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when the magistrates declared it, Paul does not go out; perhaps because of Lydia, and the other brethren; or also to frighten them, so that they might not be thought to have requested to be released, and so that they might establish the others in boldness. Threefold, beloved, was the crime, that they cast Romans, and uncondemned, and publicly, into prison. Do you see that they also managed many human affairs? Let us compare with that night these 60.259 nights, where there are revelries and drunkenness and licentiousness, where sleep is nothing different from death, where vigils are more grievous than sleep. For some sleep without awareness, but others keep awake pitifully and wretchedly, contriving deceits, being anxious for money, being zealous as to how they may take vengeance on those who do them wrong, meditating on enmity, recalling insulting words during the day; thus they stir up the fire of anger, working unbearable things. Consider how Peter was sleeping. That happened by way of dispensation; for the angel arrived, and no one was meant to see what happened; and this again was good, so that the jailer might be prevented from killing himself. And why did no other sign happen? Because this was especially sufficient to draw him in and persuade him, seeing that he himself would have been in danger, if it had not happened; for miracles do not so captivate us as do the things that lead to our salvation. Lest the earthquake seem to have happened by chance, this also followed, bearing witness to that. And it appears at night; for they did nothing for show, but for salvation. The jailer was not wicked; he cast them into the inner prison, having received such an order, not of his own accord. And why did Paul not cry out before this? The man was full of tumult and confusion, and he would not have accepted it. For this reason, when he saw him about to kill himself, he anticipates and cries out, saying: We are all here. For this reason also, having called for lights, he rushed in, and fell down before Paul, he says, and Silas. The guard falls at the feet of the prisoner. And he brings them out and says: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? For what did they say? See him not content with this because he was saved, but astounded at the power. 2. Did you see what happened there, and what here? There a young girl was delivered from a spirit, and they threw them into prison, because they had freed her from the demon; here they only showed opened doors, and he opened the doors of his heart, he loosed double bonds, he kindled that light; for the light in his heart shone. And he rushed in and fell down, and does not ask, How did this happen? What happened? but immediately says: What must I do to be saved? What then does Paul say? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, he says, you and your house. This especially draws people, that his house also be saved. And they spoke the word to him, and to all who were in his house. He washed them, and was washed; he washed them of their wounds, and he himself was washed of his sins; he fed and was fed. And he rejoiced, it says; and yet there was nothing, but only words and good hopes. This was a sign of his having believed, that he was forgiven of all things. What is worse than a jailer? What more cruel? What more savage? But nevertheless he received them with much honor. Not because he was saved was he gladdened, but Having believed in God. Believe, he says, on the Lord. For this reason he said, Having believed in God, so that he might not seem to be released as a convict, and as one who had sinned. For this reason they say: Having beaten us publicly, uncondemned men, they cast us into prison, so that the matter might be not only of grace, but also of them. See grace managing different things, how that one went out, how this one, although both are apostles. They were afraid, he says. They are afraid because they are Romans, not because they cast them in unjustly. And they asked them to depart from the city. They asked this as a favor. But they, having gone to Lydia, and having confirmed 60.260 her, thus departed. For it was not right to leave their hostess in anxiety and care. But they went out, not obeying them, but hastening to the preaching, the city through the miracle sufficiently

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στρατηγῶν δηλωσάντων ὁ Παῦλος οὐκ ἐξέρχεται· τάχα διὰ τὴν Λυδίαν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀδελφούς· ἢ καὶ φοβῶν αὐτοὺς, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῶσιν ἠξιωκότες ἀπολελύσθαι, καὶ ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ καταστήσωσι. Τριπλοῦν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸ ἔγκλημα ἦν, ὅτι καὶ Ῥωμαίους, καὶ ἀκατακρίτους, καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακήν. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι καὶ ἀνθρώπινα κατεσκεύαζον πολλά. Ἐξετάσωμεν πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν νύκτα ταύτας 60.259 τὰς νύκτας, ἔνθα κῶμοι καὶ μέθαι καὶ ἀσέλγειαι, ἔνθα ὕπνος θανάτου οὐδὲν διεστηκὼς, ἔνθα ἀγρυπνίαι ὕπνου χαλεπώτεραι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ καθεύδουσιν ἀνεπαισθήτως, οἱ δὲ ἐγρηγόρασιν ἐλεεινῶς καὶ ἀθλίως, δόλους ῥάπτοντες, ὑπὲρ χρημάτων φροντίζοντες, ὅπως ἀμύνωνται τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας σπουδάζοντες, ἔχθραν μελετῶντες, ῥήματα ὑβριστικὰ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἀναλεγόμενοι· οὕτω τὸ πῦρ σκαλεύουσι τῆς ὀργῆς, τὰ ἀφόρητα ἐργαζόμενοι. Σκόπει πῶς Πέτρος ἐκάθευδεν. Οἰκονομικῶς ἐκεῖνο γέγονεν· ὁ ἄγγελος γὰρ παρεγένετο, καὶ οὐδένα ἐχρῆν ἰδεῖν τὸ γενόμενον· καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν καλῶς, ἵνα κωλυθῇ ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ ἀνελεῖν ἑαυτόν. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ἄλλο σημεῖον γέγονεν; Ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἐφελκύσαι καὶ πεῖσαι ἱκανὸν ἦν, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκινδύνευσεν ἂν, εἰ μὴ γέγονεν· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὰ θαύματα ἡμᾶς αἱρεῖ, ὡς τὰ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμετέραν ἥκοντα. Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου γεγενῆσθαι ὁ σεισμὸς, ἐπηκολούθησε καὶ τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ μαρτυροῦν. Καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ φαίνεται· οὐδὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἐποίουν. Οὐκ ἦν πονηρὸς ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ· ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν φυλακὴν, παραγγελίαν τοιαύτην λαβὼν, οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ πρὸ τούτου ἐβόησεν ὁ Παῦλος; Θορύβου μεστὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν καὶ ταραχῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἂν παρεδέξατο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ὅτε εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν μέλλοντα ἀναιρεῖν, προκαταλαμβάνει καὶ βοᾷ, λέγων· Πάντες ἐσμὲν ἐνθάδε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Αἰτήσας φῶτα εἰσεπήδησε, καὶ προσέπεσε τῷ Παύλῳ, φησὶ, καὶ τῷ Σίλᾳ. Εἰς τοὺς πόδας προσπίπτει τοῦ δεσμώτου ὁ φύλαξ. Καὶ προάγει αὐτοὺς ἔξω καὶ λέγει· Κύριοι, τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν, ἵνα σωθῶ, Τί γὰρ εἶπον; Ὅρα αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐπειδὴ διεσώθη ἐπὶ τούτῳ στέργοντα, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν ἐκπλαγέντα. βʹ. Εἶδες τί ἐκεῖ γέγονε, καὶ τί ἐνταῦθα; Ἐκεῖ παιδίσκη ἀπηλλάγη πνεύματος, καὶ εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐνέβαλον αὐτοὺς, ὅτι ἠλευθέρωσαν αὐτὴν τοῦ δαίμονος· ἐνταῦθα μόνον ἔδειξαν θύρας ἀνεῳγυίας, καὶ ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τῆς καρδίας τὰς θύρας, ἔλυσε δεσμὰ διπλᾶ, ἧψεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ φῶς· τὸ γὰρ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ φῶς ἔλαμπε. Καὶ εἰσεπήδησε καὶ προσέπεσε, καὶ οὐκ ἐρωτᾷ, Πῶς τοῦτο γέγονε; Τί γέγονεν; ἀλλ' εὐθέως φησί· Τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν, ἵνα σωθῶ; Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος· Πίστευσον ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ σωθήσῃ, φησὶ, σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου. Μάλιστα τοῦτο τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐφέλκεται τὸ καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι. Καὶ ἐλάλησαν αὐτῷ τὸν λόγον, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Ἔλουσεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐλούθη· ἐκείνους μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν ἔλουσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐλούθη· ἔθρεψε καὶ ἐτράφη. Καὶ ἠγαλλιᾶτο, φησί· καίτοι οὐδὲν ἦν, ἀλλὰ ῥήματα μόνον καὶ ἐλπίδες χρησταί. Τοῦτο σημεῖον ἦν τοῦ πεπιστευκέναι αὐτὸν, ὅτι πάντων ἀφέθη. Τί δεσμοφύλακος χεῖρον; τί δὲ ὠμότερον; τί δὲ ἀγριώτερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτοὺς ὑπεδέξατο τῆς τιμῆς. Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἐσώθη, εὐφράνθη, ἀλλὰ Πεπιστευκὼς τῷ Θεῷ. Πίστευσον, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπε, Πεπιστευκὼς τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ὡς κατάδικος ἀπολύεσθαι, καὶ ὡς ἡμαρτηκώς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγουσι· ∆είραντες ἡμᾶς δημοσίᾳ ἀκατακρίτους ἀνθρώπους, ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακὴν, ἵνα μὴ μόνον τῆς χάριτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ᾖ τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ὅρα διάφορα τὴν χάριν οἰκονομοῦσαν, πῶς ἐκεῖνος ἐξῆλθε, πῶς οὗτος, καίτοι ἀμφότεροι ἀπόστολοι. Ἐφοβήθησαν, φησί. Φοβοῦνται, ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοί εἰσιν, οὐχ ὅτι ἀδίκως ἐνέβαλον. Καὶ ἠρώτων αὐτοὺς ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως. Χάριν ᾔτησαν ταύτην. Οἱ δὲ ἐλθόντες πρὸς τὴν Λυδίαν, καὶ βεβαιώσαντες 60.260 αὐτὴν, οὕτως ἐξῆλθον. Οὐ γὰρ ἔδει τὴν ξενοδόχον ἀφεῖναι ἐν ἀγῶνι καὶ μερίμνῃ. Ἐξῆλθον δὲ, οὐκ ἐκείνοις πειθόμενοι, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τὸ κήρυγμα σπεύδοντες, τῆς πόλεως διὰ τοῦ θαύματος ἱκανῶς