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nor has it entered into the heart of man, these are the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But they have not yet received them, but they still wait, even having died in so great an affliction. And they, having conquered so many years ago, have not yet received their reward; but you, while still in the contest, are distressed? Consider you too what it is, and how great it is for Abraham to be sitting; and for the apostle Paul, waiting for when you may be perfected, so that they might then be able to receive their reward. For unless we also arrive, the Savior foretold He would not give it to them; just as if a loving father were to say to his well-approved children who had finished their work, that he would not give them food unless their brothers come. But are you distressed, because you have not yet received the reward? What then will Abel do, who conquered before all, and sits uncrowned? what of Noah? what of those who lived in those times, since they await you and those after you? Do you see that we have an advantage over them? And well did he say on account of this, God having provided something better for us. For so that they might not seem to have an advantage over us by being crowned first, he appointed one time for the crowns for all, and he who conquered so many years ago, receives the crown with you. Do you see His care? And he did not say, That they without us should not be crowned, but, That they without us should not be made perfect; so that they also appear perfect then. They were first in the contests, but they are not first in the crowns. He did not wrong them, but He honored us; for they too await their brothers. For if we are all one body, the pleasure for this body becomes greater when it is crowned all together, and not part by part. For the righteous are also admirable in this, that they rejoice in the good things of their brothers as if they were their own. So that 63.193 for them too this is according to their mind, to be crowned with their own members; for to be glorified together is a great pleasure. Therefore we also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us. 2. In many places Scripture draws its comfort in troubles from events that happen, as when the prophet says: From heat and hardship and rain he will deliver you; and David: The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night. This then is what he says here also, that the memory of those saints, just as a cloud shades one who is burning under a hotter ray, so it raises up and recovers a soul that has been worn down by troubles. And he did not say, Hovering over us, but, Surrounding us, which was more than that, so as to show by this that being surrounded in a circle, it will reasonably cause us to be in greater security. And by witnesses he means not only those in the New, but also those in the Old; for they also bore witness to the majesty of God; for instance, the three young men, those around Elijah, all the prophets. Laying aside every weight. -Every, what? That is, sleep, negligence, base thoughts, all human things. And the sin which so easily entangles. By 'easily entangling' he means either that which easily surrounds us, or that which can easily suffer entanglement; or rather this: for it is easy, if we wish, to overcome sin. With patience, he says, let us run the race that is set before us. He did not say, Let us box, nor, Let us wrestle, nor, Let us wage war, but what was lightest of all, that of the race, this he has set before us. Nor did he say, Let us add to the race, but, In this very thing let us endure, let us not grow weary. Let us run, he says, the race that is set before us. Then the chief point of the exhortation, which he places both first and last, Christ: Looking, he says, unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Which therefore Christ Himself also said continually to his disciples: If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more shall they call them of his household? and again; The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. -Looking, he says; that is, that we may learn to run, let us look to Christ. For just as in all arts and contests, looking to the teachers, so

