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8

having for a little while consoled themselves with cold reasonings, they will kindle for themselves a flame greater than that of Gehenna, when, having become more slothful, they then go away from there and see each of their own sins giving an account. And that you may learn that this is true, and that evil deeds damage the firmness of faith, hear what Paul says, writing to Timothy: "That you might war," he says, "a good warfare, holding faith, and a good conscience" (and a good conscience would come from an upright life and actions); "which some having put away," he says, "concerning faith have made shipwreck." And again elsewhere: "The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith." Do you see that both those were shipwrecked for this reason, and these erred for this reason, because the former rejected a good conscience, and the latter took hold of the love of money? Having considered all these things with exactness, let us take care for a most excellent way of life, so that our reward may be twofold, one, that prepared from the recompense of our works, and the other, from the firmness according to faith. For what food is to the body, this a way of life is to faith; and just as the nature of our flesh could not be maintained 51.281 without food, so neither can faith without good works; for "faith without works is dead." One thing remains to be said, what is, "The same"? For he did not say simply, "having the Spirit of faith," but what? "Having the same Spirit of faith." And I wished indeed to elaborate on this in my discourse; but since I see many rivers of thoughts flowing out of this bare phrase, I am afraid lest by the multitude of what is about to be said I should overwhelm all that has been said, and make the teaching useless to you by harming you through its lack of measure. Wherefore, stopping my discourse here, I exhort and beseech you to keep with exactness what has been said, all that you have heard concerning a way of life, 51.282 and faith, and virginity, and love for mankind, and almsgiving, and holding these things securely, to come to the hearing of what is to come. For thus will the building of what has been said be firm and unshakable for us, when, the former things being well fixed in your minds, we add the latter. And may God who gave us to say these things, and you to hear them with readiness, deign also that you show forth the fruit through works, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, for to Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. On the apostolic saying that says, "But having the same Spirit of faith, according to that which is written;" and against the Manichaeans, and all those who

slander the Old Testament and separate it from the New, and concerning almsgiving.

1. I owe you an old debt of apostolic explanation; but this debt you perhaps have forgotten on account of the time, but I have not forgotten it on account of my longing for you. For such is love; it is a sleepless and careful thing; and not only do those who love carry the beloved in their mind, but they also have a more exact memory than those who are about to receive, of whatever they have promised to give them. Thus also a loving mother, having kept leftovers from the table for her own children, even if they happen to have forgotten, she at least will not forget, but having guarded them with all haste, she brings them forth and feeds the hungry. But if mothers are so loving toward their offspring, much more we toward your

8

ψυχρῶν λογισμῶν πρὸς βραχὺ παραμυθησάμενοι, μείζονα τῆς γεέννης ἀνάψουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν φλόγα, ὅταν γενόμενοι ῥᾳθυμότεροι, εἶτα ἀπελθόντες ἐκεῖ θεάσωνται τῶν ἑαυτοῖς πεπλημμελημένων ἕκαστον αὐτὸν διδόντα εὐθύνας. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, καὶ πράξεις πονηραὶ τῇ τῆς πίστεως λυμαίνονται στεῤῥότητι, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος τῷ Τιμοθέῳ γράφων· Ἵνα στρατεύσῃ, φησὶ, τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν, ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν (ἡ δὲ ἀγαθὴ συνείδησις ἀπὸ βίου καὶ πράξεων ὀρθῶν γένοιτ' ἄν)· ἥν τινες ἀπωσάμενοι, περὶ τὴν πίστιν, φησὶν, ἐναυάγησαν. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν τῆς πίστεως. Εἶδες ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι ἐναυάγησαν διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ οὗτοι διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεπλανήθησαν, ἐπειδὴ οἱ μὲν τὴν ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν ἀπώσαντο, οὗτοι δὲ τῆς φιλαργυρίας ἐπελάβοντο; Ἅπερ ἅπαντα λογισάμενοι μετ' ἀκριβείας, ἐπιμελώμεθα πολιτείας ἀρίστης, ὥστε γενέσθαι διπλοῦν ἡμῖν τὸν μισθὸν, ἕνα μὲν, τὸν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἔργων ἀμοιβῆς ἡτοιμασμένον, ἕτερον δὲ, τὸν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν στεῤῥότητος. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τροφὴ τῷ σώματι, τοῦτο ἡ πολιτεία τῇ πίστει· καὶ καθάπερ ἡ τῆς σαρκὸς φύσις τῆς ἡμετέρας οὐκ ἂν διακρα 51.281 τηθείη χωρὶς τροφῆς, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων ἀγαθῶν· Χωρὶς γὰρ ἔργων ἡ πίστις νεκρά. Ἓν ὑπολέλειπται λοιπὸν εἰπεῖν, τι ποτέ ἐστι, Τὸ αὐτό; Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, ἔχοντες τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἔχοντες τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως. Καὶ ἐβουλόμην μὲν ἐπεξελθεῖν καὶ τοῦτο τῷ λόγῳ· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοὺς ποταμοὺς ὁρῶ νοημάτων ἐκ τῆς ψιλῆς ταύτης ῥήσεως ἐξιόντας, δέδοικα μὴ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ῥηθήσεσθαι μελλόντων τὰ εἰρημένα ἐπικλύσας ἅπαντα, ἄχρηστον ὑμῖν ποιήσω τὴν διδασκαλίαν διὰ τῆς ἀμετρίας ὑμῖν λυμηνάμενος. ∆ιόπερ ἐνταῦθα στήσας τὸν λόγον, παρακαλῶ καὶ δέομαι τά τε εἰρημένα μετ' ἀκριβείας φυλάττειν, ὅσα περὶ πολιτείας, 51.282 καὶ πίστεως, καὶ παρθενίας, καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης ἠκούσατε, καὶ ταῦτα κατέχοντας ἀσφαλῶς, πρὸς τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ἀκρόασιν ἀπαντῆσαι. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν στεῤῥὰ καὶ ἄσειστος ἔσται ἡ τῶν εἰρημένων οἰκοδομὴ, ὅταν, τῶν προτέρων καλῶς πεπηγότων ἐν ταῖς ὑμετέραις διανοίαις, τὰ δεύτερα ἐπεμβάλωμεν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ὁ καὶ ἡμῖν ταῦτα εἰπεῖν δοὺς, καὶ ὑμῖν μετὰ προθυμίας ἀκοῦσαι, καταξιώσειε καὶ τὸν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξασθαι καρπὸν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν. Εἰς τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ῥῆσιν τὴν λέγουσαν, "Ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον·" καὶ πρὸς Μανιχαίους, καὶ πάντας τοὺς

διαβάλλοντας τὴν Παλαιὰν καὶ διαιροῦντας αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Καινῆς, καὶ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης.

αʹ. Ἀποστολικῆς ὑμῖν ἐξηγήσεως χρέος ὀφείλω παλαιόν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ χρέος ὑμεῖς μὲν ἴσως ἐπιλέλησθε διὰ τὸν χρόνον, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐπιλέλησμαι διὰ τὸν περὶ ὑμᾶς πόθον. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀγάπη· ἄγρυπνόν τι χρῆμα, καὶ μεμεριμνημένον ἐστί· καὶ οὐχὶ τοὺς φιλουμένους μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας περιφέρουσιν οἱ φιλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα ἂν αὐτοῖς ὑπόσχωνται δώσειν, τῶν μελλόντων ἀπολαμβάνειν ἀκριβέστερον τὴν μνήμην ἔχουσιν. Οὕτω καὶ μήτηρ φιλόστοργος τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῆς λείψανα τραπέζης διατηρήσασα, κἂν ἐκεῖνοι τύχωσιν ἐπιλαθόμενοι, αὕτη γε οὐκ ἐπιλήσεται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σπουδῆς αὐτὰ διαφυλάξασα πάσης, εἰς μέσον φέρει καὶ διατρέφει πεινῶντας. Εἰ δὲ μητέρες οὕτω περὶ τὰ ἔκγονα φιλόστοργοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς περὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν