God permits suffering to display his power
Chrysostom is explaining why God allowed Paul's persecutors to afflict him, and is about to apply the same principle to Eustathius's exile.
So because it was the flesh that was being cut, the flesh that was being scourged, the flesh that was being bound—for binding the soul was impossible—this is why he says, “A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to strike me” (2 Corinthians 12:7), hinting at the trials, the afflictions, the persecutions. Then what? “Three times,” he says, “I entreated the Lord about this” (2 Corinthians 12:8)—that is, he says, I begged many times to catch my breath a little from the trials. But remember the reason I mentioned, that God permits his own servants to be scourged, driven out, and to suffer countless horrors in order to display his own power. For look: here too, when Paul prayed that the countless horrors and his opponents would leave him, he did not obtain his request—and he states the reason why he did not obtain it. What then is the reason? There is no harm in recalling it again: “My grace is sufficient for you,” he says, “for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Do you see that God permits the messengers of Satan to press upon his servants and to cause them endless trouble for this reason, so that his power might shine forth? Truly, whether we are debating with pagans or with the wretched Jews, this is enough for us as a proof of divine power: that the faith, brought in through countless wars, prevailed—that while the whole world opposed it, and while everyone with great violence pushed back against those twelve men, I mean the apostles, they were able in a short time, though scourged, driven out, and suffering countless horrors, to overcome those who did these things to them with complete supremacy. For these reasons God also allowed the blessed Eustathius to be carried away into exile, so that he might show us more fully both the power of the truth and the weakness of the heretics.
So when he was about to depart on his journey abroad, he left the city, but he did not leave his love for you. Nor did he consider himself a stranger to the church, to its leadership, and to his care for you just because he was being expelled. On the contrary, he cared and was concerned even more at that time. He called everyone together and urged them not to yield ground, not to give in to the wolves, not to betray the flock to them, but to remain inside, silencing and refuting them, and protecting the more innocent among the brothers. And the outcome showed that his command was good. For if you had not remained in the church at that time, the greater part of the city would have been destroyed, with the wolves devouring the sheep in the desolation. But his word prevented them from displaying their own wickedness with impunity.
And not only the outcome showed this, but also the words of Paul. For Paul too, having been instructed by him, gave this same counsel. What does Paul say? When he was about to be taken to Rome on his final journey abroad, after which he would no longer see his disciples—for he says, “I will see you no more” (Acts 20:25), and he said this not to grieve them but to make them secure—so when he was about to depart from there, he made them secure by speaking in this way: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, and from among your own selves men will arise speaking twisted things” (Acts 20:29-30). The war is threefold: the nature of the beasts, the ferocity of the war, and the fact that the enemies are not outsiders but their own people. For this reason it is more dangerous—and rightly so.
Greek
Ἐπεὶ οὖν αὕτη ἐτέμνετο, αὕτη ἐμαστίζετο, αὕτη ἐδεσμεῖτο (ψυχὴν γὰρ δῆσαι ἀδύνατον ἦν), διὰ τοῦτο λέγει, Ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκὶ ἄγγελος Σατᾶν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, τὰς θλίψεις, τοὺς διωγμοὺς αἰνιττόμενος. Εἶτα τί; Ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς, φησὶ, τὸν Κύριον παρεκάλεσα· τοῦτ' ἔστι, Πολλάκις ἐδεήθην, φησὶν, ὥστε ἀναπνεῦσαι μικρὸν ἐκ τῶν πειρασμῶν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ μέμνησθε τῆς αἰτίας ἧς εἶπον, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο συγχωρεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δούλους μαστίζεσθαι, ἐλαύνεσθαι, μυρία πάσχειν δεινὰ, ἵνα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δείξῃ δύναμιν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα δεηθεὶς, ὥστε ἀποστῆναι αὐτοῦ τὰ μυρία δεινὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀντικει μένους, οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τίθησι, δι' ἣν οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ αἰτία; οὐδὲν γὰρ κωλύει πάλιν αὐτῆς ἐπι μνησθῆναι· Ἀρκεῖ σοι, φησὶν, ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμις μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. δʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο συγχωρεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Σατανᾶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ δούλοις ἐπικεῖσθαι, καὶ μυρία παρέχειν πράγματα, ἵνα ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ διαφαίνηται; Ὄντως γὰρ κἂν πρὸς Ἕλληνας, κἂν πρὸς τοὺς ἀθλίους Ἰουδαίους διαλεγώμεθα, ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο ἡμῖν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως, τὸ διὰ μυρίων πολέμων τὴν πίστιν εἰσενεχθεῖσαν κρατῆσαι, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ἀντιπραττούσης, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος ἀπωθουμένων ἁπάντων τοὺς δώδεκα ἀνθρώπους ἐκείνους, τοὺς ἀποστόλους λέγω, δυνηθῆναι ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ μαστιζομένους, ἐλαυνομένους, μυρία πάσχοντας δεινὰ, τῶν ταῦτα ποιούντων κρατῆσαι μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης. Διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὸν μακάριον Εὐστάθιον ἀφῆκε πρὸς τὴν ὑπερορίαν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπενεχθῆναι, ἵνα μειζόνως ἡμῖν δείξῃ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τῶν αἱρε τικῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Μέλλων τοίνυν πρὸς τὴν ἀπο δημίαν ἀπιέναι, τὴν μὲν πόλιν ἠφίει, τὴν δὲ ἀγάπην ὑμῶν οὐκ ἠφίει· οὐδὲ ἐπειδὴ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐξεβάλλετο, καὶ τῆς προστασίας καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κηδεμονίας ἀλλότριον ἑαυτὸν εἶναι ἐνόμιζεν, ἀλλὰ μειζό νως τότε ἐκήδετο, καὶ ἐφρόντιζε· καὶ καλέσας ἅπαν τας παρεκάλεσε μὴ παραχωρῆσαι, μηδὲ ἐνδοῦναι τοῖς λύκοις, μηδὲ προδοῦναι τὴν ποίμνην αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ μένειν ἔνδον ἐπιστομίζοντας μὲν αὐτοὺς καὶ διελέγχοντας, τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέρους δὲ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀσφαλι ζομένους. Καὶ ὅτι καλῶς ἐκέλευσε, τὸ τέλος ἔδειξεν· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐμείνατε ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τότε, τὸ πλέον τῆς πόλεως ἦν διεφθαρμένον, ἐπ' ἐρημίας τῶν λύκων τὰ πρόβατα ἐσθιόντων· ἀλλ' ἐκείνου τὸ ῥῆμα ἐκώλυσε μετὰ ἀδείας αὐτοὺς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδείξασθαι πονη ρίαν. Οὐ τὸ τέλος δὲ ἔδειξε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ Παύ λου ῥήματα· καὶ γὰρ οὗτος παρ' ἐκείνου παιδευθεὶς ταῦτα παρῄνει. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλός φησι; Μέλλων ἀπ άγεσθαί ποτε εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀποδημίαν, μεθ' ἣν οὐκ ἔτι ἔμελλεν ὄψεσθαι τοὺς μαθητάς· Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ ὑμᾶς ὄψομαι, φησί· τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐχὶ λυπῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀσφαλίσασθαι βουλόμενος· μέλλων τοίνυν ἀποδημεῖν ἐκεῖθεν, οὕτω πως αὐτοὺς ἠσφαλίζετο λέγων· Οἶδα ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξίν μου εἰσ ελεύσονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς λύκοι βαρεῖς, καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἀναστήσονται ἄνδρες λαλοῦντες διεστραμμένα. Τριπλοῦς ὁ πόλεμος, ἡ φύσις τῶν θηρίων, ἡ χαλεπότης τοῦ πολέμου, τὸ μὴ ἀλλοτρίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰκείους εἶναι τοὺς πολεμοῦντας· διὰ τοῦτο χαλεπώ τερος· εἰκότως.