A Since we have been urged on, and the children have held out their hands to us for fellowship, come, beloved, let us too emulate this divine dance, and with the apostles let us accompany Him who mounteth upon the heaven of heavens toward the east, and—as it pleased Him—rideth upon a beast of burden on the earth. With the infants let us take up the branches, and with the branches let us strike, so that the Holy Spirit may breathe upon us too, and we may send up in due order that God-taught hymn: *Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.*
Today the patriarch Jacob celebrates in spirit, seeing his prophecy brought to effect, and Him who bindeth His foal to the vine, mounted upon a new foal; and with the faithful he worships in spirit. Today the ancient, irrational example of the irrational nations is prepared for the demonstration of the subjection of the new people from the nations; and infants reveal the "infancy" of these toward the knowledge of God. Today the King of glory is glorified upon earth in a prophetic manner, and He reveals the earth-born to be partakers of the heavenly feast; so that He might show that He is Lord of both, being praised in harmony from both sides with the Father and the Spirit. For this reason, those above, indicating the salvation upon earth, were chanting: *Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of His glory* (Isai. 6. 3); but those below, celebrating together in the heavenly joy, were crying out: *Hosanna in the highest, hosanna to the son of David* (Matth. 21. 9). And the former were doxologizing: *Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place*; while the latter were theologizing: *Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.*
2. While these things were being accomplished, and the disciples were dancing around all the powers they saw, and saying: *Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; in the highest glory, and on earth peace* (Luc. 2. 14), the city was moved, saying: *Who is this?* (Matth. 21. 10), stirring up hardened envy against the glory of the Master. And when you hear "city," recognize the ancient, disorderly multitude of the synagogue. The ungrateful ones ask, *Who is this?* as if they had not yet seen the Benefactor, and heard Him bruited abroad by his God-befitting miracles. For the shadow did not comprehend the Light that shone within it—the Light that is hid from the holy place. Wherefore Isaiah cries out against them rightly, saying: *Ye deaf, hear; and ye blind, look up to see. And who is blind, but my children? and deaf, but they that rule over them?* (Isai. 42. 18-20). *And the servants of God were blinded.* Ye have seen often, and have not kept; you have ears, and have not heard. Do you see, beloved, the accuracy of the words? How the God-seeing Spirit, through His holy ones, proclaimed the future as if it were present? For the ungrateful ones saw, and felt with their hands the wonder-working God through his miracles, and remained in unbelief; they saw the blind man from birth proclaiming the Lord who gave him sight; they saw the paralytic, contemporary and yoke-fellow with his infirmity, loosed from his misery by a command; they beheld Lazarus become a fugitive from death; they heard of the walk upon the sea, the untended provision of wine, the effortless provision of bread, the driving out of demons, the vigor of the suffering. Their squares proclaimed the powers, their streets announced the healings to the wayfarers; all Judea was filled with the benefits, and now they ask: *Who is this?* O, the madness of the false teachers! O, the rebellious fathers and the foolish elders! O, seed of Canaan the shameless, and not of Judah the pious! The children recognized the Creator, and the rebellious fathers said: *Who is this?* The new age sang hymns to God, and those grown old in evil days inquired, *Who is this?* The sucklings discourse on new things, and the elders blaspheme; children offer praise religiously, and unholy priests are impiously indignant! Ye rebellious ones, in the prudence of the just, turn your hearts to your children; learn the mysteries of God. That which is taking place bears witness that it is God who is thus praised by untaught tongues. Search the Scriptures, as ye have heard from the Master, for these are they that bear witness of Him (Joan 5. 39), and B ye are not ignorant of the miracle. Hear, O ungrateful ones, what the prophet Zechariah announces to you. For he says: *Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; behold your King comes to you, just and mounted upon a foal of an ass* (Zach. 9. 9). Why do you shake off the joy? Why, when the sun is shining, do you love darkness? Why do you meditate war against peace that cannot be fought? If, therefore, ye are children of Zion, dance together with your children; let the piety of the children be to you an occasion of joy. Learn from them who taught, who gathered, whence the teachings, what the common theology and ancient prophecy. And if no man has taught them any of these things, but they sing the praise spontaneously, know that the work is of God, as it is written in the Law: *Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected praise* (Psal. 8. 2). Double, therefore, your joy, that you have become the fathers of such as have, in a God-taught manner, acclaimed even the things that remained unknown to the elders. Turn, therefore, your hearts to your children, and do not shut your eyes to the truth. If you remain as you are, and *hearing do not hear, and seeing do not see* (Matth. 13. 13), and dispute in vain against the infants, they shall be your judges, according to the word of the Savior (Id. 12. 27). And rightly, therefore, did the prophet Isaiah also proclaim this concerning you among the rest, saying: *Now shall Jacob not be ashamed, nor shall his countenance be changed; but when they see their children my works, for my sake they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. And those who err in spirit shall know understanding, and the murmurers shall learn to obey, and the stammering tongues shall learn to speak peace* (Isai. 29. 22-24). See, O foolish Jew, how the prophet proclaims shame to you from the very preface of his discourse for your disobedience! Learn, at least through him, how he declares the hymnody of your children to be God-taught, as also the blessed David proclaimed saying: *Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected praise.* Either, therefore, adopt the holiness of the children, as is meet, or with the piety grant us the children too. Let us dance and feast with them, and with a new tongue let us sing together the God-taught hymn. For once Simeon the elder met the Savior, and received in his arms the Master of the ages as an infant, and proclaimed Him Lord and God; but now, instead of ungrateful elders, the children met the Savior as Simeon did, and spread branches instead of arms, and blessed Him as Lord and God, who sat upon the foal as if upon the Cherubim: *Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.* With whom let us also cry out: Blessed is the God from God, the King of glory, who became poor in His own riches without poverty for our sakes, that He might enrich us by His goodness; blessed is He who came in humility, and who cometh again in glory; first, upon a foal, meek and praised by infants, so that the written word might be fulfilled: *Thy goings, O God, have been seen, the goings of my God, my King, in the holy place* (Psal. 67. 25); second, terrible upon the clouds, and guarded by angels and powers. O the honey-flowing tongue of the children! O the unadulterated teaching of those who please God! David, having prophesied, covered the meaning under the letter; the children, opening the treasury, brought the wealth upon their tongue, and with grace-filled speech loudly summoned all to the enjoyment. Let us therefore draw out with them the wealth that cannot be taken away, laying up the graces in insatiable bosoms and treasuries; let us cry out endlessly: *Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; true God, almighty from almighty, Son in the name of the Father, true King from true King, having the kingdom co-eternal and pre-eternal, like Him who begat Him.* For the kingdom is common, and the Word does not allocate its honor to the Son from without, nor did it begin, nor is it added, nor is it diminished—far from it—but it is truly natural and His own. For the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is one, just as Their essence and lordship is one. Wherefore, with one worship let us adore the one tri-hypostatic Godhead, unoriginate, uncreated, C endless, and without succession. For neither shall the Father ever cease being Father, nor the Son cease being Son.
nor the Holy Spirit cease being what He is by hypostasis. For nothing in the Trinity shall be diminished; there shall be no end of eternity, or of communion, or of the kingdom. For the Son of God was not called King because He became man for our sake and defeated our adversary the tyrant and brought back such a victory over his enemy in the flesh; but because He is always God and Lord, for that reason He is King, even as His Begetter is; and He is King now, just as He had been before, and unto eternity. Do not blaspheme against the kingdom of Christ, O heretic, lest you dishonor the Begetter also. If you are faithful, draw near faithfully to Christ, our true God, and do not possess liberty as though it were a cloak of malice. If you are a servant, be subject to the Master with trembling: for a disputant is not well-disposed, but openly hostile. For it is written: He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:23). B We have gone out, C beloved, and let us return, crying out in word, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," the good Shepherd who laid down His soul for His sheep; so that, just as those who hunt wolves feeding on sheep-flesh catch them by offering a sheep, so the Prince of shepherds, offering Himself as a man to the soul-destroying wolves, might hold out a hunting spear to them—that is, to those who had long ago hunted Adam. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," God against the devil, not openly through invisible power, but through the infirmity of the flesh, so that He might bind the one who was strong against us. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," King against the tyrant, not through omnipotent power and wisdom, but through the foolishness of the Cross, as it was thought, so that He might despoil the spoils of the snake who was wise in iniquity. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," the Truthful against the liar, the Savior against the destroyer, the Prince of peace against the pugnacious one, the lover of mankind against the hater of mankind. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," at whose will it is to save the erring man, to dissolve error, to bathe those who were in darkness with light, to destroy the deception of idols, to introduce the saving knowledge of God, to sanctify the world, to eliminate an execrable and vain cult. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," One for many, to rescue the human race from the hand of those stronger than it, the needy and poor from those who plunder them. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," to pour wine and oil upon him who fell among robbers and who was despised. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," to save them by Himself, as the prophet says: Not a messenger, nor an angel, but the Lord Himself saved them (Isai. 63:9). Therefore we also bless You, Lord, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit art blessed before the ages and unto the ages of ages: before the ages and up to this time, incorporeal; but now and unto the ages, with Your divine, immutable, and indivisible incarnation. Let us see the rest. What says the divine evangelist? When the Lord had entered the temple, the blind and the lame approached Him, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and Pharisees saw the miracles that He was doing, and the children crying out and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 21:14-15), they could not endure His honor. Wherefore, D approaching Him, they said, "Do you not hear what these are saying?" (Ibid. v. 16). Do you not feel aggrieved that you are being glorified as God? Do you not feel aggrieved when you hear from these innocents those things which befit God alone? Has not God long ago declared through the prophet, "My glory I will not give to another" (Isai. 42:8)? And, "How do you, being a man, make yourself God?" (John 10:33). But what does He, the long-suffering One, rich in mercy and slow to anger, say to these things? He endures the raging, He calms anger by excusing Himself, He sets the Scriptures in opposition, He brings forward opportune testimonies, and He does not cease to interrogate, and therefore He says: "Have you never heard Me saying through the prophet: Then you shall know that I am He who speaks, being present? Or again, Out of the mouths of infants and nursing children You have perfected praise because of Your enemies, that You might destroy the enemy and the avenger" (Ps. 8:2-3)? Such are you, who pay heed to the Law and read the prophets, and yet despise that which is preached in the Law. For you seem to vindicate the glory of God under the pretext of piety; not understanding that he who despises Me, despises also the Father. For I went out from God, and have come into the world: and My glory is the glory of My Father. Thus confuted by our Savior God, those insane men ceased to contradict, reined in by the truth; but, introducing another insane thought, they entered into counsel against Him. But let us sing: "Great is our Lord, and great is His power, and of His wisdom there is no number" (Ps. 146:5). For all these things came to pass so that the Lamb and Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world, might voluntarily come to the saving passion, and be recognized in the praetorium, and that those who despised Him, who redeemed the world with His life-giving blood, might agree upon thirty pieces of silver, and Christ be sacrificed for us: so that those who have been sprinkled with His precious blood, whose lips have been sealed like lintels, might escape the shafts of that destroyer; and thus, Christ, who suffered in the flesh and rose on the third day, may be honored by every creature with equal honor and glory alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit; for to Him every knee of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth shall bow, rendering glory to Him unto the ages of ages. Amen.