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of a humbled spirit, this makes one who achieves great things to fear and tremble more than sinners. For that he thus trembled and was afraid, hear him saying: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? For he knew, he knew clearly, that we are answerable to God for many debts, and that the smallest of sins are worthy of great punishment; he knew, foreseeing from above the things which Christ was to legislate when he came; he believed that a harsh 47.418 judgment is laid down not only for murders, but also for insults and revilings and evil thoughts and laughter and untimely speech and jesting and even smaller things. For this reason Paul also, although conscious of nothing against himself, said: I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not thereby justified. Why so? Because even if he had done no evil, as indeed he had not, he did not consider that he had fulfilled the measure of the honor at least owed to God. For even if we should die ten thousand times, even if we should display every virtue, we have not rendered the worthy return for the honors bestowed on us by God. For see: needing nothing from us, but being sufficient to Himself, He brought us who were not into being, He breathed into us a soul, such as to none of those on the earth, He planted a paradise, He stretched out heaven, He laid the earth beneath, He lit bright luminaries, and He adorned the earth with lakes and springs and rivers and flowers and plants, and having spangled the heaven with the varied choir of stars, He made the night no less useful to us than the day on account of the rest and strength that come from sleep. For this nourishes our bodies no less than food; and it is clear from this: for one might often see people enduring many days of hunger, but of sleep, it is not possible for even a few. And cooling and dissolving the heat that arises during the day, both from the sun's ray and from daily toils, it thus raises us up again, vigorous for our labors; and in the winter season, by the length of its course it provides us with even more rest and warmth, compelling us to be indoors. And the darkness has not been allotted to this time simply or idly, but for the sake of greater rest. Just as, then, loving mothers, when they wish to put their restless children to sleep, having placed them in their own arms, and having covered their faces with their little tunic, lull them to sleep; so also God, having spread the darkness over the inhabited world like a curtain, makes men cease from their labors. For if this were not so, we would all have been torn apart by excessive meddlesomeness or love of money and by labors; but as it is, it releases us from our sweats even against our will. But this law gives rest not only to our bodies, but also to the soul, no less than to the bodies. For what could one say of the calm in this time, the quiet, and how all things are full of silence, and are free from disturbances, and it is not possible to hear any cry as in the day, of some lamenting poverty, others crying out against insolence, others bewailing bodily illness and maimings, and some the death of their kin, others the loss of money, others some other human thing; and these things are many; from all of these, as from mighty waves, the night snatches away the race of men and brings it to rest in her own harbor. And through the night, indeed, so many are the good things for us; but through the day, these things which we all know. What could one say of the ease of intercourse with one another which is ours? For so that the length of the journey might not be a deterrent to association with one another, God has opened up for us a shorter way, the sea, everywhere on earth, so that as a house

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τεταπεινωμένου πνεύματος, τοῦτο ποιεῖ μεγάλα κατορθοῦντα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν μᾶλλον δεδοικέναι καὶ τρέμειν. Ὅτι γὰρ ἔτρεμε μὲν οὕτω καὶ ἐδεδοίκει, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃς, Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; Ἤδει γὰρ, ᾔδει σαφῶς, ὅτι πολλῶν ἐσμεν ὀφλημάτων ὑπεύθυνοι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ὅτι τὰ μικρότατα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μεγάλης ἀξιοῦται τιμωρίας· ἔγνω προορῶν ἄνωθεν ἅπερ ἔμελλε νομοθετεῖν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλθών· οὐ φόνων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕβρεων καὶ λοιδοριῶν καὶ ἐννοιῶν πονηρῶν καὶ γέλωτος καὶ ἀκαίρου λόγου καὶ εὐτραπελίας καὶ τῶν ἔτι μικροτέρων χαλεπὴν κεῖσθαι 47.418 τὴν δίκην ἐπίστευε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, καίτοι μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς, ἔλεγεν· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι καὶ εἰ μηδὲν κακὸν αὐτῷ εἴργαστο, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ εἴργαστο, τῆς γοῦν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ὀφειλομένης τιμῆς οὐχ ἡγεῖτο πεπληρωκέναι τὸ μέτρον. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις ἀποθάνωμεν, κἂν πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδειξώμεθα, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀποδεδώκαμεν τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ὑπηργμένων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμῶν. Ὅρα γάρ· Οὐδενὸς τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν δεόμενος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἀρκῶν ἑαυτῷ, οὐκ ὄντας ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγε, ψυχὴν ἐνέπνευσεν, οἵαν οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, παράδεισον ἐφύτευσεν, οὐρανὸν ἔτεινε, γῆν ὑπεστόρεσε, φωστῆρας ἀνῆψε λαμπροὺς, καὶ τὴν μὲν γῆν λίμναις καὶ πηγαῖς καὶ ποταμοῖς καὶ ἄνθεσι κατεκόσμησε καὶ φυτοῖς, τὸν δὲ οὐρανὸν τῷ ποικίλῳ τῶν ἄστρων καταστίξας χορῷ, τῆς ἡμέρας ἡμῖν οὐχ ἧττον τὴν νύκτα χρησιμωτέραν εἰργάσατο διὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐγγινομένην ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ ἰσχύν. Τῶν γὰρ σιτίων οὐχ ἧττον ἡμῖν οὗτος τρέφει τὰ σώματα· καὶ δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· λιμοῦ μὲν γὰρ πολλάκις ἴδοι τις ἂν πολλὰς κατατολμῶντας ἡμέρας, ὕπνου δὲ οὐδὲ ὀλίγας δυνατόν. Καὶ τὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δὲ γενομένην φλόγα, τήν τε ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκτῖνος, τήν τε ἀπὸ τῶν μόχθων τῶν καθημερινῶν καταψύχων καὶ διαλύων, οὕτως ἀκμάζοντας πάλιν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τοὺς πόνους ἀνίστησι· χειμῶνος δὲ ὥρᾳ, τῷ μήκει τοῦ δρόμου καὶ ἐπιπλέον ἡμῖν παρέχει τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ τὸ θάλπος, ὑπωροφίους εἶναι καταναγκάζων. Καὶ τὸ σκότος δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῆ τούτῳ συγκεκλήρωται τῷ καιρῷ, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἀναπαύσεως πλείονος. Ὥσπερ οὖν αἱ φιλόστοργοι τῶν μητέρων, ὅταν κατευνάσαι τὰ παιδία βουληθῶσιν ἀλύοντα, ὑπὸ τὰς ἀγκάλας θεῖσαι τὰς ἑαυτῶν, καὶ τῷ χιτωνίσκῳ τὰς ὄψεις περιβαλοῦσαι, κατακοιμίζουσιν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, καθάπερ τι καταπέτασμα τὸ σκότος κατὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπλώσας, παύει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τῶν πόνων. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, ὑπὸ τῆς φιλοπραγμοσύνης ἢ φιλαργυρίας τῆς ἄγαν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν πόνων ἅπαντες ἂν διεσπάσθημεν· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς τῶν ἱδρώτων ἀνίησιν. Οὐ τὰ σώματα δὲ ἡμῖν ἀνίησι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν οὗτος ὁ νόμος τῶν σωμάτων οὐχ ἧττον. Τί γὰρ ἄν τις λέγοι τὴν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ γαλήνην, τὴν ἡσυχίαν, καὶ πῶς ἅπαντα γέμει σιγῆς, καὶ θορύβων ἐστὶ καθαρὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι κραυγῆς τινος καθάπερ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, τῶν μὲν πενίαν ὀδυρομένων, τῶν δὲ ἐπήρειαν καταβοώντων, τῶν δὲ ἀῤῥωστίαν σώματος καὶ πηρώσεις θρηνούντων, καὶ τῶν μὲν θάνατον τῶν οἰκείων, τῶν δὲ ζημίαν χρημάτων, τῶν δὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων· πολλὰ δὲ ταῦτά ἐστιν· ὧν τούτων ἁπάντων καθάπερ τρικυμιῶν ἐξαρπάσασα πρὸς τὸν αὑτῆς ἀναπαύει λιμένα τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος ἡ νύξ. Καὶ διὰ μὲν τῆς νυκτὸς τοσαῦτα ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά· διὰ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ταῦτα, ἅπερ ἅπαντες ἴσμεν. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν πρὸς τὰς ἐπιμιξίας εὐκολίαν γινομένην ἡμῖν; Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας τὸ μῆκος ἀποτροπὴ γίγνοιτο τῆς συνουσίας τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐπιτομωτέραν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν τὴν θάλασσαν ἀνῆκε πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ὥσπερ οἶκον