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with simplicity of heart, but, Fearing God. For this is to fear God, when, with no one watching, we do nothing evil; but if we do, we fear not God, but men. Do you see that he disciplines them? Whatever you do, he says, work from the soul, as to the Lord, and not to men. He wants them to be freed not only from hypocrisy, but also from idleness. He has made them free instead of slaves, when they do not need the supervision of their masters; for the phrase, 'From the soul,' means this, with good will, not with slavish necessity, but with freedom and choice. And what is the reward? Knowing, he says, that from the Lord you will receive the reward of our inheritance; for you serve the Lord. Therefore it is clear that from Him you will receive the reward. And that you serve the 62.368 Lord, is clear from this. But he who does wrong, he says, will receive back what he did wrong. Here he confirms the former argument. For lest it seem that the words are flattery, He will receive, he says, what he did wrong; that is, he also gives punishment; For there is no partiality with God. For what if you are a slave? You are not put to shame. And yet he ought to have said this to the masters, as also in the Epistle to the Ephesians. But here it seems to me he is alluding to Greek masters. For what if he is a Greek, and you a Christian? Not persons, but deeds are examined. So even so one must serve with good will and from the soul. Masters, provide to your slaves what is just and equal. What is just? What is equality? To establish them in an abundance of all things, and not to allow them to be in need of others, but to reward them for their labors. For do not, because I said that they have their reward from God, for that reason deprive them. And elsewhere he says, 'Forbearing threatening,' wishing to make them gentler; for they were perfect. That is, 'With what measure you mete, it will be measured to you again.' And the phrase, 'There is no partiality,' is said to these; but it is placed with those, so that these may accept it. For when we say to one person something fitting for another, we have set right not so much that one, as the one who is responsible. And you with them, he says. Here he made the servitude common; For knowing, he says, that you also have a Lord in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. For since persevering in prayers often makes one lazy, for this reason he says: 'Being watchful,' that is, being sober, not wandering. For the devil knows, he knows how great a good prayer is; for which reason he presses heavily. But Paul also knows how many grow weary when praying; for this reason he says, 'Continue steadfastly in prayer,' as about something arduous. Being watchful in it, with thanksgiving. For let this, he says, be your work, in your prayers to give thanks both for the manifest and for the hidden things, and for the good things He has done for you whether you would or not, and for the kingdom and for gehenna, and for tribulation and for relief. For thus it is the custom for the saints to pray, and to give thanks for common benefits. 3. I know a certain holy man who prayed thus. He said nothing before this phrase, but that: We thank you for all your benefits shown to us the unworthy from the first day until the present; for those which we know and which we do not know, for the manifest, for the hidden, those which have come in deed, those in word, those willingly, those unwillingly; all those that have happened to us the unworthy; for tribulations, for reliefs, for gehenna, for punishment, for the kingdom of heaven. We beseech you to keep our soul holy, having a pure conscience, an end worthy of your love for mankind. You who have loved us so as to give your Only-Begotten for us, count us worthy to become worthy of your love; give wisdom in your word, and in your fear, O only-begotten Christ, breathe into us 62.369 strength from you; who
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ἁπλότητι καρδίας, ἀλλὰ, Φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεόν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ὅταν μηδενὸς ὁρῶντος, μηδὲν πράττωμεν πονηρόν· ἂν δὲ πράττωμεν, οὐχὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φοβούμεθα. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐκείνους ῥυθμίζει; Πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν ποιῆτε, φησὶν, ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐργάζεσθε, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις. Οὐ μόνον ὑποκρίσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀργίας αὐτοὺς ἀπηλλάχθαι βούλεται. Ἐλευθέρους αὐτοὺς ἐποίησεν ἀντὶ δούλων, ὅταν μὴ δέωνται τῆς τῶν δεσποτῶν ἐπιστασίας· τὸ γὰρ, Ἐκ ψυχῆς, τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ μετ' εὐνοίας, μὴ μετὰ δουλικῆς ἀνάγκης, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐλευθερίας καὶ προαιρέσεως. Καὶ τίς ὁ μισθός; Εἰδότες, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀπὸ Κυρίου λήψεσθε τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν· τῷ γὰρ Κυρίῳ δουλεύετε. Οὐκοῦν παρ' αὐτοῦ δῆλον ὅτι λήψεσθε τὸν μισθόν. Καὶ ὅτι τῷ 62.368 Κυρίῳ δουλεύετε, δῆλον ἐκ τούτου. Ὁ δὲ ἀδικῶν, φησὶ, κομίσεται ὃ ἠδίκησεν. Ἐνταῦθα βεβαιοῖ τὸν πρότερον λόγον. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ κολακείας εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα, Λήψεται, φησὶν, ὃ ἠδίκησε· τουτέστι, καὶ τιμωρίαν δίδωσιν· Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι προσωποληψία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Τί γὰρ, εἰ δοῦλος εἶ; οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ. Καὶ μὴν τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς δεσπότας ἔδει εἰπεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ τοὺς Ἕλληνας αἰνίττεσθαι δεσπότας. Τί γὰρ, εἰ ἐκεῖνος μὲν Ἕλλην, σὺ δὲ Χριστιανός; Οὐ τὰ πρόσωπα, ἀλλὰ τὰ πράγματα ἐξετάζεται. Ὥστε καὶ οὕτω μετ' εὐνοίας, καὶ ἐκ ψυχῆς δεῖ δουλεύειν. Οἱ κύριοι, τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ δίκαιον; τί δέ ἐστιν ἰσότης; Πάντων ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ καθιστᾷν, καὶ μὴ ἐᾷν ἑτέρων δεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ ἀμείβεσθαι αὐτοὺς τῶν πόνων. Μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ εἶπον, ὅτι παρὰ Θεοῦ ἔχουσι τὸν μισθὸν, διὰ τοῦτο σὺ ἀποστερήσῃς. Ἑτέρωθι δέ φησιν, Ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ἡμερωτέρους ἐργάσασθαι βουλόμενος· τέλειοι γὰρ ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι. Τουτέστιν, Ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν. Καὶ τὸ, Οὐκ ἔστι προσωποληψία, πρὸς τούτους εἴρηται· κεῖται δὲ ἐπ' ἐκείνων, ἵνα οὗτοι δέξωνται. Ὅταν γὰρ ἑτέρῳ ἁρμόζον πρὸς ἕτερον εἴπωμεν, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὸν ὑπεύθυνον κατωρθώσαμεν. Καὶ ὑμεῖς μετ' ἐκείνων, φησίν. Ἐνταῦθα κοινὴν ἐποίησε τὴν δουλείαν· Εἰδότες γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχετε Κύριον ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ καρτερεῖν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς ῥᾳθυμεῖν πολλάκις ποιεῖ, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Γρηγοροῦντες, τουτέστι, νήφοντες, μὴ ῥεμβόμενοι. Οἶδε γὰρ, οἶδεν ὁ διάβολος ὅσον ἀγαθὸν εὐχή· διὸ βαρὺς ἔγκειται. Οἶδε δὲ καὶ Παῦλος πῶς ἀκηδιῶσι πολλοὶ εὐχόμενοι· διό φησι, Προσκαρτερεῖτε τῇ προσευχῇ, ὡς περί τινος ἐπιπόνου. Γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔργον ὑμῶν ἔστω, ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς εὐχαριστεῖν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν φανερῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀφανῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἑκόντας καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἄκοντας ἐποίησεν εὖ, καὶ ὑπὲρ βασιλείας καὶ ὑπὲρ γεέννης, καὶ ὑπὲρ θλίψεως καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀνέσεως. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔθος τοῖς ἁγίοις εὔχεσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν εὐεργεσιῶν εὐχαριστεῖν. γʹ. Οἶδα ἐγώ τινα ἅγιον ἄνδρα οὕτως εὐχόμενον. Οὐδὲν πρὸ τούτου τοῦ ῥήματος ἔλεγεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι. Εὐχαριστοῦμεν ὑπὲρ πασῶν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν σου τῶν ἐκ πρώτης ἡμέρας μέχρι τῆς παρούσης εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀναξίους ἐπιδεικνυμένων· ὑπὲρ ὧν ἴσμεν καὶ οὐκ ἴσμεν, ὑπὲρ τῶν φανερῶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀφανῶν, τῶν ἐν ἔργῳ γενομένων, τῶν ἐν λόγῳ, τῶν ἑκοντὶ, τῶν ἀκοντί· πασῶν τῶν εἰς τοὺς ἀναξίους ἡμᾶς γεγενημένων· ὑπὲρ θλίψεων, ὑπὲρ ἀνέσεων, ὑπὲρ τῆς γεέννης, ὑπὲρ τῆς κολάσεως, ὑπὲρ βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Παρακαλοῦμέν σε φυλάξαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ἁγίαν, καθαρὰν συνείδησιν ἔχουσαν, τέλος ἄξιον τῆς φιλανθρωπίας σου. Ὁ ἀγαπήσας ἡμᾶς ὥστε τὸν Μονογενῆ σου δοῦναι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καταξίωσον ἀξίους γενέσθαι τῆς σῆς ἀγάπης· δὸς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ σου σοφίαν, καὶ ἐν τῷ φόβῳ σου, μονογενὲς Χριστὲ, ἔμπνευσον 62.369 ἰσχὺν τὴν παρὰ σοῦ· ὁ