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RULE 19 That one ought not to hinder one who is doing the will of God, whether according to God's commandment, or according to reason following the commandment; nor indeed should the one doing it tolerate those who

hinder, even if they are kinsmen, but should persist in the decision. Chapter 1. MATTHEW. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the

Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent him, saying: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answering said to him: "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness," and what follows ... From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying: "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he, turning, said to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men." MARK. And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them: "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ACTS. And when we had stayed there many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, and taking Paul's belt, and binding his own feet and hands, he said: "Thus says the Holy Spirit: 'This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" When we heard these things, both we and the local people urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul answered: "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus." And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, saying: "The will of the Lord be done." 1 THESSALONIANS. Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, and do not please God 31.736 and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, so as to fill up their sins always; but the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. That one who does a commandment of God not from a sound disposition, but who nevertheless in appearance preserves the precision of the Lord's teaching, one ought not to hinder, because as far as the deed is concerned no one is harmed, and sometimes some are even benefited by it; but one should advise him to have a mindset worthy of the achievement. Chapter 2. MATTHEW. Therefore, when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing; so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you in the open. And likewise concerning prayer. MARK. But John answered him, saying: "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, who does not follow with us, and we forbade him, because he does not follow us." But Jesus said: "Do not forbid him; for there is no one who will perform a mighty work in my name, and be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he who is not against us is for us." TO THE PHILIPPIANS. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to cause affliction to my

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ΟΡΟΣ ΙΘʹ Ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ἐμποδίζειν τῷ ποιοῦντι θέλημα Θεοῦ, εἴτε κατ' ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ, εἴτε κατὰ λόγον ἀκολου θοῦντα τῇ ἐντολῇ· οὔτε μὴν ποιοῦντα ἀνέχεσθαι τῶν

κωλυόντων, κἂν γνήσιοι ὦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπιμένειν τῇ κρίσει. Κεφάλ. Αʹ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΣ. Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν

Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην, τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν, λέγων· Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρὸς μέ; Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἄφεςἄρτι· οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἡμῖν ἐστι πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ... Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς δεικνύειν τοῖς μα θηταῖς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς Ἱερο σόλυμα, καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν πρε σβυτέρων, καὶ ἀρχιερέων, καὶ γραμματέων· καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι. Καὶ προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος, ἤρξατο ἐπι τιμᾷν αὐτῷ λέγων· Ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο. Ὁ δὲ, στραφεὶς, εἶπε τῷ Πέτρῳ· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων. ΜΑΡΚΟΣ. Καὶ προσέφερον αὐτῷ παιδία, ἵνα αὐτῶν ἅψηται. Οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἐπετίμων τοῖς προσ φέρουσιν. Ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἠγανάκτησε, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς μὲ, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ. Ἐπι μενόντων δὲ ἡμέρας πλείους, κατῆλθέ τις ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας προφήτης ὀνόματι Ἄγαβος. Καὶ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἄρας τὴν ζώνην Παύ λου, καὶ δήσας ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖ ρας, εἶπε· Τάδε λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Τὸν ἄνδρα, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη αὕτη, οὕτω δήσουσιν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ παραδώσουσιν εἰς χεῖρας ἐθνῶν. Ὡς δὲ ἠκούσαμεν ταῦτα, παρεκα λοῦμεν ἡμεῖς τε καὶ οἱ ἐντόπιοι, τοῦ μὴ ἀναβαί νειν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἀπεκρίθη δὲ ὁ Παῦλος· Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες, καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν; Ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ μόνον δεθῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ἑτοίμως ἔχω ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. Μὴ πειθομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, ἡσυχάσαμεν εἰπόντες· Τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου γενέσθω. ΠΡΟΣ ΘΕΣΣ. αʹ. Τῶν καὶ τὸν Κύριον ἀποκτεινάντων Ἰησοῦν, καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους προφήτας, καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιωξάντων, καὶ Θεῷ μὴ ἀρεσκόν 31.736 των, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐναντίων, κωλυόντων ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἔθνεσι λαλῆσαι, ἵνα σωθῶσιν, εἰς τὸ ἀναπληρῶσαι αὐτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας πάντοτε· ἔφθασε δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος. Ὅτι τὸν ποιοῦντα ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ μὴ ἐκ διαθέσεως ὑγιοῦς, κατά γε μὴν τὸ φαινόμενον σώζοντα τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλίας, κωλύειν μὲν οὐ χρὴ διὰ τὸ ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι μηδένα βλάπτεσθαι, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ ὠφελεῖσθαί τινας ἐξ αὐ τοῦ· παραινεῖν δὲ αὐτῷ ἀξίαν τοῦ κατορθώματος ἔχειν τὴν διάνοιαν. Κεφάλ. Βʹ. ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΣ. Ὅταν οὖν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ῥύ μαις, ὅπως δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἀ μὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. Σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου· ὅπως ᾖ σου ἡ ἐλεημο σύνη ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ ὁ Πατήρ σου, ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, ἀποδώσει σοι αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. Καὶ περὶ προσευχῆς ὁμοίως. ΜΑΡΚΟΣ. Ἀπεκρίθη δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων· ∆ιδάσκαλε, εἴδομέν τινα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐκβάλλοντα δαιμόνια, ὃς οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐκω λύσαμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ ἡμῖν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπε· Μὴ κωλύετε αὐτόν· οὐδεὶς γάρ ἐστιν, ὃς ποιήσει δύναμιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ δυνή σεται ταχὺ κακολογῆσαί με. Ὃς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι καθ' ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστι. ΠΡΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠ. Τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐ δοκίαν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσιν. Οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀγά πης, εἰδότες, ὅτι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου κεῖμαι· οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας Χριστὸν καταγγέλλου σιν, οὐχ ἁγνῶς, οἰόμενοι θλίψιν ἐπιφέρειν τοῖς