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pluck it out. And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. He is not speaking of limbs, far from it, but of genuine friends, whose friendships we must dishonor, when neither for them nor for us is there gain, but harm. Having achieved this virtue then, this man not only did not pursue such associations, but also urged them to leap away from him. B. This is the fruit of repentance, this is the gain of tears. For the mind so crushed is henceforth held by no attachment. Let us then do this also; even if someone is wearing a diadem itself, but harms us, let us dishonor his friendship. For nothing is more worthless than a man, even a reigning king, when he lives with wickedness; just as nothing is more kingly than even a prisoner, when he has acquired virtue. Because the Lord has heard 55.79 the voice of my weeping. He did not say simply, "Because he heard my voice," but, "The voice of my weeping." Do you see how he introduces his own contributions with great abundance, both a voice and weeping, meaning by voice here not the tone of the cry, but the disposition of the mind, and by weeping not that from the eyes only, but also that from the soul? For he who offers repentance and is heard by God, can also easily achieve this good thing, namely, to avoid the company of the wicked. Let all my enemies be ashamed and confounded. Let them be turned back, and be greatly ashamed with speed. This prayer has the greatest benefit, I mean, both being ashamed and turning back. For those who run evilly, if they were to be put to shame and go backwards, they will stop their wickedness. For just as if we see a man being carried toward a cliff, we check his forward rush, saying: "Man, where are you going? a cliff will meet you ahead"; so indeed this man asks that the wicked run back again. So also a mad horse, if someone does not quickly check it, will quickly perish. So also physicians, when the venom of some serpent often spreads over the whole body, stop its forward rush with great speed, cutting off its evil. Let us then do this also, and let us check the wickedness in us with great speed, lest it increase the disease by advancing. For when neglected, the wounds of sins become greater, and the effects of the disease and sickness do not stop at wounds, but also bring forth immortal death, just as, if from the beginning we should destroy even the small things, the great things will not follow. But consider. He who has practiced not to insult will not know how to fight either; he who does not know how to fight will also succeed in loving; he who has succeeded in loving will have no enemy; and he who has no enemy, but shows forth love, will achieve all virtue. Let us not then neglect the first things, so that evils may not be raised to what is greater. Judas, if he had checked his love of money, would not have come to sacrilege; if he had restrained this, he would not have leaped to the height of evils. For this reason Christ also checks not only fornication, nor adultery, but also the licentious gaze, pulling up the root from below, so that it may be easier to overcome wickedness. He did this also in the case of the Jews, in a cruder way, indeed, and as if through riddles, since the word was for more carnal people, yet he did it nonetheless. How, and in what way? He did not permit any mixing of different kinds among cattle, He did not permit eating the blood of irrational animals, He did not permit holding pledges after the evening, checking great evils by these means: through the first, pederasty, through the second, murders, and through the third, cruelty and inhumanity. But now all things are done freely and with great shamelessness;

