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But judgment is different. But was Job's wife wicked? But Susanna was good. But the Egyptian woman was licentious? But Sarah was modest. Did you see that one? Look also at this one; since even among men some are wicked, others are virtuous. Joseph was good, but the elders were licentious. You have seen vice and virtue everywhere, these things being judged not by nature, but divided by choice. Do not give me excuses. But let us hasten to the debts and the payment. "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died." I am about to say why the prophet marks the time; for we were asking yesterday, why on earth, when all the prophets, and this one himself, were accustomed to state the time during the life of the kings, here the custom was broken; and he does not say: in the days of Uzziah, but at the death of Uzziah. This I wish to resolve today. For even if the heat is great, yet greater is the dew of the word; for if the body, growing soft, is under strain, yet the flourishing soul rejoices. Do not speak to me of heat and sweat; if you sweat in body, you cleanse your mind. The three young men were in the furnace and suffered nothing, but the furnace became dew. When you think of sweat, think also of the reward and the recompense. For a diver dares to cast himself into the depth of the waters for nothing else than for pearls, the cause of war. But I do not slander the material, but the licentious will. And you, in order to receive an unfailing treasure and plant a vine in your soul, will you not endure heat, nor sweat? Do you not see those sitting in the theater, how they sweat and with bare head receive the sun's ray, in order to become captives of death, in order to be slaves of a prostitute? They toil for destruction, and you are exhausted for salvation? You are an athlete and a soldier. Therefore, do not grow weary in the face of dangers, but bear the contests courageously. Who then is that Uzziah and why did he mention this death of his? This Uzziah was a king and a just man, glorying in many achievements; but at some point later he came to folly, to folly, the mother of evils, to arrogance, the tumult of the sick, to pride, the ruin of the devil. For nothing is worse than folly; for this reason we also spent the entire sermon on this yesterday, taking down folly and teaching humility. 4.4 Shall I tell you how great a good humility is and how great an evil folly is? A sinner conquered a just man, the publican conquered the Pharisee, and words prevailed over deeds. How words? The publican says: "God, be merciful to me, the sinner." The Pharisee says: "I am not like the multitude of men, a robber or a covetous man." But what? "I fast twice a week, I give tithes of my possessions." The Pharisee showed works of righteousness; the publican spoke words of humility, and words prevailed over deeds and so great a treasure was blown away and so great a poverty was changed into wealth. Two ships came bearing a cargo; both entered the harbor; but the publican was well moored in the harbor, while the Pharisee suffered shipwreck, so that you may learn how great an evil folly is. Are you righteous? Do not humiliate your brother. Do you pride yourself on achievements? Do not reproach your neighbor and cut short your own praise. However great you are, by that much humble yourself. And pay close attention to what I say, beloved. The righteous man ought to fear folly more than the sinner—this I also said yesterday, and today I say it for the sake of those who were absent yesterday—because the sinner has his conscience accusing him and it is necessary for him to be humble, but the righteous man is lifted up by his achievements. Just as then with ships, those who have an empty ship do not fear a band of pirates—for they do not come to scuttle a ship that has nothing—but those having a ship full of cargo

