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being constrained, he would not have the authority to be cut from those with whom he has been joined. Or doing this, he is dead in his soul, and deprived of the grace of the Spirit, as one who has broken the agreement made upon it. But if someone should say that some of the brothers are wicked; for he will not accuse them all; for they have not formed their community for the sake of evil, so that all are unanimously wicked; if then he should say that some of the brothers are wicked, and carelessly undermine what is good, and neglect decency, and overlook the strictness befitting ascetics, and for this reason it is fitting to separate from such men, he has not devised a sufficient defense for his separation. For neither Peter, nor Andrew, nor John broke away from the rest of the choir of the apostles because of the wickedness of Judas, nor did any other of the apostles make this a pretext for apostasy, nor was he hindered in any way from obeying Christ by that man's depravity; but obeying the teachings of the Lord, they were zealous for piety and virtue, not indeed turning towards his wickedness. Thus the one who says, "Because of the wicked I am compelled to separate from spiritual fellowship," has not found a reasonable excuse for his own instability; but he himself is rocky ground, unable to nourish the word of truth due to the instability of his mind, but through the assault of a small temptation, or the incontinence of passions, not enduring the sober way of life, the newly-sprouted 31.1397 shoot of teaching is immediately dried up by the scorching heat of the passions; and devising vain and insufficient pretexts for a defense at the judgment seat of Christ according to his own conviction, and easily deceiving himself. For nothing is easier than to deceive oneself, since each person becomes a partial judge for himself, judging pleasant things to be advantageous. Let such a one therefore be condemned by truth which judges, as becoming an occasion of scandal to many, that is, by a wicked example always provoking zeal for similar absurdities, and becoming an heir of the "woe." And it is better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck, and he be drowned in the depth of the sea. For when a soul becomes accustomed to apostasy, it is filled with much incontinence, and greed and gluttony, and falsehood and all malice; and finally it plunges to the abyss of wickedness, being tried by the worst evils. Therefore, he who becomes a guide for such people, let him consider for the loss of how many souls he becomes liable; he who is not even able to be sufficient for the account of his own soul. For why does such a one not rather imitate the great Peter, and become an example of firm faith and of steadfastness in good things to the rest, so that, with the light of his achievements shining, even those who live in the darkness of wickedness may be led to what is better? Then indeed Noah the just did not say to God, "I must leave the world, since all are wicked," but rather he endured athletically and nobly, and amid an abyss of wickedness he kept his piety untroubled, and in no way rebelled against the Master, but with patience and endurance amid the waves of impiety he preserved the vessel of piety. And Lot in Sodom, living amidst so much impiety and lawlessness and iniquity, preserved his virtue incorrupt, in no way captured by evil plots; but among murderers of strangers, and with much insolence and licentiousness carried on against the laws of nature, he both preserved his holiness undefiled, and, as far as was possible, introduced it to the others, teaching what is good by deeds before words. But you make an excuse of the negligences of the brothers, whether they are real or fabricated by you, contemplating apostasy and contriving the rejection of the Holy Spirit, and a curtain for your own wickedness and laziness in the labors for 31.1400 virtue the...

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κρατούμενος, οὐκ ἂν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοι τέμνεσθαι τούτων, οἷς συνηρμόσθη. Ἢ ποιῶν τοῦτο, νεκρός ἐστι τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ ἐστερη μένος τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, οἷα δὴ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ σύμβασιν ἀθετήσας. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις, ὅτι φαῦλοί τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἅπαντας αἰτιάσε ται· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ κακίᾳ τὴν κοινωνίαν πεποίηνται, ὥστε πάντας συμφώνως εἶναι κακούς· εἰ οὖν λέγοι, ὅτι φαῦλοί τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ ἀφυλάκτως τὸ ἀγαθὸν παραλύοντες, καὶ τῆς κοσμιότητος ἀμελοῦντες, καὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν ἀσκηταῖς ἀκρίβειαν παρορῶντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προσήκει τῶν τοιούτων χωρίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἀρκοῦσαν ἀπολογίαν τοῦ χωρισμοῦ ταύτην ἐπινενόηκεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ Πέτρος, ἢ Ἀνδρέας, ἢ Ἰωάννης διὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα πονηρίαν ἀπεῤῥάγησαν τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων χοροῦ, οὐδὲ ἕτερός τις τῶν ἀποστόλων ταύτην ἀφορμὴν ἀποστάσεως ἐποιήσατο, οὐδέ τι πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι τῷ Χριστῷ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου μοχθηρίας ἐνεποδίσθῃ· ἀλλὰ τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου πειθαρχοῦντες διδάγμασι, τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐζήλουν, οὐ μὴν πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου πονηρίαν ἐπιστρεφόμενοι. Οὕτως ὁ λέγων, ὅτι ∆ιὰ τοὺς φαύλους χωρίζεσθαι πνευματικῆς ἀναγκάζομαι συναφείας, οὐκ εὔλογον πρόφασιν ἐξεῦρε τῆς οἰκείας ἀβεβαιότητος· ἀλλὰ ἔστι μὲν αὐτὸς γῆ πετρώδης, τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον ἐκθρέψαι διὰ γνώμης ἀβε βαιότητα μὴ δυνάμενος, ἀλλὰ διὰ μικροῦ πειρασμοῦ προσβολὴν, ἢ ἀκρασίαν παθῶν, τὴν σώφρονα πολιτείαν οὐχ ὑπομένων, εὐθύς τε ἀποξηραίνεται τῷ καύσωνι τῶν παθῶν τὸ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀρτιφυὲς 31.1397 βλάστημα· προφάσεις δὲ εἰκαίας καὶ οὐκ ἀρ κούσας πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πληροφορίαν οἰκείαν ἐπινοῶν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν εὐ κόλως παρακρουόμενος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἀπα τᾷν εὐκολώτερον, ἐπειδὴ κριτὴς ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ κε χαρισμένος γίνεται, τὰ ἡδέα κρίνων εἶναι συμφέροντα. Ἔστω τοίνυν ὁ τοιοῦτος κατακεκριμένος παρὰ ἀληθείᾳ δικαζούσῃ, ὡς σκανδάλων ὑπόθεσις πλείοσι καθιστάμενος, ἤτοι πονηρῷ ὑποδείγματι πρὸς ζῆλον τῶν ἴσων ἀτοπημάτων διερεθίζων ἀεὶ, καὶ τοῦ οὐαὶ κληρονόμος γενόμενος. Καὶ συμφέρει αὐτῷ ἵνα μύ λος ὀνικὸς κρεμασθῇ περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταποντισθῇ ἐν τῷ πελάγει τῆς θαλάσσης. Ἐπὰν γὰρ ψυχὴ ἀπόστασιν ἐθισθείη, πολλῆς ἐμπίπλαται ἀκρασίας, πλεονεξίας τε καὶ γαστριμαρ γίας, ψεύδους τε καὶ πάσης κακοηθείας· καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον εἰς τὸν πυθμένα καταστρέφει τῆς πονη ρίας τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐμπειρομένη κακοῖς. Ὁ τοίνυν τῶν τοιούτων ὁδηγὸς καθιστάμενος, σκοπείτω πόσων ψυχῶν ἀπωλείας ἔνοχος γίνεται· ὅ γε μηδὲ πρὸς τὰς εὐθύνας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ἀρκέσαι δυνάμενος. Τί γὰρ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ὁ τοιοῦτος μιμεῖται τὸν μέγαν Πέτρον, καὶ ὑπόδειγμα βεβαίας πίστεως, καὶ τῆς περὶ τῶν καλῶν ἐνστάσεως τοῖς λοιποῖς γίνεται, ἵνα, λάμ ποντος τοῦ φωτὸς τῶν ἐκείνου κατορθωμάτων, καὶ οἱ ἐν σκότει τῆς πονηρίας διάγοντες ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ὁδηγηθῶσιν; Ἔπειτα δὲ Νῶε μὲν ὁ δίκαιος οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ∆εῖ με ἐκβῆναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐπειδὴ πάντες εἰσὶ πονηροὶ, ἀλλ' ἐκαρτέρησε μᾶλλον ἀθλητικῶς καὶ γενναίως, καὶ μεταξὺ ἀβύσσου πονηρίας τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀχείμαστον διετήρησε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην οὐδαμῶς ἐστασίασεν, ἀλλὰ ὑπο μονῇ καὶ καρτερίᾳ μεταξὺ τῶν κυμάτων τῆς ἀσε βείας τὴν φορτίδα τῆς εὐσεβείας περιεσώσατο. Καὶ Λὼτ ἐν Σοδόμοις, μεταξὺ τοσαύτης ἀσεβείας καὶ παρανομίας καὶ ἀθεσμίας στρεφόμενος, τὴν ἀρε τὴν ἀπαράφθορον διεφύλαξεν, οὐδαμοῦ κακαῖς ἑαλω κυῖαν ἐπιβουλαῖς· ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ ξενοκτόνων, καὶ ὕβρει πολλῇ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ κατὰ τῶν τῆς φύσεως φερομένων θεσμῶν, τὴν ἁγιωσύνην ἀμίαντον αὐτός τε διέσωσε, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς, ὡς ἐνῆν, εἰσηγήσατο, πράξεσι πρὸ τῶν λόγων τὸ καλὸν ἐκπαιδεύων. Σὺ δὲ προφα σίζῃ τὰς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὀλιγωρίας ἢ οὔσας, ἢ παρὰ σοῦ πλαττομένας, τὴν ἀποστασίαν ἐννοῶν, καὶ τὴν ἀθέτησιν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μηχανώμενος, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πονηρίας καὶ τῶν πόνων τῶν ὑπὲρ 31.1400 ἀρετῆς ὀκνηρίας παραπέτασμα τὴν τῶν