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saying to them: "Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees." For one must comfort those who mourn and give encouragement to the fainthearted, so that they may not, through excessive grief, turn to foolishness, since: "The fainthearted is exceedingly foolish." But if anyone turns and shows the fruit of repentance, then receive him into prayer, like the lost son, the prodigal, who wasted his father's substance with harlots, who fed swine and desired to be filled with the husks and did not obtain them, who repented and returned to his father and said: "I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son," whom the loving father received with music, and having restored the former robe and the ring and the sandals, and having killed the fatted calf, he rejoiced with his friends. So you also do, O bishop; but just as you receive the Gentile after washing him, following instruction, so also this man, after laying hands on him, as one cleansed by repentance, with all praying for him, you will restore him to his former pasture, and the laying on of hands will be for him instead of the washing; for through the laying on of our hands the Holy Spirit was given to the believers. And if any of his brothers who have not been shaken accuse you, that you have been reconciled to him, say to him: "You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours; but it was fitting to make merry and be glad, because this your brother was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found." For God not only accepts those who repent, but also restores them to their former dignity, a sufficient witness is the holy David, who after the sin against Uriah prayed to God, saying: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit," and again: "Turn your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities; create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me; do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me." And so you, as a compassionate physician, heal all who have sinned, using saving treatments to help them, not only by cutting or burning or applying caustic remedies, but also by binding up, and with lint, and infusing sweet, healing medicines, and washing with words of comfort. If

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λέγοντες αὐτοῖς· «Ἰσχύσατε, χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα.» Παρακαλεῖν γὰρ χρὴ τοὺς πενθοῦντας καὶ τοῖς ὀλιγοψυχοῦσιν προθυμίαν διδόναι, ὅπως μὴ τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ τῆς λύπης εἰς ἀφροσύνην χωρήσωσιν, ἐπείπερ· «Ὁ ὀλιγόψυχος ἰσχυρῶς ἄφρων». Eἰ δέ τις ἐπιστραφεὶς μετανοίας καρπὸν ἐπι δείξηται, τότε καὶ εἰς προσευχὴν εἰσδέξασθε αὐτόν, ὡς τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἀπολωλότα, τὸν ἄσωτον, τὸν μετὰ πορνῶν μειώσαντα τὴν πατρικὴν οὐσίαν, τὸν χοίρους βόσκοντα καὶ κερατίων ἐμπλησθῆναι ἐπιθυμοῦντα καὶ μὴ τυγχάνοντα, μεταγνόντα καὶ παλινδρομήσαντα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ εἰπόντα· «Ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος καλεῖσθαι υἱός σου», μετὰ μουσικῶν ὁ φιλότεκνος πατὴρ προσελάβετο, καὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν στολὴν καὶ τὸν δακτύλιον καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα ἀποδούς, σφάξας τε τὸν σιτευτὸν μόσχον ηὐφραίνετο μετὰ τῶν φίλων. Oὕτως οὖν καὶ σὺ ποίει, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸν ἐθνικὸν λούσας εἰσδέχῃ μετὰ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον χειροθετήσας, ὡς ἂν μετανοίᾳ κεκαθαρμένον, πάντων ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ προσευχομένων, ἀποκαταστήσεις αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν αὐτοῦ νομήν, καὶ ἔσται αὐτῷ ἀντὶ τοῦ λούσματος ἡ χειροθεσία· καὶ γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐδίδοτο τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Κἄν τις τῶν μὴ σεσαλευμένων ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ ἐγκαλέσῃ σοι, ὅτι δὴ κατηλλάγης αὐτῷ, εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· «Σὺ πάντοτε μετ' ἐμοῦ εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ πάντα σά ἐστιν· εὐφραν θῆναι δὲ ἔδει καὶ χαρῆναι, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου οὗτος νεκρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησεν, ἀπολωλὼς καὶ εὑρέθη.» Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ μόνον προσδέχεται ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς μετανοοῦντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἀξίαν ἀποκαθίστησιν, ἱκανὸς μάρτυς ὁ ἅγιος ∆αυίδ, ὃς μετὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν Oὐρίαν ἁμαρτίαν ηὔχετο τῷ Θεῷ λέγων· «Ἀπόδος μοι τὴν ἀγαλλίασιν τοῦ σωτηρίου σου, καὶ πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ στήριξόν με», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀπόστρεψον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας μου ἐξάλειψον· καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοί, ὁ Θεός, καὶ πνεῦμα εὐθὲς ἐγκαίνισον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις μου· μὴ ἀπορρίψῃς με ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ.» Καὶ σὺ οὖν ὡς συμπαθὴς ἰατρὸς τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας πάντας θεράπευε, χρώμενος σωτηρίοις πρὸς βοήθειαν ἀγωγαῖς, μὴ μόνον τέμνων ἢ καίων ἢ ξήρια προσφέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιδεσμῶν καὶ μοτῶν καὶ ἐνιεὶς γλυκέα φάρμακα ἐπουλωτικὰ καὶ καταβρέχων λόγοις παρακλητικοῖς. Ἐὰν