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having given counsel, nor indeed will the one who believes the promises of God, and has a firm hope in them, even if the commands are laborious, ever shrink from them; knowing, That the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. And the one who is persuaded that he who humbles himself will be exalted, shows more eagerness than the one who gave the command expects, knowing that, The momentary lightness of affliction works an eternal weight of glory, from excess to excess.

QUESTION 29. Concerning the one who works with arrogance or grumbling.

ANSWER. Indeed, the work of one who grumbles or is found 31.992 to be arrogant must not be mixed with the work done by those who are humble in heart and contrite in spirit, and it should not be consumed at all by the devout. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. And another command of the Apostle, saying: Do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer; and the one, Not grudgingly, or of necessity. Therefore, the work of such people is unacceptable, like a blemished sacrifice; which is not holy to be mixed in with the work of the others. For if those who offered strange fire at the altar experienced such wrath, how is it not dangerous to accept into the economy of the commandments work from a disposition hostile to God? For what fellowship, he says, has righteousness with unrighteousness? or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Wherefore he says: The lawless one who sacrifices a calf to me is as one who kills a dog; and he who offers fine flour, as one who offers swine's blood. Hence, the works of the slothful and rebellious man must of necessity be alienated from the brotherhood. And the superiors must take care of this part accurately, so that they neither corrupt the dogma of the one who said: He that walks in a blameless way, he ministered to me; he did not dwell in the midst of my house, acting with arrogance; nor, by what they themselves accept, build up the one who mixes sin with the commandment, and pollutes the work by laziness in the labor, or by arrogance of advantage, to persevere in his perversion, not allowing him to arrive at a consciousness of his own evils. Therefore, the superior must be persuaded that not presiding over the brother according to reason brings upon him a heavy and inescapable wrath; for his blood will be required at his hands, as it is written; and the subordinate must be so prepared as to shrink from no command, not even the most difficult, persuaded that the reward is great in heaven. Let the hope of glory, therefore, gladden the one who obeys, so that the work of the Lord may be done in all joy and patience.

QUESTION 30. With what disposition ought the superiors to care for the brethren.

ANSWER. But let not his rank puff up the superior, lest he too fall from the blessedness of humility, 31.993 or, being puffed up with pride, fall into the condemnation of the devil; but let him be persuaded of this, that the care of many is the service of many. As, therefore, one who serves many wounded people, and scrapes away the discharge of each one's wound, and applies remedies according to the particular nature of the underlying affliction, does not take his service as an occasion for arrogance, but rather for humility, anxiety, and struggle; so and much more should the one entrusted with healing the infirmities of the brotherhood, as a servant of all, and one who will give an account for all, think and be anxious. For in this way his purpose will be accomplished, as the Lord said: If any man desire to be first among you, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.

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συμβουλεύσαντος, οὔτε μὴν ὁ πιστεύων ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ βεβαίαν ἔχων ἐπ' αὐταῖς τὴν ἐλπίδα, κἂν ἐπίπονα ᾖ τὰ προσ τεταγμένα, ἀποκνήσει ποτὲ πρὸς αὐτά· εἰδὼς, Ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι. Καὶ ὁ πεπεισμέ νος, ὅτι ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται, πλείονα προθυμίαν ἐπιδείκνυται τῆς τοῦ ἐπιτάξαντος προσδο κίας, εἰδὼς ὅτι, Τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΚΘʹ. Περὶ τοῦ μετὰ ἐπάρσεως ἣ γογγυσμοῦ ἐργαζο μένου.

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ μέντοι γογγύσαντος ἢ ἐπὶ ἐπάρσει ἐφευ 31.992 ρεθέντος δεῖ τὴν ἐργασίαν μὴ καταμίγνυσθαι τῇ παρὰ τῶν ταπεινῶν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ συντετριμμένων τῷ πνεύματι γινομένῃ ἐργασίᾳ, καὶ ὅλως μὴ ἀναλίσκε σθαι παρὰ τοῖς εὐλαβέσι. ∆ιότι τὸ ὑψηλὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις βδέλυγμά ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἄλλο παράγγελμα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, λέγοντος· Μηδὲ γογγύζετε, καθάπερ τινὲς αὐτῶν ἐγόγ γυσαν, καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ· καὶ τὸ, Μὴ ἐκ λύπης, ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης. Ἀπρόσδεκτον οὖν τὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἔργον, ὡς θυσία ἐπίμωμος· ὅπερ ἐγκαταμιγῆναι τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐργασίᾳ οὐκ εὐαγές. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πῦρ ἀλλότριον προσάγοντες τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ τοσαύτης ὀργῆς ἐπειράθησαν, πῶς οὐκ ἐπικίνδυνον ἀπὸ ἐχθρᾶς τῷ Θεῷ διαθέσεως ἔργον εἰς τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν παραδέχεσθαι; Τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ, φησὶ, δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ; ἢ τίς μερὶς πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου; ∆ιόπερ φησίν· Ὁ ἄνομος, ὁ θύων μοι μόσχον, ὡς ὁ ἀποκτείνων κύνα· καὶ ὁ προσφέρων σεμίδαλιν, ὡς αἷμα ὕειον. Ὅθεν ἀναγκαίως τὰ τοῦ ὀκνηροῦ καὶ ἀντι λόγου ἔργα ἀλλοτριωτέον τῆς ἀδελφότητος. Καὶ τούτου τοῦ μέρους ἀκριβῶς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δεῖ τοὺς προεστῶτας, ἵνα μήτε αὐτοὶ παραφθείρωσι τὸ δόγμα τοῦ εἰπόντος· Πορευόμενος ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ, οὗτός μοι ἐλειτούργει· οὐ κατῴκει ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκίας μου, ποιῶν ὑπερηφανίαν· μήτε τὸν τῇ ἐντολῇ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιμιγνύντα, καὶ μολύνοντα τὴν ἐργασίαν ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τοῦ κόπου, ἢ ἐπάρσει τοῦ πλεονεκτήματος, οἰκοδομῶσιν ἐπιμένειν τῇ διαστροφῇ δι' ὧν αὐτοὶ προσδέχονται, οὐκ ἐῶντες αὐτὸν εἰς συναίσθησιν τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν ἐφικνεῖσθαι. Χρὴ οὖν καὶ τὸν προεστῶτα πεπεῖσθαι, ὅτι τὸ μὴ κατὰ λόγον προ στῆναι τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ βαρεῖαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπαραίτητον τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπάγει· τὸ γὰρ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητηθήσεται, καθὼς γέγραπται· καὶ τὸν ὑπήκοον οὕτω παρεσκευάσθαι, ὡς πρὸς μηδὲν ἐπίταγμα, μηδὲ τὸ χαλεπώτατον, ἀποκνεῖν, πε πεισμένον, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τὸν μὲν οὖν ὑπακούοντα εὐφραινέτω ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης, ἵνα ἐν πάσῃ χαρᾷ καὶ ὑπομονῇ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Κυρίου γένηται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Λʹ. Ποταπῇ διαθέσει χρὴ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τοὺς

προεστῶτας. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸν δὲ προεστῶτα μὴ ἐπαιρέτω τὸ ἀξίωμα, ἵνα μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκπέσῃ τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ τῆς ταπεινο 31.993 φροσύνης, ἢ καὶ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρῖμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο πεπείσθω, ὅτι ἡ τῶν πλειόνων ἐπιμέλεια πλειόνων ἐστὶν ὑπηρεσία. Ὡς οὖν ὁ πολλοῖς ὑπηρετῶν τετραυματισμένοις, καὶ ἀποξύων μὲν τοὺς ἰχῶρας ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τραύματος, προσάγων δὲ τὰ βοηθήματα κατὰ τὴν ἰδιότητα τῆς ὑποκειμένης κακώσεως, οὐχὶ ἐπάρσεως ἀφορμὴν τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν λαμβάνει, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ταπεινώσεως, ἀγωνίας τε καὶ ἀγῶνος· οὕτω καὶ πολλῷ πλέον ὁ τὰ ἀσθενήματα ἰᾶσθαι τῆς ἀδελφότητος πιστευ θεὶς, ὡς πάντων ὑπηρέτης, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων λό γον δώσων, διανοεῖσθαι καὶ ἀγωνιᾷν ὀφείλει. Τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ τρόπῳ κατορθωθήσεται αὐτῷ ὁ σκο πὸς, τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Εἴ τις θέλει ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, ἔστω ἁπάντων ἔσχατος, καὶ πάν των διάκονος.