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are those who preserve it, who abstain from the old things, and pursue the things of grace. From henceforth let no man trouble me. Here he does not utter these things as one who has grown weary, nor as one who has given up; for he who chooses both to do and to suffer all things for the sake of his disciples, how could he now be faint and fall back? He who says, "Be instant in season, out of season;" he who says, "if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil." For what reason then does he say these things? To check their indifferent mind, and to cast them into greater fear, and to fix the laws laid down by him, and not to allow them to be always moved. For I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not say, "I have," but, "I bear," as one priding himself on trophies, or royal standards; even if this again seems to be a reproach. But he glories in his wounds; and just as the standard-bearers of the soldiers, so also he exults carrying about his wounds. And why does he say this? "More clearly than any argument, than any voice," he says, "I make my defense through these things." For these things send forth a voice louder than a trumpet against those who contradict, and who say that I feign the doctrine, and say something to please men. For not even if someone saw a soldier coming out of battle covered in blood, and having countless wounds, would he endure to judge him for cowardice and treachery, bearing on his body the proof of his valor. "And so in my case also," he says, "one ought to judge." And if anyone wishes to hear my defense, and to learn my opinion, let him look at the wounds, which provide a greater proof than these words and letters. At the beginning of the Epistle, from his sudden change he clearly showed his sincere mind; and at the end, from the dangers of this. For lest anyone should say that he departed from a right mind, but did not remain in the same purpose, that he did remain, he brings forward as witnesses his labors, his dangers, his stripes. Then having clearly made his defense through all these things, and having shown that he said none of the things he said in anger and enmity, but has an unshaken affection for them, he again establishes this very thing, concluding his discourse with a prayer full of countless good things, and saying thus: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. With this last saying he sealed all the things that went before. For not simply, "With you," as in other cases, but, "With your spirit," leading them away from carnal things, and everywhere showing the beneficence of God, and reminding them of the grace which they enjoyed, by which he was able to lead them away from all Judaic error. For to receive the Spirit was not of the poverty of the law, but of the righteousness which is by faith; and to retain it after receiving it, was not from circumcision, but again was from grace. For this reason he concluded his exhortation with a prayer, and having reminded them of grace and of the spirit, and at the same time having addressed them as brethren, and having besought God that they might continually enjoy these things, and in a twofold 61.681 way securing the men; for the same thing was both a prayer and a complete teaching of the things that had been said, becoming for them a double wall. For the teaching, reminding them of how many good things they had enjoyed, the more held them in the doctrines 61.682 of the Church; and the prayer, calling upon grace, and persuading it to remain with them, did not suffer their spirit to depart. And this being in them, all the deceit of such doctrines, like dust, was driven away, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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διατηροῦντές εἰσιν, οἱ τῶν παλαιῶν ἀπεχόμενοι, καὶ τὰ τῆς χάριτος διώκοντες. Τοῦ λοιποῦ, κόπους μοι μηδεὶς παρεχέτω. Ἐνταῦθα οὐχ ὡς καμὼν, οὐδ' ὡς περικακήσας ταῦτα φθέγγεται· ὁ γὰρ πάντα καὶ ποιεῖν καὶ πάσχειν ὑπὲρ τῶν μαθητῶν αἱρούμενος, πῶς ἂν ἐξελύθη καὶ ἀνέπεσε νῦν; ὁ λέγων· Ἐπίστηθι εὐκαίρως, ἀκαίρως· ὁ λέγων· Μή ποτε δῷ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀνανήψωσιν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ταῦτά φησιν; Ἀναστέλλων αὐτῶν τὴν ῥᾴθυμον γνώμην, καὶ εἰς φόβον πλείονα ἐμβάλλων, καὶ πηγνὺς τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῦ τεθέντας νόμους, καὶ οὐ συγχωρῶν ἀεὶ κινεῖν αὐτούς. Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὰ στίγματα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματί μου βαστάζω. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἔχω, ἀλλὰ, Βαστάζω, ὥσπερ τις ἐπὶ τροπαίοις μέγα φρονῶν, ἢ σημείοις βασιλικοῖς· εἰ καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ὄνειδος εἶναι δοκεῖ. Ἀλλ' οὗτος ἐπὶ τοῖς τραύμασιν ἐναβρύνεται· καὶ καθάπερ οἱ σημειοφόροι τῶν στρατιωτῶν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀγαλλιάζεται τραύματα περιφέρων. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ τοῦτο λέγει; Παντὸς λόγου, πάσης φωνῆς λαμπρότερον διὰ τούτων ἀπολογοῦμαι, φησί. Ταῦτα γὰρ φωνὴν σάλπιγγος ὑψηλοτέραν ἀφίησι πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας, καὶ λέγοντας ὑποκρίνεσθαί με τὸ δόγμα, καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ἀρέσκειάν τι λέγειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴ τις στρατιώτην εἶδεν ἐκ παρατάξεως ᾑμαγμένον ἐξελθόντα, καὶ μυρία τραύματα ἔχοντα, δειλίας τι κρίνειν αὐτὸν καὶ προδοσίας ἠνείχετο, ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἀνδραγαθίας φέροντα τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Καὶ ἐπ' ἐμοῦ τοίνυν οὕτω ψηφίζεσθαι δεῖ, φησί. Καὶ εἴ τις ἀκοῦσαι βούλεται τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολογίας, καὶ τὴν γνώμην μου καταμαθεῖν, βλεπέτω τὰ τραύματα, τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων πλείονα παρεχόμενα τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ἀρχόμενος μὲν τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθρόας αὐτοῦ μεταβολῆς τὴν ἀνυπόκριτον αὐτοῦ σαφῶς ἔδειξε γνώμην· τελευτῶν δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ταύτης κινδύνων. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι μετέστη μὲν ἀπὸ διανοίας ὀρθῆς, οὐκ ἐνέμεινε δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως, ὅτι καὶ ἔμεινε μάρτυρας παράγει τοὺς πόνους, τοὺς κινδύνους, τὰς πληγάς. Εἶτα ἀπολογησάμενος διὰ πάντων σαφῶς, καὶ δείξας, ὡς οὐδὲν εἶπε τῶν εἰρημένων θυμῷ καὶ ἀπεχθείᾳ, ἀλλ' ἀκίνητον ἔχει τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς φιλοστοργίαν, πάλιν αὐτὸ τοῦτο κατασκευάζει, εἰς εὐχὴν μυρίων γέμουσαν ἀγαθῶν κατακλείων τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὕτω λέγων· Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί. Ἀμήν. Τῷ ἐσχάτῳ ῥήματι τούτῳ πάντα τὰ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεσφράγισεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, Μεθ' ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀλλὰ, Μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν, ἀπάγων αὐτοὺς τῶν σαρκικῶν, καὶ πανταχοῦ δεικνὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, καὶ ἀναμιμνήσκων τῆς χάριτος ἧς ἀπήλαυσαν, δι' ἧς πάσης αὐτοὺς ἱκανὸς ἦν Ἰουδαϊκῆς πλάνης ἀπαγαγεῖν. Τό τε γὰρ Πνεῦμα λαβεῖν, οὐ τῆς νομικῆς ἦν πτωχείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν πίστιν δικαιοσύνης· τό τε κατασχεῖν λαβόντας, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς περιτομῆς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος ἐγένετο πάλιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὴν παραίνεσιν εὐχῇ κατέκλεισε, καὶ χάριτος καὶ πνεύματος ἀναμνήσας, ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀδελφοὺς προσειπὼν, καὶ παρακαλέσας τὸν Θεὸν τούτων αὐτοὺς διηνεκῶς ἀπολαύειν, καὶ διπλῷ 61.681 τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀσφαλισάμενος τρόπῳ· τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ καὶ εὐχὴ, καὶ διδασκαλία ἦν τῶν εἰρημένων ὁλόκληρος, ἀντὶ τείχους αὐτοῖς διπλοῦ γινομένη. Ἥ τε γὰρ διδασκαλία ἀναμιμνήσκουσα αὐτοὺς ὅσων ἀπέλαυσαν ἀγαθῶν, μᾶλλον κατέσχεν ἐν τοῖς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας δόγμα 61.682 σιν· ἥ τε εὐχὴ καλοῦσα τὴν χάριν, καὶ παραμένειν αὐτοῖς πείθουσα, οὐκ ἠφίει τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν ἀπαναστῆναι. Τούτου δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντος, πᾶσα, ὥσπερ κόνις, ἀπεσοβεῖτο τῶν τοιούτων δογμάτων ἡ ἀπάτη, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.