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are zealous to come during the week, that they may at least learn this very thing, where they are. For just as those possessed by frenzy would not be able to perceive in what state they are, but need physicians who will deliver them from their madness; so also those possessed by the terrible madness for money need other teachers, that they might at least learn that they are mad. For this reason I especially beg them and exhort and beseech them to come to us, and to receive the medicines from the word. I do not have a sharpened blade, but there is a word sharper than iron; there is no fire, nor a biting medicine, but there are words hotter than fire, and bringing about a painless cure.

2. Why then do you leap away, tell me, and not show the same

forethought for the soul, as the care you have for the flesh? For when it is in a bad state you spend money, and if it is necessary to borrow, you spend everything, mortgaging all; and to physicians, whether they wish to cut, or to cauterize, with much eagerness you give your body for them to do whatever they wish; but when your soul has fountains of worms, you do not come to hear, tell me, a word that cleanses out the corruption; and this, when you have neither to pay money, nor to endure so much pain; but have you given yourself over to complete destruction? And how are these things worthy of pardon? For if I were to say, "Let the covetous, the rapacious, the fornicator, the adulterer not come to church," and I drove out and persecuted all who are in sins; even then, indeed, there would be no defense; for one ought to come cleansed; but now I do not even say this, but even if you fornicate, even if you commit adultery, even if you seize, even if you are covetous, come to church, that 63.463 you may learn no longer to do such things; I draw all and pull them to me, and spreading the nets of the word everywhere, I desire to catch alive not those who are well, but also those who are sick here.

These things I say each day: come and be healed with me; for I too, in healing, have need of medicines; for I am a man and of the same nature as you, subject to passions, and I need words that restrain the unruly bond; nor do I live a quiet, calm, and untroubled life, but I myself also have the disturbances of desire and the turmoil of waves. And what need is there to speak of myself and so-and-so, when even Paul, who touched the heavens, himself needed much healing? And he made this very thing clear to us, that he needed it, and that he himself did not live a quiet life, but had many struggles; wherefore he also said: I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. He disciplined that which was rising up, and he brought into subjection that which wished to be unruly; wherefore he also advised others, saying: Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

But if Paul did not enjoy calm, but, like those borne on the sea, saw many waves stirred up from all sides; who will dare to say that he does not need correction and healing and continual vigilance? Come, therefore, and be healed with me, the teacher. But if you are healthy, come for this reason also, that you may become healthier; for the word both frees those who have diseases from their infirmity, and makes those who do not have them more secure, being both a corrective of things that have happened, and a preventative of things that have not yet occurred. But if you do not have this sin, you have another; For who will boast that he has a pure heart? or who will be confident that he is clean from sin? Therefore, since you have sinned, do not be ashamed to come, but for this very reason, come. For no one says: "Since I have an ulcer, I do not seek the physician, nor do I accept medicine"; but for this very reason it is especially necessary to seek out those who heal and the power of medicines. For we also know how to forgive, since we ourselves are also liable for other sins. For it was for this reason that God did not give us angels as teachers, nor Gabriel

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τῆς ἑβδομάδος παραγίνεσθαι σπουδάζουσιν, ἵνα κἂν αὐτὸ τοῦτο μάθωσιν ἔνθα εἰσίν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ φρενίτιδι κατεχόμενοι αὐτοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο συνιδεῖν ἐν οἷς εἰσιν, ἰατρῶν δὲ δέονται τῶν τῆς μανίας αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλαξόντων· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ τῇ χαλεπῇ λύσσῃ τῶν χρημάτων κατεχόμενοι, ἑτέρων δέονται διδασκάλων, ἵνα κἂν ὅτι λυσσῶσι μάθωσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτῶν δέομαι καὶ παρακαλῶ καὶ ἱκετεύω ἀπαντᾷν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου δέχεσθαι φάρμακα. Οὐκ ἔστι μοι σιδήριον ἠκονημένον, ἀλλ' ἔστι λόγος σιδήρου τομώτερος· οὐκ ἔστι πῦρ, οὐδὲ φάρμακον δάκνον, ἀλλ' ἔστι ῥήματα πυρὸς θερμότερα, καὶ ἀνώδυνον ἐπάγοντα τὴν ἰατρείαν.

βʹ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἀποπηδᾷς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιδείκνυσαι

περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν πρόνοιαν, ὅσην ἔχεις περὶ τὴν σάρκα φειδώ; Ἐκείνης μὲν γὰρ κακῶς διακειμένης καὶ χρήματα δαπανᾷς, κἂν δανείσασθαι δέῃ, πάντα ὑποθέμενος ἀναλίσκεις· καὶ ἰατροῖς, κἂν τεμεῖν βουληθῶσι, κἂν καῦσαι, μετὰ πολλῆς προθυμίας παρέχεις τὸ σῶμα ποιεῖν ὅπερ ἂν ἐθέλωσι· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς πηγὰς σκωλήκων ἐχούσης, οὐκ ἀπαντᾷς ἀκουσόμενος, εἰπέ μοι, λόγου τὴν σηπεδόνα ἐκκαθάροντος· καὶ ταῦτα οὔτε χρήματα ἔχων καταβαλεῖν, οὔτε τοσαύτην ὀδύνην ὑπομεῖναι· ἀλλ' ἐξέδωκας σαυτὸν ἀπωλείᾳ παντελεῖ; καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα ἄξια συγγνώμης; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον, Ὁ πλεονεκτῶν, ὁ ἁρπάζων, ὁ πορνεύων, ὁ μοιχεύων μὴ ἀπαντάτω εἰς ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἤλαυνον καὶ ἐδίωκον ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτήμασι· μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ τότε ἦν τις ἀπολογία· ἔδει γὰρ ἐκκαθαρθέντα ἀπαντᾷν· νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο λέγω, ἀλλὰ κἂν πορνεύσῃς, κἂν μοιχεύῃς, κἂν ἁρπάζῃς, κἂν πλεονεκτῇς, ἀπάντησον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν, ἵνα 63.463 μάθῃς μηκέτι τοιαῦτα ποιεῖν· ἕλκω πάντας καὶ ἐπισπῶμαι, καὶ τὰ δίκτυα τοῦ λόγου πανταχόθεν ἁπλώσας, οὐχὶ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς νοσοῦντας ἐνταῦθα ζωγρῆσαι ἐπιθυμῶ.

Ταῦτα λέγω καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· ἐλθὲ καὶ θεραπεύου μετ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἰατρεύων χρείαν ἔχω φαρμάκων· ἄνθρωπος γάρ εἰμι καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς σοὶ φύσεως ὑποκείμενος πάθεσι, καὶ δέομαι ῥημάτων τῶν τὸν ἄτακτον δεσμὸν χαλινούντων· οὐδὲ ἀπράγμονα ζῶ βίον καὶ ἡσύχιον καὶ ἀτάραχον, ἀλλ' ἔχω καὶ αὐτὸς θορύβους ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ταραχὰς κυμάτων. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν δεῖνα, ὅπου γε ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἁψάμενος Παῦλος καὶ αὐτὸς πολλῆς ἐδεῖτο τῆς θεραπείας; Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ δῆλον ἡμῖν ἐποίησεν, ὅτι ἐδεῖτο, καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀπράγμονα ἔζη βίον, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ εἶχε παλαίσματα· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὑποπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι. Ὑπεπίαζε δὲ τὸ ἐξανιστάμενον, καὶ ἐδουλαγώγει τὸ ἀφηνιᾶσαι βουλόμενον· διὸ καὶ ἄλλοις παρῄνει λέγων· Ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ.

Εἰ δὲ ὁ Παῦλος οὐκ ἀπέλαυε γαλήνης, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ πελάγει φερόμενοι, πολλὰ πανταχόθεν ἑώρα διεγειρόμενα κύματα· τίς τολμήσει λέγειν, ὅτι οὐ δεῖται διορθώσεως καὶ θεραπείας καὶ διηνεκοῦς ἀγρυπνίας; Ἐλθὲ τοίνυν καὶ θεραπεύου μετ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ διδασκάλου. Εἰ δὲ ὑγιὴς εἶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παραγίνου, ἵνα ὑγιέστερος γένῃ· ὁ γὰρ λόγος τούς τε ἔχοντας νοσήματα ἀπαλλάττει τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, τούς τε οὐκ ἔχοντας ἀσφαλεστέρους καθίστησι, διορθωτικός τε ὢν τῶν γενομένων, καὶ προφυλακτικὸς τῶν οὐδέπω συμβάντων. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ἔχεις τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλ' ἕτερον ἔχεις· Τίς γὰρ καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν καρδίαν; ἢ τίς παῤῥησιάσεται καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας; Μὴ τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ ἥμαρτες, αἰσχυνθῇς παραγενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἀπάντησον. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ λέγει· Ἐπειδὴ ἕλκος ἔχω, οὐκ ἐπιζητῶ τὸν ἰατρὸν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ καταδέχομαι φάρμακον· ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστα καὶ τοὺς ἰατρεύοντας καὶ τῶν φαρμάκων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιζητεῖν ἀναγκαῖον. Ἴσμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς συγγινώσκειν, ἅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑτέροις ἁμαρτήμασιν ὄντες ὑπεύθυνοι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀγγέλους ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν διδασκάλους, οὐδὲ τὸν Γαβριὴλ