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shall we endure that day, being so carelessly disposed? But "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not murder," and the rest, were spoken to the ancients through Moses; but the Lord, knowing that the observance of these things alone is not sufficient for the Christian for perfection, said: "'Truly I say to you,' that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." For this reason, He legislated everywhere the sanctification of the soul, through which the body is also sanctified, and (14__402> sincere love toward all people, through which we can also acquire love for Him; and He gave Himself as a model even unto death, and His disciples to us, as has often been said.

31 (31). What defense, then, shall we have on that day, having such an example, and being so neglectful? Jeremiah, lamenting us who were deemed worthy of so much grace, and are so carelessly disposed, or rather filled with all wickedness, said: "Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes, that I may weep for this people day and night?" Concerning us I hear Moses also saying: "and Jacob ate, and was filled; and the beloved one kicked; he grew fat, he grew thick, he grew broad, and he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his savior." And Micah lamenting and saying: "Woe is me, O soul, for the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. Each one oppresses his neighbor with oppression; they prepare their hands for evil." And the Psalmist likewise saying about us: "Save me, Lord, for the godly man has failed; for truths have diminished from the sons of men," and the rest.

32 (32). Prophetically the Apostle also, lamenting us, said: "There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness (14__404>. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes." For this reason again, foreseeing the future, concerning our present evil conduct, he writes to Timothy: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong," and the rest. For this reason, woe to us, because we have descended to the lowest depths of evil.

For who among us, tell me, is without a share in the aforementioned evils? Has not the prophecy been fulfilled in our case? Are we not all gluttons? Are we not all lovers of pleasure? Are we not all mad for and lovers of material things? Are we not all prone to anger? Are we not all resentful? Are we not all grudge-bearers? Are we not all betrayers of every virtue? Are we not all slanderers? Are we not all proud? Are we not all vainglorious? Are we not all hypocrites? Are we not all deceitful? Are we not all envious? Are we not all insubordinate? Are we not all slothful? Are we not all gadabouts? Are we not all idle? Are we not all neglectful of the Savior's commandments? Are we not all filled with every wickedness? Have we not become a temple of idols instead of a temple of God? Are we not lodgings for evil spirits instead of for the Holy Spirit? Do we not call upon God the Father feignedly? Instead of sons (14__406> of God, have we not become sons of Gehenna? Have we not become worse than the Jews, we who now bear the great name of Christ? And let no one be indignant at hearing the truth, since they too, being lawless, said: "We have one Father, God"; but they heard from the Savior that: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do."

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ὑποίσομεν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, οὕτως ἀμελῶς διακείμενοι; Πλὴν τὸ "οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ φονεύσεις», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐρρήθη διὰ Μωϋσέως· ὁ δὲ Κύριος, εἰδὼς ὅτι οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τῷ Χριστιανῷ ἡ τούτων μόνον τήρησις πρὸς τελείωσιν, ἔλεγεν· '"Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν', ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ὑμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη πλέον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθετε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν». ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἁγιασμόν, δι᾽ ἣν καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἁγιάζεται, καὶ (14__402> τὴν πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰλικρινῆ ἀγάπην ἐνομοθέτησε, δι᾽ ὧν καὶ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην κτήσασθαι δυνάμεθα· καὶ ἑαυτὸν τύπον μέχρι θανάτου, καὶ τοὺς αὑτοῦ μαθητὰς ἡμῖν παρέσχεν, ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηται.

31 (λα'). Ποίαν οὖν ἀπολογίαν ἕξομεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, τοιοῦτον ὑπόδειγμα ἔχοντες, καὶ οὕτως ἀμελοῦντες; Ἡμᾶς θρηνῶν Ἱερεμίας τοὺς τοσαύτης χάριτος ἀξιωθέντας, καὶ οὕτως ἀμελῶς διακειμένους, μᾶλλον δὲ πάσης κακίας πεπληρωμένους, ἔλεγε· "Τίς δώσει τῇ κεφαλῇ μου ὕδωρ, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου πηγὴν δακρύων, καὶ κλαύσομαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός;" Περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγὼ ἀκούω καὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως λέγοντος· "καὶ ἔφαγεν Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη· καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος· ἐλιπάνθη, ἐπαχύνθη, ἐπλατύνθη, καὶ ἐγκατέλιπε Θεὸν τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπέστη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ». Καὶ τοῦ Μιχαίου θρηνοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· "Οἴμοι ψυχή, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὁ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει. Ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ θλίβουσιν ἐκθλιβῇ· ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἑτοιμάζουσι». Καὶ τοῦ Ψαλμῳδοῦ ὁμοίως περὶ ἡμῶν λέγοντος· "Σῶσόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος· ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν αἱ ἀλήθειαι ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων», καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

32 (λβ'). Προφητικῶς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος θρηνῶν ἡμᾶς ἔλεγεν· "οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν· ταῖς γλώσσαις ἀυτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν. Ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας (14__404> γέμει. Σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν· οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν». ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν προβλέπων τὰ μέλλοντα, περὶ τῆς νῦν ἡμῶν πονηρᾶς διαγωγῆς πρὸς τὸν Τιμόθεον γράφει· "Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί· ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες, ὑπερήφανοι, βλάσφημοι, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀχάριστοι, ἀνόσιοι, ἄστοργοι, ἄσπονδοι, διάβολοι, ἀκρατεῖς, ἀνήμεροι, ἀφιλάγαθοι, προδόται, προπετεῖς», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, ὅτι εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῶν κακῶν κατηντήσαμεν.

Τίς γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν προειρημένων κακῶν ἐστιν ἀμέτοχος; Οὐχὶ ἐπὶ ἡμῶν ἐπληρώθη ἡ προφητεία; Οὐ πάντες ἐσμὲν γαστρίμαργοι; Οὐ πάντες φιλήδονοι; Οὐ πάντες ὑλομανεῖς καὶ φιλόϋλοι; Οὐ πάντες θυμώδεις; Οὐ πάντες μηνιασταί; Οὐ πάντες μνησίκακοι; Οὐ πάντες προδόται πάσης ἀρετῆς; Οὐ πάντες λοίδοροι; Οὐ πάντες ὑπερήφανοι; Οὐ πάντες κενόδοξοι; Οὐ πάντες ὑποκριταί; Οὐ πάντες δόλιοι; Οὐ πάντες φθονεροί; Οὐ πάντες ἀνυπότακτοι; Οὐ πάντες ἀκηδιασταί; Οὐ πάντες περίακτοι; Οὐ πάντες ῥᾴθυμοι; Οὐ πάντες ἀμελεῖς τῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐντολῶν; Οὐ πάντες πάσης κακίας ἀνάμεστοι; Οὐχὶ γεγόναμεν ἀντὶ ναοῦ Θεοῦ ναὸς εἰδώλων; Οὐχὶ ἀντὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, πνευμάτων πονηρῶν ἐσμεν καταγώγια; Οὐχὶ πεπλασμένως τὸν Θεὸν Πατέρα ἐπικαλούμεθα; Οὐχὶ ἀντὶ υἱῶν (14__406> Θεοῦ, υἱοὶ γεέννης γεγόναμεν; Οὐχὶ χείρονες τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οἱ νῦν τὸ μέγα Χριστοῦ ὄνομα περιφερόμενοι, γεγόναμεν; Καὶ μηδεὶς ἀγανακτείτω τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀκούων, ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνοι παράνομοι ὄντες ἔλεγον· "Ἡμεῖς ἕνα Πατέρα ἔχομεν, τὸν Θεόν»· ἀλλ᾽ ἤκουον παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ὅτι· "Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ, καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν».