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to have no one as an enemy. The Lord be with you all. The greeting of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. This he says he writes in every epistle, so that no one may be able to counterfeit them, the signature lying there as a great proof. But he calls the prayer a greeting, showing that they did all things spiritually then, and when it was necessary to greet, the matter was done with profit; and the prayer was not simply a symbol of friendship. From this he began, and in this he ended, fencing in what was said on both sides with great walls, laying down secure foundations, and bringing the end to a secure conclusion. Grace to you, he says, and peace; and again, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. This the Lord also promised, saying to His disciples, "Behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age." But this happens when we wish it; for He will not be with us in every case, if we put ourselves far away. I will be with you, he says, always. Let us not therefore drive away grace. He wishes us to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly. A great evil was this then, to be separated from the fullness of the brethren. With this, at least, he punishes all, as also 62.497 writing to the Corinthians elsewhere he said: With such a one, he says, not even to eat. But now the majority do not consider it a great thing, but all things are confused and corrupted; we mingle with adulterers, with fornicators, with the covetous simply and as it may happen. If it were necessary to withdraw only from one who is fed in idleness, how much more from the others? And that you may learn how fearful a thing it was to be separated from the assembly of the brethren, and how much profit it brings to those who receive the rebuke with good judgment, hear how that one who was puffed up by his sin, who had driven on to the utmost wickedness, who had committed such fornication as is not even named among the Gentiles, who was insensible of his wound (for this is the height of perversion); this very man was so bent and humbled, that Paul said: Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted by the many; so that you should confirm your love toward him. For just as a member torn from the rest of the body, so it was then. d. And the reason, and whence this was fearful then; because to be with them was considered a great good to them. For as if inhabiting one house, and being under one father, and partaking of one table, so they dwelt then in each Church. Therefore, to fall from so great a love, how great an evil it was! But now it does not seem to be a great thing, because it is not considered anything great when we are with one another. What was then in the rank of a punishment, this, because of the great cooling of love, now happens even without punishment, and we withdraw from one another for no reason, and from coldness. For the cause of all evils is the absence of love; this has dissolved and destroyed all the revered and splendid things of the Church, in which she ought to have gloried. Great is the confidence of a teacher, when he is able to rebuke his disciples from his own right actions. For this reason Paul also said: For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; and a teacher ought to be a teacher more of life than of word. But let no one think this to be boastfulness; for being under necessity he uttered this, and for the common good. That we were not disorderly, he says, among you. From this do you not see the humility, which he calls a free gift and good order? We were not disorderly, he says, among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread for free. He shows here that they were perhaps also poor. And do not say to me, But not all were poor; for he is speaking about the poor and those who have no other way of obtaining necessary food than from the labor of their hands. For he did not say, "That they might have it from their fathers," but, "That

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μηδένα ἔχειν ἐχθρόν. Ὁ Κύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου, ὅ ἐστι σημεῖον ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ· οὕτω γράφω. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Τοῦτο λέγει γράφειν ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ, ὥστε μηδενὶ ἐξεῖναι παραποιεῖν αὐτὰς, τῆς ὑπογραφῆς ὥσπερ τεκμηρίου κειμένου μεγάλου. Ἀσπασμὸν δὲ καλεῖ τὴν εὐχὴν, δεικνὺς ὅτι πάντα πνευματικὰ ἔπραττον τότε, καὶ ὅτε ἀσπάσασθαι ἔδει, μετὰ κέρδους τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν· καὶ εὐχὴν οὐχ ἁπλῶς φιλίας σύμβολον. Ἀπὸ τούτου ἤρχετο, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἔληγε, περιφράττων τειχίοις μεγάλοις τὰ λεγόμενα ἑκατέρωθεν, ἀσφαλεῖς τε θεμελίους τιθεὶς, καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπήγαγεν ἀσφαλές. Χάρις ὑμῖν, φησὶ, καὶ εἰρήνη· καὶ πάλιν, Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο λέγων τοῖς μαθηταῖς, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο γίνεται, ὅταν ἡμεῖς βουλώμεθα· οὐ γὰρ πάντως ἔσται μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἐὰν ἑαυτοὺς πόῤῥω ποιῶμεν. Μεθ' ὑμῶν, φησὶν, ἔσομαι διαπαντός. Μὴ τοίνυν τὴν χάριν ἀπελάσωμεν. Στέλλεσθαι ἡμᾶς βούλεται ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος. Μέγα ἦν τότε τοῦτο τὸ κακὸν, τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ πληρώματος ἀποσπασθῆναι τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Τούτῳ γοῦν ἅπαντας τιμωρεῖται, καθὼς καὶ 62.497 ἀλλαχοῦ γράφων Κορινθίοις ἔλεγε· Τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐ νῦν μέγα αὐτὸ ἡγοῦνται οἱ πλείους, ἀλλὰ πάντα συγκέχυται καὶ διέφθαρται· μετὰ μοιχῶν, μετὰ πόρνων, μετὰ πλεονεκτῶν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀναμιγνύμεθα. Εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργῶς τρεφομένου μόνον στέλλεσθαι ἔδει, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων; Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅσον ἦν φοβερὸν τὸ χωρίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ συλλόγου τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ ὅσον φέρει κέρδος τοῖς εὐγνωμόνως τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν δεχομένοις, ἄκουσον ὅπως ὁ πεφυσιωμένος ἐκεῖνος τῷ ἁμαρτήματι, ὁ εἰς ἐσχάτην κακίαν ἐλάσας, ὁ πορνείαν πορνεύσας, οἵα οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται, ὁ ἀναισθήτως ἔχων τοῦ τραύματος (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὑπερβολὴ διαστροφῆς)· οὗτος δὴ ὁ τοιοῦτος οὕτω κατεκάμφθη καὶ συνεστάλη, ὥστε τὸν Παῦλον εἰπεῖν· Ἀρκεῖ τῷ τοιούτῳ ἡ ἐπιτίμησις αὕτη ἡ ὑπὸ τῶν πλειόνων· ὥστε κυρώσατε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην. Καθάπερ γὰρ μέλος ἀποσπασθὲν τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος, οὕτως ἦν τότε. δʹ. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, καὶ πόθεν ἦν τοῦτο φοβερὸν τότε· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ εἶναι μετ' αὐτῶν μέγα ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῖς ἐνομίζετο. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἰκίαν μίαν οἰκοῦντες, καὶ ὑπὸ πατέρα ἕνα ὄντες, καὶ μιᾶς τραπέζης μετέχοντες, οὕτως ᾤκουν τότε καθ' ἑκάστην Ἐκκλησίαν. Τὸ τοίνυν τοσαύτης ἐκπεσεῖν ἀγάπης, πόσον κακὸν ἦν; Νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ εἶναι μέγα δοκεῖ, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ μέγα τι νομίζεσθαι, ὅταν μετ' ἀλλήλων ὦμεν. Ὅπερ ἐν τάξει τιμωρίας ἦν τότε, τοῦτο διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ψύξιν τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ χωρὶς τιμωρίας γίνεται νῦν, καὶ στελλόμεθα ἀπ' ἀλλήλων εἰκῆ, καὶ ἀπὸ ψυχρότητος. Τὸ γὰρ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀγάπην· τοῦτο πάντα διέλυσε καὶ ἠφάνισε τὰ σεμνὰ καὶ λαμπρὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐφ' οἷς ἀγάλλεσθαι ἔδει. Μεγάλη διδασκάλου παῤῥησία, ὅταν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων ἔχῃ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπιτιμᾷν. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε πῶς δεῖ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς· καὶ τοῦ βίου μᾶλλον ὀφείλει διδάσκαλος εἶναι, ἢ τοῦ λόγου. Μηδεὶς δὲ νομιζέτω τοῦτο μεγαληγορίας εἶναι· εἰς γὰρ ἀνάγκην καταστὰς τοῦτο ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ χρήσιμον. Ὅτι οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἀπὸ τούτου οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, ἢν δωρεὰν καλεῖ καὶ εὐταξίαν; Οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐδὲ δωρεὰν ἄρτον ἐφάγομεν. ∆είκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα καὶ πένητας αὐτοὺς ἴσως ὄντας. Καὶ μή μοι εἴπῃς, Ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες πένητες ἦσαν· περὶ γὰρ πενήτων καὶ τῶν οὐκ ἄλλως τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐπορούντων τροφῆς, ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν χειρῶν ἐργασίας διαλέγεται. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἵνα ἀπὸ πατέρων ἔχωσιν, ἀλλ', Ἵνα