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this in earthen vessels? So he honors, and does not disparage the earthen vessel, having called it receptive of treasure. There he indicates nature itself, not the form of the matter. What he says is this: Our body is an earthen vessel. For just as what is earthen is nothing other than baked clay; so also our body is nothing other than clay hardened by the heat of the soul. For that it is earthen is clear; for often, as that vessel having fallen is broken and shattered, so also the body, having fallen in death, is dissolved. For how do bones differ from potsherds, being so strong, so dry? and how the flesh from clay? Are not these also similarly from water? But, as I was saying, how does he not disparage the thing there? There he speaks about nature, here about choice. If therefore someone cleanses himself, he says. He did not say, "Cleanses," but, "Thoroughly cleanses," that is, completely cleanses. He will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master. So those things are useless, even if they perform some function. Prepared for every good work. Even if he does not act, yet he is suitable, receptive. Therefore, one must be prepared for all things, whether for death, or for martyrdom; one must be prepared, whether for virginity, or for all these things. But flee youthful lusts. Youthful are not only those of fornication, but every unseemly desire is youthful. Let the old hear, that they must not do the things of the young. Whether one is insolent, or loves power, or money, or bodies, or anything whatsoever, the desire is youthful, senseless; the heart not yet being established, nor the mind set in depth, but suspended, all these things must needs happen. That no one, therefore, may be caught by these things, what does he advise? Flee youthful fancies; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with all who call on the Lord from a pure heart. By righteousness he means virtue in general, piety in life, faith, love, gentleness. What is, With those who call on the Lord from a pure heart? As if he had said, Trust in those alone, not in those who simply call upon him, but in those without guile, without hypocrisy, those having nothing deceitful, those who approach with peace, those who are not quarrelsome; mix with those, but with the others one should not be gentle, but only be at peace as far as it depends on him. But foolish and ignorant disputes avoid, knowing that they produce quarrels. 2. Do you see how everywhere he leads him away from disputes? not because he was not able to refute them sufficiently; for he was able; but if he was not, he would have said to him, "Strive to be fit for the refutation of such things;" just as when he says, "Attend to reading;" for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you; but he knows it is useless even to descend at all into such contests, and that there will be no end, but only strife and enmity, insults and slanders. Therefore avoid these disputes. So there are other disputes, those concerning the Scriptures, those concerning other things. But a servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Therefore he must not quarrel even in a dispute; for the servant of God must be far 62.632 from strife. For God is a God of peace; how then could the servant of the God of peace quarrel? But be gentle toward all. For a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, he says, but be gentle toward all. How then does he say, "Rebuke them with all authority"? and here again, "Let no one despise your youth"? and again, "Rebuke them sharply"? Because this too is of gentleness. For a strong rebuke, when it is done with mildness, this is what is most able to sting. For it is possible, it is possible with gentleness to reprove, rather than with boldness to shame. Apt to teach; that is, towards all who wish to be taught. For a heretical man, he says, after a first and second

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τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν; ὥστε τιμᾷ, καὶ οὐ διαβάλλει τὸ σκεῦος τὸ ὀστράκινον, θησαυροῦ δεκτικὸν αὐτὸ προσειπών. Ἐκεῖ τὴν φύσιν αὐτὴν δηλοῖ, οὐ τὸ εἶδος τῆς ὕλης. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Σκεῦος ὀστράκινον ἡμῶν τὸ σῶμα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ὀστράκινον οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ πηλὸς ὠπτημένος· οὕτω καὶ τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἡμέτερον, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν, ἢ πηλὸς τῇ θερμότητι τῆς ψυχῆς στερεούμενος. Ὅτι γὰρ ὀστράκινόν ἐστι, δῆλον· πολλάκις γὰρ, ὡς ἐκεῖνο τὸ σκεῦος πεσὸν κατεάγη καὶ συνετρίβη, οὕτω καὶ τὸ σῶμα θανάτῳ καταπεσὸν διαλύεται. Τί γὰρ ὀστράκων διενήνοχε τὰ ὀστᾶ, οὕτως ὄντα κραταιὰ, οὕτως ὄντα ξηρά; τί δὲ πηλοῦ αἱ σάρκες; οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀπὸ ὕδατός εἰσι καὶ αὗται; Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, πῶς ἐκεῖ οὐ διαβάλλει τὸ πρᾶγμα; Ἐκεῖ περὶ φύσεως διαλέγεται, ἐνταῦθα περὶ προαιρέσεως. Ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπε, Καθάρῃ, ἀλλ', Ἐκκαθάρῃ, τουτέστι, παντελῶς καθάρῃ. Ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν ἡγιασμένον, εὔχρηστον τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Ἄρα ἐκεῖνα ἄχρηστα, εἰ καί τινα χρείαν ἐπιτελεῖ. Εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον. Κἂν μὴ πράττῃ, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπιτήδειόν ἐστι, δεκτικόν. ∆εῖ οὖν πρὸς πάντα παρεσκευάσθαι, κἂν πρὸς θάνατον, κἂν πρὸς μαρτύριον· δεῖ ἡτοιμάσθαι, κἂν πρὸς παρθενίαν, κἂν πρὸς ταῦτα πάντα. Τὰς δὲ νεωτερικὰς ἐπιθυμίας φεῦγε. Νεωτερικαὶ οὐχ αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ τῆς πορνείας μόνον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσα ἐπιθυμία ἄτοπος νεωτερική. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ γεγηρακότες, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ τὰ τῶν νεωτέρων ποιεῖν. Κἂν ὑβριστὴς ᾖ τις, κἂν δυναστείας ἐρᾷ, κἂν χρημάτων, κἂν σωμάτων, κἂν ὁτουοῦν δήποτε, νεωτερικὴ ἡ ἐπιθυμία, ἀνόητος· οὔπω τῆς καρδίας βεβηκυίας, οὐδὲ τῶν φρενῶν ἐν βάθει τεθεισῶν, ἀλλ' ᾐωρημένων ἀνάγκη ταῦτα πάντα γίνεσθαι. Ἵνα οὖν μηδεὶς τούτοις ἁλῷ, τί παραινεῖ; Φαντασίας νεωτερικὰς φεῦγε· δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, εἰρήνην μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸν Κύριον ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας. ∆ικαιοσύνην τὴν καθόλου ἀρετὴν λέγει, τὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ εὐσέβειαν, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, πραότητα. Τί ἐστι, Μετὰ τῶν ἐπικαλουμένων τὸν Κύριον ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας; Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἐκείνοις θάῤῥει μόνοις, μὴ τοῖς ἁπλῶς ἐπικαλουμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνυπούλως, τοῖς ἀνυποκρίτως, τοῖς οὐδὲν ἔχουσι δολερὸν, τοῖς μετ' εἰρήνης προσιοῦσι, τοῖς ἀμάχοις· μετ' ἐκείνων ἀναμίγνυσο, μετὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων οὐ χρὴ πρᾶον εἶναι, ἀλλ' εἰρηνεύειν μόνον τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Τὰς δὲ μωρὰς καὶ ἀπαιδεύτους ζητήσεις παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι γεννῶσι μάχας. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πανταχοῦ αὐτὸν ἀπάγει τῶν ζητήσεων; οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἱκανῶς ἀνατρέπειν αὐτάς· εἶχε γάρ· εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ εἶχεν, εἶπεν ἂν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Σπούδασον εἶναι ἐπιτήδειος πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῶν τοιούτων· ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ, Πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου· ἀλλ' οἶδεν ἄχρηστον ὂν καὶ τὸ καθεῖναι ὅλως εἰς ἀγῶνας τοιούτους, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν τέλος ἔσται, ἀλλ' ἢ μάχη καὶ ἀπέχθεια, ὕβρεις καὶ λοιδορίαι. Ταύτας οὖν τὰς ζητήσεις παραιτοῦ. Ὥστε εἰσὶν ἕτεραι ζητήσεις, αἱ περὶ τῶν Γραφῶν, αἱ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων. ∆οῦλον δὲ Κυρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι οὐδὲ ἐν ζητήσει· πόῤῥω 62.632 γὰρ μάχης εἶναι δεῖ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ δοῦλον. Εἰρήνης γάρ ἐστι Θεὸς ὁ Θεός· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς εἰρήνης δοῦλος, πῶς ἂν μαχέσοιτο; Ἀλλ' ἤπιον εἶναι πρὸς πάντας. ∆οῦλον γὰρ Κυρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἤπιον εἶναι πρὸς πάντας. Πῶς οὖν λέγει, Ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς; καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν, Μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω; καὶ πάλιν, Ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως; Ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο πραότητός ἐστιν. Ὁ γὰρ σφοδρὸς ἔλεγχος, ὅταν μετ' ἐπιεικείας γένηται, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μάλιστα δακεῖν δυνάμενος. Ἔνεστι γὰρ, ἔνεστι μετὰ πραότητος καθάψασθαι μᾶλλον, ἢ μετὰ θρασύτητος ἐντρέψαι. ∆ιδακτικόν· τουτέστι, πρὸς πάντας τοὺς βουλομένους διδαχθῆναι. Αἱρετικὸν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν