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by none of the things that befall him can he fall away from this pleasure. For all other things in which we rejoice are both changeable and easily altered, and 49.183 are readily changed; and not only does it have this terrible quality, but that even while they remain they do not provide us such great pleasure, as to dispel and overshadow the despondency that comes upon us from other things; but the fear of God has both these things: it is both firm and unmovable, and it wells up with so much joy, that we have no perception of other troubles. For he who fears God, as he ought, and trusts in him, has reaped the root of pleasure, and has every source of cheerfulness. And just as a small spark falling into an infinite sea is easily extinguished, so whatever befalls the one who fears God, falling as it were into a boundless sea of cheerfulness, is quenched and perishes. And the most wonderful thing of all is this, that when sorrows are present, he remains rejoicing. For if there were nothing grievous, it would not be a great thing for him to be able to rejoice continually; but to be superior to all things when many things that lead to despondency press upon him, and to be glad in the midst of sorrows, this is the paradox. And just as no one would have marveled at the three children for not being burned, if they had been far from the Babylonian furnace—for what astonished everyone is this, that after associating with the fire for so long, they came out more unscathed than those who had not associated with it; so also it is possible to say of the saints, that if no trial came upon them, we would not have marveled at them for continually rejoicing; but what is worthy of astonishment and surpasses human nature is this, that though surrounded on all sides by countless waves, they are in a better state than those who enjoy a pure calm. That it is therefore not possible to find any external life allotted to continual cheerfulness is clear from what has been said; but that it is impossible for the faithful one not to enjoy continual pleasure, this very thing I will try to prove again, not only that you may learn, but that you may also emulate this sorrowless life. For let there be someone who has condemned nothing in himself, but is nourished by a good conscience, and is gaping towards the future, and awaits those good hopes, what, tell me, will be able to cast this person into despondency? Does not death seem to be the most unbearable of all things? but the expectation of this not only does not grieve him, but even makes him rejoice the more; for he knows that the presence of death is a release from toils, and a race toward the crowns and the prizes laid up for those who have contended for piety and virtue. But the untimely death of children? but even this he bears nobly, and will say the words of Job: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so also it has happened; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever. But if death and the loss of children are not able to grieve, much more will the loss of money, and dishonors, and accusations, and slanders never touch so great and noble a soul, nor bodily pain; since the apostles too were scourged, but were not despondent. This then is great; but what is much greater is that not only were they not despondent, but they even made the scourgings themselves a cause of greater pleasure, and returned from the presence of the council rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ. Has someone insulted and reviled such a person? But he has been taught by Christ to rejoice in insults. 49.184 For rejoice, he says, and be exceedingly glad, when they speak all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for your reward is great in heaven. But has he fallen into sickness? but he has heard another advising and saying: In sickness and poverty be trusting in him, because as gold is tested in the fire, so are acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. When, therefore, neither death, nor loss of money, nor bodily sickness, nor dishonor, nor reviling, nor anything else of the sort can grieve him, but even makes him rejoice the more, what cause for despondency will he ever have? What then, were the saints not despondent,

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οὐδενὶ τῶν συμπιπτόντων τῆς ἡδονῆς ταύτης ἐκπεσεῖν δύναται. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα πάντα, ἐφ' οἷς χαίρομεν, τρεπτά τέ ἐστι καὶ εὐμετάπτωτα, καὶ 49.183 ἀλλοιοῦται ῥᾳδίως· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἔχει τὸ δεινὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μένοντα οὐ παρέχει τοσαύτην ἡμῖν τὴν ἡδονὴν, ὡς τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἡμῖν ἐπιγινομένην ἀθυμίαν διακρούεσθαι καὶ συσκιάζειν· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ἔχει, βέβαιός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀκίνητος, καὶ τοσαύτην βρύει χαρὰν, ὡς μηδεμίαν ἡμᾶς αἴσθησιν τῶν ἄλλων λαμβάνειν δεινῶν. Ὁ γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς χρὴ, φοβούμενος, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ θαῤῥῶν, τὴν ῥίζαν ἐκαρπώσατο τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ πᾶσαν τῆς εὐθυμίας ἔχει τὴν πηγήν. Καὶ καθάπερ εἰς πέλαγος ἄπειρον σπινθὴρ μικρὸς ἐμπεσὼν ἀφανίζεται ῥᾳδίως, οὕτως ὅσαπερ ἂν προσπέσῃ τῷ φοβουμένῳ τὸν Θεὸν, καθάπερ εἰς πέλαγος ἀχανὲς εὐθυμίας ἐμπίπτοντα κατασβέννυται καὶ ἀπόλλυται. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν μάλιστα τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τῶν λυπούντων παρόντων μένει χαίρων αὐτός. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν ἦν τὸ λυποῦν, οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ μέγα τὸ δύνασθαι διηνεκῶς χαίρειν· τὸ δὲ πολλῶν ἐπικειμένων τῶν εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβιβαζόντων ἀνώτερον εἶναι ἁπάντων, καὶ ἐν μέσοις τοῖς λυπηροῖς εὐφραίνεσθαι, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ παράδοξον. Καὶ καθάπερ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς τρεῖς οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐθαύμασε μὴ κατακαέντας, εἰ πόῤῥω τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἦσαν καμίνου τὸ γὰρ ἐκπλῆξαν ἅπαντας τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τῷ πυρὶ τοσοῦτον ὁμιλήσαντες χρόνον, τῶν οὐχ ὡμιληκότων ἐξέβησαν ἀλυπότεροι· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι εἰ μηδεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐπήγετο πειρασμὸς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐθαυμάσαμεν διηνεκῶς χαίροντας· τὸ δὲ ἐκπλήξεως ἄξιον καὶ φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπερβαῖνον τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι μυρίοις κυκλούμενοι κύμασι πάντοθεν, τῶν γαλήνης καθαρᾶς ἀπολαυόντων ῥᾷον διάκεινται. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐδένα βίον τῶν ἔξωθεν εὑρεῖν δυνατὸν εὐθυμίᾳ συγκεκληρωμένον διηνεκῶς, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων· ὅτι δὲ τὸν πιστὸν ἀμήχανον μὴ διηνεκοῦς ἀπολαύειν ἡδονῆς, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ πάλιν ἀποδεῖξαι πειράσομαι, οὐχ ἵνα μάθητε μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ζηλώσητε τὸν ἄλυπον τοῦτον βίον. Ἔστω γάρ τις μηδὲν ἑαυτοῦ κατεγνωκὼς, ἀλλ' ἀγαθῷ συνειδότι συντρεφόμενος, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα κεχηνὼς, καὶ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἐκείνας ἀναμένων ἐλπίδας, τί τοῦτον, εἰπέ μοι, εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβαλεῖν δυνήσεται; Οὐ πάντων ἀφορητότατον ὁ θάνατος εἶναι δοκεῖ; ἀλλ' ἡ τούτου προσδοκία οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν οὐ λυπεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνει μειζόνως· οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι ἡ τοῦ θανάτου παρουσία πόνων ἐστὶν ἀπαλλαγὴ, καὶ δρόμος ἐπὶ τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ τὰ βραβεῖα τὰ ἀποκείμενα τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καὶ ἀρετῆς ἀγωνισαμένοις. Ἀλλὰ παίδων ἄωρος τελευτή; ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο φέρει γενναίως, καὶ ἐρεῖ τὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ῥήματα· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλατο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Εἰ δὲ θάνατος καὶ παίδων ἀποβολὴ λυπεῖν οὐ δύνανται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ζημία χρημάτων, καὶ ἀτιμίαι, καὶ κατηγορίαι, καὶ διαβολαὶ τῆς οὕτω μεγάλης καὶ γενναίας ψυχῆς οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἅψαιντο, οὐδὲ ὀδύνη σώματος· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐμαστιγοῦντο μὲν, οὐκ ἠθύμουν δέ. Μέγα μὲν οὖν καὶ τοῦτο· τὸ δὲ πολλῷ μεῖζον, ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠθύμουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰς τὰς μάστιγας ὑπόθεσιν ἐποιοῦντο μείζονος ἡδονῆς, καὶ ὑπέστρεφον ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ συνεδρίου χαίροντες, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀτιμασθῆναι. Ὕβρισέ τις καὶ ἐλοιδόρησε τὸν τοιοῦτον; ἀλλ' ἐπαιδεύθη παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χαίρειν ἐπὶ ταῖς ὕβρεσι. 49.184 Χαίρετε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅταν εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἀλλὰ νόσῳ περιέπεσεν; ἀλλ' ἤκουσεν ἑτέρου παραινοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Ἐν νόσῳ καὶ πενίᾳ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πεποιθὼς γίνου, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐν πυρὶ δοκιμάζεται χρυσὸς, οὕτως ἄνθρωποι δεκτοὶ ἐν καμίνῳ ταπεινώσεως. Ὅταν οὖν μήτε θάνατος, μήτε ζημία χρημάτων, μήτε νόσος σώματος, μήτε ἀτιμία, μήτε λοιδορία, μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων μηδὲν λυπῆσαι αὐτὸν δύνηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνῃ μᾶλλον, ποίαν ἀθυμίας ὑπόθεσιν ἕξει ποτέ; Τί οὖν, οὐκ ἠθύμουν οἱ ἅγιοι,