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I will make them white; and even if, he says, the filth of sins bites the substance of the soul with such exactness that it becomes a fixed color, even so I am able to bring it to the opposite quality; for it is enough to nod, and all sins vanish. 2. I say these things, not for you to hear; for you have no need of these remedies, through the grace of God; but that they may learn through you. If I could know the places where they assemble, I would not have troubled your love; but since it is impossible for me, being one man, to know so great a crowd, I entrust to you the healing of your brethren; take care of your own brethren, draw them in, call them. I know that you have often done this; but it is nothing to do this often, but to do it until you persuade and draw them. I know that you have annoyed them, that you have often been thought burdensome, that 51.147 you did not persuade them; and this has made you more hesitant; but let Paul comfort you, saying: Love hopes all things, believes all things, love never fails. You do your part; and even if he does not accept the healing, you have your reward from God. For on earth, if you cast the seeds, and it does not bring forth the ears of corn, you must go away with empty hands; but with the soul it is not so; but you cast the teaching, and even if it is not persuaded by what is said, you have your reward complete, and as much as if it had been persuaded; for God is accustomed to determine the rewards not simply by the outcome of the deeds, but by paying attention to the intention of those who labor. I exhort you, therefore, to do what those who are mad about the theaters for the horse races do. What do they do? From evening they make arrangements with each other, and go to each other’s houses at dawn, and set apart other places for themselves, so that, gathered together, they may go up with greater pleasure to that satanic spectacle. Just as they are zealous against their own souls, and drag one another down; so you must care for your own souls, and save one another together. When a meeting is about to be held, go to your brother’s house, and wait outside the doors, and when he comes out, seize him; and even if ten thousand necessities call, do not allow it, nor permit him to touch any of his worldly affairs, before you bring him to the church and persuade him to partake of the entire service; and if he is contentious, and if he contradicts, and if he offers ten thousand excuses, do not be persuaded, nor give way, but after saying and teaching that his other affairs will then be more easily managed for him, when, having completed the service, and having partaken of the prayers, and having enjoyed the blessings of the Fathers, he thus proceeds to those things, and having bound him with these and more words than these, thus lead him to this holy table, that you may have a double reward, both for your own presence and for his. Assuredly, if we use such zeal and eagerness in the hunt for the more slothful, we shall attain salvation. For even if they are ten thousand times negligent and shameless and murderous, blushing at the constancy of your purpose, they will one day desist from their indolence. For they are not harder than that judge who did not know God nor was ashamed before men, even if they are ten thousand times unfeeling; yet the constant persistence of a single widow shamed that cruel, savage, iron, adamant man. Of what pardon, then, would we be worthy, if a widow was able to bend a cruel judge, who neither feared God nor respected men, and persuade him to grant the favor, while we should not be able to draw in our brothers, who are much more tolerable and more moderate than he, for their own sakes

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λευκανῶ· κἂν μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς, φησὶν, ἀκριβείας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὁ ῥύπος δάκῃ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν οὐσίαν, ὡς εἰς ἕξιν βαφῆς ἀκίνητον καταστῆναι, καὶ οὕτως ἐγὼ δύναμαι εἰς τὴν ἐναντίαν αὐτὴν καταστῆσαι ποιότητα· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ νεῦσαι, καὶ πάντα ἀφανίζεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. βʹ. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμεῖς ἀκούσητε· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑμεῖς δεῖσθε τῶν φαρμάκων, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι δι' ὑμῶν μάθωσιν. Εἰ δὲ ἐδυνάμην εἰδέναι τοὺς τόπους ἐν οἷς συλλέγονται, οὐκ ἂν ἠνώχλησα τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀδύνατόν μοι ἑνὶ ὄντι τοσοῦτον εἰδέναι δῆμον, ὑμῖν ἐγχειρίζω τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων τὴν θεραπείαν· ἐπιμελήσασθε τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν οἰκείων, ἐπισπάσασθε, καλέσατε. Οἶδα ὅτι πολλάκις τοῦτο ἐποιήσατε· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τὸ πολλάκις τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἕως τότε ποιῆσαι, ἕως ἂν πείσητε καὶ ἑλκύσητε. Οἶδα ὅτι ἠνωχλήσατε, ὅτι φορτικοὶ πολλάκις ἐνομίσθητε, ὅτι 51.147 οὐκ ἐπείσατε· καὶ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς ὀκνηροτέρους ἐποίησεν· ἀλλὰ παραμυθείσθω ὑμᾶς ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· Ἡ ἀγάπη πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα πιστεύει, ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε ἐκπίπτει. Σὺ τὸ σαυτοῦ ποίησον· κἂν ἐκεῖνος μὴ δέξηται τὴν θεραπείαν, σὺ τὸν μισθὸν ἔχεις παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἂν καταβάλῃς τὰ σπέρματα, καὶ μὴ ἐξενέγκῃ τοὺς ἀστάχυας, κεναῖς ἀνάγκη χερσὶν ἀπελθεῖν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν κατάβαλε τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἐκείνη δὲ κἂν μὴ πεισθῇ τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀπηρτισμένον ἔχεις τὸν μισθὸν, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἂν εἰ ἐπείσθη· οὐ γὰρ τῷ τέλει τῶν πραγμάτων ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν πονούντων προσέχων ὁ Θεὸς, οὕτω τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ὁρίζειν εἴωθε. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ὅπερ ποιοῦσιν οἱ περὶ τὰ θέατρα μεμηνότες πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἵππων ἁμίλλας, τοῦτο καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιήσατε. Τί δὲ ἐκεῖνοι ποιοῦσιν; Ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἀλλήλους συντάσσονται, καὶ εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ἀλλήλων ἀπαντῶσιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω, καὶ τόπους ἑτέρους ἑαυτοῖς ἀφορίζουσιν, ἵν' ὁμοῦ συγκροτηθέντες, μετὰ πλείονος ἡδονῆς ἐπὶ τὴν σατανικὴν ἐκείνην ἀνέλθωσι θέαν. Ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σπουδάζουσι ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀλλήλους συγκατασπῶσιν· οὕτως ὑμεῖς προνοήσατε τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀλλήλους συνδιασώσατε, καὶ συνάξεως μελλούσης γίνεσθαι, ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀπάντησον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ ἀνάμεινον ἔξω τῶν προθύρων, καὶ ἐξελθόντα κάτασχε· κἂν μυρίαι καλῶσιν ἀνάγκαι, μὴ συγχωρήσῃς, μηδὲ ἐπιτρέψῃς ἅψασθαί τινος τῶν βιωτικῶν, πρὶν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀγαγεῖν καὶ πεῖσαι τῆς συνάξεως μετασχεῖν ἁπάσης· κἂν φιλονεικῇ, κἂν ἀντιλέγῃ, κἂν μυρίας προβάληται προφάσεις, μὴ πεισθῇς, μηδὲ ἀνάσχῃ, ἀλλ' εἰπὼν καὶ διδάξας ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα αὐτῷ τότε μᾶλλον ἐξευμαρισθήσεται, ὅταν τὴν σύναξιν ἐπιτελέσας, καὶ κοινωνήσας εὐχῶν, καὶ εὐλογιῶν Πατέρων ἀπολαύσας, οὕτω πρὸς ἐκεῖνα βαδίζει, καὶ τούτοις καὶ πλείοσι τούτων ἑτέροις λόγοις καταδήσας αὐτὸν, οὕτως ἄγε πρὸς τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην τράπεζαν, ἵνα διπλοῦν ἔχῃς τὸν μισθὸν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνου παρουσίας. Πάντως, ἂν τοσαύτῃ καὶ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ περὶ τὴν ἄγραν τῶν ῥᾳθυμοτέρων χρησώμεθα, ἐπιτευξόμεθα τῆς σωτηρίας. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις ὦσιν ὀλίγωροι καὶ ἀναίσχυντοι καὶ φονικοὶ, τὸ συνεχὲς ὑμῶν τῆς προαιρέσεως ἐρυθριάσαντες, ἀποστήσονταί ποτε τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας. Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν ἐκείνου τοῦ δικαστοῦ τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ εἰδότος οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπους αἰσχυνομένου χαλεπώτεροι, κἂν μυριάκις ὦσιν ἀναίσθητοι· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνον τὸν ὠμὸν, τὸν ἄγριον, τὸν σιδηροῦν, τὸν ἀδάμαντα μιᾶς γυναικὸς χήρας προσεδρεία συνεχὴς ἐδυσώπησε. Ποίας οὖν κἂν εἴημεν συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, εἰ γυναικὸς χήρας δικαστὴν ὠμὸν, καὶ μήτε τὸν Θεὸν φοβούμενον, μήτε ἀνθρώπους ἐντρεπόμενον, δυνηθείσης ἐπικάμψαι καὶ πεῖσαι δοῦναι τὴν χάριν, ἡμεῖς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἀνεκτοτέρους ἐκείνου πολλῷ, καὶ μετριωτέρους ἐκείνου, μὴ δυνηθείημεν ἐφελκύσασθαι, ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοὺς