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TITLE 6. -Concerning life, and this world; and that we, and our life, are in distraction and toil.

And to the woman he said: I will greatly multiply your sorrows and your groaning. In sorrows you shall bring forth children, and your turning shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. 95.1281 The mind of man is intently set upon evil things from his youth. Is not the life of man upon the earth a trial? God has given a grievous distraction to the sons of men, to be distracted in it. One event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him that sacrifices and to him that sacrifices not: as is the good, so is the sinner; as he that swears, so he that fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. There is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God on the earth. Cursing, and lying, and murder, and theft, and adultery are poured out upon the earth. From him that wears hyacinth and a crown, to him that wears raw flax, there is wrath, and jealousy, and trouble, and turmoil, and fear of death, and wrath, and strife. Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof. But he that does the will of God abides for ever. Our life is full of groaning, and full of dejection. This world is primarily a school and training-ground for human souls; but then, once and for all, simply a suitable dwelling for things in generation and corruption. Therefore, the passage of time is innate to the world, and to the animals and plants in it, always pressing on, and flowing by, and in no way ceasing its course. Things that began from time must by all means also be completed in time. If it has a temporal beginning, do not doubt about the end. This world is itself mortal, and a place of mortals. For since the composition of things seen is composite, and everything composite is by nature dissolved, we who live in the world, being parts of the world, necessarily partake of the nature of the whole. He who is not yet joined by the bonds of marriage, raging desires, and irrepressible impulses, and unfortunate loves disturb. But for him already taken by a spouse another turmoil of cares awaits: in childlessness, the desire for children, in the possession of children, the care of raising children, the guarding 95.1284 of a wife, the care of the household, the management of servants, losses in contracts, quarrels with neighbors, entanglements in the courts, and the dangers of commerce, the toils of farming; every day comes bringing its own darkening of the soul, and the nights, taking over the daily cares, deceive the mind with the same phantasms. The misery of life here is plunged in all kinds of sufferings and hardships. See, beloved, how the affairs of men imitate the sea; if life is not filled with that tumult; if we are not more storm-tossed on dry land than on the wet; if we do not collide with one another more violently than the winds; if money does not dash us against one another like squalls; if we are not carried hither and thither as in the gloom of the sea. This one has seized that man's field; another has stolen another's land; another has desired his neighbor's wife, another has snatched away so-and-so's servants. One is judged against his neighbor concerning water; another fights with his co-owner concerning airs. Some quarrel about the measures of the land; others oppress one another through the building of houses; this one attempts to take what he did not give; that one litigates not to give what he received. The one

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ΤΙΤΛ. ϛʹ. -Περὶ τοῦ βίου, καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· καὶ ὅτι ἐν περισπασμῷ καὶ μόχθῳ καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ ὁ βίος ἡμῶν.

Καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ εἶπεν· Πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου. Ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου, καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει. 95.1281 Ἔγκειται ἡ διάνοια τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος. Πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Περισπασμὸν πονηρὸν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Συνάντημα ἓν τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ τῷ ἀσεβεῖ, τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ, τῷ καθαρῷ καὶ τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ, τῷ θυσιάζοντι καὶ τῷ μὴ θυσιάζοντι· ὡς ὁ ἀγαθὸς, ὁ ἁμαρτάνων· ὡς ὀμνύων, καθὼς ὁ τὸν ὅρκον φοβούμενος. Τοῦτο πονηρὸν ἐν παντὶ πεποιημένῳ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσιν. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλήθεια, οὐδὲ ἔλεος, οὐδὲ ἐπίγνωσις Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀρὰ, καὶ ψεῦδος, καὶ φόνος, καὶ κλοπὴ, καὶ μοιχεία ἐκκέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀπὸ φοροῦντος ὑάκινθον καὶ στέφανον, ἕως φοροῦντος ὠμόλινον, θυμὸς, καὶ ζῆλος, καὶ ταραχὴ, καὶ σάλος, καὶ φόβος θανάτου, καὶ μήνισμα, καὶ ἔρις. Οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν; ὃς ἐὰν βουληθῇ φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ καθίσταται. Μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον, μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ· ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκὸς, καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ ἡ ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου, ἣ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐστίν. Καὶ ὁ κόσμος παράγει, καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Πολυστένακτος ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, καὶ κατηφείας πλήρης. Ὁ κόσμος οὗτος προηγουμένως μὲν διδασκαλεῖον καὶ παιδευτήριον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν ἐστιν· ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς τῶν ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ ἐπιτήδειον ἐνδιαίτημα. Συμφυὴς ἄρα τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ ζώοις τε καὶ φυτοῖς, ἡ χρόνου διέξοδος ἐπέστη, ἐπειγομένη ἀεὶ, καὶ παραῤῥέουσα, καὶ μηδαμῶς παυομένη τοῦ δρόμου. Τὰ ἀπὸ χρόνου ἀρξάμενα, ἀνάγκη πάντως καὶ ἐν χρόνῳ συντελεῖσθαι. Εἰ ἀρχὴν ἔχει χρονικὴν, μὴ ἀμφιβάλῃς περὶ τοῦ τέλους. Ὁ κόσμος οὗτος αὐτός τέ ἐστι θνητὸς, καὶ χωρίον ἀποθνησκόντων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σύνθετός ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ὁρωμένων σύστασις, τὸ δὲ σύνθετον ἅπαν διαλύεσθαι πέφυκεν, οἱ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ζῶντες, μέρη ὄντες τοῦ κόσμου, ἀναγκαίως τῆς τοῦ παντὸς φύσεως ἀπολαύομεν. Τὸν μὲν οὔπω τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ γάμου συνεζευγμένον, λυσσώδεις ἐπιθυμίαι, καὶ ὁρμαὶ δυσκάθεκτοι, καὶ ἔρωτες δυσέρωτες ἐκταράττουσι. Τὸν δὲ ἤδη κατειλημμένον ὁμοζύγῳ ἕτερος θόρυβος τῶν φροντίδων ἐκδέχεται· ἐν ἀπαιδίᾳ παίδων ἐπιθυμία, ἐν τῇ κτήσει τῶν παίδων παιδοτροφίας μέριμνα, γυναικὸς 95.1284 φυλακὴ, οἴκου ἐπιμέλεια, οἰκετῶν προστασίαι, αἱ κατὰ τὰ συμβόλαια βλάβαι, οἱ πρὸς τοὺς γείτονας διαπληκτισμοὶ, αἱ ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις συμπλοκαὶ, καὶ τῆς ἐμπορίας οἱ κίνδυνοι, αἱ τῆς γεωργίας διαπονήσεις· πᾶσα ἡμέρα ἰδίαν ἥκει κομίζουσα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπισκότησιν, καὶ αἱ νύκτες τὰς καθημερινὰς φροντίδας παραλαβοῦσαι, ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς φαντασίαις ἐξαπατῶσι τὸν νοῦν. Παντοίοις πάθεσι καὶ ταλαιπωρίαις καταβεβάπτισται ἡ ἀθλιότης τῆς ὧδε ζωῆς. Ὅρα, ἀγαπητὲ, πῶς θάλατταν μιμεῖται τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ πράγματα· εἰ μὴ τῆς ταραχῆς ἐκείνης ὁ βίος ἐμπέπλησται· εἰ μὴ τῆς ὑγρᾶς πλέον ἐπὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς χειμαζόμεθα· εἰ μὴ τῶν ἀνέμων σφοδρότερον εἰς ἀλλήλους συμπίπτομεν· εἰ μὴ τὰ χρήματα, καθάπερ καταιγίδες κατ' ἀλλήλων ἡμᾶς συγκρούουσιν· εἰ μὴ καθάπερ ἐν ζόφῳ θαλαττίῳ ὧδε κἀκεῖσε περιφερόμεθα. Οὗτος ἐκείνου τὸν ἀγρὸν ἀφηρπάσατο· ἕτερος ἑτέρου τὴν γῆν ἐπαφείλατο· ἄλλος τῆς τοῦ πλησίου γυναικὸς ἐπεθύμησεν, ἄλλος τοῦ δεῖνα τοὺς οἰκέτας ἀφήρπασεν. Ὁ μὲν περὶ ὕδατος πρὸς τὸν γείτονα κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ περὶ ἀέρων τῷ συνκτήτορι μάχεται. Οἱ μὲν περὶ μέτρα τῆς γῆς διαπληκτίζονται· οἱ δὲ διὰ οἰκοδομίας οἰκιῶν ἀλλήλους διαθλίβουσιν· οὗτος ἅπερ οὐκ ἔδωκεν λαβεῖν ἐπιφύεται· ἐκεῖνος ἅπερ ἔλαβεν, μὴ δοῦναι ἀντιδικάζεται. Ὁ μὲν