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he says through the prophet: Not an ambassador, nor an angel, but the Lord Himself saved us. Are these things not brighter than ten thousand crowns? that we have been sanctified? that we have been justified? that it is through faith? that the only-begotten Son of God came down from heaven for us? that the Father gave his beloved for us? that we have received the Holy Spirit? that it was with all ease? that we have enjoyed an unspeakable grace and gift? Having therefore said these things, and having declared all things in a few 51.161 words, he again brought his discourse down to hope. For having said, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, he added: And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Since, then, he spoke of things that have happened, and things that are to come; for to be justified, and for the Son to be slain for us, and through Him to be brought to the Father, and to enjoy grace and a gift, and to be freed from sins, and to have peace with God, and to partake of the Holy Spirit, these are things that have happened; but the things to come were that ineffable glory; which he also added, saying: Wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God; but hope, as I have already said, is not very able to set upright and raise a faint-hearted hearer; see what he does again, and behold the vigor of Paul, and his philosophical mind. For from those very things that seem to grieve and disturb and trouble the hearer, from these very things he weaves the crowns of comfort and boasting. For after he enumerated all these things, he then adds, saying: Not only these things do I say, which I have said, he says, such as, that we have been sanctified, that we have been justified, that it is through the Only-begotten, that we have enjoyed grace, that we have enjoyed peace, that we have enjoyed a gift, that we have enjoyed the remission of sins, that we have enjoyed the communion of the Holy Spirit, that it was with all ease, that it was also without toils, and without sweats, that it was by faith alone, that He sent the only-begotten Son, that He gave one thing, and promised another, an unspeakable glory, incorruption, the resurrection of bodies, an angelic portion, life with Christ, a dwelling in the heavens; for all these things he set forth in saying, And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Therefore he does not say only these things that have happened and that are to be, but also those very things that seem to be grievous among men, I mean the tribunals, the abductions, the deaths, the threats, the famines, the tortures, the frying pans, the furnaces, the plunder, the wars, the sieges, the battles, the seditions, the contentions, and these he places in the order of a gift and of achievements. For we must not only rejoice and be glad in those things that have been said, but we must also boast in these things, as when he says: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh. Have you seen a vigorous soul, and a lofty mind, and an unwavering spirit, not only adorned by the crowns, but also delighting in the contests? not rejoicing in the rewards, but also exulting in the struggles? not being gladdened by the remunerations, but also boasting in the pancratium itself? For do not tell me of the kingdom of heaven, nor of those incorruptible crowns, nor of the prizes, but of the present things, which have tribulation and toil and much hardship; bring these things to the fore, and I will be able to show that we must boast in these things even more greatly. For in the case of external contests, the struggles 51.162 have the pain, but the crown has the pleasure; but here it is not so, but even before the crowns, the struggles themselves bring much boasting. And that you may learn that these things are of this manner, consider each of the saints who

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φησι διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Οὐ πρέσβυς, οὐδὲ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς. Ταῦτα οὐ μυρίων στεφάνων λαμπρότερα; ὅτι ἡγιάσθημεν; ὅτι ἐδικαιώθημεν; ὅτι διὰ πίστεως; ὅτι τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξ οὐρανῶν κατελθόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; ὅτι τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸν ἀγαπητὸν αὐτοῦ δεδωκότος δι' ἡμᾶς; ὅτι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐδεξάμεθα; ὅτι μετ' εὐκολίας ἁπάσης; ὅτι χάριτος ἀφάτου καὶ δωρεᾶς ἀπελαύσαμεν; Ταῦτα τοίνυν εἰπὼν, καὶ διὰ μικρῶν 51.161 ῥημάτων ἅπαντα δηλώσας, πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἐλπίδα τὸν λόγον κατέλυσεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ∆ικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως, εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν τῇ πίστει εἰς τὴν χάριν ταύτην, ἐν ᾗ ἑστήκαμεν, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εἶπε τὰ μὲν γεγενημένα, τὰ δὲ μέλλοντα· τὸ μὲν γὰρ δικαιωθῆναι, καὶ τὸ τὸν Υἱὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σφαγῆναι, καὶ τὸ δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ Πατρὶ προσαχθῆναι, καὶ τὸ χάριτος ἀπολαῦσαι, καὶ δωρεᾶς, καὶ τὸ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ τὸ εἰρήνην ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετασχεῖν, ταῦτα γεγενημένων ἐστί· τὰ δὲ μέλλοντα ἦν, ἡ δόξα ἐκείνη ἡ ἀπόῤῥητος· ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπήγαγε, λέγων· Ἐν ᾗ ἑστήκαμεν, καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐπὶ ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς, ὥσπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, οὐ σφόδρα ἱκανὴ τὸν μικρόψυχον ὀρθῶσαι καὶ ἀναστῆσαι ἀκροατήν· ὅρα τί ποιεῖ πάλιν, καὶ θέασαι τὴν εὐτονίαν Παύλου, καὶ τὴν φιλόσοφον γνώμην. Ἀπὸ γὰρ αὐτῶν τῶν δοκούντων λυπεῖν καὶ θορυβεῖν καὶ ταράττειν τὸν ἀκροατὴν, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τούτων ἀναπλέκει τῆς παρακλήσεως καὶ τοῦ καυχήματος τοὺς στεφάνους. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ταῦτα πάντα κατέλεξε, λοιπὸν ἐπάγει λέγων· Οὐ μόνον ταῦτα λέγω, ἅπερ εἶπον, φησὶν, οἷον τὸ, ὅτι ἡγιάσθημεν, ὅτι ἐδικαιώθημεν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ὅτι χάριτος ἀπηλαύσαμεν, ὅτι εἰρήνης, ὅτι δωρεᾶς, ὅτι ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως, ὅτι Πνεύματος ἁγίου κοινωνίας, ὅτι μετ' εὐκολίας ἁπάσης, ὅτι καὶ χωρὶς μόχθων, καὶ χωρὶς ἱδρώτων, ὅτι πίστει μόνῃ, ὅτι τὸν Υἱὸν ἔπεμψε τὸν μονογενῆ, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἔδωκε, τὸ δὲ ἐπηγγείλατο, δόξαν ἄῤῥητον, ἀφθαρσίαν, σωμάτων ἀνάστασιν, λῆξιν ἀγγελικὴν, τὴν μετὰ Χριστοῦ διαγωγὴν, τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς διατριβήν· ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα παρέστησεν ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν, Καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ τοίνυν ταῦτα λέγει μόνον τὰ γενόμενα καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι ἐν ἀνθρώποις λυπηρὰ, τὰ δικαστήρια λέγω, τὰς ἀπαγωγὰς, τοὺς θανάτους, τὰς ἀπειλὰς, τοὺς λιμοὺς, τὰς βασάνους, τὰ τήγανα, τὰς καμίνους, τὴν λεηλασίαν, τοὺς πολέμους, τὰς πολιορκίας. τὰς μάχας, τὰς στάσεις, τὰς φιλονεικίας, καὶ ταῦτα τίθησιν ἐν τάξει δωρεᾶς καὶ κατορθωμάτων. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπ' ἐκείνοις μόνοις τοῖς εἰρημένοις χαίρειν δεῖ καὶ γεγηθέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτοις καυχᾶσθαι χρὴ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασί μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου. Εἶδες ψυχὴν εὔτονον, καὶ γνώμην ὑψηλὴν, καὶ φρόνημα ἀπερίτρεπτον, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς στεφάνοις καλλωπιζόμενον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγωνίσμασιν ἐνηδυνόμενον; οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀμοιβαῖς χαίροντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς παλαίσμασιν ἐναβρυνόμενον; οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀντιδόσεσιν εὐφραινόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ παγκρατίῳ καυχώμενον; Μὴ γάρ μοι λέγε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, μηδὲ τοὺς στεφάνους ἐκείνους τοὺς ἀκηράτους, μηδὲ τὰ βραβεῖα, ἀλλ' αὐτὰ τὰ παρόντα, τὰ θλίψιν ἔχοντα καὶ μόχθον καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν πολλήν· ταῦτα εἰς μέσον ἄγε, καὶ δυνήσομαι δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἐπὶ τούτοις καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ μᾶλλον μειζόνως. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων τὰ μὲν πα51.162 λαίσματα τὸν πόνον ἔχει, ὁ δὲ στέφανος τὴν ἡδονήν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῶν στεφάνων αὐτὰ τὰ παλαίσματα πολὺ φέρει τὸ καύχημα. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἀναλογίσασθε ἕκαστον τῶν ἁγίων τῶν