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was warmed by the voice. And just as a father, hearing the voice after a long time of a child who has returned from somewhere, is aroused not only by the sight, but also by the very voice; so also Saul, when the words of David entered and cast out his enmity, finally recognized the holy one, and putting aside one passion, he received another passion; for having cast out anger, he received goodwill and compassion. What is more blessed and more sublime than David? because he made the murderer a father, and the wolf a sheep, and he filled the furnace of wrath with much dew, and changed the waves into a calm, and extinguished all the flame of anger. Let us not then consider this only, beloved, how we may suffer no evil from our enemies, but how we may do them no harm; and we will suffer no evil, even if we suffer a myriad of terrible things; just as David, therefore, being exiled, persecuted, plotted against even to his very soul, suffered nothing terrible, but was more brilliant and more venerable than his enemy, and more longed for by all, not only by men, but also by God Himself. For what wrong did that holy man suffer then, having suffered so much from Saul? Is he not sung of to this very day, and is he not brilliant on earth, and brilliant in heaven? Do not the unspoken good things await him, and the kingdom of heaven? 63.684 But what did that wretched and miserable man profit, having plotted so many things? Did he not both fall from the kingdom, and suffer a pitiable death with his son, and is he not accused by all? And what is more grievous, he now awaits immortal punishments. Therefore, when you see your enemy, or even take him to mind, do not say this, that "I suffered such and such things, I heard such and such things," and through these things ignite your anger, and raise the flame to a greater swelling; but all the grievous things you have heard and suffered, forget them all; and if you do remember, attribute these things to the devil; but collect whatever good he ever said or did for you, and you will quickly dissolve the enmity. And if you are about to accuse and dispute, first having cast out the passion, and having extinguished the anger, thus reprove and demand an account, and you will be able to prevail easily. For when we are angry, we will be able neither to say nor to hear anything sound; but having been freed from the passion, we will neither ever utter a harsh word ourselves, nor will we hear others speaking thus. For it is not so much the nature of the things said, as the prejudice of enmity that is accustomed to make us savage. For just as when night is present, we often do not even recognize a friend who is present, but when day comes we know him even seeing him from afar; so also it is accustomed to happen with enmity; as long as we are displeased with one another, we both hear the voice of others, and see their face with a corrupted mind; but when we put away anger, the face that before this was hostile and unpleasant, appears longed for and gracious. But when your enemy reproaches you for a sin of which you are conscious, and you, having heard him, do not insult him, but groan bitterly, and beseech God, you immediately put away all the sin. And lest you think we are simply entertaining you, we will provide the testimony from the divine Scriptures. There was a certain Pharisee and a publican, the one having advanced to the extreme of wickedness, the other practicing righteousness; and both went up into the temple to pray. Then that one, standing, said, "O God, I thank you, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, covetous, or even as this publican." But the publican, standing afar off, did not insult back, did not revile in return, did not say any of the cold words, which we say daily washing one another, but groaning bitterly, and beating his breast, said this only: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner;" and he went down justified. Do you see the speed? He accepted reproach, and washed away reproach; he acknowledged his sins, and put away his sins, and the accusation of sin became the destruction of sin, and the enemy unwillingly becomes a benefactor. Then what could be more blessed than this? And what easier for the removal of sins? For how much did the publican need to labor, fasting,

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διεθερμαίνετο τῆς φωνῆς. Καὶ καθάπερ πατὴρ χρονίας ἀκούσας φωνῆς παιδὸς ἐπανελθόντος ποθὲν, οὐχὶ πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν αὐτὴν διεγείρεται· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σαοὺλ, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰσελθόντα τὴν ἔχθραν ἐξέβαλεν, ἐπέγνω λοιπὸν τὸν ἅγιον, καὶ πάθος ἀποθέμενος, πάθος ἐδέξατο· ἐκβαλὼν γὰρ θυμὸν, εὐθυμίαν ἐδέξατο καὶ συμπάθειαν. Τί τοῦ ∆αυῒδ μακαριώτερόν τε καὶ ὑψηλότερον; ὅτι τὸν ἀνδροφόνον πατέρα ἐποίησε, καὶ τὸν λύκον πρόβατον, καὶ τὴν κάμινον τῆς ὀργῆς δρόσου πολλῆς ἐνέπλησε, καὶ τὰ κύματα εἰς γαλήνην μετέβαλε, καὶ τὴν φλεγμονὴν τοῦ θυμοῦ κατέσβεσεν ἅπασαν. Μὴ τοῦτο τοίνυν μόνον σκοπῶμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὅπως μηδὲν πάθωμεν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κακὸν, ἀλλ' ὅπως μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ἡμεῖς ἐργασώμεθα δεινόν· καὶ οὐδὲν πεισόμεθα κακὸν, κἂν μυρία πάσχωμεν δεινά· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ ὁ ∆αυῒδ φυγαδευόμενος, ἐλαυνόμενος, μέχρι τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιβουλευόμενος, ἔπαθέ τι δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πολεμίου λαμπρότερος ἦν καὶ σεμνότερος, καὶ ποθεινότερος ἅπασιν, οὐκ ἀνθρώποις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ. Τί γὰρ ἠδικήθη ὁ ἅγιος ἐκεῖνος τότε, τοσαῦτα παθὼν παρὰ τοῦ Σαούλ; οὐχὶ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας ᾄδεται, καὶ λαμπρὸς μὲν ἐν γῇ, λαμπρὸς δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ; οὐχὶ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα αὐτὸν ἀγαθὰ μένει, καὶ ἡ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία; 63.684 Τί δὲ ὠφέλησεν ὁ ταλαίπωρος ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἄθλιος, τοσαῦτα ἐπιβουλεύσας; οὐχὶ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξέπεσε, καὶ ἐλεεινὸν ὑπέστη θάνατον μετὰ τοῦ παιδὸς, καὶ παρὰ πάντων κατηγορεῖται; καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, τὰς ἀθανάτους ἐκδέχεται νῦν τιμωρίας. Ὅταν οὖν τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἴδῃς τὸν σὸν, ἢ καὶ εἰς νοῦν λάβῃς, μὴ τοῦτο λέγε, ὅτι Τὰ καὶ τὰ ἔπαθον, τὰ καὶ τὰ ἤκουσα, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν διὰ τούτων ἀνάψῃς, καὶ τὴν φλεγμονὴν εἰς ὄγκον ἐπάρῃς μείζονα· ἀλλ' ὅσα μὲν ἤκουσας καὶ ἔπαθες λυπηρὰ, πάντα ἐπιλανθάνου· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀναμνησθῇς, τῷ διαβόλῳ ταῦτα λογίζου· σύλλεγε δὲ εἴ τί σοι χρηστὸν εἶπε πώποτε καὶ ἐποίησε, καὶ ταχέως καταλύσεις τὴν ἔχθραν. Κἂν ἐγκαλεῖν καὶ διαλέγεσθαι μέλλῃς, πρότερον τὸ πάθος ἐκβαλὼν, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν σβέσας, οὕτως ἔλεγχε καὶ εὐθύνας ἀπαίτει, καὶ δυνήσῃ περιγενέσθαι ῥᾳδίως. Θυμούμενοι γὰρ οὔτε εἰπεῖν οὔτε ἀκοῦσαί τι δυνησόμεθα ὑγιές· ἀπαλλαγέντες δὲ τοῦ πάθους, οὔτε αὐτοὶ ῥῆμα ποτε ἐξοίσομεν τραχὺ, οὔτε ἑτέρων λεγόντων οὕτως ἀκουσόμεθα. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡ τῶν λεγομένων φύσις, ὡς ἡ τῆς ἔχθρας πρόληψις ἡμᾶς ἀγριοῦν εἴωθε. Καθάπερ γὰρ νυκτὸς παρούσης, οὐδὲ παρόντα πολλάκις ἐπιγινώσκομεν φίλον, ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης καὶ πόῤῥωθεν αὐτὸν ὁρῶντες γνωρίζομεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἔχθρας συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν· ἕως μὲν ἂν ὦμεν ἀηδῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχοντες, καὶ φωνῆς ἑτέρων ἀκούομεν, καὶ ὄψιν μετὰ διεφθαρμένης βλέπομεν γνώμης· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀποθώμεθα τὴν ὀργὴν, ἡ πρὸ τούτου πολεμία ὄψις καὶ ἀηδὴς, ποθεινὴ καὶ ἐπίχαρις φαίνεται. Ὅταν δὲ ὀνειδίσῃ σε ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἁμάρτημα ὃ σαυτῷ σύνοιδας, σὺ δὲ ἀκούσας ἐκεῖνον μὲν μὴ ὑβρίσῃς, στενάξῃς δὲ πικρὸν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλέσῃς, εὐθέως ἀπέθου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἅπασαν. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ἡμᾶς ἁπλῶς σε ψυχαγωγεῖν, ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν τὴν μαρτυρίαν παρέξομεν. Φαρισαῖός τις ἦν καὶ τελώνης, ὁ μὲν εἰς ἐσχάτην κακίαν ἐληλακὼς, ὁ δὲ δικαιοσύνης ἐπιμελόμενος· καὶ ἀνῆλθον ἀμφότερος εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν προσεύξασθαι. Εἶτα ἐκεῖνος στὰς ἔλεγεν, Ὁ Θεὸς, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἅρπαγες, πλεονέκται, ἢ καὶ ὡς οὗτος ὁ τελώνης. Ὁ δὲ τελώνης πόῤῥωθεν ἑστὼς, οὐκ ἀνθύβρισεν, οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρησεν, οὐκ εἶπέ τι τῶν ψυχρῶν ῥημάτων, ἃ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀλλήλους πλύνοντες λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ πικρὸν στενάξας, καὶ πατάξας τὸ στῆθος, τοῦτο μόνον εἶπεν· Ὁ Θεὸς, Ἱλάσθητί. μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ· καὶ κατῆλθε δεδικαιωμένος. Εἶδες τάχος; κατεδέξατο ὄνειδος, καὶ ἀπενίψατο ὄνειδος· ἐπέγνω τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἀπέθετο τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἡ κατηγορία τῆς ἁμαρτίας γέγονεν ἀναίρεσις τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἄκων εὐεργέτης καθίσταται. Ἆρα τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν μακαριώτερον; τί δὲ εὐκολώτερον πρὸς ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλαγήν; πόσα γὰρ ἔδει καμεῖν τὸν τελώνην, νηστεύοντα,