The way of God is prepared in the heart of men, when they humbly hear the speech of Truth, and are ready to the commandments of Life; of whom Jesus said, "He who loveth me holdeth my commandment, and my Father loveth him, and we will come to him, and will dwell with him." His paths shall be straight, when, through good preaching, pure thoughts spring up in the mind of the listeners. Valleys betoken the humble, and hills the proud. At the Lord's advent valleys shall be filled, and hills lowered, as he himself said, "Everyone of them who exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he who humbleth himself shall be exalted." As water rushes from the hill and stands in the valley, so flees the Holy Ghost from the heart of proud men, and takes his dwelling in the humble, as the prophet said, "In whom resteth the Spirit of God but in the humble?" Crookednesses shall be straight, when the hearts of perverse men, which are agitated by the hooks of unrighteousness, are again made even by the ruling-rods of true righteousness. Sharpnesses shall be turned to smooth ways, when angry and ungentle minds turn to gentleness through infusion of the heavenly grace. Tedious it would be for us to recount and for you to hear all the depths of the great Baptist's preaching: how with strong reproof and severe admonition he inclined the {365} hard-hearted of the Jewish people to the way of life, and after his suffering announced Christ's advent to the inhabitants of hell, as he in life had with loud voice boldly preached their own redemption to mankind. Let us now pray the Powerful Saviour, that he, through the mediation of the great Forerunner and Baptist, be merciful to us in the present life, and lead us to the life eternal, to whom be glory and praise with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever to eternity. Amen. * * * * * III. K[=AL]. I[=UL]. PASSIO APOSTOLORUM PETRI ET PAULI. Venit Iesus in partes Cæsareae Philippi: et reliqua. Matheus se Godspellere awrát on ðære godspellican gesetnysse, ðus cweðende, "Drihten com to anre burhscire, ðe is geciged Cesarea Philippi, and befrán his gingran hu menn be him cwyddedon. Hí andwyrdon, Sume menn cweðað þæt ðu sy Iohannes se Fulluhtere, sume secgað þæt ðu sy Helías, sume Hieremias, oððe sum oðer witega. Se Hælend ða cwæð, Hwæt secge ge þæt ic sy? Petrus him andwyrde, Þu eart Crist, ðæs lifigendan Godes Sunu. Drihten him cwæð to andsware, Eadig eart ðu, Simon, culfran bearn, forðan ðe flæsc and blod þe ne onwreah ðisne geleafan, ac min Fæder seðe on heofonum is. Ic ðe secge, þæt þu eart stænen, and ofer ðysne stán ic timbrige mine cyrcan, and helle gatu naht ne magon ongean hí. Ic betæce ðe heofonan rices cæge; and swa hwæt swa ðu bintst on eorðan, þæt bið gebunden on heofonum; and swa hwæt swa ðu unbintst ofer eorðan, þæt bið unbunden on heofonum."