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eager to intensify our care, that it may be done with reason and affection. Since on the previous day we also delivered many and long discourses against them, and said that they were not even men, as you remember, setting up against them two pre-eminent prophets as accusers; the one saying, *I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was no one to hear;* the other crying out again and asking, *To whom shall I speak and testify? Their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear.* And through these and similar words we sharply stung their mind. But now we exhort them again; for so also Paul commanded: *For reprove*, he says, *rebuke, exhort.* For one must not always do only the one, nor only the other, but by mixing both, produce a complete benefit. For if we always reprove, we make them more shameless; and if we always exhort, we make them more indolent. For this reason physicians not only cut, but also bind up wounds; nor do they always apply bitter medicines, but often pleasant ones also; by the former cleansing away what is rotten, and by the latter soothing the pain from them. For this reason Paul also says elsewhere: *Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.* The best exhortation, a complete counsel, having much care, showing a father's compassion; truly the words of Paul's tongue, brethren. Immediately from the name of kinship he drew the hearer to goodwill. You endured the same birth pangs with him, you were nourished with the same food, you had the same father, you shared with him in the spiritual birth; therefore, show this kinship also in the correction of his failings. *If he is overtaken.* He did not say, "If he sins," but he took refuge in a kind of sin that has pardon. For, *If he is overtaken,* that is, if he is ensnared, if he is deceived, speaking not of one who has sinned from practice, 54.622 but of one who is eager to do right, but is tripped up by a diabolical circumstance. For such a one is not so much worthy of accusation as of pardon. *If a man is overtaken.* Again he took refuge in another kind of pardon, the weakness of nature, which he indicated through the designation. Just as, therefore, the great Job, wishing to draw pardon from God, said: *What is man, that you take account of him, and I should make an examination of his sins?* so also let us do, when we plead for one of those who has sinned, continually saying, "He is a man," and reminding of his nature, and by this drawing the indignant one to pity. For this reason Paul also took refuge in nature and its frailty, saying, *If a man is overtaken in any trespass.* He does not speak simply of the great sins, those greater than pardon and unworthy of love for mankind, but the small and moderate ones. *You who are spiritual.* The one who sins is a man, but those who do right are spiritual. There he said the name of nature, here he placed the designation of virtue. And great is the distance between the man and the spiritual. *You who are spiritual.* If you are spiritual, show me your strength, not only from your own salvation, but also from my salvation, and also from the help given to those who have fallen. For this is the mark of a spiritual person, not to overlook one's own members when they are neglected. *Restore such a one.* Make him, he says, unconquerable, invincible, unassailable by the devil. *Considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.* 2. This is the greatest counsel, a compelling exhortation. Even if the one hearing is a stone, the word is able to frighten him, and to stir him to the restoration of the one who has fallen. Not

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ἡμετέραν κηδεμονίαν ἐπιτεῖναι σπουδάζων, ἵνα μετὰ λόγου γίνηται καὶ φιλοστοργίας. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς τῇ προτεραίᾳ κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπετείναμεν λόγους, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπους αὐτοὺς εἶναι ἔφαμεν, καθάπερ μέμνησθε, κατηγόρους αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήσαντες δύο προφήτας τοὺς κορυφαίους· τὸν μὲν λέγοντα, Ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακουσόμενος· τὸν δὲ καταβοῶντα πάλιν καὶ πυνθανόμενον· Πρὸς τίνα λαλήσω καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι; Ἀπερίτμητα τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ δύνανται ἀκούειν. Καὶ σφόδρα αὐτῶν διὰ τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἐδάκομεν τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἀλλὰ νῦν αὐτοὺς πάλιν παρακαλοῦμεν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσεν· Ἔλεγξον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον. Οὔτε γὰρ τοῦτο ἀεὶ χρὴ ποιεῖν μόνον, οὔτε ἐκεῖνο μόνον, ἀλλ' ἑκάτερα μίξαντα ἀπηρτισμένην ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Ἄν τε γὰρ διαπαντὸς ἐλέγχωμεν, ἀναισχυντοτέρους αὐτοὺς ἀπεργαζόμεθα· ἄν τε διαπαντὸς παρακαλῶμεν, ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιοῦμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἰατροὶ οὐχὶ τέμνουσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τραύματα ἐπιδεσμοῦσιν· οὐδὲ ἀεὶ φάρμακα πικρὰ ἐπιβάλλουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσηνῆ πολλάκις· δι' ἐκείνων μὲν τῶν προτέρων τὸ σεσηπὸς ἀποκαθαίροντες, διὰ τούτων δὲ τῶν δευτέρων τὴν ἐξ ἐκείνων ὀδύνην παραμυθούμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ἀδελφοὶ, ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον, σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Ἀρίστη παραίνεσις, ἀπηρτισμένη συμβουλὴ, πολλὴν ἔχουσα τὴν κηδεμονίαν, σπλάγχνα ἐνδεικνυμένη πατρικά· ὄντως τῆς Παύλου γλώττης τὰ ῥήματα, ἀδελφοί. Εὐθέως ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς συγγενείας ὀνόματος πρὸς τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπεσπάσατο τὸν ἀκροατήν. Τὰς αὐτὰς ὠδῖνας ἔλυσας αὐτῷ, τὰς αὐτὰς ἐτράφης τροφὰς, τὸν αὐτὸν ἔσχες πατέρα, ἐκοινώνησας αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸν τόκον τὸν πνευματικόν· τὴν συγγένειαν τοίνυν ταύτην καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν πτωμάτων ἐπιδείκνυσο διορθώσει. Ἐὰν προληφθῇ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ εἶδος ἁμαρτίας κατέφυγε συγγνώμην ἔχον. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἐὰν προληφθῇ, τουτέστιν, ἐὰν ἐπηρεασθῇ, ἐὰν ἀπατηθῇ, οὐ τὸν ἐκ μελέτης 54.622 ἁμαρτήσαντα λέγων, ἀλλὰ τὸν σπουδάζοντα μὲν κατορθῶσαι, ὑπὸ περιστάσεως δὲ διαβολικῆς ὑποσκελιζόμενον. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος οὐ τοσοῦτον κατηγορίας ὅσον συγγνώμης ἐστὶν ἄξιος. Ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος. Πάλιν ἐφ' ἕτερον εἶδος συγγνώμης κατέφυγε, τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἣν διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας ᾐνίξατο. Καθάπερ οὖν ὁ μέγας Ἰὼβ ἐπισπάσασθαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ συγγνώμην βουλόμενος, ἔλεγε· Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι λογίζῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπισκοπὴν ἐποιήσω τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτοῦ; οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν, ὅταν τινὰ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐξαιτώμεθα, Ἄνθρωπός, ἐστι συνεχῶς λέγοντες, καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἀναμιμνήσκοντες, καὶ ταύτῃ πρὸς ἔλεον ἐφελκόμενοι τὸν ἀγανακτοῦντα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν αὐτῆς κατέφυγεν εἰπὼν, Ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὰ μεγάλα λέγει ἁμαρτήματα, τὰ συγγνώμης μείζονα καὶ τὰ φιλανθρωπίας οὐκ ἄξια, ἀλλὰ τὰ μικρὰ καὶ κατεσταλμένα. Ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοί. Ὁ μὲν ἁμαρτὼν, ἄνθρωπος, οἱ δὲ κατορθοῦντες, πνευματικοί. Ἐκεῖ τῆς φύσεως εἶπε τὸ ὄνομα, ἐνταῦθα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔθηκε τὴν προσηγορίαν. Πολὺ δὲ τὸ μέσον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ. Ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοί. Εἰ πνευματικὸς εἶ, δεῖξόν μοι τὴν ἰσχύν σου, μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς σωτηρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς βοηθείας τῆς εἰς τοὺς πεπτωκότας. Τοῦτο γὰρ πνευματικοῦ, μὴ περιορᾷν τὰ οἰκεῖα μέλη ἠμελημένα. Καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον. Ἀχείρωτον ποιεῖτε, φησὶν, ἀκαταγώνιστον, ἄμαχον τῷ διαβόλῳ. Σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν, μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. βʹ. Αὕτη μεγίστη συμβουλὴ, ἀναγκαστικὴ παραίνεσις. Κἂν λίθος ᾖ ὁ ἀκούων, ἱκανὸν αὐτὸν φοβῆσαι τὸ ῥῆμα, καὶ πρὸς ἀνάληψιν διεγεῖραι τοῦ πεπτωκότος. Οὐ