The House On A Rock

Simulabo eum viro sapienti, qui aedificavit domum suam supra petram, et descendit pluvia, et venerunt flumina, et flaverunt venti... Sicut enim non est possibile, ut ex sola pluvi fructicet terra, nisi falverit super eam ventus: sic non est possibile, ut sola doctrina corrigat hominem, nisi cooperatrus fuerit Spiritus sanctus in corde ipsius. Flumen autem sunt, ex parte quidem mala, hominis immundo spiritu pleni, et in verbositate structi: quales sunt philosophi dogmatum diversorum, ortators, grammatici, caeterique non secundum Deum sapientes: de quorum ventre exeunt flumina aquae mortuae. Ex parte autem bona, evangelistae, doctores populi, caeterique sapientes secundum Deum: de quorum ventre exeunt flumina aquae vivae. Ecclesiam ergo, quam Christus vir sapiens super petram aedificavit, neque pluvia mendacis doctrinae corrumpit, neque diabolicus ventus impelit, neque violentorum fluminum impetus movet. Nam etsi humiliater Ecclesia propter tenationem, tamen perire non potest propter fidem Christi. Nec est contrarium, quod quidam de Ecclesia cadunt: illi enim numquam Christiani fuerunt. Sicut non omnes qui sunt ex Israel, hi sunt Israelitae: sic non omnes qui Christiani dicuntur, sunt et Christi. Christianorum enim opera sunt aspicienda, non nomina. Dicit enim Apostolus: Cognovit Dominus qui sunt ipsius; et discedat ab iniquitate omnis qui invocat nomen Domini Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XX Source: Migne PG 56.678-9

'I shall liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock and the rains fells and the floods came, and the winds blew...' 1 As it not possible that the earth is fructified by rain alone but a wind must blow upon it, so it is not possible that teaching alone will correct a man unless the Holy Spirit works in his heart. There are rivers which are bad, which are men full with unclean spirits and fashioned by verbosity, like the philosophers of the various schools, and orators and grammarians, and the rest who are not wise according to God, and from their stomachs pour out the river waters of death. And there are good rivers, the evangelists, teachers of the people, and others who are wise according to God, from which flow the waters of life. 2 The Church, therefore, which the wise man Christ built on a rock, 3 is not corrupted by the rains of false teaching, nor shaken by the devil's wind, not does the force of raging rivers move it. For even if the Church is humiliated in trials yet it cannot perish because of faith in Christ. On the contrary when some of the Church fall, they never were Christians, since as not all from Israel are Israelites, 4 so not all who are called Christians belong to Christ. The works of Christians must be seen not just the name. The Apostle says, 'God knows who are His, and He shall cut off from every wickedness the one who calls on the name of the Lord.' 5 Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 20 1 Mt 7.24-25 2 Jn 7.38 3 Mt 16.18 4 Rom 9.6 5 2 Tim 2.19