Homilies on the Gospel of John

^6. Having therefore ordered yourselves, so come to our next assembly, if at least it be at all an object of desire to you to hear somewhat to your advantage, and lay up what is said in your souls. But let not one of you be the “wayside,” none the “stony ground,” none the “full of thorns.” Let us make ourselves fallow lands. For so shall we (the preachers) put in the seed with gladness, when we see the land clean, but if stony or rough, pardon us if we like not to labor in vain. For if we shall leave off sowing and begin to cut up thorns, surely to cast seed into ground unwrought were extreme folly.

It is not meet that he who has the advantage of such hearing be partaker of the table of devils. “For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness?” You stand listening to John, and learning the things of the Spirit by him; and do you after this depart to listen to harlots speaking vile things, and acting viler, and to effeminates cuffing one another? How will you be able to be fairly cleansed, if you wallow in such mire? Why need I reckon in detail all the indecency that is there? All there is laughter, all is shame, all disgrace, revilings and mockings, all abandonment, all destruction. See, I forewarn and charge you all. Let none of those who enjoy the blessings of this table destroy his own soul by those pernicious spectacles. All that is said and done there is a pageant of Satan. But you who have been initiated know what manner of covenants you made with us, or rather you made with Christ when He guided you into His mysteries, what you spoke to Him, what speech you had with Him concerning Satan's pageant; how with Satan and his angels you renounced this also, and promised that you would not so much as cast a glance that way. There is then no slight ground for fear, lest, by becoming careless of such promises, one should render himself unworthy of these mysteries.