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to say, because you have sinned? Say them every day in your prayer. And what? For do I not say it? Tell the fellow-servant who reproaches you, tell God who heals them. For if you do not say them, God is not ignorant of them. For does he wish to learn them from you? When you were doing them, he was present; when you were working them, he was standing by, he knew. You were working, and you were not ashamed. The deeds that shame you, you were not ashamed of, and the words that justify you, are you ashamed of? Say it here, so that you do not say it there. Say it, and weep. Your sins are written in a book; your tears are a sponge. Weep, and they are wiped away; weep, and the book there is found clean. A great sponge are the tears for sins; great is the power of tears. Shall I tell you how much tears avail? What seems to you to be a great accomplishment? But pay close attention to what I say. What seems to you to be the great accomplishment? You will say, martyrdom. For greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. The greatest accomplishment of martyrdom is that the martyrs pour out blood. For the deeds of the martyrs are manifest. The martyrs pour out blood, sinners pour out tears. And that you may learn how much power tears have, did the prostitute pour out blood? Did she not pour out a fountain of tears, and wipe away her sins? And why do I speak of a prostitute, an unclean woman? The pillar of the Church, the foundation of the faith, the head of the chorus of the apostles, Peter, did he not deny Christ once and twice and thrice? Did he pour out blood? Did he not pour out fountains of tears, and weep, and wipe away his sin? And I know my iniquity. Do you not have a book in the house, and write the daily account? Have a book in your conscience, and write your daily sins. For instance, I say: When you lie down on your bed, and no one is disturbing you, before sleep comes upon you, bring the book into the midst, and recount your sins, saying to yourself: Did I sin today? in word, or in deed? 6. This also the prophet exhorts: Be angry, and do not sin; what you say in your hearts, be pricked on your beds. During the day you have no leisure; but both fear of rulers, and conversation with companions, and care of business, and provision for children's upbringing, and care of a wife, and care of the table, and countless matters distract you. But when you come to your bed, to the waveless harbor, and no one disturbs you, say to your heart and to your soul: We have spent the day today, O soul; what good have we done, or what evil have we committed? and remember Gehenna, so that by fear you may add to the good, and do away with the evil. If you are in your bed, and remember your sins, 55.582 weep, and you can wipe them away in your bed. Beseech your God, and so send your soul off to sleep, testifying to your sins. Give an account to him, and your God will give an account to you. What is heavy, what is burdensome, lying in bed, to recount the daily sins? And when you recount, hang your thought, scrape it, open it with the fear of Gehenna, bring upon it an incision that has no pain, make a dreadful tribunal for yourself, make your thought lighter, so that on the next day you may become more hesitant about committing sins. For I know my iniquity; and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned, and done evil in your sight. What is it that you say? I was a king, I feared you alone. I was a king, I did not fear the one who was wronged. He was my soldier, he could not punish me; but I am concerned because of you, lest you should demand an accounting from me. Against you only have I sinned, and

