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Come, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. I do not work a display of words, I have delivered to you the experience of deeds; That I am gentle and lowly in heart, consider from what I became. Behold my form, and understand my worth, and worship my condescension for your sake; consider whence I have come, where I converse with you; having heaven as a throne, I stand speaking to you upon the earth; above I am glorified, and as long-suffering I am not angry, For I am gentle and lowly in heart. If I were not a gentle Son of the King, I would not have chosen a handmaid for a mother; if I were not the gentle creator of invisible and visible substance, I would not have come among you; if I were not gentle, I, the father of the ages, would not have endured swaddling clothes; if I were not lowly, I, who possess the wealth of all creation, would not have accepted the poverty of a manger; if I were not gentle, I, who am not even seen by the Cherubim, would not have lived with irrational beasts; if I were not gentle, I, who spit light to the blind, would not have been spat upon by lawless lips; if I were not gentle, I, freeing slaves, would not have endured the slavish blow; if I were not gentle, I would not have offered my back 50.723 to scourges for the sake of captives. But why do I not say what is greater? if I were not gentle, when others owed the debt of suffering, I, who owed nothing, would not have paid the debt of death on their behalf. And I paid it so that I might also cancel the penalty of condemnation for those held down in Hades; for I am not only king of the living, but also Lord of the dead. For this reason I came by either way of the economy. I appeared as a man, and I also became dead for a short time, so that to all, even to those under the earth, I might distribute the gift of my incorruptibility.

Come, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. The lowliness is of will, not of nature; I have an unapproachable substance, but a mind that goes out to all. Come, learn from me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, not in dignity; I am moderate in will, not in strength; because of my strength I am fearsome to angels, because of my will I am lowly to men; Come, learn from me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart. I do not speak from what I am, but I converse from what I pity. I love goodness above authority. I who say these things to you am a King; I have greatness of power, but I do not overwhelm your weakness with my present might. I do not say, Come, learn from me that I am Master, the Lord of creation, who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble, who measured heaven with a span and holds the earth in his hand; but, Come, learn from me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart. So gentle am I, you have sinned, and I was scourged; so willingly am I lowly, I the Master came to free those who are enslaved, and they, the enslaved, both struck me the liberator and crucified me, and in addition to this, interceding for them to my Father, I said: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Come therefore, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; come, I entreat you, praying, I am not ashamed to entreat, I choose to beseech my servants, so that I may not be forced to punish; come, learn my gentleness before you see my fearsomeness; come now, I heal, after a little while I will reckon; now I spare, after a short while I will pronounce judgment; now I am a lover of mankind, after a little while I shall appear as a just judge. Come, learn that I am gentle and lowly in heart. Either honor my gentleness, or revere my power. Come, come before my face with confession; for the matters of such moderation on my part have been appointed for a time.

3. The present life alone is the demonstration of my long-suffering; the time will come, when

the door of this my goodness will be shut; the time will come, when a tear of sinners, being shed, will not help; the time will come, when trumpets sounding from all sides will declare my second coming, when running through the whole earth

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∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὐκ ἐπίδειξιν ῥημάτων ἐργάζομαι, πραγμάτων ὑμῖν παραδέδωκα πεῖραν· Ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἀφ' ὧν ἐγενόμην θεώρησον. Βλέπε μου τὴν μορφὴν, καὶ ἐννόει μου τὴν ἀξίαν, καὶ προσκύνει δέ μου τὴν διὰ σὲ συγκατάβασιν· λόγισαι πόθεν ἐλθὼν, ποῦ σοι συνδιαλέγομαι· οὐρανὸν ἔχων θρόνον, ἐπὶ γῆς σοι φθεγγόμενος ἵσταμαι· ἄνω δοξάζομαι, καὶ ὡς μακρόθυμος οὐκ ὀργίζομαι, Ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Εἰ μὴ ἤμην πρᾶος τοῦ Βασιλέως Υἱὸς, οὐκ ἂν δούλην ἐπελεγόμην μητέρα· εἰ μὴ ἤμην πρᾶος ὁ τῆς ἀφανοῦς καὶ φαινομένης οὐσίας δημιουργὸς, οὐκ ἂν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπεδήμουν· εἰ μὴ ἤμην πρᾶος, οὐκ ἂν ὑπὸ σπαργάνων ἠνειχόμην ὁ τῶν αἰώνων πατήρ· εἰ μὴ ἤμην ταπεινὸς, οὐκ ἂν φάτνης ἐδεχόμην πενίαν ὁ τῆς κτίσεως ὅλης κεκτημένος τὸν πλοῦτον· εἰ μὴ ἤμην πρᾶος, οὐκ ἂν συνδιῆγον ἀλόγοις ὁ μηδὲ τοῖς Χερουβὶμ θεωρούμενος· εἰ μὴ ἤμην πρᾶος, οὐκ ἂν ὁ φῶς ἐμπτύων τυφλοῖς ὑπὸ ἀνόμων ἐνεπτυόμην χειλέων· εἰ μὴ πρᾶος ἤμην, οὐκ ἂν δούλους ἐλευθερῶν ἐγὼ τὸν δουλικὸν ὑπέμεινα ῥαπισμόν· εἰ μὴ πρᾶος ἤμην, οὐκ ἂν νῶτόν μου 50.723 παρεῖχον ὑπὲρ αἰχμαλώτων εἰς μάστιγας. Τί δὲ τὸ μεῖζον οὐ λέγω; εἰ μὴ πρᾶος ἤμην, ἄλλων τὸ παθεῖν χρεωστούντων, οὐκ ἂν ὁ μηδὲν ὀφείλων ἐγὼ τὸ τοῦ θανάτου χρέος ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων κατέβαλον. Κατεβαλόμην δὲ ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδῃ κάτω κατεχομένοις τῆς καταδίκης διαλύσω τὸ πρόστιμον· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ζώντων εἰμὶ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεκρῶν ∆εσπότης. Τούτου χάριν ἑκατέραν ἦλθον τῆς οἰκονομίας ὁδόν. Ἐφάνην ἄνθρωπος, γέγονα καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον νεκρὸς, ἵνα πᾶσι καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ γῆν τῆς ἐμῆς ἀφθαρσίας διανείμω τὸ χάρισμα.

∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Γνώμης, οὐ φύσεως ἡ εὐτέλεια· οὐσίαν ἀπρόσιτον ἔχω, διάνοιαν δὲ πρὸς πάντας βαδίζουσαν. ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, οὐ τῇ ἀξίᾳ· μέτριος τὴν γνώμην, οὐ τὴν ῥώμην ὑπάρχω· διὰ τὴν ῥώμην ἀγγέλοις φοβερός εἰμι, διὰ τὴν γνώμην ἀνθρώποις ταπεινὸς ἐγώ· ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν ὑπάρχω, λαλῶ, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ὧν ἐλεῶ, διαλέγομαι. Ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν φιλῶ τὴν χρηστότητα. Βασιλεὺς ὁ ταῦτά σοι λέγων εἰμί· μέγεθος ἔστι μοι δυνάμεως, ἀλλ' οὐ καταπλήττω σου τῷ παρόντι μοι δυνατῷ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Οὐ λέγω, ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι ∆εσπότης εἰμὶ, ὁ τῆς κτίσεως Κύριος, ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν, ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν μετρήσας σπιθαμῇ, καὶ τὴν γῆν κατέχων δρακί· ἀλλὰ, ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὕτως εἰμὶ πρᾶος, ἥμαρτες σὺ, καὶ ἐμαστιγώθην ἐγώ· οὕτως ἑκών εἰμι ταπεινὸς, ἦλθον ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐλευθερῶσαι τοὺς δουλεύοντας, καὶ αὐτοί με τὸν ἐλευθερωτὴν ἐῤῥάπισαν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν οἱ δουλεύοντες, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις πρὸς τὸν ἐμὸν Πατέρα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβεύων ἔλεγον· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι. ∆εῦτε οὖν, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ· δεῦτε, ἱκετεύω δεόμενος, ἱκετεύειν οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι, τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους αἱροῦμαι παρακαλεῖν, ἵνα μὴ κολάζειν ἀναγκασθῶ· δεῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ πρᾶον πρὶν ἢ θεάσησθέ μου τὸ φοβερόν· δεῦτε νῦν, ἰατρεύω, μετὰ βραχὺ λογιστεύω· νῦν φείδομαι, μετὰ μικρὸν ἀποφαίνομαι· νῦν φιλάνθρωπος, μετ' ὀλίγον δικαιοκρίτης φανήσομαι. ∆εῦτε, μάθετε, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ἢ τὸ πρᾶον τιμήσατε, ἢ τὸ δυνατὸν εὐλαβήθητε. ∆εῦτε, φθάσατέ μου τὸ πρόσωπον ἐν ἐξομολογήσει· καιρῷ γὰρ τὰ τῆς τοιαύτης παρ' ἐμοῦ διώρισται μετριότητος.

γʹ. Ὁ παρὼν μόνος ἐστὶ βίος τῆς ἐμῆς μακροθυμίας ἐπίδειξις· ἥξει καιρὸς, ὅτε

ταύτης μου τῆς χρηστότητος ἡ θύρα κλεισθήσεται· ἥξει καιρὸς, ὅτε δάκρυον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ὠφελήσει σταζόμενον· ἥξει καιρὸς, ὅτε σάλπιγγες πανταχόθεν κτυποῦσαι τὴν δευτέραν μου παρουσίαν δηλοῦσιν, ὅτε τὴν γῆν ὅλην διατρέχοντες