A Plea For A Slave

Κατέλαβέ τις τὴν ἐσχατιὰν, ἤν οἰκοῦμεν, νεώτερος, καὶ ἐντυχὼν τῷ τὴν θύραν φυλάσσοντι, πρὸς ἐμὲ γενέσθαι ἠξίωσεν. Ὡς δὲ ἐτοίμη ἡ ἡμετέρα συνήθεια πάντας οἴκοι προσίεσθαι, καὶ δεξιᾶς μεταδιδόνια ὁμιλίας καὶ ἀναπαύσεως, εἰσεκλήθη, καὶ πρηνὴς σπουδαίως ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἐγένετο, οὐδὲν εἰπὼν πρὸ κλαῦσαι πολλά· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εγὼ καὶ χειρὶ ἀντελαβόμην, καὶ συμβαλέσθαι τὰ ἐν δυνάμει ὑπεσχόμην, καὶ ὅς τις εἴη, καὶ ὅτου χρῇζει ἠρόμην, οἰκέτης μὲν ἔφη εἴναι ὑμέτερος, πταίσματι δὲ ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἐμπεπτωκέναι κρείττονι, ὡς ἐνόμισε, μεταγνώσεως καὶ τὸ μὲν πρώτῳ ἐξέπληξεν· οὐ γὰρ οἴμαι οἰκέτην ἔχειν τὸν φιλόχριστον Εἴρωνα, εἰδότα τὴν χάριν τὴν πάντας ἐλευθερώσασαν. Το δεύτερον δὲ ἠνίασεν, ἐπειδὴ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα παρὰ τῶν πραξάντων, καὶ δευτερούμενον ἐφιέναι ἀλλήλοις παρὰ Χριστοῦ ἐκελεύσθημεν, καὶ διδάξαντος, καὶ ποιήσαντος οὕτως. Διδάξαντος μὲν, Ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῆτε παραπτώματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οὐδε ὑμῖν ἀφήσει ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν· ποιήσαντος δὲ ἐν τῷ τὴν πόρνην καὶ τὸν τελώνην Ματθαῖον καὶ Σαμαρείτιδα καὶ Παράλυτον, καὶ αὐτον Πέτρον τὸν τοῦ θιάσου μαθητῶν κορυφαῖον, οὐ μόνον σωματικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχικῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ νοσημάτων. Εἰ οὖν Χριστὸν θέλεις μιμήσασθαι, τὰ μεγάλα συγχώρει τοῖς πταίουσιν ἁμαρτήματα. Τὰ γὰρ βραχέα καὶ ὡς  κοινὰ παρορῶσιν οἱ πλείονες, καὶ παρεκλήσει χαρίζονται. Τὰ δὲ μείζονα, μόνοι οἱ μεγάλην ἔχοντες πρὸς Θεὸν τὴν συνείδησιν, καὶ μεγάλους μεσθοὺς παρ' αὐτοῦ τῶν λαμπρῶν πράξεων περιμένοντες. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΡΜΒ' Εἴρων Σκολαστικῳ Source: Migne PG 78. 277 b-c

There came down to our remote spot in which we dwell a young man who asked the guard of the gate that he be admitted to me. And as it is our custom to have our dwellings prepared to admit all for converse or rest, so without delay he came in, and instantly casting himself down, before any speech, he wept profusely, whence I offered my hand and promised him that I would do for him all that was in my power, and asking who he might be, and what he wanted done by me, he said that he was your slave who in ignorance had fallen into sin, which, I thought, his awareness of surpassed, and at first I was amazed. For I did not judge that the Christ loving Eiron who knows that grace liberates all, had a slave. Then I was grieved. Certainly every sin, even those ones which are repeated, Christ commands that others must forgive others. For so He taught and so He did. The Lord, I say, spoke these words, 'Unless you forgive men their sins, neither shall your Father in heaven forgive you.' 1 So He forgave the whore,2 and the tax collector Matthew, 3 and the Samaritan woman 4 and  the paralytic, 5 and Peter himself, the head of the Apostolic brotherhood, releasing not only bodies but even souls from faults and afflictions. If, then, you wish to imitate Christ, forgive the grave sins of those in fault. For little things are commonly overlooked by many and they please the pleader. Greater things are only for those who have great understanding with God, and from Him expect great rewards for glorious deeds. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 142, To Eiron the Advocate 1 Mt 6.15 2 Lk 7.37 3 Mt 9.9 4 Jn 4.3- 5 Mt 9.2