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with labor having been expended; for at the same time he got on the chariot and began to catechize; or rather, before he got on, marvel at this, how the barbarian and foreigner, puffed up with his power (for he did not administer a small office), the poor man, the beggar, the unknown man, who had never come either into his sight or into his company, appearing then for the first time, this man he both called and brought up and seated with himself. Who accomplished these things? He who said, I am with you always, even to the end of the age; He made the approach gentler, and prepared a barbarian to be a philosopher, and brought down the mountain, and made the unknown man more intimate than any acquaintance. Do not then just pass it by, nor think the matter a bare history, but consider the greatness of the achievement. For if the rulers of today, being believers and taught to be humble-minded and having nothing barbarian about them, would not choose—I do not say an unknown man and a stranger, but one of their acquaintances—to quickly sit with them in the marketplace; how did that man [receive] the stranger? for I will not cease saying these things: the stranger, the one who had never appeared before, the lowly, the one contemptible in appearance, this man he both brought up and seated. and to his tongue he committed his own salvation, and he endured becoming a disciple and exhorts and begs and beseeches,

I pray thee, saying, of whom does the prophet say this? and he receives what is said with much attention. And not only this, but having received it, he did not neglect it, he did not postpone it. He did not say, Let me return to my own country, let me see my friends, my household and relatives, a thing which many Christians now say when called to baptism; Let me return 63.523 to my country, let me see my wife, let me see my children with my relatives; when they are present and celebrating with me, thus I will enjoy baptism, thus I will partake of grace. But that barbarian then did not say these words, and that, though he was a Jew and had been taught to make great observance of places, and especially since it was constantly ringing in his ears that he must keep the observance of the place, and for this reason he had undertaken a long journey, in order that he might worship in the place which God commanded; but at once casting out all that custom and departing from such observance; when the word was finished, and he saw a spring by the road, he says: See, here is water; what hinders me from being baptized? Do you see the harvest again being completed? do you see no time being consumed, but at the same time the earth receiving, and putting forth the ear in its full pride, and the cluster of grapes becoming ripe? See, here is water, he says. He did not seek walls, nor a golden roof, nor a preparation of garments, nor shoes; but since he had a prepared mind and was fervent with desire and was kindled with zeal, he ran at once to grace, and urges the teacher to lead him by the hand to the initiation, and to impart those immortal and awesome mysteries. Therefore he also immediately assented, having accepted his zeal, and baptized him. For this reason he calls the Gospel a harvest, because of the ease which it offered them. For elsewhere also he says, that they attended to the things which were spoken by Paul; for the Lord opened their heart to attend to the things spoken by him. But when you hear that he brings down mountains, and works a harvest, and makes the fruit ripe, and prepares much ease, do not deprive 63.524 the believers of the greatest achievements; for he did not do violence to the freedom of the will, nor did he ruin free will, but he cooperated and helped and stretched out a hand.

For if the whole were His, nothing would have prevented all from being saved; but as it is, part was His, and part was of those who came to Him; on the part of those approaching, to be willing and to choose, and to show much zeal and a noble faith, and on His part, to provide the gifts, and to make the word distinct and the teaching clear, and to cast down the seeds, and to help toward the hearing becoming ripe. These

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πόνου δαπανηθέντος· ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐπέβη τοῦ ἅρματος καὶ κατηχεῖν ἤρξατο· μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιβάσεως ἐκεῖνο θαύμασον, πῶς ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ ἀλλόφυλος καὶ φλεγμαίνων ἀπὸ τῆς δυναστείας (οὐ γὰρ μικρὰν ἀρχὴν μετεχείριζε), τὸν πένητα, τὸν πτω χὸν, τὸν ἀγνῶτα, τὸν οὐδέποτε αὐτῷ οὔτε εἰς ὄψιν οὔτε εἰς συνουσίαν ἐλθόντα, τότε πρῶτον φανέντα, τοῦτον καὶ ἐκάλεσε καὶ ἀνεβίβασε καὶ ἑαυτῷ συνεκάθισε. Τίς ταῦτα εἰργάσατο; Ἐκεῖνος ὁ εἰπὼν, Ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἐκεῖνος ἡμερωτέραν τὴν πρόσοδον ἐποίησε, καὶ βάρβα ρον φιλοσοφεῖν παρεσκεύασε, καὶ τὸ ὄρος ἐταπείνωσε, καὶ τὸν ἀγνῶτα γνωρίμου παντὸς οἰκειότερον κατέστησε. Μὴ δὴ παραδράμῃς ἁπλῶς, μηδὲ ἱστορίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα νομίσῃς ψιλὴν, ἀλλ' ἐννόησον τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ κατορθώ ματος. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ νῦν ἄρχοντες, πιστοί τε ὄντες καὶ ταπεινοφρονεῖν παιδευόμενοι καὶ οὐδὲν βάρβαρον ἔχον τες, οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιντο, οὐ λέγω ἀγνῶτα καὶ ξένον, ἀλλὰ τῶν γνωρίμων τινὰ ταχέως ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς αὐτοῖς συ γκαθίσαι· πῶς ἐκεῖνος τὸν ξένον; οὐ γὰρ παύσομαι ταῦτα λέγων· τὸν ξένον, τὸν οὐδέποτε φανέντα, τὸν εὐτελῆ, τὸν εὐκαταφρόνητον ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως, τοῦτον καὶ ἀνεβί βασε καὶ ἐκάθισε. καὶ τῇ γλώττῃ τῇ ἐκείνου τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐξέδωκε, καὶ μαθητὴς γενέσθαι ἠνέσχετο καὶ παρακαλεῖ καὶ δεῖται καὶ ἱκετεύει,

