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Whether it is permitted or profitable for anyone to give himself license, and to do or say what he thinks is good, without the testimony of the divinely-inspired Scriptures. RESPONSE. Our Lord Jesus Christ says concerning 31.1081 the Holy Spirit: For he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears, this he will speak; and concerning himself: The Son can do nothing on his own; and again: Because I have not spoken from myself, but the Father who sent me, he himself gave me a command, what I should say, and what I should speak; and I know that his command is eternal life; what therefore I speak, just as the Father has told me, so I speak. Who would fall into such madness, as to dare anything from himself, even so much as to conceive a thought, who needs the guidance of the holy and good Spirit, so that he may be directed into the way of truth in thought and word and deed, but is blind and lives in darkness, without the sun of righteousness, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who illuminates, as with rays, by his own commandments? For the commandment of the Lord, it says, is far-shining, enlightening the eyes. And since of the actions or words that occur among us, some are distinguished by the commandment of God in holy Scripture, and others are passed over in silence; concerning those that are written, no authority at all has been given to anyone, either to do any of the things forbidden, or to omit any of the things commanded, since the Lord once commanded, and said: And you shall keep the word which I command you today; you shall not add to it, and you shall not take away from it. For there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume those who dare such a thing; but concerning those things passed over in silence, the apostle Paul set forth a rule for us, saying: All things are lawful for me, but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own, but each one that of the other. So that in every word it is necessary either to be subject to God according to his commandment, or to others on account of his commandment. For it is written: Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. And the Lord says: Whoever wishes to be great among you, let him be the last of all, and the servant of all; manifestly alienated from his own wishes in imitation of the Lord himself who says: I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

QUESTION 2. What confession must be required from one another by those who wish to live together according to God. RESPONSE. That which was set forth 31.1084 by the Lord to everyone who approaches, when he said: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. And what power each of these has is stated in the question concerning it.

QUESTION 3. How shall we turn back one who sins, or how must we treat one who does not turn back. RESPONSE. As we are commanded by the Lord, who said: If your brother sins, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother; but if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector. If then this happens, this punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a one, as the Apostle wrote: Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching; and again: But if anyone does not obey our word through the epistle, take note of him; and do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

QUESTION 4. If someone troubles the brothers even for small sins, saying, you ought to repent, is he not himself unmerciful, and does he not destroy love. RESPONSE. Since the Lord has affirmed that one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled, and has declared that for every idle word that men shall speak, they will give account of it

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Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἢ συμφέρει τινὶ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέπειν, καὶ ποιεῖν ἢ λέγειν ἃ νομίζει καλὰ, ἄνευ τῆς μαρτυρίας τῶν θεοπνεύστων Γραφῶν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος περὶ 31.1081 μὲν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· Οὐ γὰρ λαλήσει ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅσα ἂν ἀκούσῃ, ταῦτα λαλήσει· περὶ δὲ ἑαυτοῦ· Οὐ δύναται ὁ Υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν· καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλάλησα, ἀλλ' ὁ πέμψας με Πατὴρ, αὐτός μοι ἐντολὴν ἔδωκε, τί εἴπω, καὶ τί λαλήσω· καὶ οἶδα, ὅτι ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιός ἐστιν· ἃ οὖν λαλῶ ἐγὼ, καθὼς εἴρηκέ μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτω λαλῶ· τίς ἂν εἰς τοσαύτην ἐξέλθῃ μανίαν, ὥστε ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τολμῆσαί τι καὶ μέχρις ἐννοίας λαβεῖν, ὃς ὁδηγοῦ μὲν τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἀγαθοῦ Πνεύματος χρείαν ἔχει, ἵνα κατευθυνθῇ εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κατά τε νοῦν καὶ λόγον, καὶ πρᾶξιν, τυφλὸς δὲ καὶ ἐν σκό τει διάγει, ἄνευ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ φωτίζοντος, ὥσπερ ἀκτῖσι, ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἐντολαῖς; Ἡ γὰρ ἐντολὴ Κυ ρίου, φησὶ, τηλαυγὴς, φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμούς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν στρεφομένων πραγμά των ἢ ῥημάτων τὰ μέν ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ Γραφῇ διεσταλμένα, τὰ δὲ σεσιωπη μένα· περὶ μὲν τῶν γεγραμμένων οὐδεμία ἐξουσία δέδοται καθόλου οὐδενὶ, οὔτε ποιῆσαί τι τῶν κεκω λυμένων, οὔτε παραλεῖψαί τι τῶν προστεταγμένων, τοῦ Κυρίου ἅπαξ παραγγείλαντος, καὶ εἰπόντος· Καὶ φυλάξῃ τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐντέλλομαί σοι σή μερον· οὐ προσθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἀφελεῖς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Φοβερὰ γάρ τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως, καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μέλλοντος τοὺς τοιοῦτόν τι τολ μῶντας· περὶ δὲ τῶν σεσιωπημένων κανόνα ἡμῖν ἐξέθετο ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλος εἰπών· Πάντα μοι ἔξ εστιν, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντα οἰκοδομεῖ. Μηδεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητείτω, ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἕκαστος. Ὥστε παντὶ λόγῳ ἐπάναγκες ᾖ ἢ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποτάσσεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν αὐτοῦ, ἢ ἄλλοις διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν αὐτοῦ. Γέγραπται γάρ· Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Κύριός φησιν· Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι μέγας, ἔστω πάντων ἔσχατος, καὶ πάν των δοῦλος· ἀπηλλοτριωμένος δηλονότι τῶν ἰδίων θελημάτων κατὰ μίμησιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Βʹ. Ποίαν ὁμολογίαν ἀπαιτεῖσθαι δεῖ παρ' ἀλλήλων τοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ζῇν κατὰ Θεὸν βουλομένους. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου παντὶ τῷ προσερχομένῳ προ 31.1084 ταθεῖσαν, εἰπόντος· Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλ θεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. Τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον οἵαν ἔχει δύναμιν εἴρηται ἐν τῷ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐρωτήματι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Γʹ. Τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα πῶς ἐπιστρέψομεν, ἢ μὴ ἐπι στρέφοντα πῶς ἔχειν χρή. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὡς προστετάγμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε, ἔλεγξον αὐ τὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. Ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσῃ, παράλαβε μετὰ σοῦ ἔτι ἕνα ἢ δύο, ἵνα ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων ἢ τριῶν σταθῇ πᾶν ῥῆμα. Ἐὰν δὲ παρακούσῃ αὐτῶν εἰπὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρακούσῃ, ἔστω σοι ὡς ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης. Ἐὰν ἄρα γένηται τοῦτο, Ἀρκετὸν τῷ τοιούτῳ ἡ ἐπιτιμία αὕτη ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν πλειόνων, τοῦ Ἀποστό λου γράψαντος· Ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλε σον ἐν πάσῃ μακροθυμίᾳ, καὶ διδαχῇ· καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ δέ τις οὐχ ὑπακούει τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν, διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τοῦτον σημειοῦσθε· καὶ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐντραπῇ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ∆ʹ. Ἐάν τις καὶ εἰς τὰ μικρὰ ἁμαρτήματα στενο χωρῇ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, λέγων, ὅτι Ὀφείλετε μετανοῆσαι, μήποτε καὶ αὐτὸς ἄσπλαγχνός ἐστι, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καταλύει. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου διαβεβαιωσαμένου μὲν, ὅτι ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται, ἀποφηναμένου δὲ, ὅτι Πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν, ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἀποδώσουσι περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον