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In this, both the just and the unjust are herded together in the community of life, but not of holiness, and in this those who love God do not sin; for they are imitators of their Father who is in the heavens, who makes His sun rise on the just and the unjust, and sends His rain on the evil and the good. And the just man is in no danger in this; for in the stadium there are both victors and vanquished, but in the crowning only those who have contended nobly; for no one is crowned unless he competes according to the rules. For each will give an account for himself, and God will not destroy the just with the unjust, since with him sinlessness is unpunished. For He neither drowned Noah in the flood, nor burned Lot, nor destroyed Rahab with the others. But if you wish to know also what happened in our own time, Judas being with us received the lot of the ministry, which we also have, and Simon the magician the seal in the Lord; but each of them having been shown to be wicked, one hanged himself, and the other, flying against nature, was dashed to pieces. And in the ark were Noah and his sons, but Ham, being found wicked, alone and one of the sons received the punishment. And if fathers are not punished for children nor sons for fathers, it is clear that neither are wives for husbands, nor servants for masters, nor kinsmen for kinsmen, nor friends for friends, nor the just for the unjust, but each will be required to give an account for his own work. For neither was Noah punished for the world, nor was Lot burned up for Sodom, nor was Rahab slain for the people of Jericho, nor Israel for the Egyptians; for it is not cohabitation that condemns the just with the unjust, but concord of mind. One must not, therefore, pay attention to those who are ready for death and misanthropes and fond of accusing and who put to death with a pretext. For one will not die for another, but: “Each is held fast with the cords of his own sins.” And: “Behold a man and his work is before his face.” But we must help those who are sick and in danger and stumbling, and as much as possible by the exhortation of the word to make them healthy and rescue them from death; “For those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, since it is not the will before the Father that one of the little ones should perish.” For one must not establish the will of hard-hearted men, but that of God and Father of all through Jesus Christ the Lord

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τούτῳ καὶ δίκαιοι καὶ ἄδικοι ἀλλήλοις συναγελάζονται κοινωνίᾳ βίου, οὐ μὴν καὶ ὁσιότητος, καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁμαρτά νουσιν οἱ θεοφιλεῖς· μιμηταὶ γάρ εἰσιν τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τοῦ τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλοντος ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους, καὶ βρέχοντος αὐτοῦ τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς. Καὶ οὐδὲν κινδυνεύει ὁ δίκαιος ἐν τουτῷ· ἐν γὰρ τῷ σταδίῳ καὶ νικηταὶ καὶ νικώμε νοι εἰσίν, ἐν δὲ τῷ στεφάνῳ μόνοι οἱ γενναίως ἀγωνισάμε νοι· οὐδεὶς γὰρ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ. Ἕκαστος γὰρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐξομολογήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ συναπολέσῃ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν δίκαιον μετὰ τοῦ ἀδίκου, ἐπείπερ παρ' αὐτῷ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον ἀτιμώρητον. Oὔτε γὰρ τὸν Νῶε κατέκλυσεν, οὔτε τὸν Λὼτ κατέφλεξεν, οὔτε τὴν Ῥαὰβ συναπώλεσεν. Eἰ δὲ βούλεσθε γνῶναι καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῶν γενόμενα, Ἰούδας σὺν ἡμῖν ὢν ἔλαβεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ Σίμων ὁ μάγος τὴν ἐν Κυρίῳ σφραγῖδα· ἀλλ' ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἀναδειχθεὶς φαῦλος, ὁ μὲν ἀπήγξατο, ὁ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν ἱπτάμενος συνετρίβη. Καὶ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ Νῶε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχον, ἀλλὰ πονηρὸς ὁ Χὰμ εὑρεθεὶς μόνος καὶ εἷς τῶν υἱῶν ἐδέξατο τὴν τιμωρίαν. Eἰ δὲ καὶ πατέρες ὑπὲρ παίδων οὐ τιμωροῦνται οὔτε υἱοὶ ὑπὲρ πατέρων, δῆλον ὡς οὔτε γυναῖκες ὑπὲρ ἀνδρῶν, οὔτε οἰκέται ὑπὲρ δεσποτῶν, οὔτε συγγενεῖς ὑπὲρ συγγενῶν, οὔτε φίλοι ὑπὲρ φίλων, οὔτε δίκαιοι ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἰκείου ἔργου τὸν λόγον ἀπαιτηθήσεται. Oὔτε γὰρ Νῶε ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου δίκην εἰσεπράχθη, οὔτε Λὼτ ὑπὲρ Σοδόμων ἐπυρπολήθη, οὔτε Ῥαὰβ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἱερι χουντίων ἐσφάγη, οὔτε Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὲρ Aἰγυπτίων· οὐ γὰρ ἡ συνοίκησις κατακρίνει τοὺς δικαίους σὺν τοῖς ἀδίκοις, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς γνώμης ὁμόνοια. Oὐ χρὴ τοίνυν τοῖς ἑτοι μοθανάτοις καὶ μισανθρώποις καὶ φιλεγκλήμοσιν καὶ μετὰ προφάσεως θανατοποιοῖς προσέχειν. Ἕτερος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται, ἀλλὰ· «Σειραῖς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται». Καί· «Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ.» ∆εῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς βοηθεῖν τοῖς νοσοῦσιν καὶ κινδυνεύουσιν καὶ σφαλλομένοις, καὶ ὅσον οἷόν τε τῇ παραινέσει τοῦ λόγου ὑγιάζειν αὐτοὺς καὶ ·ύεσθαι ἐκ θανάτου· «Oὐ χρείαν γὰρ ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημα ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός, ἵνα ἀπόληται εἷς τῶν μικρῶν.» Oὐ γὰρ τὴν τῶν σκληροκαρδίων ἀνθρώπων βούλησιν ἱστᾶν χρή, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων τὴν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου