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cutting one off from the world completely, another a respectable marriage and not completely separating from God; one, fasting without pride, another, enjoyment that is not intemperate; another, undistractedness in prayers and spiritual hymns, another, the care for those in need; all tears, all purification, all ascent and stretching forth to the things that are before.

8. A good fruit-bearing is also simplicity, and laughter chastened, and anger punished, and the eye disciplined, and a mind not permitted to wander. Nothing offered to God is so small, even if it is the least, even if it falls far short of what is worthy, that He does not wholly accept and receive, even if He knows how to weigh mercy with just judgment. He accepts both Paul's planting, as Paul's, and Apollos' watering, and the widow's two mites, and the tax collector's humility, and Manasseh's confession. Moses pitched the tent below, the antitype of the heavenly things, and all brought what was proclaimed to them. And some of their own accord, some brought gold, some silver, some precious stones for the ephod; some fine twisted linen, some scarlet yarn, some purple, some rams' skins dyed red; and some goats' hair for the work of the tent, the most common thing; and each man or woman brought whatever they happened to have; but all brought something, and no one failed to contribute, not even the poorest. So also let us to the precious tent of God, this Church, which the Lord pitched, and not man, which is built up together with the various beauties of virtue, let one bring a little, another more, but let us all alike contribute to a perfect work, to a dwelling-place of Christ, to a holy temple, being fitted and joined together by the architecture of the Spirit. But surely we will bring nothing so great as what we have received, even if we bring everything. Since even our being is from God, and our knowing God, and the very having of what we may bring. But the most beautiful and benevolent thing is that God measures the gift not 35.1053 by the worth of what is given, but by the ability and disposition of the one bearing fruit.

9. Therefore, do not wait to become good, but become so now; nor, because you fall short of what is worthy, should you fail in everything. But bring one thing, be zealous for another, and for the rest, pray that pardon be given to your weakness. You shall not appear, He says, empty before me. Let no one be empty, nor fruitless, nor let any soul be barren and unfruitful. Let each one bear fruit to God from what he has, and from his own resources: the sinner, change; he who runs well, vigor; the young, self-control; the gray-haired, prudence; the rich, sharing; the poor, thanksgiving; the one in authority, lack of pride; the tax collector, gentleness. You priests, clothe yourselves with righteousness, or, to speak more truly, let us clothe ourselves; let us not scatter the sheep of the pasture, and destroy them, for whom the good shepherd laid down his life, who knows his own, and is known by his own, and calls them by name, and leads them in, and leads them out from unbelief to faith, and from this life to the rest beyond. Let us fear, lest judgment begin with us, according to the threat; lest we receive from the hand of the Lord double for our sins, both by not entering ourselves, and by hindering those who are able to enter.

10. You sheep, do not shepherd the shepherds, nor exalt yourselves above your own bounds; for it is enough for you, if you are well shepherded. Do not judge the judges, nor legislate for the legislators; for God is not a God of disorder and confusion, but of peace and order. Therefore, let no one be a head, who is perhaps scarcely a hand, or a foot, or some other of the more humble members of the body; but in whatever order each was called, brothers, in that let him remain, even if he is worthy of a better one; in which, by loving his present state, he finds more favor than in seeking one he has not received. Let no one, when it is possible to follow without danger,

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κόσμου παντελῶς ἀποτέμνουσαν, ὁ δὲ γά μον σεμνὸν καὶ μὴ πάντη Θεοῦ χωρίζοντα· ὁ μὲν νη στείαν ἄτυφον, ὁ δὲ ἀπόλαυσιν μὴ ἀκόλαστον· ἄλλος τὸ ἐν προσευχαῖς ἀπερίσπαστον καὶ ὕμνοις πνευματι κοῖς, ἄλλος τὸ ἐν προστασίᾳ τῶν δεομένων· πάντες δάκρυα, πάντες κάθαρσιν, ἀνάβασιν πάντες καὶ τὸ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτείνεσθαι.

Ηʹ. Καλὴ καὶ ἁπλότης καρποφορία, καὶ γέλως σω φρονιζόμενος, καὶ θυμὸς κολαζόμενος, καὶ ὄμμα παι δαγωγούμενον, καὶ νοῦς πλανᾶσθαι μὴ συγχωρούμε νος. Οὐδὲν οὕτω μικρὸν τῶν εἰσφερομένων Θεῷ, κἂν ἐλάχιστον ᾖ, κἂν παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἀξίας λειπόμε νον, ὃ μὴ προσίεται πάντως καὶ ἀποδέχεται, εἰ καὶ σταθμίζειν οἶδε τῇ δικαίᾳ κρίσει τὸ ἔλεος. ∆έχεται καὶ Παύλου τὴν φυτείαν, ὡς Παύλου, καὶ Ἀπολλῶ τὴν ἀρδείαν, καὶ τὰ δύο λεπτὰ τῆς χήρας, καὶ τοῦ τελώνου τὴν ταπείνωσιν, καὶ τοῦ Μανασσῆ τὴν ἐξαγόρευσιν. Μωσῆς ἐπήγνυτο τὴν σκηνὴν κάτω, τὴν τῶν οὐ ρανίων ἀντίτυπον, καὶ πάντες εἰσέφερον τὸ κηρυχθὲν αὐτοῖς. Οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτεπάγγελτοι, οἱ μὲν χρυσὸν, οἱ δὲ ἄργυρον, οἱ δὲ λίθους τιμίους εἰς τὴν ἐπωμίδα· αἱ δὲ βύσσον διακεκλωσμένην, αἱ δὲ κόκκινον νε νησμένον, οἱ δὲ πορφύραν, οἱ δὲ δέρματα κριῶν ἠρυ θροδανωμένα· αἱ δὲ καὶ τρίχας αἰγείας εἰς τὰ κάτερ γα τῆς σκηνῆς, τὸ φαυλότατον· οἱ δὲ ὅ τι ἕκαστος, ἢ ἑκάστη τύχοιεν ἔχοντες· πάντες δὲ ἔφερον, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἦν ἀσυντελὴς, οὐδὲ τῶν πενεστάτων. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ τιμίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ σκηνῇ τῆσδε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἣν ὁ Κύριος ἔπηξε, καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ἣ διαφόροις ἀρετῆς συνοικοδομεῖται κάλλεσιν, ὁ μὲν μικρὸν, ὁ δὲ μεῖζον, πάντες δὲ ὁμοίως εἰσφέρωμεν εἰς ἔργον τέλειον, εἰς κατοικητήριον Χριστοῦ, εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον, συντιθέμενοι, καὶ συναρμολογούμε νοι τῇ ἀρχιτεκτονίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Πάντως δὲ οὐδὲν εἰσοίσομεν τοσοῦτον, ὅσον εἰλήφαμεν, κἂν πάντα εἰσφέρωμεν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ εἶναι ἡμῖν ἐκ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ εἰδέναι Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔχειν ὃ εἰσενέγκω μεν. Τὸ δὲ κάλλιστον καὶ φιλανθρωπότατον, ὅτι μὴ 35.1053 τῇ ἀξίᾳ τοῦ διδομένου, τῇ δὲ δυνάμει καὶ τῇ διαθέσει τοῦ καρποφοροῦντος, μετρεῖ Θεὸς τὴν ἐπί δοσιν.

Θʹ. Μὴ οὖν ἀναμείνῃς γενέσθαι χρηστὸς, ἀλλ' ἤδη γενοῦ· μηδὲ ὅτι τῆς ἀξίας λείπῃ, τὸ πᾶν ἐλλίπῃς. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν εἰσένεγκε, τὸ δὲ προθυμήθητι, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ δεήθητι δοθῆναι συγγνώμην τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ. Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ, φησὶ, κενὸς ἐναντίον μου. Μηδεὶς ἔστω κενὸς, μηδὲ ἄκαρπος, μηδέ τις στεῖρα ψυχὴ καὶ ἄγονος. Ἕκαστος ἐκ τῶν παρόντων καρποφορείτω Θεῷ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων· ὁ ἁμαρτάνων τὴν με ταβολὴν, ὁ καλῶς τρέχων, τὴν εὐτονίαν, ὁ νέος τὴν ἐγκράτειαν, ἡ πολιὰ τὴν φρόνησιν, ὁ πλούσιος τὴν μετάδοσιν, ὁ πένης τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, ὁ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τὴν ἀτυχίαν, ὁ εἰσπράττων τὴν ἡμερότητα. Οἱ ἱερεῖς, ἐνδύσασθε δικαιοσύνην, ἢ, τό γε ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, ἐνδυσώμεθα· μὴ διασπείρωμεν τὰ πρόβατα τῆς νο μῆς, καὶ διαφθείρωμεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔθηκε τὴν ψυχὴν ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὁ γινώσκων τὰ ἴδια, καὶ γινωσκόμε νος ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων, καὶ καλῶν κατ' ὄνομα, καὶ εἰσ άγων αὐτὰ, καὶ ἐξάγων ἀπό τε ἀπιστίας εἰς πίστιν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀνάπαυ σιν. Φοβηθῶμεν, μὴ ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἄρξηται τὸ κρῖμα, κα τὰ τὴν ἀπειλήν· μὴ λάβωμεν ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, αὐτοί τε οὐκ εἰσιόντες, καὶ τοὺς εἰσελθεῖν δυναμένους κωλύοντες.

Ιʹ. Τὰ πρόβατα, μὴ ποιμαίνετε τοὺς ποιμένας, μηδὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ὅρους ἐπαίρεσθε· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ὑμῖν, ἂν καλῶς ποιμαίνησθε. Μὴ κρίνετε τοὺς κριτὰς, μηδὲ νομοθετεῖτε τοῖς νομοθέταις· οὐ γάρ ἐστι Θεὸς ἀκαταστασίας καὶ ἀταξίας, ἀλλ' εἰρήνης καὶ τάξεως. Μὴ τοίνυν ἔστω τις κεφαλὴ, μόγις που χεὶρ τυγχάνων, ἢ ποῦς, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν εὐτελεστέρων μελῶν τοῦ σώματος· ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἐν ᾗ ἐκλήθη τάξει, ἀδελφοὶ, ἐν ταύτῃ μενέτω, κἂν ᾖ τῆς κρείττο νος ἄξιος· ἐν ᾧ στέργει τὴν παροῦσαν, πλέον εὐδοκιμῶν, ἢ ἐν τῷ ζητεῖν ἣν οὐκ ἔλαβεν. Μή τις, ἐνὸν ἀκινδύνως ἕπεσθαι,