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the tyranny of vainglory, which He Himself indeed abolished through the following words, but we have increased it, extending its rule not only over prayers and fastings and almsgivings, but also over all other things; and that we have subjected ourselves to this madness more than to any purchased slave, I pass over, since it is clear to all, saying only this much, that some men, giving themselves over to utter contempt, pay no heed to any of the commandments, while others, willing to obey in some small measure, and having been eager to keep some of the commandments, these too have ended in the same loss as the former, because they were unwilling to cast off the bonds of vainglory. And one man gives no alms at all, while the other, though he gives some of his possessions to the needy, but does this with vainglory, is in no better state than the one who has not given. Thus the Evil One has cast everyone from every side into his snares. And if someone should be able to escape this harm, being seized by presumption, he has fallen into the same fall again, or rather a much worse one; for he goes away not only having lost the very thing he did, but also having acquired something evil. And I myself know many who are caught not only for these reasons, but also give aid to the needy on such pretexts as affection and being prevailed upon, and for many other such reasons, not because of the fear of God and the commandment. Since, therefore, there are so many things that ruin good deeds, who of those who have fallen into these evils will be able to be saved quickly?

5. And as for, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors, who then will say this with confidence? For even if we do no wrong to our enemies, yet we have an incurable wound. But Christ wishes not only to forgive in this way, but also to count them among our chief friends. For this reason indeed, as I have already said, He commanded us to pray for 47.401 them. But if you do no wrong, but you turn away, and do not look upon them gladly, and you have the wound festering in your soul, you have not yet fulfilled the commandment which Christ commanded you. How then do you yourself beseech God to be merciful, when you yourself have not yet been merciful to those who have sinned against you? Deriding such a thing, a certain wise man says: A man harbors anger against a man, and does he seek healing from the Lord? He has no mercy on a man like himself, and does he plead for his own sins? He, being flesh, maintains wrath, and who will atone for his sins? I wished to be silent from now on, and to stop my discourse at what has been said; so ashamed and blushing am I to proceed further; for as the discourse proceeds, it shows more clearly this war which we have undertaken against the commandments of Christ, and this undeclared enmity. But what is the benefit of our silence, when the facts so cry out the battle, and when, even before the facts, He who is to judge us knows all things clearly? Therefore, as to not laying up treasures on earth, but in heaven, one might find some, though few, who have done this well; for all the rest, as if they had heard the opposite, and had been commanded to lay up treasures on earth, have thus abandoned heaven and are devoted to all things on earth, and are mad for the collection of money, and hating God, they love mammon; but as for, Do not be anxious about tomorrow, I know of no one who has either heard or been persuaded, because of our little faith. For this reason, covering my face, I will pass over this commandment. For Christ ought to have been believed even when simply making a statement; but now, not even after giving irrefutable arguments and bringing forward examples, both of the birds and of the grass, is he believed by us, but like the Gentiles, and perhaps even more faintheartedly, we are tormented with anxiety for these things, and although commanded not even to pray for them, we spend all our energy on them. Therefore, this commandment, as I said, I will pass over, blushing; and I will come to what follows, if

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κενοδοξίας τυραννίδα, ἣν αὐτὸς μὲν διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ῥημάτων κατέλυσεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ηὐξήσαμεν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὰς εὐχὰς μόνον καὶ νηστείας καὶ τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἑλκύσαντες αὐτῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ παντὸς μᾶλλον ἀργυρωνήτου τῇ μανίᾳ ταύτης ὑποθέντες ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὸ πᾶσιν εἶναι δῆλον, παρίημι, τοσοῦτον εἰπὼν, ὅτι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ μὲν εἰς ἐσχάτην καταφρόνησιν ἐκδόντες ἑαυτοὺς, οὐδενὶ τῶν προστεταγμένων προσέχουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἐκ βραχείας μοίρας ὑπακούειν θελήσαντες, καί τινας τῶν ἐντολῶν φυλάξαι σπουδάσαντες, καὶ οὗτοι πάλιν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις ζημίαν κατέστρεψαν, διὰ τὸ μὴ θελῆσαι τῆς κενοδοξίας ἀποδύσασθαι τοὺς δεσμούς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὐδὲ ὅλως δίδωσιν ἐλεημοσύνην, ὁ δὲ παρέχων μὲν τοῖς δεομένοις τινὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ, μετὰ κενοδοξίας δὲ τοῦτο ποιῶν, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τοῦ μὴ δεδωκότος διάκειται. Οὕτως ἅπαντας πανταχόθεν εἰς τὰς ἑαυτοῦ παγίδας ἐνέβαλεν ὁ Πονηρός. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ ταύτην δυνηθείη διεκδῦναι τὴν βλάβην, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπονοίας κατασχεθεὶς, πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ πτῶμα κατέπεσε, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον· οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο ζημιωθεὶς μόνον, ὅπερ ἐποίησεν, ἄπεισιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κακόν τι προσλαβών. Πολλοὺς δὲ ἔγωγε οἶδα, οὐ ταύταις μόνον ἁλισκομένους ταῖς αἰτίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ φιλεῖν καὶ διὰ τὸ δυσωπεῖσθαι, καὶ δι' ἑτέρας πολλὰς τοιαύτας ἐπαρκοῦντας προφάσεις τοῖς δεομένοις, οὐ διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον καὶ τὴν ἐντολῆν. Τοσούτων οὖν ὄντων τῶν λυμαινομένων ταῖς πράξεσι ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς, τίς ταχέως σωθῆναι δυνήσεται τῶν τούτοις περιπεπτωκότων τοῖς κακοῖς;

εʹ. Τὸ δὲ, Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν, τίς ἄρα ὁ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐρῶν; Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν ἀδικήσωμεν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν πληγὴν ἀνίατον ἔχομεν. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐχ οὕτως ἀφιέναι βούλεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τοὺς πρώτους τῶν φίλων αὐτοὺς ἀριθμεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν, καθὼς ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ ὑπερεύχεσθαι 47.401 τούτων προσέταξεν. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀδικῇς μὲν μηδὲν, ἀποστρέφῃ δὲ, καὶ οὐχ ἡδέως ὁρᾷς, καὶ τὸ τραῦμα ἔχῃς ἐνακμάζον σου τῇ ψυχῇ, οὔπω τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐποίησας, ἣν προσέταξέ σοι ὁ Χριστός. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὸς ἵλεων γενέσθαι τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλεῖς. τοῖς εἰς σὲ πεπλημμεληκόσιν οὔπω γεγονὼς ἵλεως αὐτός; Τὸ τοιοῦτον καί τις σοφὸς διασύρων φησίν· Ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ συντηρεῖ ὀργὴν, καὶ παρὰ Κυρίου ζητεῖ ἴασιν; ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον τὸν ὁμότιμον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεος, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ δεῖται; αὐτὸς σὰρξ ὢν διατηρεῖ μῆνιν, καὶ τίς ἐξιλάσεται τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ; Ἐβουλόμην σιγῆσαι λοιπὸν, καὶ μέχρι τῶν εἰρημένων στῆσαι τὸν λόγον· οὕτως αἰσχύνομαι καὶ ἐρυθριῶ περαιτέρω προελθεῖν· τὸν γὰρ πόλεμον τοῦτον, ὃν ἠράμεθα πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν τὴν ἀκήρυκτον, προϊὼν ὁ λόγος τρανότερον δείκνυσιν. Ἀλλὰ τί τὸ κέρδος ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας σιγῆς, τῶν πραγμάτων οὕτω βοώντων τὴν μάχην, καὶ πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων δὲ αὐτῶν τοῦ μέλλοντος κρίνειν ἡμᾶς πάντα εἰδότος σαφῶς; Τὸ μὲν οὖν μὴ θησαυρίζειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ, εἰ καὶ ὀλίγους, ὅμως εὕροι τις ἂν κατωρθωκότας καλῶς· οἱ γὰρ λοιποὶ πάντες ὥσπερ τοὐναντίον ἀκούσαντες, καὶ παραγγελθέντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς θησαυρίζειν, οὕτως ἀφιέντες τὸν οὐρανὸν, προστετήκασιν ἅπασι τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων μαίνονται συλλογὴν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν μισήσαντες, ἀγαπῶσι τὸν μαμωνᾶν· τὸ δὲ, Μὴ μεριμνήσητε περὶ τὴν αὔριον, οὐδένα οὔτε ἀκούσαντα, οὔτε πεισθέντα οἶδα ἐγὼ διὰ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν ἡμῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ταύτην ἐγκαλυψάμενος παρελεύσομαι τὴν ἐντολήν. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἁπλῶς ἀποφαινόμενον πιστεύεσθαι τὸν Χριστόν· νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ λογισμοὺς ἀναντιῤῥήτους εἰπὼν, καὶ ὑποδείγματα παραγαγὼν, τό τε τῶν ὀρνίθων καὶ τοῦ χόρτου, πιστεύεται παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ὁμοίως τοῖς ἔθνεσι, τάχα δὲ καὶ μικροψυχότερον ὑπὲρ τῆς τούτων φροντίδος δακνόμεθα, καὶ μηδὲ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν κελευσθέντες, ἅπασαν περὶ ταῦτα τὴν σπουδὴν ἀναλίσκομεν. Ταύτην οὖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἐρυθριάσας παρελεύσομαι τὴν ἐντολήν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἥξω, εἴ