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of you, as you yourself will also be judged by the same measures. For this reason, do not cut quickly, nor alienate the member, it being unclear, lest through this you should inflict some harm on what is healthy; but admonish, rebuke, exhort. You have a rule of healing. You are a disciple of Christ, the meek and philanthropic one, who bore our infirmities. Even if he resists the first time, be patient; even if the second time, do not despair. there is still time for healing; even if the third time, become a philanthropic husbandman; still entreat the Master, not to cut down, 36.209 nor to hate the barren and useless fig tree, but to turn it, and to tend it, and to put dung around it, the correction through confession, and public shame, and a more dishonorable treatment. Who knows if it will change, and bear fruit, and feed Jesus returning from Bethany?

31. Bear some of your brother's stench, whether it be real or supposed, you who are anointed with the spiritual myrrh, compounded by the art of the perfumer, so that you may impart to him your fragrance. Malice is not a viper's venom, that as soon as you are struck you should be seized with pains, or even perish, and for this reason you should be excused for fleeing the beast, or killing it. But if you are able, heal him too; if not, you at least have the safety of not partaking of the wickedness yourself. His passion is a disagreeable odor, which your overpowering fragrance will perhaps drive away. You would quickly accept something of this kind for your fellow-servant and kinsman, such as Paul the zealot dared both to conceive and to say, that he himself, if possible, be offered up in place of Israel to Christ, out of compassion; you who often cut off your brother out of mere suspicion. The one whom you might have gained by kindness, you destroy by your rashness, your own member, for whom Christ died. If, therefore, you are strong, says Paul, speaking about foods, and you are confident in your reason and in the nobility of your faith, yet build up your brother also. Do not by your food destroy him who has been honored by Christ with the common passion. For even if the matter is different, yet the reasoning of the exhortation is similarly useful.

32. And there ought to be a law among us, just as among the ancient wise men of the Hebrews, that some of the sacred books should not be released to the young, as being unprofitable for souls that are still unestablished and more tender; so too, the discourse concerning the faith should not be conceded to everyone, nor at all times, but on certain occasions, and to certain people, I mean, to those who are not completely careless and sluggish in mind, or to those who are not too insatiable, and ambitious, and more fervent than is proper in piety; and to place some here, where they will neither 36.212 harm themselves, nor others when they are placed; and that the moderate in speech, and the truly orderly and sober, should have freedom in discourse; but to lead the many away from this path, and from the love of talk and the sickness that now possesses them, and to turn them to another, less dangerous form of virtue, where carelessness is less harmful, and insatiability is more pious.

33. For if, just as there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, the Father of all, and through all, and in all, so also there was some one way of salvation, that through reason and contemplation, and that those who had fallen from this must sin entirely, and be cast away from God, and from the hope that comes from thence; there would be nothing more perilous than either giving such advice or being persuaded by it. But if, just as in human affairs, there are many differences of lives and choices, greater and lesser, more brilliant and more obscure, so also in divine things, it is not one thing that saves, nor is there one path of virtue, but several, and of there being many mansions with God, this which is so often spoken of, and lies on everyone's tongue, the cause is none other than this, that there are many ways leading thither, some more dangerous and more brilliant, others more humble and safer; why the safer

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σου, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς μέτροις κρινόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὴ ταχέως τέμῃς, μηδὲ ἀλλοτριώσῃς τὸ μέλος, ἄδηλον, εἰ μὴ διὰ τούτου προσλυμανῇ τι τῷ ὑγιαίνοντι· ἀλλὰ νουθέτησον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον. Ἔχεις ἰατρείας κανόνα. Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς εἶ, τοῦ πράου καὶ φιλανθρώπου, καὶ τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν βαστάσαντος. Κἂν τὸ πρῶτον ἀντιβῇ, μακροθύμησον· κἂν τὸ δεύτερον, μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς. ἔτι καιρὸς θεραπείας· κἂν τὸ τρίτον, γενοῦ φιλάνθρωπος γεωργός· ἔτι τοῦ ∆εσπότου δεήθητι, μὴ ἐκκόψαι, 36.209 μηδὲ μισῆσαι τὴν ἄκαρπον συκῆν καὶ ἀνόνητον, ἀλλ' ἐπιστρέψαι, καὶ θεραπεῦσαι, καὶ περιβαλεῖν κόπρια, τὴν δι' ἐξαγορεύσεως, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ φανερὸν αἰσχύνης, καὶ ἀτιμοτέρας ἀγωγῆς, ἐπανόρθωσιν. Τίς οἶδεν, εἰ μεταβαλεῖ, καὶ καρποφορήσει, καὶ θρέψει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπὸ Βηθανίας ἐπανερχόμενον;

ΛΑʹ. Ἔνεγκέ τι τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ δυσωδίας, ἢ οὔσης, ἢ δοκούσης, ὁ τῷ πνευματικῷ μύρῳ συγκεχρισμένος, τῷ συντεθειμένῳ τέχνῃ μυρεψικῇ, ἵνα μεταδῷς τούτῳ τῆς σῆς εὐωδίας. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐχίδνης ἱὸς ἡ κακία, ἵν' ὁμοῦ τῷ πληγῆναι περιβληθῇς ὁδύναις, ἢ καὶ διαφθαρῇς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ᾖ σοι συγγνώμη φεύγοντι τὸ θηρίον, ἢ ἀποκτείνοντι. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν εἶ δυνατὸς, κἀκεῖνον θεράπευσον· εἰ δὲ μὴ, τό γε ἀσφαλὲς ἔχεις, ἐν τῷ μηδὲν αὐτὸς τῆς μοχθηρίας μεταλαβεῖν. Ὀσμή τίς ἐστιν ἀηδὴς τὸ ἐκείνου πάθος, ἣν ἀπελάσει τυχὸν τὸ σὸν εὐῶδες ὑπερνικῆσαν. Ταχὺ ἂν ἐδέξω τι τοιοῦτον ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὁμοδούλου καὶ συγγενοῦς, οἷον Παῦλος ὁ ζηλωτὴς, καὶ διανοηθῆναι, καὶ εἰπεῖν ἐτόλμησεν, ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ οἷόν τε, τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀντεισαχθῆναι Χριστῷ, διὰ τὸ συμπαθές· ὅς γε καὶ ἐξ ὑπονοίας πολλάκις μόνης, ἀποτέμνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν. Ὃν ἴσως ἐκέρδανας ἂν τῇ χρηστότητι, τοῦτον ἀπολλύεις τῇ θρασότητι, τὸ σὸν μέλος, ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἰσχυρὸς εἶ, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος περὶ βρωμάτων διαλεγόμενος, καὶ θαῤῥεῖς τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ γενναίῳ τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οἰκοδόμησον. Μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου κατάλυε τὸν ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ τῷ κοινῷ πάθει τετιμημένον. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ὅ γε τῆς παραινέσεως λόγος ὁμοίως χρήσιμος.

ΛΒʹ. Χρῆν δὲ καὶ νόμον κεῖσθαι παρ' ἡμῖν, καθάπερ τοῖς πάλαι σοφοῖς Ἑβραίων, ἔστιν ἃς τῶν ἱερῶν βίβλων μὴ ἀνεῖσθαι τοῖς νέοις, ὡς οὐ λυσιτελούσας ταῖς ἀστηρίκτοις ἔτι καὶ ἁπαλωτέραις ψυχαῖς· οὕτω καὶ μηδὲ παντὶ, μηδὲ πάντοτε, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε, καὶ οἷς, τὸν περὶ πίστεως συγχωρεῖσθαι λόγον, τοῖς μὴ παντελῶς ὀλιγώροις λέγω, καὶ νωθροῖς τὴν διάνοιαν, ἢ τοῖς μὴ λίαν ἀπλήστοις, καὶ φιλοτίμοις, καὶ θερμοτέροις τοῦ δέοντος εἰς εὐσέβειαν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τάττειν ἐνταῦθα. οὗ μήτε 36.212 ἑαυτοὺς βλάψωσι, μήτε ἄλλους ταττόμενοι· καὶ τὴν ἐν λόγοις ἐλευθερίαν ἔχειν τοὺς μετρίους ἐν λόγῳ, καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς κοσμίους καὶ σώφρονας· τοὺς πολλοὺς δὲ ἀπάγειν τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης, καὶ τῆς νῦν κατεχούσης φιλολαλιᾶς καὶ ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλο τι τρέπειν ἀρετῆς εἶδος ἀκινδυνότερον, ἔνθα καὶ τὸ ὀλίγωρον ἧττον βλαβερὸν, καὶ τὸ ἄπληστον εὐσεβέστερον.

ΛΓʹ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ, ὥσπερ εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα, εἷς Θεὸς, ὁ Πατὴρ πάντων, καὶ διὰ πάντων, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν, οὕτω καὶ μία τις ἦν σωτηρίας ὁδὸς, ἡ διὰ λόγου καὶ θεωρίας, καὶ ταύτης ἐκπεσόντας, ἔδει τοῦ παντὸς ἁμαρτεῖν, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφθῆναι Θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδος· οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν, οὔτε τοῦ συμβουλεύειν τὰ τοιαῦτα, οὔτε τοῦ πείθεσθαι σφαλερώτερον. Εἰ δὲ, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις, πολλαὶ διαφοραὶ βίων καὶ προαιρέσεων, μειζόνων τε καὶ ἡττόνων, λαμπροτέρων καὶ ἀφανεστέρων, οὕτω κἀν τοῖς θείοις, οὐχ ἕν τι τὸ σῶζόν ἐστιν, οὐδὲ μία τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδὸς, ἀλλὰ πλείονες, καὶ τοῦ πολλὰς εἶναι μονὰς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, τούτου δὲ τοῦ θρυλλουμένου, κἀν ταῖς πάντων κειμένου γλώσσαις, οὐκ ἄλλο τι ἢ τοῦτο αἴτιον, τὸ πολλὰς εἶναι τὰς ἐκεῖσε φερούσας ὁδοὺς, τὰς μὲν ἐπικινδυνοτέρας τε καὶ λαμπροτέρας, τὰς δὲ ταπεινοτέρας τε καὶ ἀσφαλεστέρας· τί τὰς ἀσφαλεστέρας