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"Father, glorify me with the glory that I had with you before the world existed." And, since it happened that he suffered these things because of the sins of my people, I have reasonably given him as a witness not to the Jews, but to all the nations, foreseeing the obedience of the latter, but the disobedience of the former. Instead of 'he glorified you,' Symmachus says, 'because he has made you a boast;' so that his disciples say, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Next, he exhorts to seek the Lord; for as he himself said to the Jews, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." And the Father says: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." For the Father subjected to the Son those who were erring, being enemies, not as to one who is weak, but because of the economy. Therefore the Father says to the nations, to whom he gave the Son as a witness: Seek God, the witness given of theologians. But the seeking is not local (for the Divine is incorporeal, and fills all things), but in intimacy of soul; and in finding, call upon him, that is, praise, and call, [as says] Symmachus, according to, "Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I will be saved from my enemies." And this [will be] when you find him being near you, and not settled far away. For he is a God who draws near. Therefore, as you are standing before him, put away the old error. For until the sun, [there is] darkness. And until the coming of Christ, [there is] impiety. For he does not desire the 2557 death of the sinner, so much as repentance. For he will greatly forgive our sins, that is, completely and for all time. "For where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." For it is written concerning Christ, "For behold, he enters like a refiner's fire, and like the soap of fullers," and so on. For he baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And fire is the cleansing power of the Spirit, melting away all filth. For if you consider your own affairs incurable, as despaired of by men, yet with me these things are not incurable. For great is the distance between God and men. As God, therefore, being long-suffering, I call you to repentance, promising salvation, if you will receive the Savior sent from me. For I do not hold a grudge like men, nor do I repent after making a promise. Therefore, when God calls, one must not shrink from repentance because of a multitude of sins, which is what the Jews suffered, saying: "Our errors and our iniquities are in us, and in them we are wasting away, and how shall we live?" To whom God says: "Turn ye back from your way, O house of Israel, and they will not be a punishment of iniquity for you." And for confirmation of the promise which he has made to the impious one from the nations who is turning back, he uses the parable of the rain and the snow, showing the God Logos who was in the beginning descending from above from the Father like rain and snow, in order to water their souls, and make them bear fruit, and not to run back up to the Father before doing these things. But the mouth of the Father, and his word, must be understood in a manner worthy of God. For neither is the one corporeal, nor is the other without substance. Since how could he, having accomplished his task, return to the Father without being dispersed, as is the word of men, which exists only as signifying? But some have said that the rain signifies the provision of the evangelical proclamations, through which all the earth has become fruitful, with David adding in a psalm: "You visited the earth, and watered it; you multiplied to enrich it. Water its furrows. Multiply its produce. In its drops it will rejoice when it sprouts." And through Moses he says: "My saying will come down like rain." And Paul also says: "May the God of peace increase your seed and multiply the fruits of your righteousness." For how will the divine Oracles not do these things? For according to the present prophet: "What the holy God has planned, who will scatter? And the high hand, who will turn it back?" From whom we have had the spiritual fruitfulness 2560

