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to call the places themselves from the things that happen in those places? And it is accustomed to do this same thing also in the case of times. But lest we weary you, come, let us turn our discourse from the more gloomy to the more cheerful things. For your mind has grown weary dwelling on the more subtle thoughts; therefore it is good to give it rest, by treating it to simpler and more cheerful thoughts. Let us return, then, to the saving wood of the cross. For this, this dissolved all the terrible things that the other introduced; or rather, it was not that which introduced the terrible things, but the man all of them, which Christ later dissolved with great abundance, introducing far greater goods than them. For this very reason Paul says: Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that is, the gift is greater than the sin. For this reason he says again: Not as the offence, so also is the free gift; not as much as man sinned, so much did God grant; not as great as the loss, so great is the business; not as great as the shipwreck, so great is the merchandise; but the good things are more than the evil; and rightly so. For the evil things a servant introduced, and they were lesser; but the good things a Master bestowed, wherefore they were also greater. For this reason he says: Not as the offence, so also is the free gift. Then he adds the difference: For the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. What has been said is rather obscure; therefore it is necessary to provide the explanation. For the judgment, that is, the punishment, the penalty, the death; By one, that is, sin; For one sin, he says, introduced so great an evil; but the free gift did not dissolve that sin alone, but also many others. For this reason he says: But the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For this reason John the Baptist also cried out: Behold the Lamb of God, not, who takes away the sin of Adam, but, Who takes away the sin of the world. Do you see how it is not as the offence, so also is the free gift, but this wood introduced more good things than the evil things introduced at the beginning? 4. I have said these things, so that you might not think you are being harmed by the first things. The devil cast out Adam, Christ brought in the thief. And consider the difference. That one cast out the man who had no sin, but one stain of disobedience; Christ brought a thief bearing ten thousand burdens of sins thus into paradise. Is this then the only wonder, that he brought a thief into paradise, and nothing else? It is possible to say something even greater. For he brought in not only a thief, but also before the whole world, and before the apostles; so that none of those 54.613 after these things might despair of entry, nor lose hope for his own salvation, seeing one full of ten thousand evils moving about in the royal courts; But let us see, did the thief display labors and good deeds and fruits? Not even this can be said, but from a bare word, from faith alone he leaped into paradise before the apostles, so that you may learn that it was not so much his good judgment that availed, as it was the Master's love for mankind that did the whole thing. For what did the thief say? And what did he do? Did he fast? Did he weep? Did he tear his garments? Did he show repentance over a long time? Not at all; but on the cross itself, after the sentence, he obtained salvation. See the swiftness; from a cross to heaven, from condemnation to salvation. What then are those words? How much power do they have, that they brought him so many good things? Remember me, he says, in your kingdom. And what is this? He asked to receive good things, he did not show diligence through works; but he who knew his heart paid attention not to the words, but to the disposition of his mind. For those who had enjoyed prophetic teachings, those who had seen the signs, those who had beheld the wonders, said of Christ, that He has a demon, and,

