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they provide a beneficial shade, and lull to sleep with great pleasure, just as the reading of the divine Scriptures recovers and refreshes souls that are in pain and possessed by despondency, wiping away the intense and burning pain, and providing a consolation sweeter and more pleasant than any shade. For not only in the losses of money, nor in the losses of children, nor in other such things, but also in the circumstances of sins it itself provides us much consolation. For when a person, caught and tripped up by sin, falls, then his conscience eats at him, and constantly reminding him of the sin, he chokes himself with an excess of despondency, and is inflamed each day, and though countless people console him, if he does not accept the consolation, entering into the church, and hearing that many of the saints who fell rose again, and returned again to their former good standing, he receives consolation imperceptibly and departs. And having often sinned against people, we do not endure to reveal the offense, being ashamed and blushing, and even if we reveal it, we will not reap so much 49.300; but when God consoles, and touches the heart, all satanic grief will be quickly put to flight. For this reason the falls of the righteous are also recorded for us, so that both those who do right and those who sin may gain the greatest things from these. For the one who sins does not come to despair and hopelessness, when he sees another who has fallen and was able to rise again; but the one who works righteousness will be more earnest and more secure. For when he sees many who are much better than himself having fallen, being made sober by the fear of their fall, he will always be in a state of struggle, and he will show great security concerning himself; and thus the one achieving virtue, and the one who sins, being freed from despair, the one will stand securely, and the other will quickly return whence he fell. For when a person consoles us when we are grieving, and we seem to be consoled for a little while, we fall again into the same despondency; but when God encourages us through others who have sinned, and repented, and been saved, he makes his own goodness manifest to us, so that we might not doubt concerning our own salvation, receiving a confessed and secure consolation. Just as, then, in the circumstances of sins, so also in the bringing on of dangers, the ancient histories of the Scriptures provide a sufficient medicine for the despondent, for all who are willing to pay attention. And whether the confiscation of money, or the insults of slanderers, or prisons, or scourges, or if any other of the terrible things should befall us, looking to the righteous who suffered and endured the same things, we will be able to come to ourselves quickly. For in the case of the passions of the body, to look at those who are suffering intensifies the disease of the one who is sick, and often even produces one that does not exist; for example, some, having seen eyes that are suffering, have contracted the disease from the sight alone; but in the case of the soul, it is not so, 49.301 but the opposite happens, and to continually think of those who have suffered such things makes our despondency over our own evils lighter. For this reason Paul also exhorts the faithful in this way, bringing into their midst not only the living saints, but also the dead. For speaking to the Hebrews who were about to be tripped up and to fall, he brings the holy men into their midst, Daniel, the three young men, Elijah, Elisha, saying thus: They stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, they were stoned, they experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment; they went about in

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ὠφέλιμον παρέχουσι τὴν σκιὰν, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς κατακοιμίζουσι τῆς ἡδονῆς, ὡς ἡ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις τὰς ὀδυνωμένας ψυχὰς καὶ ἀθυμίᾳ κατεχομένας ἀνακτᾶται καὶ καταψύχει, τὸ μὲν σφοδρὸν καὶ διακαὲς τῆς ὀδύνης ἀποχριομένη, παραμυθίαν δὲ σκιᾶς ἁπάσης ἡδίω καὶ τερπνοτέραν παρέχουσα. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν ταῖς τῶν χρημάτων ζημίαις, οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς τῶν τέκνων ἀποβολαῖς, οὔτε ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν περιστάσεσι πολλὴν ἡμῖν αὐτὴ παρέχει τὴν παραμυθίαν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἁλοὺς καὶ ὑποσκελισθεὶς καταπέσῃ, εἶτα κατεσθίῃ αὐτὸν τὸ συνειδὸς, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας συνεχῶς ἀναμιμνήσκων, ἑαυτὸν ἀποπνίγῃ τῇ τῆς ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐμπυρίζηται τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ μυρίων παρακαλούντων, ἂν μὴ προσίηται τὴν παράκλησιν, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἀκούσας ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἁγίων πεσόντες ἀνέστησαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν προτέραν πάλιν ἐπανῆλθον εὐδοκίμησιν, λανθανόντως λαβὼν τὴν παραμυθίαν ἀπέρχεται. Καὶ ἀνθρώποις μὲν πολλάκις ἁμαρτόντες οὔτε ἐκκαλύψαι τὸ πλημμέλημα ὑπομένομεν αἰσχυνόμενοι καὶ ἐρυθριῶντες, κἂν δὲ ἐκκαλύψωμεν, οὐδὲν 49.300 καρπωσόμεθα τοσοῦτον· ὅταν δὲ Θεὸς παρακαλῇ, καὶ τῆς καρδίας ἅπτηται, πᾶσα ταχέως φυγαδευθήσεται σατανικὴ λύπη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πτώματα τῶν δικαίων ἐστὶν ἡμῖν ἀνάγραπτα, ἵνα οἵ τε κατορθοῦντες, οἵ τε ἁμαρτάνοντες τὰ μέγιστα ἐκ τούτων κερδάνωσιν. Ὁ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων οὐκ ἔρχεται εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν καὶ ἀπελπισμὸν, ἰδὼν ἕτερον πεσόντα, καὶ πάλιν ἀναστῆναι δυνηθέντα· ὁ δὲ δικαιοσύνην ἐργαζόμενος, σπουδαιότερος ἔσται καὶ ἀσφαλέστερος. Ὅταν γὰρ τῶν αὑτοῦ πολὺ βελτιόνων πολλοὺς καταπεσόντας ἴδῃ, τῷ φόβῳ τῆς ἐκείνων πτώσεως σωφρονιζόμενος, ἐναγώνιος ἔσται πάντοτε, καὶ πολλὴν περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδείξεται τὴν ἀσφάλειαν· καὶ οὕτως ὁ μὲν τὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθῶν, ὁ δὲ ἁμαρτάνων τῆς ἀπογνώσεως ἀπαλλαγεὶς, ὁ μὲν στήσεται ἀσφαλῶς, ὁ δὲ ἐπανήξει ταχέως, ὅθεν ἐξέπεσεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωπος παρακαλῇ λυπουμένους, καὶ δόξωμεν πρὸς ὀλίγον παραμυθεῖσθαι, πάλιν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀθυμίαν καταπίπτομεν· ἐπὰν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς προτρέπηται δι' ἑτέρων ἁμαρτησάντων, καὶ μετανοησάντων, καὶ σωθέντων, φανερὰν ἡμῖν ποιεῖ τὴν αὑτοῦ ἀγαθότητα, ἵνα μὴ ἀμφιβάλλωμεν περὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας, ὁμολογουμένην καὶ ἀσφαλῆ δεχόμενοι τὴν παράκλησιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων περιστάσεσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς τῶν κινδύνων ἐπαγωγαῖς, ἱκανὸν τοῖς ἀθυμοῦσι φάρμακον αἱ παλαιαὶ τῶν Γραφῶν ἱστορίαι παρέχουσι πᾶσι τοῖς βουλομένοις προσέχειν. Καὶ εἴτε χρημάτων δήμευσις, εἴτε συκοφαντῶν ἐπήρειαι, εἴτε δεσμωτήρια, εἴτε μάστιγες, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον τῶν δεινῶν ἡμᾶς καταλάβῃ, ἀποβλέποντες εἰς τοὺς δικαίους τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ παθόντας καὶ ὑπομείναντας, ταχέως εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐλθεῖν δυνησόμεθα. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τοῦ σώματος παθῶν τὸ πρὸς τοὺς πάσχοντας ἀφορᾷν ἐπιτείνει τὴν νόσον τοῦ ἀῤῥωστοῦντος, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ οὐκ οὖσαν ἐργάζεται· οἷον ὀφθαλμοὺς πάσχοντας ἰδόντες τινὲς, μετέλαβον τοῦ νοσήματος ἀπὸ τῆς θέας μόνης· ἐπὶ δὲ ψυχῆς οὐχ οὕτως, 49.301 ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐναντίον γίνεται, καὶ τὸ συνεχῶς ἐννοεῖν τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πεπονθότας, ἡμῖν κουφοτέραν ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις κακοῖς ἀθυμίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοὺς ὄντας πιστοὺς τοῦτον παρακαλεῖ τὸν τρόπον, οὐχ ὅτι τοὺς ζῶντας μόνον ἁγίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀποθανόντας εἰς μέσον παράγων. Ἑβραίοις μὲν γὰρ διαλεγόμενος μέλλουσιν ὑποσκελίζεσθαι καὶ καταπίπτειν, τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας εἰς μέσον παράγει, τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς τρεῖς, τὸν Ἠλίαν, τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Ἔφραξαν στόματα λεόντων, ἔσβεσαν δύναμιν πυρὸς, ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας, ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐμπαιγμῶν καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβον, ἔτι δὲ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς· περιῆλθον ἐν