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Levi; the greater part, as he wished, and from thence bringing it to a climax. Do you see how great the distance is between Abraham and Melchizedek who bears the type of our high priest? And he shows the superiority to have come about by authority, not by necessity. For the one gave the tenth, which is the part of a priest; the other blessed, which is the part of a superior. This superiority also passes down to the descendants. Admirably and victoriously he cast out the Jewish things. For this reason, then, he said, You have become dull, since he wished to lay these foundations, so that they might not leap away. For such is the wisdom of Paul; first preparing the way, he then introduces what he wishes. For the human race is hard to persuade, and in need of much care, and more so than plants. For in that case it is the nature of bodies and of earth, yielding to the hands of the farmers; but here it is free will, accepting many changes, and choosing now this, now that; for this is prone to evil. 3. Therefore we must always guard ourselves, lest we ever doze off. For behold, he says, he will not slumber nor sleep, who keeps Israel; and: Suffer not your foot to be moved. He did not say, Be not moved, but, Suffer not. Therefore it is up to us to give, and not up to anyone else. For if we wish to stand firm and unmovable, we will not be moved; for in so saying, he hinted at this. What then? Is nothing up to God? All things are indeed up to God; but not in such a way that our free will is harmed. If, therefore, it is up to God, he says, why does he blame us? For this reason I said, Not in such a way that our free will is harmed. It is therefore up to us, and up to him; for we must first choose the good, and when we have chosen, then he also brings in what is from himself. He does not anticipate our wills, lest he should damage our free will; but when we have chosen, then he brings in much help for us. How then, if it is also up to us, does Paul say: It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy? First, he did not introduce it as his own opinion, but he deduced it from the subject at hand, and from what had been proposed. For having said, It is written: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, he added: So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. You will say to me then: Why does he still find fault? And secondly, one can say this, that where the greater part is, he says the whole is. For it is ours to choose beforehand and to will, but God's to accomplish and bring to completion. Since, therefore, the greater part is his, he says the whole is his, saying this according to human custom. For we also do this; I mean something like this: We see a house being well built, and we say: The whole thing is the craftsman's; and yet the whole is not his, but also the workers', and the master's who provided the material, and many others'; 63.100 but nevertheless, since he contributed the greater part, we say the whole is his. So also here. And again in the case of a multitude, where the many are, we say all are there; but where there are few, we say no one. So also Paul says here, It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. And in saying this, he achieves two very great things: one, that we should not be lifted up on account of what we achieve; and a second, that when we achieve them we should ascribe the cause of our achievements to God. Even if you run, therefore, and even if you are zealous, he says, do not think the achievement is yours; for if you do not obtain the impulse from above, all is in vain. However, that you will obtain what you are zealous for with the alliance from there, is very clear; but only if you also run, if you are willing. Therefore he did not say this, that we run in vain, but that we run in vain if we think the whole is ours, if we do not assign the greater part to God. For God did not wish the whole to be his, lest he seem to crown us in vain; nor again ours, lest we should fall into arrogance. For if, having the lesser part, we are high-minded, what if we were masters of the whole? For God has done many things to cut out our pride. And still his hand is high, he says. With how many passions has he encompassed us, so as to cut out our pride? with how many wild beasts has he surrounded us?

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Λευΐ· τὸ μεῖζον, ὡς ἤθελε, κἀντεῦθεν συνάγων εἰς ὑπερβολήν. Εἶδες πόσον τὸ μέσον τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲχ τοῦ τὸν τύπον φέροντος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τοῦ ἡμετέρου; Καὶ δείκνυσι τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἐξουσίᾳ, οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ γεγενημένην. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἔδωκε τὴν δεκάτην, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἱερέως· οὗτος εὐλόγησεν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κρείττονος. Αὕτη ἡ ὑπεροχὴ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἐκγόνους διαβαίνει. Θαυμαστῶς καὶ περιγεγονότως ἔῤῥιψεν ἔξω τὰ Ἰουδαϊκά. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄρα ἔλεγε, Νωθροὶ γεγόνατε, ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα καταβαλέσθαι ἐβούλετο, ὥστε μὴ ἀποσκιρτῆσαι αὐτούς. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ σοφία τοῦ Παύλου· προκατασκευάζων πρῶτον, οὕτως ἐμβάλλει εἰς ἃ βούλεται. ∆υσπειθὲς γὰρ τὸ γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενον ἐπιμελείας, καὶ πλείονος ἢ τὰ φυτά. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ φύσις σωμάτων ἐστὶ καὶ γῆς, εἴκουσα ταῖς τῶν γηπόνων χερσίν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ προαίρεσις, πολλὰς δεχομένη μεταβολὰς, καὶ νῦν μὲν τοῦτο, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνο αἱρουμένη· ὀξυῤῥεπὴς γὰρ αὕτη πρὸς κακίαν. γʹ. ∆ιὸ χρὴ πάντοτε φυλάττειν ἑαυτοὺς, μήποτε ἀπονυστάξωμεν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐ νυστάξει, οὐδὲ ὑπνώσει, ὁ φυλάσσων τὸν Ἰσραήλ· καί· Μὴ δῷς εἰς σάλον τὸν πόδα σου. Οὐκ εἶπε, Μὴ σαλευθῇς, ἀλλὰ, Μὴ δῷς. Ἄρα ἐφ' ἡμῖν τὸ δοῦναι, καὶ οὐκ ἐφ' ἑτέρῳ τινί. Ἂν γὰρ ἐθέλωμεν ἑστάναι ἑδραῖοι καὶ ἀμετακίνητοι, οὐ σαλευθησόμεθα· τῷ γὰρ οὕτως εἰπεῖν, τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο. Τί οὖν; οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ; Πάντα μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὥστε τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἡμῶν βλάπτεσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, τί ἡμᾶς αἰτιᾶται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπον, Οὐχ οὕτως, ὥστε τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἡμῶν βλάπτεσθαι. Ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τοίνυν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ· δεῖ γὰρ ἡμᾶς πρῶτον ἑλέσθαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ὅτε ἑλώμεθα ἡμεῖς, τότε καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ εἰσάγει. Οὐ προφθάνει τὰς ἡμετέρας βουλήσεις, ἵνα μὴ λυμήνηται τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἡμῶν· ὅταν δὲ ἡμεῖς ἑλώμεθα, τότε πολλὴν εἰσάγει τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῖν. Πῶς οὖν, εἰ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος, οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος Θεοῦ; Πρῶτον μὲν οὐχ ὡς ἰδίαν γνώμην εἰσήγαγεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου αὐτὸ συνήγαγε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προβληθέντος. Εἰπὼν γάρ· Γέγραπται· Ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτειρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτείρω, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἄρα οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος, οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος Θεοῦ. Ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι· Τί ἔτι μέμφεται; ∆εύτερον δὲ, ἐκεῖνο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὗ τὸ πλέον ἐστὶ, τὸ πᾶν φησιν εἶναι. Ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ προελέσθαι καὶ βουληθῆναι, Θεοῦ δὲ τὸ ἀνύσαι καὶ εἰς τέλος ἀγαγεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκείνου τὸ πλέον ἐστὶ, τὸ πᾶν ἐκείνου εἶναί φησι, κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην τοῦτο λέγων. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν· οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁρῶμεν οἰκίαν οἰκοδομουμένην καλῶς, καὶ λέγομεν· Τὸ πᾶν τοῦ τεχνίτου ἐστί· καίτοι γε οὐ τὸ πᾶν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐργατῶν, καὶ τοῦ τὴν ὕλην παρασχόντος δεσπότου, καὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων· 63.100 ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλέον ἐκεῖνος εἰσήνεγκεν, ἐκείνου τὸ πᾶν εἶναι λέγομεν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ πλήθους, ἔνθα μὲν οἱ πολλοὶ, πάντας εἶναί φαμεν· ἔνθα δὲ ὀλίγοι, οὐδένα. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐνταῦθά φησι τὸ, Οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος, οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγων, δύο τὰ μέγιστα κατορθοῖ· ἓν μὲν, τὸ μὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι ἐφ' οἷς κατορθοῦμεν· δεύτερον δὲ, τὸ κατορθοῦντας ἀνατιθέναι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν τῶν κατορθουμένων αἰτίαν. Κἂν τρέχῃς τοίνυν, κἂν σπουδάζῃς, φησὶ, μὴ νόμιζε σὸν εἶναι τὸ κατόρθωμα· ἂν γὰρ μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν τύχῃς ῥοπῆς, πάντα εἰκῆ. Πλὴν ὅτι τεύξῃ τοῦ σπουδαζομένου μετὰ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν συμμαχίας, εὔδηλόν ἐστιν· ἀλλ' ἂν τρέχῃς καὶ σὺ, ἂν θέλῃς. Οὐ τοῦτο οὖν εἶπεν, ὅτι εἰκῆ τρέχομεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι εἰκῆ τρέχομεν, ἐὰν ἡμέτερον εἶναι τὸ πᾶν νομίζωμεν, ἐὰν μὴ τὸ πλέον ἀπονέμωμεν τῷ Θεῷ. Οὔτε γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἶναι τὸ πᾶν ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ εἰκῆ στεφανοῦν ἡμᾶς· οὔτε ἡμῶν πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐκπέσωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἔλαττον μέρος ἔχοντες μεγάλα φρονοῦμεν, τί, εἰ τοῦ ὅλου κύριοι ἦμεν; πολλὰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν ἀλαζονείαν ἡμῶν ἐκκόψαι. Καὶ ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑψηλὴ, φησί. Πόσοις ἡμᾶς πάθεσι περιέβαλεν, ὥστε ἐκκόψαι ἡμῶν τὸ φρόνημα; πόσοις ἐκύκλωσε θηρίοις;