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ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν συμβαινόντων ἐν τοῖς τόποις αὐτοὺς τοὺς τόπους καλεῖν; Τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ καιρῶν ποιεῖν εἴωθεν. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ κατατείνωμεν ὑμᾶς, φέρε μεταγάγωμεν τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τῶν σκυθρωποτέρων ἐπὶ τὰ φαιδρότερα. Καὶ γὰρ ἔκαμεν ὑμῶν ἡ διάνοια τοῖς λεπτοτέροις νοήμασιν ἐνδιατρίβουσα· διόπερ αὐτὴν ἀναπαῦσαι καλὸν, τοῖς ἀφελεστέροις καὶ φαιδροτέροις διαιτῶντας νοήμασιν. Ἐπανίωμεν τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον. Τοῦτο γὰρ, τοῦτο πάντα ἀνέλυσε τὰ δεινὰ, ὅσα ἐκεῖνο εἰσήγαγε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐκεῖνο εἰσήγαγε τὰ δεινὰ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἅπαντα, ἅπερ μετὰ πολλῆς ὕστερον ἀνέλυσε τῆς περιουσίας ὁ Χριστὸς, πολλῷ μείζονα αὐτῶν εἰσαγαγὼν ἀγαθά. ∆ι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις· τουτέστι, μεῖζον τὸ δῶρον τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν φησίν· Οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτω καὶ τὸ χάρισμα· οὐχ ὅσον ἥμαρτεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τοσοῦτον ἐχαρίσατο ὁ Θεός· οὐχ ὅση ἡ ζημία, τοσαύτη καὶ ἡ πραγματεία· οὐχ ὅσον τὸ ναυάγιον, τοσαύτη καὶ ἡ ἐμπορία· ἀλλὰ πλείω τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῶν κακῶν· καὶ εἰκότως. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κακὰ δοῦλος εἰσήγαγε, καὶ ἐλάττονα ἦν· τὰ δὲ ἀγαθὰ ∆εσπότης ἐχαρίσατο, διὸ καὶ πλείονα ἦν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτω καὶ τὸ χάρισμα. Εἶτα ἐπάγει καὶ τὴν διαφοράν· Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρῖμα ἐξ ἑνὸς εἰς κατάκριμα, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων εἰς δικαίωμα. Ἀσαφέστερον τὸ εἰρημένον· οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη τὴν λύσιν ἐπαγαγεῖν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρῖμα, τουτέστιν ἡ κόλασις, ἡ τιμωρία, ὁ θάνατος· Ἐξ ἑνὸς, τουτέστιν ἁμαρτήματος· Μία γὰρ, φησὶν, ἁμαρτία τοσοῦτον εἰσήγαγε κακόν· τὸ δὲ χάρισμα οὐκ ἐκείνην μόνην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἔλυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας πολλάς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Τὸ δὲ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων εἰς δικαίωμα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς ἐβόα· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχὶ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ἀλλ', Ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. Εἶδες πῶς οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτω καὶ τὸ χάρισμα, ἀλλὰ πλείονα εἰσήγαγε τοῦτο τὸ ξύλον ἀγαθὰ τῶν παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰσενεχθέντων κακῶν; δʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπον, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ἐπηρεάζεσθαί σε παρὰ τῶν πρώτων. Ἐξέβαλεν ὁ διάβολος τὸν Ἀδὰμ, εἰσήγαγε τὸν λῃστὴν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ σκόπει τὸ διάφορον. Ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔχοντα ἁμαρτίαν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ μίαν κηλῖδα παρακοῆς, ἐξέβαλεν· ὁ Χριστὸς λῃστὴν μυρία φορτία ἁμαρτημάτων βαστάζοντα οὕτως εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Ἆρ' οὖν τοῦτο μόνον τὸ θαῦμά ἐστιν, ὅτι λῃστὴν εἰσήγαγεν εἰς παράδεισον, ἄλλο δὲ οὐδέν; Ἔστι καὶ ἄλλο μεῖζον εἰπεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ λῃστὴν εἰσήγαγε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων· ἵνα μηδεὶς τῶν 54.613 μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπογνῷ τὴν εἴσοδον, μηδὲ ἀπελπίσῃ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν μυρίων γέμοντα κακῶν ἐν ταῖς βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς στρεφόμενον ὁρῶν· Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν, μὴ πόνους ἐπεδείξατο καὶ κατορθώματα καὶ καρποὺς ὁ λῃστής. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ψιλοῦ ῥήματος, ἀπὸ πίστεως μόνης πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων εἰσεπήδησεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐχ ἡ ἐκείνου εὐγνωμοσύνη τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν, ὅσον τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἡ φιλανθρωπία τὸ πᾶν ἐποίησε. Τί γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ λῃστής; τί δὲ ἔπραξεν; ἐνήστευσεν; ἐδάκρυσεν; περιεσχίσατο; μετάνοιαν ἐπεδείξατο ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόφασιν σωτηρίας ἔτυχεν. Ὅρα τάχος· ἀπὸ σταυροῦ εἰς οὐρανὸν, ἀπὸ καταδίκης εἰς σωτηρίαν. Τίνα ἐστὶν ἄρα ἐκεῖνα τὰ ῥήματα; πόσην ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι τοσαῦτα τούτῳ ἐκόμισεν ἀγαθά; Μνήσθητί μου, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ἤτησε λαβεῖν ἀγαθὰ, οὐ σπουδὴν τὴν δι' ἔργων ἐπεδείξατο· ἀλλ' ὁ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ εἰδὼς, οὐ τοῖς ῥήμασι προσέσχεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ διαθέσει τῆς διανοίας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ προφητικῶν ἀπολαύσαντες διδαγμάτων, οἱ τὰ σημεῖα ἰδόντες, οἱ τὰ θαύματα θεασάμενοι, ἔλεγον περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ∆αιμόνιον ἔχει, καὶ,