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Rom. 2. As many as have sinned without law, will also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law, will be judged by the law.

Prov. 29. To know the law is of a good mind. Sirach 21. He who keeps the law of the Lord controls his thought. 976 Basil. If irrational creatures are inventive and watchful for their own salvation

they are, and a fish knows what to choose and what to avoid; what shall we say, we who are honored with reason, and educated by laws, urged by promises, made wise by the Spirit; then arranging our own affairs more irrationally than irrational fish, not being persuaded to submit to the law?

It is not possible to be saved without doing the works according to God's commandment; nor is it without danger to overlook anything that has been commanded. For it is a terrible arrogance for us to sit as judges of the lawgiver, and to approve some of the laws, and to dismiss others. For if the man of God must be perfect, it is entirely necessary to be perfected through every commandment, to the measure of the stature of the fullness (15Ε_416> of Christ; since according to the divine law even if what is being offered is pure, [if it is not perfect and whole,] it is unacceptable as a sacrifice to God.

The Theologian. If then we had remained what we were, and had kept the commandment, we would have become what we were not.

How much more pleasant to learn than to teach about God. Being pious little in word, but more in deed; and in the keeping of the laws

rather than by marveling at the lawgiver, showing our affection for him. You are subject to laws and the Lord's rules, according to which you must live. And

first understand this from yourself, that your soul also is everywhere subject to the precepts of virtue. You also received a body from the Creator, governed by five senses for the needs of life. And these are not free and autonomous, but each is a slave of laws. And first the eye hears. Look, he says, and behold what it is good to see; and, it is better to cut it out, when it looks at disordered and harmful things. The ear also has a commandment, and the tongue and the others likewise.

It is neither safe for sailors to anchor in an improper place, nor without danger for the living to live contrary to law.

Keeping the laws, you will cast out fears; For every guardian of the law is beyond fear. There are two things that guide us: nature and law; but nature masters the law

nature. Chrysostom. The laws also know to pardon sins of necessity. The kinds of laws are three: the law of nature, the law of the letter, which was given to

Moses, the law of grace. 977 Of Zaleucus. Zaleucus the lawgiver of the Locrians, said the laws were like

spiderwebs. For if a fly or gnat (15Ε_418> falls into them, it is held; but if a wasp or bee, it breaks through and departs. In the laws if a poor person falls in, he is held fast; but if a rich or powerful speaker, he breaks through and runs away.

Solon. Solon, having been asked by someone how cities are best inhabited, said: If the citizens obey the rulers, and the rulers obey the laws.

Of Demades. For slaves, necessity is law; but for the free, the law is necessity.

Of Epictetus. Law wishes to benefit the life of men; but it is not able, yet it shows its own virtue to those who obey.

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Ῥωμ. β´. Ὅσοι ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον, ἀνόμως καί ἀπολοῦνται· καί ὅσοι ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον, διά νόμου κριθήσονται.

Παροιμ. κθ΄. Τό νόμον γνῶναι, διανοίας ἐστίν ἀγαθῆς. Σιράχ κα´. Ὁ φυλάσσων νόμον Κυρίου, κρατεῖ τοῦ ἐννοήματος αὐτοῦ. 976 Βασιλ. Εἰ τά ἄλογα ἐπινοητικά καί φυλακτικά τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας

εἰσί, καί οἶδε τό αἱρετόν αὐτοῦ καί τό φευκτόν ἰχθύς· τί ἐροῦμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ λόγοις τετιμημένοι, καί νόμοις πεπαιδευμένοι, ἐπαγγελίαις προτραπέντες, Πνεύματι σοφισθέντες· εἶτα τῶν ἀλόγων ἰχθύων ἀλογώτερον τά καθ᾿ ἑαυτούς διατιθέμενοι, μή πειθόμενοι τῷ νόμῳ ὑπείκειν;

Οὐ δυνατόν σωθῆναι μή ποιοῦντα τά κατ᾿ ἐντολήν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔργα· οὔτε τό παριδεῖν τι τῶν προστεταγμένων ἀκίνδυνον. ∆εινή γάρ ἠ ἔπαρσις, κριτάς ἡμᾶς τοῦ νομοθέτου καθέζεσθαι, καί τούς μέν ἐγκρίνειν τῶν νόμων, τούς δέ παραπέμπεσθαι. Εἰ γάρ δεῖ τέλειον εἶναι τόν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα διά πάσης ἐντολῆς καταρτισθῆναι, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος (15Ε_416> τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐπεί κατά τόν θεῖον νόμον κἄν καθαρόν ᾖ τόν τελούμενον, [ἄν μή τέλειον καί ὁλόκληρον,] ἀπρόσδεκτον εἰς θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ.

