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I will walk in the way of my wicked heart.” For Amon, the son of Manasseh, was also such a one. For the scripture says: “And Amon reasoned an evil thought of transgression within himself and said: ‘My father transgressed much from his youth and in his old age repented; and now I will walk as my soul desires, and afterwards I will return to the Lord.’ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord beyond all those who were before him, and the Lord God quickly destroyed him from his good land; and his servants rose up against him and put him to death in his house, and he reigned for only two years.” Therefore take heed, you laity, lest any of you should establish the thought of Amon upon his heart, and he will be quickly destroyed. Likewise, let the bishop preserve, as much as he is able, those who have not sinned to remain sinless, and let him receive, healing, those who are returning from sins. But if, being merciless, he does not receive one who has repented, he will sin against the Lord his God, justifying himself above His righteousness and not receiving the one whom He received through Christ, on whose account he sent his Son to the earth to men as a man, on whose account he was pleased for him, the maker of man and woman, to be born of a woman; for whose sake, not sparing him from the cross and death and burial, he permitted the one who by nature is impassible, the beloved Son, God the Word, the angel of his great counsel, to suffer, so that he might redeem from death those who were subject to death. Those who do not receive the repentant provoke this one to anger. For this one was not ashamed of me, Matthew, who was formerly a tax collector; and Peter, who denied him a third time through fear and was reconciled through repentance and wept bitterly, he received and appointed him shepherd of his own lambs; and Paul also, our fellow apostle, who formerly inflicted many evils upon us and blasphemed against the holy name, he appointed an apostle instead of a persecutor, showing him to be a chosen vessel. And to a certain other sinful woman he says: “Your many sins are forgiven, because you loved much.” And a certain other woman who had sinned, the elders set before him, and placing the judgment on him, they went out; but the Lord, the knower of hearts, having asked her if the elders had condemned her, and when she said no, said to

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πορεύσομαι ἐν τῆ ἀναστροφῇ τῆς καρδίας μου τῆς πονηρᾶς.» Τοιοῦτος γάρ τις ἐγένετο καὶ Ἀμὼς ὁ τοῦ Μανασσῆ υἱός. Φησὶν γὰρ ἡ γραφή· «Καὶ ἐλογίσατο Ἀμὼς λογισμὸν παραβάσεως ἐν ἑαυτῷ κακὸν καὶ εἶπεν· Ὁ πατήρ μου πολλὰ ἐκ νεότητος παρηνόμησεν καὶ ἐν τῷ γήρει μετέγνω· καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ πορεύσομαι καθὰ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ὕστερον ἐπιστρέψω πρὸς Κύριον. Καὶ ἐποίησεν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου παρὰ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξωλόθρευσεν αὐτὸν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τάχει ἐκ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀγαθῆς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπέθεντο αὐτῷ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη δύο μόνα.» Προσέχετε οὖν, οἱ λαϊκοί, μή τις ἐξ ὑμῶν τὸν λογισμὸν τοῦ Ἀμὼς ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἑαυτοῦ στηρίξῃ, καὶ ἔσται συντόμως ἀπολλύμενος. Ὁμοίως ὁ ἐπίσκοπος συντηρείτω, καθὸ δύναται, τοὺς μὴ ἡμαρτηκότας ἀναμαρτήτους μεῖναι, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν ἐπιστρέφοντας θεραπεύων δεχέσθω. Ἐὰν δὲ μετεγνωκότα ἀνηλεὴς ὢν μὴ προσδέξηται, ἁμαρτήσει εἰς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ, δικαιῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐκείνου δικαιοσύνην καὶ μὴ προσλαμβανόμενος ὃν προσεδέξατο διὰ Χριστοῦ, δι' ὃν ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὡς ἄνθρωπον, δι' ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἐκ γυναικὸς αὐτὸν γεννηθῆναι τὸν ποιητὴν ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικός· οὗ χάριν, μὴ φεισάμενος σταυρῷ καὶ θανάτῳ καὶ ταφῇ, συνεχώρησεν παθεῖν τὸν τῇ φύσει ἀπαθῆ, τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν ἀγαπητόν, τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον, τὸν τῆς μεγάλης αὐτοῦ βουλῆς ἄγγελον, ὅπως τοὺς ὑποκειμένους θανάτῳ ·ύσηται τοῦ θανάτου. Τοῦτον παροργίζουσιν οἱ μὴ προσδεχόμενοι τοὺς μετανοοῦντας. Oὗτος γὰρ Ματθαῖον ἐμὲ τελώνην ὄντα τὸ πρότερον οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη· καὶ Πέτρον, ἀρνησάμενον αὐτὸν διὰ δέος τρίτον καὶ διὰ μετανοίας ἐξιλεωσάμενον καὶ προσκλαύσαντα πικρῶς, προσήκατο καὶ ποιμένα τῶν ἰδίων ἀρνίων κατέστησεν· καὶ Παῦλον δὲ τὸν συναπόστολον ἡμῶν, πολλὰ τὸ πρότερον εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐντριψάμενον κακὰ καὶ βλασφημήσαντα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον, ἀπόστολον ἀντὶ διώκτου προεχειρίσατο, σκεῦος αὐτὸν ἐκλογῆς ἀναδείξας. Καὶ ἄλλῃ τινὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ γυναικὶ λέγει· «Ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αἱ πολλαί, ὅτι ἠγάπησας πολύ». Ἑτέραν δέ τινα ἡμαρτηκυῖαν ἔστησαν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ θέμενοι τὴν κρίσιν ἐξῆλθον· ὁ δὲ καρδιογνώστης Κύριος, πυθόμενος αὐτῆς, εἰ κατέκριναν αὐτὴν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ εἰπούσης ὅτι οὔ, εἶπεν πρὸς