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of the end he confirms to them the discourse about the resurrection. Through the blood of the eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ, make you perfect in every good work; to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight. Again he testifies great things to them; for that which is being made perfect is that which has a beginning, then is being filled. And he prays for them, which is the act of one who longs for them. And observe: while in the other epistles he prays in the introductions, here he does so at the end. Working, he says, in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And I beseech you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation; for I have written a letter to you in few words. Do you see that what he wrote to no one, this he writes to them? For I have written in few words, he says; that is, I am not even troubling you with long-windedness. I think they are not at all hostilely disposed toward Timothy; for which reason he also set him over them. For know, he says, that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you. Set at liberty, he says; from where? I think he was cast into prison; or, if not this, set at liberty from Athens; for this is also found in the Acts. Greet all your leaders, and all the saints. They from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen. Do you see how he shows that virtue is accomplished neither wholly from God, nor only from us? For by saying, ‘Make you perfect in every good work,’ and what follows, he indicates this; as if he were saying, You have virtue, but you need completion. But by saying in good work and word, he showed that one must have both a right life and right doctrines. And he well added, 'Working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight.' In his sight, he says; for this is the greatest virtue, to do what is well pleasing in the sight of God; just as the Prophet also says, 'And according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.' And having written so much, he said it was little, making a comparison with what he was about to say; just as he also says elsewhere, ‘As I wrote to you in few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.’ And observe his wisdom; He does not say, I beseech you, bear with the word of advice, but, ‘the word of exhortation;’ that is, of comfort, of encouragement. No one, he says, can be discouraged by the length of what has been said. What then? Was this what was causing them to turn away? By no means; but he does not wish to show them and say that you are fainthearted; for it is characteristic of such people not to endure a long discourse. Know that our brother Timothy has been set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you. This is sufficient to persuade them to yield, if he is ready to come with his disciple. Greet your leaders, and all the saints. See how he honored them, if indeed he wrote to them on behalf of those men. They of Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen. What was common to all, this he said last. But how is grace with us? If we do not treat the benefit with insolence, if we do not become lazy concerning 63.235 the gift. And what is grace, he says? The remission of sins, the cleansing; for this is with us. For who, he says, being insolent can keep grace, and not lose it? For instance, he forgave you your sins; how then will grace be with you, that is, the good pleasure, or the energy of the Spirit, if you do not draw it to yourself through good works? For this is the cause of all good things, that the grace of the Spirit always remain with us; for this guides us to all things, just as when it flies away from us, it destroys us and makes us desolate. 3. Let us not then thrust it away; for it is in our power both for it to remain and to depart. For the one happens when we consider heavenly things; the other, when worldly things. Whom the world, he says, cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him. He calls the wicked and shameful life 'world'. Do you see that it is not for a worldly soul to have it? We have need, therefore, of much

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τέλους τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῖς λόγον διαβεβαιοῦται. Ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης αἰωνίου, τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καταρτίσαι ὑμᾶς ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ· εἰς τὸ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, ποιῶν ἐν ὑμῖν τὸ εὐάρεστον ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν μαρτυρεῖ αὐτοῖς μεγάλα· τὸ γὰρ καταρτιζόμενόν ἐστι τὸ ἀρχὴν ἔχον, εἶτα πληρούμενον. Καὶ ἐπεύχεται αὐτοῖς· ὅπερ ἐστὶ ποθοῦντος. Καὶ ὅρα· ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐπιστολαῖς ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις εὔχεται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐν τῷ τέλει. Ποιῶν, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν τὸ εὐάρεστον ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀνέχεσθε τοῦ λόγου τῆς παρακλήσεως· καὶ γὰρ διὰ βραχέων ἐπέστειλα ὑμῖν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὃ μηδενὶ ἐπέστειλε, τοῦτο τούτοις ἐπιστέλλει; Καὶ γὰρ διὰ βραχέων, φησὶν, ἐπέστειλα· τουτέστιν, Οὐδὲ ἐνοχλῶ ὑμᾶς τῇ μακρολογίᾳ. Οἶμαι αὐτοὺς οὐ πάνυ πρὸς τὸν Τιμόθεον ἔχειν ἀπεχθῶς· ὅθεν καὶ αὐτὸν προεστήσατο. Γινώσκετε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ἀδελφὸν Τιμόθεον ἀπολελυμένον, μεθ' οὗ, ἐὰν τάχιον ἔρχηται, ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς. Ἀπολελυμένον, φησί· πόθεν; Οἶμαι αὐτὸν εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐμβεβλῆσθαι· ἢ, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀπὸ Ἀθηνῶν ἀπολελυμένον· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι κεῖται. Ἀσπάσασθε πάντας τοὺς ἡγουμένους ὑμῶν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους. Ἀσπάζοντα, ὑμᾶς οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας. Ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς δείκνυσι τὴν ἀρετὴν οὔτε ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ὅλον, οὔτε ἐξ ἡμῶν μόνον κατορθουμένην; τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν· Καταρτίσαι ὑμᾶς ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τοῦτο δηλοῖ· ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἔχετε μὲν ἀρετὴν, δεῖσθε δὲ πληρώσεως. Εἰπὼν δὲ ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἀγαθῷ, ἔδειξεν ὅτι καὶ βίον ὀρθὸν ἔχειν δεῖ καὶ δόγματα. Καλῶς δὲ προσέθηκε τὸ, Ποιῶν ἐν ὑμῖν τὸ εὐάρεστον ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. Ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, φησίν· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ μεγίστη ἀρετὴ, ποιεῖν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ εὐάρεστον· καθὰ καὶ ὁ Προφήτης λέγει· Καὶ κατὰ τὴν καθαριότητα τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐνώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Τοσαῦτα δὲ γράψας, ὀλίγα αὐτὰ ἔφησεν εἶναι, σύγκρισιν ποιῶν πρὸς ἃ ἔμελλε λέγειν· καθὰ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι, Καθὼς ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν ὀλίγῳ· πρὸς ὃ δύνασθε ἀναγινώσκοντες νοῆσαι τὴν σύνεσίν μου ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ὅρα αὐτοῦ τὴν σοφίαν· Οὐ λέγει, Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀνέχεσθε τοῦ λόγου τῆς παραινέσεως, ἀλλὰ, Τοῦ λόγου τῆς παρακλήσεως· τουτέστι, τῆς παραμυθίας, τῆς προτροπῆς. Οὐκ ἔχει τις, φησὶ, πρὸς τὸ μῆκος ἀπαγορεῦσαι τῶν λεχθέντων. Τί οὖν; καὶ τοῦτο ἦν ὃ ἐποίει αὐτοὺς ἀποστρέφεσθαι; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' οὐ βούλεται αὐτοῖς ἐνδείξασθαι, καὶ εἰπεῖν ὅτι Ὀλιγοψυχεῖτε· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἴδιον τὸ μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι λόγου μακροῦ. Γινώσκετε τὸν ἀδελφὸν Τιμόθεον ἀπολελυμένον, μεθ' οὗ, ἐὰν τάχιον ἔρχηται, ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς. Τοῦτο ἱκανὸν αὐτοὺς πεῖσαι καθυφεῖναι, εἰ ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ἐλθεῖν μετὰ τοῦ μαθητοῦ. Ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἡγουμένους ὑμῶν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους. Ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς ἐτίμησεν, εἴ γε ἐκείνοις ἐπέστειλεν ἀντ' ἐκείνων. Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας. Ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Ὅπερ ἦν κοινὸν ἁπάντων, τοῦτο ὕστερον εἶπεν. Ἡ χάρις δὲ πῶς γίνεται μεθ' ἡμῶν; Ἂν μὴ ὑβρίσωμεν εἰς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, ἂν μὴ ῥᾴθυμοι γενώμεθα περὶ 63.235 τὴν δωρεάν. Καὶ τί ἐστιν ἡ χάρις, φησίν; Ἡ ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ἡ κάθαρσις· αὕτη γὰρ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐστι. Τίς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑβρικὼς δύναται φυλάξαι τὴν χάριν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτήν; Οἷον, ἐχαρίσατό σοι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· πῶς οὖν ἔσται μετὰ σοῦ ἡ χάρις, τουτέστιν, ἡ εὐδοκίμησις, ἢ ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργεια, ἂν μὴ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων αὐτὴν ἐπισπάσῃ; Τοῦτο γὰρ πάντων αἴτιον ἀγαθῶν, τὸ παραμένειν ἡμῖν ἀεὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος· αὕτη γὰρ πρὸς ἅπαντα ἡμᾶς ὁδηγεῖ, ὥσπερ οὖν ὅταν ἀποπτῇ ἡμῶν, ἀπόλλυσιν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐρήμους ποιεῖ. γʹ. Μὴ δὴ αὐτὴν ἀποκρουσώμεθα· ἐν ἡμῖν γάρ ἐστι καὶ μένειν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀπελθεῖν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ, ὅταν τὰ οὐράνια λογιζώμεθα, γίνεται· τὸ δὲ, ὅταν τὰ βιωτικά. Ὃ ὁ κόσμος, φησὶν, οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν, ὅτι οὐ θεωρεῖ αὐτὸ, οὐδὲ γινώσκει αὐτό. Κόσμον τὸν πονηρὸν καὶ αἰσχρὸν βίον καλεῖ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κοσμικῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἔχειν αὐτό; Πολλῆς τοίνυν ἡμῖν δεῖ τῆς