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identity, despising all things on earth, as true advocates of God through their works. Which you doing, have now and previously been revealed, beloved; in every word and way, and with a skillful scattering of your possessions, readily apportioning yourselves to all in both soul and body, and showing that your disposition is the same as nature in respect to yourselves, being surpassed by nature in one thing only, that from there it has received the seeds of things that have come to be; or rather, of God, from whom also the powers of good things have been pre-established in nature.

15Β_080 Therefore, being magnificently watered from God with many outpourings of grace, 0412 you have lavishly, along with all, bestowed the mercy of your philanthropy upon the aforementioned most devout men; supporting what was weak and already shaken by the destitution of nature, and healing, as far as was possible and fitting, the affliction that had worn them down through poverty. Do not cease, therefore, doing good to the needy, so that through emptying you may have undiminished fullness. And with cheerfulness of soul, confirming your faith and hope and love in God; Endure a bond and ordination and a word of murmuring, as the divine oracle somewhere says; which is about the need to give, and not to deliberate. To which regret surely follows; a thing, more grievous than not doing at all. For we all know that concerning the unworthiness of doing or suffering, no one has yet in any way known precisely whom to blame; whether those who are able to do good, or those who need to receive good; but that this is a matter for the time to come; in which what and how many are your deeds, and what their condition may be, will be known. Thus God has wisely willed that in the present the abyss of His judgments be concealed. And knowing this, the wise writer of Proverbs exhorted to cast bread even upon the water without calculation; as something that will not be swept away or lost; but will be met later with greater fruit, by those who, for the sake of the good, possessed the practice of sharing in simplicity of heart, from God and our Savior Christ, who receives to Himself all things done by us to one another, whatever they might happen to be. For if, as the lover of mankind, He condescended to suffer for us, what would He not willingly become for those who imitate His love for mankind toward us?

LETTER 4. TO THE SAME, CONCERNING GODLY SORROW 4. Of the same to the same, concerning godly sorrow. 15Β_082 I rejoice and am glad, through every letter, finding the praiseworthy

sorrow my blessed Master grieving; knowing that godly sorrow produces a repentance that brings no regret, leading to salvation, for those who are strengthened in all their power by the fear of God; not allowing the soul, having turned away from the divine tribunals, to be disposed toward things that are by nature corruptible; through which, for those who run the course of the present life neglectfully, the wicked confusion of the passions, taking up residence, prepares the wretched mind to be caught in the snares of the devil, and reasonably establishes it as a teacher of all evil; as having subjected its natural energy, contrary to nature, to the disordered impulses of anger and desire. For a soul that once, through deceit, has bound its intellectual power to material things, is most resourceful and swift only in the invention of base things. For this reason, I pray unceasingly night and day, although weighed down by many sins, that this saving sorrow may be preserved for my blessed Master, which is truly an abrupt mistress of the passions, but a revered and glorious mother of the virtues; so that, being guarded by it, he may beat back the wicked goad of sin. For no one, in truth, who has enclosed this in the depth of his heart,

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ταυτότητα, πάντων καταφρονοῦντες τῶν ἐπί γῆς, ὡς ἀληθεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ διά τῶν ἔργων συνήγοροι. Ὅπερ ποιοῦντες ὑμεῖς, νῦν τε καί πρότερον ἀπεφάνθητε, ἠγαπημένοι· παντί καί λόγῳ καί τρόπῳ, καί σκορπισμῷ δεξιῷ τῶν προσόντων πᾶσιν ἑαυτούς προθύμως καί ψυχῇ καί σώματι ἐπιμερίζοντες, καί ταυτόν οὖσαν δεικνύντες ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτούς τῇ φύσει τήν γνώμην, καθ᾿ ἕν μόνον πλεονεκτουμένην ὑπό τῆς φύσεως, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν λαβοῦσα ἔχει τῶν γενομένων τά σπέρματα· μᾶλλον δέ Θεοῦ, ἐξ οὗ καί τῇ φύσει τῶν καλῶν αἱ δυνάμεις προκαταβέβληνται.

15Β_080 ∆ιό πολλοῖς χαρίτων χεύμασι μεγαλοφυῶς θεόθεν 0412 ἀρδευόμενοι, δαψιλῶς μετά πάντων καί τοῖς προειρημένοις εὐλαβεστάτοις ἀνδράσι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τόν ἔλεον ἐπεστάξατε· ὑπερείσαντες σαλευόμενον ἤδη ἐξ ἀπορίας τῆς φύσεως τό ἀσθενές, καί τήν ἐκ πτωχείας ἀπιτριβεῖσαν αὐτοῖς κακευχίαν ἐνδεχομένως ὡς ἐνῆν ἰασάμενοι. Μή παύσησθε οὖν εὖ ποιοῦντες ἐνδεέσιν, ἵνα τῇ κενώσει τό πλήσμιον ἀμείωτον ἔχητε. Ἐν ἱλαρότητι δέ ψυχῆς, τήν εἰς Θεόν πίστιν τε καί ἐλπίδα καί ἀγάπην πιστούμενοι· Ἀνέχετε σύνδεσμον καί χειροτονίαν καί ῥῆμα γογγυσμοῦ, καθά που τό θεῖόν φησι λόγιον· ὅπερ ἐστί περί τοῦ δεῖν διδόναι, καί μή διασκέπτεσθαι. Ὧ τό μεταμελεῖσθαι πάντως παρέπεται· πρᾶγμα, τοῦ μηδόλως ποιεῖν ὑπάρχον βαρύτερον. Ἴσμεν γάρ ἅπαντες, ὅτι τῆς τοῦ ποιεῖν ἤ πάσχειν ἀναξιότητος, οὔπω ἀκριβῶς οὐδείς οὐδαμῶς ἔγνω τίνας αἰτιᾶσθαι χρή· εἴτε τούς εὖ ποιεῖν δυναμένους, εἴτε τούς εὖ παθεῖν δεομένους· ἀλλά καιροῦ τοῦτο εἶναι τοῦ μέλλοντος· καθ᾿ ὅ ποῖά τε καί ὅσα τά ὑμέτερα, καί ὅπως ἔχοντα τύχοι, γνωσθήσεται. Οὕτω τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφῶς εὐδοκήσαντος ἐν τῷ παρόντι καλυφθῆναι τῶν αὐτοῦ κριμάτων τήν ἄβυσσον. Καί τοῦτο εἰδώς ὁ σοφός Παροιμιαστής, ἀσυλλογίστως τόν ἄρτον καί καθ᾿ ὕδατος ῥίπτειν παρεκελεύσατο· ὡς οὐ παρασυρησόμενον οὐδέ ἀπολλύμενον· ἀλλ᾿ ἐς ὕστερον ὑπαντήσοντα μετά πλείονος τῆς ἐπικαρπίας, τοῖς ἕνεκα τοῦ καλοῦ ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας τήν μετάδοσιν κεκτημένοις, παρά τοῦ εἰς ἑαυτόν πάντα τά παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀλλήλοις γινόμενα, ὡς δ᾿ ἄν ὄντα τύχωσιν, ἀναδεχομένου Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ. Εἰ γάρ παθεῖν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, ὡς φιλάνθρωπος κατεδέξατο, τί οὐκ ἄν γένοιτο ἑκών τοῖς τήν αὐτοῦ περί ἡμᾶς μιμουμένοις φιλανθρωπίαν;

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ∆'. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ, ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΘΕΟΝ ΛΥΠΗΣ ∆´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν, περί τῆς κατά Θεόν λύπης. 15Β_082 Χαίρω καί εὐφραίνομαι, διά πάσης ἐπιστολῆς τήν ἐπαινετήν

λύπην λυπούμενον εὑρίσκων τόν εὐλογημένον μου ∆εσπότην· γινώσκων, ὡς ἡ κατά Θεόν λύπη μετάνοιαν ἀμεταμέλητον εἰς σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεται, τοῖς τῷ Θείῳ φόβῳ καθ᾿ ὅλην αὐτῶν ἐνισχημένοις τήν δύναμιν· μή συγχωροῦσα τήν ψυχήν τῶν θείων ἀπονεύσασαν δικαιστηρίων, πρός τά φθειρόμενα κατά φύσιν διατεθῆναι· δι᾿ ὧν τοῖς ἠμελημένως τόν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς δρόμον ποιουμένοις, ἡ πονηρά τῶν παθῶν εἰσοικιζομένη σύγχυσις, ταῖς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίσιν ἁλῶναι παρασκευάζει τόν ἄθλιον νοῦν, καί πάσης κακίας αὐτόν καθίστησιν εἰκότως διδάσκαλον· οἷα δή τήν κατά φύσιν ἐνέργειαν, παρά φύσιν ταῖς τοῦ θυμοῦ καί τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀτάκτοις ὁρμαῖς ὑποζεύξαντα.Ψυχή γάρ ἡ δι᾿ ἀπάτης ἅπαξ τοῖς ὑλικοῖς τήν νοεράν ἐνδήσασα δύναμιν, περί μόνην τήν τῶν φαύλων ἐξεύρεσίν ἐστι ποριμωτάτῃ καί εὔδρομος. ∆ιά τοῦτο νύκτωρ τε καί μεθ᾿ ἡμέραν ἀπαύστως εὔχομαι, καίτοι πολλοῖς βαρούμενος ἁμαρτήμασι, συντηρηθῆναι τῷ εὐλογημένῳ μου ∆εσπότῃ ταύτην τήν σωτήριον λύπην, τήν ὄντως, τῶν μέν παθῶν ἀπότομον δέσποιναν, τῶν ἀρετῶν δέ μητέρα σεμνήν καί ἐπίδοξον· ἵνα δι᾿ αὐτῆς φρουρούμενος, τό πονηρόν ἐκκρούσηται κέντρον τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Οὐδείς γάρ, ὡς ἀληθῶς, ταύτην τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας ἐναποκλείσας,