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Thus each one, having recognized his own fault, and his own condemnation, will correct himself before the assembly is dismissed and he is found uncorrected. For if a king does not remit what is owed, but exacts it with precision, and every ruler demands what is due, how much more will the just judge demand all our debts? For this reason I beseech your love in Christ, let no one depart from here bearing a debt. Here there is a way of defense; you have many ways; for many are the ways of life. For if faults are many, much more is the mercy of God; which we have also often recounted to you, even if it is ineffable, and again I will remind your love in Christ; but let us listen attentively with fear of the Lord and many tears. Let us who are slothful be sober, let us who are drowsy awaken, let us who are in temptations cast all our care upon the Lord, as it is written, because he cares for us. Let us gather our minds here, and let us hear of good ways, ways of salvation, soul-profiting arts, a method of conversion and repentance, and a concise divine word and unadulterated teaching; only, as I said before, stretch your minds toward me, and let no one listen sluggishly and slothfully; for the way which I am about to speak reminds all who are present of every kind of fault, so that each of us, having recognized his own fault, may weep, may groan, having corrected the fault, may prepare himself for his defense.

I wish to bring you again to the remembrance of the grim and terrible punishments, as I also did at the beginning of the discourse; for having said these things, we have harmed no one, but rather have also greatly benefited; for a constant drop hollows out a rock, as it is written. From where, then, shall I begin? And what fault, or what sickness shall I bring forward, that I may also apply the fitting cure to the sickness? Surely the first evil. And what then is this? Clearly pride, which from above cast down the morning star to the earth. So then listen first, you proud one; you, remember what is written: God opposes the proud, and put this terrible sickness far from you, so that you may not find God opposing you; remember the one who fell from above to the earth, and instead of a life with God and the other ministering angels, dwelling with those under the earth in dark places and in destruction; considering always the Lord of glory, who being rich, how he became poor. Remember the plots against him and the slanders and the blows, and shuddering, be humbled, so that you may be saved and exalted in the time of visitation; for the Lord is near to the contrite of heart; and because he who humbles himself will be exalted. But let those who have gone astray in fornications depart from them, and never go astray, but let them remember the Apostle crying out, that God will judge fornicators and adulterers; and, that Every sin that a man does is outside the body; but he who commits fornication sins against his own body; and, that Fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God. And do not forget the one who defiled the wedding garment with fornication and was cast out of the royal wedding with shame, and Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Adulterers, shudder at the divine voice that says, You shall not commit adultery; and of the Apostle crying, God will judge fornicators and adulterers. And remember Solomon saying, But the adulterer through lack of understanding acquires destruction for his own soul. And hear the Lord crying to the adulteress, Go, and sin no more. And in short, Repent; hear the Apostle 60.696 proclaiming, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Men who commit indecent acts with men, tremble and

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Οὕτως ἕκαστος γνωρίσας τὸ ἴδιον σφάλμα, καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ κατάκριμα, διορθώσεται πρὶν λυθῆναι τὴν πανήγυριν καὶ φθασθῇ ἀδιόρθωτος. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλεὺς τὰ χρεωστούμενα οὐ παραχωρεῖ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν ἀνύει, καὶ πᾶς ἄρχων τὰ ὀφείλοντα ἀπαιτεῖ, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς πάντα ἀπαιτήσει τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παρακαλῶ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀγάπην ὑμῶν, μηδεὶς ἀπέλθῃ ἐντεῦθεν χρέος ἐπιφερόμενος. Ὧδε ἔνι τρόπος ἀπολογίας· ἔχεις πολλοὺς τρόπους· πολλαὶ γὰρ ὁδοὶ βίου. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ σφάλματα πολλὰ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅπερ καὶ πολλάκις ὑμῖν διηγήσαμεν, εἰ καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητόν ἐστι, καὶ πάλιν ὑπομνήσω τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ ἀγάπην ὑμῶν· ἀλλὰ νουνεχῶς ἀκούσωμεν μετὰ φόβου Κυρίου καὶ πολλῶν δακρύων. Οἱ ῥᾴθυμοι νήψωμεν, οἱ νυστάζοντες ἐξυπνίσωμεν, οἱ ἐν πειρασμοῖς πᾶσαν τὴν μέριμναν ἐπιῤῥίψωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, καθὼς γέγραπται, ὅτι αὐτῷ μέλει περὶ ἡμῶν. Συναγάγωμεν ὧδε τὸν νοῦν, καὶ ἀκούσωμεν τρόπους χρηστοὺς, τρόπους σωτηρίας, τέχνας ψυχωφελεῖς, μέθοδον ἐπιστροφῆς καὶ μετανοίας, καὶ σύντομον θεῖον λόγον καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἀνόθευτον· μόνον, καθὼς προεῖπον, συντείνατέ μοι τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ μηδεὶς νωθρῶς καὶ ῥᾳθύμως ἀκούσῃ· τὸν γὰρ τρόπον ὃν μέλλω λέγειν, πᾶν εἶδος σφάλματος ἀναμιμνήσκει πάντας τοὺς παρατυγχάνοντας, ὅπως ἕκαστος ἡμῶν τὸ ἴδιον γνωρίσας σφάλμα, δακρύσῃ, στενάξῃ, τὸ σφάλμα διορθωσάμενος, ἑτοιμάσῃ ἑαυτὸν πρὸς ἀπολογίαν.

Εἰς ἀνάμνησιν πάλιν βούλομαι ὑμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ φρικτῶν κολάσεων, καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ λόγου πεποίηκα· ταῦτα γὰρ εἰπόντες, ἐβλάψαμεν οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ μεγάλως ὠφελήσαμεν· ῥανὶς γὰρ ἐνδελεχοῦσα κοιλαίνει πέτραν, καθὼς γέγραπται. Πόθεν οὖν ἄρξωμαι; ποῖον δὲ σφάλμα, ἢ ποῖον νόσημα προσαγάγω, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν τῇ νόσῳ ἴασιν ἐπαγάγω; Πάντως τὸ πρῶτον κακόν. Καὶ ποῖον ἄρα ἐστὶ τοῦτο; ∆ηλονότι ὑπερηφανία, ἥτις ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνωθεν κατέσπασε τὸν ἑωσφόρον. Λοιπὸν ἄκουε ἐν πρώτοις, ὑπερήφανε· σὺ μνήσθητι τοῦ γεγραμμένου· Ὁ Θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, καὶ μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ τὴν δεινὴν ταύτην ἀῤῥωστίαν ποίησον, ἵνα μὴ ἀντιτασσόμενον εὑρήσῃς τὸν Θεόν· μνήσθητι τοῦ πεσόντος ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνωθεν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς μετὰ Θεοῦ διαγωγῆς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συλλειτουργῶν ἀγγέλων, τοῖς καταχθονίοις κατοικοῦντος ἐν σκοτεινοῖς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ· ἐννοῶν ἀεὶ τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης πλούσιον ὄντα, πῶς ἐπτώχευσεν. Μνήσθητι τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ συκοφαντίας τά τε ῥαπίσματα, καὶ φρίξας ταπεινώθητι, ἵνα σωθῇς καὶ ὑψωθῇς ἐν καιρῷ ἐπισκοπῆς· ἐγγὺς γὰρ Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ· καὶ ὅτι ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται. Οἱ δὲ ἐν πορνείαις πλανηθέντες, ἀποστήτωσαν, καὶ μηδέποτε πλανηθήτωσαν, ἀλλὰ μνημονευέτωσαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου κράζοντος, ὅτι Πόρνους καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός· καὶ, ὅτι Πᾶν ἁμάρτημα, ὃ ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πορνεύων, εἰς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει· καὶ, ὅτι Πόρνοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. Μὴ ἐπιλάθεσθε δὲ καὶ τοῦ μολύναντος ἐν πορνείᾳ τὴν νυμφικὴν στολὴν καὶ μετ' αἰσχύνης τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γάμου ἐκβληθέντος, καὶ Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Οἱ μοιχοὶ, φρίξατε τὴν θείαν φωνὴν τὴν λέγουσαν, Μὴ μοιχεύσεις· καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου βοῶντος, Πόρνους καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Μνήσθητε δὲ καὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος λέγοντος, Ὁ δὲ μοιχὸς δι' ἔνδειαν φρενῶν ἀπώλειαν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ περιποιεῖται. Ἀκούσατε δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὴν μοιχαλίδα βοῶντος, Ἄπελθε, καὶ μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. Καὶ συντόμως, Μετανοήσατε· ἀκούσατε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου 60.696 κηρύσσοντος, ὅτι Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων. Οἱ ἐν ἄρσεσιν ἄρσενες τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην κατεργαζόμενοι, τρομάξατε καὶ