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we must only remember; and if we remember our own, we will never consider things that are alien. If you have something against your enemy, remove the grief, heal the anger, dissolve the enmity, that you may receive healing from the table. You approach a dreadful and holy sacrifice; reverence the very purpose of the offering. Christ lies slain; and for whose sake was He slain? and why? So that he might make peace with the things in heaven and the things on earth; so that He might make you a friend even to angels. Let no one, therefore, be a Judas, no one full of wickedness, no one having poison in his mind, lest he receive it to his condemnation. For indeed then after he had received the offering, the devil fell upon Judas; not despising the Master's body, but leaping upon the shamelessness of Judas, so that we might learn that upon those who unworthily partake of the divine mysteries, upon these especially the devil leaps and continuously tramples, just as he did then upon Judas. For honors benefit the worthy; but those who have received them unworthily, they cast into greater punishment. And I say these things, not to frighten, but to make secure. You remain hostile to your fellow servant, and how will you be able to walk to the table of peace? For Christ did not refuse even to die for you, yet you do not endure to let go of anger against your fellow servant for your own sake. For he treated me spitefully, he says, and took the greatest advantage. And what of that? The loss is in money; he did not yet crucify you, as the Jews did Christ; but nevertheless even that very blood, which they shed, He gave for the salvation of those who shed it. What do you have to say that is equal to this? If you do not forgive your enemy, you have not wronged him more, but yourself. For you have slighted him in the present life, but you have made yourself unforgivable for the defense on the coming day. For God hates nothing so much as 95.1148 a grudge-bearing man, as a swelling heart, as an inflamed soul. Hear, then, what He says: When you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember at the altar that your brother has something against you; leave your gift at the altar, and go and be reconciled to your brother. What do you say, shall I leave it? Yes, He says; for it was for the sake of peace toward your brother that this sacrifice also was made. I consider it a greater good to be reproved than to reprove, inasmuch as it is a greater thing to free oneself from evil than to free another. Reproof must be tempered, speaking of the matter, but feigning timidity, according to the wise physicians, who hide the dividing iron with bronze. Every sin is dreadful; however there is nothing greater than bearing a grudge and covetousness. He did not say, it is fornication or idolatry, but covetousness. And the sister of covetousness is bearing a grudge. For this sin is dreadful and lawless. The other sins are indeed wicked, but happen to be short-lived, being accomplished in a single hour. Did someone commit fornication? Having ceased the evil in one hour, he can be at peace the remaining hours. Did someone steal? Having done the evil in one hour, he repents afterwards. Did someone murder? This too is evil; but having done the evil in one hour, he can repent the remaining hours. But the grudge-bearer sins every hour, carrying the wickedness around in his heart. And if he enters a church, he cannot send up a pure prayer to God, having wickedness against his neighbor. Nor is a grudge-bearing soul cleansed from sin; and it never works charity. For he who does not have love, neither pities nor helps. The guileless man has no enemy; the grudge-bearer is not rid of his enemy, having his own conscience as an enemy.

TITLE 12. Concerning impious, and sinful, and evil, and wicked men,

and unjust, and lawless. You will not consent to the impious; you will not listen to his voice, and not

your eye will not spare him. You will not long for him, nor shall you cover

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δεῖ μεμνῆσθαι μόνον· κἂν τῶν οἰκείων μνημονεύσωμεν, οὐδέποτε ἀλλότρια λογιούμεθα. Ἐὰν ἔχῃς τι κατὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἔξελε τὴν λύπην, θεράπευσον τὴν ὀργὴν, λύσον τὴν ἔχθραν, ἵνα λάβῃς θεραπείαν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης. Θυσίᾳ προσέρχῃ φρικτῇ καὶ ἁγίᾳ, αἰδέσθητι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν αὐτῆς τῆς προσφορᾶς. Ἐσφαγμένος πρόκειται ὁ Χριστός· καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐσφάγη; καὶ διὰ τί; Ἵνα εἰρηνοποιήσῃ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἵνα καὶ ἀγγέλοις σὲ ποιήσῃ φίλον. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἔστω Ἰούδας, μηδεὶς πονηρίας γέμων, μηδεὶς ἔχων ἰὸν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, μὴ εἰς κατάκρισιν λάβῃ. Καὶ γὰρ τότε μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν προσφορὰν, ἐπέπεσεν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ὁ διάβολος· οὐ τοῦ σώματος καταφρονῶν τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀναισχυντίας, ἐπιπηδῶν τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὅτι τοῖς ἀναξίως μετέχουσι τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, τούτοις μάλιστα ἐπιπηδᾷ καὶ ἐπιβαίνει συνεχῶς ὁ διάβολος, ὥσπερ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ τότε. Αἱ γὰρ τιμαὶ τοὺς ἀξίους ὠφελοῦσιν· τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀπολαβόντας, εἰς μείζονα τιμωρίαν ἐμβάλλουσιν. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα φοβήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀσφαλίσωμαι. Σὺ τῷ συνδούλῳ μένεις ἐχθραίνων, καὶ πῶς δυνήσῃ βαδίζειν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς εἰρήνης τράπεζαν; Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐδὲ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ σοῦ παρῃτήσατο, σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ ὀργὴν ἀφιέναι τῷ συνδούλῳ διὰ σεαυτὸν ἀνέχῃ. Ἐπηρέασε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐπλεονέκτησεν. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; εἰς χρήματα ἡ ζημία· οὐδέπω ἐσταύρωσε, καθάπερ τὸν Χριστὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ αἷμα, ὅπερ ἐξέχεεν, εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῖς ἐκχέασιν ἔδωκεν. Τί τούτῳ ἴσον ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; Ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῇς τῷ ἐχθρῷ, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἠδίκησας μᾶλλον, ἢ σαυτόν. Ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸν παρόντα βίον παρέβλεψας, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀσύγγνωστον ἐποίησας πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν τὴν εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω μισεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς 95.1148 μνησίκακον ἄνθρωπον, ὡς οἰδαίνουσαν καρδίαν, ὡς φλεγμαίνουσαν ψυχήν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί φησιν· Ὅταν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ἄνω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατά σου· ἄφες τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἀπελθὼν καταλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ. Τί λέγεις, ἀφήσω; Ναὶ, φησίν· διὰ γὰρ τὴν εἰρήνην τὴν εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ αὕτη ἡ θυσία ἐγένετο. Μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἐλεγχθῆναι τοῦ ἐλέγξαι νομίζω, ὅσῳ μεῖζόν ἐστι τὸ ἑαυτὸν ἀπαλλαγῆναι κακοῦ, τοῦ ἄλλον ἀπαλλάξαι. ∆εῖ κεκραμένον εἶναι τὸν ἔλεγχον, τὸ πρᾶγμα μὲν λέγοντα, δειλίαν δὲ προσποιούμενον, κατὰ τοὺς σοφοὺς τῶν ἰατρῶν, οἳ κρύπτουσι τῷ χαλκῷ τὸν διαιροῦντα σίδηρον. Πᾶσα μὲν ἁμαρτία δεινή ἐστι· πλὴν μεῖζον τῆς μνησικακίας, καὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας οὐδέν ἐστιν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, πορνεία ἢ εἰδωλολατρεία ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ πλεονεξία. Ἀδελφὴ δὲ τῆς πλεονεξίας ἡ μνησικακία. ∆εινὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἁμαρτία αὕτη καὶ παράνομος. Τὰ λοιπὰ ἁμαρτήματα πονηρὰ μέν εἰσιν, ὀλιγόχρονοι δὲ τυγχάνουσιν, ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἀποτελούμενα. Ἐπόρνευσέ τις; ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ παύσας τὸ κακὸν, τὰς λοιπὰς ὥρας δύναται ἡσυχάσαι. Ἔκλεψέ τις; ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ποιήσας τὸ κακὸν, λοιπὸν μετανοεῖ. Ἐφόνευσέ τις; κακὸν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο· ἀλλὰ ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ποιήσας τὸ κακὸν, τὰς λοιπὰς ὥρας δύναται μετανοῆσαι. Ὁ δὲ μνησίκακος, καθ' ἑκάστην ὥραν ἁμαρτάνει, τὴν κακίαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ περιφέρων. Κἂν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσέλθῃ, οὐ δύναται καθαρὰν εὐχὴν τῷ Θεῷ ἀναπέμψαι, τὴν κακίαν ἔχων κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον. Οὐδὲ καθαρεύει ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μνησίκακος ψυχή· καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην οὐδέποτε ἐργάζεται. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἔχων ἀγάπην, οὐδὲ ἐλεεῖ, οὐδὲ ἀντιλαμβάνεται. Ὁ ἄκακος ἐχθρὸν οὐκ ἔχει· ὁ μνησίκακος οὐκ ἀπαλλάττεται τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἐχθρὸν ἔχων τὸ ἴδιον συνειδός.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΒʹ. Περὶ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ κακῶν, καὶ μοχθηρῶν ἀνδρῶν,

καὶ ἀδίκων, καὶ παρανόμων. Οὐ συνθελήσεις τῷ ἀσεβεῖ· οὐκ εἰσακούσεις τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ

φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Οὐκ ἐπιποθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ μὴ σκεπάσῃς