And yet, I rejoined to the virgin, we see no slight help afforded for improvement to the virtuous from all these conditions. Daniel’s desire was his glory; and Phineas’ anger pleased the Deity. We have been told, too, that fear is the beginning of wisdom, and learnt from Paul that salvation is the goal of the “sorrow after a godly sort.” The Gospel bids us have a contempt for danger; and the “not being afraid with any amazement” is nothing else but a describing of courage, and this last is numbered by Wisdom amongst the things that are good. In all this Scripture shows that such conditions are not to be considered weaknesses; weaknesses would not have been so employed for putting virtue into practice.

_Γ. Καὶ μὴν ὁρῶμεν, φημὶ πρὸς τὴν παρθένον, οὐ μικρὰν ἐκ τούτων γινομένην τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον συνεισφορὰν τοῖς ἐναρέτοις. Τῷ τε γὰρ Δανιὴλ ἔπαινος ἦν ἡ ἐπιθυμία: καὶ ὁ Φινεὲς τῷ θυμῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσατο: καὶ ἀρχὴν σοφίας φόβον ἐμάθομεν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν λύπης σωτηρίαν εἶναι τὸ πέρας παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου ἠκούσαμεν: τῶν τε δεινῶν τὴν καταφρόνησιν νουθετεῖ ἡμῖν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον: καὶ τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι πτόησιν οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ τοῦ θράσους ἐστὶν ὑπογραφή: ὅπερ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς Σοφίας κατείλεκται. Δείκνυσι τοίνυν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ὁ λόγος, τὸ μὴ πάθη τὰ τοιαῦτα δεῖν οἴεσθαι: οὐ γὰρ ἂν πρὸς ἀρετῆς κατόρθωσιν συμπαραληφθείη τὰ πάθη.