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it is necessary to say. For the one who accuses sinners, if nothing else, 62.210 does not permit them to advance further. For there is no soul so shameless and audacious, that when it continually hears some people reproaching it, it is not ashamed, nor does it let up from its great wickedness. For there is, there is even in the shameless a little bit of shame; for God sowed shame in our nature. For since fear was not sufficient to regulate us, He also established many other ways of not sinning; such as, being accused by men, fearing the established laws, loving glory, laying claim to friendship. For all these are ways of not sinning. For often what was not done for God’s sake, was done for the sake of shame; and what was not done for God's sake, was done for fear of men. For this is the thing sought: First, to learn not to sin; then, we will later accomplish doing this for God's sake; since why does Paul exhort those who are about to overcome their enemies, not from the fear of God, but also from the expectation of vengeance? For in doing this, he says, you will heap coals of fire on his head. For in the meantime he wants this, that virtue be accomplished. As I was saying, then, there is something shameful in us; for we have many natural goods towards virtue; for example, we are all moved by nature to show mercy, and there is no other good in our nature so great as this. Whence one might reasonably also investigate why this most of all has been sown in our nature, I mean being broken into tears, being bent, being ready for mercy. No one is by nature idle, no one is by nature free from vainglory, no one is by nature superior to jealousy; but showing mercy is innate in all by nature, even if one is cruel, even if harsh. And what wonder is it, if we show this towards men? We even pity wild beasts; so abundantly is mercy innate in us. Even if we see a lion's cub, we feel something; but for one of our own kind, much more. See how many are maimed, we often say, knowing that this too is sufficient to lead us to mercy. Nothing so gladdens God as mercy. For this reason the priests were anointed with it, and the kings, and the prophets; for they had the oil as a symbol of God's love for mankind. Again they learned that the ruler must have more mercy; it showed that the Spirit is to come into man through mercy; since God has mercy on men, and shows love for mankind; For you have mercy on all, it says, because you can do all things. For this reason they were anointed with oil. For He also made the priesthood from mercy, and kings were anointed with oil. And if one praises a ruler, he will say nothing so fitting for him as mercy; for this is proper to rule, to show mercy. Consider that through mercy the world was established, and imitate the Master. The mercy of man is upon his neighbor, but the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh. How, Upon all flesh? Whether you say sinners, or 62.211 you say righteous, we all have need of the mercy of God; we all partake of it, even if it be Paul, or Peter, or John. And listen to them speaking; for there is no need of our words. For what does this blessed one say? But I received mercy, because I did it in ignorance. What then? After these things did he not need mercy? Listen to what he says again: I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. And concerning Epaphroditus he says: For indeed he was sick, near to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow; and again, We were burdened, he says, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God, who delivered us from so great a death, and will deliver us; and again, I was delivered from the mouth of the lion, and the Lord will deliver me. And everywhere we shall find him boasting this, that by mercy

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ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ κατηγορῶν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον, 62.210 οὐκ ἀφίησι περαιτέρω προελθεῖν. Οὐδεμία γάρ ἐστιν οὕτως ἀναίσχυντος ψυχὴ καὶ ἰταμὴ, ὡς συνεχῶς ἀκούουσα κακιζόντων αὐτήν τινων, μὴ ἐντρέπεσθαι, μηδὲ καθυφεῖναι τῆς κακίας τῆς πολλῆς. Ἔνι γὰρ, ἔνι καὶ τοῖς ἀναισχύντοις μικρόν τι αἰδοῦς· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ ἐνέσπειρε τὴν αἰδὼ τῇ φύσει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἤρκει ὁ φόβος ῥυθμίσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ πολλὰς ἑτέρας κατεσκεύασεν ὁδοὺς τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν· οἷον, τὸ κατηγορεῖσθαι παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, τὸ δεδοικέναι νόμους τοὺς κειμένους, τὸ δόξης ἐρᾷν, τὸ φιλίας ἀντιποιεῖσθαι. Πᾶσαι γὰρ αὗται αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν εἰσί. Πολλάκις γὰρ ἃ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐγένετο, δι' αἰδὼ γέγονε· καὶ ἃ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐγένετο, διὰ φόβον ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο. Τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον τοῦτό ἐστι· Πρότερον, μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν μαθεῖν· εἶτα, τὸ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὕστερον κατορθώσομεν· ἐπεὶ διὰ τί Παῦλος τοὺς μέλλοντας κρατεῖν τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου προτρέπει τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐκδικίαν ἀναμένειν; Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, φησὶν, ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Τέως γὰρ τοῦτο βούλεται, κατορθωθῆναι τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον, ἔνεστί τι αἰσχυντηρὸν ἐν ἡμῖν· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ φυσικὰ ἀγαθὰ ἔχομεν πρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν· οἷον πρὸς τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἀπὸ φύσεως κινούμεθα πάντες ἄνθρωποι, καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἀγαθὸν ἐν τῇ φύσει ἡμῶν ἐστιν ἄλλο, ὡς τοῦτο. Ὅθεν ἄν τις εἰκότως καὶ ἐξετάσειε, διὰ τί τοῦτο μάλιστα τῇ φύσει ἡμῶν ἐνέσπαρται, τὸ κατακλᾶσθαι λέγω δάκρυσι, τὸ ἐπικάμπτεσθαι, τὸ ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς ἔλεον. Οὐδεὶς φύσει ἐστὶν ἀργὸς, οὐδεὶς φύσει ἐστὶν ἀκενόδοξος, οὐδεὶς φύσει ἐστὶ ζήλου κρείττων· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐλεεῖν πᾶσιν ἔγκειται φύσει, κἂν ὠμός τις ᾖ, κἂν ἀπηνής. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο ἐπιδεικνύμεθα; καὶ θηρία ἐλεοῦμεν· οὕτως ἐκ περιουσίας ἡμῖν ὁ ἔλεος ἔγκειται. Κἂν σκύμνον ἴδωμεν λέοντος, πάσχομέν τι· ἐπὶ δὲ ὁμοφύλου πολλῷ πλέον. Ὅρα πόσοι ἀνάπηροι, πολλάκις λέγομεν, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν εἰς ἔλεον ἡμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν. Οὐδὲν οὕτως εὐφραίνει τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἐλεημοσύνη. ∆ιὸ οἱ ἱερεῖς τούτῳ ἐχρίοντο, καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς, καὶ οἱ προφῆται· τῆς γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας εἶχον σύμβολον τὸ ἔλαιον. Πάλιν ἐμάνθανον, ὅτι τὸν ἄρχοντα πλέον ἐλέου δεῖ ἔχειν· ἐδήλου ὅτι τὸ πνεῦμα εἰς ἄνθρωπον δι' ἔλεον μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι· ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ φιλανθρωπεύεται· Ἐλεεῖς γὰρ, φησὶ, πάντας, ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐλαίῳ ἐχρίοντο. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἀπὸ ἐλέους ἐποίησε, καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς ἐλαίῳ ἐχρίοντο. Κἂν ἄρχοντά τις ἐπαινῇ, οὐδὲν οὕτως αὐτῷ πρέπον ἐρεῖ, ὡς ἔλεος· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀρχῆς ἴδιον, τὸ ἐλεεῖν. Ἐννόησον ὅτι δι' ἔλεον ὁ κόσμος συνεστάθη, καὶ μίμησαι τὸν ∆εσπότην. Ἔλεος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ἔλεος δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα. Πῶς, Ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα; Κἂν ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἴπῃς, κἂν 62.211 δικαίους εἴπῃς, πάντες τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ Θεοῦ δεόμεθα· πάντες ἀπολαύομεν αὐτοῦ, κἂν αὐτὸς ᾖ Παῦλος, κἂν Πέτρος, κἂν Ἰωάννης. Καὶ ἄκουσον αὐτῶν λεγόντων· οὐδὲν γὰρ δεῖ λόγων τῶν ἡμετέρων. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ μακάριος οὗτος; Ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα. Τί οὖν; μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐδεῖτο ἐλέους; Ἄκουσον τί φησι πάλιν· Περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ, ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί. Καὶ περὶ Ἐπαφροδίτου φησί· Καὶ γὰρ ἠσθένησε παραπλήσιον θανάτῳ, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἠλέησεν, οὐκ αὐτὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμὲ, ἵνα μὴ λύπην ἐπὶ λύπῃ σχῶ· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐβαρήθημεν, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῇν. Ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ, ὃς ἐκ τηλικούτων θανάτων ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς, καὶ ῥύσεται· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐῤῥύσθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, καὶ ῥύσεταί με ὁ Κύριος. Καὶ πανταχοῦ εὑρήσομεν τοῦτο αὐτὸν καυχώμενον, ὅτι ἐλέῳ