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many of the ruled often rising up continually, and countless other things; but against the faithful one who adheres strictly to the laws of God, not man, not demon, nothing else will be able to stand. For if you take away his money, you have procured a reward for him; if you speak evil of him, through the slander you have made him more glorious before God; if you cast him into famine, greater is the glory and the recompense; if you deliver him to death, which seems the most grievous of all things, you have woven a crown of martyrdom. What, then, could be equal to this life, when nothing can be done against it, but even those who seem to plot against him benefit him no less than his benefactors? For this reason he says: If God be for us, who can be against us? Then, not being content with what has been said, he puts here also the greatest sign of His love for us, and that which he continually turns over and over, the slaughter of the Son. For He not only justified, he says, and glorified, and made us conformed to that image, but He did not even spare His Son for your sake. Wherefore he added, saying: He that spared not 60.543 His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? And he has used words with hyperbole and much warmth, that he might show His love. How then will He abandon us, for whom He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all? For consider how great a goodness it is not to spare even His own Son, but to give Him up, and to give Him up for all, even for the base and the ungrateful and enemies and blasphemers. How then shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? What he says is this: If He gave His Son, and not simply gave, but even delivered Him to slaughter, why do you doubt any longer about the rest, having received the Master? Why do you hesitate about the possessions, when you have the Lord? For He who has given the greater thing to His enemies, how will He not give the lesser things to His friends? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? 3. Here he is speaking to those who say that faith profits nothing, and who disbelieve in the sudden change. And see how quickly he silenced them from the dignity of Him who elected. And he did not say, Who shall lay a charge against the servants of God, nor, Against the faithful of God, but, Against the elect of God; for election is a sign of virtue. For if a horse-trainer should select colts suitable for the race, no one will be able to object, but he becomes ridiculous, if anyone should bring a charge; much more when God elects souls, those who bring charges are ridiculous. It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? He did not say, God who forgives sins, but what was much greater, God who justifies. For when the vote of the judge declares one righteous, and such a judge, of what worth is the accuser? Therefore it is not right to fear temptations; for God is for us, and has shown it by what He has done; nor the Judaic triflings; for He both elected us and justified us, and what is truly wonderful, He justified us through the slaughter of the Son. Who then will condemn us, when God is crowning us, when Christ was slain for us, and not only slain, but also after this intercedes for us? For Christ, he says, is He that died, yea rather, that is risen again from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. For having appeared in His proper dignity, He did not abolish His providence for us, but He also intercedes for us and still continues to maintain the same love. For He was not content with the slaughter only; which is indeed the greatest sign of affection, not only to do what pertains to Himself, but also to entreat another on this behalf. For by the word, "intercedes," He wished to declare only this, speaking more humanly and with more condescension, in order to show His love; since even the phrase, "He spared not," if we do not take it with this understanding, many absurdities will follow. And that you may learn that this is what he wants to establish, having first said that He is at the right hand, he then added that He intercedes for us, because He showed His equal honor and His equality, so that

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τῶν ἀρχομένων πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἐπανιστάμενοι συνεχῶς, καὶ ἕτερα μυρία· κατὰ δὲ τοῦ πιστοῦ καὶ προσέχοντος ἀκριβῶς τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμοις, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, οὐ δαίμων, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἀντιστῆναι δυνήσεται. Ἄν τε γὰρ χρήματα ἀφέλῃς, μισθὸν αὐτῷ προεξένησας· ἄν τε κακῶς εἴπῃς, διὰ τῆς δυσφημίας λαμπρότερον ἐποίησας παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· ἄν τε εἰς λιμὸν ἐμβάλῃς, πλείων ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ ἀντίδοσις· ἄν τε, ὃ πάντων χαλεπώτερον εἶναι δοκεῖ, θανάτῳ παραδῷς, μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἔπλεξας. Τί τοίνυν ἴσον τοῦ βίου τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν, ὅταν μηδὲν κατ' αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι δύνηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ δοκοῦντες ἐπιβουλεύειν, τῶν εὐεργετούντων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔλαττον αὐτὸν ὠφελῶσι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν, Εἶτα, οὐκ ἀρκεσθεὶς τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τὸ μέγιστον σημεῖον τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπης, καὶ ὃ συνεχῶς ἀεὶ περιστρέφει, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα τίθησι, τὴν σφαγὴν τοῦ Παιδός. Οὐ γὰρ ἐδικαίωσε, φησὶ, μόνον καὶ ἐδόξασε καὶ συμμόρφους ἐποίησε τῆς εἰκόνος ἐκείνης, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ Παιδὸς ἐφείσατο διὰ σέ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε, λέγων· Ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφεί 60.543 σατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται; Καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς καὶ πολλῆς τῆς θερμότητος ταῖς λέξεσι κέχρηται, ἵνα αὐτοῦ ἐνδείξηται τὴν ἀγάπην. Πῶς οὖν ἡμᾶς προήσεται, ὑπὲρ ὧν τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν πάντων; Ἐννόησον γὰρ πόσης ἀγαθότητος τὸ καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ μὴ φείσασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκδοῦναι, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐκδοῦναι, καὶ εὐτελῶν καὶ ἀγνωμόνων καὶ ἐχθρῶν καὶ βλασφήμων. Πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἰ τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐχαρίσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφαγῇ παρέδωκε, τί λοιπὸν περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀμφιβάλλεις, τὸν ∆εσπότην λαβών; τί διστάζεις περὶ τῶν κτημάτων, τὸν Κύριον ἔχων; Ὁ γὰρ τὸ μεῖζον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς δεδωκὼς, πῶς τὰ ἐλάττονα οὐ δώσει τοῖς φίλοις; Τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ ἐκλεκτῶν Θεοῦ; γʹ. Ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡ πίστις ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ἀπιστοῦντας τῇ ἀθρόᾳ μεταβολῇ. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ταχέως αὐτοὺς ἐπεστόμισεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀξιώματος τοῦ ἐκλεξαμένου. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τίς ἐγκαλέσει κατὰ τῶν δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲ, Κατὰ τῶν πιστῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ, Κατὰ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἡ γὰρ ἐκλογὴ ἀρετῆς σημεῖόν ἐστιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπειδὰν πωλοδάμνης πώλους ἐκλέξηται ἐπιτηδείους πρὸς τὸν δρόμον, οὐδεὶς ἐπισκῆψαι δυνήσεται, ἀλλὰ καταγέλαστος γίνεται, κἂν ἐγκαλέσῃ τις· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκλέγηται ψυχὰς, καταγέλαστοι οἱ ἐγκαλοῦντες. Θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν, τίς ὁ κατακρίνων; Οὐκ εἶπε, Θεὸς ὁ ἀφεὶς ἁμαρτήματα, ἀλλ', ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον ἦν, Θεὸς ὁ δικαιῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἡ τοῦ δικαστοῦ ψῆφος δίκαιον ἀποφήνῃ, καὶ δικαστοῦ τοιούτου, τίνος ἄξιος ὁ κατηγορῶν; Οὐκοῦν οὔτε τοὺς πειρασμοὺς φοβεῖσθαι δίκαιον· ὑπὲρ γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐδήλωσεν ἐξ ὧν ἐποίησεν· οὔτε τὰς φλυαρίας τὰς Ἰουδαϊκάς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐδικαίωσε, καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι διὰ τῆς σφαγῆς τοῦ Παιδὸς ἐδικαίωσε. Τίς οὖν ἡμᾶς καταδικάσει, τοῦ Θεοῦ στεφανοῦντος, τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς σφαγέντος, καὶ οὐ σφαγέντος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐντυγχάνοντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; Χριστὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ἀποθανὼν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ὅς ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς καὶ ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀξίας φανεὶς, οὐ κατέλυσε τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ ἔτι τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην μένει διατηρῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἠρκέσθη τῇ σφαγῇ μόνον· ὅπερ μεγίστου μάλιστά ἐστι φίλτρου, τὸ μὴ μόνον τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ἥκοντα ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον ὑπὲρ τούτου παρακαλεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον διὰ τοῦ, ἐντυγχάνειν, δηλῶσαι ἐβουλήθη, ἀνθρωπινώτερον διαλεχθεὶς, καὶ συγκαταβατικώτερον, ἵνα τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνδείξηται· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ, Οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἐὰν μὴ μετὰ ταύτης ἐκλάβωμεν τῆς ἐννοίας, πολλὰ τὰ ἄτοπα ἕψεται. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ κατασκευάσαι βούλεται, πρότερον εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐστὶν ἐν δεξιᾷ, τότε ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὅτι τὴν ὁμοτιμίαν ἔδειξε καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα, ἵνα