God's terms of enlistment and the private confession
Chrysostom is contrasting the heavenly King's enlistment of catechumens for baptism with earthly recruiters and athletic judges, then begins urging them to control the tongue.
What could be more loving toward humankind than this? What could be more gracious? For he seeks only what is in our power, while those others seek what is not in our power. To be slave or free is not ours; to be tall or short is not in our power; to be old or in one's prime, and all such things—these are not ours. But to be gentle or good and things like these belong to our own will. And God demands from us only these things, of which we are masters. And rightly so. For he does not call us to his grace for his own need, but for our benefit, while kings do so for their own service. And those kings drag men off to a war perceived by the senses, but this one calls us to a spiritual battle.
And one could see the same analogy not only in external wars but also in athletic contests. For those who are about to be led into that theater do not enter the contests until the herald takes them and leads them around before the eyes of all, shouting and saying, "Does anyone accuse this man?" And yet there the wrestling is not of souls but of bodies. Why then do you demand proofs of noble birth? But here there is nothing of the sort—rather the complete opposite. Our wrestling does not consist in the grappling of hands but in the discipline of the soul and the virtue of the mind. The judge of the contest does the opposite. For he does not take the man and lead him around saying, "Does anyone accuse this man?" Instead he cries out: "Even if all human beings, even if demons together with the devil stand against him and accuse him of the most extreme and unspeakable evils, I do not cast him out, I do not abhor him. Having freed him from his accusers and released him from wickedness, I lead him into the contests." And rightly so. For there the judge of the contest contributes nothing to the competitors toward victory, but stands in the middle. Here, however, the judge of the contests of godliness becomes an ally and helper, joining with them in the battle against the devil.
And this is not the only wonder—that he forgives our sins—but that he does not uncover them, nor make them visible and public, nor compel us to come forward into the open and declare what we have done wrong. He commands us to give an account to him alone and to confess to him. And yet, among the judges outside, if someone told one of the convicted robbers or grave-diggers to declare what he had done wrong and be released from punishment, he would accept this with all eagerness, despising shame out of desire for safety. But here there is nothing of the sort. He both forgives the sins and does not compel us to parade them out in the presence of others. He seeks only one thing: that the one who enjoys the forgiveness should learn the greatness of the gift.
How then is it not absurd that in the things where he himself benefits us, he is content with testimony from us alone, while we, in the things where we serve him, seek other witnesses and do something for display? Let us therefore marvel at his kindness and show what is on our side. And before all else, let us bridle the rush of the tongue, and not always be talking. For "from much talking you will not escape sin" (Sirach 23:8). If you have something useful to say, open your lips. But if there is nothing necessary, be silent. For it is better.
Greek
Τί τούτου φιλανθρωπότερον; τί χρηστότερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ζητεῖ μόνον, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὰ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. Τὸ γὰρ δοῦλον εἶναι ἢ ἐλεύθερον, οὐχ ἡμέτερον· τὸ ὑψηλὸν πάλιν εἶναι καὶ βραχὺν, οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, τὸ γεγηρακότα καὶ ἄρτιον, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· τὸ δὲ ἐπιεικῆ ἢ χρηστὸν εἶναι καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτοις, τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώμης. Καὶ ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ἀπαιτεῖ μόνα, ὧν ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν κύριοι· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ δι' οἰκείαν χρείαν, ἀλλὰ δι' εὐεργεσίαν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ χάριν καλεῖ, οἱ δὲ βασιλεῖς διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν διακονίαν· κἀκεῖνοι μὲν ἐπὶ πόλεμον ἕλκουσιν αἰσθητὸν, οὗτος δὲ ἐπὶ μάχην πνευματικήν. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν πολέμων δὲ μόνον τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τὴν αὐτὴν ἀναλογίαν ἴδοι τις ἄν· οἱ γὰρ μέλλοντες εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἕλκεσθαι ἐκεῖνο, οὐ πρότερον καθιᾶσιν εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἕως ἂν αὐτοὺς ὁ κῆρυξ λαβὼν ὑπὸ τοῖς ἁπάντων ὀφθαλμοῖς περιαγάγῃ βοῶν καὶ λέγων· Μή τις τούτου κατηγορεῖ; Καίτοι γε οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ σωμάτων τὰ παλαίσματα· τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖς εὐγενείας; Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἅπαν τοὐναντίον, οὐκ ἐν χειρῶν συμπλοκαῖς ὄντων ἡμῖν τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ ψυχῆς καὶ ἀρετῇ διανοίας· τοὐναντίον ὁ ἀγωνοθέτης ποιεῖ· οὐ γὰρ λαβὼν αὐτὸν περιάγει καὶ λέγει· Μή τις τούτου κατηγορεῖ; ἀλλὰ βοᾷ· Κἂν ἄνθρωποι πάντες, κἂν δαίμονες μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου συστάντες αὐτοῦ κατηγορῶσι τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ ἀπόῤῥητα δεινὰ, οὐκ ἐκβάλλω οὐδὲ βδελύσσομαι, ἀλλὰ τῶν κατηγόρων αὐτὸν ἀπαλλάξας, καὶ τῆς πονηρίας ἐλευθερώσας, οὕτως ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἄγω· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἀγωνοθέτης οὐδὲν συντελεῖ τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις πρὸς τὴν νίκην, ἀλλ' ἕστηκε μέσος· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀγωνοθέτης τῶν ἄθλων τῆς εὐσεβείας σύμμαχος γίνεται καὶ βοηθὸς, συνεφαπτόμενος αὐτοῖς τῆς πρὸς τὸν διάβολον μάχης. δʹ. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι ἀφίησιν ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὰ οὐδὲ ἐκκαλύπτει, οὐδὲ ποιεῖ φανερὰ καὶ δῆλα, οὐδὲ ἀναγκάζει παρελθόντας εἰς μέσον ἐξειπεῖν τὰ πεπλημμελημένα, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἀπολογήσασθαι κελεύει καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐξομολογήσασθαι. Καίτοι γε ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν δικαστῶν εἴ τις εἶπέ τινι τῶν ἁλόντων λῃστῶν ἢ τυμβωρύχων, εἰπεῖν τὰ πεπλημμελημένα, καὶ ἀφεθῆναι τῆς κολάσεως, πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ ἂν κατεδέξαντο τοῦτο, τῇ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῆς αἰσχύνης καταφρονοῦντες. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφίησι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκάζει παρόντων τινῶν αὐτὰ ἐκπομπεύειν, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον ζητεῖ, ὅπως αὐτὸς ὁ τῆς ἀφέσεως ἀπολαύων μάθοι τῆς δωρεᾶς τὸ μέγεθος. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖ εἰ ἀρκοῖτο τῇ παρ' ἡμῶν μαρτυρίᾳ μόνῃ, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν οἷς αὐτὸν θεραπεύομεν, ἑτέρους ἐπιζητοῦμεν μάρτυρας καὶ πρὸς ἐπίδειξίν τι ποιοῦμεν; Θαυμάσαντες τοίνυν τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλοφροσύνην ἐπιδειξώμεθα τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὴν τῆς γλώττης χαλινώσωμεν ῥύμην, καὶ μὴ ἀεὶ φθεγγώμεθα· Ἐκ γὰρ πολυλογίας οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ ἁμαρτίαν. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἔχῃς τι χρήσιμον εἰπεῖν, ἄνοιξον τὰ χείλη, ἂν δὲ μηδὲν ἀναγκαῖον ᾖ, σίγα· βέλτιον γάρ.