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of necessity Paul approached, but from a grateful soul and an unbribed conscience. 6. But if you are steadfast and patient, I will speak again of another point, nearer to this, which has an irrefutable proof that Paul did not come to the 51.143 Lord by necessity. Paul came to Salamis of Cyprus after these things, and found there a certain sorcerer opposing the proconsul Sergius. But Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to him, O full of all deceit and all recklessness, son of the devil, will you not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord? These things the persecutor. Let us therefore glorify the one who changed him. Before this you heard that he was ravaging the Church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would deliver them to prison. You see how he now speaks boldly on behalf of the proclamation. Will you not cease perverting, he says, the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, not seeing for a season. The medicine that made him see again, this he applied also to the sorcerer, but that one remained in his blindness; that you may learn that it was not the call alone that brought Paul, but also his own choice. For if the blindness alone had done this, the same thing should have happened to the sorcerer; but it did not happen. But while that one was blinded, the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed. One received the medicine, and another saw again. You see how great is gratitude of mind, how great is disobedience and hardness of heart. The sorcerer was blinded; and that one gained nothing from it, for he was disobedient, but the proconsul came to know Christ. But that Paul came willingly and of his own choice has been sufficiently demonstrated. And I want you to know this principle accurately, that God does not compel the unwilling, but draws the willing. For this reason He says: No one comes to me, unless my Father draws him. And he who draws, draws the one who is willing, the one lying below and stretching out his hand. And that you may learn that He compels no one, but if He wills, and we are not willing, our salvation fails, not because His will is weak, but because He wishes to compel no one, it is necessary to examine this argument, since many often on the pretext of sloth use this pretense for an excuse, and when often called to enlightenment, to a change to the best manner of life, to other such right actions, then, as if hesitating and shrinking back, they answer this, that, If God wills, he will persuade me, and I will change. And I do not blame them, but I also strongly 51.144 approve, that they take refuge in the will of God; but I want them also to contribute what is from themselves, and so say, If God wills. For if, having given yourself over to sleep and sloth, you do not undertake good deeds, but put forward only the will of God, you will never have anything of what is needful. For as I said, God never brings anyone by necessity and force; but He wills that all be saved, yet He compels no one; as Paul also says, Who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. How then are not all saved, if He wills all to be saved? Because not everyone's will follows His will, and He compels no one. So also He says to Jerusalem: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered your children together, and you were not willing? What then? Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Do you see that, even if God wills to save, but we do not give ourselves, we remain in destruction? For it is not the unwilling, nor the one who does not wish it, as I often say, but the willing and the one who chooses that God is prepared to save man. For men indeed wish to be and to rule over servants both willing and unwilling; they rule over them not looking to what is advantageous for the servants, but to their own need; but He

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ἀνάγκης προσῆλθε Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ψυχῆς εὐγνώμονος καὶ ἀδεκάστου συνειδότος. ςʹ. Εἰ δὲ καρτερεῖτε καὶ ὑπομένετε, ἕτερον ἐγγύτερον τούτου λέγω πάλιν, ἀναντίῤῥητον ἔχον ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ μὴ κατ' ἀνάγκην τὸν Παῦλον προσεληλυθέναι τῷ 51.143 Κυρίῳ. Ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Σαλαμῖνα τῆς Κύπρου μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ εὗρεν ἐκεῖ μάγον τινὰ ἀνθιστάμενον τῷ ὑπάτῳ Σεργίῳ. Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος πλησθεὶς Πνεύματος ἁγίου εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ὦ πλήρης παντὸς δόλου καὶ πάσης ῥᾳδιουργίας, υἱὲ διαβόλου, οὐ παύσῃ διαστρέφων τὰς ὁδοὺς Κυρίου τὰς εὐθείας; Ταῦτα ὁ διώκτης. ∆οξάσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν μεταβαλόντα αὐτόν. Πρὸ τούτου ἠκούετε ὅτι ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, κατὰ τοὺς οἴκους εἰσπορευόμενος, σύρων τε ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας, παρεδίδου εἰς φυλακήν. Ὁρᾶτε πῶς παῤῥησιάζεται νῦν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κηρύγματος. Οὐ παύσῃ διαστρέφων, φησὶ, τὰς ὁδοὺς Κυρίου τὰς εὐθείας; Καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἔσῃ τυφλὸς μὴ βλέπων ἕως καιροῦ. Τὸ φάρμακον τὸ ποιῆσαν αὐτὸν ἀναβλέψαι, τοῦτο ἐπέθηκε καὶ τῷ μάγῳ, ἀλλ' ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τῆς πηρώσεως ἐκεῖνος· ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐχ ἡ κλῆσις μόνον προσήγαγε τὸν Παῦλον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου προαίρεσις. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ πήρωσις μόνη τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἐχρῆν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μάγου τὸ αὐτὸ γενέσθαι· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγένετο. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐπηροῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἀνθύπατος ἰδὼν τὸ γεγενημένον ἐπίστευσεν. Ἄλλος ἐδέξατο τὸ φάρμακον, καὶ ἄλλος ἀνέβλεψεν. Εἴδετε πόσον ἐστὶν εὐγνωμοσύνη διανοίας, πόσον ἐστὶν ἀπείθεια καὶ σκληροκαρδία. Ἐγένετο πηρὸς ὁ μάγος· κἀκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲν ἀπώνατο, ἀπειθὴς γὰρ ἦν, ἔγνω δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνθύπατος. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἑκὼν καὶ ἐκ προαιρέσεως προσῆλθεν ὁ Παῦλος, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται. Βούλομαι δὲ τοῦτον ὑμᾶς ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι τὸν λόγον, ὅτι μὴ βουλομένους οὐ βιάζεται ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ βουλομένους ἕλκει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ φησιν· Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρός με, ἂν μὴ ὁ Πατήρ μου ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ ἕλκων, τὸν βουλόμενον ἕλκει, τὸν κάτω κείμενον καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέγοντα. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι οὐδένα βιάζεται, ἀλλ' ἐὰν αὐτὸς θέλῃ, ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ θέλωμεν, διαπίπτει τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἀσθενὲς αὐτοῦ τὸ βούλημα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀναγκάσαι οὐδένα θέλει, ἀναγκαῖον τοῦτον ἐξετάσαι τὸν λόγον, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ πολλάκις προφάσει ῥᾳθυμίας, τούτῳ κέχρηνται τῷ προσχήματι τῆς ἀπολογίας, καὶ παρακαλούμενοι πολλάκις ἐπὶ φώτισμα, ἐπὶ πολιτείας ἀρίστης μεταβολὴν, ἐφ' ἕτερα τοιαῦτα κατορθώματα, εἶτα καὶ ὡς ὀκνοῦντες καὶ ἀναδυόμενοι τοῦτο ἀποκρίνονται, ὅτι Ἐὰν θέλῃ ὁ Θεὸς, πείσει με, καὶ μεταθήσομαι. Καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαλῶ μὲν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα 51.144 ἀποδέχομαι, ὅτι καταφεύγουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ· βούλομαι δὲ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρειν, καὶ οὕτω λέγειν, Ἐὰν θέλῃ ὁ Θεός. Ἂν γὰρ σαυτὸν ὕπνῳ καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ παραδοὺς, μὴ ἐγχειρῇς μὲν ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσι, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλημα προβάλλῃ μόνον, οὐδέποτέ σοι οὐδὲν ἔσται τῶν δεόντων. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἔφην, ἀνάγκῃ καὶ βίᾳ οὐδένα προσάγεταί ποτε ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ θέλει μὲν ἅπαντας σωθῆναι, οὐκ ἀναγκάζει δὲ οὐδένα· καθὼς καὶ Παῦλός φησιν, Ὁ θέλων πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. Πῶς οὖν οὐχ ἅπαντες σώζονται, εἰ θέλει πάντας σωθῆναι; Ἐπειδὴ οὐχ ἁπάντων τὸ θέλημα τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ ἕπεται, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδένα βιάζεται. Οὕτω καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ φησιν· Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε; Τί οὖν; Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι, κἂν θέλῃ ὁ Θεὸς σῶσαι, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοὺς μὴ ἐπιδῶμεν, μένομεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀπωλείας; Οὐ γὰρ ἄκοντα, οὐδὲ μὴ βουλόμενον, ὅπερ λέγω πολλάκις, ἀλλ' ἑκόντα καὶ προαιρούμενον παρεσκεύασται σώζειν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἑκόντων καὶ ἀκόντων τῶν οἰκετῶν βούλονται εἶναι καὶ δεσπόζειν· οὐ πρὸς τὸ τοῖς οἰκέταις συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν χρείαν ὁρῶντες αὐτῶν δεσπόζουσιν· ὁ δὲ