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baptizing and offering the bloodless sacrifice, lends his hands to the matter at hand; and the Holy Spirit sanctifies and magnifies these things. Therefore, here too, when you repent and confess, he lends nothing other than his tongue, and God grants you salvation and remission. And if these things are so, and it is possible to be saved through repentance after baptism, why did the apostle Peter put Ananias and Sapphira to death immediately, and not recall them through repentance? Pay close attention. The blessed Peter did not hide the plaster of repentance; but they themselves, having fallen into such a transgression, did not seek the fitting plaster of repentance; but by the devil's counsel they perished along with their money. For repentance is not when it is honored by the voice, but when it is recognized by deed. For there is a repentance that comes forth from the soul, and there is a repentance that is done superficially; whence some are saved, but others are condemned. The blessed Peter repented, and the wretched Judas; but Peter, having genuinely repented and wept and washed away his denial with tears, returned again to his former honor; but Judas made his repentance a careless work. For though he threw down the silver pieces to the Jews and said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood," yet he did not groan, he did not weep, he did not do things worthy of repentance, but only wove a noose, and fully satisfied the devil. What then of Simon Magus? Having been baptized and tripped up, and condemned by Peter for offering money in order to trade in the priceless gift, did he not ask for repentance? Did not the blessed Peter answer, saying: "Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord"? Why, he says, did he not say these words to Ananias and Sapphira, "Repent of your wickedness"? Pay close attention. The grace of the Spirit is not to be mocked. For Ananias and Sapphira, being rebuked by Peter and hearing from him, "Why is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?", did not confess their sin, did not fall down, did not pray, did not say, "We have erred as men," but what? Being rebuked by him they opposed his words, trying to deceive him, not understanding that the Holy Spirit is not to be mocked. Whence immediately the blessed Peter, being provoked, delivered a fitting sentence upon them. But Simon, when he heard from the apostle Peter, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money," was not indignant, did not become unruly, did not leap away, although he was wicked; but receiving the insults and the rebukes as a healing remedy, he fell down not only before Peter but also before all the apostles and said: "Pray to God for me, that none of the evil things you have spoken may come upon me." Greatly, he says, have I sinned; I do not dare to propitiate God by myself; you who are mediators, intercede for me. Well, therefore, did Ecclesiastes say, "A time to weep, and a time to laugh"; a time to weep for those who are incurably sick, and a time to laugh for those who love repentance. For thus the great Joseph wept, as if persuaded by a prophetic gaze by the blessed David who says: "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." 62.763 Therefore Joseph also sowed the tears of brotherly love, and he reaped the crown of the kingdom. For you all know clearly that, after that wondrous recognition, when Joseph saw his own brothers, he did not wish to reproach them. For what kind of brothers were they who, as much as it was in their power, tore apart the twelve-stranded chain of brotherhood? Nevertheless Joseph, having transformed his afflictions into assistance, wept upon the necks of his brothers, over them. Because of

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βαπτίζων καὶ προσφέρων τὴν ἀναίμακτον θυσίαν, τὰς χεῖρας κιχρᾷ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον· τὸ δὲ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ταῦτα ἁγιάζει καὶ μεγαλύνει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐνταῦθα μετανοοῦντός σου καὶ ἐξομολογουμένου, οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἢ τὴν γλῶτταν κιχρᾷ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν σοι καὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν παρέχει. Καὶ εἰ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, καὶ εἶ οἷόν τέ ἐστι μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα διὰ μετανοίας σωθῆναι, διὰ τί ὁ ἀπόστολος Πέτρος τὸν Ἀνανίαν καὶ τὴν Σάπφειραν παραυτὰ ἐθανάτωσε, καὶ οὐχὶ διὰ μετανοίας αὐτοὺς ἀνεκαλέσατο; Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς. Οὐχὶ ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος ἀπέκρυψε τὴν ἔμπλαστρον τῆς μετανοίας· ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ οἱ τῷ τοιούτῳ πτώματι περιπεσόντες, οὐκ ἐπεζήτησαν τὴν μετανοητικὴν πρόσφορον ἔμπλαστρον· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ διαβόλου παραινέσει συναπώλοντο καὶ τοῖς χρήμασι. Τότε γὰρ μετάνοια, οὐχ ὅτε τῇ φωνῇ τιμᾶται, ἀλλ' ὅτε τῇ πράξει γνωρίζεται. Ἔστι γὰρ μετάνοια ἀπὸ ψυχῆς προβαλλομένη, καὶ ἔστι μετάνοια ἐπιπολαίως γινομένη· ὅθεν οἱ μὲν σώζονται, οἱ δὲ κατακρίνονται. Μετενόησεν ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος, καὶ ὁ ἄθλιος Ἰούδας· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Πέτρος γνησίως μετανοήσας καὶ δακρύσας καὶ τὴν ἄρνησιν διὰ τῶν δακρύων ἀποπλύνας, εἰς τὴν προτέραν τιμὴν πάλιν ἐπανῆλθεν· ὁ δὲ Ἰούδας πάρεργον εἰργάσατο τὴν μετάνοιαν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἀργύρια προσέῤῥιψε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ εἶπεν, Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐστέναξεν, οὐκ ἐδάκρυσεν, οὐκ ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔπραξεν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀγχόνην πλέξας, τὸν διάβολον ἐπληροφόρησε. Τί οὖν Σίμων ὁ μάγος; βαπτισθεὶς καὶ σκελισθεὶς, καὶ ὑπὸ Πέτρου κατακριθεὶς ὡς χρήματα προσενέγκας, ἵνα τὴν ἀκαπήλευτον δωρεὰν πραγματεύσηται, οὐ τὴν μετάνοιαν ᾔτησεν; οὐχὶ ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων· Μετανόησον ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας σου ταύτης, καὶ δεήθητι τοῦ Κυρίου; ∆ιὰ τί, φησὶ, τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ καὶ τῇ Σαπφείρᾳ οὐκ εἶπε τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, Μετανοήσατε ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας ὑμῶν; Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς. Οὐ παίζεται ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις. Ὁ Ἀνανίας γὰρ καὶ ἡ Σάπφειρα ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Πέτρου, καὶ ἀκούοντες παρ' αὐτοῦ, Τί ὅτι συνεφωνήθη ὑμῖν πειράσαι τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου; οὐχ ὡμολόγησαν τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐ προσέπεσαν, οὐκ ἐδεήθησαν, οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι Ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἐσφάλημεν, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀντετίθουν τοῖς αὐτοῦ ῥήμασι, πειρώμενοι αὐτὸν κρύπτειν, μὴ συνιέντες ὡς οὐ παίζεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ὅθεν παραυτὰ ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος παροξυνθεὶς, ἁρμόζουσαν αὐτοῖς ἐξήνεγκε τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Ὁ δέ γε Σίμων ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου, Τὸ ἀργύριόν σου σὺν σοὶ εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν, ὅτι τὴν δωρεὰν ἐνόμισας διὰ χρημάτων κτᾶσθαι, οὐκ ἠγανάκτησεν, οὐκ ἀφηνίασεν, οὐκ ἀπεπήδησε, καίτοι πονηρὸς ὤν· ἀλλὰ τὰς ὕβρεις καὶ τὰς ἐπισκήψεις, ὡς ἀντιδότους αἰτίας, δεξάμενος, οὐ μόνον τῷ Πέτρῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀποστόλοις προπεσὼν ἔλεγε· ∆εήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὅπως μηδὲν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ, ὧν εἰρήκατε κακῶν. Μεγάλως, φησὶν, ἥμαρτον· οὐ τολμῶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἐξιλεώσασθαι· ὑμεῖς οἱ μεσῖται ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρεσβεύσατε. Καλῶς οὖν ἔλεγεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι· καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι τοὺς τὰ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας, καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι τοὺς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἀγαπῶντας. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔκλαυσεν ὁ μέγας Ἰωσὴφ, οἱονεὶ τῷ προφητικῷ βλέμματι προσπεισθεὶς τῷ μακαρίῳ ∆αυῒδ τῷ λέγοντι· Οἱ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θεριοῦσιν. Ἔσπειρεν 62.763 οὖν καὶ Ἰωσὴφ τὰ δάκρυα τῆς φιλαδελφίας, καὶ ἐθέρισε τὸν στέφανον τῆς βασιλείας. Ἴστε γὰρ πάντες σαφῶς, ὡς, μετὰ τὸν παράδοξον ἐκεῖνον ἀναγνωρισμὸν, θεασάμενος Ἰωσὴφ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφοὺς, προσονειδίσαι οὐκ ἠθέλησε. Ποῖοι γὰρ ἀδελφοὶ οἱ τὴν δωδεκάσειρον ἅλυσιν τῆς ἀδελφότητος, ὅσον τὸ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, διαῤῥήξαντες; Ὅμως ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τὰς θλίψεις εἰς ἀντιλήψεις μεταχλευάσας, ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔκλαυσεν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. ∆ιὰ