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flees? He has within him the one who drives him, the accuser of his conscience, and he carries this one everywhere; and just as he could not flee himself, so neither can he flee the one within who drives him. But the just man is not so, but how? The just man is confident as a lion. Such was Elijah; he saw the king coming toward him, and when he said, Why do you pervert Israel? It is not I, he said, who pervert, but you and your father's house. Truly, the just man is confident as a lion. For just as a lion against some worthless little dog, so he rose up against the king. And yet that one had a purple robe; but this one had a sheepskin more majestic than that purple robe. For that purple robe brought forth the grievous famine; but this sheepskin loosed the terrible things, it parted the Jordan, it made Elisha a double Elijah. That those who wallow in fornication consider themselves unclean, I greatly praise and approve; but that they do not come to the proper manner of purification, for this I accuse and blame them. The better thing, then, is not even to have experience of this abominable sin; but if someone should ever be tripped up, let him first apply such remedies, 63.739 having promised to no longer fall into the same things, as are able to wipe clean the nature of the sin; since, if while sinning we condemn what has already been done, but then attempt the same things again, there will be no benefit for us from the purifications. For he who washes himself, and then wallows again in the same mire, and he who pulls down again what he has built, and builds again in order to pull it down, gains nothing more than to labor and suffer in vain. For if we sin each day and strike our soul, but never feel it, just as those who receive continual wounds, then despise them, draw fevers and deaths upon themselves, so indeed will we also from this continual lack of sensation draw upon ourselves inevitable punishment. For nothing so destroys a man as to fall away from the fear of God, just as nothing saves him so much as to continually look to Him. For if, having a man before our eyes, we often become more hesitant about our sins, and having become more considerate, ashamed before our servants, we do nothing amiss, consider how much security we will enjoy having God before our eyes. The better thing, then, is not to sin at all; and the next, to be aware of our sins and correct them. But if we do not have this, how will we pray to God and ask for forgiveness of sins, we who take no account of them? For when you yourself who have sinned do not even wish to know this, that you have sinned, for what transgressions will you entreat God? For those you do not know? And how will you know the greatness of the benefaction? For it is a terrible thing to do shameful deeds, but to be ashamed while doing them is half as terrible; but when someone even glories in this, it is an excess of insensibility. For the one who, after transgressing, condemns his sin, will in time be able to recover himself; but the one who praises wickedness has deprived himself of the therapy that comes from repentance. Just as, therefore, not only those who do wicked things, but also those who praise them, share in the same, or even a more grievous, punishment than they do; so those who praise and admire the good are sharers in the crowns laid up for them. Do not, therefore, because you do not feel pain when sinning, despise sin, but for this very reason groan all the more, since you do not feel the pain of your transgressions. For this does not happen because sin does not bite, but because the sinning soul is without feeling. For if he who does not grieve over the sins of others is worthy of accusation, of what pardon would he be worthy who is unfeelingly disposed and neglectful toward his own. If Paul overlooks his own advantage, in order to find that of others, of how much punishment would we not be worthy, not even abstaining from our own harm

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φεύγει; Ἔνδον ἔχει τὸν ἐλαύνοντα, τὸν τοῦ συνειδότος κατήγορον, καὶ τοῦτον πανταχοῦ περιφέρει· καὶ καθάπερ ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη φεύγειν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν ἔνδον αὐτὸν ἐλαύνοντα. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ δίκαιος οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πῶς; ∆ίκαιος ὡς λέων πέποιθε. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ἠλίας· εἶδεν οὖν τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενον, καὶ εἰπόντος ἐκείνου, Ἵνα τί διαστρέφεις τὸν Ἰσραήλ; Οὐκ ἐγὼ, φησὶ, διαστρέφω, ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου. Ἀληθῶς δίκαιος ὡς λέων πέποιθε. Καθάπερ γὰρ λέων κυνιδίου τινὸς εὐτελοῦς, οὕτω κατεξανέστη τοῦ βασιλέως. Καίτοι πορφυρίδα εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος· ἀλλ' εἶχε μηλωτὴν οὗτος τῆς πορφυρίδος ἐκείνης σεμνοτέραν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ πορφυρὶς ἐκείνη τὸν λιμὸν ἔτεκε τὸν χαλεπόν· ἡ μηλωτὴ δὲ αὕτη τὰ δεινὰ ἔλυσεν, αὕτη τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἔσχισεν, αὕτη τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον διπλοῦν Ἠλίαν ἐποίησεν. Ὅτι μὲν οὖνἀκαθάρτους ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι νομίζουσιν οἱ τῇ πορνείᾳ ἐγκυλινδούμενοι, σφόδρα ἐπαινῶ καὶ ἀποδέχομαι· ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν προσήκοντα τῶν καθαρσίων ἔρχονται τρόπον, ἐγκαλῶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μέμφομαι. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἄμεινον, μηδὲ πεῖραν λαβεῖν τῆς μυσαρᾶς ταύτης ἁμαρτίας· εἰ δ' ἄρα τις ὑποσκελισθῇ ποτε, τοιαῦτα 63.739 ἐπιτιθέτω τὰ φάρμακα πρότερον, ὑποσχόμενος, μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν, οἷα τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας φύσιν ἐναποσμήχειν δύνανται· ὡς, ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνοντες καταγινώσκωμεν τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων, πάλιν δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρῶμεν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἡμῖν ἔσται τῶν καθαρσίων. Ὁ γὰρ ἀπολουόμενος, καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ πάλιν ἐγκυλινδούμενος βορβόρῳ, καὶ ὁ καθαιρῶν πάλιν ὅπερ ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ οἰκοδομῶν πάλιν ἵνα καθέλῃ, οὐδὲν κερδαίνει πλέον, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ περιττὰ πονεῖσθαι καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖν. Ἐὰν γὰρ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἁμαρτάνωμεν καὶ παίωμεν τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, μηδέποτε δὲ αἰσθανώμεθα, καθάπερ οἱ συνεχῆ τραύματα λαμβάνοντες, εἶτα καταφρονοῦντες, πυρετοὺς καὶ θανάτους ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπῶνται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς ταύτης ἀναισθησίας ἀπαραίτητον ἐπισπασώμεθα τὴν τιμωρίαν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀπόλλυσιν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς τὸ τοῦ φόβου ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὥσπερ οὐδὲ σώζει, ὡς τὸ διηνεκῶς βλέπειν ἐκεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωπον ἔχοντες πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ὀκνηρότεροι γινόμεθα περὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα πολλάκις, καὶ οἰκέτας ἐρυθριάσαντες ἐπιεικεστέρους, οὐδὲν πράττομεν ἄτοπον, ἐννόησον πόσης ἀπολαυσόμεθα ἀσφαλείας τὸν Θεὸν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχοντες. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἄμεινον τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως ἁμαρτάνειν· τὸ δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνο, ἁμαρτάνοντας αἰσθάνεσθαι καὶ διορθοῦσθαι. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ἔχοιμεν, πῶς δεησόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἄφεσιν αἰτήσομεν ἁμαρτημάτων, οἱ μηδένα λόγον τούτων ποιούμενοι; Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ πεπλημμεληκὼς, μηδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἥμαρτες, εἰδέναι θέλῃς, ὑπὲρ ποίων παρακαλέσεις τὸν Θεὸν πλημμελημάτων; ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ οἶδας; καὶ πῶς εἴσῃ τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὸ μέγεθος; ∆εινὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ αἰσχρὰ πράττειν, τὸ δὲ πράττοντα αἰσχύνεσθαι, ἐξ ἡμισείας ἐστὶ δεινόν· ὅταν δέ τις καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζηται τοῦτο, ὑπερβολὴ ἀναισθησίας ἐστίν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τὸ πλημμελεῖν καταγινώσκων τῆς ἁμαρτίας, χρόνῳ ποτὲ δυνήσεται ἀνακτήσασθαι· ὁ δὲ ἐπαινῶν τὴν πονηρίαν, τῆς ἐκ τοῦ μετανοῆσαι θεραπείας ἑαυτὸν ἀπεστέρησεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐχ οἱ τὰ φαῦλα πράττοντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τούτους ἐγκωμιάζοντες, τῆς αὐτῆς ἢ καὶ χαλεπωτέρας ἐκείνοις κοινωνοῦσι κολάσεως· οὕτως οἱ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἐπαινοῦντες καὶ θαυμάζοντες, συμμερισταὶ τῶν ἐκείνοις ἀποκειμένων στεφάνων εἰσί. Μὴ οὖν, διότι οὐκ ἀλγεῖς ἁμαρτάνων, καταφρόνει τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ διὰ μὲν τοῦτο αὐτὸ μάλιστα στέναξον, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ τῆς τῶν πλημμελημάτων ὀδύνης. Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ μὴ δάκνειν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦτο γίνεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀναίσθητον εἶναι τὴν πλημμελοῦσαν ψυχήν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων ἁμαρτήμασιν ὁ μὴ ἀλγῶν κατηγορίας ἄξιός ἐστιν, ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἀναλγήτως διακείμενος καὶ ἀμελῶν, ποίας ἂν εἴη συγγνώμης ἄξιος. Εἰ ὁ Παῦλος τὸ οἰκεῖον παρορᾷ συμφέρον, ἵνα τὸ τῶν ἄλλων εὕρῃ, πόσης οὐκ ἂν εἴημεν ἄξιοι κολάσεως, μηδὲ τῆς οἰκείας ἀποστῆναι βλάβης