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εἰπεῖν, διότι ἥμαρτες; Λέγε αὐτὰ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ σου. Καὶ τί; μὴ γὰρ λέγω; Εἰπὲ τῷ συνδούλῳ τῷ ὀνειδίζοντί σε, εἰπὲ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ θεραπεύον τι αὐτά. Οὐ γὰρ, ἐὰν μὴ εἴπῃς, ἀγνοεῖ αὐτὰ ὁ Θεός. Μὴ γὰρ παρὰ σοῦ βούλεται αὐτὰ μαθεῖν; Ὅτε ἔπραττες αὐτὰ, παρῆν· ὅτε εἰργάζου αὐτὰ, παρίστατο, ἠπίστατο. Εἰργάζου, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνου. Τὰ πράγματα τὰ καται σχύνοντά σε οὐκ ᾐσχύνθης, καὶ τὰ ῥήματα τὰ δικαιοῦντά σε αἰσχύνῃ; Εἰπὲ ὧδε, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ εἴπῃς. Εἰπὲ, καὶ δάκρυσον. Ἐν βιβλίῳ γέγραπται τὰ ἁμαρτήματά σου· σπόγγος ἐστὶ τὰ δάκρυά σου. ∆άκρυσον, καὶ ἐξαλείφον ται· δάκρυσον, καὶ εὑρίσκεται καθαρὸν ἐκεῖ τὸ βιβλίον. Μέγας σπόγγος τὰ δάκρυα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν· μεγάλη ἡ δύναμις τῶν δακρύων. Εἴπω σοι, πόσον ἰσχύει τὰ δά κρυα; Τί δοκεῖ σοι εἶναι μέγα κατόρθωμα; Ἀλλὰ πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ὃ λέγω. Τί δοκεῖ σοι μέγα εἶναι τὸ κατόρθωμα; Τὸ μαρτύριον ἐρεῖς· Μείζονα γὰρ ταύ της ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἢ ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. Μέγιστον κατόρθωμα τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ὅτι αἷμα ἐκχέουσιν οἱ μάρτυρες. Φανερὰ γὰρ τὰ πράγματα τῶν μαρτύρων. Οἱ μάρτυρες ἐκχέουσιν αἷμα, οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐκχέουσι δάκρυα. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅσην δύναμιν ἔχει τὰ δάκρυα, ἡ πόρνη μὴ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν; οὐ πηγὴν δακρύων ἐξέχεε, καὶ ἐξήλειψε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα; Καὶ τί λέγω πόρνην, ἀκάθαρτον γυναῖκα; Ὁ στῦλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἡ κρηπὶς τῆς πίστεως, ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὁ Πέτρος, οὐκ ἠρνήσατο τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ τρίς; μὴ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν; οὐ πηγὰς δακρύων ἐξέχεε, καὶ ἔκλαυσε, καὶ ἀπεσμήξατο αὐτοῦ τὸ ἁμάρτημα; Καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω. Οὐκ ἔχεις βιβλίον ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, καὶ γράφεις τὸν λόγον τὸν καθημερινόν; Ἔχε βιβλίον ἐν τῷ συνειδότι, καὶ γράφε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τὰ καθημερινά. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὅταν ἀναπέσῃς εἰς τὴν κλίνην σου, καὶ μηδείς σου διενοχλῇ, πρὸ τοῦ ἐπελθεῖν τὸν ὕπνον, ἄγαγε τὸ βιβλίον ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ ἀναλόγισαί σου τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, λέγων ἐν ἑαυτῷ· Ἆρα μὴ ἥμαρτον σήμερον; μὴ ἐν λόγῳ, ἢ ἐν ἔργῳ; ςʹ. Τοῦτο παραινεῖ καὶ ὁ προφήτης· Ὀργίζεσθε, καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ἃ λέγετε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἄγεις σχολήν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχόντων φόβος, καὶ ἑταίρων ὁμιλία, καὶ πραγμάτων φροντὶς, καὶ παιδοτροφίας πρόνοια, καὶ γυναικὸς ἐπιμέλεια, καὶ φροντὶς τραπέζης, καὶ μυρία σε περιέλκει πράγματα. Ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν εὐνὴν ἔλθῃς, ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα τὸν ἀκύμαντον, καὶ μηδείς σοι διενοχλῇ, εἰπὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ τῇ σῇ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ· Ἀνηλώσαμεν τὴν ἡμέραν σήμερον, ὦ ψυχή· τί ἀγαθὸν εἰργασάμεθα, ἢ τί πονηρὸν ἐπράξαμεν; καὶ μνήσθητι τῆς γεέννης, ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ προσθῇς τῷ ἀγαθῷ, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἀνέλῃς. Ἐὰν ᾖς ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ, καὶ ἀναμνησθῇς σου τὰ ἁμαρτή 55.582 ματα, δάκρυσον, καὶ δύνασαι ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ ἐξαλεῖψαι αὐτά. Παρακάλεσον τὸν Θεόν σου, καὶ οὕτω παράπεμψον τὴν ψυχήν σου τῷ ὕπνῳ, μαρτυράμενος τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα. Ποίησον αὐτῷ λόγον, καὶ ὁ Θεός σου ποιήσει σοι λόγον. Τί βαρὺ, τί ἐπαχθὲς, ἐπικείμενον ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ τὰ καθημερινὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀναλογίζεσθαι; Καὶ ὅταν ἀναλογίσῃ, κρέμασόν σου τὸν λογισμὸν, ξέσον αὐτὸν, ἄνοιγε αὐτὸν τῷ φόβῳ τῆς γεέννης, ἐπάγαγε αὐτῷ τομὴν οὐκ ἔχουσαν ὀδύνην, δικαστήριον ποίησον σεαυτῷ φοβε ρὸν, κουφότερον ποίησον τὸν λογισμὸν, ἵνα καὶ τῇ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ ὀκνηρότερος γένῃ περὶ τὸ πράττειν τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα. Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ γινώσκω· καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία μου ἐνώπιόν μου ἐστὶ διὰ παντός. Σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα. Τί ἐστιν ὃ λέγεις; Βασιλεὺς ἤμην, σὲ ἐφοβούμην μό νον. Βασιλεὺς ἤμην, οὐκ ἐφοβούμην τὸν ἠδικημένον. Στρατιώτης μου ἦν, κολάσαι με οὐκ ἐδύνατο· ἀλλὰ φροντίζω διὰ σὲ, μὴ σύ με ἀπαιτήσῃς εὐθύνας. Σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον, καὶ