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in need, not of expenditure of money, nor of anything else, but simply of will; it is not necessary to go on a long journey, nor to go abroad, 62.707 nor to undergo dangers and toils, but only to be willing.

3. What pardon, tell me, shall we have in those things that seem difficult, when

we do not do a thing that is light and has so great a gain and so much benefit and no toil? Are you not able to despise money? are you not able to spend your possessions on those in need? Are you not able to will something good? are you not able to forgive the one who has wronged you? For if you were not liable for so many things, but God commanded only to forgive, would it not be necessary? but now, being liable for so many things, you do not forgive, and this knowing that He requires of you from what you have from Him? For if we go to a debtor of ours, he, knowing this, serves and receives and honors and shows all friendliness with abundance, and this not being released from the debt, but wishing to make us gentle regarding the demand; but you, owing so much to God, and being commanded to forgive, again so that you may receive, you do not forgive? Why ever, I ask you? Alas! what great love for mankind we enjoy! But what great wickedness we display, what great sleep, what great sluggishness! How easy is virtue, and having much benefit! How laborious is wickedness! But we, having fled what is so light, pursue what is heavier than lead.

Here there is no need of bodily strength, not of wealth, not of money, not of power, not of friendship, not of anything else, but it is enough only to be willing, and the whole is accomplished. Has so-and-so grieved and insulted and mocked you? but consider that you also do many such things to others, and to the Master Himself, and release and forgive; consider that you say: Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; consider that if you do not forgive, you will not be able to say this with confidence; but if you forgive, you demand the thing as a debt, not on account of the nature of the thing, but on account of the love for mankind of the One who has given it.

And how is it equal, for one who forgives things done against fellow servants, to receive forgiveness for things sinned against the Master? 62.708 but nevertheless we obtain so great a love for mankind, because He is rich in mercy and compassion. But that I may show you, that even apart from these things, and apart from the forgiveness, from forgiving alone you reap the profit, consider how many friends such a man has, how everywhere all go through the praises of such a man, saying: a good man, easily reconciled, he does not know how to bear a grudge, at once he was struck and at once he was healed. Such a man having fallen into some difficulty, who will not pity him? who will not forgive him when he has sinned? who will not grant a favor to one asking on behalf of others? who will not wish to be a friend and servant of a soul so good? Yes, I beseech you, let us do all things for this, not towards friends, not towards relatives only, but also towards the household servants. For, he says, foregoing threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven. If we forgive our neighbors their sins, they will be forgiven us also, if we give alms, if we are humble; for this also takes away sins. For if the publican, for only saying, Be merciful to me a sinner, went down justified, much more also shall we, if we are humble and contrite, be able to obtain great love for mankind; if we confess our own sins, and condemn ourselves, we shall wipe away the greater part of the filth.

For many are the ways that cleanse. From all sides, therefore, let us make war on the devil. I have said nothing difficult, nothing troublesome; forgive the one who has grieved you, have mercy on the one in need, humble your soul; and even if you are a great sinner, you will be able to attain the kingdom, by these things cleansing away the sins themselves, and wiping them away

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δεομένη, οὐδὲ δαπάνης χρημάτων, οὐδὲ ἄλλου οὐδενὸς, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς προαιρέσεως· οὐκ ἀποδημίαν χρὴ στείλασθαι, οὐκ εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν ἐλθεῖν, 62.707 οὐ κινδύνους ὑποστῆναι καὶ πόνους, ἀλλὰ θελῆσαι μόνον.

γʹ. Ποίαν, εἰπέ μοι, συγγνώμην ἕξομεν ἐν τοῖς δοκοῦσιν εἶναι δυσκόλοις, ὅταν

καὶ κοῦφον πρᾶγμα καὶ τοσοῦτον ἔχον κέρδος καὶ τοσαύτην τὴν ὠφέλειαν καὶ οὐδένα πόνον, μὴ πράττωμεν; Οὐ δύνασαι χρημάτων καταφρονῆσαι; οὐ δύνασαι δαπανῆσαι τὰ ὄντα εἰς τοὺς δεομένους; Θελῆσαι οὐ δύνασαί τι ἀγαθόν; ἀφεῖναι τῷ ἠδικηκότι οὐ δύνασαι; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοσούτων ὑπεύθυνος ἦς, ἐκέλευσε δὲ μόνον ὁ Θεὸς ἀφεῖναι, οὐκ ἔδει; νῦν δὲ τοσούτων ὑπεύθυνος ὢν, οὐκ ἀφίης, καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς, ὅτι ἀφ' ὧν ἔχεις ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀπαιτῇ; Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἡμεῖς παρ' ὀφειλέτην ἔλθωμεν ἡμέτερον, ἐκεῖνος εἰδὼς τοῦτο, θεραπεύει καὶ ὑποδέχεται καὶ τιμᾷ καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιδείκνυται φιλοφροσύνην μετὰ δαψιλείας, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ δανείσματος διαλυόμενος, ἀλλ' ἡμέρους ἡμᾶς θέλων καταστῆσαι περὶ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν· σὺ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ὀφείλων τοσαῦτα, καὶ κελευόμενος ἀφεῖναι, πάλιν ἵνα σὺ λάβῃς, οὐκ ἀφίης; τί δήποτε, παρακαλῶ; Οἴμοι! πόσης μὲν ἀπολαύομεν φιλανθρωπίας! πόσην δὲ ἐπιδεικνύμεθα κακίαν, πόσον ὕπνον, πόσην νωθείαν! πῶς εὔκολον ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ πολλὴν ἔχον ὠφέλειαν! πῶς ἐργῶδες ἡ κακία! ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ οὕτως ἐλαφρὸν ἀποφυγόντες διώκομεν τὸ μολύβδου βαρύτερον.

Ἐνταῦθα οὐ σώματος ἰσχύος χρεία, οὐ πλούτου, οὐ χρημάτων, οὐ δυναστείας, οὐ φιλίας, οὐκ ἄλλου οὐδενὸς, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ θελῆσαι μόνον, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἤνυσται. Ἐλύπησεν ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὕβρισε καὶ ἔσκωψεν; ἀλλ' ἐννόησον, ὅτι καὶ σὺ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα εἰς ἑτέρους ποιεῖς, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ ἄνες καὶ συγχώρησον· ἐννόησον, ὅτι λέγεις· Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· ἐννόησον, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῇς, οὐ δυνήσῃ τοῦτο μετὰ παῤῥησίας εἰπεῖν· ἂν δὲ ἀφῇς, ὀφειλὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀπαιτεῖς, οὐ διὰ τὴν τοῦ πράγματος φύσιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ δεδωκότος φιλανθρωπίαν.

Καὶ ποῦ ἴσον τὰ εἰς τοὺς ὁμοδούλους ἀφιέντα τῶν εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἡμαρτημένων τὴν 62.708 ἄφεσιν λαβεῖν; ἀλλ' ὅμως τυγχάνομεν τῆς τοσαύτης φιλανθρωπίας, ἐπειδὴ πλούσιός ἐστιν ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς. Ἵνα δέ σοι δείξω, ὅτι καὶ χωρὶς τούτων, καὶ χωρὶς τῆς ἀφέσεως, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀφεῖναι μόνον σὺ καρποῦσαι τὸ κέρδος, ἐννόησον, πόσους ὁ τοιοῦτος ἔχει φίλους, πῶς πανταχοῦ ἐγκώμια τοῦ τοιούτου ἅπαντες διεξέρχονται λέγοντες· ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ, εὐκατάλλακτος, οὐκ οἶδε μνησικακῆσαι, ἅμα ἐπλήγη καὶ ἅμα ἰάθη. Τὸν τοιοῦτον περιστάσει τινὶ περιπεσόντα, τίς οὐκ ἐλεήσει; τίς οὐ συγγνώσεται ἁμαρτόντι; τίς οὐ δώσει χάριν ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων ἀξιοῦντι; τίς οὐ θελήσει φίλος εἶναι καὶ δοῦλος ψυχῆς οὕτως ἀγαθῆς; Ναὶ, παρακαλῶ, πάντα ὑπὲρ τούτου πράττωμεν, μὴ πρὸς φίλους, μὴ πρὸς συγγενεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας. Ἀνιέντες γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν ἀπειλὴν, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἂν ἀφιῶμεν τοῖς πλησίον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἀφεθήσεται καὶ ἡμῖν, ἂν ἐλεημοσύνας παρέχωμεν, ἂν ταπεινοὶ ὦμεν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀφαιρεῖ ἁμαρτίας. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τελώνης, ἵνα μόνον εἴπῃ, Ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, κατῆλθε δεδικαιωμένος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἂν ταπεινοὶ ὦμεν καὶ συντετριμμένοι, δυνησόμεθα πολλῆς φιλανθρωπίας τυχεῖν· ἂν ὁμολογῶμεν τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ καταγινώσκωμεν ἑαυτῶν, τὸ πλέον ἀποσμηξόμεθα τοῦ ῥύπου.

Πολλαὶ γὰρ αἱ ὁδοὶ αἱ καθαρεύουσαι. Πάντοθεν τοίνυν πολεμῶμεν τῷ διαβόλῳ. Οὐδὲν εἶπον δύσκολον, οὐδὲν δυσχερές· ἄφες τῷ λελυπηκότι, ἐλέησον τὸν δεόμενον, ταπείνωσόν σου τὴν ψυχήν· κἂν σφόδρα ᾖς ἁμαρτωλὸς, δυνήσῃ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιτυχεῖν, διὰ τούτων αὐτὰ ἐκκαθαίρων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἀποσμήχων