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let us cut off our own rottenness. Let him that is wise and understanding among you show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. Let us cleanse the filth from the ears of the soul. For just as filth and mud stop up the ears of the flesh, so also worldly and gross narratives, and things concerning interest and loans, more grievously than any filth block up the hearing of the mind, or rather, not only block it up, but also make it unclean.

CHAPTER 4.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; cleanse your hands, you sinners, and

purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. For he who after sinning makes use of repentance is worthy not of mourning but of blessings, unto the choir of the just; For, Declare thou first thy sins, that thou mayest be justified. But if 64.1049 after sinning he is shameless, he is not so much to be pitied for falling as for remaining fallen. But if it is grievous not to repent of sins, of what punishment is it worthy to be puffed up over sins? For if he who is lifted up by his right actions is unclean, what pardon will he who suffers this over his sins obtain?

CHAPTER 5.

Go to now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries

that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten; your gold and silver is cankered. Let us take hold of the narrow way; how long luxury? how long ease? have we not been filled with being idle, laughing, procrastinating? will not again the same things be table and satiety and luxury and money and possession and buildings? And what is the gain? death; and what is the end? ash and dust, coffins and worms.

You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. What then? Is luxury forbidden? Yes, very much so. Why then was it created for partaking? Because he also created bread, and excess is forbidden; because he also created wine, and excess is forbidden. Therefore he does not command us to abstain from food as unclean, but as enfeebling the soul through excess. For every creature of God is good, he says, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving. Be patient therefore, you also, establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws near. Longsuffering toward one another, patience toward those outside. For one is longsuffering toward those whom it is possible to requite; but one is patient with those whom one cannot requite; for this reason, patience is never said of God, but longsuffering in many places. Therefore, even if they seem to be forsaken here, yet there they shall enjoy much glory. But when the arrogant see those scourged by them, those despised, those ridiculed being near to God, then they will weep and wail, when He leads into such splendor those who were pitiful and miserable and who suffered ten thousand terrible things and believed. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath. What then if someone demands an oath, and brings compulsion? Let the fear of God be more powerful than the compulsion.

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ἡμετέρας σηπεδόνας ἀποτέμωμεν. Σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ἐν ὑμῖν δειξάτω ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἐν πραΰτητι σοφίας. Ἐκκαθαίρομεν τὸν ῥύπον ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ὤτων. Καθάπερ γὰρ ῥύπος καὶ πηλὸς τὰ ὦτα τῆς σαρκὸς, οὕτω καὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ διηγήματα καὶ παχέα, καὶ τὰ περὶ τόκων καὶ δανεισμάτων, ῥύπου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον ἐμφράττει τῆς διανοίας τὴν ἀκοὴν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐμφράττει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ποιεῖ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ.

Ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν· καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοὶ, καὶ

ἁγνίσατε καρδίας, δίψυχοι. Ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε· ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μεταστραφήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν. Ὁ γὰρ μετὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν μετανοίᾳ χρώμενος, οὐ πένθους ἀλλὰ μακαρισμῶν ἐστιν ἄξιος, ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν δικαίων χορόν· Λέγε γὰρ σὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Εἰ δὲ 64.1049 μετὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἀναισχυντεῖ, οὐχ οὕτως ἐπὶ τῷ πεσεῖν ἐστιν ἐλεεινὸς ὡς ἐπὶ τῷ κεῖσθαι πεσών. Εἰ δὲ τὸ μὴ μετανοεῖν ἐφ' ἁμαρτήμασι χαλεπὸν, τὸ καὶ πεφυσῆσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι ποίας κολάσεώς ἐστιν ἄξιον; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασιν ἐπαιρόμενος ἀκάθαρτός ἐστιν, ὁ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτήμασι τοῦτο πάσχων ποίας τεύξεται συγγνώμης;

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ.

Ἄγε νῦν, οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν

ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις. Ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπε, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν· ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται. Ἁψώμεθα τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς στενῆς· μέχρι πότε τρυφή; μέχρι πότε ἄνεσις; οὐκ ἐνεπλήσθημεν ῥᾳθυμοῦντες, γελῶντες, ἀναβαλλόμενοι; οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν ἔσται τράπεζα καὶ κόρος καὶ πολυτέλεια καὶ χρήματα καὶ κτῆσις καὶ οἰκοδομαί; Καὶ τί τὸ κέρδος; θάνατος· καὶ τί τὸ τέλος; τέφρα καὶ κόνις, σοροὶ καὶ σκώληκες.

Ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε· ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς. Τί οὖν; κεκώλυται ἡ τρυφή; καὶ σφόδρα. ∆ιατί οὖν εἰς μετάληψιν ἔκτισται; ὅτι καὶ ἄρτον ἔκτισε, καὶ κεκώλυται ἡ ἀμετρία· ὅτι καὶ οἶνον ἔκτισε, καὶ κεκώλυται ἡ ἀμετρία. Οὐχ ὡς ἀκάθαρτον τοίνυν τὴν τροφὴν παραιτεῖσθαι κελεύει, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκλύουσαν διὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας τὴν ψυχήν. Πᾶν γὰρ κτίσμα Θεοῦ καλὸν, φησὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον μετὰ εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον. Μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς, στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου ἤγγικε. Μακροθυμίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὑπομονὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω. Μακροθυμεῖ γάρ τις πρὸς ἐκείνους, οὓς δυνατὸν καὶ ἀμύνασθαι· ὑπομένει δὲ οὓς οὐ δύναται ἀμύνασθαι· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ μὲν Θεοῦ οὐδέποτε ὑπομονὴ λέγεται, μακροθυμία δὲ πολλαχοῦ. Εἰ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα δοκοῦσιν ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖ πολλῆς ἀπολαύσουσι τῆς δόξης. Ὅταν δὲ ἴδωσιν οἱ μεγάλα φυσῶντες τοὺς μαστιζομένους ὑπ' αὐτῶν, τοὺς καταφρονουμένους, τοὺς καταγελωμένους τούτους ἐγγὺς ὄντας Θεοῦ, τότε θρηνήσουσι καὶ ὀλολύξουσιν, ὅταν τοὺς οἰκτροὺς καὶ ταλαιπώρους καὶ μυρία παθόντας δεινὰ καὶ πιστεύσαντας, εἰς τοσαύτην ἄγῃ λαμπρότητα. Πρὸ πάντων δὲ, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ὀμνύετε, μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν, μήτε τὴν γῆν, μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ ὅρκον. Τί οὖν ἐὰν ἀπαιτῇ τις ὅρκον, καὶ ἀνάγκην ἐπάγῃ; Ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος τῆς ἀνάγκης ἔστω δυνατώτερος.