∆έομαί σου, λέγων, περὶ τίνος ὁ προφήτης λέγει τοῦτο; καὶ δέ χεται μετὰ πολλῆς προσοχῆς τὰ λεγόμενα. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ δεξάμενος οὐκ ἠμέλησεν, οὐκ ἀνεβάλετο. οὐκ εἶπεν, Εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπανέλθω τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ, ἴδω τοὺς φίλους, τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ συγγενεῖς, ὃ πολλοὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν λέγουσι νῦν ἐπὶ βάπτισμα καλούμενοι· Ἐπαν 63.523 έλθω εἰς τὴν πατρίδα, ἴδω τὴν γυναῖκα, ἴδω τὰ παιδία μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν συγγενῶν· παρόντων ἐκείνων καὶ συνεορταζόντων ἐμοὶ, οὕτως ἀπολαύσομαι τοῦ βαπτίσματος, οὕτω μεθέξω τῆς χάριτος. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ βάρβαρος τότε ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα εἶπε τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ ταῦτα Ἰουδαῖος ὢν καὶ πολλὴν τῶν τόπων ποιεῖν τὴν παρατήρησιν πεπαιδευμένος, καὶ μάλιστα συνεχῶς ἐνηχοῦντος αὐτῷ, ὅτι δεῖ τηρεῖν τοῦ τόπου τὴν φυλακὴν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν στειλάμενος, ἵνα ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ᾧ ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς προσκυνήσῃ· ἀλλ' ἀθρόον πᾶσαν ἐκείνην τὴν συνήθειαν ἐκβαλὼν καὶ ἀποστὰς τῆς τοιαύτης παρατηρήσεως· ἐπειδὴ ἀπηρτίσθη ὁ λόγος, καὶ πηγὴν εἶδε παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, φησίν· Ἰδοὺ ὕδωρ, τί κωλύει με βαπτισθῆναι; Εἶδες τὸν θερισμὸν πάλιν ἀπαρτιζόμενον; εἶδες οὐδένα χρόνον ἀναλωθέντα, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τὴν γῆν δεξαμένην, καὶ τὸν στάχυν κομῶντα ἐκβαλοῦσαν, καὶ πέπειρον τὸν βότρυν γενόμενον; Ἰδοὺ ὕδωρ, φησίν. Οὐ τοίχους ἐζήτησεν, οὐκ ὄροφον χρυσοῦν, οὐχ ἱματίων κατασκευὴν, οὐχ ὑποδήματα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ γνώμην εἶχε παρεσκευασμένην καὶ ἔζεε τῷ πόθῳ καὶ ἀνήφθη τῇ προθυμίᾳ, ἐπὶ τὴν χάριν εὐθέως ἔδραμε, καὶ κατεπείγει τὸν διδάσκαλον πρὸς τὴν μυσταγωγίαν αὐτὸν χειραγωγῆσαι, καὶ μεταδοῦναι τῶν ἀθανάτων ἐκείνων καὶ φρικτῶν μυστηρίων. ∆ιὸ κἀκεῖνος εὐθέως ἐπένευσε, τὴν προθυμίαν ἀποδεξάμενος, καὶ ἐβάπτισεν αὐτόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο θερισμὸν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καλεῖ, διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν ἣν παρεῖχεν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, ὅτι προσεῖχον τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος διήνοιξε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν προσέχειν τοῖς λαλουμένοις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι ὄρη ταπεινοῖ, καὶ θερισμὸν ἐργάζεται, καὶ ὥριμον ποιεῖ τὸν καρπὸν, καὶ πολλὴν κατασκευάζει τὴν εὐκολίαν, μὴ ἀποστε 63.524 ρήσῃς τοὺς πιστεύοντας τῶν μεγίστων κατορθωμάτων· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβιάζετο τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς γνώμης, οὐδὲ ἐλυμαίνετο τὸ αὐτεξούσιον, ἀλλὰ συνέπραττε καὶ ἐβοήθει καὶ χεῖρα ὤρεγεν.

Εἰ γὰρ τὸ πᾶν αὐτοῦ ἦν, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυεν ἅπαντας σώζεσθαι· νῦν δὲ τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ ἐγίνετο, τὸ δὲ τῶν προσιόντων· τῶν μὲν προσιόντων τὸ βουληθῆναι καὶ ἑλέσθαι, καὶ πολλὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι τὴν προθυμίαν καὶ γενναίαν τὴν πίστιν, τοῦ δὲ τὸ παρέχειν τὰ δῶρα, καὶ εὔσημον ποιῆσαι τὸν λόγον καὶ σαφῆ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, καὶ τὰ σπέρματα καταβαλεῖν, καὶ βοηθῆσαι πρὸς τὸ ὥριμον γενέσθαι τὴν ἀκρόασιν. Ταῦτ'