85

he has not taken, if not a human one; that is, proportionate and small. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. And yet there is a great difference between the masters, but nevertheless I demand an equal measure of servitude. For it was necessary to contribute much more, and so much more, by as much as this is greater and better than that lordship; however, I demand nothing more on account of the weakness. And he did not say, Of your will, nor Of your readiness, but, Of your flesh, making the saying less burdensome. And yet the one is impurity, the other sanctification; the one is lawlessness, the 60.495 other righteousness. And who is so wretched and miserable, as not to contribute even as much zeal to the servitude of Christ, as to that of sin and of the devil? Therefore listen to what follows, and you will know clearly, that we do not contribute even this small amount. For since this, being said so simply, did not seem to be credible nor readily acceptable, nor could one bear to hear that he does not serve Christ as much as he served the devil, through what follows he establishes it and makes it credible, bringing that servitude into the open, and saying how they served. For when you were slaves, he says, of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What he says is something like this: when you lived in wickedness and impiety and the worst evils, you lived with such obedience as to do nothing good at all. For this is what it means, You were free in regard to righteousness; that is, You were not subject to it, but altogether alienated. For you did not divide the manner of your servitude between righteousness and sin, but you gave yourselves over wholly to wickedness. Therefore now too, since you have changed over to righteousness, give yourselves over wholly to virtue, doing nothing of wickedness at all, so that you might display at least an equal measure. And yet not only is there a great difference in the lordship, but also a great difference in the servitude itself; which he also unfolds with much clarity, and shows to what things they were then enslaved, and to what things now. And he does not yet speak of the harm that comes from the matter, but for the time being the shame. For what fruit, he says, did you have then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For such was the servitude, that even its remembrance now brings shame. But if the remembrance shames, much more so the practice. So that you now gain in two ways, both being freed from the shame, and learning in what state you were; just as then you were harmed in two ways, both by doing things worthy of shame, and not even knowing to be ashamed, which was worse than the former; but nevertheless you remained in servitude. Having shown, therefore, abundantly from the shame the harm of the things that were then done, he proceeds to the matter itself. What then was the matter? For the end of those things is death. For since shame does not seem to be a very heavy thing, he comes to what is very terrible, I mean death; and yet what was said before was sufficient. For consider how great is the excess of wickedness, where even when freed from the punishment, they were not able to be freed from the shame. What reward then, he says, do you expect from the practice, when from the memory alone, and that when you have been freed from the punishment, you cover your face and blush, and that though you are in so great a grace? But the things of God are not such. But now, he says, having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, eternal life. Of those things the fruit is shame even after the release, but of these the fruit is sanctification; and where there is sanctification, there is great boldness. The end of those things is death, but of these, eternal life. 2. Have you seen how he shows some things as given, and others as being in hope? And from the things given, those other things are also made credible, from sanctification, life. For so that you may not say, that all things are in hope, he shows that you have already reaped fruit; first, being freed from wickedness and such evils, of which even the memory brings shame; second, having become a slave to righteousness; third, enjoying sanctification; fourth, also attaining life, and not a temporary life, but an eternal one.

85

οὐκ εἴληφεν, εἰ μὴ ἀνθρώπινος· τουτέστι, σύμμετρος καὶ μικρός. Ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν, οὕτω νῦν παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν. Καίτοι πολὺ τῶν δεσποτῶν τὸ μέσον, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ ἴσον τῆς δουλείας ἀπαιτῶ μέτρον. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον εἰσενεγκεῖν, καὶ τοσούτῳ πλέον, ὅσῳ καὶ αὕτη μείζων τῆς δεσποτείας ἐκείνης καὶ ἀμείνων· πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν πλέον ἀπαιτῶ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τῆς προαιρέσεως ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ Τῆς προθυμίας, ἀλλὰ, Τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, ἀνεπαχθέστερον ποιῶν τὸν λόγον. Καίτοι τὸ μὲν ἀκαθαρσία, τὸ δὲ ἁγιασμός· τὸ μὲν ἀνομία, τὸ 60.495 δὲ δικαιοσύνη. Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος καὶ ταλαίπωρος, ὡς μηδὲ τοσαύτην εἰσενεγκεῖν σπουδὴν τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δουλείᾳ, ὅσην τῇ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου; Οὐκοῦν ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς, καὶ εἴσῃ σαφῶς, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο εἰσφέρομεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἁπλῶς οὕτω λεγόμενον οὐκ ἐδόκει πιστὸν εἶναι οὐδὲ εὐπαράδεκτον, οὐδὲ ἠνείχετό τις ἀκοῦσαι, ὅτι οὐ δουλεύει τοσοῦτον τῷ Χριστῷ, ὅσον ἐδούλευσε τῷ διαβόλῳ, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει καὶ ποιεῖ πιστὸν, τὴν δουλείαν ἐκείνην ἄγων εἰς μέσον, καὶ λέγων πῶς ἐδούλευσαν. Ὅτε γὰρ ἦτε δοῦλοι, φησὶ, τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὅτε ἐν πονηρίᾳ ἐζῆτε καὶ ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ ἐσχάτοις κακοῖς, μετὰ τοσαύτης ἐζῆτε τῆς ὑπακοῆς, ὡς μηδὲν καθόλου πράττειν καλόν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ· τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ἦτε ὑποτεταγμένοι αὐτῇ, ἀλλ' ἠλλοτριωμένοι καθόλου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ διενέμετε τῆς δουλείας τὸν τρόπον τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλ' ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς ἐξεδίδοτε τῇ πονηρίᾳ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὴ μετέστητε πρὸς τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς ἔκδοτε τῇ ἀρετῇ, μηδὲν καθόλου τῆς κακίας πράττοντες, ἵνα κἂν ἴσον ἐπιδείξητε τὸ μέτρον. Καίτοι γε οὐχὶ τῆς δεσποτείας πολὺ τὸ μέσον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς δουλείας αὐτῆς πολὺ τὸ διάφορον· ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀναπλοῖ τῆς σαφηνείας, καὶ δείκνυσιν ἐπὶ τίσι τότε ἐδούλευον, ἐπὶ τίσι δὲ νῦν. Καὶ οὔπω λέγει τὴν βλάβην τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος γινομένην, ἀλλὰ τέως τὴν αἰσχύνην. Τίνα γὰρ, φησὶ, καρπὸν εἴχετε τότε ἐφ' οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε; Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἦν ἡ δουλεία, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἀνάμνησιν αὐτὴν νῦν αἰσχύνην φέρειν. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀνάμνησις καταισχύνει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ πρᾶξις. Ὥστε διπλῇ νῦν ἐκερδάνετε, καὶ ἀπαλλαγέντες τῆς αἰσχύνης, καὶ μαθόντες ἐν οἷς ἦτε· ὥσπερ οὖν τότε διπλῇ παρεβλάπτεσθε, καὶ αἰσχύνης ἄξια πράττοντες, καὶ οὐδὲ εἰδότες αἰσχύνεσθαι, ὅπερ τοῦ προτέρου μεῖζον ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐμένετε δουλεύοντες. ∆είξας τοίνυν ἐκ περιουσίας τὴν βλάβην τῶν τότε γενομένων ἀπὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα χωρεῖ. Τί οὖν ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα; Τὸ γὰρ τέλος ἐκείνων θάνατος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ αἰσχύνη οὐ σφόδρα δοκεῖ φορτικὸν εἶναι, ἐπὶ τὸ πάνυ φοβερὸν ἔρχεται, τὸν θάνατον λέγω· καίτοι γε ἤρκει καὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένον. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὅση τῆς κακίας ἡ ὑπερβολὴ, ὅπου γε καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας ἀπαλλαγέντες, τῆς αἰσχύνης ἀπαλλαγῆναι οὐκ εἶχον. Ποῖον οὖν προσδοκᾷς μισθὸν, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς πράξεως, ὅταν ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης μόνης, καὶ ταῦτα τῆς τιμωρίας ἀπηλλαγμένος, ἐγκαλύπτῃ καὶ ἐρυθριᾷς, καίτοι γε ἐν τοσαύτῃ ὢν χάριτι; Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοιαῦτα. Νῦν δὲ, φησὶν, ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ Θεῷ, ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμὸν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἐκείνων ὁ καρπὸς αἰσχύνη καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν, τούτων δὲ ὁ καρπὸς ἁγιασμός· ὅπου δὲ ἁγιασμὸς, παῤῥησία πολλή. Ἐκείνων τὸ τέλος θάνατος, τούτων δὲ ζωὴ αἰώνιος. βʹ. Εἶδες πῶς τὰ μὲν δείκνυσι δεδομένα, τὰ δὲ ἐν ἐλπίσιν ὄντα; Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δεδομένων κἀκεῖνα πιστοῦται, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ τὴν ζωήν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃς, ὅτι πάντα ἐν ἐλπίσι, δείκνυσι καὶ ἤδη σε καρπωσάμενον· πρῶτον τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς πονηρίας καὶ τοιούτων κακῶν, ὧν καὶ ἡ μνήμη αἰσχύνην φέρει· δεύτερον τὸ δουλωθῆναι τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ· τρίτον τὸ ἁγιασμοῦ ἀπολαῦσαι· τέταρτον τὸ καὶ ζωῆς ἐπιτυχεῖν, καὶ ζωῆς οὐ προσκαίρου, ἀλλ' αἰωνίας.