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25. Let us imitate the highest and first law of God, who sends rain on the just and on sinners, and makes His sun to rise on all alike; who spread out the land freely for all land-creatures, and springs, and rivers, and forests; the air for winged creatures, and water for those whose life is in the water, and granted the first necessities of life abundantly to all, not held by power, not circumscribed by law, not kept apart by boundaries; but he set them forth as common, the same for all and rich, and in no way deficient on this account; honoring the equal dignity of nature by the equality of His gift, and showing the wealth of His own goodness. But men, having dug up gold, and silver, and as much soft clothing as is beyond need, and transparent stones, or anything else of that sort, which are tokens of war, and faction, and the first tyranny, then 35.892 through folly raise their brows, and shut off mercy from their unfortunate kinsmen, not even willing to help with their superfluities in necessary things, (O the lack of culture! O the awkwardness!) not even, if nothing else, considering this, that poverty and wealth, and freedom, as we call it, and slavery, and such names, entered later into the human race, like certain common sicknesses rushing in along with wickedness, and being its inventions. But from the beginning, He says, it was not so; but He who formed man from the beginning, left him free and with free will, ruled only by the law of the commandment, and rich in the delight of paradise; having both willed and granted this also to the rest of the human race through the one first seed. And freedom and wealth was the keeping of the commandment alone; but true poverty and slavery, its transgression.

26. But from the time that envy, and strife, and the deceitful tyranny of the serpent, ever luring with the bait of pleasure, and setting the more audacious against the weaker, kinship was shattered into the strangeness of names, and greed cut up the nobility of nature, taking on also law as an ally of its power. But you, look for me to the first equality, not the last division; not the law of the conqueror, but that of the creator. Help nature according to your ability, honor the ancient freedom, respect yourself, cover over the dishonor of our race, succor the sickness, comfort the want; you who are healthy, you who are rich, for him who is sick, for him who is poor; you who have not stumbled, for him who has fallen and been broken; you who are cheerful, for him who is disheartened; you who prosper in right-handed things, for him who labors in left-handed things. Give something to God as a thank-offering, that you have become one of those who are able to do good, and not one of those needing to receive it; that you do not look to the hands of others, but others to yours. Be rich not only in substance, but also in piety; not only in gold, but also in virtue, or rather in this alone. Become more honorable than your neighbor, by appearing more good; become a god to the unfortunate, by imitating the mercy of God.

27. For in nothing does man 35.893 possess so much of God as in doing good; even if one does greater good, and another less, each, I think, according to his own ability. He made, and having dissolved, He gathers again; but you, do not overlook one who has fallen. He showed mercy in the greatest things, giving in addition to all a law, prophets, and before these, the unwritten natural law, an examiner of things done, having convicted, admonished, instructed; lastly, giving himself as a ransom for the life of the world; granting apostles, evangelists, teachers, pastors, healings, wonders, a return to life, the destruction of death, a trophy against the victor, the covenant in shadow, the covenant in truth, distributions of the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the new salvation. But you, if you are able indeed to do the greater things, and those by which a soul is benefited

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ΚΕʹ. Μιμησώμεθα νόμον Θεοῦ τὸν ἀνωτάτω καὶ πρῶτον, ὃς βρέχει μὲν ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς, ἀνατέλλει δὲ πᾶσιν ὁμοίως τὸν ἥλιον· γῆν δὲ χερ σαίοις πᾶσιν ἥπλωσεν ἄνετον, καὶ κρήνας, καὶ πο ταμοὺς, καὶ ὕλας· ἀέρα δὲ πτηναῖς φύσεσι, καὶ ὕδωρ ὅσοις ὁ βίος ἔνυδρος, καὶ τὰς πρώτας τοῦ ζῇν ἀφορμὰς ἀφθόνους ἅπασιν ἐχαρίσατο, οὐ δυναστείᾳ κρατουμένας, οὐ νόμῳ περιγραφομένας, οὐχ ὁρίοις διειργομένας· ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινὰς τὰς αὐτὰς καὶ πλουσίας, καὶ οὐδὲν παρὰ τοῦτο ἐνδεεστέρας προέθη κεν· τό τε τῆς φύσεως ὁμότιμον ἰσότητι τῆς δωρεᾶς τιμῶν, καὶ δεικνὺς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ χρη στότητος. Ἄνθρωποι δὲ χρυσὸν, καὶ ἄργυρον, καὶ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ὅση μαλακὴ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν, καὶ τῶν λίθων τοὺς διαυγεῖς κατορύξαντες, εἴτε τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτον, ἃ πολέμου, καὶ στάσεως, καὶ τῆς πρώ της τυραννίδος ἐστὶ γνωρίσματα, ἔπειτα αἴρουσι 35.892 τὴν ὀφρὺν ὑπὸ ἀνοίας, καὶ τοῖς ἀτυχοῦσι τῶν συγ γενῶν τὸν ἔλεον ἀποκλείουσιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς περιττοῖς εἰς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα βοηθεῖν θέλοντες, (ὢ τῆς ἀπαιδευσίας! ὢ τῆς σκαιότητος!) οὐδ' εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, ἐκεῖνό γε ἐνθυ μούμενοι, ὅτι πενία καὶ πλοῦτος, ἐλευθερία τε, ἥν φαμεν, καὶ δουλεία, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὕστερον ἐπεισῆλθε τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥσπερ ἀῤῥωστήματα κοινά τινα τῇ κακίᾳ συνεισπεσόντα, κἀκείνης ὄντα ἐπινοήματα. Ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δὲ, φησὶν, οὐ γέγονεν οὕτως· ἀλλ' ὁ πλάσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐλεύθερον ἀφῆκε καὶ αὐτεξούσιον, νό μῳ τῷ τῆς ἐντολῆς μόνῳ κρατούμενον, καὶ πλούσιον ἐν παραδείσου τρυφῇ· τοῦτο καὶ τῷ λοιπῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων βουληθείς τε καὶ χαρισάμενος δι' ἑνὸς τοῦ πρώτου σπέρματος. Ἐλευθερία δὲ καὶ πλοῦτος, ἡ τῆς ἐντολῆς μόνη τήρησις ἦν· πενία δὲ ἀληθὴς καὶ δουλεία, ἡ ταύτης παράβασις.

Κςʹ. Ἀφ' οὗ δὲ καὶ φθόνοι, καὶ ἔριδες, καὶ ἡ δολερὰ τοῦ ὄφεως τυραννὶς, ἀεὶ τῷ λίχνῳ τῆς ἡδονῆς ὑποσύρουσα, καὶ ἐπανιστῶσα τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις τοὺς θρασυτέρους, ἐῤῥάγη τὸ συγγενὲς εἰς ὀνομάτων ἀλλοτριότητας, καὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως εὐγενὲς πλεονε ξία κατέτεμε, προσλαβοῦσα καὶ νόμον, τῆς δυ ναστείας ἐπίκουρον. Ἀλλὰ σὺ βλέπε μοι τὴν πρώτην ἰσονομίαν, μὴ τὴν τελευταίαν διαίρεσιν· μὴ τὸν τοῦ κρατήσαντος νόμον, ἀλλὰ τὸν τοῦ κτίσαντος. Βοήθησον κατὰ δύναμιν τῇ φύσει, τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἐλευ θερίαν τίμησον, αἰδέσθητι σαυτὸν, συγκάλυψον τῷ γένει τὴν ἀτιμίαν, ἐπάρκεσον τῇ νόσῳ, τὴν ἔνδειαν παραμύθησαι· ὁ εὐρωστῶν, ὁ πλουτῶν, τὴν τοῦ νοσοῦντος, τὴν τοῦ πενομένου· ὁ μὴ προσπταί σας, τὴν τοῦ πεσόντος καὶ συντριβέντος· ὁ εὐθυμῶν, τὴν τοῦ ἀθυμοῦντος· ὁ τοῖς δεξιοῖς εὐθηνούμενος, τοῦ τοῖς ἀριστέροις κάμνοντος. ∆ός τι τῷ Θεῷ χαριστήριον, ὅτι τῶν εὖ ποιεῖν δυναμέ νων ἐγένου, ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν εὖ παθεῖν δεομένων· ὅτι μὴ βλέπεις εἰς ἀλλοτρίας χεῖρας, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς σὰς ἕτεροι. Πλούτησον μὴ περιουσίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐσέβειαν· μὴ τὸ χρυσίον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀρε τὴν, μᾶλλον δὲ ταύτην μόνον. Γενοῦ τοῦ πλη σίον τιμιώτερος, ἐκ τοῦ φανῆναι χρηστότερος· γε νοῦ τῷ ἀτυχοῦντι θεὸς, τὸν ἔλεον Θεοῦ μιμησάμε νος.

ΚΖʹ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως, ὡς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν, ἄνθρωπος 35.893 ἔχει Θεοῦ· κἂν ὁ μὲν μείζω, καὶ ὁ δὲ ἐλάττω εὐεργετῇ, ἑκάτερος, οἶμαι, κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν. Ὁ μὲν ἐποίησε, καὶ λύσας συνάγει πάλιν· σὺ δὲ πεσόντα μὴ παρίδῃς. Ὁ μὲν ἠλέ ησεν εἰς τὰ μέγιστα, δοὺς ἐπὶ πᾶσι νόμον, προ φήτας, καὶ πρὸ τούτων, τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον ἄγραφον, τῶν παραττομένων ἐξεταστὴν, ἐλέγξας, νουθετήσας, παιδαγωγήσας· τὸ τελευταῖον, λύτρον ἑαυτὸν παρα δοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς· χαρισάμενος ἀπο στόλους, εὐαγγελιστὰς, διδασκάλους, ποιμένας, ἰά σεις, τέρατα, ἐπάνοδον πρὸς ζωὴν, θανάτου κατάλυ σιν, τρόπαιον κατὰ τοῦ νικήσαντος, διαθήκην τὴν ἐν σκιᾷ, διαθήκην τὴν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, Πνεύματος ἁγίου με ρισμοὺς, τὸ τῆς καινῆς σωτηρίας μυστήριον. Σὺ δὲ, εἰ μὲν καὶ τὰ μείζω δυνατὸς εἶ, καὶ οἷς εὐεργε τεῖται ψυχὴ