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of dreadful sheep, and a man with plague must be guarded against by many, and a dog seized with madness is dangerous to everyone, whom it may touch. If, therefore, we do not separate a lawless man from the Church of God, we shall make the house of the Lord a den of thieves. For one must not be silent about those who sin, but rebuke, admonish, subdue, strengthen with fasting, so that he may instill reverence in others also. "For," it says, "make the sons of Israel reverent." For the bishop must be a restrainer of sins through admonition, and a guardian of righteousness and a herald of the good things prepared by God and a messenger of the coming wrath in the judgment, so that, by not despising God's husbandry, he may not hear because of neglect what was said in Hosea: "Why have you been silent about ungodliness and harvested its fruit?" Therefore, let the bishop care for all, both for those who have not sinned, that they may remain sinless, and for those who are sinning, that they may repent; for the Lord says to you: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones." And it is necessary to give forgiveness to those who repent; for as soon as one of those who have transgressed says with a genuine disposition: "I have sinned against the Lord," the Holy Spirit answers: "And the Lord has put away your sin; take heart, you shall not die." Know, therefore, O bishop, your dignity, that as you have received the authority to bind, so also to loose. Having therefore the authority to loose, know yourself and conduct yourself worthily of your place in this life, knowing that a greater account will be required of you. "For," it says, "to whom they committed much, of him they will ask the more." For no man is without sin, except for him who became man for our sake, since it is written: "No one is clean from filth, not even if his life is of one day." For this reason also the lives and conduct of the righteous and patriarchs who came before were recorded, not that we might reproach them when we read, but that we ourselves might repent and become hopeful of obtaining forgiveness. For their stains are our security and admonition, that we too, having sinned, if we repent, will have pardon, since it is written: "Who will boast that he has a pure heart, or who will be bold to say he is clean from sin?" For no one is without sin; therefore, strive according to your ability to be blameless, and take care for all things, lest through you

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αινόντων προβάτων, καὶ ἄνθρωπος λοιμώσσων πολλοῖς φυλακτέος, καὶ κύων λύσσῃ συσχεθεὶς ἐπικίνδυνος παντί, ᾧ δ' ἂν προσάψῃ. Ἐὰν οὖν καὶ ἄνθρωπον παράνομον μὴ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρίσωμεν, ποιήσομεν τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου σπήλαιον λῃστῶν. ∆εῖ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων μὴ παρασιωπᾶν, ἀλλ' ἐλέγχειν, νουθετεῖν, ὑποπιέζειν, στι βοῦν νηστείαις, ὅπως καὶ τοῖς ἑτέροις εὐλάβειαν ἐμποιήσῃ. «Eὐλαβεῖς γάρ, φησίν, ποιήσατε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.» Χρὴ γὰρ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν κωλυτὴν διὰ τῆς νουθεσίας γίνεσθαι, καὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης σκοπὸν καὶ τῶν ἡτοιμασμένων ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἀγαθῶν κήρυκα καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς ἐν τῇ κρίσει διαγγελτῆρα, ὅπως μὴ κατα φρονήσας τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φυτουργίας ἀκούσῃ διὰ ἀμέλειαν τὸ ἐν τῷ Ὠσηὲ εἰρημένον· «Ἵνα τί παρεσιωπήσατε ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς ἐτρυγήσατε;» Πάντων οὖν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος φροντιζέτω, καὶ τῶν μὴ ἡμαρτηκότων, ἵνα μένωσιν ἀναμάρτητοι, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ἵνα μετανοῶσιν· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς ὑμᾶς· «Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων.» Καὶ τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἄφεσιν διδόναι χρή· ἅμα γὰρ τῷ εἰπεῖν τινα τῶν πλημμελησάντων γνησίᾳ διαθέσει· «Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ», ἀποκρίνεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· «Καὶ Κύριος ἀφῆκέν σοι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· θάρσει, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς.» Γνώριζε οὖν, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, τὸ ἀξίωμά σου, ὅτι ὡς τοῦ δεσμεῖν ἐκληρώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὕτως καὶ τοῦ λύειν. Ἐξουσίαν οὖν ἔχων τοῦ λύειν γνώριζε σεαυτὸν καὶ ἀξίως τοῦ τόπου σου ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ἀναστρέ φου, εἰδὼς ὅτι πλείονα αὐτὸς ἀπαιτηθήσῃ τὸν λόγον. «Ὣι γάρ, φησί, παρέθεντο πολύ, περισσότερον ἀπαιτήσου σιν παρ' αὐτοῦ.» Ἀναμάρτητος μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς παρὲξ τοῦ γενομένου δι' ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώπου, ἐπεὶ γέγραπται· «Oὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ·ύπου, οὐδ' ἂν μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν προγεγενημένων δικαίων τε καὶ πατριαρχῶν οἱ βίοι καὶ αἱ ἀναστροφαὶ ἀνεγράφησαν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐκείνους ὀνειδίζωμεν ἀναγινώσκοντες, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς μετανοῶμεν καὶ εὐέλπιδες γινώμεθα ὡς ἀφέσεως τευξόμενοι. Τὰ γὰρ ἐκείνων ·ύπη ἡμετέρα ἀσφάλεια καὶ παραίνεσις, ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἁμαρτήσαντες, ἐὰν μετανοήσωμεν, συγγνώμην ἕξομεν, ἐπεὶ γέγραπται· «Τίς καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν, ἢ τίς παρρησιάσεται καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας;» Oὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναμάρτητος· σὺ οὖν κατὰ δύναμιν σπούδαζε ἀνεπίληπτος εἶναι, καὶ περὶ πάντων μερίμνα, μὴ διὰ σέ