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being called to account for neglect. But since it is likely that one might offer every kind of therapy, while others are incurably sick, and do not accept the proffered healing, he necessarily adds: 19. And if you warn the lawless, and he does not turn from his way and from his lawlessness, that lawless man will die in his lawlessness, and you will save your soul. You will be innocent, he says, doing what is fitting, and contributing what is from your side; for even if his sickness remains incurable, he alone will pay the penalty for his disobedience. It is fitting to understand that he said the lawless man, remaining in his transgression, will be punished both above and here; whether he has one who warns him, that is, a teacher, or not; for nature is sufficient for the discernment of what is to be done; but teaching is offered out of abundance, as the divine goodness devises every resource for the salvation of men. 20. And when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits an offense, I will also lay a stumbling block before him; he shall die, because you did not warn him; he will die in his sins, because his righteous deeds which he did shall not be remembered for him, and I will require his blood from your hand. He did not simply say, If a righteous man sins, but, If he turns away from his righteousness, and commits an offense, that is, if he leaves the straight path on which he traveled, and turns to the other. For even the blessed David sinned, and committed very great sins; but he did not leave the path on which he traveled, but having stumbled and fallen, he rose again, and continued holding to the same journey. If therefore, he says, a righteous man, leaving his own path, embraces the opposite one, and you, knowing this, do not reprove the absurdity, nor hasten to lead him back to the former path, he will find the end of the second path a worthy one, having lost all his former labor; for he came to another 81.852 path, and the ends are opposite, and suited to the paths; for the end of the one is life, but of the other, death; therefore he will necessarily lose the profit of his former labors, having fallen to the end of the wicked path; but I will require his lost life from your hand, and I will exact penalties from you for your neglect. 21. But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, the righteous man will surely live, because you warned him, and you will save your own soul. For you work a double life, both for yourself and for him. For he through your suggestions escapes the abyss of destruction, and finds a worthy end to the path of righteousness; while you will be freed from accountability, and will escape the greatest danger, by caring for the salvation of your neighbor. These things are sufficient also to stir us up to diligence, and to prepare us to take all care of the brethren, and not to cease both saying and doing all things for their benefit, so that we may both flee the threatened punishment, and obtain the promised salvation, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. BOOK II. 22. And the hand of the Lord came upon me, and he said to me: Arise, and go out into the plain, and there it will be spoken to you. For quiet is suitable for the contemplation of divine things; for the mind, being freed from external distractions, and no longer being divided this way and that, but turning inward upon itself, is able to perceive divine things more accurately. 23, 24. And I arose, and went out into the plain; and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the vision, and like the glory, which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fall upon my face. And the Spirit came upon me, and set me on my feet. He more frequently enjoys the contemplation, so that he might become more zealous regarding the ministry of the word. It is fitting to understand that not even those exceedingly pure in mind were able to behold revelations 81.853 commensurate with human nature; just as, for instance, this prophet also, though he had already had experience of the vision, immediately falls upon seeing it, and needs the grace that raises him up. "And he spoke to me, and said to me.

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εἰσπραττόμενος ἀμελείας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰκὸς τὸν μὲν πᾶν εἶδος θεραπείας προσ φέρειν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνηκέστως νοσεῖν, καὶ τὴν προσ φερομένην μὴ προσδέχεσθαι ἰατρείαν, ἀναγκαίως ἐπιφέρει· ιθʹ. Καὶ σὺ ἐὰν διαστείλῃ τῷ ἀνόμῳ, καὶ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃ ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἄνομος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ ἀνομίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται, καὶ σὺ τὴν ψυχήν σου ῥύσῃ. Ἀθῶος, φησὶν, ἔσῃ τὰ προσήκοντα ποιῶν, καὶ τὰ παρὰ σαυτοῦ συνεισφέρων· κἂν γὰρ ἡ ἐκείνου νόσος ἀνίατος διαμείνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος τίσει τῆς ἀπειθείας τὴν τιμωρίαν. Προσήκει δὲ συνιδεῖν, ὅτι τὸν ἄνομον καὶ ἀνωτέρω κἀνταῦθα τιμωρηθήσεσθαι ἔφη τῇ παρανομίᾳ προσμένοντα· ἐάν τε ἔχῃ τὸν διαστέλ λοντα, τουτέστι τὸν διδάσκοντα, ἐάν τε καὶ μή· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἡ φύσις εἰς τὴν τοῦ πρακτέου διάκρισιν· ἐκ περιουσίας δὲ ἡ διδασκαλία προσφέρεται, τῆς θείας ἀγαθότητος πάντα πόρον εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν μηχανωμένης. κʹ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν δίκαιον ἀπὸ τῶν δικαιοσυνῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσει παράπτωμα, καὶ δώσω τὴν βάσανον εἰς πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς ἀποθανεῖται, ὅτι οὐ διεστείλω αὐτῷ· ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὑτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται, διότι οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν αὐτῷ αἱ δικαιοσύναι αὐτοῦ, ἃς ἐποίησεν, καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου ἐκζητήσω. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ δίκαιος, ἀλλ', Ἐὰν ἀποστρέψῃ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαιοσυνῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσῃ παράπτωμα, τουτέστιν, ἐὰν τὴν εὐ θεῖαν ὁδὸν ἣν ὥδευσεν καταλίπῃ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτέραν τραπῇ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ ἥμαρτε, καὶ μέγιστα ἁμαρτήματα ἐπλημμέλησεν· ἀλλ' οὐ κατέλιπεν ἣν ὥδευεν ὁδὸν, ἀλλὰ προσπταίσας καὶ πεσὼν ἀνέστη, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχόμενος διετέλεσε πορείας. Ἐὰν τοίνυν, φησὶ, καταλιπὼν δίκαιος τὴν οἰκείαν ὁδὸν, τὴν ἐναντίαν ἀσπάσηται, σὺ δὲ τοῦτο γνοὺς μὴ διελέγξῃς τὴν ἀτοπίαν, μηδὲ εἰς τὴν προ τέραν σπουδάσῃς ἐπαναγαγεῖν ὁδὸν, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἄξιον εὑρήσει τῆς δευτέρας ὁδοῦ τὸ τέλος, πάντα τὸν πρότερον ἀπολέσας πόνον· εἰς ἑτέραν γὰρ ἦλθεν 81.852 ὁδὸν, ἐναντία δὲ τὰ τέλη, καὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς πρόσφορα· τῆς μὲν γὰρ τέλος ζωὴ, τῆς δὲ θάνατος· οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαίως ἀπολέσει τῶν προτέρων πόνων τὸ κέρδος, πεσὼν εἰς τὸ τῆς πονηρᾶς ὁδοῦ τέλος· τὴν δὲ ἀπολωλυῖαν ἐκείνου ζωὴν ἐκ τῆς σῆς ἐκζητήσω χειρὸς, καὶ δίκας σὲ εἰσπράξομαι τῆς ἀμελείας. καʹ. Ἐὰν δὲ σὺ διαστείλῃ τῷ δικαίῳ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ ἁμάρτῃ, ὁ δίκαιος ζωῇ ζήσεται, ὅτι διεστείλω αὐτῷ, καὶ σὺ τὴν σεαυ τοῦ ψυχὴν ῥύσῃ. ∆ιπλῆν γὰρ ἐργάζῃ ζωὴν, καὶ σαυτῷ, καὶ ἐκείνῳ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῶν σῶν εἰσηγή σεων τῆς ἀπωλείας διαφεύγει τὸ βάραθρον, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς δικαίας ἄξιον εὑρίσκει τὸ τέλος· σὺ δὲ τῶν εὐθυνῶν ἀπαλλαγήσῃ, καὶ τὸν μέγιστον δια φεύξῃ κίνδυνον, τῆς τοῦ πέλας ἐπιμελούμενος σωτη ρίας. Ἀπόχρη δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰς σπουδὴν διεγεῖραι, καὶ παρασκευάσαι πᾶσαν ποιήσασθαι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ μὴ λῆξαι πάντα καὶ λέγον τας πρὸς τὴν τούτων ὠφέλειαν καὶ πράττοντας, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἠπειλημένην φύγωμεν τιμωρίαν, καὶ τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης τύχωμεν σωτηρίας, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰη σοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Βʹ. κβʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ χεὶρ Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Ἀνάστηθι, καὶ ἔξελθε εἰς τὸ πεδίον, καὶ ἐκεῖ λαληθήσεται πρὸς σέ. Ἡ γὰρ ἡσυχία τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν θείων ἁρμόδιος· ἀπαλλαττόμενος γὰρ ὁ νοῦς τῶν ἔξωθεν περισπώντων, καὶ μηκέτι τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεριζόμενος, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑαυτὸν νεύων, ἀκρι βέστερον δύναται τὰ θεῖα κατανοεῖν. κγʹ, κδʹ. Καὶ ἀνέστην, καὶ ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὸ πε δίον· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ δόξα Κυρίου εἰστήκει, καθὼς ἡ ὅρασις, καὶ καθὼς ἡ δόξα, ἢν ἴδον ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Χοβάρ· καὶ πίπτω ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου. Καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ Πνεῦμα, καὶ ἔστησέ με ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας μου. Συχνότερον ἀπολαύει τῆς θεωρίας, ἵνα γένηται σπουδαιότερος περὶ τὴν τοῦ λόγου διακονίαν. Συνιδεῖν δὲ προσήκει, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰς 81.853 συμμέτρους τῇ ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει ἀποκαλύψεις οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγαν καθαροὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἠδύναντο καθορᾷν· ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ οὗτος ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ἤδη πεῖραν τῆς ὀπτασίας λαβὼν, πίπτει παραυτίκα θεασάμενος, καὶ τῆς ἐγειρούσης χάριτος χρῄζει. "Καὶ ἐλάλησε πρός με, καὶ εἶπέ μοι.