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abundance. For such is the nature of spiritual things; it increases by distribution, and becomes more by division. Meadows are not so delightful, offering roses and violets to those who see them, as the tombs of martyrs, offering a certain unfading and indestructible pleasure to the souls of those who behold them. 3. Let us, therefore, touch those tombs with faith, let us inflame our mind, let us stir up lamentations. We have committed many and great sins; for this reason we need much healing, vehement confession. The holy martyrs shed blood, let your eyes shed tears; tears too can extinguish a pyre of sins. They had their sides torn, they saw executioners standing around; do you also do this in your conscience. Set your reason to judge upon the throne of your impartial mind, bring all your sins into the open, set terrible reasonings against your transgressions, punish the improper thoughts from which the sins came to be, 50.650 let it be torn with great vehemence. If we practice thus to judge ourselves, we shall also escape that fearful judgment. For that he who judges himself now, and demands of himself a strict account of his sins, will not be punished in the future, hear what Paul says: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged by the Lord. For rebuking those who partake of the mysteries unworthily, he spoke thus: He that eats and drinks unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. And what he says is this: just as those who crucified Jesus, he says, so also those who partake of the mysteries unworthily will be punished. And let no one condemn the saying as an exaggeration. The Lord's body is a royal garment; and he who tore the royal purple and he who defiled it with unclean hands insulted it alike; wherefore they are also punished alike. So it is also with the body of Christ. The Jews tore it with nails upon the cross, but you, living in sins, with an unclean tongue and mind. For this reason Paul has also imposed the same punishment on you, and adds, saying: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. Then, showing that those who demand of themselves an account of their sins here, judging their own transgressions, and no longer falling into the same ones, will be able to snatch themselves from that future, fearful, and inexorable sentence, he added, saying: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Let us therefore tear our mind, vehemently rebuking our intemperate thoughts; let us wipe away our stains through tears. Great is the fruit of these lamentations, great the consolation and comfort. For just as the punishment for laughter and dissipation is great, so also continual lamentation produces consolation. For blessed, he says, are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Woe to you that laugh, for you shall weep. For this reason Paul also, though conscious of no sin in himself, spent all his time in tears and wailing. Who says these things? That blessed man himself: For the space of three years, he says, I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day with tears. He for three years, we even for one month; he for nights and days, he for the sins of others, we even for our own transgressions; he being conscious of nothing in himself, we even on account of our heavy conscience. But for what reason does he weep? why does he not only teach and exhort, but also add tears?

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εὐπορίαν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῶν πνευματικῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φύσις· αὔξεται τῇ διανομῇ, καὶ πλείων γίνεται τῇ διαιρέσει. Οὐχ οὕτω λειμῶνές εἰσι τερπνοὶ, ῥόδα καὶ ἴα παρεχόμενοι τοῖς θεωμένοις, ὡς μαρτύρων τάφοι, ἀμάραντόν τινα καὶ ἀκατάλυτον ταῖς ψυχαῖς παρεχόμενοι τῶν θεωμένων τὴν ἡδονήν. γʹ. Ἁψώμεθα τοίνυν τῶν θηκῶν ἐκείνων μετὰ πίστεως, διαθερμανθῶμεν τὴν διάνοιαν, κινήσωμεν ὀδυρμούς. Πολλὰ ἡμῖν ἡμάρτηται καὶ μεγάλα ἁμαρτήματα· διὰ τοῦτο πολλῆς δεόμεθα τῆς θεραπείας, σφοδρᾶς τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως. Ἔῤῥευσαν οἱ ἅγιοι μάρτυρες αἷμα, ῥευσάτωσάν σοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ δάκρυα· δύνανται καὶ δάκρυα πυρὰν ἁμαρτημάτων κατασβέσαι· κατεξάνθησαν ἐκεῖνοι τὰς πλευρὰς, δημίους εἶδον περιεστῶτας· τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίησον ἐπὶ τῷ συνειδότι· κάθισον τὸν λογισμὸν δικάζοντα ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς ἀδεκάστου διανοίας, παράγαγε τὰ ἡμαρτημένα σοι πάντα εἰς μέσον, φοβεροὺς ἐπίστησον τοῖς πλημμελήμασι λογισμοὺς, κόλασον τὰς ἀτόπους ἐνθυμήσεις, ἐξ ὧν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα γέγονε, 50.650 μετὰ πολλῆς καταξαινέσθω τῆς σφοδρότητος. Ἐὰν οὕτω μελετήσωμεν δικάζειν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ φευξόμεθα τὸ φοβερὸν ἐκεῖνο κριτήριον. Ὅτι γὰρ ὁ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν νῦν, καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων εὐθύνας ἑαυτὸν ἀπαιτῶν ἀκριβεῖς, οὐ δώσει κατὰ τὸ μέλλον δίκην, ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Εἰ γὰρ ἐκρίνομεν ἑαυτοὺς, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου. Τοῖς γὰρ ἀναξίως μετέχουσι τῶν μυστηρίων ἐγκαλῶν, οὕτως ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων ἀναξίως, ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Κυρίου. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὥσπερ οἱ σταυρώσαντες, φησὶ, τὸν Ἰησοῦν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τῶν μυστηρίων ἀναξίως μετέχοντες δίκην δώσουσιν. Καὶ μὴ καταγνώσωσί τινες ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ λόγου. Ἱμάτιόν ἐστι βασιλικὸν τὸ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικόν· τὴν δὲ ἁλουργίδα τὴν βασιλικὴν καὶ ὁ διαῤῥήξας καὶ ὁ χερσὶν ἀκαθάρτοις μολύνας ὁμοίως ὕβρισαν· διὸ καὶ ὁμοίως κολάζονται· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ γίνεται. Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν αὐτὸ διέῤῥηξαν τοῖς ἥλοις ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, σὺ δὲ ἐν ἁμαρτήμασι ζῶν, ἀκαθάρτῳ τε γλώττῃ καὶ διανοίᾳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπήρτησέ σοι δίκην ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι, καὶ κοιμῶνται ἱκανοί. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι οἱ τὰς εὐθύνας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντες ἐνταῦθα, δικάζοντες αὐτῶν τοῖς πλημμελήμασι, καὶ μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπίπτοντες, δυνήσονται ἐξαρπάσαι τῆς μελλούσης ἑαυτοὺς ψήφου τῆς φοβερᾶς ἐκείνης καὶ ἀπαραιτήτου, προσέθηκε λέγων· Εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα· νυνὶ δὲ κρινόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. Καταξάνωμεν τοίνυν ἡμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, σφοδρῶς ἐπιτιμῶντες τοῖς ἀκολάστοις τῶν λογισμῶν· ἀποσμήξωμεν ἡμῶν τὰς κηλῖδας διὰ τῶν δακρύων· μέγας τῶν ὀδυρμῶν τούτων ὁ καρπὸς, μεγάλη παράκλησις καὶ παραμυθία. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μεγάλη τοῦ γέλωτος καὶ τῆς διαχύσεως ἡ κόλασις, οὕτω καὶ ὁ διηνεκὴς ὀδυρμὸς παράκλησιν ἐμποιεῖ. Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι παρακληθήσονται. Οὐαὶ τοῖς γελῶσιν, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κλαύσονται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, καίτοι μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς ἁμάρτημα, ἐν δάκρυσι καὶ θρήνοις τὸν πάντα διέτριβε χρόνον. Τίς ταῦτά φησιν; Αὐτὸς ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος· Τριετίαν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην μετὰ δακρύων νουθετῶν ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν. Ἐκεῖνος τριετίαν, ἡμεῖς κἂν μῆνα ἕνα· ἐκεῖνος νύκτας καὶ ἡμέρας, ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἀλλοτρίων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἡμεῖς κἂν ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων· ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς, ἡμεῖς κἂν διὰ τὴν βαρεῖαν ἡμῶν συνείδησιν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν κλαίει; διὰ τί μὴ διδάσκει καὶ παραινεῖ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δάκρυα προστίθησι;