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He says these things, showing the great providence of the Spirit for us, and teaching us not always to consider those things advantageous which appear so to human reasoning. But that the disciple might not be ashamed of his ignorance, he has made it common, saying: we do not know. ‘But the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered.’ What is said is obscure, because many of the miracles which then took place have now ceased. Therefore it is necessary to say these things. What, then, was the situation at that time? God gave various gifts to those who were then being baptized, which indeed were also called spirits. For the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. And one had the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future; another, of wisdom, and taught the many; another, of healings, and healed the sick; another, of powers, and raised the dead; another, of tongues, and spoke in various languages. But with all these there was also a gift of prayer, which itself was also called a spirit, and he who had this prayed on behalf of the whole multitude. For since we, being ignorant of many things that are expedient, ask for things that are not expedient, the gift of prayer came to a certain one of those at that time; and for the common good of the whole Church, he both stood on behalf of them all, and taught the others. Here, therefore, he calls such a gift 'the spirit,' and the soul which receives the gift, and intercedes with God, and groans. For he who was deemed worthy of such a gift, standing with great compunction and with many mental groans, falling before God, asked for the things expedient for all. But He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to God. That you may learn that the word was about a spiritual man having the gift of prayer, and not about the Paraclete, he added, 'He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit.' It is as if he were to say: He does not teach an ignorant God, but this happens so that we may learn to pray for those things, which we ought also to ask from God, the things that seem good to Him. For this is what 'according to God' means. 'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.’ And even things that seem to be grievous, he says, if they are brought upon us for God's sake, will result in a good end for us. He did this both in the case of the Babylonian furnace, and in the case of the apostles. ‘To them who are the called according to his purpose.’ He says 'purpose' here, so that you might not attribute everything to the calling, since it would be objected: and why were not all saved, ‘Because whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed 95.512 to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called.’ He showed the dignity, how God was disposed towards them from above. ‘And whom He called, them He also justified.’ Through the washing of regeneration. ‘And whom He justified, them He also glorified.’ Through the spiritual gifts, through the adoption as sons. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Himself up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ Even if some disbelieve in the things to come, he says, yet against the good things that have already happened they could say nothing. Such as the friendship of God towards you from above, the justification, the glory. For He has granted these things to you through things that seemed grievous, and what you thought to be gloomy—the cross, the scourges, the bonds—these are the things that have set the whole world right. ‘Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?’ Here he addresses those who say that faith is of no benefit, and who disbelieve in the sudden change. And it is well that he did not say, who shall lay a charge against the servants of God? Nor against the faithful of God, but, against the elect of God. For election is a sign of virtue. ‘It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that is risen from the dead, who is at the right hand of God.’ He did not say, God who forgives sins, but what was much greater, God who justifies. For when the vote of the judge, and such a judge, declares one righteous, of what worth is the accuser? Therefore let us not fear the temptations; for He is for us

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Ταῦτα λέγει, τὴν πολλὴν δηλῶν περὶ ἡμᾶς τοῦ Πνεύματος πρόνοιαν, καὶ παιδεύων μὴ πάντως ἐκεῖνα νομίζειν εἶναι συμφέροντα, ἃ τοῖς λογισμοῖς φαίνεται τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ αἰσχύνηται τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὁ μαθητὴς, κοινὸν αὐτὸ πεποίηκεν, εἰπών· οὐκ οἴδαμεν. «Ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις.» Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον, διὰ τὸ πολλὰ τῶν τότε γινομένων θαυμάτων πεπαῦσθαι νῦν. ∆ιὸ ἀναγκαῖον ταῦτα εἰπεῖν. Τίς οὖν τότε κατάστασις ἦν; ∆ιάφορα τοῖς τότε βαπτιζομένοις ἐδίδου χαρίσματα ὁ Θεὸς, ἃ δὴ καὶ πνεύματα ἐκαλεῖτο. Πνεύματα γὰρ προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν εἶχεν προφητείας χάρισμα, καὶ προέλεγεν τὰ μέλλοντα· ὁ δὲ σοφίας καὶ ἐδίδασκεν τοὺς πολλούς· ὁ δὲ ἰαμάτων, καὶ ἐθεράπευε τοὺς νοσοῦντας· ὁ δὲ δυνάμεων, καὶ ἔγειρε τοὺς νεκρούς· ὁ δὲ γλωσσῶν, καὶ διαφόροις ἐλάλει φωναῖς. Μετὰ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων καὶ εὐχῆς χάρισμα ἦν, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα ἐλέγετο, καὶ τοῦτο ἔχων ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλήθους παντὸς ηὔχετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ τῶν συμφερόντων ἡμεῖς ἀγνοοῦντες, τὰ μὴ συμφέροντα αἰτοῦμεν, ἤρχετο χάρισμα εὐχῆς εἰς ἕνα τινὰ τῶν τότε· καὶ τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἁπάσης, αὐτός τε ὑπὲρ πάντων ἵστατο αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπαίδευεν. Τὸ πνεῦμα τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ τὸ χάρισμα τὸ τοιοῦτον, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν δεχομένην τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ ἐντυγχάνουσαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ στενάζουσαν. Ὁ γὰρ τοιαύτης καταξιωθεὶς χάριτος, ἑστῶς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κατανύξεως καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν στεναγμῶν τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν, τῷ Θεῷ προσπίπτων τὰ συμφέροντα πᾶσιν ᾔτει. Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας, οἶδε τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ Θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων. Ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι λόγος ἦν περὶ ἀνθρώπου πνευματικοῦ καὶ χάρισμα ἔχοντος εὐχῆς, καὶ οὐ περὶ τοῦ Παρακλήτου, ἐπήγαγε τὸ, Ὁ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδεν τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος. Ὅμοιον δὲ ὡσεὶ λέγοι· Οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντα διδάσκει τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο γίνεται, ἵνα ἡμεῖς μάθωμεν εὔχεσθαι ταῦτα, ἃ χρὴ καὶ αἰτεῖν παρὰ Θεῷ, τὰ δοκοῦντα αὐτῷ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Κατὰ Θεόν. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν.» Καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι λυπηρά φησιν, εἰ ἐπάγοιτο ἡμῖν διὰ Θεὸν, εἰς ἀγαθὸν ἡμῖν ἐκτελευτήσει πέρας. Τοῦτο ἐποίησε καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου τῆς Βαβυλωνίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων. «Τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν.» Πρόθεσιν ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πᾶν τῇ κλήσει δῷς, ἐπεὶ ἀντέπιπτε· καὶ τί μὴ πάντες ἐσώθησαν, «Ὅτι οὓς προέγνω, καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους 95.512 τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Οὓς δὲ προώρισε, τούτους καὶ ἐκάλεσεν.» Ἔδειξε τὸ ἀξίωμα, ὡς ἄνωθεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διέκειτο. «Καὶ οὓς ἐκάλεσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδικαίωσεν.» ∆ιὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας. «Οὓς δὲ ἐδικαίωσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδόξασεν.» ∆ιὰ τῶν χαρισμάτων, διὰ τῆς υἱοθεσίας. «Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα; Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν; ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ, οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσηται;» Εἰ καὶ τοῖς μέλλουσί τινες διαπιστοῦσι, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ἤδη γεγενημένα ἀγαθὰ οὐδὲν ἔχοιεν εἰπεῖν. Οἷον τὴν ἄνωθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς σὲ φιλίαν, τὴν δικαίωσιν, τὴν δόξαν. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτά σοι διὰ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ ἅπερ ἐνόμιζες εἶναι σκυθρωπὰ, τὸν σταυρὸν, τὰς μάστιγας, τὰ δεσμὰ, ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ τὴν οἰκουμένην κατώρθωσαν ἅπασαν «Τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ ἐκλεκτῶν Θεοῦ;» Ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡ πίστις ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ἀπιστοῦντας τῇ ἀθρόᾳ μεταβολῇ, ἀποτείνεται. Εὖ δὲ, τὸ μὴ εἰπεῖν, τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ; Μηδὲ κατὰ τῶν πιστῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ, κατὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ ἐκλογὴ, ἀρετῆς ἐστι σημεῖον. «Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν, τίς ὁ κατακρίνων; Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀποθανὼν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ὅς ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Οὐκ εἶπε, Θεὸς ὁ ἀφεὶς ἁμαρτήματα, ἀλλ' ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον ἦν, Θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἡ τοῦ δικαστοῦ ψῆφος δίκαιον ἀποφήνῃ, καὶ δικαστοῦ τοιούτου, τίνος ἄξιος ὁ κατηγορῶν; Οὐκοῦν μηδὲ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς φοβώμεθα· ὑπὲρ γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν