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is accustomed to kindle, as is the remembrance of the benefits which we have enjoyed; and let us do this in the case of God. Let us consider how many things He has done for us: heaven itself, the earth, the sea, the air, the plants on the earth, and the various flowers, and cattle, and creeping things, the things in the sea, the things in the middle of the air, the stars in heaven, the sun, the moon, simply all things visible, the lightnings, the good order of the seasons, the succession of day and night, the yearly turnings. He breathed in a soul, He bestowed reason, He has honored us with the greatest dominion. He sent angels, He sent prophets, later His only-begotten Son. And after those things again He exhorts both through Himself and through His only-begotten Child, so that you may be saved; and Paul does not cease to be an ambassador, As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled 55.162 to God. And He did not stop there, but having taken the first-fruits from your nature, He set him far above all principality, and power, and might, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Truly it is opportune now to say: Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, or make all his praises to be heard? And that again: What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has given to me? For what could be equal to this honor, than when the first-fruit of our race, which has offended so much, which was dishonored, sits at such a height, and enjoys such honor? But count not only the common benefits, but also your own private ones, for instance, if ever you fell into slander and were freed from the accusation; if ever at an untimely hour and at midnight you encountered robbers and escaped their plots; if ever you averted a loss that was brought upon you; if having fallen into a severe illness you received comfort. 5. Count all the benefactions of God that have happened throughout your whole life, and you will certainly find many, not only throughout your whole life, but even in a single day; and if God wished to bring into the open all the benefits of each day, with which He benefits us while we are ignorant and unaware, we would not even be able to number them. How many demons are borne in this air? how many opposing powers? If He only permitted them to show their own terrifying and displeasing appearance, would we not be driven out of our minds? would we not perish? would we not be destroyed? Therefore, considering all these things, and our own sins, by which we stumble both willingly and unknowingly—for this too is no small account of His beneficence, that God does not punish our transgressions each day—we will be able to love God. For when you consider how many things you sin each day, how many things He benefits you each day, how much long-suffering you enjoy, how much forbearance, and that if God punished you each day, you would not have lived even a short time, according to the Prophet who says: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?; you will give thanks to Him, and you will be vexed at none of the things that befall you; but you will see that even if you suffer ten thousand things, you have not yet paid the deserved penalty, and being so disposed you will kindle a great longing, and you will be able to say according to the prophet: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. But it is worthwhile to examine why he brought this animal into the midst. The hart is somehow thirsty, and for this reason it runs continually to the springs of water. And it becomes thirsty both from its nature and from eating snakes, and being fed by their bodies. Do you therefore do this: devour the spiritual serpent; crush sin, and you will be able to thirst with the longing for God. For just as a wicked conscience makes us filthy, and into

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ἐκκαίειν εἴωθεν, ὡς τὸ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, ὧν ἀπελαύσαμεν· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιῶμεν. Ἀναλογισώμεθα πόσα δι' ἡμᾶς ἐποίησεν, αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν, τὴν γῆν, τὴν θάλατταν, τὸν ἀέρα, τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ φυτὰ, καὶ ἄνθη τὰ ποικίλα, καὶ κτήνη, καὶ ἑρπετὰ, τὰ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ, τὰ ἐν ἀέρι μέσῳ, τὰ ἄστρα τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ, τὸν ἥλιον, τὴν σελήνην, τὰ ὁρώμενα ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα, τὰς ἀστραπὰς, τῶν ὡρῶν τὴν εὐταξίαν, ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς διαδοχὴν, τὰς ἐτησίους τροπάς. Ψυχὴν ἐνέπνευσε, λόγον ἐχαρίσατο, ἀρχῇ τετίμηκε μεγίστῃ. Ἀγγέλους ἀπέστειλε, προφήτας ἔπεμψεν, ὕστερον τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ. Καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνα πάλιν καὶ οὗτος παρακαλεῖ καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Παιδὸς, ἵνα σὺ σωθῇς· καὶ οὐ παύεται Παῦλος πρεσβεύων, Ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν, δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καταλ 55.162 λάγητε τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τῆς σῆς λαβὼν ἀπαρχὴν, Ἐκάθισεν ἄνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ἀληθῶς εὔκαιρον νῦν εἰπεῖν· Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; Κἀκεῖνο πάλιν· Τί ἀνταποδώσω τῷ Κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων, ὧν ἀνταπέδωκέ μοι; Τί γὰρ ταύτης ἴσον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς τιμῆς, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅταν ἡ ἀπαρχὴ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν τοῦ τοσαῦτα προσκεκρουκότος, τοῦ ἠτιμωμένου, ἐν ὕψει τοσούτῳ κάθηται, καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύῃ τιμῆς; Μὴ τὰς κοινὰς δὲ μόνον εὐεργεσίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἰδίας ἀνάλεγε, οἷον εἴ ποτε συκοφαντίᾳ περιπεσὼν ἀπηλλάγης τῆς κατηγορίας· εἴ ποτε ἀωρίᾳ καὶ μεσονυκτίῳ λῃσταῖς περιτυχὼν, διέφυγες ἐκείνων τὰς ἐπιβουλάς· εἴ ποτε ζημίαν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν ἀπεδύσω· εἰ νοσήματι περιπεσὼν χαλεπῷ παραμυθίας ἔτυχες. εʹ. Πάντα ἀνάλεγε τὰ παρὰ πᾶσάν σου τὴν ζωὴν γινόμενα εὐεργετήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πολλὰ πάντως εὑρήσεις, οὐ παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ· καὶ εἰ ἐβούλετο ὁ Θεὸς πάσας τὰς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εὐεργεσίας, ἃς ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖ, ἀγνοούντων ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ εἰδότων, εἰς μέσον τιθέναι, οὐδ' ἂν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὰς δυνηθείημεν. Πόσοι δαίμονες εἰς τὸν ἀέρα φέρονται τοῦτον; πόσαι ἐναντίαι δυνάμεις; Εἰ μόνον ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς τὴν ὄψιν τὴν ἑαυτῶν δεῖξαι τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ἀτερπῆ, οὐκ ἂν ἐξέστημεν; οὐκ ἂν ἀπωλόμεθα; οὐκ ἂν διεφθάρημεν; Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα ἀναλογιζόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἑαυτῶν, ὅσα ἑκόντες, ὅσα ἀγνοοῦντες σφαλλόμεθα καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μικρὸν εἰς εὐεργεσίας λόγον, μὴ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπεξιέναι τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς πλημμελήμασι τοῖς ἡμετέροις, δυνησόμεθα φιλεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐννοήσῃς, ὅσα καθ' ἑκάστην ἁμαρτάνεις τὴν ἡμέραν, ὅσα καθ' ἑκάστην εὐεργετῇ τὴν ἡμέραν, ὅσης ἀπολαύεις μακροθυμίας, ὅσης ἀνέσεως, καὶ ὅτι εἰ καθ' ἑκάστην ὁ Θεὸς ἐπεξῄει, οὐδὲ βραχὺν ἂν ἔζησας χρόνον κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην τὸν λέγοντα· Ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃς, Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται;· αὐτῷ χάριτας εἴσῃ, καὶ ἐπ' οὐδενὶ δυσχερανεῖς τῶν προσπιπτόντων· ἀλλ' ὄψει, ὅτι κἂν μυρία πάθῃς, οὐδέπω τὴν ἀξίαν ἀπέδωκας δίκην, καὶ οὕτω διακείμενος πολὺν τὸν πόθον ἀνάψεις, καὶ δυνήσῃ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην λέγειν· Ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σὲ, ὁ Θεός. Ἄξιον δὲ ἐξετάσαι, τί δήποτε τοῦτο τὸ ζῶον εἰς μέσον παρήγαγε. ∆ιψαλέον πώς ἐστιν ἡ ἔλαφος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς τρέχει ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. ∆ιψαλέον δὲ γίνεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τοὺς ὄφεις κατεσθίειν, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων τρέφεσθαι σώμασι. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν τοῦτο ποίησον· τὸν νοητὸν ὄφιν κατάφαγε· ἐδάφισον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ δυνήσῃ διψᾷν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόθον. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ πονηρὸν συνειδὸς ῥυπαροὺς ἡμᾶς ἐργάζεται, καὶ εἰς