Θεολόγου. Εἰ μέν οὖν ἐμείναμεν ὅπερ ἦμεν, καί τήν ἐντολήν ἐφυλάξαμεν, ἐγενόμεθα ἄν ὅπερ οὐκ ἦμεν.

Ὡς ἥδιόν τι μανθάνειν, ἤ διδάσκειν περί Θεοῦ. Λόγῳ μέν εὐσεβοῦντες ὀλίγα, ἔργῳ δέ πλείονα· καί τῇ τηρήσει τῶν νομων

μᾶλλον, ἤ τῷ θαυμάζειν τόν νομοθέντην, τό περί αὐτόν φίλτρον ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Νόμοις ὑπόκεισαι καί κανόσι ∆εσποτικοῖς, καθ᾿ οὕς σε προσήκει ζῇν. Καί

τοῦτο ἀπό σαυτοῦ πρῶτον κατανόησον, ὅτι καί ἡ ψυχή σου πανταχόθεν τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑπόκειται παραγγέλμασιν. Ἔλαβες καί σῶμα παρά τοῦ Κτίσαντος, πέντε αἰσθήσεσιν εἰς τάς τῆς ζωῆς χρείας οἰκονομούμενον. Εἰσί δέ οὐδέ αὗται ἐλεύθεροι καί αὐτόνομοι· ἀλλ᾿ ἑκάστη δούλη νόμων ἐστί. Καί πρῶτος ἀκούει ὁ ὀφθαλμός. Βλέπε, φησίν, καί θεώρει ἅ βλέπειν καλόν· καί, βέλτιον ἐκκόπτειν αὐτόν, ὅταν ἄτακτα βλέπῃ καί ἐπιζήμια. Ἔχει καί ἡ ἀκοή παράγγελμα, καί ἡ γλῶσσα καί αἱ λοιπαί ὁμοίως.

Οὔτε πλέοντας παρά τόπον ὁρμεῖν ἀσφαλές, οὔτε ζῶντας παρά νόμον βιοῦν ἀκίνδυνον.

Νόμους φυλάττων, τούς φόβους ἔξω βαλείς· Φόβου γάρ ἔξω πᾶς ὁ τοῦ νόμου φύλαξ. ∆ύο μέν τά διάγοντα ἡμᾶς ἐστι· φύσις καί νόμος· κρατεῖ δέ τοῦ νόμου ἡ

φύσις. Χρυσοστ. Ἴσασι καί οἱ νόμοι τά ἐξ ἀνάγκης συγγινώσκειν ἁμαρτήματα. Εἴδη τῶν νόμων τρία· νόμος ὁ τῆς φύσεως, νόμος ὁ τοῦ γράμματος, ὁ τῷ

Μωϋσεῖ δοθείς, νόμος ὁ τῆς χάριτος. 977 Ζαλεύκου. Ζάλευκος ὁ τῶν Λοκρῶν νομοθέτης, τούς νόμους τοῖς

ἀραχνίοις εἶπεν ὁμοίους εἶναι. Καί γάρ εἰς ἐκεῖνα ἐάν (15Ε_418> ἐμπέσῃ μυῖα ἤ κώνωψ, κατέχεται· ἐάν δέ σφήξ ἤ μέλισσα, διαῤῥήξασα ἀφίσταται. Ἐν τοῖς νόμοις ἐάν ἐμπέσῃ πένης, συνέχεται· ἐάν δέ πλούσιος ἤ δυνατός λέγειν, διαῤῥήξας ἀποτρέχει.

Σόλων. Σόλων ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, πῶς ἄριστα αἱ πόλεις οἰκοῦνται, ἔφη· Ἐάν μέν οἱ πολῖται τοῖς ἄρχουσι πείθωνται, οἱ δέ ἄρχοντες τοῖς νόμοις.

∆ημάδους. Τοῖς μέν δούλοις, ἡ ἀνάγκη νόμος· τοῖς δέ ἐλευθέροις, ὁ νόμος ἀνάγκη.

Ἐπικτήτου. Νόμος βούλεται μέν εὐεργετεῖν βίον ἀνθρώπων· οὐ δύναται δέ τοῖς πειθομένοις ἐνδείκνυται τήν ἰδίαν ἀρετήν.