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of their conduct and the care of their life, because they bear the royal image. 4.18 For just as they, by showing the royal figures on their garment upon their breast, have become manifest to all, so also we, if we should wish, who have once put on Christ and been deemed worthy to have him dwelling within, will be able, through the precision of our life, even while silent, to show to all the power of the one who dwells in us. And in the way that the clothing you wear and the brightness of your garments now draws the eyes of all, so also forever, if you should wish, you will be able, by preserving the brightness of the royal garment, more precisely than now through a life according to God and great precision to draw all who see you to a similar zeal and to the glorification of the Master. 4.19 For for this reason Christ also said: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Do you see how he exhorts the light in us to shine, not through garments but through works? For having said, "Let your light shine," he added, "that they may see your good works." This light does not stop at the bodily senses, but also illuminates the souls and minds of those who see it, and having scattered the darkness of wickedness, it draws those who encounter it to the radiance of its own light and to the imitation of virtue. 4.20 "Let your light shine," he says, "before men." And he well said, "before men." Let your light be so great, he says, that it not only illuminates you but also shines before men who are in need of its provision. Therefore, just as this perceptible light puts darkness to flight and makes those who travel this perceptible road walk straight, so also the intelligible light which comes from the best conduct illuminates those who have the eye of their mind clouded by the darkness of error and are not able to see clearly the road of virtue, and it cleanses the rheum from the eyes of the mind, and leads to the straight path, and henceforth makes them walk on the road of virtue. 4.21 "That they may see your good works and glorify your 4.21 Father who is in heaven." Your virtue, he says, and the precision concerning your conduct and the successful performance of good works, let it stir up those who see to the glorification of the common Master of all. Therefore each of you, I beseech you, be eager to live with such precision that from all who look upon you praise may be referred to the Master. 4.22 For this reason this blessed man also, the imitator of Christ, the teacher of the best conduct, who runs about everywhere and does all things for the salvation of men, wrote, saying: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new," as if exhorting and saying: You have put off the old garment, you have received the new and it has such brightness as to shine against the very rays of the sun; see to it that you preserve the beauty of the garment in the same brightness. For as long as that evil demon and enemy of our salvation sees this spiritual garment of ours flashing, he dares not even to stand near, so much does he fear its brightness. For the lightning that leaps forth from it blinds his eyes. 4.23 Therefore, I beseech you, now from the beginning and from the outset, show a great struggle, great brightness, through all things making the beauty of this garment more brilliant and bright, and let not a word of the tongue leap forth simply and at random, but first let us consider if it has anything useful and if it can provide any edification to those who hear, and then with great fear let us utter the words, as if someone were standing by and committing them to writing, remembering what was said by the Lord: "I say to you that every idle word that men shall speak

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πολιτείας καὶ τῆς τοῦ βίου ἐπιμελείας ὅτι τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐπιφέρουσιν. 4.18 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσθῆτος κατὰ τοῦ στήθους τὰς μορφὰς δεικνύντες τὰς βασιλικὰς πᾶσι φανεροὶ καθεστήκασιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰ βουληθείημεν, οἱ ἅπαξ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνδυσάμενοι καὶ ἔνοικον αὐτὸν ἔχειν καταξιωθέντες, δυνησόμεθα διὰ τῆς τοῦ βίου ἀκριβείας καὶ σιγῶντες ἅπασι δεικνύναι τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος ἐν ἡμῖν τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ ὃν τρόπον νῦν ἡ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ὑμῶν περιβολὴ καὶ τὸ φαιδρὸν τῶν ἱματίων πάντων ἐπισπᾶται τὰς ὄψεις, οὕτω καὶ εἰς τὸ διηνεκές, εἰ βουληθείητε, δυνήσεσθε τὴν φαιδρότητα τοῦ ἐνδύματος τοῦ βασιλικοῦ διατηροῦντες, ἀκριβέστερον ἢ νῦν διὰ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτείας καὶ τῆς πολλῆς ἀκριβείας τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἅπαντας εἰς τὸν ὅμοιον ἐπισπάσεσθαι ζῆλον καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου δοξολογίαν. 