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to restrain themselves by law, if they do this out of fear of punishment, they do not have "their will in the law of the Lord." If, then, someone persuades them that there is no punishment, they do all the forbidden things. But he who has "his will in the law of the Lord," even if there are ten thousand trials, even if many punishments are hanging over him, he does not depart from the will of the law. Such were the Maccabees, such were the martyrs of the truth in our own time. Therefore, just as he does not say before that the perfect man has abstained from evils by having his own will in the law of the Lord, so here too, having spoken of the good things that are present, he then says what he forbids and says: since I have walked in my innocence and, hoping in you, I do not weaken, having your mercy before my eyes, since I am such a one, "I have not sat with the council of vanity." Nothing else separated me from the vanity of the council than being in such a life; for let life separate men, not place. Virtue separates the righteous man from the common people; knowledge distinguishes the one who possesses it from the ignorant. So also here, the one who has walked in innocence and has God as his hope and for this reason is strong and will not weaken, "has not sat with the council of vanity." And here one might say: "The child and the irrational and the inanimate have not sat with the council of vanity." -But those things have not sat with the council of vanity because it is not in their nature to do so, not because they have walked in innocence and hoped in God. "And with transgressors I will not enter." I never consented to those who deliberate on vain things and hold council for the sake of doing such things, nor did I enter with transgressors. Not only did I not sit, but I did not even enter; for sitting in the council comes after entering. Jeremiah also, possessing this choice and virtue, said: "I did not sit in the council of those who make merry, but I was reverent because of your hand; I sat alone, because I was filled with bitterness"; for he says these things to the Almighty. To make merry and to deliberate on vain things is the same; for here the merriment is not praiseworthy, but is of the kind that those who made the calf had; for "they sat down," it says, "to eat and drink, and rose up to play." To play in this way is forbidden. Therefore, "I did not sit in the council of those who make merry." And it has often been shown that the superficial things of life, things that harm rather than benefit, things easily shaken, are called vain. He who has zeal for such men, even if he does not physically sit with them, is sitting in the council of vanity. "And with transgressors I will not enter." Here he calls transgressors those who break the law, not those who have no law at all—for those are lawless and act lawlessly—since he was far from such things. Why then: "I will not enter"? -Instead of: I did not enter into transgression; for to enter with transgressors, that is, to transgress, just as to enter into virtue means to act according to virtue. 5 I have hated the congregation of evildoers, and I will not sit with the ungodly. The evildoers are either the same as those who council in vanity or are not far from them. And perhaps those who sin in practical matters are those who council on vain things, while those who think falsely and hold heretical opinions are the congregation of evildoers. And it is well to say "of evildoers." No one evil by nature is said to do evil, but one who is naturally disposed to act thus, but is able to be outside of that action. 6 I will wash my hands among the innocent. He who says: "I have walked in my innocence," and says: "Examine me and test me, try my reins and my heart," says: "I will wash my hands among the innocent." We say this: the former achievements were of the soul; they signified the disposition of one speaking boldly as not having

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ἐπανέχειν νόμῳ ἐὰν διὰ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι κόλασιν τοῦτο ποιῶσιν, οὐκ ἔχουσιν "τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κυρίου". ἐὰν γοῦν τις πείσῃ αὐτούς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔνι κόλασις, πάντα τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα πράττουσιν. ὁ δὲ ἔχων "τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κυρίου", κἂν μυρίαι πεῖραι, κἂν κολάσεις πολλαὶ ἐπηρτημέναι αὐτῷ ὦσιν, οὐκ ἀφίσταται τοῦ θελήματος τοῦ νόμου. οἷοι ἦσαν οἱ Μακκαβαῖοι, οἷοι ἐτύγχανον οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς μάρτυρες τῆς ἀληθείας. ὥσπερ οὖν οὐ λέγει πρότερον τὸν τέλειον ἄνδρα ἀπεσχῆσθαι τῶν κακῶν τῷ ἔχειν τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἴδιον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κυρίου, καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰπὼν τὰ προσόντα ἀγαθὰ λέγει λοιπὸν ἃ ἀπαγορεύει καὶ λέγει ὅτι· ἐπειδὴ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην καὶ ἐλπίσας ἐπὶ σοὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ ἔχων τὸ ἔλεός σου πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, ἐπεὶ τοιοῦτός εἰμι, "οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος". οὐκ ἄλλο μέ τι διεῖλεν τῆς ματαιότητος τοῦ συνεδρίου ἢ τὸ ἐν τοιούτῳ βίῳ εἶναι· βίος γὰρ διαιρείτω τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μὴ τόπος. τὸν σπουδαῖον ἀρετὴ διαιρεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν χυδαίων ἀνθρώπων, ἐπιστήμη διαστέλλει ἀπὸ τῶν ἀμαθῶν τὸν ἔχοντα. οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ πορευθεὶς ἐν ἀκακίᾳ καὶ ἐλπίδα τὸν θεὸν ἔχων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰσχυρὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενήσων "οὐκ ἐκάθισεν μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος". καὶ ὧδε δύναταί τις εἰπεῖν· "τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὸ ἄλογον καὶ τὸ ἄψυχον οὐκ ἐκάθισεν μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος". -ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα οὐκ ἐκάθισεν μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος τῷ μὴ πεφυκέναι, οὐ τῷ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ πεπορεῦσθαι καὶ ἠλπικέναι ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ. "καὶ μετὰ παρανομούντων οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθω". οὐ συνκατεθέμην ποτὲ τοῖς μάταια βουλευομένοις καὶ συνεδριάζουσιν ἕνεκα τοῦ τοιαῦτα πράττειν οὐδὲ μετὰ παρανόμων εἰσῆλθον. οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκάθισα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰςῆλθον· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν εἴσοδον ἡ κάθισις ἡ ἐν συνεδρίῳ ἐστίν. ταύτης τῆς προαιρέσεως καὶ ἀρετῆς τυγχάνων καὶ ὁ Ἰηρεμίας ἔλεγεν· "οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετὰ συνεδρίου παιζόντων, ἀλλ' εὐλαβούμην ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς χειρός σου· κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην, ὅτι πικρίας ἐνεπλήσθην"· ταῦτα γὰρ πρὸς τὸν παντοκράτορα λέγει. ταὐτόν ἐστιν τὸ παίζειν καὶ τὸ μάταια βουλεύεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ὧδε τὸ παίγνιον ἐπαινετόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον τυγχάνει οἷον εἶχον οἱ μοσχοποιήσαντες· "ἐκάθισαν" γάρ, φησίν, "φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν". τὸ οὕτω παίζειν ἀπηγορευμένον τυγχάνει. "οὐκ ἐκάθισα" οὖν "μετὰ συνεδρίου παιζόντων". καὶ πολλάκις ἀποδέδεικται, ὅτι τὰ ἐπιπόλαια τοῦ βίου πράγματα τὰ βλάπτοντα μᾶλλον ἢ ὠφελοῦντα, τὰ εὐσάλευτα, μάταια λέγεται. ὁ σπουδὴν ἔχων μετὰ τοιούτων ἀνθρώπων, κἂν μὴ τοπικῶς καθίσῃ μετ' αὐτῶν, ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ τῆς μαται95 ότητος συνεδρίῳ καθήμενος. "καὶ μετὰ παρανομούντων οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθω". παρανομοῦντας ὧδε λέγει τοὺς παραβαίνοντας τὸν νόμον, οὐ τοὺς μηδ' ὅλως ἐσχηκότας νόμον-ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἄνομοι καὶ ἀνομοῦντές εἰσιν-, ἐπεὶ πόρρω ἦν τῶν τοιούτων. ἐπερ · "οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθω"; -ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν παρανομίαν· τὸ γὰρ εἰσελθεῖν μετὰ παρανομούντων, τουτέστιν τὸ παρανομῆσαι, ὡς τὸ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν τὸ κατὰ ἀρετὴν ἐνεργῆσαι σημαίνει. 5 ἐμίσησα ἐκκλησίαν πονηρευομένων καὶ μετὰ ἀσεβῶν οὐ μὴ καθίσω. οἱ πονηρευόμενοι ἢ οἱ αὐτοί εἰσιν τοῖς συνεδριάζουσιν ματαίως ἢ οὐ μακράν εἰσιν αὐτῶν. καὶ τάχα οἱ περὶ πρακτικὰ ἁμαρτάνοντες ἐπὶ ματαίοις συνεδριάζουσιν, οἱ δὲ ψευδῆ φρονοῦντες καὶ αἱρεθικὰς γνώμας ἔχοντες ἐκκλησία εἰσὶν πονηρευομένων. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι "πονηρευομένων". οὐδεὶς κατὰ φύσιν πονηρὸς λέγεται πονηρεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὁ πεφυκὼς μὲν πρὸς τὸ οὕτως ἐνεργεῖν, δυνάμενος δὲ ἐκτὸς εἶναι τῆς ἐνεργείας. 6 νίψομαι ἐν ἀθῴοις τὰς χεῖράς μου. ὁ λέγων· "ἐν ἀκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην", καὶ λέγων· "δοκίμασόν με καὶ πείρασόν με, πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου", λέγει· "νίψομαι ἐν ἀθῴοις τὰς χεῖράς μου". λέγομεν τοῦτο· τὰ πρότερον κατορθώματα ψυχικὰ ἦσαν· διάθεσιν ἐσήμαινον τοῦ παρρησιαζομένου τὸ μὴ ἔχειν