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he drew down the mercy of God, so as to deliver him from all the impending evils. For, it says, God said to Elijah: ‘Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before my face? Because he has wept before my face, I will not bring the evil in his days.’ And after him again Manasseh, who surpassed all in madness and tyranny, and who overturned the worship of the law, and filled the temple with idols, and made error to flourish, and became more impious than all who were before him, when he later repented, he was numbered among the friends of God. But if, looking to the greatness of his own iniquities, he had despaired of return and change, he would have fallen away from all that he afterwards obtained; but now, instead of the excess of his sins, looking to the infinite compassion of God and breaking the bonds of the devil, he rose up, and contended, and finished the good race. And not only through what happened to these men, but also through the words of the prophet, God cuts off the thoughts of despair, saying thus: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation.’ And ‘today’ can be said for one's whole life, and even, if you will, in old age itself; for repentance is judged not by the quantity of time, but by the disposition of the soul. For the Ninevites did not need many days to wipe away that sin, but a short period of a day was strong enough to make all their iniquity disappear; and the thief did not in a long time accomplish his entrance into paradise, but in as much time as one would spend uttering a single word, in such a moment, having been released from the sins of his whole life, he received the prize of approval even before the apostles. And we see also the martyrs, not in many years, but in a few days, and often in just one, putting on their glorious crowns.

7 So we have need everywhere of zeal and great purpose; and if we so prepare our conscience, so as to hate our former wickedness with as much vehemence, and to choose the opposite way, with as much as God wishes and requires, we will have nothing less on account of the times; for many who were last have thus surpassed the first. For it is not difficult to fall, but to lie fallen and not to rise up, but willingly being bad and indolent to hide the weakness of one's purpose with words of despair. To whom the prophet, being incensed, also said: ‘Does he who falls not rise up, or he who turns away not turn back?’ But if you should seek from us some of those who fell away again after believing, these things have been said on their behalf; for he who has fallen was formerly of those standing, not of those lying down; for how could such a one fall? but other things will also be said, some through parables, and some through clearer deeds and words. For that sheep, the one separated from the ninety-nine, then brought back again by the good shepherd, shows us nothing other than the fall and return of the faithful; for it was a sheep, and it was not of some other flock, but of the number of the rest, and it formerly grazed under the same shepherd, and it wandered no ordinary wandering, but upon the mountains and into the glens, that is, a long way and one far removed from the straight path. Did he then allow it, having wandered, to be lost? By no means, but he brought it back not by driving it, nor by whipping it, but by taking it up on his shoulders. For just as the best of physicians, with much therapy, bring back to health those suffering from a long illness, not only treating them according to the law of medicine, but sometimes also indulging them; so also God leads those who are utterly corrupt to virtue not with great harshness, but gently and little by little, and supporting them everywhere, so that the division does not become greater, nor the wandering longer. And not only this parable [shows] us this

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ἐπεσπάσατο τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἔλεον, ὡς πάντων αὐτὸν ἀπαλλάξαι τῶν ἐπηρτημένων κακῶν. Εἶπε γάρ, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἠλίᾳ· «Ἑόρακας πῶς κατενύγη Ἀχαὰβ ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, ἀνθ' ὧν ὅτι ἔκλαυσεν ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, οὐκ ἐπάξω τὴν κακίαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον πάλιν ὁ Μανασσῆς πάντας τῇ μανίᾳ παρελάσας καὶ τῇ τυραννίδι, καὶ τὴν νομικὴν ἀνατρέψας λατρείαν, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἀποπλήσας τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ τὴν πλάνην ποιήσας ἀνθεῖν, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἔμπροσθεν γενόμενος ἀσεβέστερος, ἐπειδὴ μετενόησεν ὕστερον, εἰς τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ κατετάττετο φίλους. Εἰ δὲ εἰς τὸ μέγεθος ἀπιδὼν τῶν οἰκείων ἀνομιῶν, ἀπέγνω τὴν ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν μεταβολήν, πάντων ἂν ἐξέπεσεν ὧν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπέτυχεν· νῦν δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τῶν ἡμαρτημένων αὐτῷ, εἰς τὸ ἄπειρον τῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας ἰδὼν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ δεσμὰ διαρρήξας τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ διανέστη καὶ διηγωνίσατο καὶ τὸν δρόμον ἐτέλεσε τὸν καλόν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ διὰ τῶν εἰς τούτους γεγενημένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν τοῦ προφήτου ῥημάτων ἐκκόπτει τοὺς τῆς ἀπογνώσεως λογισμοὺς ὁ θεός, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· «Σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ.» Τὸ δὲ σήμερον ἐν παντὶ τῷ βίῳ λέγεσθαι δυνατόν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ γε, εἰ βούλει, τῷ γήρᾳ· οὐ γὰρ χρόνου ποσότητι ἀλλὰ διαθέσει ψυχῆς μετάνοια κρίνεται. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ Νινευῖται οὐ πολλῶν ἐδεήθησαν ἡμερῶν, ὥστε ἐξαλεῖψαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκείνην, ἀλλ' ἴσχυσε βραχύς τις ἡμέρας καιρὸς ἅπασαν ἀφανίσαι τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν· καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς δὲ οὐκ ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ τὴν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον εἴσοδον ἤνυσεν, ἀλλ' ὅσην ἄν τις ἀναλώσειεν ὥραν ῥῆμα φθεγγόμενος ἕν, ἐν τοσαύτῃ ῥοπῇ τὰ ἐν παντὶ τῷ βίῳ ἡμαρτημένα ἀπολυσάμενος καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸ τῆς εὐδοκιμήσεως βραβεῖον ἐλάμβανεν. Ὁρῶμεν δὲ καὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας, οὐκ ἐν πολλοῖς ἔτεσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἡμέραις ὀλίγαις, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐν μιᾷ μόνῃ τοὺς λαμπροὺς ἐπιτιθεμένους στεφάνους.

7 Ὥστε προθυμίας ἡμῖν χρεία πανταχοῦ καὶ πολλῆς προαιρέσεως· κἂν οὕτω τὸ συνειδὸς παρασκευάσωμεν, ὥστε μετὰ τοσαύτης σφοδρότητος καὶ τὴν προτέραν μισῆσαι κακίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἑλέσθαι ὁδόν, μεθ' ὅσης ὁ θεὸς βούλεται καὶ ἀπαιτεῖ, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων ἔλαττον ἕξομεν· πολλοὶ γοῦν ἔσχατοι γενόμενοι τοὺς πρώτους οὕτως ὑπερηκόντισαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ πεσεῖν χαλεπόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πεσόντα κεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀνίστασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐθελοκακοῦντα καὶ βλακεύοντα τοῖς τῆς ἀπογνώσεως λόγοις τὴν τῆς προαιρέσεως ἀποκρύπτειν ἀσθένειαν. Πρὸς οὓς καὶ ὁ προφήτης διαπυρούμενος ἔλεγεν· «Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται, ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει;» Εἰ δέ τινας τῶν μετὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι πάλιν ἐκπεσόντων ζητοίης παρ' ἡμῶν, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὑπὲρ τούτων εἴρηται· ὁ γὰρ πεσὼν τῶν ἑστώτων πρότερον ἦν, οὐ τῶν κειμένων· πῶς γὰρ ἂν ὁ τοιοῦτος πέσοι; εἰρήσεται δὲ καὶ ἕτερα, τὰ μὲν διὰ παραβολῶν, τὰ δὲ διὰ σαφεστέρων πράξεών τε καὶ λόγων. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ πρόβατον ἐκεῖνο, τὸ τῶν ἐννενήκοντα καὶ ἐννέα ἀποσχισθέν, εἶτα πάλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος ἐπαναχθέν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἢ τὴν τῶν πιστῶν δείκνυσιν ἔκπτωσίν τε καὶ ἐπάνοδον· πρόβατον γὰρ ἦν, καὶ αὐτό, οὐχ ἑτέρας ποίμνης τινός, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀριθμοῦ, καὶ ὑπὸ τῷ αὐτῷ ποιμένι πρότερον ἐνέμετο, καὶ ἐπλανήθη πλάνην οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ τὰς νάπας, τοῦτ' ἔστι μακράν τινα ὁδὸν καὶ πολλῷ τῆς εὐθείας ἀπέχουσαν. Ἆρ' οὖν εἴασεν αὐτὸ πλανηθὲν ἀπολέσθαι; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπανήγαγεν οὐκ ἐλάσας, οὐδὲ μαστίξας, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀναλαβών. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἄριστοι τοὺς νοσοῦντας νόσον μακρὰν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς θεραπείας ἐπὶ τὴν ὑγίειαν ἐπανάγουσιν, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἰατρείας νόμον αὐτοὺς θεραπεύοντες, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ χαριζόμενοι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς σφόδρα διαφθαρέντας οὐ μετὰ πολλῆς ἄγει τῆς σφοδρότητος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετήν, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ διαβαστάζων πανταχοῦ, ὥστε μὴ πλέον γενέσθαι τὸ σχίσμα, μηδὲ μακροτέραν τὴν πλάνην. Οὐχ αὕτη δὲ μόνον ἡμῖν ἡ παραβολὴ τοῦτο