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"Πάτερ δόξασόν με τῇ δόξῃ, ᾗ εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι παρὰ σοί." Καὶ, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ μου ταῦτα συνέβη παθεῖν, εἰκότως μαρτύριον αὐτὸν οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι δέδωκα, τὸ τούτων μὲν εὐπειθὲς, ἐκείνων δὲ ἀνήκοον προειδώς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐδόξασέν σε, Σύμμαχος, ὅτι ἐποίησέν σε καύχημα, φησίν· ὥστε λέγειν τοὺς αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς, "Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ." Ἑξῆς παρακελεύεταιζητεῖν τὸν Κύριον· ὡς γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔφη πρὸς Ἰουδαίους, "Οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν." Καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ δέ φησι· "Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου." Ἐχθροὺς γὰρ ὄντας τοὺς πεπλανημένους ὑπέθηκεν ὁ Πατὴρ τῷ Υἱῷ, οὐχ ὡς ἀσθενοῦντι, διὰ δὲ τὴν οἰκονομίαν. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ Πατὴρ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, οἷς ἔδωκε μαρτύριον τὸν Υἱόν· Ζητήσατε τὸν Θεὸν, Θεολόγων τὸν δοθέντα μαρτύριον. Ἡ δὲ ζήτησις οὐ τοπικὴ (ἀσώματον γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον, καὶ πάντα πληροῖ), ἀλλ' ἐν ψυχῆς οἰκειότητι· καὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρίσκειν ἐπικαλέσασθε, τουτέστιν αἰνεῖτε, καὶ καλέσατε [ὥς φησι] Σύμμαχος, κατὰ τὸ, "Αἰνῶν ἐπικαλέσομαι τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου σωθήσομαι." Τοῦτο δὲ [ἔσται] ἐπειδ' ἂν εὕρητε αὐτὸν πλησίον ὑμῶν ὄντα, καὶ οὐ μακρὰν ἀπῳκισμένον. Θεὸς γὰρ ἐγγίζων ἐστίν. Ὡς ἑστῶτες οὖν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὴν παλαιὰν ἀπόθεσθε πλάνην. Μέχρι γὰρ ἡλίου, σκότος. Καὶ μέχρι τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ἀσέβεια. Οὐ γὰρ βούλεται τὸν 2557 θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν. Ἀφήσει γὰρ ἐπὶ πολὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, παντελῶς, καὶ εἰς ἅπαν. "Οὗ γὰρ ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις." Γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ Χριστοῦ, "Ὅτι ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς εἰσπορεύεται ὡς πῦρ χωνευτηρίου, καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Βαπτίζει γὰρ ἡμᾶς Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί. Πῦρ δὲ ἡ σμηκτικὴ τοῦ Πνεύματος δύναμις πάντα ῥύπον ἐκτήκουσα. Εἰ γὰρ ἀθεράπευτα νομίζετε τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὡς παρ' ἀνθρώποις ἀπεγνωσμένα, ἀλλ' οὐ παρ' ἐμοὶ ἀνίατα ταῦτα. Πολὺ δὲ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων τὸ μέσον. Ὡς οὖν Θεὸς ἀνεξίκακος εἰς μετάνοιαν προκαλοῦμαι σωτηρίαν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, εἰ τὸν Σωτῆρα τὸν παρ' ἐμοῦ πεμφθέντα προσδέχοισθε. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μνησικακῶ, καὶ μετανοῶ πάλιν ἐπαγγειλάμενος. Οὐ δεῖ τοίνυν Θεοῦ καλοῦντος, διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν ἀποκνεῖν τὴν μετάνοιαν, ὃ πεπόνθασιν Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· "Αἱ πλάναι ἡμῶν καὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι ἡμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν εἰσιν, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἡμεῖς τηκόμεθα, καὶ πῶς ζησόμεθα;" Πρὸς οὓς ὁ Θεός φησιν· "Ἐπιστροφὴν ἐπιστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ὑμῶν, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται ὑμῖν εἰς κόλασιν ἀδικίας." Πρὸς δὲ πίστωσιν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἧς πεποίηται πρὸς τὸν ἀσεβῆ τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπιστρέφοντα, χρῆται τῇ τοῦ ὑετοῦ καὶ τῆς χιόνος παραβολῇ, δεικνὺς τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ Θεὸν Λόγον ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ Πατέρος κατιόντα δίκην ὑετοῦ καὶ χιόνος, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ἀρδεῦσαι, καὶ καρποφόρους ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀναδραμεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, πρὶν ταῦτα ποιεῖν. Θεοπρεπῶς δὲ νοητέον τοῦ Πατέρος καὶ τὸ στόμα, καὶ τὸν λόγον. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκεῖνο σωματικόν. Οὔτε οὗτος ἀνυπόστατος. Ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν κατορθώσας ἐπαναστρέφοι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μὴ διαχυθεὶς, ὡς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ λόγος μόνον ὑπάρχων σημαντικός; Τινὲς δὲ τὸν ὑετὸν δῆλον ἔφασαν τὴν τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν κηρυγμάτων χορηγίαν, δι' ἧς εὔκαρπος ἡ πᾶσα γέγονεν, ἐπιψάλλοντος τοῦ ∆αβίδ· "Ἐπεσκέψω τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐμέθυσας αὐτήν· ἐπλήθυνας τοῦ πλουτῖσαι αὐτήν. Τοὺς αὔλακας αὐτῆς μέθυσον. Πλήθυνον τὰ γεννήματα αὐτῆς. Ἐν ταῖς σταγόσιν αὐτῆς εὐφρανθήσεται ἀνατέλλουσα." Καὶ διὰ Μωσέως φησί· "Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου." Καὶ Παῦλος δέ φησιν· "Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης αὐξήσει τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν καὶ πληθύναι τὰ γεννήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν." Καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὐ δράσει ταῦτα τὰ θεῖα Λόγια; κατὰ γὰρ τὸν παρόντα προφήτην· "Ἃ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος βεβούλευται, τίς διασκεδάσει; καὶ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν ὑψηλὴν τίς ἀποστρέψει;" Ἐξ οὗ τὴν εὐκαρπίαν ἐσχήκαμεν τὴν πνευμα 2560