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For by transmitting the disease one to another, they are sick together, and perish together. Or do you not see the fornicators sitting in the marketplace, and mocking the temperate, and recounting their own works of shame, the practices of darkness, and enumerating the passions of dishonor as deeds of valor, or some other acts of courage? These are the plagues who strive to bring their own evil upon all, and are ambitious for many to become like them, so that in the community of evils they may escape reproach. For it is not possible for a fire, once it has caught hold of flammable material, not to spread over all of it, especially if it meets a favorable wind carrying the flame; nor for sin, once it has caught hold of one person, not to pass through to all who are near, when the spirits of wickedness ignite it. For the spirit of fornication does not endure for the dishonor to remain with one person, but immediately comrades are brought in; revelries, and drunkennesses, and shameful stories, a female companion drinking with them, smiling at this one, and provoking that one, and inflaming all to the same sin. Is this plague small, or is the spreading of the evil small? And what of the one who emulates the greedy man, or the one who is clothed with some conspicuous political power from some other wickedness, or holding the leadership of nations, or ruling over armies, and then is wallowing in the most shameful passions, has he not received the plague into his very soul, by making the evil of the one emulated his own? For the splendors in life also reveal with them the lives of the conspicuous; and soldiers for the most part are likened to their commanders; and the peoples in 29.228 the cities emulate those in power. And in general, whenever the evil of one person is considered worthy of imitation by the many, it will be said appropriately and fittingly that a certain plague of souls is prevalent in life. For that which is conspicuous in vice draws many of those who are easily swayed to a similar zeal. Since, therefore, one is filled with corruption from another, let such people be said to plague souls. Therefore, do not sit in the seat of plagues, or do not take part in the council of corrupting and ruinous men, or do not abide in what has been ill-advised. But the discourse is still in its preliminaries, and I see the quantity exceeding due measure; so that neither is the retention of more easy for you, nor for me the ministry of the word, because the weakness of my voice, to which I am accustomed, is failing us. And if what has been said has been said imperfectly, the flight from evil having been shown, but the perfection through good works having been omitted, nevertheless, entrusting the present things to benevolent ears, we promise, God granting, to supply also what is lacking, if indeed we do not henceforth undergo complete silence. And may the Lord grant to us a reward for what has been said, and to you the fruit of what you have heard, by the grace of his Christ, for to him is the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

BY THE SAME, ON THE 7TH PSALM.

A Psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a son of Jemeni.

The inscription of the seventh psalm seems somehow to be contrary to the history in the Books of Kingdoms, where the things concerning David are recorded 29.229. For there Cush, David's chief companion, is recorded as the son of Arachi, but here Cush son of Jemeni. And neither he, nor any other of those who appear there, is a son of Jemeni. Perhaps, therefore, because he showed a great deed of valor and courageous act from his pretense of friendship, having ostensibly gone over to Absalom, but frustrating the counsels of Ahithophel, a man most sagacious and most skilled in strategy in the counsels he proposed, for this reason was he called son of Jemeni? And the son of Jemeni is interpreted son of the

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Ἄλλος γὰρ ἄλλῳ τῆς νόσου μεταδιδόντες συννοσοῦσιν ἀλλήλοις, καὶ συναπόλλυν ται. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς πόρνους τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καθημένους, καὶ καταγελῶντας τῶν σωφρονούντων, καὶ διηγουμένους ἑαυτῶν τὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης ἔργα, τὰ τοῦ σκότους ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ τὰ πάθη τῆς ἀτιμίας ἀπαριθμουμένους ὡς ἀριστείας, ἤ τινας ἄλλας ἀνδρα γαθίας; Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ λοιμοὶ οἱ τὸ ἴδιον κακὸν ἐπὶ πάντας ἄγειν φιλονεικοῦντες, καὶ πολλοὺς ἑαυτοῖς παραπλησίους γενέσθαι φιλοτιμούμενοι, ἵνα ἐν τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῶν κακῶν διαφύγωσι τὰ ὀνείδη. Οὔτε γὰρ πῦρ εὐκαταπρήστου ὕλης ἁψάμενον δυνατὸν μὴ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν αὐτὴν διαβῆναι, ἄλλως τε κἂν ἐπιτύχῃ πνεύματος ἐπιφόρου τὴν φλόγα διακομίζοντος· οὔτε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἑνὸς ἁψαμένην, μὴ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας διελθεῖν, ἐξαπτόντων αὐτὴν τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς πορνείας πνεῦμα οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ στῆναι τὴν ἀτι μίαν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἡλικιῶται συμπαρελήφθησαν· κῶμοι, καὶ μέθαι, καὶ αἰσχρὰ διηγήματα ἑταίρα συμπί νουσα, τούτῳ προσμειδιῶσα, κἀκεῖνον διερεθίζουσα, καὶ πάντας πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν ἁμαρτίαν συμφλέγουσα. Ἆρα μικρὸς ὁ λοιμὸς οὗτος, ἢ μικρὰ ἡ διάδοσις τοῦ κακοῦ; Τί δὲ, ὁ τὸν πλεονέκτην ζηλῶν, ἢ ὁ τὸν ἐξ ἄλλης τινὸς πονηρίας περιφανῆ τινα πολιτικὴν δυνα στείαν περιβεβλημένον, ἢ ἐθνῶν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχον τα, ἢ στρατοπέδων ἄρχοντα, εἶτα τοῖς αἰσχίστοις πάθεσιν ἐμφυρόμενον, οὐχὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν λοιμὸν παρεδέξατο, τὸ τοῦ ζηλουμένου κακὸν οἰκεῖον ποιούμενος; Αἱ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν βίον λαμ πρότητες συναναφαίνουσιν ἑαυταῖς καὶ τοὺς βίους τῶν περιβλέπτων· καὶ στρατιῶται μὲν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς στρατοπεδάρχαις ἐξομοιοῦνται· οἱ δὲ ἐν 29.228 ταῖς πόλεσι δῆμοι ζηλοῦσι τοὺς ἐν δυνάμει. Καὶ ὅλως, ἐπειδὰν τὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς κακὸν μιμήσεως ἄξιον τοῖς πολλοῖς νομισθῇ, οἰκείως καὶ προσηκόντως λεχθήσε ται λοιμός τις ψυχῶν ἐπιπολάζειν τῷ βίῳ. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν κακίᾳ περίβλεπτον πολλοὺς τῶν εὐολισθήτων εἰς τὸν ὅμοιον ζῆλον ἐφέλκεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄλλος ἐξ ἄλ λου τῆς φθορᾶς ἀναπίμπλαται, λοιμώσσειν τὰς ψυ χὰς οἱ τοιοῦτοι λεγέσθωσαν. Μὴ τοίνυν καθίσῃς ἐπὶ καθέδρας λοιμῶν, ἢ μὴ μετάσχῃς συνεδρίου ἀνθρώ πων φθορέων καὶ λυμεώνων, ἢ μὴ ἐναπομείνῃς τοῖς κακῶς βουλευθεῖσιν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν λόγος ἔτι ἐν προοιμίοις, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος ὁρῶ τὴν συμμετρίαν ἐκβαῖνον· ὡς μήτε ὑμῖν ῥᾳδίαν εἶναι τῶν πλειόνων τὴν φυλακὴν, μήτε ἐμοὶ τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ λόγου, διὰ τὴν σύντροφον ἀσθένειαν τῆς φωνῆς ἡμᾶς ἐπι λειπούσης. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀτελῶς εἴρηται τὰ εἰρημένα, τοῦ μὲν κακοῦ τῆς φυγῆς ὑποδειχθείσης, τῆς δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων τελειώσεως παρεθείσης, ὅμως εὐγνώμοσιν ἀκοαῖς παραθέμενοι τὰ παρόντα, ἐπαγγελλόμεθα, Θεοῦ διδόντος, ἀναπληρώσειν καὶ τὰ λειπόμενα, ἐάν γε μὴ τὴν παντελῆ λοιπὸν ὑπέλθω μεν σιωπήν. Παράσχοι δὲ ὁ Κύριος καὶ ἡμῖν τῶν εἰ ρημένων μισθὸν, καὶ ὑμῖν καρπὸν ὧν ἠκούσατε, χά ριτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Ζʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ.

Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβὶδ, ὃν ᾖσε τῷ Κυρίῳ ὑπὲρ τῶν λόγων Χουσὶ υἱοῦ Ἰεμενεί.

∆οκεῖ πως ἐναντίως ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν ἐν ταῖς Βα σιλείαις ἱστορίαν, ἔνθα τὰ περὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀναγέγρα 29.229 πται, ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ τοῦ ἑβδόμου ψαλμοῦ. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ ὁ Χουσὶ ἀρχιεταῖρος μὲν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, υἱὸς δὲ Ἀραχὶ ἱστορεῖται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ Χουσὶ υἱὸς Ἰεμενεί. Ἔστι δὲ οὔτε οὗτος, οὔτε ἄλλος τις τῶν ἐκεῖ φαινομένων υἱὸς Ἰεμενεί. Μήποτε οὖν, ἐπειδὴ μεγάλην ἀριστείαν καὶ ἀνδραγάθημα ἐκ τοῦ περὶ τὴν φιλίαν σχηματι σμοῦ ἐνεδείξατο, προσχωρήσας μὲν δῆθεν τῷ Ἀβεσ σαλὼμ, διαλύων δὲ τὰς βουλὰς τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ, ἀν δρὸς ἐντρεχεστάτου καὶ στρατηγικωτάτου τὰς γνώμας ὑποτιθεμένου, διὰ τοῦτο υἱὸς Ἰεμενεὶ προσ ηγορεύθη; Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ ὁ υἱὸς Ἰεμενεὶ υἱὸς τῆς