41.  Affairs at home being now settled to his mind, in a way that faithless men who did not know him would have thought impossible, his designs became greater and took a loftier range.  For, while all others had their eyes on the ground before them, and directed attention to their own immediate concerns, and, if these were safe, troubled themselves no further, being incapable of any great and chivalrous design or undertaking; he, moderate as he was in all other respects, could not be moderate in this, but with head erect, casting his mental eye about him, took in the whole world over which the word of salvation has made its way.  And when he saw the great heritage of God, purchased by His own words and laws and sufferings, the holy nation, the royal priesthood,81    1 Pet. ii. 9. in such evil plight that it was torn asunder into ten thousand opinions and errors:  and the vine brought out of Egypt and transplanted,82    Ps. lxxx. 9. the Egypt of impious and dark ignorance, which had grown to such beauty and boundless size that the whole earth was covered with the shadow of it, while it overtopped mountains and cedars, now being ravaged by that wicked wild boar, the devil, he could not content himself with quietly lamenting the misfortune, and merely lifting up his hands to God, and seeking from Him the dispersion of the pressing misfortunes, while he himself was asleep, but felt bound to come to her aid at some expense to himself.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ οἴκοι κατὰ νοῦν εἶχεν αὐτῷ καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ᾠήθη τῶν ἀπίστων κἀκεῖνον ἠγνοηκότων, περινοεῖ τι τῇ διανοίᾳ μεῖζον καὶ ὑψηλότερον. Τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὸ ἐν ποσὶ μόνον ὁρώντων, καὶ τὸ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὅπως ἀσφαλῶς ἕξει λογιζομένων, εἴπερ τοῦτο ἀσφαλές, περαιτέρω δ' οὐ προϊόντων, οὐδέ τι μέγα καὶ νεανικόν, ἢ ἐννοῆσαι, ἢ καταπράξασθαι δυναμένων: καίτοι τἆλλα μέτριος ὤν, ἐν τούτοις οὐ μετριάζει: ἀλλ' ὑψοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν διάρας καὶ κύκλῳ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα περιαγαγών, πᾶσαν εἴσω ποιεῖται τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὅσην ὁ σωτήριος λόγος ἐπέδραμεν. Ὁρῶν δὲ τὸν μέγαν τοῦ Θεοῦ κλῆρον καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ λόγοις καὶ νόμοις καὶ πάθεσι περιποιηθέντα, τὸ ἅγιον ἔθνος, τὸ βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, κακῶς διακείμενον, εἴς τε μυρίας δόξας καὶ πλάνας διεσπασμένον: καὶ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετηρμένην καὶ μεταπεφυτευμένην ἄμπελον, ἐκ τῆς ἀθέου καὶ σκοτεινῆς ἀγνοίας εἰς κάλλος τε καὶ μέγεθος ἄπειρον προελθοῦσαν, ὡς καλύψαι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ ὁρῶν καὶ κέδρων ὑπερεκτείνεσθαι: ταύτην πονηρῷ καὶ ἀγρίῳ συῒ τῷ διαβόλῳ λελυμασμένην: οὐκ αὔταρκες ὑπολαμβάνει θρηνεῖν ἡσυχῆ τὸ πάθος καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν μόνον αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου τῶν κατεχόντων κακῶν λύσιν ζητεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ καθεύδειν: ἀλλά τι καὶ βοηθεῖν καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συνεισφέρειν ᾤετο δεῖν.