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at least to find men wanting to be glorified for much wine-drinking. Indeed; how are they hidden? - I said the hidden things are twofold: there are sins in thoughts. Therefore, not only the zealous but also the wicked man avoids practical sins, but also the hidden ones, as 76 to offer up a prayer: "cleanse me from my secret faults." In another way, hidden things are called the unknown things. Being confident concerning all manifest transgressions that he is free of them, the holy one says: "who can understand his errors?" Rare is the one who understands transgressions. Since, therefore, it is possible for me also to be ignorant of them, "cleanse me from these. Spare your servant from strange things"; for they are strange to me, to my being, both they and those who work them against me. And then he adds: "if they have no dominion over me." If the hidden things have no dominion over me, "then I shall be blameless." And he adds: "and I shall be cleansed from a great sin." We were saying that these are in thoughts, and that they are so as to be unknown to the one who has them. How then is the one who is cleansed from these cleansed "from a great sin"? You know that "great" is one of the relative terms. As to one wanting to be completely pure, even the small sins seem to be great. And I once received such an example: if a garment often has a stain from elsewhere, even if one touches it, even if one handles it, it does not seem to have taken on anything. But if it had been brought straight from the fuller's, even the touching of the fingers seems to be a blemish, seems to make something unclean for it. The completely pure man, therefore, considers even a small thing in thought a great sin. But it is also possible to state the thought in this way, which can benefit all: compared to a practical sin, that in thoughts is very small. If someone has looked at a woman with lust and has stopped the desire at the stage of a first impulse, he will not commit the practical act. If, therefore, this first impulse is removed, one is cleansed from a great sin, he is cleansed from a practical sin. He who said these things had come to such purity as to say somewhere: "if I had regarded iniquity in my heart, let the Lord not hear." He brings, as it were, a penalty and punishment against himself, if he has iniquity in his heart. He says: "therefore God has heard me," with it being understood: "therefore God has heard me," "because I did not regard iniquity in my heart." If I regarded iniquity in my heart, let him not receive the prayer. "Therefore" then "he has heard me." I was saying this, that he who has his confidence in God accomplishes all things worthy of being accomplished; for I do not say he accomplishes those things which God forbids. I once took up that verse: "and let them be ashamed and perish." What follows being ashamed and perishing other than to know "that his name is Lord"? At least God says to a certain one who became insolent after doing and thinking evil things: "be ashamed and receive your dishonor." You were subjected to dishonor. You gave the pretext; for you did those things which bring dishonor 77 upon you. Be ashamed, therefore, for what you have done, and receive your dishonor, not saying: "I have not sinned"; for she was saying to God: "I have not sinned," so that God said: "behold, I enter into judgment with you for your saying: I have not sinned." And I enter into judgment with you, not that I may condemn you, but that you, being ashamed, might cease from dishonor. 2 Let not my enemies laugh at me. My enemies laugh at me then, when, while saying I trust in you, I do things that cause shame. They are enemies of me, not I of them. For this reason the Savior also says: "love your enemies." The addition seems superfluous; for it should have said: "love enemies"; but since the servants of Christ ought not to have enemies, but others wish to be enemies, let them love those ones. That passage in Aristotle somehow seems to be good for social life. Speaking about primary and secondary matters, he said: we primarily wish our friends to be just, even if they are far away. But secondarily we wish our enemies to be just, so that they may do no harm. For our own sakes we wish this too. But the apostles

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γοῦν εὑρεῖν ἀνθρώπους δοξάζεσθαι θέλοντας ἐπὶ πολυοινίᾳ. ἐπερ · πῶς κρυπτά; - διττῶς εἶπον τὰ κρυπτά· εἰσὶν ἐν λογισμοῖς ἁμαρτήματα. οὐ μόνον οὖν ὁ σπουδαῖος καὶ φαῦλος τὰ πρακτικὰ παραιτεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κρυπτά, ὡς 76 καὶ εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπειν· "ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με". ἄλλως δὲ κρυπτὰ λέγεται τὰ ἀγνοούμενα. περὶ πάντων τῶν φανερῶν παραπτωμάτων θαρσήσας ὁ ἅγιος ὅτι ἄπεισιν αὐτοῦ, λέγει· "παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει"; σπάνιός ἐστιν ὁ συνιεὶς τὰ παραπτώματα. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐνχωρεῖ κἀμὲ ἀγνοεῖν αὐτά, "ἀπὸ τούτων με καθάρισον. φεῖσαι ἀπὸ ἀλλοτρίων τοῦ δούλου σου"· ἀλλότρια γάρ μού εἰσιν, τῆς οὐσίας μου, καὶ αὐτὰ καὶ οἱ ἐνεργοῦντες αὐτὰ κατ' ἐμοῦ. καὶ λοιπὸν ἐπιφέρει· "ἐὰν μή μου κατακυριεύσουσιν". ἐὰν μὴ τὰ κρυπτὰ κατακυριεύσουσιν, "τότε ἄμωμος ἔσομαι". καὶ ἐπιφέρει· "καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης". ἐλέγομεν ταῦτα ἐν λογισμοῖς εἶναι, καὶ οὕτω γε εἶναι ὡς ἀγνοεῖσθαι τῷ ἔχοντι. πῶς οὖν ὁ ἀπὸ τούτων καθαιρόμενος "ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης" καθαίρεται; οἶδας ὅτι τὸ "μέγα" τῶν πρός τί ἐστιν. ὡς πρὸς τὸν θέλοντα εἶναι ὁλοκάθαρον καὶ τὰ βραχέα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δοκεῖ μεγάλα εἶναι. καὶ ἔλαβόν ποτε παράδειγμα τοιοῦτο ὅτι· ἐὰν ἱμάτιον πολλάκις ἄλλοθεν ἔχῃ ῥύπον, κἂν θίγῃ τις αὐτοῦ, κἂν ἅψηται, οὐ δοκεῖ προσειληφέναι τι. ἐὰν δὲ εὐθέως ᾖν ἀπὸ γναφείου κομισθέν, καὶ ἡ ψηλάφησις τῶν δακτύλων δοκεῖ μῶμος εἶναι, δοκεῖ ποιεῖν αὐτῷ ἀκάθαρτόν τι. ὁ ὁλοκάθαρος οὖν ἀνὴρ καὶ τὸ βραχὺ ἐν λογισμῷ μεγάλην ἁμαρτίαν ἡγεῖται. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως εἰπεῖν διάνοιαν πάντας δυναμένην ὠφελεῖν· πρὸς τὴν πρακτικὴν ἁμαρτίαν βραχυτάτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐν λογισμοῖς. εἴ τις εἶδεν γυναῖκα πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ἔστησεν μέχρι τῆς προπαθείας τὴν ὄρεξιν, οὐ πράξει τὴν πρακτικήν. ἐὰν οὖν αὐτὴ περιαιρεθῇ ἡ προπάθεια, καθαίρεταί τις ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης, ἀπὸ πρακτικῆς ἁμαρτίας καθαρίζεται. εἰς τοσαύτην καθαρότητα ὁ ταῦτα λέγων ἐληλύθει ὡς λέγειν που· "εἰ ἀδικίαν ἐθεώρουν ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, μὴ εἰσακουσάτω κύριος". ὥσπερ ἐπιζήμιόν τι καὶ κόλασιν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ φέρει, ἐὰν ἔχῃ ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀδικίαν. λέγει· "διὰ τοῦτο εἰςήκουσέν μου ὁ θεός", προσυπακουομένου· "διὰ τοῦτο εἰσήκουσέν μου ὁ θεός", "ὅτι οὐκ ἐθεώρουν μου ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀδικίαν". εἰ ἀδικίαν ἐθεώρουν ἐν καρδίᾳ, μὴ δεξάσθω τὴν εὐχήν. "διὰ τοῦτο" οὖν "εἰσήκουσέν μου". ἔλεγον τοῦτο ὅτι ὁ ἐπὶ θεῷ τὴν πεποίθησιν ἔχων πάντα κατορθοῖ τὰ ἄξια τοῦ κατορθωθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖνα λέγω κατορθοῖν ἃ ἀπαγορεύει θεός. ἔλαβόν ποτ' ἐκεῖνο τό· "καὶ αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἀπολέσθωσαν". τί δὲ ἕπεται τῷ αἰσχυνθῆναι καὶ ἀπολέσθαι ἢ τὸ γνῶναι "ὅτι ὄνομα κύριός" ἐστιν; ὁ θεὸς λέγει γοῦν πρός τινα μετὰ τὰ κακὰ ποιεῖν καὶ φρονεῖν ἀπαυθαδιζομένην· "αἰσχύνθητι καὶ λαβὲ τὴν ἀτιμίαν σου". ἀτιμίᾳ ὑπεβλήθης. σὺ τὴν πρόφασιν δέδωκας· ἐποίησας γὰρ ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀτιμίαν 77 σοι ἐπιφέροντα. αἰσχύνθητι οὖν ἐφ' οἷς ἔπραξας, καὶ λαβὲ τὴν ἀτιμίαν σου μὴ λέγουσα ὅτι· "οὐχ ἥμαρτον"· τῷ γὰρ θεῷ ἔλεγεν· "οὐχ ἥμαρτον", ὡς τὸν θεὸν λέγειν· "ἰδοὺ κρίνομαι πρὸς σὲ ἐν τῷ λέγειν σέ· οὐχ ἥμαρτον". καὶ κρίνομαι πρὸς σέ, οὐχ ἵνα καταδικάσω σέ, ἀλλ' ἵνα αἰσχυνθεῖσα παύσῃ τῆς ἀτιμίας. 2 μηδὲ καταγελασάτωσάν μου οἱ ἐκθροί μου. τότε οἱ ἐκθροί μου καταγελῶσίν μου, ὅταν λέγων ἐπὶ σὲ πεποιθέναι τὰ αἰσχύνης ποιητικὰ ἐνεργῶ. ἐμοῦ εἰσιν ἐκθροί, οὐκ ἐγὼ αὐτῶν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει· "ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐκθροὺς ὑμῶν". δοκεῖ ἡ προσθήκη παρέλκειν· ἔδει γὰρ εἰπεῖν· "ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐκθρούς"· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ οἱ Χριστοῦ δοῦλοι οὐκ ἔχειν ἐχθροὺς ὀφείλουσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ θέλουσιν εἶναι ἐχθροί, ἐκείνους ἀγαπάτωσαν. ὁ τόπος ἐκεῖνος ὁ παρὰ Ἀριστοτέλει πώς ποτε δοκεῖ πρὸς πολιτισμὸν καλῶς ἔχειν. λέγων περὶ προηγουμένου καὶ ἑπομένου ἔλεγεν· προηγουμένως θέλομεν τοὺς φίλους δικαίους εἶναι, κἂν μακρὰν ὦσιν. κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς θέλομεν εἶναι δικαίους, ἵνα μηδὲν βλάπτωσιν. δι' ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τοῦτο θέλομεν. οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι