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this is for your sakes. Let no one then say, I am humble and lowly and of no account, and so let him pay attention to me; for I am such a one; but it is always God's custom to have regard for such persons for the sake of the many. And that you may learn, He condescended to speak to Cain for the sake of Abel, to the devil for the sake of Job, to Pharaoh for the sake of Joseph, to Nebuchadnezzar for the sake of Daniel, to Belshazzar for the sake of the same. And magi also received a revelation, and Caiaphas prophesied, though he was a Christ-killer and unworthy, because of the dignity of the priesthood. It is also said that Aaron was not made leprous for this reason. For why, tell me, when both spoke against him, did she alone suffer the punishment? Do not be surprised. For if in worldly offices, even if someone is accused of countless things, he is not brought to court until he has laid down his office, so that the office itself may not be dishonored along with him; much more in the case of spiritual authority, whoever the person may be, the grace of God is at work; otherwise all is lost; but when he has laid it down, either by departing or even while still here, then indeed, then he will pay a more severe penalty. Do not then think that these things are spoken from us; it is the grace of God 63.896 that works even through an unworthy person, not for our sake, but for yours. Hear then what Christ says: If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But how does it become worthy? If they receive you, he says; But if they do not receive you, nor listen to your words, truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city. What then is the benefit, that you receive us, and do not listen to what is said by us? what is the gain, that you pay service, and do not attend to what is said to you? That is honor for us, that is the wonderful service that benefits both you and us, if you listen to us. Hear also what Paul says: I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest. Hear also what Christ says: All things whatsoever they tell you to observe, observe and do. You do not despise me, but the priesthood; if you see one stripped of this, then despise him; then not even I can bear to command; but as long as we sit upon this throne, as long as we have the presidency, we have also the dignity and the power, even if we are unworthy. If the throne of Moses was so venerable that men listened on account of it, much more so is the throne of Christ. We have succeeded to that throne, from it we speak, since Christ has also given us the ministry of reconciliation. Ambassadors, whatever sort they may be, enjoy much honor because of the dignity of the embassy. For see: they go into the midst of a land of barbarians, alone among so many enemies, and since the law of the embassy has great power, all honor them, all look to them, all send them away in safety. And so we have undertaken the office of an embassy, and we have come from God; for this is the dignity of the episcopate. We have come to you as ambassadors, asking to end the war; and we say on what terms; not promising to give cities, nor so and so many measures of grain, nor slaves, nor gold, but the kingdom of heaven, eternal life, fellowship with Christ, the other good things, which it is not even possible for us to speak of, as long as we are in this flesh and in the present life. We are ambassadors, then, and we wish to enjoy honor, not for our own sakes, far from it; for we know our own lowliness; but for your sakes, that you may listen with earnestness to what we say, that you may be profited, that you may not receive what is said with indifference or inattention. Do you not see the ambassadors, how everyone treats them with respect? We are ambassadors of God to men. But if this is harsh to you, it is not we, but the episcopate itself, not so-and-so, but the bishop. Let no one listen to me, but to the dignity of the office. Let us therefore do all things according to what is pleasing to God, that we may live to the glory of God, and be counted worthy of the good things promised to those who love him, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

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τοῦτο δι' ὑμᾶς. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν εἴπῃ, ὅτι Εὐτελὴς ἐγὼ καὶ ταπεινὸς καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιος λόγου, καὶ οὕτω μοι προσεχέτω· εἰμὶ γὰρ τοιοῦτος· ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἔθος τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐφίστασθαι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, τῷ Κάϊν κατηξίωσε λαλῆσαι διὰ τὸν Ἄβελ, τῷ διαβόλῳ διὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ, τῷ Φαραὼ διὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ διὰ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, τῷ Βαλτάσαρ διὰ τὸν αὐτόν. Καὶ μάγοι δὲ ἀποκαλύψεως ἔτυχον, καὶ Καϊάφας προεφήτευσε, Χριστοκτόνος ὢν καὶ ἀνάξιος, διὰ τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίωμα. Λέγεται καὶ Ἀαρὼν διὰ τοῦτο μὴ λεπρωθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἀμφοτέρων καταλαλησάντων, ἐκείνη μόνη τὴν δίκην ὑπέμεινε; Μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἀξιώμασι, κἂν μυρία τις κατηγορῆται, οὐ πρότερον εἰς δικαστήριον ἄγεται, ἕως ἂν ἀπόθηται τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκείνη μετ' αὐτοῦ ὑβρίζηται· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς πνευματικῆς, κἂν ὁστισοῦν ᾖ, ἐνεργεῖ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις· ἐπεὶ πάντα ἀπόλωλεν· ὅταν δὲ αὐτὴν ἀπόθηται, εἴτε ἀπελθὼν εἴτε καὶ ἐνταῦθα. τότε δὴ, τότε χαλεπωτέραν δώσει τὴν δίκην. Μὴ δὴ νομίζετε παρ' ἡμῶν ταῦτα λέγεσθαι· ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις 63.896 ἐστὶν ἡ καὶ εἰς ἀνάξιον ἐνεργοῦσα, οὐ δι' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμᾶς. Ἀκούσατε οὖν τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Ἐὰν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἀξία, ἐλθέτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν. Πῶς δὲ ἀξία γίνεται; Ἐὰν δέξωνται ὑμᾶς, φησίν· Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ δέξωνται ὑμᾶς, μηδὲ ἀκούσωσι τῶν λόγων ὑμῶν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ. Τί οὖν ὄφελος, ὅτι δέχεσθε ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούετε τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν λεγομένων; τί τὸ κέρδος, ὅτι θεραπεύετε, καὶ οὐ προσέχετε τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑμῖν; Ἐκείνη ἐστὶ τιμὴ ἡμῖν, ἐκείνη θεραπεία ἡ θαυμαστὴ καὶ ὑμᾶς ὠφελοῦσα καὶ ἡμᾶς, ἐὰν ἡμῶν ἀκούητε. Ἀκούετε καὶ τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ἀρχιερεύς ἐστιν. Ἄκουε καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Πάντα ὅσα ἂν λέγωσιν ὑμῖν τηρεῖν, τηρεῖτε καὶ ποιεῖτε. Οὐκ ἐμοῦ καταφρονεῖς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης· ἂν ἴδῃς ταύτης γυμνὸν, τότε καταφρόνει· τότε οὐδὲ ἐγὼ ἀνέχομαι ἐπιτάττειν· ἕως δ' ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τούτου καθήμεθα, ἕως ἂν τὴν προεδρίαν ἔχωμεν, ἔχομεν καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν, εἰ καὶ ἀνάξιοί ἐσμεν. Εἰ ὁ Μωϋσέως θρόνος οὕτως ἦν αἰδέσιμος, ὡς δι' ἐκεῖνον ἀκούεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θρόνος. Ἐκεῖνον ἡμεῖς διεδεξάμεθα, ἀπὸ τούτου φθεγγόμεθα, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔθετο ἡμῖν τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς. Οἱ πρέσβεις, οἷοί περ ἂν ὦσι, διὰ τὸ τῆς πρεσβείας ἀξίωμα πολλῆς ἀπολαύουσι τῆς τιμῆς. Ὅρα γάρ· εἰς μέσην βαρβάρων ἔρχονται τὴν γῆν μόνοι μεταξὺ τοσούτων πολεμίων, καὶ ἐπειδὴ μεγάλα ὁ τῆς πρεσβείας ἰσχύει νόμος, πάντες αὐτοὺς τιμῶσι, πάντες εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀποβλέπουσι, πάντες μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἐκπέμπουσι. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν πρεσβείας ἀνεδεξάμεθα λόγον, καὶ ἥκομεν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξίωμα. Ἥκομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς πρεσβεύοντες, ἀξιοῦντες καταλῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον· καὶ λέγομεν ἐπὶ τίσιν· οὐ πόλεις ἐπαγγελλόμενοι δώσειν, οὐδὲ σίτου μέτρα τόσα καὶ τόσα, οὐδὲ ἀνδράποδα, οὐδὲ χρυσίον, ἀλλὰ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον, συνουσίαν τὴν μετὰ Χριστοῦ, τὰ ἄλλα ἀγαθὰ, ἃ μήτε εἰπεῖν ἡμῖν δυνατὸν, ἕως ἂν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ταύτῃ ὦμεν καὶ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ. Πρεσβεύομεν τοίνυν, ἀπολαύειν δὲ βουλόμεθα τιμῆς, οὐ δι' ἡμᾶς, μὴ γένοιτο· ἴσμεν γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸ εὐτελές· ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ὑμεῖς μετὰ σπουδῆς τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκούητε, ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὠφελῆσθε, ἵνα μὴ μετὰ ῥᾳθυμίας ἢ ἀπροσεξίας κατέχητε τὰ λεγόμενα. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς πρέσβεις, πῶς πάντες αὐτοὺς περιέπουσιν; ἡμεῖς Θεοῦ πρέσβεις ἐσμὲν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους. Εἰ δὲ πρόσαντες ὑμῖν τοῦτο, οὐχ ἡμεῖς, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἡ ἐπισκοπὴ, οὐχὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπίσκοπος. Μηδεὶς ἐμοῦ ἀκουέτω, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀξιώματος. Πάντα τοίνυν ποιῶμεν κατὰ τὸ Θεῷ δοκοῦν, ἵνα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ζήσωμεν, καὶ καταξιωθῶμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.