115.  By these arguments I charmed myself, and by degrees my soul relaxed and became ductile, like iron, and time came to the aid of my arguments, and the testimonies of God, to which I had entrusted my whole life, were my counsellors.350    Ps. cxix. 24.  Therefore I was not rebellious, neither turned away back,351    Isai. l. 6. saith my Lord, when, instead of being called to rule, He was led, as a sheep to the slaughter;352    Ib. liii. 7. but I fell down and humbled myself under the mighty hand of God,353    1 Pet. v. 6. and asked pardon for my former idleness and disobedience, if this is at all laid to my charge.  I held my peace,354    Isai. xlii. 14. but I will not hold my peace for ever:  I withdrew for a little while,355    Ib. xxvi. 20. till I had considered myself and consoled my grief:  but now I am commissioned to exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the seat of the elders.356    Ps. cvii. 32.  If my former conduct deserved blame, my present action merits pardon.

ΡΙΕʹ. Τούτοις ἐμαυτὸν ἐγὼ κατεπᾴδω τοῖς λογισμοῖς, καί μοι κατὰ μικρὸν εἴκει τε καὶ μαλάσσεται, ὥσπερ σίδηρος, ἡ ψυχή: καὶ συνεργὸν λαμβάνω τῶν λογισμῶν τὸν χρόνον, καὶ συμβουλίαν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιώματα, οἷς πᾶσαν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ζωὴν κατεπίστευσα. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπειθῶ, οὐδὲ ἀντιλέγω, φησὶν ὁ ἐμὸς Δεσπότης, οὐκ ἐπὶ προστασίαν καλούμενος, ἀλλ' ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἀγόμενος: ἀλλὰ καὶ προσπίπτω καὶ ταπεινοῦμαι ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ χεῖρα, καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτοῦμαι τῆς πρὶν ἀργίας καὶ ἀπειθείας, εἴ τί μοι τοῦτο ἔγκλημα. Ἐσιώπησα μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀεὶ σιωπήσομαι. Ὑπεχώρησα μέν τι μικρὸν, ὅσον ἐμαυτὸν ἐπισκέψασθαι, καὶ τῇ λύπῃ δοῦναι παράκλησιν: ἀλλὰ νῦν ὑψοῦν αὐτὸν ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ, καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων αἰνεῖν ἐδεξάμην. Εἰ ἐκεῖνα κατηγορίας, ταῦτα συγγνώμης ἄξια.