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QUESTION 62. Whether there ought to be a teacher of secular children in a brotherhood. RESPONSE. As the Apostle said: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord; if those who bring them, bring them for such a purpose, and those who receive them have the assurance that they can raise those who are brought in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, let what was commanded by the Lord be observed, who said: Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. But without such a purpose and such a hope, I reckon this to be neither pleasing to God, nor fitting or profitable for us.

QUESTION 63. How should one deal with those who avoid the greater sins, but commit the small ones indifferently? RESPONSE. First, it is necessary to know that in the New Testament this distinction cannot be learned. For one sentence lies against all sins, as the Lord said, that He who commits sin is a slave of sin; and again, that The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day; and as John proclaimed: He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God will remain upon him; disobedience having its threat not in the difference of the sins, but in the transgression. In general, if we are permitted to speak of a small and a great sin, the undeniable proof should be that for each person, that which overcomes him is great, and that which each person overcomes is small; just as among athletes, the one who wins is stronger, and the one who is defeated is weaker than the more powerful one, whoever he may be. Therefore, for every person sinning 31.1289 any sin whatsoever, one must observe the judgment of the Lord who said, that If your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother; but if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that on the testimony of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. And in all such cases, let what was said by the Apostle be observed: Why did you not rather mourn, so that he who has done this deed might be removed from among you? For longsuffering and compassion must be brought to bear with severity.

QUESTION 64 For what reason does someone fall away from the constant remembrance of God. RESPONSE If one becomes forgetful of God’s benefactions, and is found ungrateful to the benefactor.

QUESTION 65 By what signs is the flighty person known. RESPONSE. When someone neglects the things for pleasing God, as the Prophet said: I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.

QUESTION 66. How may the soul be assured that it is pure from sins RESPONSE. If someone perceives in himself the disposition of David, who said: I have hated and abhorred iniquity; or if he perceives whether he has accomplished in himself what was commanded by the Apostle, who said: Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; on account of which things the wrath of God comes; where also extending such a judgment against every sin, he added: Upon the sons of disobedience, so that he might be able to say, that: A crooked heart has not cleaved to me; when the wicked one turned from me, I did not know him But a person knows himself to be in such a disposition, if he also takes on toward sinners the same awful sympathy as the saints; with David saying: I saw the foolish, and I was grieved, because they did not keep your words; and the Apostle saying: 31.1292 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΒʹ. Εἰ χρὴ ἐν ἀδελφότητι παιδίων βιωτικῶν εἶναι διδάσκαλον. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· Οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παρ οργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου· ἐὰν οἱ προσάγον τες ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ σκοπῷ προσάγωσι, καὶ οἱ δεχόμε νοι πληροφορίαν ἔχωσιν, ὅτι δύνανται ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου ἐκθρέψαι τὰ προσαγόμενα, φυλασσέσθω τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου προστεταγμένον, εἰπόντος· Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς μὲ, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἄνευ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου σκοποῦ καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος οὔτε Θεῷ ἀρέσκον τοῦτο, καὶ ἡμῖν οὔτε πρέπον οὔτε συμφέρον λογί ζομαι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΓʹ. Πῶς δεῖ προσφέρεσθαι τοῖς τὰ μείζονα τῶν ἁμαρ τημάτων παραιτουμένοις, τὰ δὲ μικρὰ ἀδιαφό ρως ποιοῦσιν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Πρῶτον μὲν εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι ἐν τῇ Καινῇ ∆ιαθή κῃ ταύτην τὴν διαφορὰν οὐκ ἔστι μαθεῖν. Μία γὰρ ἀπόφασις κατὰ πάντων ἁμαρτημάτων κεῖται, τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος, ὅτι Ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ πάλιν, ὅτι Ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησα, ἐκεῖνος κρινεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ· καὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου βοῶντος· Ὁ ἀπειθῶν τῷ Υἱῷ οὐκ ὄψεται τὴν ζωὴν, ἀλλ' ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ μενεῖ ἐπ' αὐτόν· τῆς ἀπειθείας οὐκ ἐν τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ παρακοῇ τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἐχούσης. Ὅλως δὲ, εἰ ἐπιτρε πόμεθα λέγειν μικρὸν καὶ μέγα ἁμάρτημα, ἀναντίῤ ῥητον ἔδει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἑκάστῳ μέγα εἶναι τὸ ἑκά στου κρατοῦν, καὶ μικρὸν τοῦτο, οὗ ἕκαστος κρατεῖ· ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθλητῶν ὁ μὲν νικήσας ἐστὶν ἰσχυ ρότερος, ὁ δὲ ἡττηθεὶς ἀσθενέστερος τοῦ ἐπι κρατεστέρου, ὅστις ἂν ᾖ. ∆εῖ οὖν ἐπὶ παντὸς ἁμαρ 31.1289 τάνοντος οἱονδήποτε ἁμάρτημα φυλάσσειν τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος, ὅτι Ἂν ἁμάρτῃ εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε, ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν με ταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. Ἐάν σου ἀκού σῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσῃ, παράλαβε μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἔτι ἕνα ἢ δύο, ἵνα ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων ἢ τριῶν σταθῇ πᾶν ῥῆμα. Ἐὰν δὲ παρακούσῃ αὐτῶν, εἰπὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρακούσῃ, ἔστω σοι ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης. Φυλασσέσθω δὲ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τοιούτοις τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰρημένον· ∆ιὰ τί οὐ μᾶλλον ἐπενθή σατε, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας; Χρὴ γὰρ τὴν μακροθυμίαν καὶ τὴν εὐ σπλαγχνίαν ἐπιφέρεσθαι τῇ ἀποτομία.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Σ∆ Ἐκ ποίας αἰτίας ἐκπίπτει τις τῆς διηνεκοῦς μνήμης τοῦ Θεοῦ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ἐάν τις ἀμνήμων γένηται τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀσυνείδητος εὑρεθῇ πρὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΕ Ἐκ ποίων σημείων γνωρίζεται ὁ μετέωρος. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὅταν ἀμελῇ τις τῶν πρὸς εὐαρέστησιν Θεοῦ, τοῦ Προφήτου εἰπόντος· Προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντὸς, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Σʹ. Πῶς πληροφορηθῇ ἡ ψυχὴ, ὅτι τῶν ἁμαρτημά των καθαρεύει ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐὰν καταμάθῃ τις ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν διάθεσιν τοῦ ∆α βὶδ, εἰπόντος· Ἀδικίαν ἐμίσησα καὶ ἐβδελυξά μην· ἢ καταμάθῃ εἰ κατώρθωσεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου προστεταγμένον, εἰπόντος· Νε κρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κα κὴν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολα τρεία· δι' ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἔνθα καὶ πλατύνων κατὰ παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος τὸ τοιοῦτον κρῖμα, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπει θείας, ἵνα δυνηθῇ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι· Οὐκ ἐκολλήθη μοι καρδία σκαμβή· ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πο νηροῦ, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον Γνωρίζει δέ τις ἑαυτὸν ἐν τοιαύτῃ διαθέσει καθεστῶτα, ἐὰν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τὴν αὐτὴν τοῖς ἁγίοις φρικώδη συμ πάθειαν ἀναλάβῃ· τοῦ μὲν ∆αβὶδ εἰπόντος· Εἶδον ἀσυνετοῦντας, καὶ ἐξετηκόμην, ὅτι τὰ λό γιά σου οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο· τοῦ δὲ Ἀποστόλου λέ 31.1292 γοντος· Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς