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the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then he says to the paralytic, Arise, take up your pallet, and go to your house. When therefore, he says, I have done the more difficult thing, it is clear that no pretext or contradiction is left concerning the easier thing. For this reason He did the spiritual thing first, since there were many who contradicted; but here He led it from the spiritual to the sensible. Therefore the faith was not of levity. He saw the prisoners, and he neither saw nor heard anything wicked; he saw nothing had been done by magic; for they were hymning God; he saw that all things were done out of much love for humanity; for they did not retaliate against him, although they were able. For it was possible both to release themselves and the prisoners and to depart; and if not the prisoners, at least themselves. But they did not do this. So that not from the miracle alone, but also from their manner, they filled him with respect. How did he cry out? With a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm; for we are all here. You see both his freedom from vainglory and his humility and his affectionate nature. He did not say, For our sake these things have happened; but, as if one of the prisoners, he says, For we are all here. And yet even if they had not loosed themselves before this, nor through the miracle, it was still possible for them to keep silent, and to let all who were bound go free. For if they had been silent, and had not stayed his hands by their loud voice, he would have thrust the sword through his throat. For this reason also he cried out, since he had been thrown into the inner prison. Against yourself you have done this, he says, by throwing into the inner prison those who were about to free you from danger. But they did not imitate the things done by him. And if he had died, all would have escaped. You see that they chose rather to be bound, than to look on while he was perishing. For this reason he also thought to himself, If they were sorcerers, they would certainly have released those men, and freed themselves from their bonds; for it is likely that many such men had also been thrown in. Otherwise, having often taken in sorcerers and seen no such thing happen, he was astonished. A sorcerer would not have shaken the foundations so as to awaken the jailer, and make his own escape more difficult. But let us see, then, the faith of the jailer. Having asked, it says, for lights, he rushed in, and being in terror, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and having brought them out, he says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? He was holding a torch and a sword, and he said, Sirs, what must I do to be 62.62 saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. This is not of sorcerers, he says, to hand down such a doctrine; nowhere here is there mention of a demon. Do you see how worthy that man was of being saved? For having seen the miracle, and being delivered from his fear, he did not forget what was profitable, but in so great a danger he was concerned about the salvation of his soul, and as it was fitting to approach teachers, so he approached; and he fell at their feet. And they spoke to him, it says, the word of the Lord, and to all who were in his house. And having taken them in that hour of the night, he washed them of their wounds, and was baptized, he and all his household, immediately. Do you see the man's fervor? He did not delay, he did not say, Let day come, let us see, let us consider; but with much fervor both he and his entire household were baptized; but not as the majority now overlook slaves and wives and children being uninitiated. Become, I beseech you, like the jailer; I do not mean his station, but his purpose. For what is the benefit of high station, when the purpose is weak? Alas, the cruel man, the harsh man, the one living with countless evils, the one always practicing this, so philanthropic, so caring he suddenly became. He washed them, it says, of their wounds. Behold again also Paul's fervor; bound, scourged, thus he evangelized. O the blessed chain, what birth-pangs it endured during that night; what children it brought forth. And concerning these it is possible to say, Whom I have begotten in my bonds. Do you see how he exults, and desires the children born from this to be more glorious? do you see how great an abundance of glory

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ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, τότε λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ, Ἐγερθεὶς ἆρόν σου τὴν κλίνην, καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. Ὅταν οὖν, φησὶ, τὸ δυσκολώτερον ἐργάσωμαι, εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐδεμία περὶ τοῦ εὐκόλου καταλείπεται πρόφασις οὐδὲ ἀντιλογία. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ νοητὸν ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησε πρότερον, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ ἦσαν οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ νοητοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν αὐτὸ ἤγαγεν. Ἄρα οὐκ ἦν κουφότητος ἡ πίστις. Εἶδε τοὺς δεσμώτας, καὶ οὐδὲν εἶδεν οὐδὲ ἤκουσε φαῦλον· εἶδεν οὐ μαγγανείᾳ τι γεγενημένον· ὕμνουν γὰρ τὸν Θεόν· εἶδεν ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας πολλῆς πάντα γενόμενα· οὐ γὰρ ἠμύναντο αὐτὸν, καίτοι δυνάμενοι. Ἐνῆν γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ τοὺς δεδεμένους ἐξελόντας ἀπελθεῖν· εἰ δὲ μὴ τοὺς δεδεμένους, ἀλλ' ἑαυτούς. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰργάσαντο τοῦτο. Ὥστε οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ θαύματος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου αὐτὸν κατῄδεσαν. Πῶς ἐφώνησε; Μεγάλῃ φωνῇ λέγων, Μηδὲν ποιήσῃς σεαυτῷ κακόν· ἅπαντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Ὁρᾷς καὶ τὸ ἀκενόδοξον καὶ τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ τὸ φιλόστοργον. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ∆ι' ἡμᾶς ταῦτα γέγονεν· ἀλλ', ὡσανεὶ τῶν δεσμωτῶν εἷς, φησί· Πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ μὴ πρὸ τούτου, μηδὲ διὰ τοῦ θαύματος ἔλυσαν ἑαυτοὺς, ἀλλ' ἐνῆν αὐτοὺς σιγῆσαι, καὶ πάντας ἀπολῦσαι καὶ δεδεμένους. Εἰ γὰρ ἐσίγησαν, καὶ μὴ διὰ τῆς μεγάλης φωνῆς κατέσχον αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας, ὤθησεν ἂν διὰ τοῦ λαιμοῦ τὸ ξίφος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐβόησεν, ἐπειδὴ εἰς τὴν ἐνδοτέραν φυλακὴν ἦν βεβλημένος. Κατὰ σαυτοῦ τοῦτο πεποίηκας, φησὶν, ἐνδοτέρω βαλὼν τοὺς μέλλοντάς σε ἐλευθεροῦν τοῦ κινδύνου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμιμήσαντο τὰ παρ' ἐκείνου γενόμενα. Ἐκείνου δὲ ἀποθανόντος πάντες ἂν ἐξέφυγον. Εἶδες ὅτι εἵλοντο δεδέσθαι μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐκεῖνον περιιδεῖν ἀπολλύμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνενόησε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, Εἰ γόητες ἦσαν, πάντως ἂν ἐκείνους ἀπέλυσαν, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἠλευθέρωσαν τῶν δεσμῶν· εἰκὸς γὰρ πολλοὺς καὶ τοιούτους ἐμβεβλῆσθαι. Ἄλλως δὲ, πολλάκις δεξάμενος γόητας, καὶ οὐδὲν ἰδὼν τοιοῦτον γενόμενον, ἐθαύμασεν. Ὁ γόης οὐκ ἂν ἔσεισε τὰ θεμέλια ὥστε διυπνίσαι τὸν δεσμοφύλακα, καὶ δυσκολωτέραν ἑαυτῷ ποιῆσαι τὴν φυγήν. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν λοιπὸν τοῦ δεσμοφύλακος τὴν πίστιν. Αἰτήσας, φησὶ, φῶτα εἰσεπήδησε, καὶ ἔντρομος ὑπάρχων, προσέπεσε τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τῷ Σίλᾳ, καὶ προαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς ἔξω, φησί· Κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα 62.62 σωθῶ; Πῦρ ἐκράτει καὶ ξίφος, καὶ ἔλεγε· Κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Πίστευσον εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ σωθήσῃ σὺ, καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου. Τοῦτο οὐχὶ γοήτων ἐστὶ, φησὶ, δόγμα τοιοῦτον παραδοῦναι· οὐδαμοῦ δαίμονος ἐνταῦθα μνήμη. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἄξιος τοῦ σωθῆναι ἐκεῖνος; Ἰδὼν γὰρ τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ τοῦ φόβου ἀπαλλαγεὶς, οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τῶν συμφερόντων, ἀλλ' ἐν τοσούτῳ κινδύνῳ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐφρόντιζε τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν, καὶ ὡς ἐχρῆν διδασκάλοις προσελθεῖν, οὕτω προσῆλθε· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν ἔπεσε. Καὶ ἐλάλησαν αὐτῷ, φησὶ, τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ παραλαβὼν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ, ἔλουσεν ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν, καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη αὐτὸς, καὶ οἱ αὐτοῦ πάντες παραχρῆμα. Ὁρᾷς θερμότητα ἀνδρός; Οὐκ ἀνεβάλετο, οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡμέρα γενέσθω, ἴδωμεν, σκεψώμεθα· ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς θερμότητος καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἐβαπτίσθη· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς νῦν οἱ πλείους περιορῶσι καὶ δούλους καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας ἀμυήτους τυγχάνοντας. Γίνεσθε, παρακαλῶ, κατὰ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα· οὐ τὴν ἀξίαν λέγω, ἀλλὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἀξιώματος, ὅταν ᾖ ἡ προαίρεσις ἀσθενής; Βαβαὶ, ὁ ὠμὸς, ὁ ἀπηνὴς, ὁ μυρίοις συζῶν κακοῖς, ὁ τοῦτο μελετῶν ἀεὶ, οὕτω φιλάνθρωπος, οὕτω κηδεμονικὸς ἀθρόως γέγονεν. Ἔλουσεν αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν. Θέα πάλιν καὶ τοῦ Παύλου τὴν θερμότητα· δεδεμένος, μεμαστιγωμένος, οὕτως εὐηγγελίζετο. Ὢ τῆς μακαρίας ἁλύσεως, οἵας ὤδινεν ὠδῖνας κατὰ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην· οἷα ἀπέτεκε παιδία. Καὶ περὶ τούτων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, Οὓς ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀγάλλεται, καὶ τὰ τεχθέντα παιδία ἀπὸ τούτου λαμπρότερα βούλεται εἶναι; ὁρᾷς πόση περιουσία δόξης