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a medicine for all things, one road to victory; I will boast in Christ, the death for Christ's sake.

58. But for my own war, I do not know what I should become, what alliance I might find, what word of wisdom, what gift, with what panoply shall I arm myself against the wiles of the evil one. Who will conquer this one? A Moses stretching out his hands on the mountain, that the cross, being prefigured and foretold, might have strength? Who? A Joshua after him, arrayed for battle with the commander of the divine hosts? Who? A David, either singing psalms, or fighting with slings, and girt by God with strength for war, and training his fingers for battle? Who? A Samuel, both praying for the people and offering sacrifice, and anointing as king the one able to conquer? Who? A Jeremiah will lament these things worthily, writing lamentations for Israel?

59. Who will cry out, Spare, Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance to reproach, for the nations to rule over them? Who will pray for us? A Noah, and Job, and Daniel, who are prayed with and numbered together, that the war might cease for us a little, that we might become our own, that we might at some time know one another, that we might no longer be instead of the one Israel, Judah and Israel, no longer Rehoboam and Jeroboam, no longer Jerusalem and Samaria, which are in part given over on account of sins, and in part lamented? 35.493 2. For I confess that I am too weak for this war, and for this reason I have turned my back, covering my face in shame, and to sit down alone, because I was filled with bitterness, I have sought also to be silent, understanding that the time is evil; because the beloved have kicked back, because we have become apostate sons, the well-branched vine, the true vine, all fruitful, all beautiful, springing up well with the drops from above; because the diadem of beauty has turned to dishonor for me, the seal of my glory, the crown of boasting; but if anyone is bold and noble against these things, blessed is he in my eyes for his courage and nobility.

1. And I do not yet speak of the inner war, and that within ourselves, that in our passions

the war we are warred against night and day by the body of our humiliation, sometimes secretly, sometimes openly; and of that which surges up and down and whirls us about, through both sensation and the cycle of the other pleasures of this life, and of the clay of the mire in which we are fixed, and of the law of sin warring against the law of the spirit, and attempting to corrupt the royal image in us, and whatever of the divine effluence has been cast down with us; so that one would scarcely be able, either by training oneself with long philosophy, and by tearing away little by little the soul's noble and light-filled nature from that which is base and yoked with darkness, or by finding God merciful, or both of these, and by making it his greatest practice to look upwards, prevail over the matter that drags him down. But before one has, with all his might, risen above this and sufficiently purified his mind, and has become far superior to others in nearness to God, to accept either the charge of souls, or to be a mediator between God and men (for this perhaps is the priest), I know is not safe.

2. And whence was I led to this fear? That you may not suppose me more timid than is right, but 35.496 rather praise me greatly for my foresight. I hear of Moses himself, when God was delivering oracles to him, that, when many were called to the mountain, of whom one was Aaron with his two sons the priests, and seventy elders of the council, the rest were ordered to worship from afar, but Moses alone was to draw near, and the people were not to ascend with him, as it is not for all to be near God, except for one who, like Moses, is able to contain the glory of God; and even before

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πρὸς πάντα φάρμακον, μίαν ὁδὸν εἰς νίκην· Ἐν Χριστῷ καυχήσομαι, τὸν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ θάνατον.

ΠΗʹ. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἐμὸν πόλεμον οὐκ ἔχω τίς γένω μαι, τίνα συμμαχίαν ἐξεύρω, τίνα λόγον σοφίας, τί χάρισμα, ποίᾳ πανοπλίᾳ πρὸς τὰς τοῦ πονηροῦ μεθοδείας ὁπλίσομαι. Τίς νικήσει τοῦτον Μωϋσῆς ἐκτείνας τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους, ἵν' ὁ σταυρὸς ἰσχύσῃ τυπούμενος καὶ προμηνυόμενος; Τίς Ἰη σοῦς μετὰ τοῦτον, τῷ ἀρχιστρατήγῳ τῶν θείων πα ρατάξεων συμπαραταττόμενος; Τίς ∆αβὶδ, ἢ ψάλλων, ἢ πολεμῶν ἐν σφενδόναις, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ περι εζωσμένος δύναμιν εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ τοὺς δακτύ λους εἰς παράταξιν γυμναζόμενος; Τίς Σαμουὴλ, καὶ προσευχόμενος τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ προθυόμενος, καὶ χρίων εἰς βασιλέα τὸν νικᾷν δυνάμενον; Τίς θρη νήσει ταῦτα πρὸς ἀξίαν Ἱερεμίας, θρήνους γράφων ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;

ΠΘʹ. Τίς βοήσεται, Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνει δος, τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν ἔθνη; Τίς περὶ ἡμῶν προσεύξεται Νῶε, καὶ Ἰὼβ, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ, οἱ συνευ χόμενοι καὶ συναριθμούμενοι, ἵνα κοπάσῃ μικρὸν ἡμῖν ὁ πόλεμος, ἵνα γενώμεθα ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, ἵν' ἀλλή λους ποτὲ γνωρίσωμεν, ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν ἀνθ' ἑνὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ Ἰούδας καὶ Ἰσραὴλ, μηκέτιῬοβοὰμ καὶ Ἱεροβοὰμ, μηκέτι Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ Σαμάρεια, αἱ ἐν μέρει διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας παραδιδό μεναι, καὶ ἐν μέρει θρηνούμεναι; 35.493 ʹ. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἀσθενέστερος εἶναι τοῦ πολέμου τούτου ὁμολογῶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔδωκα τὰ νῶτα, καλύψας τὸ πρόσωπον ἐντροπῇ, καὶ καταμόνας καθεσθῆναι, ὅτι πικρίας ἐνεπλήσθην, ἐζήτησα καὶ σιωπῆσαι, συνιὼν, ὅτι ὁ καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστιν· ὅτι ἀπελάκτισαν οἱ ἠγαπημένοι, ὅτι γεγόναμεν υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ εὐκληματοῦσα, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινὴ, πᾶσα καρποφόρος, ὡραία πᾶσα, καλῶς ταῖς σταγόσι ταῖς ἄνωθεν ἀνατέλλουσα· ὅτι ἐστράφη εἰς ἀτιμίαν ἐμοὶ τὸ διάδημα τοῦ κάλλους, τὸ ἀποσφράγισμα τῆς ἐμῆς δόξης, ὁ τῆς καυχήσεως στέφανος· εἰ δέ τις πρὸς ταῦτα τολμηρὸς καὶ γενναῖος, μακάριος οὗτος ἐμοὶ τοῦ θάρσους καὶ τῆς γενναιότητος.

Αʹ. Καὶ οὔπω λέγω τὸν ἔνδον καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐ τοῖς, τὸν ἐν τοῖς πάθεσι

πόλεμον, ὃν πολεμούμεθα νυ κτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ταπεινώσεως σώματος, τὰ μὲν κρύβδην, τὰ δὲ φανερῶς· καὶ τῆς ἄνω καὶ κάτω κυμαινούσης ἡμᾶς καὶ στροβούσης, διά τε αἰ σθήσεως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τερπνῶν τοῦ βίου τούτου περιφορᾶς, τοῦ τε πηλοῦ τῆς ἰλύος, ᾧ ἐμπεπή γμεθα, καὶ τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀντιστρατευομέ νου τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ διαφθείρειν ἐπιχει ροῦντος τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐν ἡμῖν εἰκόνα, καὶ ὅσον τῆς θείας ἀποῤῥοίας ἡμῖν συγκαταβέβληται· ὡς μόλις ἄν τις ἑαυτὸν ἢ μακρᾷ φιλοσοφίᾳ παιδαγωγή σας, καὶ ἀποῤῥηγνὺς κατὰ μικρὸν τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐγενὲς καὶ φωτοειδὲς τοῦ ταπεινοῦ καὶ τῷ σκό τει συνεζευγμένου, ἢ Θεοῦ τυχὼν ἵλεω, ἢ καὶ ἄμφω ταῦτα, καὶ μελέτην ὅτι μάλιστα ποιούμενος ἄνω βλέπειν τῆς κατασπώσης ὕλης ἐπικρατήσειε. Πρὶν δὲ ταύτην ὑπερσχεῖν ὅση δύναμις καὶ ἀνα καθᾶραι ἱκανῶς τὴν διάνοιαν, ὑπέρ τε τοὺς ἄλλους μακρῷ γενέσθαι τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν ἐγγύτητι, ἢ ψυχῶν προστασίαν δέξασθαι, ἢ μεσιτείαν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων (τοῦτο γὰρ ἴσως ὁ ἰερεὺς), οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι γινώσκω.

Βʹ. Καὶ ὅθεν εἰς τοῦτο ὑπήχθην τὸ δέος; ἵνα μή με τοῦ δέοντος δειλότερον ὑπολαμβάνητε, ἀλλὰ 35.496 καὶ σφόδρα ἐπαινῆτε τῆς προμηθείας. Ἀκούω μὲν αὐτοῦ Μωσέως, ἡνίκα ἐχρημάτιζεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι, πλειόνων εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσκεκλη μένων, ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ Ἀαρὼν σὺν τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς δύο τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα πρεσβυτέρων τῆς γε ρουσίας, οἱ μὲν λοιποὶ προσκυνῆσαι πόῤῥωθεν ἐκελεύσθησαν, ἐγγίσαι δὲ Μωσῆς μόνος, οὐ συνανα βῆναι δὲ ὁ λαὸς ὡς οὐ πάντων ὄντος Θεοῦ γενέ σθαι πλησίον, πλὴν εἴ τις κατὰ Μωσέα Θεοῦ χωρῆ σαι δόξαν δυνάμενος· καὶ ἔτι πρὸ