Ezechiel 13:10

3. “Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name: be telling good tidings of His salvation from day to day” ( ver. 2 ). How doth the building increase? “Be telling,” he saith, “good tidings of His salvation from day to day.” Let it be preached from day to day; from day to day, he saith, let it be built; let My house, saith God, increase. And as if it were said by the workmen, Where dost Thou command it to be built? Where dost Thou will Thy house to increase? Choose for us some level, spacious spot, if Thou wish an ample house built Thee. Where dost Thou bid us be telling good tidings from day to day? He showeth the place: “Declare His honour unto the heathen:” His honour, not yours. O ye builders, “Declare His honour unto the heathen.” Should ye choose to declare your own honour, ye shall fall: if His, ye shall be built up, while ye are building. …

Then, that they might learn that nothing was opposed to God’s will of the things doing, but that the event was even highly acceptable, and beyond expectation, and amazing every one of the beholders (for indeed the miracle was far beyond words), He added and said, “It is the Lord’s doing.” And by the stone He means Himself, and by builders the teachers of the Jews; as Ezekiel also saith, “They that build the wall, and daub it with untempered mortar.” But how did they reject Him? By saying, “This man is not of God; This man deceiveth the people;”and again, “Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil.”

4. Such being the state of the case, what object is served by “silly women laden with sins, carried about with every wind of doctrine, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth?” Or how is the cause helped by the men who dance attendance upon these, men with itching ears who know neither how to hear nor how to speak? They confound old mire with new cement and, as Ezekiel says, daub a wall with untempered mortar; so that, when the truth comes in a shower, they are brought to nought. It was with the help of the harlot Helena that Simon Magus founded his sect. Bands of women accompanied Nicolas of Antioch that deviser of all uncleanness. Marcion sent a woman before him to Rome to prepare men’s minds to fall into his snares. Apelles possessed in Philumena an associate in his false doctrines. …

6. But I must proceed to my former statement that Christ is called the Stone in the Prophets. For in ancient times David said concerning Him: The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the building . And how did the builders reject this Stone which is Christ? How else than that they so rejected Him before Pilate and said, This man shall not be King over us . And again in that parable that our Lord spake that a certain nobleman went to receive kingly power and to return and rule over them; and they sent after Him envoys saying: This man shall not be King over us . By these things they rejected the Stone which is Christ. And how did it become the head of the building? How else than that it was set up over the building of the Gentiles and upon it is reared up all their building. …