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of the healing of the one who suspects the one entrusted with the care of all, so that what was said by the Apostle may come to pass: That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

QUESTION 20. Whether it is necessary for one who has been convicted of sins to avoid fellowship with the heterodox, or also to be separated from those who live wickedly. ANSWER. The Apostle having said, That you keep away from every brother who is walking in a disorderly manner, and not according to the tradition which they received from us, in general for everyone, all fellowship with any forbidden thing, in mind and word and deed, is harmful and dangerous. But those convicted of sins must be even more careful. First, because the soul that has become accustomed to sin is, for the most part, more prone to slip into it; then, because, just as in the case of those whose bodies are weak the care involves stricter observation, so as to often abstain even from things that benefit the healthy; so also in the case of those whose soul is sick, there is need of much greater precaution and care. And how great is the harm from fellowship with sinners, the same Apostle shows by saying on such a subject: A little leaven leavens the whole lump. But if in the case of those who err in morals the harm is so great, what must one say about 31.1097 those who hold wrong opinions about God, whom their wrong opinion does not allow to be sound in other things either, being once for all delivered through it to dishonorable passions? as is shown from many places and from what is said in the Epistle to the Romans concerning some, thus: And since they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a debased mind, to do what ought not to be done; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, did not understand that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.

QUESTION 21. From where do distraction and evil thoughts come; and how shall we correct them. ANSWER. Distraction comes from the idleness of the mind when it is not occupied with necessary things. The mind is idle and careless from unbelief in the presence of God, who tests hearts and minds. For if it believed this, it would certainly do what was said: I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. And he who accomplishes this and things like it will never dare, nor will he have leisure to reason about anything that is not ordered to the building up of faith, even if it seems to be good, much less about things forbidden, and not pleasing to God.

QUESTION 22. From where do unseemly nocturnal fantasies come. ANSWER. They come from the strange movements of the soul during the day. But if in the study of the judgments of God their soul is purified, and is in continual meditation on things that are good and pleasing to God, such also will its dreams be.

QUESTION 23. Up to what kind of words is idle talk judged. ANSWER. In general, every word that does not contribute to the 31.1100 need at hand in the Lord, is idle. And so great is the danger of such a word, that, even if what is said is good, but it is not ordered to the building up of faith, the speaker does not find his safety in the goodness of the word, but in that the word spoken was not ordered to edification, he grieves the Holy Spirit of God. For this clearly

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θεραπείας τοῦ ὑποπτευομένου τὸν ἐπιτεταγμένον τὴν πάντων ἐπιμέλειαν, ὅπως γένηται τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· Ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χρι στῷ Ἰησοῦ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Κʹ. Εἰ χρὴ τὸν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐξετασθέντα φεύγειν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἑτεροδόξους κοινωνίαν, ἢ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ζῶντας διακρίνεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος, Στέλλεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν, ἣν παρέλαβον παρ' ἡμῶν, καθόλου παντὶ πᾶσα κοινωνία παντὸς ἀπ ηγορευμένου πράγματος κατά τε νοῦν καὶ λόγον, καὶ πρᾶξιν ἐπιβλαβὴς καὶ ἐπικίνδυνος. Τοὺς δὲ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐξετασθέντας καὶ πλέον ἀκριβεύεσθαι χρή. Πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι ὀλισθηροτέρα ἡ ψυχὴ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστόν ἐστιν, ἡ ἐν συνηθείᾳ ταύτης γενομένη· ἔπειτα δὲ, ὅτι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ σώματα ἀσθενούντων ἡ ἐπιμέλεια τὴν ἐπιτήρη σιν ἀκριβεστέραν ἔχει, ὡς καὶ τὰ ὠφελοῦντα τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας παραιτεῖσθαι πολλάκις· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀῤῥωστησάντων πολὺ πλείονος χρεία τῆς παραφυλακῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπιμελείας. Ὅση δέ ἐστιν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας κοινωνίας ἡ βλάβη, παρίστησιν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἀπόστολος ἐπὶ τοιαύ της ὑποθέσεως εἰπών· Μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἠθικοῖς σφαλ λομένων τοσαύτη ἐστὶν ἡ βλάβη, τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ 31.1097 τῶν περὶ Θεοῦ κακοδοξούντων, οὓς ἡ κακοδοξία οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑγιαίνειν ἐᾷ, παραδιδομένους ἅπαξ δι' αὐτὴν τοῖς τῆς ἀτιμίας πάθεσιν; ὡς πολλαχόθεν δείκνυται καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους εἰρημέ νων περί τινων οὕτως· Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἓν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθ ήκοντα· πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ, πορνείᾳ, πονηρίᾳ, πλεονεξίᾳ, κακίᾳ· μεστοὺς φθόνου, φόνου, ἔριδος, δόλου, κακοηθείας· ψιθυριστὰς, καταλάλους, θεοστυγεῖς, ὑβριστὰς, ὑπερηφάνους, ἀλαζόνας, ἐφευρετὰς κακῶν, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀσυνέτους, ἀσυνθέτους, ἀστόργους, ἀσπόν δους, ἀνελεήμονας· οἵτινες, τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες, οὐκ ἐνόησαν ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσὶν, οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράσσουσιν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΑʹ. Πόθεν ὁ μετεωρισμὸς καὶ οἱ διαλογισμοί· καὶ πῶς αὐτοὺς διορθωσόμεθα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Γίνεται ὁ μετεωρισμὸς ἀπὸ ἀργίας τοῦ νοῦ μὴ ἀσχολουμένου περὶ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα. Ἀργεῖ δὲ ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἀμεριμνεῖ ἐξ ἀπιστίας τοῦ παρεῖναι τὸν Θεὸν, ἐτάζοντα καρδίας καὶ νεφρούς. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐπίστευε, πάντως ἐποίει τὸ εἰρημένον· Προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντὸς, ὅτι ἐκ δε ξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ. Ὁ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτῳ κατορθῶν οὔτε τολμήσει ποτὲ, οὔτε ἕξει σχολὴν διαλογίσασθαί τι τῶν μὴ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πίστεως οἰκονομουμένων, κἂν ἀγαθὸν εἶναι δοκῇ, οὐχ ὅτι γε τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων, καὶ μὴ ἀρεσκόντων Θεῷ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΒʹ. Πόθεν αἱ νυκτεριναὶ φαντασίαι αἱ ἀπρεπεῖς γί νονται. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Γίνονται μὲν ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ἡμέραν ἀλλοκότων τῆς ψυχῆς κινημάτων. Ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῇ σχολῇ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων καθαρεύσῃ ἡ ἐκείνων ψυχὴ, καὶ ἐν μελέτῃ γένηται διηνεκεῖ τῶν καλῶν καὶ ἀρεσκόν των Θεῷ, τοιαῦτα ἕξει καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΓʹ. Ἕως ποίων ῥημάτων ἡ ἀργολογία κρίνεται. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Καθόλου πᾶν ῥῆμα, τὸ μὴ συντελοῦν πρὸς τὴν 31.1100 προκειμένην ἐν Κυρίῳ χρείαν, ἀργόν ἐστι. Καὶ το σοῦτός ἐστι τοῦ τοιούτου ῥήματος ὁ κίνδυνος, ὅτι, κἂν ἀγαθὸν ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον, μὴ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν δὲ τῆς πίστεως οἰκονομῆται, οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἀγαθότητι τοῦ ῥήματος ὁ λαλήσας ἔχει τὸ ἀκίνδυνον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ μὴ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν οἰκονομῆσαι τὸ ῥηθὲν, λυπεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ σαφῶς