21. The Saints fled for our sakes.

The flight of the saints therefore was neither blameable nor unprofitable. If they had not avoided their persecutors, how would it have come to pass that the Lord should spring from the seed of David? Or who would have preached the glad tidings of the word of truth? It was for this that the persecutors sought after the saints, that there might be no one to teach, as the Jews charged the Apostles; but for this cause they endured all things, that the Gospel might be preached. Behold, therefore, in that they were thus engaged in conflict with their enemies, they passed not the time of their flight unprofitably, nor while they were persecuted, did they forget the welfare of others: but as being ministers of the good word, they grudged not to communicate it to all men; so that even while they fled, they preached the Gospel, and gave warning of the wickedness of those who conspired against them, and confirmed the faithful by their exhortations. Thus the blessed Paul, having found it so by experience, declared beforehand, ‘As many as will live godly in Christ, shall suffer persecution100    2 Tim. iii. 12..’ And so he straightway prepared them that fled for the trial, saying, ‘Let us run with patience the race that is set before us101    Heb. xii. 1.;’ for although there be continual tribulations, ‘yet tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed102    Rom. v. 4..’ And the Prophet Isaiah when such-like affliction was expected, exhorted and cried aloud, ‘Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast103    Is. xxvi. 20..’ And so also the Preacher, who knew the conspiracies against the righteous, and said, ‘If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for He that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be higher than they: moreover there is the profit of the earth104    Eccles. v. 8, 9. LXX..’ He had his own father David for an example, who had himself experienced the sufferings of persecution, and who supports them that suffer by the words, ‘Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that put your trust in the Lord105    Ps. xxxi. 24.;’ for them that so endure, not man, but the Lord Himself (he says), ‘shall help them, and deliver them, because they put their trust in Him:’ for I also ‘waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling; He brought me up also out of the lowest pit, and out of the mire and clay106    Ps. xxxvii. 40; xl. 1..’ Thus is shewn how profitable to the people and productive of good is the flight of the Saints, howsoever the Arians may think otherwise.

21 Οὐ μεμπτέα ἄρα, οὐδὲ ἀργὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἡ φυγή· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐξέκλινον τοὺς διώκοντας, πῶς ἐγίνετο τὸ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ ἀνατεῖλαι τὸν Κύριον; ἢ τίνες ἔμελλον εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ διώκοντες διὰ τοῦτο ἐζήτουν τοὺς ἁγίους, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ ὁ διδάσκων, ὁποῖα Ἰουδαῖοι παρήγγειλαν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ὑπέμενον, ἵνα τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κηρυχθῇ. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν καὶ οὕτως ἀγωνιζόμενοι οὐκ ἀργὸν εἶχον τὸν τῆς φυγῆς καιρόν, οὐδὲ διωκόμενοι ἐπελανθάνοντο τῆς ἑτέρων ὠφελείας, ἀγαθοῦ δὲ λόγου διάκονοι τυγχάνοντες οὐκ ἐφθόνουν οὐδὲ ταύτης μεταδιδόναι τοῖς πᾶσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ φεύγοντες τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐκήρυττον, καὶ προύλεγον μὲν τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων τὰς πανουργίας, ἠσφαλίζοντο δὲ τοὺς πιστοὺς ταῖς παραινέσεσιν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν μακάριος Παῦλος πείρᾳ μαθὼν προύλεγε μέν· «ὅσοι θέλουσιν εὐσεβῶς ζῆν ἐν Χριστῷ, διωχθήσονται», ἐπήλειφε δὲ εὐθὺς τοὺς φεύγοντας εἰπών· «δι' ὑπομονῆς τρέχομεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα». Κἂν γὰρ αἱ θλίψεις ὦσι συνεχεῖς, ἀλλ' «ἡ θλίψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει». Ὁ δὲ προφήτης Ἡσαίας, προσδοκωμένης τοιαύτης περιστάσεως, ὑπεμίμνησκε καὶ ἐβόα· «βάδιζε, λαός μου, εἴσελθε εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖά σου, ἀπόκλεισον τὴν θύραν σου, ἀποκρύβηθι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργή». Ὁ δὲ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς εἰδὼς τὰς κατὰ τῶν θεοσεβῶν ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ λέγων· «ἐὰν συκοφαντίαν πένητος καὶ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἴδῃς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐν τῷ πράγματι, ὅτι ὑψηλὸς ἐπάνω ὑψηλοῦ φυλάξαι, καὶ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς καὶ περισσεία γῆς». Εἶχε τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ∆αυὶδ πείρᾳ, καὶ αὐτὸν μαθόντα τὰ ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς καὶ ἀσφαλιζόμενον τοὺς πάσχοντας ἐν τῷ λέγειν· «ἀνδρίζεσθε, καὶ κραταιούσθω ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν, πάντες οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπὶ Κύριον»· τοῖς γὰρ οὕτως ὑπομένουσιν οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' αὐτός φησι· «Κύριος βοηθήσει, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς, ὅτι ἤλπισαν ἐπ' αὐτόν»· καὶ γὰρ κἀγὼ «ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχε μοι, καὶ εἰσήκουσε τῆς δεήσεώς μου, καὶ ἀνήγαγέ με ἐκ λάκκου κατωτάτου καὶ ἀπὸ πηλοῦ ἰλύος». Ὠφέλιμος ἄρα τοῖς λαοῖς καὶ οὐκ ἄκαρπος ἡ φυγὴ τῶν ἁγίων δείκνυται, κἂν τοῖς Ἀρειανοῖς μὴ δοκῇ.