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having shaken it, having bound the jailer, and having subdued him with the word of piety. The lion roars, and puts all the beasts to flight; the saint speaks, and drives away demons from every side; the weapons of the lion are a mane of hair, sharp claws, and sharpened teeth; the weapons of the righteous man are philosophy, endurance, patience, contempt for all present things. Having these weapons, one will laugh to scorn not only wicked men, but also the opposing powers themselves. Take thought, therefore, for the life according to God, O man, and no one will ever overcome you, but even if you seem to be more insignificant than all, you will be more powerful than all; just as if you neglect virtue of the soul, even if you are more powerful than all, you will be easily subdued by all who plot against you. And the examples that have been mentioned have shown this; but if you wish, I will try to teach you also through deeds the invincibility of the righteous and the vulnerability of sinners. Hear, then, how the prophet alluded to both of these; "Not so the wicked, not so," he says, "but they are like the chaff which the wind drives from the face of the earth." For just as that is subject to the blasts of the winds, being easily tossed about, so also the sinner is overturned by every temptation. For when he wages war against himself, and carries the battle everywhere, what hope of salvation is there for him who is betrayed from within, and carries about his conscience as a perpetual enemy? But the righteous man is not such a one, but of what sort? Hear the same prophet saying: "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion." What then is, "As mount Zion"? "He shall not be moved for ever," he says. For however many engines you may bring to bear, however many darts you may hurl, wishing to destroy a mountain, you will never overcome it—for how could you?—but you will destroy all your engines, and you will destroy your own strength. Such also is the righteous man; however many blows he may receive, he himself suffers nothing terrible, but he destroys the power of those who plot against him, not only of men, but of demons themselves. You have heard, at least, many times how many engines the devil brought against Job, and not only did he not shake that mountain, but he also departed exhausted, his darts having been broken, and his engines having been rendered useless from that assault.

3. Knowing these things, therefore, let us take care of our life, and let us be zealous neither for wealth that perishes, nor for glory that is extinguished, nor for the body that grows old, nor for beauty that fades, nor for luxury that flows away, but let us expend all our care upon the soul, and let us heal this 49.101 in every way. For to heal bodies that have fallen sick is not easy for everyone, but to cure a sick soul is easy for all; and the sickness of the body requires both medicines and money for its cure; but the cure of the soul is cheap and without expense; and the nature of the flesh is rid of its troublesome wounds with much pain; for it is often necessary to apply the knife, and bitter medicines; but in the case of the soul there is nothing of the sort, but it is enough only to be willing and to wish, and all is set right. And this has become the work of God's providence; for since from the sickness of the body no great harm would come—for even if we do not fall sick, death, coming on, will surely corrupt and destroy it—but everything depends on the health of our soul, He has made the cure of that which is far more useful and necessary easy and without expense and without pain. What defense, then, shall we have, what pardon, when, while the body is sick, where it is necessary both to spend money, and to call upon physicians, and to endure much pain, we take so much forethought, and this when not much harm comes to us from that sickness; but we despise the soul, and this when we are not about to spend money, nor to trouble others, nor to undergo pains, but apart from all these things, by choosing and being willing

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σαλεύσας, τὸν δεσμοφύλακα δήσας, καὶ τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας χειρωσάμενος λόγῳ. Ὁ λέων φθέγγεται, καὶ τὰ θηρία φυγαδεύει πάντα· ὁ ἅγιος φθέγγεται, καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας ἀπελαύνει πάντοθεν· ὅπλα τοῦ λέοντος κόμη τριχῶν, ὀνύχων ἀκμὴ, καὶ ὀδόντες ἠκονημένοι· ὅπλα δικαίου φιλοσοφία, καρτερία, ὑπομονὴ, ὑπεροψία τῶν παρόντων ἁπάντων. Ταῦτα τὰ ὅπλα τις ἔχων, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων μόνον πονηρῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν καταγελάσεται τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων. Φρόντισον τοίνυν τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ζωῆς, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ οὐδεὶς περιέσεται σοῦ ποτε, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἁπάντων εὐτελέστερος εἶναι δοκῇς, πάντων δυνατώτερος ἔσῃ· ὥσπερ ἂν ἀμελήσῃς τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς, κἂν ἁπάντων δυνατώτερος ᾖς, εὐχείρωτος ἔσῃ τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσιν ἅπασι. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔδειξε μὲν τὰ εἰρημένα παραδείγματα· εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ δι' ἔργων σε διδάξαι πειράσομαι τῶν δικαίων τὸ ἀκαταγώνιστον καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τὸ εὐχείρωτον. Ἄκουσον γοῦν πῶς ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ὁ προφήτης ᾐνίξατο· Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτω, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ταῖς τῶν ἀνέμων ἐμβολαῖς πρόκειται ῥᾳδίως ἀναῤῥιπιζόμενος, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὑπὸ παντὸς πειρασμοῦ περιτρέπεται. Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ πολεμῇ, καὶ τὴν μάχην πανταχοῦ περιφέρῃ, ποία αὐτῷ σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς οἴκοθεν προδεδομένῳ, καὶ διηνεκῆ πολέμιον περιάγοντι τὸ συνειδός; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ δίκαιος τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ ποταπός; Ἄκουσον τοῦ αὐτοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ Κύριον ὡς ὄρος Σιών. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστιν, Ὡς ὄρος Σιών; Οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, φησί. Καὶ γὰρ ὅσα ἂν προσενέγκῃς μηχανήματα, ὅσα ἂν ἀκοντίσῃς βέλη, ὄρος καταστρέψαι βουλόμενος, ἐκείνου μὲν οὐδέποτε περιέσῃ πῶς γάρ;, τὰ δὲ μηχανήματα διαλύσεις ἅπαντα, καὶ τὴν σεαυτοῦ καταλύσεις ἰσχύν. Τοιοῦτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ δίκαιος· ὅσας ἂν δέξηται πληγὰς, αὐτὸς μὲν οὐδὲν ἔπαθε δεινὸν, τῶν δὲ ἐπιβουλευόντων καταλύει τὴν δύναμιν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δαιμόνων αὐτῶν. Ἤκουσας γοῦν πολλάκις πόσα προσήγαγε μηχανήματα τῷ Ἰὼβ ὁ διάβολος, καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ κατέσεισεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ ὄρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκλυθεὶς ἀνεχώρησε, τῶν βελῶν αὐτοῦ κατακλασθέντων, καὶ τῶν μηχανημάτων γενομένων ἀχρήστων ἀπὸ τῆς προσβολῆς ἐκείνης.

γʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐπιστάμενοι, τῆς ζωῆς ἐπιμελώμεθα τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ μήτε περὶ χρήματα σπουδάσωμεν τὰ ἀπολλύμενα, μήτε περὶ δόξαν τὴν σβεννυμένην, μήτε περὶ τὸ σῶμα τὸ γηράσκον, μήτε περὶ κάλλος τὸ μαραινόμενον, μήτε περὶ τρυφὴν τὴν διαῤῥέουσαν, ἀλλὰ περὶ ψυχὴν ἅπασαν ἀναλώσωμεν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ ταύ 49.101 την παντὶ θεραπεύσωμεν τρόπῳ. Σώματα μὲν γὰρ θεραπεῦσαι νενοσηκότα οὐ παντὶ ῥᾴδιον, ψυχὴν δὲ ἀῤῥωστοῦσαν ἰάσασθαι ῥᾴδιον πᾶσι· καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ σώματος ἀῤῥωστία καὶ φαρμάκων δεῖται, καὶ ἀργυρίου πρὸς θεραπείαν· ἡ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς θεραπεία εὔωνος καὶ ἀδάπανος· καὶ τῆς μὲν σαρκὸς ἡ φύσις μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ πόνου τῶν ἐνοχλούντων ἀπαλλάττεται τραυμάτων· καὶ γὰρ σιδήριον ἐπαγαγεῖν ἀναγκαῖον πολλάκις, καὶ πικρὰ φάρμακα· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ θελῆσαι καὶ βουληθῆναι μόνον, καὶ πάντα κατώρθωται. Καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας ἔργον γέγονεν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀῤῥωστίας οὐ πολλὴ γένοιτ' ἂν ἡ βλάβη κἂν γὰρ μὴ νοσήσωμεν, ἐπελθὼν ὁ θάνατος αὐτὸ φθερεῖ καὶ καταλύσει πάντως, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ἐν τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ὑγείᾳ κεῖται, τοῦ πολλῷ χρησιμωτέρου καὶ ἀναγκαιοτέρου ῥᾳδίαν ἐποίησε καὶ ἀδάπανον καὶ ἀνώδυνον τὴν θεραπείαν. Τίνα οὖν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, ποίαν δὲ συγγνώμην, ὅταν σώματος μὲν νοσοῦντος, ἔνθα καὶ ἀργύριόν ἐστι καταβαλεῖν, καὶ ἰατροὺς παρακαλέσαι, καὶ ὀδύνην ὑπομεῖναι πολλὴν, τοσαύτην ποιώμεθα πρόνοιαν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ πολλῆς ἡμῖν τῆς βλάβης ἀπὸ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας γινομένης ἐκείνης· ψυχῆς δὲ καταφρονῶμεν, καὶ ταῦτα μήτε ἀργύριον καταβάλλειν μέλλοντες, μήτε ἑτέρους διενοχλεῖν, μήτε ὀδύνας ὑφίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς τούτων ἁπάντων διὰ τοῦ προελέσθαι καὶ βουληθῆναι