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any of the good things, with those who have worked evil, will be led away into the fire of Gehenna. Unless someone should say that, that even not to do good is a part of wickedness. For this is of idleness, and idleness is a part of wickedness; or rather not a part, but an occasion and an evil root; for idleness has taught all wickedness. Let us not then foolishly ask these questions, such as, he who has done nothing evil, nor anything good, what place will he receive? For not to do good, this is to do evil. For tell me, if you had a servant, who neither steals, nor is insolent, nor contradicts, but also abstains from drunkenness and all other things, but sits always idle, and does none of the things that ought to be fulfilled by a servant for his master, will you not flog, will you not torture him? Yes, he says; and yet he has done nothing evil. Indeed, this very thing is evil. But, if it seems good, let us bring the argument also to the rest of life. Let there be some farmer, and let him do no harm to our property, let him neither plot against it nor steal, but only, with his own hands bound, let him sit at home, neither sowing, nor cutting a furrow, nor yoking oxen, nor tending a vine, nor laboring at anything else concerning the land; ἆρα οὐ κολά 62.113 shall we punish such a man? And yet he has done no wrong, nor have we anything to charge him with; but indeed in this very thing he has done wrong; for he does wrong in a general sense, by not providing his own contribution. What then, tell me? if each of the craftsmen and artisans should harm neither one of another craft, nor even one of the same craft, but is only idle, has not all your life thus perished and been corrupted? Do you wish that we should draw the argument also to the body? Therefore let the hand not strike the head, nor cut out the tongue, nor gouge out the eye, nor do any other such evil thing; but let it only remain idle, and not fulfill its own service to the whole body; is it not worthy to be cut off, rather than to be carried around idle, and doing injury to the whole body? What then? if the mouth should not devour the hand, nor bite the breast, but fails in all things on its part, is it not better for it to be stopped up instead? If therefore, both in the case of servants, and in the case of craftsmen, and in the case of the whole body, it is a great injustice, not only to do something evil, but also the lack of good things, much more would this be so in the case of the body of Christ. 2. For this reason also the blessed Paul, leading us away from wickedness, leads us toward virtue. For what is the benefit, tell me, if all the thorns are cut out, if the good seeds are not sown? For our labor, remaining incomplete, will again result in the same loss. For this very reason Paul also, being exceedingly concerned for us, does not stop his commandments at the cutting out and removal of evils, but also exhorts us to quickly show the planting of good things. For having said, *Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice,* he added; *And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.* For these are habits and dispositions. And the getting rid of the one is not sufficient to establish us again in the habit of the other, but there is need again of some movement, and an impulse no less than that in the flight from evil, so as to be in the possession of good things. And in the case of the body, if a black man should be rid of this quality, he does not immediately become white. Or rather, let us not exercise the argument on natural things, but let us bring forward the example on things of choice. He who is not an enemy is not in every case a friend, but there is something in between, which is neither of enmity, nor of friendship, in which most men stand in relation to us. He who is not weeping, does not in every case also laugh, but there is a middle state. So indeed also here, he who is not bitter is not in every case kind, nor is he who is not wrathful in every case tenderhearted; but there is need again of other diligence, so as to acquire this good thing. And see how, according to the law of the best husbandry, the blessed Paul both cleanses and works the land entrusted to him by the Husbandman. He took away the bastard seeds, he exhorts henceforth,

