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on behalf of the law? They did not respect the dignity of Peter, not the signs that occurred, not the achievement, great as it was, of receiving the word; but over those small things they were contending. For if none of these things had happened, was the achievement not enough? But Peter does not defend himself in this way; for he was prudent; or rather, it was not of his own prudence, but the words were of the Spirit. And through his defense he shows himself to be nowhere the cause, but God everywhere. And he all but says this to them: He himself caused me to be in a trance; for I was simply praying; he himself showed the vessel; I objected; again he himself spoke, and even so I did not obey; The Spirit commanded me to go; and yet when I went, I did not rush ahead; I said that God had sent me, and after this I did not even then baptize, but again God worked the whole thing. Therefore God baptized them, not I. And he did not say, 'With all these things having happened, was it not necessary to add the water then?' but as if nothing were lacking, 'Who was I,' he says, 'to hinder God?' Wow, what a defense! for he did not say, 'Knowing these things, therefore, be quiet'; but what? He receives their attack, and to their accusations he defends himself: 'Who was I that I could hinder God?' he says; using the defense most impressively and forcefully: 'I was not able to hinder.' Wherefore then, being afraid, they became quiet, and glorified God. 3. Thus we too ought to glorify God in the good things of our neighbors, and not be malicious, just as many of the newly-illuminated are malicious, when they see others illuminated and immediately departing. We must glorify God, also that he does not permit them to remain. So you too, if you wish, have received a greater gift; I do not speak concerning the illumination (for it is the same for him and for you), but concerning the receiving of a period of time for proving yourself. That one put on the robe and was not permitted to parade in it; to you God has given much authority to use the weapons for what is needed, and to gain experience from them. That one departs having only the reward of faith; you stand in the stadium of works, able to receive many rewards, and to appear so much more brilliant than that one, as the sun than the smallest star, as the general than the last soldier, or rather as the king. Therefore, blame yourself; or rather, do not blame yourself, but correct yourself always; for it is not enough to blame; it is possible to fight again. Were you thrown down? Did you suffer terrible things? Arise, recover yourself; you still stand in the stadium, the theater is still assembled. Do you not see how many, after being wrestled down, afterwards fought again 60.188? Only do not fall willingly. Do you call the departed one blessed? Much more call yourself blessed. Were his sins forgiven? But, if you are willing, you will not only wash away sins, but you will also have right achievements, which in his case is not possible. It is possible for us to recall ourselves. Great are the medicines of repentance; let no one despair of himself. That one is truly worthy of despair who despairs of himself; that one no longer has hopes of salvation. It is not terrible to come into the depth of evils, but to lie there after having come; it is not impious to come into the depth of evils, but to be contemptuous after having come. Why, tell me, are you more contemptuous of that for which you ought to care? Having so many wounds, have you given up? There is no incurable wound of the soul; but in the case of the body there are many such, but in the case of the soul, none; and for the former we do not cease to labor, but for the latter we are indolent. Do you not see the robber, how in a short time he succeeded? do you not see the martyrs, how in a short time they accomplished everything? But is it not now a time for martyrdom? But it is a time for contests, which I have often said, if we would be willing. For those who wish, he says, to live godly in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted. Those who live godly are always persecuted, if not by men, then by demons, which is indeed a more grievous persecution. And first of all, those who are not sober endure this especially from ease itself. Or do you think it a small persecution to be at ease? This is more burdensome than all, this is even worse than persecution. For like a flowing stream, ease makes the soul listless;

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ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου; Οὐ τὸ ἀξίωμα Πέτρου ᾐδέσθησαν, οὐ τὰ γενόμενα σημεῖα, οὐ τὸ κατόρθωμα, ὅσον ἦν τὸ δέξασθαι τὸν λόγον· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν μικρῶν ἐκείνων διεκρίνοντο. Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν τούτων ἦν, οὐκ ἤρκει τὸ κατόρθωμα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολογεῖται οὕτω Πέτρος· συνετὸς γὰρ ἦν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ ἦν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὰ ῥήματα. Καὶ δείκνυσι διὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας ἑαυτὸν μὲν οὐδαμοῦ αἴτιον, πανταχοῦ δὲ τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ μονονουχὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοῦτο λέγει· Ἐν ἐκστάσει με γενέσθαι αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἁπλῶς προσευχόμενος ἤμην· τὸ σκεῦος αὐτὸς ἔδειξεν· ἐγὼ ἀντεῖπον· πάλιν αὐτὸς εἶπεν, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἤκουσα· Τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν· καὶ ὅμως ἀπελθὼν οὐκ ἐπέδραμον· εἶπον, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἔπεμψε, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐβάπτισα, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ πᾶν εἰργάσατο. Ἄρα Θεὸς αὐτοὺς ἐβάπτισεν, οὐκ ἐγώ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· Τούτων γεγονότων ἁπάντων, οὐκ ἔδει τὸ ὕδωρ προσθεῖναι λοιπόν; ἀλλ' ὡς οὐδενὸς λείποντος, Ἐγὼ τίς ἤμην, φησὶ, κωλῦσαι τὸν Θεόν; Βαβαὶ, οἵα ἡ ἀπολογία! οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες ἡσυχάζετε· ἀλλὰ τί; ∆έχεται αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν, καὶ ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἀπολογεῖται· Τίς ἤμην δυνατὸς κωλῦσαι τὸν Θεόν; λέγων· σφόδρα ἐντρεπτικῶς καὶ βαρέως χρησάμενος τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ· Οὐκ ἠδυνάμην κωλῦσαι. Ὅθεν λοιπὸν φοβηθέντες, ἡσύχασαν, καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν Θεόν. γʹ. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμᾶς χρὴ ἐν τοῖς τῶν πλησίον ἀγαθοῖς δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπηρεάζειν, καθάπερ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν νεοφωτίστων ἐπηρεάζουσιν, ὅταν ἄλλους ἴδωσι φωτισθέντας καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπιόντας. ∆οξάζειν δεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὅτι μένειν οὐ συγχωρεῖ. Ὥστε καὶ σὺ ἐὰν θέλῃς, μείζονα ἔλαβες δωρεάν· οὐ κατὰ τὸ φώτισμα λέγω (ἡ γὰρ αὐτή ἐστι κἀκείνου καὶ σοῦ), ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ λαβεῖν προθεσμίαν εὐδοκιμήσεως. Ἐκεῖνος ἐνεδύσατο τὴν στολὴν καὶ οὐκ ἀφέθη ἐμπομπεῦσαι ἐν αὐτῇ· σοὶ πολλὴν ἔδωκεν ἐξουσίαν ὁ Θεὸς χρήσασθαι τοῖς ὅπλοις εἰς δέον, καὶ λαβεῖν αὐτῶν ἐντεῦθεν τὴν πεῖραν. Ἐκεῖνος ἄπεισι τῆς πίστεως μόνον ἔχων τὸν μισθόν· σὺ ἕστηκας ἐν τῷ σταδίῳ τῶν ἔργων δυνάμενος λαβεῖν πολλὰς τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐκείνου φανῆναι λαμπρότερος, ὅσον ὁ ἥλιος τοῦ μικροτάτου ἀστέρος, ὅσον ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἐσχάτου στρατιώτου, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσον ὁ βασιλεύς. Σαυτὸν τοίνυν αἰτιῶ· μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ αἰτιῶ, ἀλλὰ διόρθου ἀεί· οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ αἰτιάσασθαι· ἔξεστιν ἀναμαχέσασθαι. Κατεβλήθης; δεινὰ ἔπαθες; Ἀνάστηθι, ἀνάκτησαι σαυτόν· ἔτι ἐν τῷ σταδίῳ ἕστηκας, ἔτι τὸ θέατρον συνέστηκεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πόσοι καταπαλαισθέντες, ὕστερον ἀνεμαχέ 60.188 σαντο; Μόνον μὴ ἑκὼν καταπέσῃς. Μακαρίζεις τὸν ἀπελθόντα; Πολλῷ μᾶλλον μακάρισον σαυτόν. Ἀφέθη ἁμαρτημάτων ἐκεῖνος; Ἀλλ', ἐὰν θέλῃς σὺ, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀπονίψῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατορθώματα ἕξεις, ὅπερ ἐπ' ἐκείνου οὐ δυνατόν. Ἔνεστιν ἡμᾶς ἀνακαλέσασθαι ἑαυτούς. Μεγάλα τῆς μετανοίας τὰ φάρμακα· μηδεὶς ἀπογινωσκέτω ἑαυτοῦ. Ἐκεῖνος ὄντως ἀπογνώσεως ἄξιος, ὁ ἀπογινώσκων ἑαυτοῦ· ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔτι σωτηρίας ἔχει ἐλπίδας. Οὐ τὸ εἰς βάθος κακῶν ἐλθεῖν δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κεῖσθαι μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν· οὐ τὸ εἰς βάθος κακῶν ἐλθεῖν ἀσεβὲς, ἀλλὰ τὸ καταφρονῆσαι μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν. ∆ι' ὃ ὀφείλεις μεριμνᾷν, εἰπέ μοι, μᾶλλον καταφρονεῖς; Τραύματα τοσαῦτα ἔχων, ἀνέπεσες; Οὐδέν ἐστι ψυχῆς ἀνίατον τραῦμα· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν σώματος πολλὰ τοιαῦτα, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐδέν· καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων μὲν οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν κάμνοντες, ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων ῥᾳθυμοῦμεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸν λῃστὴν, πῶς ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ κατώρθωσεν; οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς μάρτυρας, πῶς ἐν βραχεῖ τὸ πᾶν ἤνυσαν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρτι μαρτυρίου καιρός; Ἀλλ' ἀγώνων ἐστὶ καιρὸς, ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, εἰ βουλοίμεθα. Οἱ γὰρ θέλοντες, φησὶν, εὐσεβῶς ζῇν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, διωχθήσονται. Οἱ εὐσεβῶς ζῶντες ἀεὶ διώκονται, κἂν μὴ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ δαιμόνων, ὃς δὴ καὶ χαλεπώτερός ἐστι διωγμός. Καὶ πρῶτον ὑπ' αὐτῆς μάλιστα τῆς ἀνέσεως τοῦτον ὑπομένουσιν οἱ μὴ νήφοντες. Ἢ μικρὸν οἴει διωγμὸν τὸ ἐν ἀνέσει εἶναι; Τοῦτο πάντων ἐστὶ βαρύτερον, τοῦτο καὶ διωγμοῦ χεῖρον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ῥεῦμα ἐπιῤῥέον ἡ ἄνεσις χαυνοῖ τὴν ψυχήν·