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them to perish, but for wickedness to be destroyed. For he did not say, The Lord will destroy them, but, The deceitful lips. 3. And again not the substance, but the tongue, the insolence, the deceit he deems worthy to be destroyed, for pride to be cut off. But mocking their folly, he says; Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us? The words of mad and senseless men. For this very reason Paul, speaking in opposition to them, exhorts; You are not your own, you were bought with a price; and he commands not even to live for yourselves. Your lips are not yours, he says, but the Lord's. For he made them, he fashioned them, he breathed life into them. But you have them? But not all things that we have are ours; since we also have money, deposited by others; and we lease land, which others have given to us. So indeed God leased these things to you, not so that you might bear thorns, but so that you might change the seeds into something useful; not for insolence, not for deceit, but for humility, but for good speech, but so that you might make love to sprout through them. And he gave eyes, not that you might look on licentious things, but that you might adorn them with modesty; and hands, not that you might strike, but that you might show mercy. And how do you say, that Our lips are our own, when you make them slaves to sin, when to fornication, when to impurity? Who is lord over us? O diabolical saying! O demonic soul! Do you see, O man, all nature proclaiming your Lord's power, wisdom, care, providence; your body, your soul, your life, the things seen, the things unseen, almost everything, one might say, sending forth a voice and proclaiming the power of the Creator, and you say; Who is lord over us? This is of madness, this of frenzy, this of a corrupted soul. For this reason, the countless evils. But these indeed say; Who is lord over us? But others confess the Lord, but they do away with the teaching concerning judgment and punishment, buying for themselves a great punishment for a brief grace, and wishing to console themselves by not remembering Gehenna, they are unaware that through this fearlessness they cast themselves into the pit of destruction. Therefore I beseech you both to remember Gehenna, and to discourse about Gehenna; thus shape your soul with beauty. For great is the usefulness of these words. For God did not simply threaten it, and from there already made it clear, but that by fear he might make us better. For this reason the devil also does and contrives all things, wishing to remove the memory of it. Therefore do not cast out the memory, nor say; Why do I grieve myself out of season? Do you grieve out of season? That is to be in pain out of season, when you are in pain in Gehenna. This is the season for grieving, not that one. And this the rich man in the story of Lazarus shows, who, though he grieved immensely, profited nothing. But if he had been in pain in season, he would not have suffered what he suffered. Because of the misery of the poor, and the groaning of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord. I will set him in salva 55.147 tion; I will speak boldly in him. Another, I will set manifest salvation. Learn how great is the strength of humility. The power of the poor—of the poor, I say, who are contrite in spirit—is the help derived from suffering evil. For here he does not speak of their life, nor their virtue, but suffering evil, he says, this rouses God, and summons him to vengeance and defense. So great a thing it is to bear injustice nobly, so great is the providence of God for the oppressed, that the affliction which comes from suffering evil serves as the greatest advocacy. Great is the power of a groan, calling down help from above. Fear, all you who wrong the poor. You have power, and wealth, and money, and the favor of judges; but they have a weapon stronger than all, the

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αὐτοὺς ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν κακίαν ἀφανισθῆναι. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐξολοθρεύσει Κύριος αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια. γʹ. Καὶ πάλιν οὐχὶ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γλῶτταν, τὴν ἀπόνοιαν, τὸν δόλον ἀναιρεθῆναι ἀξιοῖ, τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ἐκκοπῆναι. Κωμῳδῶν δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἄνοιαν, φησί· Τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστι. Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστι; Μαινομένων καὶ παραφρόνων τὰ ῥήματα. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος ἀπεναντίας αὐτοῖς φθεγγόμενος παραινεῖ· Οὐκ ἐστὲ ἑαυτῶν, τιμῆς ἠγοράσθητε· καὶ κελεύει μηδὲ ἑαυτοῖς ζῇν. Οὐ σά ἐστι τὰ χείλη, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ, αὐτὸς κατεσκεύασεν, αὐτὸς ζωὴν ἐνέπνευσεν. Ἀλλὰ σὺ ἔχεις; Ἀλλ' οὐ πάνθ' ὅσα ἔχομεν, ταῦτα ἡμέτερα· ἐπεὶ καὶ χρήματα ἔχομεν, ἑτέρων παρακαταθεμένων· καὶ γῆν μισθούμεθα, ἑτέρων ἡμῖν δεδωκότων. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ σοὶ ταῦτα ἐμίσθωσεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ ἵνα ἀκάνθας φέρῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα σπέρματα εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον μεταβάλῃς· οὐχ ἵνα ἀπόνοιαν, οὐχ ἵνα δόλον, ἀλλ' ἵνα ταπεινοφροσύνην, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐφημίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀγάπην ποιήσῃς δι' αὐτῶν βλαστάνειν. Καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔδωκεν, οὐχ ἵνα ἀκόλαστα βλέπῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα σωφροσύνῃ αὐτοὺς καλλωπίζῃς· καὶ χεῖρας, οὐχ ἵνα πλήττῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐλεῇς. Πῶς δὲ καὶ λέγεις, ὅτι Τὰ χείλη ἡμῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ὅταν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτὰ ποιῇς δοῦλα, ὅταν τῆς πορνείας, ὅταν τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας; Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν; Ὢ διαβολικοῦ ῥήματος! ὢ ψυχῆς δαιμονώδους! Ὁρᾷς, ἄνθρωπε, τὴν φύσιν ἅπασαν ἀνακηρύττουσαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου τὴν ἰσχὺν, τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν, τὴν πρόνοιαν· τὸ σῶμά σου, τὴν ψυχὴν, τὴν ζωὴν, τὰ ὁρώμενα, τὰ ἀόρατα, ἅπαντα σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν, φωνὴν ἀφιέντα καὶ ἀνακηρύττοντα τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ λέγεις· Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστι; Τοῦτο μανίας, τοῦτο παραπληξίας, τοῦτο διεφθαρμένης ψυχῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὰ μυρία κακά. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν λέγουσι· Τίς ἡμῶν κύριός ἐστιν, Ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν μὲν ∆εσπότην ὁμολογοῦσι, τὸν δὲ περὶ τῆς κρίσεως ἀναιροῦσι λόγον καὶ τῆς κολάσεως, βραχείας χάριτος μεγάλην ὠνούμενοι κόλασιν, καὶ βουλόμενοι τῷ μὴ μεμνῆσθαι γεέννης παραμυθεῖσθαι ἑαυτοὺς, λανθάνουσι διὰ τῆς ἀφοβίας ταύτης εἰς τὸ βάραθρον ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐμβάλλοντες. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ καὶ μεμνῆσθαι γεέννης, καὶ διαλέγεσθαι περὶ γεέννης· οὕτω διάπλαττε εὐμορφίᾳ τὴν ψυχήν. Πολὺ γὰρ τὸ χρήσιμον τῶν λόγων τούτων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἠπείλησεν αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη δήλην ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ ποιήσῃ βελτίους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ διάβολος πάντα ποιεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται, ἐξαιρεῖν αὐτῆς τὴν μνήμην βουλόμενος. Μὴ τοίνυν ἔκβαλλε τὴν μνήμην, μηδὲ λέγε· Τί λυπῶ ἐμαυτὸν παρὰ καιρόν; Παρὰ καιρὸν λυπῇ; Ἐκεῖνό ἐστι παρὰ καιρὸν ἀλγεῖν, ὅταν ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ ἀλγῇς. Τοῦ λυπεῖσθαι καιρὸς οὗτος, οὐκ ἐκεῖνος. Καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ὁ πλούσιος ὁ ἐπὶ Λαζάρου, ὃς μυρία λυπηθεὶς οὐδὲν ὤνησεν. Εἰ δὲ εὐκαίρως ἤλγησεν, οὐκ ἂν ἔπαθεν ἅπερ ἔπαθεν. Ἕνεκεν τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τῶν πτωχῶν, καὶ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τῶν πενήτων, νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, λέγει Κύριος. Θήσομαι ἐν σω 55.147 τηρίῳ, παῤῥησιάσομαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἄλλος, Τάξω σωτήριον ἐμφανές. Μάθε πόση τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης ἡ ἰσχύς. Τῶν πενήτων ἡ δύναμις πενήτων λέγω, τῶν τὴν διάνοιαν συντετριμμένων, τοῦ κακῶς πάσχειν ἐστὶν ἡ ἀντίληψις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ βίον ἐνταῦθά φησιν, οὐδὲ ἀρετὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς, φησὶ, τοῦτο ἀνίστησι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἐκκαλεῖται πρὸς τιμωρίαν καὶ ἄμυναν. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ ἀδικούμενον φέρειν γενναίως, τοσαύτη τῶν ἐπηρεαζομένων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ πρόνοια, ἀντὶ μεγίστης συνηγορίας ἡ συμφορὰ καὶ τῷ πάσχειν κακῶς γινομένη. Μεγάλη τοῦ στεναγμοῦ ἡ ἰσχὺς, τὴν ἄνωθεν καλοῦσα ῥοπήν. Φοβήθητε ὅσοι τοὺς πένητας ἀδικεῖτε. Ἔχετε δύναμιν ὑμεῖς, καὶ πλοῦτον, καὶ χρήματα, καὶ δικαστῶν εὔνοιαν· ἀλλ' ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖνοι πάντων ἰσχυρότερον ὅπλον, τοὺς