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of many deaths, which that man had brought upon him, not once, not twice, but having attempted many times to kill him, he was about to bring one death; or rather, not only these things, but also fearing the future, he was thus coming to his defense, and this, along with what has been said, arouses for him the entire crown of forbearance. For the one who is angry over what has happened to him and demands punishment could not attain the encomiums of forbearance; but no one would deprive of the crowns of gentleness the one who has forgiven all the past things, being many and grievous, but fears for the future and prepares safety for himself, and for this reason is compelled to rise up in defense. 7. But nevertheless David did not do even this, but found some new and strange way of philosophy; and neither the memory of past events, nor the fear of future ones, nor the urging of the general, nor the solitude of the place, nor the ease of the slaughter, nor anything else stirred him to the murder; but as if of some benefactor, and one who had done him great good, 51.185 so he spared the enemy who had also grieved him. What excuse then shall we have, remembering past sins, and taking vengeance on those who have grieved us, when that guiltless man, having suffered so much, and expecting more and more grievous evils to befall him from the salvation of his enemy, is seen sparing him so, as to choose rather to be in danger himself, and to live with fear and trembling, than to justly slay the one who was about to cause him countless troubles? One can see his philosophy from these things, then, that not only did he not slay him, when there was so great a necessity, but he did not even utter a blasphemous word against him, and this when the one being insulted was not going to hear it. And yet we often speak ill of even absent friends, but he did not even of his enemy who had wronged him so much. So one can see his philosophy from these things; but his philanthropy, and his other care, from what he did after this. For after cutting the hem of his garment, and taking away the flask of water, he went far off, and standing he cried out, and showed these things to the one who had been saved, not doing this for show and love of honor, but wishing to persuade him by his deeds that he suspected him as an enemy rashly and in vain, and for this reason hastening to draw him to friendship. But nevertheless, not even thus persuading him, and being able to destroy him, he again chose rather to be cast out of his country and to live in a foreign land, and suffering every day, to provide necessary food for himself, than by remaining at home to grieve the plotter. What could be gentler than that man's soul? Truly he rightly said, "Remember, O Lord, David, and all his meekness." Let us also imitate this man, and neither speak nor do evil to our enemies, but also do them good according to our ability; for we shall do good to ourselves more than to them. "For if you forgive," he says, "your enemies, you will be forgiven." Forgive the sins of a servant, that you may receive forgiveness for the sins against the Master; and if he has wronged you greatly, the greater things you forgive, the greater forgiveness you will receive. For for this reason we have been taught to say, "Forgive us, as we forgive," that we may learn that the measure of forgiveness first takes its beginning from us. Therefore, the more grievous evils the enemy works, the more greatly he benefits us. Let us hasten then and be eager to be reconciled with those who have grieved us, whether they are angry justly or unjustly. For if you are reconciled here, you are delivered from the judgment there; but if, while the enmity remains between you, death

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πολλῶν θανάτων, ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἐπήγαγεν, οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐ δὶς, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἐπιχειρήσας ἀνελεῖν, ἕνα ἔμελλεν ἐπαγαγεῖν θάνατον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεδοικότα τὸ μέλλον οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμυναν ἔρχεσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ὁλόκληρον αὐτῷ τὸν τῆς ἀνεξικακίας διεγείρει στέφανον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγενημένων εἰς αὐτὸν ὀργιζόμενος καὶ τιμωρίαν ἀπαιτῶν, οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο τῶν τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ἐπιτυχεῖν ἐγκωμίων· τὸν δὲ τὰ μὲν παρελθόντα πάντα πολλὰ ὄντα καὶ χαλεπὰ ἀφέντα, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος δεδοικότα καὶ προκατασκευάζοντα ἀσφάλειαν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναγκαζόμενον ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμυναν ἀνέρχεσθαι, οὐδεὶς ἂν τῶν τῆς ἐπιεικείας ἀποστερήσειε στεφάνων. ζʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ ∆αυῒδ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καινόν τινα καὶ παράδοξον εὗρε φιλοσοφίας τρόπον· καὶ οὔτε ἡ μνήμη τῶν παρελθόντων, οὐχ ὁ φόβος τῶν μελλόντων, οὐχ ἡ προτροπὴ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, οὐχ ἡ ἐρημία τοῦ τόπου, οὐ τὸ τῆς σφαγῆς εὔκολον, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν διήγειρεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν φόνον· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εὐεργέτου τινὸς, καὶ μεγάλα αὐτὸν πεποιηκότος ἀγαθὰ, 51.185 οὕτω τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καὶ λελυπηκότος ἐφείσατο. Ποίαν οὖν ἕξομεν ἡμεῖς συγγνώμην, ἁμαρτημάτων παρελθόντων μνημονεύοντες, καὶ τοὺς λελυπηκότας ἀμυνόμενοι, ὅταν ὁ ἀναίτιος ἐκεῖνος, τοσαῦτα μὲν πεπονθὼς, πλείονα δὲ καὶ χαλεπώτερα προσδοκῶν αὐτῷ συμβήσεσθαι κακὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σωτηρίας, φαίνηται φειδόμενος οὕτως, ὡς ἑλέσθαι κινδυνεῦσαι μᾶλλον αὐτὸς, καὶ μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ζῇν, ἢ τὸν μέλλοντα μυρία πράγματα αὐτῷ παρέχειν ἀποσφάξαι δικαίως; Τὴν μὲν οὖν φιλοσοφίαν ἐκ τούτων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔσφαξε, τοσαύτης οὔσης ἀνάγκης, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ῥῆμα βλάσφημον εἰς αὐτὸν ἐξήνεγκε, καὶ ταῦτα μὴ μέλλοντος αὐτοῦ ἀκούσασθαι τοῦ ὑβριζομένου. Καίτοι γε ἡμεῖς καὶ φίλους λέγομεν πολλάκις κακῶς ἀπόντας, ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδὲ τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ τοσαῦτα ἠδικηκότα. Τὴν μὲν οὖν φιλοσοφίαν ἐκ τούτων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· τὴν δὲ φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην κηδεμονίαν, ἐξ ὧν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐποίησε. Τὸ γὰρ κράσπεδον κόψας τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ τὸν φακὸν τοῦ ὕδατος ὑφελόμενος, ἀπελθὼν πόῤῥωθεν, καὶ στὰς ἐβόησε, καὶ τῷ διασωθέντι ταῦτα ὑπέδειξεν, οὐχὶ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν καὶ φιλοτιμίαν τοῦτο ποιῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτὸν πεῖσαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην αὐτὸν ὑπώπτευεν ὡς ἐχθρὸν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν πρὸς φιλίαν ἐπισπάσασθαι σπεύδων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν πείσας, καὶ δυνάμενος διαχειρίσασθαι, πάλιν εἵλετο μᾶλλον ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβειν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ταλαιπωρούμενος ἡμέραν, τὴν ἀναγκαίαν αὐτῷ πορίζειν τροφὴν, ἢ μένων οἴκοι λυπεῖν τὸν ἐπίβουλον. Τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμερώτερον τῆς ἐκείνου ψυχῆς; Ὄντως δικαίως ἔλεγε, Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ πάσης τῆς πραότητος αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμησώμεθα, καὶ μήτε λέγωμεν, μήτε ποιῶμεν κακῶς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐεργετῶμεν κατὰ δύναμιν· ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς εὖ ποιήσομεν μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐκείνους. Ἂν γὰρ ἀφῆτε, φησὶ, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑμῶν, ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Ἄφες δουλικὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἵνα λάβῃς συγχώρησιν δεσποτικὴν ἁμαρτημάτων· εἰ δὲ μεγάλα ἠδίκησεν, ὅσῳπερ ἂν μείζονα ἀφῇς, τοσούτῳ μείζονα λήψῃ τὴν συγχώρησιν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐδιδάχθημεν λέγειν, Ἄφες ἡμῖν, καθὼς ἀφίεμεν, ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὅτι τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἀφέσεως παρ' ἡμῶν πρῶτον λαμβάνει τὴν ἀρχήν. Ὥστε, ὅσῳπερ ἂν χαλεπώτερα ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἐργάσηται κακὰ, τοσούτῳ μειζόνως εὐεργετεῖ. Σπεύδωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἐπειγώμεθα καταλλάττεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς λελυπηκότας, ἄν τε δικαίως, ἄν τε ἀδίκως ὀργίζωνται. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα καταλλαγῇς, ἀπηλλάγης τῆς ἐκεῖ κρίσεως· ἐὰν δὲ, μεταξὺ μενούσης τῆς ἔχθρας, θάνατος