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τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, μετὰ τῶν τὰ κακὰ ἐργασαμένων εἰς τὸ γεέννης ἀπαχθήσονται πῦρ. Εἰ μή τις ἐκεῖνο λέγοι, ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν μὴ ποιῆσαι, κακίας μέρος ἐστίν· ἀργίας γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀργία δὲ κακίας μέρος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ μέρος, ἀλλὰ ὑπόθεσις καὶ ῥίζα πονηρά· πᾶσαν γὰρ κακίαν ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἀργία. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀνοήτως ταύτας τὰς ἐρωτήσεις ἐρωτῶμεν, οἷον, ὁ μηδὲν πεποιηκὼς κακὸν, μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν, ποῖον δέξεται τόπον; Τὸ γὰρ μὴ ποιῆσαι ἀγαθὸν, τοῦτο ποιῆσαί ἐστι κακόν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τινα οἰκέτην ἔχοις, μήτε κλέπτοντα, μήτε ὑβρίζοντα, μήτε ἀντιλέγοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέθης κρατοῦντα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, καθήμενον δὲ διαπαντὸς ἀργὸν, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ὀφειλόντων παρὰ οἰκέτου δεσπότῃ πληροῦσθαι ποιοῦντα, οὐ μαστιγώσεις, οὐ στρεβλώσεις αὐτόν; Ναὶ, φησί· καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν εἰργάσατο κακόν. Αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτό ἐστι κακόν. Ἀλλ', εἰ δοκεῖ, ἀγάγωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λοιπὸν βίον τὸν λόγον. Ἔστω τις γεωργὸς, καὶ μηδὲν λυμαινέσθω τοῖς ἡ μετέροις ὑπάρχουσι, μήτε ἐπιβουλευέτω, μήτε κλεπτέτω, μόνον δὲ τὰς αὑτοῦ χεῖρας δήσας, οἴκοι καθεζέσθω μήτε σπείρων, μὴτε αὔλακα τέμνων, μήτε βοῦς ὑποζευγνὺς, μήτε ἄμπελον θεραπεύων, μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν περὶ τὴν γῆν πονῶν· ἆρα οὐ κολά 62.113 σομεν τὸν τοιοῦτον; Καίτοι γε οὐδὲν ἠδίκησεν, οὐδὲ ἔχομεν ἐγκαλεῖν αὐτῷ τι· ἀλλ' αὐτῷ μὲν οὖν τούτῳ ἠδίκησεν· ἀδικεῖ γὰρ κοινῷ λόγῳ, τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συντέλειαν μὴ παρεχόμενος. Τί δὲ, εἰπέ μοι; ἂν τῶν δημιουργῶν ἕκαστος καὶ χειροτεχνῶν τὸν μὲν ἑτερότεχνον, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τὸν ὁμότεχνον βλάπτῃ μηδὲν, ἀργῇ δὲ μόνον, οὐχὶ ἀπόλωλεν ἅπας ὑμῖν ὁ βίος οὕτω καὶ διέφθαρται; Βούλει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τὸν λόγον ἑλκύσωμεν; Οὐκοῦν ἡ χεὶρ μὴ πληττέτω τὴν κεφαλὴν, μηδὲ ἐκκοπτέτω τὴν γλῶσσαν, μηδὲ ἐξορυττέτω τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, μηδὲ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ἐργαζέσθω κακόν· μόνον δὲ ἀργὴ μενέτω, καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῆς λειτουργίαν μὴ πληρούτω τῷ παντὶ σώματι· ἆρα οὐκ ἄξιον ἐκκοπῆναι αὐτὴν, ἢ περιφέρειν ἀργοῦσαν, καὶ παντὶ λυμαινομένην τῷ σώματι; Τί δέ; ἂν τὸ στόμα μὴ κατεσθίῃ τὴν χεῖρα, μηδὲ δάκνῃ τὸ στῆθος, τὰ δὲ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντα ἐλλείπῃ, οὐ βέλτιον ἐμπεφράχθαι μᾶλλον; Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δημιουργῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος παντὸς ἀδικία μεγάλη, οὐ μόνον τὸ κακόν τι πρᾶξαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔλλειψις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτο γένοιτ' ἄν. βʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἀπάγων ἡμᾶς τῆς πονηρίας, ἄγει πρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκκοπῆναι πάσας, ἂν τὰ χρηστὰ μὴ καταβάληται σπέρματα; Εἰς γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν περιστήσεται πάλιν ζημίαν ἡμῖν ὁ πόνος μείνας ἀτελής. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος σφόδρα κηδόμενος ἡμῶν, οὐ μέχρι τῆς τῶν κακῶν ἐκκοπῆς καὶ ἀναιρέσεως ἵστησι τὰ παραγγέλματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταχὺ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν καταφύτευσιν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι προτρέπει. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ, ἐπήγαγε· Γίνεσθε δὲ εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοὶ, εὔσπλαγχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς. Ἕξεις γάρ εἰσιν αὗται καὶ διαθέσεις. Καὶ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ἡ τῆς ἑτέρας ἀπαλλαγὴ εἰς τὴν τῆς ἑτέρας ἡμᾶς ἕξιν καταστῆσαι πάλιν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πάλιν κινήσεώς τινος, καὶ ὁρμῆς οὐκ ἐλάττονος τῆς ἐν τῇ φυγῇ τῶν κακῶν, ὥστε γενέσθαι ἐν τῇ κτήσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος ὁ μέλας ἂν ἀπαλλαγῇ τῆς ποιότητος ταύτης, οὐκ εὐθέως γίνεται λευκός. Μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ ἐπὶ τῶν φυσικῶν τὸν λόγον γυμνάσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ προαίρεσιν τὸ παράδειγμα παραγάγωμεν. Ὁ μὴ ἐχθρὸς οὐ πάντως φίλος ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ἔστι τι μέσον, ὃ μήτε ἔχθρας, μήτε φιλίας ἐστὶν, ἐν ᾧ μάλιστα οἱ πλείους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καθεστήκασι πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Ὁ μὴ δακρύων, οὐ πάντως καὶ γελᾷ, ἀλλ' ἔστι μέση κατάστασις. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, οὐχ ὁ μὴ πικρὸς πάντως χρηστὸς, οὐδὲ ὁ μὴ θυμώδης πάντως εὔσπλαγχνος· ἀλλὰ δεῖ πάλιν ἑτέρας σπουδῆς, ὥστε κτήσασθαι τοῦτο τὸ καλόν. Καὶ θέα πῶς κατὰ νόμον ἀρίστης γεωργίας ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τὴν ἐμπιστευθεῖσαν αὐτῷ γῆν παρὰ τοῦ Γεωργοῦ διακαθαίρει τε καὶ ἐργάζεται. Ἀνεῖλε τὰ νόθα σπέρματα, παρακαλεῖ λοιπὸν,