constrained to accuse things present; and what shall I do? It is against my will, yet am I 201 constrained. Were I able by my silence of things which are done, by holding my peace, and not mentioning aught, to remove them, it would behoove me to be silent. But if the contrary comes to pass; if not only are these things not removed by our silence, but even become worse, we are forced to speak. For he who rebukes sinners, if he does nought else, suffers them not to go farther. For there is no such shameless and rash soul, as not to turn, and remit the extravagance of its evil deeds, on hearing any one continually rebuking it. There is, there is indeed, even in the shameless, a small portion of shame. For God hath sown in our nature the seeds of shame; for since fear was insufficient to bring us to a right tone, He hath also prepared many other ways for avoiding sin. For example, that a man should be accused, fear of the enacted laws,568 love of reputation, the desire of forming friendships; for all these are paths to avoid sin. Ofttimes that which was not done for God’s sake, was done through shame; that which was not done for God’s sake, was done for fear of men. That which we seek for is, in the first place not to sin, and we shall afterwards succeed in doing this for God’s sake. Else why did Paul exhort those, who were about to overcome569 their enemies, not by the fear of God, but on the score of waiting for the vengeance?570 “For by so doing,” he says, “thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.” (Rom. xii. 20.) For this is his first wish, that our virtue should be established. As I said then, there is in us a sense of shame. We have many good natural affections, which lead to virtue; as, for example, all of us men are naturally moved to pity, and no other good thing so inheres in our nature, but this alone. Whence any one might reasonably enquire, wherefore these seeds have above all others been sown in our nature, by which we melt571 at tears, by which we are turned to compassion, and are ready to pity. No one is naturally idle,572 no one is naturally regardless of his reputation, no one is naturally above emulation, but pity lies deep in every one’s nature, however fierce and ungentle he be. And what wonder? we pity beasts, such a superabundance of pity lies deep in us. If we see a lion’s whelp, we are somewhat affected; much more in the case of one of our race. See, how many maimed are there! and this is sufficient to lead us to pity. Nothing so much pleases God as mercy.573 Wherefore with this the priests were anointed, and the kings, and the prophets, for they had, in oil, a type of God’s love to man; and they further 568 See on Stat. Hom. vi. 569 κρατεῖν. He seems to mean “to have them in their power.” 570 See on the passage, Hom. xxii., Tr. p. 508. 571 κατακλᾶσθαι. See on Stat. Hom. xiii. § 9, Tr. p. 429. In that and Hom. xii. the law of nature is discussed at some length. 572 [This is obscure, and the Oxford editor follows the suggestion of Downes that for ἀργός, “idle,” we should read ἄοργος, “without anger,” but, as Field points out, there is no such word.—J.A.B.] 573 ἐλεημοσύνη. 357 Philippians 1:22-26