Chapter LXIII.

After this, not understanding how it has been said that “every one who exalted himself shall be abased;”557    Cf. Matt. xxiii. 12. nor (although taught even by Plato) that “the good and virtuous man walketh humbly and orderly;” and ignorant, moreover, that we give the injunction, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time;”558    1 Pet. v. 6. he says that “those persons who preside properly over a trial make those individuals who bewail before them their evil deeds to cease from their piteous wailings, lest their decisions should be determined rather by compassion than by a regard to truth; whereas God does not decide in accordance with truth, but in accordance with flattery.”559    προς κολακείαν.  Now, what words of flattery and piteous wailing are contained in the Holy Scriptures when the sinner says in his prayers to God, “I have acknowledged my sin, and mine iniquity have I not hid.  I said, I will confess my transgression to the Lord,” etc., etc.?  For is he able to show that a procedure of this kind is not adapted to the conversion of sinners, who humble themselves in their prayers under the hand of God?  And, becoming confused by his efforts to accuse us, he contradicts himself; appearing at one time to know a man “without sin,” and “a righteous man, who can look up to God (adorned) with virtue from the beginning;” and at another time accepting our statement that there is no man altogether righteous, or without sin;560    In the text it is put interrogatively:  τίς ἄνθρωπος τελέως δίκαιος; ἢ τίς ἀναμάρτητος;  The allusion seems to be to Job xv. 14 (Sept.):  τίς γὰρ ὢν βροτὸς, ὅτι ἔσται ἄμεμπτος; ἢ ὡς ἐσόμενος δίκαιος γεννητὸς γυναικός; for, as if he admitted its truth, he remarks, “This is indeed apparently true, that somehow the human race is naturally inclined to sin.”  In the next place, as if all men were not invited by the word, he says, “All men, then, without distinction, ought to be invited, since all indeed are sinners.”  And yet, in the preceding pages, we have pointed out the words of Jesus:  “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”561    Matt. xi. 28.  All men, therefore, labouring and being heavy laden on account of the nature of sin, are invited to the rest spoken of in the word of God, “for God sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”562    Ps. cvii. 20.

Εἶτα μὴ νοῶν, πῶς εἴρηται τὸ "Πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται", μηδὲ κἂν ἀπὸ τοῦ Πλάτωνος διδαχθεὶς ὅτι ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς πορεύεται "ταπεινὸς καὶ κεκοσμη μένος", μὴ εἰδὼς δὲ καί, ὥς φαμεν· "Ταπεινώθητε οὖν ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ὑμᾶς ὑψώσῃ ἐν καιρῷ", φησὶν ὅτι ἄνθρωποι μὲν ὀρθῶς δίκης προϊστά μενοι τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν ὀλοφυρομένους ἀποπαύουσι λόγων οἰκτρογόων, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς ἔλεον μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν δικασθῶσιν· ὁ θεὸς δ' ἄρα οὐ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀλλὰ πρὸς κολακείαν δικάζει. Ποία γὰρ κολακεία, καὶ ποῖος λόγος οἰκτρόγοος κατὰ τὰς θείας γινόμενος γραφάς, ἐπὰν ὁ ἁμαρτάνων λέγῃ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς θεὸν εὐχαῖς· "Τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου ἐγνώρισα, καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα. Εἶπα· ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ κυρίῳ" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; Ἀλλὰ δύναται παραστῆσαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιστρεπ τικὸν τὸ τοιοῦτον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ὑπὸ τὸν θεὸν ἑαυτοὺς ταπεινούντων ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς; Καὶ συγκεχυμένος δ' ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὸ κατηγορεῖν ὁρμῆς ἑαυτῷ ἐναντία λέγει, ὅπου μὲν ἐμφαίνων εἰδέναι ἀναμάρτητον ἄνθρωπον καὶ δίκαιον, μετ' ἀρετῆς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄνω βλέποντα, ὅπου δ' ἀποδεχόμενος τὸ λεγόμενον ὑφ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι "Τίς ἄνθρωπος τελέως δίκαιος, ἢ τίς ἀναμάρτητος;" ὡς ἀποδεχόμενος γὰρ αὐτό φησι· Τοῦτο μὲν ἐπιεικῶς ἀληθές, ὅτι πέφυκέ πως τὸ ἀνθρώπινον φῦλον ἁμαρτάνειν· εἶτα ὡς μὴ πάντων καλουμένων ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου φησίν· Ἐχρῆν οὖν ἁπλῶς πάντας καλεῖν, εἴ γε πάντες ἁμαρτάνουσι. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω δὲ παρεδείκνυμεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰρηκέναι· "∆εῦτε πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς." Πάντες οὖν ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας φύσιν "κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι" καλοῦνται ἐπὶ τὴν παρὰ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνάπαυσιν· ἐξαπέστειλε γὰρ ὁ θεὸς "τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐρρύσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαφθορῶν αὐτῶν".