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ἔξελε αὐτόν· καὶ ἐὰν ἡ χείρ σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὴν, καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· οὐ περὶ μελῶν λέγων, ἄπαγε· ἀλλὰ περὶ φίλων γνησίων, ὧν δεῖ τὰς φιλίας ἀτιμάζειν, ὅταν μήτε αὐτοῖς κέρδος, μήτε ἡμῖν γίνεται, ἀλλὰ βλάβη. Ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἀρετὴν κατορθώσας καὶ οὗτος οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐδίωκε τὰς τοιαύτας συνουσίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρεκελεύετο τούτοις ἀποπηδᾷν ἑαυτοῦ. ʹ. Οὗτος τῆς μετανοίας ὁ καρπὸς, τοῦτο τῶν δακρύων τὸ κέρδος. Ἡ γὰρ οὕτω συντριβεῖσα διάνοια, οὐδεμιᾷ λοιπὸν προσπαθείᾳ κατέχεται. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν· κἂν αὐτὸ διάδημα ᾖ τις περικείμενος, βλάπτῃ δὲ ἡμᾶς, ἀτιμάζωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν φιλίαν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ εὐτελέστερον ἀνδρὸς, καὶ βασιλεύοντος, ὅταν κακίᾳ συζῇ· ὥσπερ οὐδὲν βασιλικώτερον καὶ δεσμώτου, ὅταν ἀρετὴν ᾖ κεκτημένος. Ὅτι εἰσή 55.79 κουσε Κύριος τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ μου. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὅτι εἰσήκουσε τῆς φωνῆς μου, ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ, Τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ μου. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ μετὰ πολλῆς εἰσάγει τῆς δαψιλείας, καὶ φωνὴν, καὶ κλαυθμὸν, φωνὴν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν τόνον λέγων τῆς κραυγῆς, ἀλλὰ τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς διανοίας, καὶ κλαυθμὸν οὐ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς; Ὁ γὰρ μετάνοιαν εἰσάγων, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκουόμενος, εὐκόλως καὶ τοῦτο δύναται κατορθῶσαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, τὸ διακρούεσθαι τῶν πονηρῶν τὰς συνουσίας. Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἐντραπήτωσαν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου. Ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ καταισχυνθήτωσαν σφόδρα διὰ τάχους. Αὕτη ἡ εὐχὴ μεγίστην ἔχει ὠφέλειαν, τό τε αἰσχυνθῆναι λέγω, καὶ τὸ εἰς τοὐπίσω ἀπελθεῖν. Οἱ γὰρ κακῶς τρέχοντες, εἰ καταισχυνθεῖεν, καὶ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀπέλθοιεν, στήσονται τῆς πονηρίας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ ἄνθρωπον ἴδωμεν κατὰ κρημνοῦ φερόμενον, ἀναχαιτίζομεν αὐτὸν τῆς προσωτέρω φορᾶς, λέγοντες· Ἄνθρωπε, ποῦ φέρῃ; κρημνὸς ἔμπροσθεν ἀπαντήσεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἀξιοῖ τοὺς κακοὺς πάλιν εἰς τοὐπίσω ἀναδραμεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ ἵππον μαινόμενον ἂν μὴ ταχέως τις ἀνακρούσηται, ταχέως ἀπολεῖται. Οὕτω καὶ ἰατροὶ ἰὸν ἑρπετοῦ τινος πολλάκις ἐπινεμόμενον ἅπαν τὸ σῶμα μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους τῆς προσωτέρω φορᾶς ἱστῶσιν, ἐγκόπτοντες αὐτοῦ τὴν κακίαν. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἡμῖν κακίαν ἀναστέλλωμεν μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους, ἵνα μὴ προϊοῦσα αὔξῃ τὴν νόσον. Καὶ γὰρ ἀμελούμενα, μείζονα γίνεται τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ τραύματα, καὶ οὐ μέχρι τραυμάτων ἵσταται τὰ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ θάνατον τίκτει τὸν ἀθάνατον, ὥσπερ ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ τὰ μικρὰ ἀνέλωμεν, οὐδὲ τὰ μεγάλα ἕψεται. Σκόπει δέ. Ὁ μελετήσας μὴ ὑβρίζειν, οὐδὲ μάχεσθαι εἴσεται· ὁ μὴ εἰδὼς μάχεσθαι, καὶ τὸ φιλεῖν κατορθώσει· ὁ κατορθώσας τὸ φιλεῖν, ἐχθρὸν οὐχ ἕξει· ὁ δὲ ἐχθρὸν οὐκ ἔχων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ἅπασαν κατορθώσει τὴν ἀρετήν. Μὴ δὴ τῶν προτέρων ἀμελῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον αἴρηται τὰ κακά. Ὁ Ἰούδας, εἰ τὸ χρημάτων ἐρᾷν ἐκόλασεν, οὐκ ἂν εἰς ἱεροσυλίαν ἦλθε· ταύτην εἰ κατέσχεν, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τὸν κολοφῶνα τῶν κακῶν ἐξεπήδησε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ τὴν πορνείαν μόνον, οὐδὲ τὴν μοιχείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀκόλαστον ὄψιν ἀναστέλλει, τὴν ῥίζαν κάτωθεν ἀνασπῶν, ὥστε καὶ εὐκολώτερον εἶναι περιγενέσθαι τῆς πονηρίας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐποίει, παχύτερον μὲν καὶ ὡς δι' αἰνιγμάτων, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς σαρκωδεστέρους ὁ λόγος ἦν, ἐποίει γοῦν ὅμως. Πῶς, καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Οὐκ ἠφίει ἐν κτήνεσι γίνεσθαί τινα μίξιν ἐκ διαφόρων γενεῶν, οὐκ ἠφίει αἷμα ἐσθίειν ἀλόγων, οὐκ ἠφίει ἐνέχυρα κατέχειν μετὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν, μεγάλα ἐκ τούτων ἀναστέλλων κακά· διὰ μὲν τοῦ προτέρου τὴν ἀῤῥενομιξίαν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου τοὺς φόνους, διὰ δὲ τοῦ τρίτου τὴν ὠμότητα καὶ τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν. Ἀλλὰ νῦν πάντα ἀνέδην καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς πράττεται τῆς ἀναισχυντίας·