Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matt 7:25-27)
Therefore, because eternal disgrace and shame have been stored up for us if we sin,* let us pray to God with our whole heart, that he may grant to us to strive for truth through the efforts of our minds and bodies, all the way to the end, so that, even if a certain amount of time intervenes to test our faith—for “as gold is tested in the furnace,”† so also our faith is tested in dangers and persecutions—even if persecution breaks out, he will find us prepared, so as to not have our house fall in the storm; so that our building will not be scattered by the tempest because it was constructed on the sand; so that when the devil’s winds blow (that is, the wicked spirits), our works will stand firm—and they have stood firm until this day, if at any rate they have not been secretly undermined; and, in our girded-up, hampered state, we will make manifest our love, which we have toward God in Christ Jesus, “to whom belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”‡
* Origen has apostasy in view, not occasional sin.
† Cf. Wisdom of Solomon 3:6; Proverbs 27:21 (Vulgate)
‡ 1 Peter 4:11
Therefore, because eternal disgrace and shame have been stored up for us if we sin,* let us pray to God with our whole heart, that he may grant to us to strive for truth through the efforts of our minds and bodies, all the way to the end, so that, even if a certain amount of time intervenes to test our faith—for “as gold is tested in the furnace,”† so also our faith is tested in dangers and persecutions—even if persecution breaks out, he will find us prepared, so as to not have our house fall in the storm; so that our building will not be scattered by the tempest because it was constructed on the sand; so that when the devil’s winds blow (that is, the wicked spirits), our works will stand firm—and they have stood firm until this day, if at any rate they have not been secretly undermined; and, in our girded-up, hampered state, we will make manifest our love, which we have toward God in Christ Jesus, “to whom belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”‡
Origen of Alexandria: Exegetical Works on Ezekiel, 10.5.3
* Origen has apostasy in view, not occasional sin.
† Cf. Wisdom of Solomon 3:6; Proverbs 27:21 (Vulgate)
‡ 1 Peter 4:11
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