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But this is a small thing, not to have transgression practiced openly; for the life of others becomes an accuser of their wickedness. Hear, at any rate, what they say about the righteous man: He is grievous to us, even to behold. And it is no small beginning of correction to be stung by his presence; for if the sight of the righteous man did not sting them, they would not have uttered this saying; but for the conscience to be stung and vexed by his presence would be no small hindrance to their practicing wickedness with impunity. Do you see how much gain there is both for the good from the wicked, and for the wicked from the good? for this reason God did not separate them, but allowed them to be intermingled. βʹ. The same argument, therefore, holds for us concerning the devil. For this reason He allowed him also to be here, that He might make you stronger, that He might make the athlete more glorious, that the contests might be greater. When, therefore, someone says, Why did God allow the devil? say these words to him: Because he has not only not harmed the sober and attentive, but has even benefited them, not because of his own choice—for it is wicked—but because of their courage, who have used his wickedness for a good purpose. Since he also wrestled with Job, not for this reason, to make him more glorious, but to trip him up; for this reason he is wicked, because of such a mind and choice; but nevertheless he did not harm the righteous man at all, but rather he profited from the battle, as we have indeed shown; and the demon displayed his wickedness, and the righteous man his courage. But he also trips up many, one says; because of their own weakness, not because of his own strength; for this has already been demonstrated through many examples. Set your own mind aright, therefore, and you will never receive harm from anyone, but will also gain the greatest things, not only from the good, but also from the wicked. For this reason, as I said before, God allowed men to be with one another, and especially the good with the wicked, that they might convert the latter to their own virtue. Hear, at any rate, what Christ says to his disciples: The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of flour. So the righteous have the power of leaven, to change the wicked to their own quality. But the righteous are few, for the leaven is also small; but its smallness does not harm the dough, but that small amount changes the whole flour to itself through the power within it. So also the power of the righteous lies not in the quantity of their number, but in the grace of the Spirit it has its strength. The apostles were twelve; do you see how small the leaven was? The whole world was in unbelief; do you see how much the dough was? But those twelve turned the whole world to themselves. The leaven and the dough are of the same nature, but not of the same quality; for this reason He allowed the wicked among the righteous, that just as they are of the same nature as the righteous, so also they might become of the same choice. Remember these things, with these silence the slothful, the dissolute, the more hesitant, those who shrink from the labors of virtue, those who accuse the common Master. You have sinned, he says, 49.267 be quiet, do not add a second, more grievous sin; it is not so grievous to sin, as after the sin to accuse the Master. Recognize the cause of the sin, and you will find no one else, but yourself who has sinned. Everywhere there is need of a good choice; I have shown you this not from bare reasonings, but from fellow servants living in this very world. Use this proof yourself also; thus also our common Master will judge us; learn this manner of proof, and no one will be able to confute you. Does someone fornicate? Show him another who is chaste; is avaricious

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μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο, μὴ ἔχειν πεπαῤῥησιασμένην τὴν παρανομίαν· ὁ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων βίος κατήγορος τῆς τούτων κακίας γίνεται. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φασι περὶ τοῦ δικαίου· Βαρύς ἐστιν ἡμῖν καὶ βλεπόμενος. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ ἀρχὴ διορθώσεως τὸ δάκνεσθαι αὐτοῦ τῇ παρουσίᾳ· καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὴ ἔδακνεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὄψις τοῦ δικαίου, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἐφθέγξαντο τὸ ῥῆμα· τὸ δὲ δάκνεσθαι καὶ στύφεσθαι τὸ συνειδὸς ἀπὸ τῆς παρουσίας ἐκείνου, οὐ μικρὸν ἂν εἴη κώλυμα τοῦ μὴ μετὰ ἀδείας τῇ πονηρίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι. Εἶδες πόσον ἐστὶ κέρδος καὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν, καὶ τοῖς πονηροῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν; διὰ τοῦτο οὐ διεῖλεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἀφῆκεν ἀναμεμίχθαι. βʹ. Ὁ αὐτὸς τοίνυν ἡμῖν λόγος καὶ περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτον ἀφῆκεν ἐνταῦθα εἶναι, ἵνα σὲ ἰσχυρότερον ἐργάσηται, ἵνα λαμπρότερον ποιήσῃ τὸν ἀθλητὴν, ἵνα μείζονα ᾖ τὰ ἀγωνίσματα. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ τις, ∆ιὰ τί τὸν διάβολον ἀφῆκεν ὁ Θεός; ταῦτα λέγε πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὰ ῥήματα· Ὅτι τοὺς νήφοντας καὶ προσέχοντας οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν παρέβλαψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφέλησεν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν πονηρὰ γάρ ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀνδρείαν τῶν τῇ πονηρίᾳ εἰς δέον χρησαμένων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ Ἰὼβ προσεπλάκη μὲν, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ, ἵνα αὐτὸν λαμπρότερον ποιήσῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑποσκελίσῃ· διὰ τοῦτο πονηρὸς, διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην γνώμην καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν παρέβλαψε τὸν δίκαιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπώνατο μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνος ἀπὸ τῆς μάχης, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἀπεδείξαμεν· καὶ ὁ δαίμων τὴν πονηρίαν, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπεδείξατο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑποσκελίζει πολλοὺς, φησί· παρὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ἀσθένειαν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχύν· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀπεδείχθη διὰ πολλῶν ἤδη. Τὴν σαυτοῦ τοίνυν κατόρθωσον γνώμην, καὶ παρ' οὐδενὸς οὐδέποτε δέξῃ βλάβος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κερδανεῖς, οὐχὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τῶν πονηρῶν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο, καθάπερ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, μετ' ἀλλήλων ἀφῆκεν εἶναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς μετὰ τῶν πονηρῶν, ἵνα κἀκείνους πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν μεταγάγωσιν ἀρετήν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φησι τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ Χριστός· Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν γυναικὶ, ἥτις λαβοῦσα ζύμην ἔκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία. Ὥστε ζύμης δύναμιν ἔχουσιν οἱ δίκαιοι, ἵνα πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ποιότητα τοὺς πονηροὺς μεταστήσωσιν. Ἀλλ' ὀλίγοι οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡ ζύμη μικρά· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἡ μικρότης παραβλάπτει τὸ φύραμα, ἀλλ' ἡ σμικρότης ἐκείνη ἅπαν τὸ ἄλευρον πρὸς ἑαυτὴν μεθίστησι διὰ τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτῇ δυνάμεως. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις τῶν δικαίων οὐκ ἐν τῇ ποσότητι τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτι τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔχει. ∆ώδεκα ἦσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι· εἶδες πῶς μικρὰ ἡ ζύμη; ὅλη ἡ οἰκουμένη ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ ἦν· εἶδες πόσον τὸ φύραμα; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι οἱ δώδεκα πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπέστρεψαν. Ἡ ζύμη καὶ τὸ φύραμα τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς ποιότητος· διὰ τοῦτο ἀφῆκε μεταξὺ τῶν δικαίων τοὺς πονηροὺς, ἵν' ὥσπερ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεώς εἰσι τοῖς δικαίοις, οὕτω καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως γένωνται. Τούτων μέμνησθε, τούτοις ἐπιστομίζετε τοὺς ῥᾳθύμους, τοὺς διακεχυμένους, τοὺς ὀκνηροτέρους, τοὺς ἀναδυομένους πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνους, τοὺς τοῦ κοινοῦ ∆εσπότου κατηγοροῦντας. Ἥμαρτες, φησὶν, 49.267 ἡσύχασον, μὴ προσθῇς δευτέραν ἁμαρτίαν χαλεπωτέραν· οὐχ οὕτω χαλεπὸν τὸ ἁμαρτεῖν, ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου κατηγορεῖν. Ἐπίγνωθι τὸν αἴτιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ οὐδένα ἄλλον εὑρήσεις, ἢ τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα σέ. Πανταχοῦ προαιρέσεως χρεία ἀγαθῆς· ἔδειξα ὑμῖν τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ψιλῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ συνδούλων τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ κόσμῳ ζώντων. Ταύτῃ καὶ αὐτὸς κέχρησο τῇ ἀποδείξει· οὕτω καὶ ὁ κοινὸς ἡμᾶς κρινεῖ ∆εσπότης· μάθετε τοῦτον τῆς ἀποδείξεως τὸν τρόπον, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὑμᾶς δυνήσεται συλλογίσασθαι. Πορνεύει τις; δεῖξον αὐτῷ σωφρονοῦντα ἕτερον· πλεονεκτεῖ