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their raging mouths; how he drew the impious king to the contemplation of the miracle; how he taught him, that the God of the Hebrews is the creator and Master of all; how he refuted the deceit of the idols. For it is possible to learn each of these things from the story, and to know clearly, that it is possible for those serving wicked masters to take on none of their wickedness, but to attain the highest peak of virtue, and to free them from their error, and to guide them toward the truth, and to stand before many others as an archetype of salvation. Let no one therefore accuse slavery, nor think that wicked mastery overcomes the virtue of slaves, but let him see God's providence in everything. But perhaps someone might say: Why did the God of all hand over those living in lawlessness to the king of the Babylonians, and allow the just to be taken captive by the spear? What work of providence is this? What just decree? and what disorder and disarray and confusion is not 83.716 in these things? But those who are ignorant of the abyss of the divine economy attempt to say these things. But those who have been initiated, and have tasted of the divine mysteries, know their cause and root. For the lover of mankind cares for those who sin, and chastens them, and desires to leave no one of mankind uncared for. For which reason, sending the lawless into captivity, he sent with them, as it were, certain trainers and teachers living in virtue, so that, illuminated and guided by their life and word as by a lamp, they might in this way travel the unerring path. And that their captivity became an occasion of salvation not only for their own race, but also enlightened foreigners with the light of the knowledge of God, the story is a witness. If therefore they themselves shone through their struggles, and became renowned, and conspicuous, and left to posterity an archetype of benefit, and became a cause of salvation for their fellow captives, and benefited the barbarians, preserving pure piety, and through it working great and wondrous marvels, why do you accuse Providence for providing such things? Why do you not rather praise the Steward of souls, and the Governor of creation, for directing all things so wisely and profitably? I, therefore, have shown from the divine oracles, that it is possible for one serving a wicked master, both to flee wickedness, and to pursue virtue, and to provide many occasions of benefit to their masters. But as for you, consider those who are now fellow slaves, and you will see many serving the intemperate, but abominating intemperance, and honoring self-control, and taking on no wickedness from their masters, but imitating the life of the men whom we have just gone through. And having been taught from what has been said, and from what is seen, and from our nature's free will, and having learned the wisdom of God's providence, sing a recantation, and change the blasphemy now struck up by you into a hymn, and let the utterances of the tongue that are now against God, be for God, and let it sing of the providence of the Creator, Christ our God; to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. DISCOURSE IX. That the labor of righteousness is not fruitless, even if it does not appear so in the present life; and concerning the resurrection, from natural reasonings. If all were willing to heed that good exhortation, which cries out explicitly: "Seek not what is too difficult for you, and search not out what is deeper than you, but consider what has been commanded you," we would not have needed many words, wishing to show the 83.717 providence of God concerning all things. For it was very

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αὐτῶν τὰ μεμηνότα στόματα· ὅπως εἵλκυσεν εἰς θεωρίαν τοῦ θαύματος τὸν δυσσεβῆ βασιλέα· ὅπως αὐτὸν ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων Θεὸς πάντων ἐστὶ ποιητὴς καὶ ∆εσπότης· ὅπως τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀπάτην διήλεγξε. ∆υνατὸν γὰρ τούτων ἕκαστον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας κατα μαθεῖν, καὶ γνῶναι σαφῶς, ὡς δυνατὸν πονηροῖς δεσπόταις δουλεύοντας μηδεμίαν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκμάξασθαι πονηρίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς ἀρετῆς καταλαβεῖν κορυφὴν, καὶ τούτους τῆς πλάνης ἐλευθεροῦν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ποδηγεῖν, καὶ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις προκεῖσθαι σωτηρίας ἀρχέτυπον. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν μήτε τῆς δουλείας κατηγορείτω, μήτε τὴν πονηρὰν δεσποτείαν νικᾷν τῶν δούλων τὴν ἀρετὴν νομιζέτω, ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν προ μήθειαν ὁράτω. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τυχὸν εἴποι τις ἄν· Τί δήποτε τοὺς παρανομίᾳ συνεζηκότας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῷ Βαβυλωνίων παραδέδωκε βασιλεῖ, καὶ τοὺς δικαίους εἴασε δορυαλώτους γενέσθαι; Ποίας τοῦτο προνοίας ἔργον; ποίας ψήφου δικαίας; ποία δὲ οὐκ 83.716 ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις ἀταξία καὶ ἀκοσμία καὶ σύγχυσις; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν οἱ τῆς θείας οἰκο νομίας τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀγνοοῦντες. Οἱ δὲ μεμυημένοι, καὶ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων γευσάμενοι, ἴσασι τούτων τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ῥίζαν. Κήδεται γὰρ τῶν πλημμελούν των, καὶ παιδεύει ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ ἀτημέλητον οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων ἐθέλει καταλιμπάνειν. Οὗ χάριν καὶ πέμπων αἰχμαλώτους τοὺς παρανόμους, συν έπεμψεν αὐτοῖς οἷόν τινας παιδοτρίβας καὶ διδασκά λους τοὺς ἀρετῇ συζῶντας, ἵνα, καθάπερ τινὶ λύχνῳ φωταγωγούμενοι καὶ ποδηγούμενοι τῷ τούτων βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ, τὴν ἀπλανῆ τρίβον οὕτω πως ὁδεύωσιν. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ μόνον τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις σωτηρίας ἐγένετο πρόξενος ἡ τούτων αἰχμαλωσία, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀλλο φύλους ἐφώτισε τῷ τῆς θεογνωσίας φωτὶ, μάρτυς ἡ ἱστορία. Εἰ τοίνυν αὐτοὶ μὲν διὰ τῶν ἀγώνων δι έλαμψαν, καὶ περιφανεῖς ἐγένοντο, καὶ περίβλεπτοι, καὶ τοῖς ὀψιγόνοις ἀρχέτυπον ὠφελείας κατέλιπον, καὶ τοῖς συναιχμαλώτοις ὑπόθεσις σωτηρίας ἐγένοντο, καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ὤνησαν, ἀκραιφνῆ φυλάξαντες τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ δι' ἐκείνης μεγάλα θαυματουρ γήσαντες θαύματα, τί τῆς Προνοίας κατηγορεῖς τοιαῦτα προμηθουμένης; Τί δ' οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ὑμνεῖς τὸν τῶν ψυχῶν Οἰκονόμον, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως Κυβερ νήτην, οὕτω σοφῶς ἅπαντα καὶ συμφερόντως ἰθύ ναντα; Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῶν θείων ὑπέδειξα λο γίων, ὡς δυνατὸν πονηρῷ δεσπότῃ δουλεύοντα, καὶ κακίαν φεύγειν, καὶ ἀρετὴν μετελθεῖν, καὶ τοῖς δεσπόταις πολλὰς προφάσεις παρασχεῖν ὠφε λείας. Σὺ δὲ τοὺς νῦν συνδουλεύοντας περισκόπησον, καὶ ὄψει πολλοὺς ἀκολάστοις μὲν δουλεύοντας, ἀκο λασίαν δὲ βδελυττομένους, καὶ σωφροσύνην τιμῶντας, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐκ τῶν δεσποτῶν κακίαν ἐκματτομέ νους, ἀλλ' ὧν ἀρτίως διεξεληλύθαμεν ἀνδρῶν μιμου μένους τὸν βίον. Καὶ ἔκ τε τῶν εἰρημένων, ἔκ τε τῶν ὁρωμένων, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τὸ αὐτεξούσιον διδαχθεὶς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας τὴν σοφίαν καταμαθὼν, παλινῳδίαν ᾆσον, καὶ τὴν νῦν ἀνακρουο μένην ὑπὸ σοῦ βλασφημίαν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν μετάβαλε, καὶ τὰ κρούματα τῆς γλώσσης τὰ νῦν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γιγνόμενα, ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ γιγνέσθω, καὶ τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν ᾀδέτω, Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. ΛΟΓΟΣ Θʹ. Ὅτι οὐκ ἄκαρπος τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ πόνος, κἂν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ μὴ φαίνηται· καὶ περὶ ἀνα στάσεως, ἀπὸ φυσικῶν συλλογισμῶν. Εἰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐκείνης παραινέσεως ἅπαντες ἤθε λον ἐπαΐειν, τῆς διαῤῥήδην βοώσης· «Ἰσχυρότε ρά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ βαθύτερά σου μὴ ἐρεύνα, ἃ προσετάγη σοι ταῦτα διανοοῦ,» πολλῶν οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθημεν λόγων, τὴν περὶ πάντα τοῦ 83.717 Θεοῦ προμήθειαν δεικνύναι βουλόμενοι. Λίαν γὰρ ἦν