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But if he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church. But if he neglect to hear the Church also, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican; it is necessary to show forth the fruit of long-suffering, offering to God prayer for the one who has done wrong, from a true disposition and saying: Lord, lay not this sin to his charge, so that, as one who is angry with his brother, he may not become liable to the judgment; but the exhortation to the one who has done wrong. and to give the reproof consequently, so that he may also free that one from the wrath that is coming upon the sons of disobedience. But if he should be neglectful and, under the pretext of his own long-suffering, remain quiet, he commits a double sin: both because he himself transgresses the commandment which says, Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him, and he becomes a partaker with the sinner through his silence; and because the one who could perhaps be won over through reproofs, as the Lord also commanded, this one he allows to perish in his evil.

QUESTION 233. If one thing is lacking to someone out of all his achievements, whether for this reason he is not saved. ANSWER. Though there are many things in both the Old and the New Testament that can fully inform us about this, I think that for the faithful, the judgment concerning Peter is alone sufficient; who, with so many and such great achievements, and such beatitudes and praises from 31.1240 the Lord, so that in one thing only he might seem to disobey, and this neither through sloth, nor through contempt, but through reverence and honor toward the Lord, for this alone he hears: If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

QUESTION 234. How does one proclaim the death of the Lord. ANSWER. As the Lord taught, saying: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross. And the Apostle represented it, confessing that, the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Which we anticipated and agreed to in baptism itself; For as many of us, he says, as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death; to which he adds, explaining what it is to be baptized into the death of the Lord, that Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin; but, being pure from all passion for living, to become worthy of the testimony of the Apostle, who said: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God; so that we may confidently say with boldness: The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

QUESTION 235. Whether it is profitable to learn many things from the Scriptures. ANSWER. Since there are two more general orders, of which the one is entrusted with leadership, and the other is appointed to ready obedience and submission, in various gifts, I reckon that he who has been entrusted with the leadership and care of the many ought to know and learn all things, so that he may teach all the will of God, showing to each his own duties; but of the others, let each one, remembering the Apostle's saying, Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man, diligently learn and do what is proper for him, not meddling with anything further, so that he may become worthy of the voice of the Lord saying: Come, good servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. 31.1241

QUESTION 230. Those who have been counted worthy to learn the four Gospels, how ought they to receive the grace. ANSWER. The Lord having declared that unto whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more; they ought to fear and be diligent the more, as the Apostle taught, saying: We then, as workers together with him, and

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Ἐὰν δὲ παρακούσῃ αὐτῶν, εἰπὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρακούσῃ, ἔστω σοι ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης· τῆς μὲν μακροθυμίας καρπὸν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χρὴ, τῷ Θεῷ τὴν προσευχὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἠδικηκότος ἐξ ἀληθι νῆς διαθέσεως προσάγοντα καὶ λέγοντα· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα μὴ, ὡς ὀργιζό μενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, ἔνοχος γένηται τῇ κρίσει· τὴν δὲ παράκλησιν τῷ ἠδικηκότι. καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον ἀποδιδόναι ἀκόλουθον, ὅπως κἀκεῖνον τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐρχομένης ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας ἐλευθερώσῃ. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀμελήσῃ καὶ λόγῳ δῆθεν τῆς ἰδίας μακρο θυμίας ἐφησυχάσῃ, διπλῆν ἁμαρτίαν ἁμαρτάνει· ὅτι τε αὐτὸς παραβαίνει τὴν ἐντολὴν τὴν λέγου σαν, Ἐλεγμῷ ἐλέγξεις τὸν πλησίον σου, καὶ οὐ λήψῃ δι' αὐτὸν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ κοινωνὸς τοῦ ἁμαρ τάνοντος διὰ τῆς σιωπῆς γίνεται· καὶ ὅτι τὸν δυνάμενον ἴσως κερδηθῆναι διὰ τῶν ἐλέγχων, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Κύριος διετάξατο, τοῦτον ἀφίησιν ἐναπολέσθαι τῷ κακῷ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΛΓʹ. Ἐκ πάντων τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἐὰν ἓν λείπῃ τινὶ, εἰ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ σώζεται. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Πολλῶν ὄντων ἐν τῇ τε Παλαιᾷ καὶ ἐν τῇ Και νῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ τῶν δυναμένων περὶ τούτου πληροφορῆ σαι ἡμᾶς, ἀρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι τῷ πιστῷ καὶ μόνον τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ κρῖμα· ὃς ἐπὶ τοσούτοις καὶ τηλι κούτοις κατορθώμασι, καὶ τοιούτοις τοῖς παρὰ 31.1240 τοῦ Κυρίου μακαρισμοῖς καὶ ἐπαίνοις, ἵνα ἐν ἑνὶ μόνῳ δόξῃ παρακούειν, καὶ τοῦτο οὔτε διὰ ὄκ νον, οὔτε διὰ καταφρόνησιν, ἀλλὰ δι' εὐλάβειαν καὶ τιμὴν τὴν περὶ τὸν Κύριον, ἐπὶ τούτῳ μόνῳ ἀκούει· Ἐὰν μὴ νίψω σε, οὐκ ἔχεις μέρος μετ' ἐμοῦ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΛ∆ʹ. Πῶς τὸν θάνατόν τις τοῦ Κυρίου καταγγέλλει. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· Εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρὸς μὲ, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὑτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος παρέστη σεν ὁμολογήσας τὸ, Ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κἀγὼ τῷ κόσμῳ. Ὅπερ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ βαπτίσματι προλαβόντες συνεθέμεθα· Ὅσοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐβα πτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, εἰς τὸν θάνα τον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθημεν· οἷς ἐπιφέρει, ἑρμη νεύων τί ἐστι τὸ εἰς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κυρίου βα πτισθῆναι, ὅτι Ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συν εσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρ τίας, τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· πάσης δὲ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ζῇν προσπαθείας καθαρεύον τας, ἀξίους γενέσθαι τῆς μαρτυρίας τοῦ Ἀποστό λου, εἰπόντος· Ἀπεθάνετε γὰρ, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ· ὥστε θαῤῥοῦντας ἡμᾶς λέγειν μετὰ παῤῥησίας· Ἔρχεται ὁ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἄρχων, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΛΕʹ. Εἰ συμφέρει πολλὰ ἐκμανθάνειν ἐκ τῶν Γρα φῶν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. ∆ύο ταγμάτων καθολικωτέρων ὄντων, καὶ τῶν μὲν τὴν προστασίαν πεπιστευμένων, τῶν δὲ εἰς εὐ πείθειαν καὶ ὑπακοὴν τεταγμένων, ἐν διαφόροις χα ρίσμασι, λογίζομαι, ὅτι ὁ μὲν τὴν προστασίαν καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν πλειόνων ἐγκεχειρισμένος τὰ πάν των εἰδέναι καὶ ἐκμανθάνειν ὀφείλει, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας διδάσκῃ τὰ θελήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἑκάστῳ ὑπο δεικνὺς τὰ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβάλλοντα· τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἕκα στος, μεμνημένος τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος, Μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρ' ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ἑκάστῳ, ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἐμέ ρισε, τὰ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιβάλλοντα σπουδαίως μανθανέτω καὶ ποιείτω, μηδὲν πλέον περιεργαζόμενος, ἵνα γένηται ἄξιος τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· ∆εῦρο, ἀγαθὲ δοῦλε· ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστὸς, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω. 31.1241

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΛʹ. Ὅσοι κατηξιώθησαν τὰ τέσσαρα Εὐαγγέλια ἐκμαθεῖν, πῶς ὀφείλουσι τὴν χάριν δέξα σθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἀποφηναμένου, ὅτι Ὧ παρέθεντο πολὺ, περισσότερον ἀπαιτήσουσιν αὐτόν· περισσοτέρως φοβεῖσθαι καὶ σπουδάζειν ὀφείλουσιν, καθὼς ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· Συνεργοῦντες δὲ καὶ