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Do you wish, he says, to have mercy as a brother? Do you not wish to give pardon as to a human being? Do you not wish as a spiritual person to extend a hand? Consider your own affairs, and you will not need an adviser to help the one who has fallen, but from within and from yourself receive the exhortation. How and in what way? Considering yourself, he says, lest you also be tempted. He did not say, For you will surely also sin, lest he make his word too burdensome; but how? Lest you also be tempted. Perhaps you will sin, perhaps you will not sin. Since, therefore, the future is uncertain, store up for yourself a contribution of philanthropy, through what you do for your neighbor, so that if ever you should fall, you will find a great storehouse of pardon laid up. He did not say, Lest you also sin, lest you also fall; pay close attention to the power of these words; but, Lest you also be tempted. He showed that we have a tempter as an enemy; and the tempter does not have a set time for his attack, but often attacks us even while we are sleeping and are at ease; for this reason that one who was overtaken is worthy of pardon, since he was captured by a tempter. For the battle was not apparent to him, nor was the time of the war set, but it attacked him when he was unaware, and for this reason it prevailed. Thus also do those who sail this great and wide sea. Even if their vessel is carried by fair winds, even if they enjoy all safety, but they see others shipwrecked from afar, they do not look at their own 54.623 prosperity and despise their misfortune; but stopping the ship, and lowering the anchors, and taking down the sails, they hurl out ropes, and throw out planks, so that the one about to be submerged by the waves, by laying hold of one of these things, may escape the shipwreck. Imitate, therefore, you also the sailors, O man; for you too sail a great and wide sea, the length of the present life, a sea having beasts and pirates, a sea having reefs and sunken rocks, a sea disturbed by many waves and storms; and many often suffer shipwreck in this sea. When, therefore, you see one of the sailors who has lost the wealth of salvation through some diabolical circumstance, and is being tossed by the waves, and is about to be submerged, stop your ship, even if you are hurrying elsewhere, take thought for his salvation, leaving your own affairs aside. For he who is about to be submerged does not tolerate delay or slowness. Stand by him therefore quickly, snatch him swiftly from the tossing waves, move every rope so as to draw him up from the depth of destruction; and even if ten thousand matters pull at you, let nothing be more necessary than the salvation of the one who is laboring; for if you should wish to delay even a little, you will betray him to the sharpness of the storm. Therefore we need speed in such misfortunes, speed and intense earnestness. Hear how Paul urges and rouses up many others, having seen a certain man about to be submerged. Reaffirm your love for him, he says, lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive sorrow. For this reason he commands to quickly extend a hand, lest, while we are delaying and putting it off, that man be swallowed up first. Let us therefore be solicitous for our brethren. This is the chief point of our way of life, this is its distinguishing mark, not to look only to our own affairs, but also to correct and restore our perverse members; this is the greatest proof of faith; For by this, he says, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. But genuine love is shown not by sharing a table, nor by a mere greeting, nor by flattery of words, but by correcting and considering the advantage of one's neighbor, by raising up the one who has fallen, by extending a hand to the one who is down, having neglected his own salvation, and by seeking the things of one's neighbor before one's own good things. This is of genuine love. For love its own

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βούλει, φησὶν, ὡς ἀδελφὸς ἐλεῆσαι; οὐ βούλει ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ ὄντι δοῦναι συγγνώμην; οὐ βούλει ὡς πνευματικὸς χεῖρα ὀρέξαι; Τὰ κατὰ σαυτὸν σκόπησον, καὶ οὐ δεήσῃ τοῦ συμβουλεύοντος, ὥστε βοηθῆσαι τῷ κειμένῳ, ἀλλ' οἴκοθεν καὶ παρὰ σαυτοῦ δέξαι τὴν παραίνεσιν. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν, φησὶ, μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Οὐκ εἶπε, Πάντως γὰρ καὶ σὺ ἁμαρτήσῃ, ἵνα μὴ φορτικώτερον ποιήσῃ τὸν λόγον· ἀλλὰ πῶς; Μή ποτε καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Ἴσως δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ, ἴσως δὲ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσῃ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄδηλον τὸ μέλλον, προαπόθου σοι φιλανθρωπίας ἔρανον, δι' ὧν εἰς τὸν πλησίον ποιεῖς, ἤν ποτε περιτραπείης, πολλὴν εὑρήσεις συγγνώμης ἀποθήκην ἀποκειμένην. Οὐκ εἶπε, Μή ποτε καὶ σὺ ἁμάρτῃς, μή ποτε καὶ σὺ πέσῃς· προσέχετε ἀκριβῶς τῇ δυνάμει τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν· ἀλλὰ, Μή ποτε καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. Ἔδειξεν ὅτι πειρατὴν ἔχομεν ἐχθρόν· ὁ δὲ πειρατὴς οὐχ ὡμολογημένον τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τὸν καιρὸν ἔχει, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις ἡμῖν καὶ καθεύδουσι καὶ ῥᾳθυμοῦσιν ἐπιτίθεται· διὰ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνος ὁ προληφθεὶς συγγνώμης ἄξιος, ἐπειδὴ ὑπὸ πειρατοῦ ἑάλω. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ φανερὰ ἡ μάχη, οὐδὲ ὡμολογημένος ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ πολέμου, ἀλλὰ ἀγνοοῦντι ἐπέθετο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο περιεγένετο. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ πλέοντες τὴν θάλατταν τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην καὶ εὐρύχωρον ποιοῦσι. Κἂν ἐξουρίων αὐτοῖς φέρηται τὸ σκάφος, κἂν πάσης ἀπολαύωσιν ἀσφαλείας, ἴδωσι δὲ πόῤῥωθεν ναυαγήσαντας ἑτέρους, οὐ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐ 54.623 πρέπειαν βλέποντες, τῆς ἐκείνων καταφρονοῦσι συμφορᾶς· ἀλλὰ τὸ πλοῖον στήσαντες, καὶ τὰς ἀγκύρας χαλάσαντες, καὶ τὰ ἱστία καθελόντες, ἐξακοντίζουσι σχοίνους, καὶ ῥίπτουσι σανίδας, ὥστε ἐκεῖνον τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων βαπτίζεσθαι μέλλοντα ἑνὸς τούτων ἐπιλαμβανόμενον, διαφεύγειν τὸ ναυάγιον. Μίμησαι τοίνυν καὶ σὺ τοὺς ναύτας, ἄνθρωπε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ σὺ θάλατταν πλέεις μεγάλην καὶ εὐρύχωρον, τὸ μῆκος τοῦ παρόντος βίου, θάλατταν θηρία ἔχουσαν καὶ πειρατὰς, θάλατταν σκοπέλους ἔχουσαν καὶ σπιλάδας, θάλατταν ὑπὸ κυμάτων ταραττομένην πολλῶν καὶ χειμώνων· καὶ πολλοὶ πολλάκις καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ταύτῃ ναυαγίῳ περιπίπτουσιν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν πλεόντων ὑπό τινος περιστάσεως διαβολικῆς ἀπολέσαντα τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς σωτηρίας, καὶ κλυδωνιζόμενον, καὶ μέλλοντα ὑποβρύχιον γίνεσθαι, στῆσόν σου τὸ πλοῖον, κἂν ἑτέρωθι σπεύδῃς, προνόησον τῆς ἐκείνου σωτηρίας, τὰ κατὰ σαυτὸν ἀφείς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέχεται ἀναβολῆς, οὐδὲ βραδυτῆτος ὁ βαπτίζεσθαι μέλλων. Ἐπίστηθι τοίνυν ταχὺ, ἐξάρπασον αὐτὸν ὀξέως τοῦ κλυδωνίου, πάντα κίνησον κάλων ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀνιμήσασθαι ἐκ τοῦ βάθους τῆς ἀπωλείας· κἂν μυρία σε ἕλκῃ πράγματα, μηδὲν ἔστω τῆς σωτηρίας τοῦ κάμνοντος ἀναγκαιότερον· κἂν γὰρ μικρὸν ἀναβαλέσθαι βουληθῇς, προδώσεις αὐτὸν τῇ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὀξύτητι. ∆ιὸ τάχους ἡμῖν ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς δεῖ, τάχους καὶ σπουδῆς ἐπιτεταμένης. Ἄκουσον πῶς Παῦλος ἐπείγεται, καὶ ἑτέρους διανίστησι πολλοὺς, ἰδών τινα ἄνθρωπον βυθίζεσθαι μέλλοντα. Κυρώσατε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην, φησὶ, μή πως τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ ὁ τοιοῦτος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κελεύει ταχέως ὀρέξαι χεῖρα, ἵνα μὴ, μελλόντων ἡμῶν καὶ ἀναβαλλομένων, φθάσῃ καταποθῆναι ἐκεῖνος. Γινώμεθα τοίνυν κηδεμονικοὶ περὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἡμετέρους. Τοῦτο κεφάλαιον τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς πολιτείας ἐστὶ, τοῦτο γνώρισμα, τὸ μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν σκοπεῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέλη ἡμῶν διεστραμμένα διορθοῦν καὶ καταρτίζειν· τοῦτο δεῖγμα τῆς πίστεως μέγιστον· Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ γνώσονται, φησὶ, πάντες ὅτι μαθηταί μου ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. Ἀγάπην δὲ δείκνυσι γνησίαν οὐ κοινωνία τραπέζης, οὐδὲ πρόσρησις ψιλὴ, οὐδὲ κολακεία ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ τὸ διορθῶσαι καὶ σκοπῆσαι τὸ συμφέρον τοῦ πλησίον, τὸ τὸν πεπτωκότα διαναστῆσαι, τὸ τῷ κειμένῳ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι τῆς οἰκείας ἀμελήσαντι σωτηρίας, καὶ πρὸ τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν τὰ τοῦ πλησίον ζητῆσαι. Τοῦτο ἀγάπης γνησίας. Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τὰ αὑτῆς