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wishes; so also the tongue is a small member, and it boasts great things. Behold, how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue; an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. It ought not to be so, my brethren. Does a spring send forth sweet water and bitter from the same opening? A surfeit of speech is an enemy to the ears, as excessive food is to the body. The tongue is a downfall for men, if not governed by reason. A word spoken simply has overturned entire houses, and has destroyed and sunk souls. And while the loss of money can be restored again, a word, once it has escaped, cannot be recovered again. Do not receive swallows into your houses, that is, talkative people, and do not make those who are unbridled of tongue your housemates. The evil tongue of a man is a fall for him. And again: Your tongue, a sharpened razor, you have always wrought deceit. And again: What shall be given to you, or what shall be added to you, for a deceitful tongue? And again: O God, do not be silent concerning my praise, for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful one has been opened against me. And again: They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. It is said that the serpent has a terrible sting in its tongue, but there is nothing more terrible than the evil tongue of a man. The lizard is also said to be pale, but it is not paler than the chatterer. A scorpion's sting is healed, but an evil word coming from the mouth of a chatterer strikes his neighbor. Water extinguishes a flame of fire, but no one soothes an evil tongue. A bridle tames a stiff-necked horse, but no one can tame an evil tongue. A wild beast is easily tamed, but an evil tongue is not calmed. There is nothing in the world worse than an evil tongue. It sets husband against husband, house against 95.1348 house, children against parents, brothers against brothers. All evils are through the tongue.

ELEMENT D. TITLE 1. -Concerning the power of God. The Lord your God is in you, a great and

mighty. I will call upon the Lord, the Master of all, who does great and

unsearchable things, glorious and wonderful, of which there is no number. If he tears down, who will build? If he shuts a man in, who can open? I know that he can do all things; and nothing is impossible for you. He who sets on high those who are lowly, and raises up those who are lost. He who makes mountains old, and they do not know it; who overturns them in his anger; who shakes the earth under heaven, and its pillars are shaken. He who tells the sun not to rise, and it does not rise, and he seals up the stars. He who alone stretched out the heaven, and walks, being removed from your hands. If he should destroy all things, who will say to him, What have you done? With him are wisdom and power, with him are counsel and understanding. -With him are dominion and strength, with him are knowledge and understanding. Leading counselors away captive, and he has driven mad the judges of the earth. Seating kings upon thrones, and he has bound a girdle on their loins. Sending priests away captive, and he has overthrown the mighty of the earth. Pouring contempt on princes, revealing deep things out of darkness. The bow of the mighty is weakened, and the weak have preserved strength. The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he brings low and lifts up, and the rest. You are fearsome, and who will stand against you? and the

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βούλεται· οὕτως καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα σμικρὸν μέλος ἐστὶ, καὶ μεγαλαυχεῖ. Ἰδοὺ ὀλίγον πῦρ ἡλίκην ὕλην ἀνάπτει! Καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας. Ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα, καὶ φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως, καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης. Πᾶσα γὰρ φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ, τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀνθρώπων δαμάσαι· ἀκατάσχετον κακὸν, μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου. Ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ' ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα. Οὐ χρὴ, ἀδελφοί μου. Μή τι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ πικρόν; Κόρος λόγου πολέμιος ἀκοαῖς, ὡς ὑπερβάλλουσα τροφὴ σώματι. Ὄλισθος ἀνθρώποις γλῶσσα, μὴ λόγῳ κυβερνωμένη. Λόγος ἁπλῶς προσενεχθεὶς ὁλοκλήρους ἀνέτρεψεν οἰκίας, καὶ ψυχὰς ἀπώλεσε καὶ κατέδυσε. Καὶ τῶν μὲν χρημάτων τὴν ζημίαν διορθοῦσθαι πάλιν ἔνι, λόγον δὲ ἐκπηδήσαντα ἅπαξ ἀνακτῆσαι πάλιν οὐκ ἔνι. Μὴ χελιδῶνας εἰς οἰκίας δέχεσθε, τουτέστι λάλους ἀνθρώπους, καὶ τοὺς περὶ γλῶσσαν ἀνακρατεῖς ὁμοροφίους μὴ ποιεῖσθε. Γλῶσσα κακὴ ἀνθρώπου, πτῶσις αὐτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡ γλῶσσά σου, ἀεὶ ξυρὸν ἠκονημένον ἐποίησας δόλον. Καὶ πάλιν· Τί δοθείη, καὶ τί προστεθείη σοι πρὸς γλῶσσαν δολίαν; Καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ Θεὸς τὴν αἴνεσίν μου μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς, ὅτι στόμα ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ στόμα δολίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἠνοίχθη. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἠκόνησαν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ὄφεως· ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν. Τὸν ὄφιν λέγεται δεινὸν ἔχειν τὸ κέντρον τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι δεινότερον γλώσσης ἀνθρώπου κακῆς. Λέγεται καὶ σαῦρα χλωρὰ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι χλωροτέρα τοῦ φλυάρου. Σκορπίου δῆγμα θεραπεύεται, λόγος δὲ κακὸς ἐξερχόμενος ἐκ στόματος φλυάρου πλήσσει τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Φλόγα πυρὸς κατασβεννύει ὕδωρ, γλῶσσαν δὲ κακὴν οὐδεὶς καταπραΰνει. Ἵππον σκληροτράχηλον δαμάζει χαλινὸς, γλῶσσαν δὲ κακὴν οὐδεὶς δύναται δαμάσαι. Θηρίον ἄγριον εὐχερῶς ἡμεροῦται, γλῶσσα δὲ κακὴ οὐ πραΰνεται. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ χεῖρον γλώσσης κακῆς. Συγκρούει πόσιν πρὸς πόσιν, οἰκίαν πρὸς 95.1348 οἰκίαν, τέκνα κατὰ γονέων, ἀδελφοὺς κατὰ ἀδελφῶν. Πάντα τὰ κακὰ διὰ γλώσσης.

ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΟΝ ∆. ΤΙΤΛ. Αʹ. -Περὶ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ. Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐν σοὶ, Θεὸς μέγας καὶ

κραταιός. Κύριον τὸν πάντων ∆εσπότην ἐπικαλέσομαι, τὸν ποιοῦντα μεγάλα καὶ

ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Ἐὰν καταβάλῃ, τίς οἰκοδομήσει; Ἐὰν κλείσῃ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου, τίς ἀνοίξει; Οἶδα ὅτι πάντα δύναται· ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐδέν. Τὸν ποιοῦντα ταπεινοὺς εἰς ὕψος, καὶ ἀπολωλότας ἐξεγείροντα. Ὁ παλαιῶν ὄρη, καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν· ὁ στρέφων αὐτὰ ὀργῇ· ὁ σείων τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, οἱ δὲ στύλοι αὐτῆς σαλεύονται. Ὁ λέγων ἡλίῳ μὴ ἀνατέλλειν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνατέλλει, κατὰ δὲ ἄστρων κατασφραγίζει. Ὁ τανύσας τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος, καὶ περιπατῶν χειρῶν σου ἐξαιρούμενος. Ἐὰν καταστρέψῃ τὰ πάντα, τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, Τί ἐποίησας; Παρ' αὐτῷ σοφία καὶ δύναμις, αὐτῷ βουλὴ καὶ σύνεσις. -Παρ' αὐτῷ κράτος καὶ ἰσχὺς, αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις. ∆ιάγων βουλευτὰς αἰχμαλώτους, κριτὰς δὲ γῆς ἐξέστησε. Καθιζάνων βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ θρόνων, καὶ περιέδησεν ζώνην ὀσφύας αὐτῶν. Ἐξαποστέλλων ἱερεῖς αἰχμαλώτους, δυνάστας δὲ γῆς ἐξέστησεν. Ἐκχέων ἀτιμίας ἐπ' ἄρχοντας, ἀνακαλύπτων βαθέα ἐκ σκότους. Τόξον δυνατῶν ἠσθένησε, καὶ οἱ ἀσθενοῦντες περιεσώσαντο δύναμιν. Κύριος πτωχίζει καὶ πλουτίζει, ταπεινοῖ καὶ ἀνυψοῖ, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Σὺ φοβερὸς εἶ, καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί σοι; καὶ τὰ