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that I should not lose any of it. And yet not only he was lost, but also many afterwards. How then does He say, "I shall not lose"? As for my part, I shall not lose; which also He said elsewhere, making it clearer: "I will not cast him out"; not through my fault, nor my thrusting him away, nor my abandoning him. But if they leap away of their own accord, I do not draw them by force. But now I am coming to You. Do you see how the discourse is composed in a more human manner? So that if anyone wished to diminish the Son from these things, he would also diminish the Father. See then from the beginning, some things are as one teaching and clarifying to him, and others as one commanding; some as teaching, as when He says: "I do not ask concerning the world;" others as commanding: "I have kept them until now, And no one was lost;" and, "You, therefore, keep them," he says; and again: "They were Yours, and You gave them to me;" and, "When I was in the world, I kept them." But the solution to all these things is that what was said was spoken in consideration of their weakness. And having said, "None of them was lost, except the son of perdition," He added, "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." What scripture does He mean? The one foretelling many things concerning him. Yet he was not lost for this reason, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. And concerning this we have discussed many things before, that this is a peculiar manner of Scripture, to state as a cause things which happen as a consequence. And it is necessary to examine everything with precision, both the manner of the speaker, and the subject matter, and the laws of Scripture, if indeed we are not to be deceived. For, brothers, do not become children in your minds. 3. This one ought to read not only for the understanding of the Scriptures, but also for diligence in life. For small children do not desire great things, but are accustomed to marvel at things worth nothing. For they rejoice to see little chariots, and horses, and a mule-driver, and wheels, all made of clay; but if they see a king sitting on a golden chariot, and a pair of white mules, and great adornment, they do not even turn to look. And again, taking dolls made from the same material, they adorn them; but the truly real and brilliant ones, they do not even know; and they experience the same thing in many other cases. This many men also endure now. For when they hear of the things of heaven, they do not even pay attention; but towards all earthly things they are frightened like children, and are amazed at wealth from the earth, and they honor glory and luxury in the present life; and yet these things are childish just like those; while those are the causes of life and glory and rest. But just as children, when deprived of these things, cry, but do not even know how to desire those things; so also are many of those who seem to be men. For this reason he says: Do not be children in your minds. You love money, tell me, and do not love the wealth that abides, but childish toys? then if you see someone marvelling 59.441 at a lead coin, and stooping down to pick it up, you condemn his great poverty; but you, gathering things more worthless than these, count yourself among the rich? And how could this be reasonable? For we shall say that he is rich who looks down on all present things. For no one, no one will choose to laugh at these small things, silver and gold and the other vanities, unless he has a desire for greater things, just as one would not laugh at a lead coin, unless he possessed gold coins. And so you, when you see a man passing by the whole world, think that he does this for no other reason than from looking to a greater world. So also a farmer despises a few grains of wheat, when he expects a greater harvest. And if, when the hope is uncertain, we despise what we have, much more ought we to do this when the expectation is sure. Therefore I beseech and exhort you, not to harm yourselves, nor, by holding onto mud, to deprive yourselves of the treasures from above, bringing your ship into the harbors with straw and chaff. Let anyone say what he wishes about us, let him be annoyed at the continuity of the exhortation,