4.19 ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγε· «Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Εἶδες πῶς παραινεῖ λάμπειν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν οὐ διὰ τῶν ἱματίων ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων; Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν», ἐπήγαγεν· «ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν.» Τοῦτο τὸ φῶς οὐ μέχρι τῶν σωματικῶν αἰσθήσεων ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ὁρώντων καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν καταυγάζει καὶ τῆς κακίας τὸ σκότος διασκεδάσαν πρὸς τὴν ἔλλαμψιν τοῦ οἰκείου φωτὸς καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς μίμησιν ἐπισπᾶται τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας. 4.20 «Λαμψάτω, φησί, τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων.» Καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν «ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων». Τοσοῦτον ὑμῶν ἔστω, φησί, τὸ φῶς ὥστε μὴ μόνον ὑμᾶς καταλάμπειν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων φαίνειν τῶν δεομένων τῆς τούτου χορηγίας. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ αἰσθητὸν τοῦτο φῶς φυγαδεύει τὸ σκότος καὶ ὀρθὰ ποιεῖ βαδίζειν τοὺς τὴν αἰσθητὴν ταύτην ὁδεύοντας ὁδόν, οὕτω καὶ τὸ νοητὸν φῶς τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους τῆς πλάνης τὸ ὄμμα τῆς διανοίας τεθολωμένον ἔχοντας καὶ οὐ δυναμένους ἀκριβῶς ἰδεῖν τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν ὁδὸν καταυγάζει καὶ τὴν λήμην τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῆς διανοίας ἀποκαθαίρει καὶ πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ἄγει καὶ ποιεῖ βαδίζειν λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδόν. 4.21 «Ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν 4.21 Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Ἡ ἀρετή, φησίν, ἡ ὑμετέρα καὶ ἡ περὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἀκρίβεια καὶ ἡ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων κατόρθωσις εἰς δοξολογίαν διεγειρέτω τοὺς ὁρῶντας τοῦ κοινοῦ πάντων δεσπότου. Ἕκαστος τοίνυν ὑμῶν, παρακαλῶ, σπουδαζέτω μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας βιοῦν ἵνα παρὰ πάντων τῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς ὁρώντων ἡ εὐφημία εἰς τὸν δεσπότην ἀναφέρηται. 4.22 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ὁ μιμητὴς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας διδάσκαλος, ὁ πανταχοῦ περιτρέχων καὶ πάντα ποιῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας, ἔγραφε λέγων· «Εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις· τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ γέγονε τὰ πάντα καινά», μονονουχὶ παραινῶν καὶ λέγων· Ἀπέθου τὸ παλαιὸν ἔνδυμα, ἔλαβες τὸ καινὸν καὶ τοσαύτην ἔχον τὴν φαιδρότητα ὡς αὐταῖς ἀντιλάμπειν ταῖς ἀκτῖσι ταῖς ἡλιακαῖς· σκόπει ὅπως ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς φαιδρότητος διατηρῇς τοῦ ἐνδύματος τὸ κάλλος. Ἕως γὰρ ἂν βλέπῃ ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἐχθρὸς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀπαστράπτον ἡμῶν τοῦτο τὸ ἔνδυμα τὸ πνευματικόν, οὐ τολμᾷ οὐδὲ πλησίον στῆναι, οὕτω δέδοικεν αὐτοῦ τὴν φαιδρότητα. Ἀποτυφλοῖ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰς ὄψεις ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἡ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκπηδῶσα. 4.23 ∆ιό, παρακαλῶ, ἤδη ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐκ προοιμίων πολὺν τὸν ἀγῶνα, πολλὴν τὴν φαιδρότητα ἐπιδείξασθε, διὰ πάντων τοῦ ἐνδύματος τούτου τὸ κάλλος λαμπρότερον καὶ φαιδρότερον κατασκευάζοντες καὶ μήτε λόγος τῆς γλώττης ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῇ προπηδάτω, ἀλλὰ πρότερον σκοπῶμεν εἴ τι χρήσιμον ἔχει καὶ εἴ τινα οἰκοδομὴν τοῖς ἀκούουσι παρέχειν δύναται καὶ τότε μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ δέους τὰ ῥήματα προφέρωμεν, ὡσανεί τινος ἑστῶτος καὶ ταῦτα γραφῇ παραδιδόντος, μνημονεύοντες τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰρημένου· «Λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι