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is confirmed more strongly and more accurately. And further, if one strives to fulfill this, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth; and this, He will meditate on His law day and night, so that through smooth and continuous meditation and contemplation of the will and glories of God, the mind may find no occasion for distraction.

QUESTION 77. Whether one should begin with the psalmody from the daily course, or with the prayer. RESPONSE In the assembly of the worthy, let this maintain good order, so that the matter may not be considered trivial and indifferent, nor indeed should uniformity in the case of one or two persons give suspicion of pride on the part of the leader and of contempt for the rest.

QUESTION 78. Whether in a brotherhood one who gives something should be recompensed; and if the return gift should be made in proportion to the gift. RESPONSE. This whole question is a human one. But if one must give proof of gratitude, let the decision rest with the one who administers, both to receive what is given and to recompense the giver.

QUESTION 79. If, when one of the usual and natural things occurs, one should dare to approach for communion of the holy things. RESPONSE. The Apostle has shown that one who has been buried with Christ in baptism ought to be superior to nature and habit; at one time saying, in the passage concerning baptism in water, after the preceding words: knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; 31.1304 at another time commanding, Therefore put to death 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 is coming upon the sons of disobedience; and at another time setting a standard by saying: And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. But I know that these things have been accomplished by the grace of Christ in both men and women through genuine faith in the Lord. But that one who is in a state of uncleanness should approach the holy things, we are taught from the Old Testament that the judgment is most fearful. And if something greater than the temple is here, the Apostle will evidently instruct us more fearfully, saying: He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself.

QUESTION 80. Whether an offering should be made in a common house. RESPONSE. Just as the Word does not permit any common vessel to be brought into the holy places, so also the holy things are not to be celebrated in a common house, since the Old Testament, by God's clear command, does not permit any such thing to be done; and the Lord says: Something greater ασξετιξον μαγνυμ 31.1304.27 το ασξετιξον μαγνυμ 31.693.2 than the temple is here; and the Apostle says: For do you not have houses to eat and drink in? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you; for I delivered to you what I also received, and what follows. From which things we are taught neither to eat and drink the common meal in church, nor to profane the Lord's supper in a house, unless in a case of necessity one should choose a purer place, or a house at a suitable time

QUESTION 81. Whether one should go for a visit when some people seek it. RESPONSE. To visit is indeed pleasing to God; but the one visiting must be an intelligent listener, and prudent in his answers, fulfilling what has been said: Let your speech be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. But to make a visit either for the sake of kinship or friendship is foreign to our profession. 31.1305

QUESTION 82. Whether lay people who visit should be urged to prayer. RESPONSE. If they are friends of God, it is fitting, as the Apostle wrote

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σφοδρότερον καὶ ἀκριβέ στερον βεβαιοῦται. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐὰν σπουδάσῃ πλη ρῶσαι τὸ, Εὐλογήσω τὸν Κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ· διαπαντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου· καὶ τὸ, Μελετήσει ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ἵνα τῇ ὁμαλῇ καὶ διηνεκεῖ μελέτῃ καὶ θεωρίᾳ τῶν θελημάτων καὶ τῶν δοξῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ νοῦς καιρὸν μετεωρισμοῦ.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΖʹ. Εἰ χρὴ ἐξ ἐφημερίας ἀπάρχεσθαι τῆς ψαλμῳ δίας, ἢ τῆς προσευχῆς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Τοῦτο ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀξίων φυλαξάτω τὴν εὐ ταξίαν, ἵνα μήτε εὐτελὲς καὶ ἀδιάφορον τὸ πρᾶγμα νομισθῇ, μήτε μὴν ἡ ὁμαλότης ἐφ' ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέ ρου προσώπου ὑπερηφανίας τοῦ ἡγουμένου καὶ κατα φρονήσεως τῶν λοιπῶν δῶ ὑποψίαν

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΗʹ. Εἰ χρὴ ἐν ἀδελφότητι τὸν διδόντα τι ἀμείβεσθαι· καὶ εἰ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τοῦ δόματος ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦτο ὅλον τὸ ἐρώτημα ἀνθρώπινον. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ εὐγνωμοσύνης διδόναι ἀπόδειξιν, ἐν τῷ οἰκονομοῦντι ἀποκείσθω ἡ δοκιμασία, καὶ τοῦ λαμβάνειν τὰ διδό μενα, καὶ τοῦ ἀμείβεσθαι τὸν διδόντα.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΘʹ. Εἰ τῶν συνήθων καὶ κατὰ φύσιν γινομένων τινὶ, χρὴ τολμᾷν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῶν ἁγίων παρέρ χεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Κρείττονα τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς συνηθείας ἔδει ξεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἶναι τὸν ἐν τῷ βαπτισμῷ συνταφέντα Χριστῷ· ποτὲ μὲν εἰπὼν, ἐν τῷ περὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι βαπτίσματος τόπῳ, μετὰ τὰ προκείμενα· Τοῦτο γινώσκοντες, ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρω πος συνεσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· 31.1304 ποτὲ δὲ παραγγείλας, Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πά θος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακὴν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρεία, δι' ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας· ποτὲ δὲ ὅρον ἐκθέμενος ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν· Οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔγνων, ὅτι ταῦτα κατωρ θώθη Χριστοῦ χάριτι καὶ ἐν ἀνδράσι καὶ ἐν γυναιξὶ πίστει τῇ εἰς τὸν Κύριον γνησίᾳ. Τὸ δὲ ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ὄντα τινὰ ἐγγίζειν τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ ἐκ τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης φοβερώτερον διδασκόμεθα τὸ κρῖμα. Εἰ δὲ πλεῖον τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὧδε, φοβερώτερον δηλονότι παιδεύσει ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπών· Ὁ ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων ἀναξίως, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΙʹ. Εἰ χρὴ εἰς κοινὸν οἶκον προσκομιδὴν γίνεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὥσπερ οὐδὲν κοινὸν σκεῦος ἐπιτρέπει ὁ Λόγος εἰσφέρεσθαι εἰς τὰ ἅγια, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὰ ἅγια εἰς κοινὸν οἶκον ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης φανερῶς προστάγματι Θεοῦ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐπιτρε πούσης γίνεσθαι· τοῦ δὲ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Πλεῖον ασξετιξον μαγνυμ 31.1304.27 το ασξετιξον μαγνυμ 31.693.2 τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὧδε· καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Μὴ γὰρ οἰκίας οὐκ ἔχετε εἰς τὸ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν; Τί εἴπω ὑμῖν; ἐπαινέσω ὑμᾶς; Ἐν τούτῳ οὐκ ἐπαινῶ· ἐγὼ γὰρ παρέδωκα ὑμῖν ὃ καὶ παρέλα- βον, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐξ ὧν παιδευόμεθα μήτε τὸ κοινὸν δεῖπνον ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν, μήτε τὸ Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον ἐν οἰκίᾳ καθυβρίζειν, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ἐπιλέξηταί τις καθαρώτερον τόπον, ἢ οἶκον ἐν καιρῷ εὐθέτῳ

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΙΑʹ. Εἰ χρὴ εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν ἀπέρχεσθαι ἐπιζητούντων τινῶν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸ μὲν ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ἀρεστὸν Θεῷ· δεῖ δὲ τὸν ἐπισκεπτόμενον συνετὸν εἶναι ἀκροατὴν, καὶ φρόνιμον ἐν ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσι, πληροῦντα τὸ εἰρημένον· Ἔστω ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ἐν χάριτι ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἀποκρίνεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ ἢ διὰ συγγένειαν ἢ διὰ φιλίαν ἐπίσκεψιν ποιεῖσθαι ἀλλότριον τοῦ ἡμετέρου ἐπαγγέλματος. 31.1305

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΤΙΒʹ. Εἰ χρὴ τοὺς ἐπισκεπτομένους λαϊκοὺς προτρέπεσθαι εἰς εὐχήν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Εἰ φίλοι εἰσὶ Θεοῦ, ἀκόλουθον, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου γράψαντος