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of all. Let us therefore prepare ourselves for that tribunal. For even if he who transgresses this law be ten thousand times admirable and great, he will certainly pay the penalty laid down for the transgression. For God is no respecter of persons. How then is it, and in what way, to flee the sin? For it is necessary not only to show that the charge is grievous, but also to advise how we may be delivered from it. Have you a wife, have you a servant, have you children, and a friend, and a relative, and a neighbor? Entrust to all these the watch over these things. Is habit difficult, and terrible to trip up, and hard to guard against, and does it often cast us down unwillingly and unknowingly? Therefore, inasmuch as you know the power of habit, be eager to be rid of the evil habit, and transfer yourself to the other, the most useful one. For just as that one often had the strength to trip you up when you were eager and on your guard and anxious and thoughtful, so if you transfer yourself to the good habit of not swearing, you will never be able, not even unwillingly nor carelessly, to fall into the stumbles of oaths. For habit is truly a great thing, and has the power of nature. So that we may not labor continually, let us transfer ourselves to another habit, and ask this favor of each of those who associate and are with you, that he may advise and exhort to flee oaths, and may reprove you when you are caught. For the watch over you on their part is also advice and exhortation for them to do right. For he who reproaches another concerning oaths will not easily fall into this abyss himself. For much swearing is no small abyss, not only when it is about the smallest things, but also when it is about the greatest matters. But we, even when buying vegetables and contending over two obols, and being angry with servants and threatening, call God as a witness everywhere. And you would not have dared to call a free man, who partook of some small dignity, as a witness for such things in the marketplace, but if you even tried, you would pay the penalty for the insolence. but the king of heaven, the Lord of angels, when speaking about purchases, and about money, and about 49.231 common things, you drag into testimony. And how are these things tolerable? From where, then, might we be delivered from this evil habit? Having set up the guards I mentioned, having set a fixed time for ourselves for correction, and having imposed a penalty, if after the time has passed we have not corrected this. How much time then will suffice us for this? I do not think that those who are exceedingly sober and roused and vigilant for their own salvation will need more than ten days, so as to be completely delivered from the evil habit of oaths. But if after the ten days we are found swearing, let us impose a penalty on ourselves, and let us set a very great punishment and penalty for the transgression. What then is the pe49.232nalty? I no longer define this, but I leave you yourselves to be masters of the vote. Let us thus manage our own affairs, not only concerning oaths, but also concerning our other faults, and setting a time for ourselves with the most grievous punishments, if ever we should fall into these, we shall depart pure to our Lord, and we shall be delivered from the Gehenna of fire, and with boldness we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. May it be that we all attain this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be the glory, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

49.231 SECOND CATECHESIS.

To those about to be enlightened; and concerning women who adorn themselves in braided hair and gold; and concerning the

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ἁπάντων. Πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τοίνυν παρασκευαζώμεθα τὸ δικαστήριον· κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις θαυμαστὸς ᾖ καὶ μέγας ὁ τὸν νόμον παραβαίνων τοῦτον, δώσει πάντως τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει κειμένην τιμωρίαν· οὐ γάρ ἐστι προσωπολήπτης ὁ Θεός. Πῶς οὖν ἔστι καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ φυγεῖν τὸ ἁμάρτημα; οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τὸ ἔγκλημα χαλεπὸν χρὴ δεῖξαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως ἂν ἀπαλλαγείημεν συμβουλεῦσαι. Ἔχεις γυναῖκα, ἔχεις οἰκέτην, ἔχεις παιδία, καὶ φίλον, καὶ συγγενῆ, καὶ γείτονα; πᾶσι τούτοις τὴν ἐπὶ τούτων ἐπίτρεψον φυλακήν. Χαλεπὸν ἡ συνήθεια, καὶ δεινὸν ὑποσκελίσαι, καὶ δυσφύλακτον, καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς πολλάκις καὶ οὐκ εἰδότας ἐμβάλλει; Οὐκοῦν ὅσῳ τῆς συνηθείας οἶδας τὴν δύναμιν, τοσούτῳ τῆς μὲν πονηρᾶς συνηθείας ἀπαλλαγῆναι σπούδασον, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν τὴν χρησιμωτάτην σεαυτὸν μετάστησον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ νῦν σπουδάζοντά σε καὶ φυλαττόμενον καὶ μεριμνῶντα καὶ φροντίζοντα ἴσχυσε πολλάκις ὑποσκελίσαι ἐκείνη, οὕτως ἂν εἰς τὴν ἀγαθὴν σαυτὸν συνήθειαν μεταστήσῃς τὴν τοῦ μὴ ὀμνύναι, οὐδὲ ἄκων, οὐδὲ ῥᾳθυμῶν ἐμπεσεῖν δυνήσῃ ποτὲ πρὸς τὰ τῶν ὅρκων πτώματα· μέγα γὰρ ὄντως συνήθεια, καὶ φύσεως ἔχει δύναμιν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ πονῶμεν συνεχῶς, ἑαυτοὺς εἰς συνήθειαν μεταστήσωμεν ἑτέραν, καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν σοι συγγινομένων καὶ συνόντων ταύτην αἴτησαι τὴν χάριν, ἵνα συμβουλεύῃ καὶ παραινῇ φεύγειν τοὺς ὅρκους, καὶ ἁλισκόμενον ἐλέγχῃ. Ἡ γὰρ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰς σὲ γινομένη φυλακὴ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐστι συμβουλὴ καὶ παραίνεσις τοῦ κατορθώματος. Ὁ γὰρ ἐγκαλῶν ἑτέρῳ περὶ ὅρκων, οὐ ῥᾳδίως αὐτὸς εἰς τὸ βάραθρον ἐμπεσεῖται τοῦτο· βάραθρον γὰρ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἡ πολυορκία, οὐχ ὅταν περὶ τῶν ἐλαχίστων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν περὶ μεγίστων γίνηται πραγμάτων. Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ λάχανα ὠνούμενοι καὶ ὑπὲρ ὀβολῶν δύο φιλονεικοῦντες, καὶ πρὸς οἰκέτας ὀργιζόμενοι καὶ ἀπειλοῦντες, τὸν Θεὸν πανταχοῦ καλοῦμεν μάρτυρα· καὶ ἄνθρωπον μὲν ἐλεύθερον, ἀξίας τινὸς μετασχόντα ψιλῆς οὐκ ἂν ἐτόλμησας ὑπὲρ τοιούτων καλέσαι μάρτυρα ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐπιχειρήσῃς, δίκην δώσεις τῆς ὕβρεως· τὸν δὲ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλέα, τὸν τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότην. καὶ περὶ ὠνίων, καὶ περὶ χρημάτων, καὶ περὶ τῶν 49.231 τυχόντων διαλεγόμενος, ἕλκεις εἰς μαρτυρίαν· καὶ πῶς ταῦτα ἀνεκτά; Πόθεν οὖν ἀπαλλαγείημεν ἐκ τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης συνηθείας; Τοὺς φύλακας οὓς εἶπον περιστήσαντες, χρόνον ῥητὸν ὁρίσαντες ἑαυτοῖς πρὸς διόρθωσιν, καὶ καταδίκην ἐπιθέντες, εἰ τοῦ χρόνου παρελθόντος μὴ κατορθώσαιμεν τοῦτο. Πόσος οὖν ἡμῖν χρόνος ἀρκέσει πρὸς τοῦτο; Οὐκ οἶμαι τοὺς σφόδρα νήφοντας καὶ διεγηγερμένους καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγρυπνοῦντας σωτηρίας πλέον ἡμερῶν δέκα δεηθήσεσθαι, ὥστε παντελῶς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς πονηρᾶς τῶν ὅρκων συνηθείας. Εἰ δὲ μετὰ τὰς δέκα ἡμέρας ὀφθείημεν ὀμνύντες, δίκην ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιθῶμεν, καὶ τιμωρίαν μεγίστην καὶ καταδίκην ὁρίσωμεν τῆς παραβάσεως. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ κα49.232 ταδίκη; Οὐκ ἔτι τοῦτο ὁρίζω ἐγὼ, ἀλλ' ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀφίημι κυρίους τῆς ψήφου εἶναι. Οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἰκονομῶμεν, μὴ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρκων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐλαττωμάτων, καὶ χρόνον ὁρίζοντες ἑαυτοῖς τιμωρίαις χαλεπωτάταις, εἴ ποτε περιπέσωμεν τούτοις, καθαροὶ πρὸς τὸν ἡμέτερον ἀπελευσόμεθα ∆εσπότην, καὶ τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς γεέννης ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας στησόμεθα ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

49.231 ΚΑΤΗΧΗΣΙΣ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑ.

Πρὸς τοὺς μέλλοντας φωτίζεσθαι· καὶ περὶ γυναικῶν τῶν ἐν πλέγμασι καὶ χρυσῷ κατακοσμουσῶν ἑαυτάς· καὶ περὶ τῶν