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Not small, then, is the association with such men; not simply to share a journey; perhaps this also is beneficial; for it is necessary to learn many things even from this; for he did not say, 'he who associates,' or 'he who spends a great deal of time,' but even he who has shared a mere walk will reap great things, he says; for if a man's attire, and the laughter of his teeth, announce things about him, much more so a short walk, and that this should happen continuously; but for the ungrateful, the opposite. Evils shall pursue sinners. [ibid.] The 'shall pursue' indicates the swiftness of the retribution, as not even being postponed; and evils, the harmful things, which as slower things pursue the sinners; but good things, as swifter, shall overtake the righteous; A good man will leave an inheritance to his children's children. [exod. f. 62 a.] The 'will leave an inheritance,' does not say this, that children are to inherit; for this is the worst curse, but the opposite, that he will pass on his wealth to his descendants, and leave it for succession; but that of the impious is passed on not to their children, but to those who can use it well; or thus: the mind is a father, begetting good reasonings; and these are generative of similar things. He who spares his rod hates his son. [ibid.] This is for those who seem to be fond of their children, but are not; so that it is not not sparing, but sparing that is to hate; for children are not a random possession, for whose salvation we are also responsible; not children; for mere speech is not a rebuke; Did not Eli pay a most grievous penalty for this very reason? But he who loves, disciplines diligently. Not simply, but diligently; for since nature commands to spare, he removes what is excessive; for He did not implant in you natural affection for this reason, that you might harm those who are loved, but that you might care for them; remove, therefore, the ill-timed affection. «The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul. [exod. f. 62 b.] And yet the prophets say; You planted them, and they have taken root, 64.700 but not for all time nor continuously; for the downfall of the impious is great. But why are not all punished, nor are all honored? so that virtue may be for its own sake; or he who is fed by divine words is filled with what the impious lack.

CHAPTER XIV.

Wise women have built houses. [exod. f. 62 b.] The Church through patience and hope in Christ has built for herself a house, that is, she raised and set upright by teaching and faith those who come to her. But the foolish one has torn it down with her hands; which is, heresy having become the cause to itself of eternal death. He that walks uprightly, fears the Lord. It is not fear alone that simply makes one walk uprightly, but also the fear of God; for as an impious man, having fallen into a depth of evils, despises, so the pious man fears; so that in this respect also the virtuous life is good; because fear, when added, makes one more cautious. From the mouth of fools, a rod of pride. [ibid.] And yet before this you were saying; He that brings forth wisdom from his lips strikes a heartless man with a rod; how here do you give the same to the foolish one? Not in the same way, he says; for this too is a rod; but this one is of pride; that one, of gentleness; the one creates pride; the other corrects; thus they are burdensome, as those who strike; for it is possible both to insult and to rebuke, but with wisdom; and what is done with this is neither unpleasant, nor burdensome, nor heavy; and if the foolish man praises, it is worse than insult; and if the wise man insults, it is equal to praises; a certain wise man also says this; And if praising he does this with a loud voice, as

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Οὐ μικρὸν ἄρα ἡ συνδιατριβὴ ἡ μετὰ τῶν τοιούτων· οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τὸ κοινωνεῖν πορείας· τάχα καὶ τοῦτο ὠφελεῖ· ἀνάγκη γὰρ πολλὰ μαθεῖν καὶ ἐκ τούτου· οὐκ εἶπε γὰρ, ὁ συνὼν, ἢ ὁ συγγινόμενος ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μόνης βαδίσεως κοινωνήσας μεγάλα καρπώσεται, φησίν· εἰ γὰρ στολισμὸς ἀνδρὸς, καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων ἀναγγέλλει τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον βάδισις μικρὰ, καὶ ὥστε συνεχῶς τοῦτο γίνεσθαι· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀγνωμόνων τοὐναντίον. Ἁμαρτάνοντας καταδιώξεται κακά. [ιβιδ.] Τὸ καταδιώξεται, τὸ ταχὺ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως παρίστησιν, ὡς μηδὲ ἀναβάλλεσθαι· κακὰ δὲ, τὰ κακωτικὰ, ἃ ὡς βραδύτερα καταδιώκει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας· τὰ δὲ ἀγαθὰ ὡς ταχύτερα καταλήψεται τοὺς δικαίους· Ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ κληρονομήσει υἱοὺς υἱῶν. [ξοδ. φ. 62 α.] Τὸ κληρονομήσει, οὐ τοῦτό φησι, τὸ παῖδας κληρονομεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔσχατον ἀρὰ, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ὅτι παραπέμψει τὸν πλοῦτον τοῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταλείψει πρὸς διαδοχήν· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀσεβῶν οὐχὶ τοῖς τέκνοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς δυναμένοις χρῆσθαι καλῶς παραπέμπεται· ἢ οὕτως· ὁ νοῦς πατὴρ, ἀγαθοὺς γεννῶν λογισμούς· οὗτοι δὲ πραγμάτων ὁμοίων γεννητικοί. Ὃς φείδεται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βακτηρίας, μισεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν. [ιβιδ.] Τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς φιλοτέκνους εἶναι δοκοῦντας, οὐκ ὄντας δέ· ὥστε οὐ τὸ μὴ φείδεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ φείδεσθαι μισεῖν ἐστιν· οὐ τὸ τυχὸν γὰρ κτῆμα τὰ παιδία, ὧν καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐσμὲν ὑπεύθυνοι· μὴ τέκνα· ψιλὸς γὰρ λόγος οὐκ ἐπιτίμησις· οὐχὶ ὁ Ἡλεὶ χαλεπωτάτην δέδωκε δίκην ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς προφάσεως; Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν, ἐπιμελῶς παιδεύει. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπιμελῶς· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ φύσις κελεύει φείδεσθαι, τὸ ἄμετρον ἀναιρεῖ· οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐντέθεικέ σοι τὴν φιλοστοργίαν, ἵνα βλάπτῃς τοὺς φιλουμένους, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτῶν φροντίζῃς· περίελε τοίνυν τὸ φίλτρον τὸ ἄκαιρον. «∆ίκαιος ἐσθίων ἐμπιπλᾷ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. [ξοδ. φ. 62 β.] Καὶ μὲν οἱ προφῆταί φασιν· Ἐφύτευσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐρριζώ 64.700 θησαν, ἀλλ' οὐ διαπαντὸς οὐδὲ διηνεκῶς· πολλὴ γὰρ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἡ κατάπτωσις. Πῶς δὲ οὐ πάντες κολάζονται, οὐδὲ πάντες τιμῶνται; ἵνα δι' ἑαυτὴν ᾖ ἡ ἀρετή· ἢ ὁ λόγοις τρεφόμενος θείοις, ἐμπιπλᾶται ὧν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐν ἐνδείᾳ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ι∆ʹ.

Σοφαὶ γυναῖκες ᾠκοδόμησαν οἴκους. [ξοδ. φ. 62 β.] Ἡ Ἐκκλησία διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ ἐλπίδος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνῳκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον, τουτέστιν, ἀνήγειρε καὶ ἀνώρθωσε τῇ διδαχῇ καὶ πίστει τοὺς προσιόντας αὐτῇ. Ἡ δὲ ἄφρων κατέστρεψε ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς· ὅπερ ἐστὶν, ἡ αἵρεσις παραίτιος ἑαυτῇ θανάτου αἰωνίου γεγενημένη. Ὁ πορευόμενος ὀρθῶς, φοβεῖται τὸν Κύριον. Οὐχὶ ὁ φόβος ἁπλῶς ποιεῖ μόνον τὸ ὀρθῶς πορεύεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεόν· ὡς γὰρ ἀσεβὴς εἰς βάθος κακῶν ἐμπεσὼν καταφρονεῖ, οὕτως ὁ εὐσεβὴς φοβεῖται· ὥστε καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ὁ ἐνάρετος βίος, καλός· ὅτι καὶ ὁ φόβος προστιθέμενος εὐλαβεστέρους ποιεῖ. Ἐκ στόματος ἀφρόνων, βακτηρία ὕβρεως. [ιβιδ.] Καὶ μὴν σὺ πρὸ τούτου ἔλεγες· Ὃς ἐκ χειλέων προφέρει σοφίαν, ῥάβδῳ τύπτει ἄνδρα ἀκάρδιον· πῶς ἐνταῦθα τὸ αὐτὸ δίδως τῷ ἀνοήτῳ; οὐκ ἴσως, φησί· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο βακτηρία· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν, ὕβρεως· ἐκεῖνο δὲ, ἐπιεικείας· τὸ μὲν, ποιεῖ τὴν ὕβριν· τὸ δὲ, διορθοῖ· οὕτως εἰσὶν ἐπαχθεῖς, ὡς αὐτοὶ οἱ πλήττοντες· ἔνεστι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ὑβρίσαι καὶ ἐλέγξαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σοφίας· τὸ δὲ μετὰ ταύτης γινόμενον, οὔτε ἀηδὲς, οὔτε φορτικὸν, οὔτε βαρύ· κἂν μὲν ἐπαινῇ ὁ ἀνόητος, ὕβρεως χεῖρον· κἂν ὑβρίζῃ ὁ συνετὸς, ἐπαίνων ἴσον· τοῦτο καί τις σοφός φησι· Κἂν ἐπαινῶν μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τοῦτο ποιῇ, ὡς