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long ago, when I led you out of Egypt. And I said: Call me Father; that is, you alone be genuinely disposed toward me. But as a woman is unfaithful to her partner, so the house has been unfaithful to me. *Recognize your own evils, and I will grant amnesty for the sins already committed. A voice of weeping was heard from the lips. From this we are taught, not only to grieve and to lament in misfortunes, but before this to call upon God; for it says of weeping and prayer; 64.792 for neither can weeping by itself accomplish anything, nor prayer not inflamed by laments, this is the gain from misfortunes. A voice from the lips. He speaks of the things that happened in the time of Josiah. Sons, return, you who are returning, and I will heal your fractures; Behold, we shall be your servants. For it is not enough to weep, nor to pray, for this happened from the nature of the terrible things, but it demands from them close pledges and accountability for the future, so that after deliverance from the terrible things they might not return again to their former ways. Let us learn to confess with accuracy, for these things are not written down simply, but so that we too might follow. That is, change genuinely, do not feign piety because of fear of the king. Truly the hills were for falsehood, and the power of the mountains; but through the Lord our God. They worshipped sin, they sacrificed to the evils of desire; perhaps the word is also spoken to us, Return, sons, you who are returning. -And after a little. Truly the hills were for falsehood. When we see the light, then we recognize the darkness. They knew God, then they also recognized the demons; so we too will then truly know sin, not by saying words, but by being convinced through the facts. And God let them learn through their deeds, it is necessary also to condemn the former things. Behold, again the word 'through' is spoken of God; you should have learned from other things, from the heaven, and earth, and sea; but now from the things that happened to them. The ancients not only made things of stone, but also pursued mountains and hills. The reason was, they thought the demons dwelled in high places; for there is no part of creation that the devil has not prepared to be worshipped. And after a little. -But through the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. For what else does God seek, than that you learn that he himself benefits you? He requires this, or nothing more from you, and he loves this itself. But shame has consumed the labors of our fathers from their youth. Even if they suffered nothing terrible, there was shame after the deeds, they toiled in vain, and were distressed, and it was nothing other than to sacrifice simply, The sacrifice was to the demons, but salvation from God. Sheep. They did not even spare their grandchildren, and they ignored their own nature, having run aground into the utmost madness. For the madman does not know what he does; but he who does shameful things, and things worthy of shame, is both in his senses, and has many who rebuke him; it cannot be said that they did it in secret, but with all watching, with many who would be there to shame them. Because we have sinned before our God. 64.793 He who confesses must confess in such a way as to magnify the sin from every side, to deprive himself of pardon, in order that he may obtain pardon. Until this day. He did not say it simply, not a second time, not a third, but a ten-thousandth time, and it cannot be said that they are like this everywhere. And we did not obey the voice of the Lord. But concerning the demons they were so ardent and manic, as not even to spare their own bowels, so as even to sacrifice their offspring, but concerning the Master they were so lazy, and insolent, and rebellious, as not even to hear his voice, but to disobey it.

CHAP. IV.

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πάλαι, ἡνίκα ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ὑμᾶς ἐξήγαγον. Καὶ εἶπα· Πατέρα ἐπικαλέσασθέ με· τουτέστι, μόνον ὑμεῖς γνησίως περὶ ἐμὲ διατέθησθε. Πλὴν ὡς ἀθετεῖ γυνὴ εἰς τὸν συνόντα αὐτῇ, οὕτως ἠθέτησεν εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ οἶκος. *Ἐπίγνωτε τὰ οἰκεῖα κακὰ, καὶ παρέξω τὴν ἀμνηστίαν τῶν ἤδη πλημμεληθέντων. Φωνὴ ἐκ χειλέων ἠκούσθη κλαυθμοῦ. Ἐντεῦθεν παιδευόμεθα, μὴ μόνον ὀδύρεσθαι, καὶ θρηνεῖν ἐν ταῖς συμφοραῖς, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτου τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλεῖν· κλαυθμοῦ γὰρ καὶ δεήσεώς φησιν· 64.792 οὔτε γὰρ ὁ κλαυθμὸς καθ' ἑαυτὸν δύναιτο ἂν ἐργάσασθαί τι, οὔτε εὐχὴ μὴ πυρωθεῖσα τοῖς θρήνοις, τοῦτο τῶν συμφορῶν τὸ κέρδος. Φωνὴ ἐκ χειλέων. Τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου γενόμενα λέγει. Υἱοὶ, ἐπιστράφητε ἐπιστρέφοντες, καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν· Ἰδοὺ δοῦλοι ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ κλαῦσαι, οὐδὲ τὸ δεηθῆναι, ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως τοῦτο συνέβαινε τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἐγγὺς ἐγγύας αὐτοὺς καὶ εὐθύνας ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων ἀπαιτεῖ, ἵνα μὴ μετὰ τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερα πάλιν ἐπανέλθωσιν. Μάθωμεν ἐξομολογεῖσθαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ταῦτα ἀναγέγραπται, ἀλλ' ὥστε ἕπεσθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς. Τουτέστι γνησίως μεταβάλλεσθε, μὴ διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ βασιλέως ὑποκρίνεσθε τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἦσαν οἱ βουνοὶ, καὶ δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων· πλὴν διὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Προσεκύνησαν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐθυσίασαν ταῖς πονηρίαις τῆς ἐπιθυμίας· τάχα καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος εἴρηται, Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοὶ, ἐπιστρέφοντες. -Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα. Ὄντως εἰς ψεῦδος ἦσαν οἱ βουνοί. Ὅταν τὸ φῶς ἴδωμεν, τότε τὸ σκότος ἐπιγινώσκομεν. Ἔγνωσαν τὸν Θεὸν, τότε καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας ἐγνώρισαν· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τότε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰσόμεθα ὄντως, οὐ ῥήμασι λέγοντες, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων πεισθέντες. Καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, διὰ τῶν ἔργων μαθεῖν, δεῖ καὶ τῶν προτέρων καταγινώσκειν. Ἰδοὺ πάλιν τὸ, διὰ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴρηται· ἔδει μὲν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων μαθεῖν, ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ γῆς, καὶ θαλάττης· νῦν δὲ ἐκ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς γενομένων. Οἱ δὲ παλαιοὶ, οὐχὶ λίθινα μόνον ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄρη, καὶ βουνοὺς ἐδίωκον. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς ἐνόμιζον κατοικεῖν τοὺς δαίμονας· οὐδὲν γὰρ μέρος ἐστὶ τῆς κτίσεως, ὃ μὴ προσκυνηθῆναι παρεσκεύασεν ὁ διάβολος. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα. -Πλὴν διὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Τί γὰρ ἄλλο ζητεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἢ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι αὐτός σε εὐεργετεῖ; Τοῦτο, ἢ οὐδὲν πλέον ἀπαιτεῖ παρὰ σοῦ, καὶ τούτου αὐτοῦ ἐρᾷ. Ἡ δὲ αἰσχύνη κατανάλωσε τοὺς μόχθους τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεότητος αὐτῶν. Εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἔπαθον δεινὸν, αἰσχύνη μετὰ τὰ πράγματα ἦν, ἐπόνουν εἰκῆ, καὶ ἐταλαιπωροῦντο, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν, ἢ θύειν ἁπλῶς, Ἡ μὲν θυσία τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ἡ δὲ σωτηρία παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πρόβατα. Οὐδὲ τῶν ἐγγόνων ἐφείσαντο, καὶ τὴν φύσιν αὐτῶν ἠγνόησαν, εἰς μανίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην ἐξοκείλαντες. Ὁ γὰρ μαινόμενος οὐκ οἶδεν τί πράττει· ὁ δὲ αἰσχρὰ πράγματα ποιῶν, καὶ αἰσχύνης ἄξια, ἐν αἰσθήσει τέ ἐστι, καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἐπιτιμῶντας· οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι λάθρα ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ πάντων ὁρώντων, πολλῶν τῶν μελλόντων ὄντων καταισχύνειν αὐτούς. ∆ιότι ἔναντι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς. 64.793 Τὸν ἐξομολογούμενον οὕτως ἐξομολογεῖσθαι δεῖ, ὥστε αὔξειν τὸ ἁμάρτημα πάντοθεν, ἀποστερεῖν αὐτὸν συγγνώμης, ἵνα τύχῃ συγγνώμης. Ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, οὐ δεύτερον, οὐ τρίτον, ἀλλὰ μυριοστὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι πανταχοῦ τοιοῦτοι. Καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τοὺς δαίμονας οὕτω θερμοὶ, καὶ μανικοὶ, ὡς μηδὲ σπλάγχνων φείσασθαι οἰκείων, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἔκγονα καταθῦσαι, περὶ δὲ τὸν ∆εσπότην οὕτω ῥᾴθυμοι, καὶ αὐθάδεις, καὶ ἀφηνιῶντες, ὡς μηδὲ τῆς φωνῆς ἀκοῦσαι, ἀλλὰ παρακοῦσαι.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ.