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I accuse the present life; may it not be so; for this too is a work of God; but anointing you for the love of the things to come, and so that you not linger among present things, nor be riveted to the body, nor be disposed like the faint-hearted of the many; who even if they live ten thousand years, say that these are few. What could be more irrational than these? What more obtuse, if when heaven is set before them, and the good things in the heavens, Which neither eye has seen, nor ear has heard, they gape at the 55.343 shadows, and wish to cross the strait of the present life, being tossed about by continual waves, and storm, and shipwrecks? But not so Paul, but he was hastening and pressing on, and one thing only possessed him, the salvation of men. With those who hated peace, I was peaceful; when I spoke to them, they warred against me without a cause. Do you see how he shows the burdensome nature of his sojourn there? For he did not say, With those who did not have peace, but, With those who hated peace, I was peaceful. Do you see the gain of affliction? Do you see the fruit of captivity? But now, who of us will be able to say this? For it is a desirable thing to be peaceful with the peaceful; but this man was peaceful even with those who hated peace. How then shall we also achieve this? If we live as sojourners; for again I bring the discourse to the same theme; if as strangers, if we are held by none of the present things. For nothing so creates strife and war as the love of present things, as the desire for either glory, or money, or luxury. But when you have cut all these cords, and do not permit the soul to be held by any of these, then you will see from where war has its beginning, from where virtue will receive its theme. For this reason He commands us to be sheep among wolves, so that you may not say, I suffered such and such things, and for this reason I became savage. Even if you suffer ten thousand things, He says, remain a sheep, and thus you will overcome the wolves. Such-a-one is wicked and corrupt, but you have such great power as to overcome even the wicked. What is gentler than a sheep? And what is fiercer than a wolf? But nevertheless the one will overcome the other; and this was shown in the case of the apostles. For nothing is more powerful than gentleness, nothing more vigorous than long-suffering. For this very reason Christ commands us to be sheep among wolves. Then, having spoken thus, as if this gentleness were not sufficient, that of the sheep, I mean, which He wants the disciple to show, He adds something else also: Be innocent as doves; mixing the gentleness of two tame and simple creatures; so much forbearance He requires of us, when we are among wild beasts. And do not say to me, He is wicked, and I cannot bear it. For then most of all must gentleness be displayed, when we are dealing with the savage, when with the untamed; then its strength is shown, then its work and its achievement and its fruit shine forth. When I spoke to them, they warred against me without a cause. But another interpreter says, And when I spoke to them, they made war; either hinting at this, With those who hated peace I was peaceful, or, that Because I spoke to them, they made war. But what he says, is something like this: At the very time of the conversation, when I was showing the most love, he says, when I was uttering the most friendly words, then they grew savage, then they wove deceits, and nothing prevailed with them; but nevertheless I displayed my own virtue, even while they were so disposed. So too must we be disposed, even if they shoot, even if they strike those who love them, even if they plot against them, to display what is on our part, remembering that parable which commands us, as sheep 55.344 and doves to be in the midst of wolves, so that we may both make them better, and ourselves enjoy the good things in the heavens; of which may it be granted for us all to partake, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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παρούσης ζωῆς κατηγορῶ· μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἔργον Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἔρωτα τῶν μελλόντων ὑμᾶς ἀλείφων, καὶ ὥστε μὴ ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν τοῖς παροῦσι, μηδὲ προσηλῶσθαι τῷ σώματι, μηδὲ κατὰ τοὺς μικροψύχους τῶν πολλῶν διακεῖσθαι· οἳ κἂν μυρία ζήσωσιν ἔτη, ὀλίγα ταῦτα εἶναί φασιν. Ὧν τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀλογώτερον; τί δὲ παχύτερον, εἰ οὐρανοῦ προκειμένου, καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθῶν, Ἃ μήτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε, μήτε οὖς ἤκουσε, πρὸς τὰς 55.343 σκιὰς κεχήνασι, καὶ τὸν εὔριπον τοῦ παρόντος διαπερᾷν βούλονται βίου, κύμασι διηνεκέσι, καὶ χειμῶνι, καὶ ναυαγίοις ἐγκαλινδούμενοι; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Παῦλος οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἔσπευδε καὶ ἠπείγετο, καὶ ἓν αὐτὸν μόνον κατεῖχεν, ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρία. Μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικός· ὅταν ἐλάλουν αὐτοῖς, ἐπολέμουν με δωρεάν. Εἶδες πῶς δείκνυσι τὸ φορτικὸν τῆς ἐκεῖ διατριβῆς; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Μετὰ τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ, Μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικός. Εἶδες τῆς θλίψεως τὸ κέρδος; εἶδες τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν καρπόν; Ἀλλὰ νῦν, τίς ἡμῶν δυνήσεται τοῦτο εἰπεῖν; Ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ μετὰ τῶν εἰρηνικῶν εἰρηνικὸν εἶναι· οὗτος δὲ καὶ μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἦν εἰρηνικός. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς κατορθώσομεν; Ἂν ὡς πάροικοι διατρίβωμεν· πάλιν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἄγω τὸν λόγον· ἂν ὡς ξένοι, ἂν μηδενὶ τῶν παρόντων ὦμεν κατεχόμενοι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω ποιεῖ μάχην καὶ πόλεμον, ὡς ὁ τῶν παρόντων ἔρως, ὡς ἢ δόξης, ἢ χρημάτων, ἢ τρυφῆς ἐπιθυμία. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ πάντα διακόψῃς τὰ σχοινία ταῦτα, καὶ μηδενὶ τούτων περιίδῃς τὴν ψυχὴν κατεχομένην, τότε ὄψει πόθεν ὁ πόλεμος ἔχει τὴν ἀρχὴν, πόθεν ἡ ἀρετὴ ὑπόθεσιν λήψεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μεταξὺ λύκων πρόβατα εἶναι κελεύει, ἵνα μὴ λέγῃς, Τὰ καὶ τὰ ἔπαθον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἠγριώθην. Κἂν μυρία, φησὶ, πάθῃς, μένε πρόβατον ὂν, καὶ οὕτω περιέσῃ τῶν λύκων. Πονηρός ἐστιν ὁ δεῖνα καὶ διεφθαρμένος, ἀλλ' ἔχεις τοσαύτην δύναμιν, ὡς καὶ πονηρῶν περιγενέσθαι. Τί προβάτου ἡμερώτερον; τί δὲ λύκου ἀγριώτερον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως τοῦτο ἐκείνου περιέσται· καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐδείχθη. Οὐδὲν γὰρ πραότητος δυνατώτερον, οὐδὲν μακροθυμίας εὐτονώτερον. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ὁ Χριστὸς κελεύει πρόβατα εἶναι μεταξὺ λύκων. Εἶτα οὕτως εἰπὼν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀρκούσης τῆς ἡμερότητος ταύτης, τῆς τοῦ προβάτου λέγω, ὃν βούλεται μαθητὴν δεῖξαι, καὶ ἕτερόν τι προστίθησιν· Ἔσεσθε ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί· δύο ζώων ἡμέρων καὶ ἀφελῶς διακειμένων μίξας πραότητα· τοσαύτην ἡμᾶς ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ὅταν μεταξὺ ἀγρίων ὦμεν. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε, Πονηρός ἐστι, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι φέρειν. Τότε γὰρ μάλιστα ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χρὴ τὴν πραότητα, ὅταν πρὸς ἀγρίους ἔχωμεν, ὅταν πρὸς ἀνημέρους· τότε αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχὺς δείκνυται, τότε αὐτῆς τὸ ἔργον καὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα καὶ ὁ καρπὸς διαλάμπει. Ὅταν ἐλάλουν αὐτοῖς, ἐπολέμουν με δωρεάν. Ἕτερος δὲ ἑρμηνευτής φησι, Καὶ ὅτε ἐλάλουν αὐτοῖς, ἐπολέμουν· ἢ τοῦτο αἰνιττόμενος, Μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικὸς, ἢ, ὅτι Ἐπεὶ ἐλάλουν αὐτοῖς, αὐτοὶ ἐπολέμουν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς διαλέξεως, ὅτε μάλιστα τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνεδεικνύμην, φησὶν, ὅτε μάλιστα καὶ ῥήματα φιλικὰ ἱέμην, τότε ἠγρίαινον, τότε δόλους ἔῤῥαπτον, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῶν ἐκράτει· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐγὼ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπεδεικνύμην ἀρετὴν, καὶ ἐκείνων ταύτῃ διακειμένων. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμᾶς διακεῖσθαι χρὴ, κἂν βάλλωσι, κἂν παίωσι φιλοῦντας, κἂν ἐπιβουλεύωσι, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, ἐκείνης τῆς παραβολῆς μεμνημένους τῆς κελευούσης, ὡς πρό 55.344 βατα καὶ περιστερὰς εἶναι ἐν μέσῳ λύκων, ἵν' ἐκείνους τε βελτίους ἐργασώμεθα, καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.