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μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Καίτοι οὐκ ἐκεῖνος ἀπώλετο μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὶ ὕστερον. Πῶς οὖν φησιν, Οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω; Τὸ ἐμὸν μέρος, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω· ὅπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ σαφέστερον δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω αὐτὸν ἔξω· οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἐμὴν αἰτίαν, οὐδὲ ἐμοῦ ὠθοῦντος, οὐδὲ ἐγκαταλιμπάνοντος. Εἰ δὲ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀποπηδῶσι, πρὸς ἀνάγκην οὐχ ἕλκω Νῦν δὲ πρὸς σὲ ἔρχομαι. Ὁρᾷς ἀνθρωπινώτερον συγκειμένην τὴν διάλεξιν; Ὥστε εἴ τις βούλοιτο ἐλαττοῦν τὸν Υἱὸν ἀπὸ τούτων, ἐλαττώσει καὶ τὸν Πατέρα. Ὅρα γοῦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τὸ μὲν ὡς διδάσκων ἐστὶ καὶ σαφηνίζων αὐτῷ, τὸ δὲ ὡς παραγγέλλων· τὰ μὲν ὡς διδάσκων, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Οὐ περὶ τοῦ κόσμου ἐρωτῶ· τὰ δὲ ὡς παραγγέλλων· Ἐγὼ ἐτήρησα αὐτοὺς ἕως ἄρτι, Καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀπώλετο· καὶ, Σὺ τοίνυν τήρησον αὐτοὺς, φησί· καὶ πάλιν· Σοὶ ἦσαν, καὶ ἐμοὶ αὐτοὺς ἔδωκας· καὶ, Ὅτε ἤμην ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐτήρουν αὐτούς. Ἀλλὰ πάντων ἡ λύσις, τὸ πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν εἰρῆσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα. Εἰπὼν δὲ, ὅτι Οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἵνα ἡ Γραφὴ πληρωθῇ. Ποίαν γραφήν φησι; Τὴν πολλὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ προλέγουσαν. Οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἀπώλετο, ἵνα ἡ Γραφὴ πληρωθῇ. Καὶ περὶ τούτου πολλὰ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν διελέχθημεν, ὅτι ἰδιάζων οὗτος τῆς Γραφῆς ἐστιν ὁ τρόπος, ὡς αἰτιολογίαν τιθεμένης τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἐκβάσεως συμβαίνοντα. Καὶ δεῖ πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζειν, καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ λέγοντος, καὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς τῆς Γραφῆς, εἴ γε μὴ μέλλοιμεν παραλογίζεσθαι· Ἀδελφοὶ γὰρ, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσί. γʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Γραφῶν κατανοήσεως ἀναγινώσκειν χρὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς περὶ τὸν βίον σπουδῆς. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ παῖδες οἱ μικροὶ τῶν μὲν μεγάλων οὐκ ἐφίενται, τὰ δὲ μηδενὸς ἄξια θαυμάζειν εἰώθασι. Καὶ γὰρ ὀχήματα, καὶ ἵππους, καὶ τὸν ὀρεωκόμον, καὶ τοὺς τροχοὺς, πάντα ἐξ ὀστράκου πεποιημένα χαίρουσι βλέποντες· ἂν δὲ βασιλέα καθήμενον ἐπ' ὀχήματος ἴδωσι χρυσοῦ, καὶ ἡμιόνων ζεῦγος λευκῶν, καὶ πολὺν τὸν κόσμον, οὐδὲ ἐπιστρέφονται. Καὶ νύμφας πάλιν ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης λαβόντες πεποιημένας, καλλωπίζουσι· τὰς δὲ ὄντως ἀληθεῖς καὶ λαμπούσας, οὐδὲ ἴσασι· καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχουσι. Τοῦτο πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπομένουσι νῦν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀκούοντες, οὐδὲ προσέχουσι· πρὸς δὲ τὰ πήλινα πάντα ὁμοίως τοῖς παισίν εἰσιν ἐπτοημένοι, καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς πλοῦτον τεθήπασι, καὶ δόξαν καὶ τρυφὴν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ τιμῶσι· καίτοι αὐτὰ μὲν ἔστι παιδικὰ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνα· ἐκεῖνα δὲ ζωῆς καὶ δόξης καὶ ἀνέσεως αἴτια. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες τούτων μὲν ἀποστερούμενοι κλαίουσιν, ἐκείνων δὲ οὐδὲ γενέσθαι ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἴσασιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν εἶναι δοκούντων πολλοί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσί. Χρημάτων ἐρᾷς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ οὐκ ἐρᾷς πλούτου τοῦ μένοντος, ἀλλὰ ἀθυρμάτων παιδικῶν; εἶτα ἂν μέν τινα ἴδῃς θαυ 59.441 μάζοντα μολύβδου νόμισμα, καὶ κατακύπτοντα ὥστε ἀνελέσθαι, καὶ καταγνώσῃ πολλὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν πενίαν· σὺ δὲ τὰ τούτων εὐτελέστερα συνάγων, ἐν τοῖς πλουτοῦσι σαυτὸν ἀριθμεῖς; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο λόγον; Πλούσιον γὰρ ἐκεῖνον εἶναι φήσομεν, τὸν ὑπερορῶντα τῶν παρόντων ἁπάντων. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ, οὐδεὶς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης φαντασίας αἱρήσεται καταγελάσαι, ἂν μὴ τῶν μειζόνων τὸν πόθον ἔχῃ, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ τοῦ μολυβδίνου νομίσματος, ἂν μὴ χρυσᾶ νομίσματα κεκτημένος ᾖ. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅταν ἴδῃς ἄνθρωπον πάντα τὸν κόσμον παρατρέχοντα, μηδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν νόμιζε τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς μείζονα βλέπειν κόσμον. Οὕτω καὶ γεωργὸς τῶν ὀλίγων πυρῶν καταφρονεῖ, ὅταν μείζονα προσδοκήσῃ τὸν ἀμητόν. Εἰ δὲ ἀδήλου τῆς ἐλπίδος οὔσης, τῶν ὄντων καταφρονοῦμεν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς βεβαίας προσδοκίας τοῦτο δεῖ ποιεῖν. ∆ιὸ δὴ δέομαι καὶ παρακαλῶ, μὴ ζημιοῦν ἑαυτοὺς, μηδὲ βόρβορον κατέχοντας ἀποστερεῖν ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ἄνωθεν θησαυρῶν, μετὰ καλάμης καὶ ἀχύρου τὸ πλοῖον εἰς τοὺς λιμένας ἄγοντας. Ὃ βούλεταί τις λεγέτω περὶ ἡμῶν, δυσχεραινέτω πρὸς τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς παραινέσεως,