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Just as a loving father, having an only-begotten child who has fallen into sickness, not accepting the medicines of the physicians but pushing them away, sitting beside him coaxes, kisses, and embraces him, 50.651 wishing with an excess of care to win him over and to persuade him to accept the correction that comes from the cure; so also Paul, loving the faithful throughout the whole world like an only-begotten son, and seeing many who had fallen into wickedness and incurable sicknesses of the soul, then not readily accepting reproof, nor the correction from rebuke, but leaping away, held them fast with his tears, so that seeing him lamenting and mourning, and being broken by the very sight, they might endure the treatment, and putting aside the sickness might return to health again; for this reason, when admonishing, he always wept. But if Paul used such great forethought concerning the sins of others, with how much zeal ought we to be employed toward the correction of our own? For great is the power of godly sorrow for the sake of benefit, and speaking of this Isaiah said thus, or rather, God through Isaiah: For a little while I grieved him for his sin. Not even a worthy punishment, he says, did I inflict for the transgression. For in righteous deeds God exceeds all measure in his rewards, but in sins, on account of his love for mankind, though he reproves in many ways, he brings a small punishment upon the transgressors. Which indeed he was hinting at here when he said: For a little while I grieved him for his sin, and I saw that he was grieved, and went away sad, and I healed his ways. 4. Do you see how swift and great is the benefit of repentance? Having punished him a little for his sins, he says, since I saw him become downcast and sad, I remitted even that small punishment; so ready is God for our reconciliations, and he seeks only a small pretext. Let us therefore provide him with the occasions for friendship toward us, and let us try to keep ourselves pure from sins, and if ever we should be tripped up, let us quickly rise up again, mourning our transgressions with much exactness, so that we may attain to the joy that is according to God. For if, because he was grieved and went away sad, he reconciled God, what will he not accomplish who also adds tears, and calls upon him with much earnestness? I know that your mind is now warmed; but let us act so as not to cool this warmth upon going out, but to keep it within ourselves; let us do this. The ground of your mind is fertile, it receives the seeds, and immediately gives the ears of corn; it needs no delay, nor time; but I fear your enemy. Outside the church stands the devil; for he does not dare to enter this holy fold; for where the shepherd of Christ is, a wolf does not appear, but stands outside, fearing the shepherd. When we go out from here, let us not immediately give ourselves over to untimely gatherings, or to unprofitable words, and profitless pastimes, but, as we have the things that were said in our memory, let us run home, and let each man, sitting with his wife and with his children, reflect with exactness on the things that were said. But if you do not wish to depart for home, having gathered for yourselves friends who were partners in the hearing, meet together in private, and each one contributing from himself what he was able to retain, make the teaching complete a second time, 50.652 so that you may not be gathered here in vain. For the commandments of God are a lamp; For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light, and life, and reproof, and instruction; and he who lights a lamp does not stand in the marketplace, but runs home, so as not to extinguish the fire by a blast of wind, nor to consume the flame by a long delay; so also

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Καθάπερ πατὴρ φιλόστοργος παῖδα ἔχων μονογενῆ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπεσόντα, μὴ προσιέμενον τὰ φάρμακα τῶν ἰατρῶν, ἀλλὰ διωθούμενον, παρακαθήμενος κολακεύει, φιλεῖ, περιπτύσ 50.651 σεται τῇ τῆς θεραπείας ὑπερβολῇ βουλόμενος ἐπισπάσασθαι, καὶ πεῖσαι δέξασθαι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς θεραπείας διόρθωσιν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοὺς πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης πιστοὺς, καθάπερ υἱὸν μονογενῆ φιλῶν, καὶ ὁρῶν πολλοὺς πονηρίᾳ περιπεσόντας καὶ ἀῤῥωστίαις ἀνιάτοις ψυχῆς, εἶτα εὐκόλως οὐ δεχομένους τὸν ἔλεγχον, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιτιμήσεως διόρθωσιν, ἀλλ' ἀποπηδῶντας, τοῖς δάκρυσι κατεῖχεν, ἵνα ὀδυρόμενον αὐτὸν καὶ θρηνοῦντα ἰδόντες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν κατακλασθέντες αὐτὴν, ἀνάσχωνται τῆς ἰατρείας, καὶ τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ἀποθέμενοι πρὸς ὑγείαν ἐπανέλθωσι πάλιν· διὰ τοῦτο νουθετῶν ἐδάκρυεν ἀεί. Εἰ δὲ τοσαύτῃ περὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁμαρτήματα προνοίᾳ κέχρηται Παῦλος, πόσῃ πρὸς τὴν τῶν οἰκείων διόρθωσιν ἡμᾶς προθυμίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι δεῖ; Καὶ γὰρ πολλὴ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν λύπης ἡ δύναμις εἰς ὠφελείας λόγον, καὶ περὶ ταύτης ὁ Ἡσαΐας διηγούμενος οὕτως ἔλεγε, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Θεὸς δι' Ἡσαΐα· ∆ι' ἁμαρτίας βραχύ τι ἐλύπησα αὐτόν. Οὐδὲ ἀξίαν, φησὶν, ἐπέθηκα τῆς πλημμελείας τὴν κόλασιν. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς κατορθώμασιν ὑπερβαίνει τὰ μέτρα ταῖς ἀντιδόσεσιν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι, διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐλέγχων πολλαχοῦ, βραχεῖαν τὴν κόλασιν ἐπάγει τῶν πεπλημμελημένων. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγε· ∆ι' ἁμαρτίαν βραχύ τι ἐλύπησα αὐτὸν, καὶ εἶδον, ὅτι ἐλυπήθη, καὶ ἐπορεύθη στυγνὸς, καὶ ἰασάμην τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. δʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ ταχίστη καὶ πολλὴ τῆς μετανοίας ἡ ὠφέλεια; Ὀλίγα κολάσας αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ εἶδον κατηφῆ γενόμενον καὶ στυγνὸν, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν μικρὰν ἀνῆκα τιμωρίαν· οὕτω καὶ ἕτοιμός ἐστι πρὸς τὰς ἡμετέρας καταλλαγὰς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πρόφασιν βραχεῖαν ἐπιζητεῖ μόνον. Παρέχωμεν τοίνυν αὐτῷ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίας τὰς ἀφορμὰς, καθαρούς τε ἁμαρτημάτων ἑαυτοὺς πειρώμεθα διασώζειν, καὶ εἴποτε ὑποσκελισθείημεν, διαναστῶμεν ταχέως πενθοῦντες τὰ πεπλημμελημένα μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας, ἵνα τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν χαρᾶς ἐπιτύχωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἐλυπήθη, καὶ στυγνὸς ἐπορεύθη, κατήλλαξε τὸν Θεὸν, ὁ καὶ δάκρυα προσθεὶς, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸν ἐκτενείας καλῶν, τὶ οὐκ ἐργάσεται; Οἶδα ὅτι διεθερμάνθη νῦν ὑμῶν ἡ διάνοια, ἀλλ' ὅπως τὴν θερμότητα ταύτην μὴ ἐξελθόντες ἔξω καταψύξωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κατάσχωμεν, τοῦτο ποιήσωμεν. Εὔφορος ἡ χώρα τῆς ὑμετέρας διανοίας, δέχεται τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ εὐθέως δίδωσι τοὺς στάχυας, οὐ δεῖται ἀναβολῆς, οὐδὲ χρόνου· ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι τὸν ἐχθρὸν τὸν ὑμέτερον. Ἔξω τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἕστηκεν ὁ διάβολος· εἰς γὰρ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην μάνδραν εἰσελθεῖν οὐ τολμᾷ· ἔνθα γὰρ ποίμην Χριστοῦ, λύκος οὐ φαίνεται, ἀλλ' ἔξω τὸν ποιμένα δεδοικὼς ἕστηκεν. Ἂν ἐξέλθωμεν ἐντεῦθεν, εὐθέως μὴ πρὸς συνουσίας ἀκαίρους, ἢ πρὸς λόγους ἀνονήτους, καὶ διατριβὰς ἀκερδεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδῶμεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχομεν ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ τὰ εἰρημένα, τρέχωμεν οἴκαδε, καὶ καθίσας ἕκαστος μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς, μετὰ τῶν παίδων μελετάτω μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὰ εἰρημένα. Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλεσθε οἴκαδε ἀναχωρεῖν, φίλους τοὺς κοινωνοὺς τῆς ἀκροάσεως ὑμῖν συλλέξαντες κατ' ἰδίαν συνεδρεύετε, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ φέρων ἕκαστος ἅπερ ἴσχυσε διατηρῆσαι, ἀπηρτισμένην ἐκ δευτέρου ποιεῖσθε τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἵνα 50.652 μὴ μάτην ἐνταῦθα συλλέγησθε. Λύχνος γάρ ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ προστάγματα· Λύχνος γὰρ ἐντολὴ νόμου καὶ φῶς, καὶ ζωὴ, καὶ ἔλεγχος, καὶ παιδεία· ὁ δὲ τὸν λύχνον ἀνάπτων, οὐχ ἵσταται ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ἀλλ' οἴκαδε τρέχει, ὥστε μὴ ἀνέμων προσβολῇ κατασβέσαι τὸ πῦρ, μήτε μακρᾷ διατριβῇ ἀναλῶσαι τὴν φλόγα· οὕτω