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correcting what is to come. And so that you may learn that this is true, hear what he says to Moses: Let me alone, and in my anger I will wipe them out. Let me alone, he said, not that Moses was holding him back; for he had said nothing to him, but stood by in silence; but wanting to give him a pretext for supplication on their behalf. For since they had sinned things worthy of punishment, and of punishment that could not be declined, but he did not wish to punish them, but to show his love for mankind, and since this would make them more careless, he arranged both things, so that neither would the punishment be inflicted, nor would they become more careless from the lack of punishment, having learned that they escaped the wrath of the Master not because of their own worth, but because of the advocacy of Moses. This we also often do, and when our servants have committed offenses worthy of punishment, wishing neither to punish them nor to release them from the fear of punishment, we bid friends to snatch them from our hands, so that both the fear may remain strong in them, and they may escape the blows from us. This God also did; and that it is true, is clear from the words themselves: Let me alone, he says, and in anger. And yet, when no one lets us alone when we wish to punish, then we are angered; but he says, Let me alone and I will be angered, so that you may learn that anger is not a passion with God, but the punishment that comes upon us is called by this name. When, therefore, you hear Moses saying, If you forgive their sin, forgive it, marvel at the Master before the servant, because He Himself gave him the opportunities for this love of mankind. Not only here did he do this, but also to Jeremiah, 50.662 and to Ezekiel he says this very same thing: Run and see in the streets of Jerusalem, if there is anyone who does judgment and justice; I will be merciful to them. Have you seen such love for mankind? Indeed, many even of the wicked share in the enjoyment of one man's virtue; but in the wickedness of the many, even if there is one who does right in the midst of a great people, he is not dragged down with them; but one man living rightly will be able to snatch an entire people from the wrath of God, but an entire corrupt city will not be able to drag down the one who lives well to its own punishment and chastisement and overthrow him. And this is clear from Noah; at any rate, when all were perishing, he alone was saved; and from Moses it is evident; at any rate, he alone was able to intercede for such a great people. But I have an even greater example of God's love for mankind to tell. For when He does not find living men with boldness who are able to intercede for sinners, He has recourse to the departed, and says that for their sake He forgives sins, just as He says to Hezekiah: I will defend this city for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant, who has already died. Knowing these things, therefore, that God sets everything in motion and contrives things so as to deliver us from punishment and chastisement, let us offer him many occasions, by confessing, repenting, weeping, praying, forgiving anger against our neighbors, correcting the poverty of those near us, being sober in our prayers, showing humility, continually remembering our sins. For it is not enough to say, "I am a sinner," but one must also remember one's trespasses specifically. For just as fire falling on thorns easily makes them disappear, so too a thought constantly turning over one's trespasses within oneself easily destroys and sinks them. May the God who overlooks iniquities, who takes away injustices, both deliver us from our sins and deem us worthy of the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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μέλλοντα διορθούμενος. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἄκουσον τί φησι πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα· Ἄφες με, καὶ θυμωθεὶς ἐκτρίψω αὐτούς. Ἄφες με, ἔλεγεν, οὐχ ὅτι Μωϋσῆς αὐτὸν κατεῖχεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐφθέγξατο πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ σιγῇ παρειστήκει· ἀλλὰ πρόφασιν αὐτῷ δοῦναι βουλόμενος τῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἱκετηρίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄξια μὲν κολάσεως ἥμαρτον ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ κολάσεως ἀπαραιτήτου, κολάσαι δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπεύσασθαι, τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοὺς ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἐποίει, ἀμφότερα κατεσκεύαζεν, ὥστε μήτε τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπενεχθῆναι, μήτε ἐκείνους ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἐκ τῆς ἀτιμωρησίας γενέσθαι, μαθόντας ὅτι οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀξίαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν τοῦ Μωϋσέως προστασίαν τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου διέφυγον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς πολλάκις ποιοῦμεν, καὶ οἰκέτας ἄξια κολάσεως πλημμελήσαντας οὔτε κολάσαι βουλόμενοι, οὔτε τοῦ ἐκ τῆς κολάσεως ἀπαλλάξαι φόβου, φίλοις κελεύομεν τῶν ἡμετέρων αὐτοὺς ἐξαρπάσαι χειρῶν, ὥστε καὶ τὸν φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐνακμάζοντα μένειν, καὶ τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν πληγὰς διαφυγεῖν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε· καὶ ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημάτων δῆλον· Ἄφες με, φησὶ, καὶ θυμωθείς. Καὶ μὴν ὅταν βουλομένους τιμωρήσασθαι μηδεὶς ἀφῇ, τότε θυμούμεθα· αὐτὸς δὲ λέγει, Ἄφες με καὶ θυμωθήσομαι, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι θυμὸς οὐ πάθος ἐστὶ περὶ Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ἡ καθ' ἡμῶν γινομένη κόλασις ταύτῃ καλεῖται τῇ προσηγορίᾳ. Ὅταν οὖν ἀκούσῃς τοῦ Μωϋσέως λέγοντος, Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες, πρὸ τοῦ δούλου τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐκπλάγηθι, ὅτι αὐτὸς αὐτῷ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ταύτης παρέσχε τὰς ἀφορμάς. Οὐκ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μόνον τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἱερε 50.662 μίαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτό φησι· Περιδράμετε καὶ ἴδετε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰ ἔστι τις ποιῶν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην· ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς. Εἶδες φιλανθρωπίαν; Τῆς μὴν ἑνὸς ἀρετῆς πολλοὶ συναπολαύουσι καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν· τῇ δὲ τῶν πολλῶν κακίᾳ, κἂν εἷς ὁ κατορθῶν ᾖ μεταξὺ δήμου πολλοῦ, οὐ συγκαταφέρεται· ἀλλ' εἷς μὲν ἄνθρωπος ὀρθῶς ζῶν δῆμον ὁλόκληρον ἐξαρπάσαι δυνήσεται τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, πόλις δὲ ὁλόκληρος διεφθαρμένη πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐπισπάσασθαι τὸν εὖ βιοῦντα καὶ καθελεῖν οὐ δυνήσεται. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ Νῶε δῆλον· πάντων γοῦν ἀπολλυμένων διεσώζετο μόνος· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Μωϋσέως φανερόν· μόνος γοῦν ἴσχυσε δῆμον τοσοῦτον παραιτήσασθαι. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἕτερον μεῖζον ἔχω τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοῦ Θεοῦ δεῖγμα εἰπεῖν. Ὅταν γὰρ ζῶντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ παῤῥησίαν ἔχοντας μὴ εὕρῃ δυναμένους ἐξαιτήσασθαι τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, ἐπὶ τοὺς τελευτήσαντας καταφεύγει, καὶ δι' ἐκείνους φησὶν ἀφιέναι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ὥσπερ οὖν τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ φησίν· Ὑπερασπιῶ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης δι' ἐμὲ, καὶ διὰ ∆αυῒδ τὸν παῖδά μου, τὸν ἤδη τετελευτηκότα. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες ὅτι πάντα κινεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαι κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας, πολλὰς παρέχωμεν αὐτῷ τὰς ἀφορμὰς, ἐξομολογούμενοι, μετανοοῦντες, δακρύοντες, εὐχόμενοι, τοῖς πλησίον τὴν ὀργὴν ἀφιέντες, τὴν τῶν πέλας πενίαν διορθούμενοι, ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς νήφοντες, ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μεμνημένοι συνεχῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ κατ' εἶδος αὐτῶν μεμνῆσθαι τῶν πλημμελημάτων. Καθάπερ γὰρ πῦρ εἰς ἀκάνθας ἐμπεσὸν ἀφανίζει ῥᾳδίως αὐτὰς, οὕτω καὶ λογισμὸς συνεχῶς παρ' ἑαυτῷ περιστρέφων τὰ πεπλημμελημένα, ῥᾳδίως αὐτὰ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ καταδύει. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ὁ ὑπερβαίνων ἀνομίας, ἐξαίρων ἀδικίας, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάξειε, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀξιώσειε, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.