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διάφορος δὲ ἡ γνώμη. Ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Ἰὼβ φαύλη; Ἀλλ' ἡ Σωσάννα καλή. Ἀλλ' ἡ Αἰγυπτία ἀκόλαστος; Ἀλλ' ἡ Σάρρα κοσμία. Εἶδες ἐκείνην; Βλέπε καὶ ταύτην· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν ἀνδράσιν οἱ μὲν φαῦλοι, οἱ δὲ σπουδαῖοι. Καλὸς ὁ Ἰωσήφ, οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι ἀκόλαστοι. Εἶδες πανταχοῦ κακίαν καὶ ἀρετήν, μὴ τῇ φύσει ταῦτα κρινόμενα, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ διαιρούμενα. Μή μοι προφάσεις; Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ χρέα καὶ τὴν καταβολὴν σπεύδωμεν. "Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς." Μέλλω λέγειν διὰ τί ὁ προφήτης ἐπισημαίνεται τὸν καιρόν· ἐζητοῦμεν γὰρ χθές, τί δήποτε τῶν προφητῶν ἁπάντων τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ζωῆς τῶν βασιλέων εἰωθότων λέγειν, καὶ αὐτοῦ τούτου, ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἔθος ἐλύθη· καὶ οὐ λέγει· ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ὀζίου, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ Ὀζίου. Τοῦτο λῦσαι βούλομαι σήμερον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολὺ τὸ καῦμα, ἀλλὰ μείζων ἡ δρόσος τοῦ λόγου· εἰ γὰρ βιάζεται τὸ σῶμα μαλακιζόμενον, ἀλλ' ἀκμάζουσα ἡ ψυχὴ εὐφραίνεται. Μή μοι λέγε καῦμα καὶ ἱδρῶτα· ἐὰν ἱδρώσῃς τῷ σώματι, σμήχεις σου τὴν διάνοιαν. Οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς ἐν καμίνῳ ἦσαν καὶ οὐδὲν ἔπασχον, ἀλλ' ἡ κάμινος δρόσος ἐγένετο. Ὅταν ἐννοήσῃς ἱδρῶτα, ἐννόει καὶ τὸν μισθὸν καὶ τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Καὶ γὰρ κολυμβητὴς ἄνθρωπος δι' οὐδὲν ἄλλο κατατολμᾷ εἰς τὸ βάθος ἑαυτὸν καταβαλεῖν τῶν ὑδάτων ἢ διὰ μαργαρίτας, τοῦ πολέμου τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν ὕλην διαβάλλω, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκόλαστον γνώμην. Καὶ σύ, ἵνα λάβῃς θησαυρὸν ἀνελλιπῆ καὶ φυτεύσῃς ἄμπελον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου, οὐκ ἀνέχῃ καύματος, οὐδὲ ἱδρῶτος; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἐν θεάτρῳ καθημένους, πῶς ἱδροῦσιν καὶ γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ τὴν ἀκτῖνα δέχονται, ἵνα γένωνται θανάτου αἰχμάλωτοι, ἵνα πόρνης δοῦλοι; Εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἐκεῖνοι κάμνουσιν, καὶ σὺ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐκλύῃ; Ἀθλητὴς εἶ καὶ στρατιώτης. Μὴ τοίνυν κάμνε πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους, ἀλλ' εὐψύχως διάφερε τοὺς ἀγῶνας. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ Ὀζίας ἐκεῖνος καὶ διὰ τί τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ ταύτην εἶπεν; Οὗτος ὁ Ὀζίας βασιλεὺς ἦν καὶ ἀνὴρ δίκαιος καὶ πολλοῖς κομῶν τοῖς κατορθώμασιν· ἀλλ' ὕστερόν ποτε εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἦλθεν, εἰς ἀπόνοιαν, τὴν μητέρα τῶν κακῶν, εἰς ἀλαζονείαν, τὸν θόρυβον τῶν νοσούντων, εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν, τὴν ἀπώλειαν τοῦ διαβόλου. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀπονοίας χεῖρον· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν λόγον ἅπαντα εἰς τοῦτο κατηναλώσαμεν χθές, τὴν ἀπόνοιαν καθαιροῦντες καὶ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην διδάσκοντες. 4.4 Εἴπω σοι πόσον ἀγαθὸν ταπεινοφροσύνη καὶ πόσον κακὸν ἀπόνοια; Ἁμαρτωλὸς δίκαιον ἐνίκησεν, ὁ τελώνης τὸν φαρισαῖον, καὶ ῥήματα ἔργων περιεγένοντο. Πῶς ῥήματα; Ὁ τελώνης λέγει· "Ὁ Θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ." Ὁ φαρισαῖος λέγει· "Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἅρπαξ ἢ πλεονέκτης." Ἀλλὰ τί; "Νηστεύω δὶς τῆς ἑβδομάδος, ἀποδεκατῶ μου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα." Ὁ φαρισαῖος ἔργα ἔδειξε δικαιοσύνης· ὁ τελώνης ῥήματα εἶπε ταπεινοφροσύνης, καὶ λόγοι ἔργων περιεγένοντο καὶ ὁ τοσοῦτος θησαυρὸς ἐξεφυσήθη καὶ ἡ τοσαύτη πενία εἰς πλοῦτον μετεβλήθη. Ἦλθον δύο πλοῖα ἔχοντα γόμον· εἰσῆλθον ἀμφότερα εἰς τὸν λιμένα· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τελώνης καλῶς τῷ λιμένι προσωρμίσθη, ὁ δὲ φαρισαῖος ναυάγιον ὑπέμεινεν, ἵνα μάθῃς πόσον κακὸν ἡ ἀπόνοια. ∆ίκαιος εἶ; Μὴ ταπεινώσῃς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου. Κομᾷς κατορθώμασιν; Μὴ ὀνειδίσῃς τῷ πλησίον καὶ ὑποτέμῃς σου τὸ ἐγκώμιον. Ὅσον μέγας εἶ, τοσοῦτον ταπείνου σαυτόν. Καὶ πρόσεχε μετ' ἀκριβείας τί λέγω, ἀγαπητέ. Μᾶλλον ὁ δίκαιος ὀφείλει φοβεῖσθαι τὴν ἀπόνοιαν ἢ ὁ ἁμαρτωλόςτοῦτο καὶ χθὲς εἶπον, καὶ τήμερον λέγω διὰ τοὺς χθὲς ἀπολειφθέντας διότι ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἔχει τὸ συνειδὸς κατηγοροῦν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνάγκη ταπεινοφρονεῖν αὐτόν, ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐπαίρεται κατορθώμασιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν πλοίων, οἱ μὲν ἔχοντες κενὸν πλοῖον οὐ δεδοίκασι πειρατῶν σύστημαοὐ γὰρ ἔρχονται διατρῆσαι τὸ πλοῖον τὸ μηδὲν ἔχον, οἱ δὲ φόρτου γέμον ἔχοντες πλοῖον