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οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' οὔπω ἀπέλαβον, ἀλλ' ἔτι μένουσι καὶ οὕτω τελευτήσαντες ἐν τοσαύτῃ θλίψει. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν χρόνους ἔχουσι τοσούτους νικήσαντες, καὶ οὐδέπω ἀπέλαβον· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι ἔτι ὄντες, ἀσχάλλετε; Ἐννοήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς τί ἐστι, καὶ ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καθῆσθαι· καὶ τὸν ἀπόστολον Παῦλον περιμένοντας πότε σὺ τελειωθῇς, ἵνα δυνηθῶσι τότε λαβεῖν τὸν μισθόν. Ἐὰν μὴ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς παραγενώμεθα, προεῖπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Σωτὴρ μὴ δώσειν· καθάπερ εἰ πατὴρ φιλόστοργος παισὶν εὐδοκίμοις, καὶ τὸ, ἔργον ἠνυκόσι λέγοι, μὴ διδόναι φαγεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθωσιν αὐτῶν οἱ ἀδελφοί. Σὺ δὲ ἀσχάλλεις, ὅτι οὐδέπω τὸν μισθὸν ἔλαβες; Τί οὖν ποιήσει Ἄβελ ὁ πρὸ πάντων νικήσας, καὶ ἀστεφάνωτος καθήμενος; τί δὲ Νῶε; τί δὲ οἱ κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους γεγονότες, ὅτι σὲ καὶ τοὺς μετὰ σὲ ἀναμένουσιν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἡμεῖς πλεονεκτοῦμεν αὐτῶν; Καὶ καλῶς διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε, Τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δοκῶσι πλεονεκτεῖν ἡμῶν τῷ πρῶτοι στεφανοῦσθαι, ἕνα ὥρισε πᾶσι τῶν στεφάνων τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ὁ πρὸ τοσούτων ἐτῶν νενικηκὼς, μετὰ σοῦ λαμβάνει τὸν στέφανον. Ὁρᾷς κηδεμονίαν; Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν στεφανωθῶσιν, ἀλλ', Ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν· ὥστε καὶ τέλειοι τότε φαίνονται. Προέλαβον κατὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἀλλ' οὐ προλαμβάνουσι κατὰ τοὺς στεφάνους. Οὐκ ἐκείνους ἠδίκησεν, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς ἐτίμησε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀναμένουσιν. Εἰ γὰρ σῶμα ἓν οἱ πάντες ἐσμὲν, μείζων γίνεται τῷ σώματι τούτῳ ἡ ἡδονὴ, ὅταν κοινῇ στεφανῶται, καὶ μὴ κατὰ μέρος. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ εἰσὶ θαυμαστοὶ, ὅτι χαίρουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ οἰκείοις ἀγαθοῖς τοῖς τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Ὥστε 63.193 κἀκείνοις τοῦτο κατὰ γνώμην ἐστὶ, τὸ μετὰ τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἰδίων στεφανωθῆναι· τὸ γὰρ ὁμοῦ δοξασθῆναι, μεγάλη ἡδονή. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων. βʹ. Πολλαχοῦ ἡ Γραφὴ τὴν παραμυθίαν λαμβάνει τὴν ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν συμβαινόντων πραγμάτων, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ προφήτης· Ἀπὸ καύματος καὶ σκληρότητος, καὶ ὑετοῦ ῥύσεταί σε· καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Ἡμέρας ὁ ἥλιος οὐ συγκαύσει σε, οὐδὲ ἡ σελήνη τὴν νύκτα. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει, ὅτι ἡ μνήμη τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων, ὥσπερ νέφος τὸν φλεγόμενον ὑπὸ ἀκτῖνος θερμοτέρας σκιάζει, οὕτω τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶν καταπεπονημένην ἀνίστησι καὶ ἀνακτᾶται ψυχήν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὑπεραιωρούμενον ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ, Περικείμενον ἡμῖν, ὃ ἐκείνου πλέον ἦν ὥστε δηλῶσαι διὰ τούτου, ὅτι περικείμενον κύκλῳ, ἐν μείζονι ἀδείᾳ εἰκότως εἶναι ποιήσει. Μάρτυρας δὲ οὐχὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ Καινῇ λέγει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐμαρτύρησαν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλειότητι· οἷον, ὡς οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες, οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν, οἱ προφῆται πάντες. Ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα. -Πάντα, τίνα; Τουτέστι, τὸν ὕπνον, τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν, τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς εὐτελεῖς, πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. Καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν. Εὐπερίστατον ἤτοι τὴν εὐκόλως περιισταμένην ἡμᾶς, ἢ τὴν εὐκόλως περίστασιν δυναμένην παθεῖν, λέγει· μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦτο· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ, ἐὰν θέλωμεν, περιγενέσθαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ∆ι' ὑπομονῆς, φησὶ, τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα. Οὐκ εἶπε, Πυκτεύωμεν, οὐδὲ, Παλαίωμεν, οὐδὲ, Πολεμῶμεν, ἀλλ' ὃ πάντων κουφότερον ἦν τὸ τοῦ δρόμου, τοῦτο εἰς μέσον τέθεικεν. Οὐδὲ εἶπε, Προσθῶμεν τῷ δρόμῳ, ἀλλ', Ἐν αὐτῷ τούτῳ ὑπομείνωμεν, μὴ ἐκλυθῶμεν. Τρέχωμεν, φησὶ, τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα. Εἶτα τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς παρακλήσεως, ὃ καὶ πρῶτον καὶ ὕστερον τίθησι, τὸν Χριστόν· Ἀφορῶντες, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῖς μαθηταῖς συνεχῶς ἔλεγεν· Εἰ τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελζεβοὺλ ἀπεκάλεσαν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοὺς οἰκιακοὺς αὐτοῦ; καὶ πάλιν· Οὐκ ἔστι μαθητὴς ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάσκαλον, οὐδὲ δοῦλος ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον αὑτοῦ. -Ἀφορῶντες, φησί· τουτέστιν, ἵνα μάθωμεν τρέχειν, βλέπωμεν εἰς Χριστόν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνῶν πασῶν καὶ τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων πρὸς τοὺς διδασκάλους ὁρῶντες, οὕτως