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having cast out these aids, like an unballasted ship he is given over to wicked winds and wild waves, there being no one to discipline his mind. Have you seen the wicked man paying the penalty in his very wickedness? For what is more grievous than an unbridled horse, or an unballasted ship, or a maimed man? 10. But more wretched than all these is the one living in wickedness, having extinguished the light from the fear of God, and been given over as a captive. He will lord it over all his enemies. For he said in his heart: I shall not be moved from generation to generation without evil. Another, He puffs at all his enemies, saying in his heart: I will not be overturned for generation and generation. For I will not be in affliction. Have you seen the despair? Have you seen the unspeakable ruin? Have you seen the destruction gradually increasing? Have you seen the things considered blessed by the foolish, things full of much misery, and how he sinks? He is praised in his sins, he is blessed in his iniquities. This is the first pit, and it is sufficient to break the neck of one who is not on his guard. Therefore one should rather accept those who accuse and correct, than those who praise and flatter to one's ruin. For these corrupt the weak-minded, and push them toward greater wickedness; just as having puffed up this sinner, they trained him in folly. Wherefore Paul says this very 55.137 thing to the Corinthians concerning the fornicator: And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned. One must mourn much for the one who sins, not praise him. Have you seen the perverted wickedness, that not only is he not accused, but is even praised? Hence, from his own folly and from the praises, he intensified his wickedness, he forgot the fear of God and his judgments; hence he also forgot his own nature. For he who forgets the judgments of God, in time comes to be ignorant of himself. See, then, what things he considers: I shall not be moved for generation and generation, but I shall be without evil. What is more foolish than this thought, for a man, who is mortal, and entangled in temporary affairs, and subject to countless changes, to imagine such things? And from where does this come? From folly. For when a foolish man enjoys much prosperity, and prevails over his enemies, and is praised and admired, he becomes more wretched than all. For by not expecting a change, he neither bears prosperity soberly, and falling into adversity, being untrained and unpracticed, he is troubled and disturbed. But Job was not so; but even in prosperity he expected adversity each day; wherefore he also said: For the fear which I feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has met me. I was not at peace, nor was I quiet, nor did I rest; but wrath came upon me. Wherefore another also said: Remember a time of famine in a time of plenty, of poverty and want in a day of wealth. But this man, being utterly corrupted, does not consider human affairs, but thinks things are immovable for him because of his good fortune; which is the substance of extreme folly and corruption, and the starting point of utter ruin. So do not count blessed the rich, those who overcome their enemies, those who are praised for these things. For these are great pits and cliffs for those who do not pay attention, hurling them down to the very bottom of impiety. Whose mouth is full of cursing, and bitterness, and deceit. Under his tongue is trouble and pain. Another, Useless. He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places, to kill the innocent. Another, Lying in wait by the courts. His eyes look upon the poor. He lies in wait in a secret place like a lion in his den. Another, As in his enclosure. He lies in wait to seize the poor, to seize the poor when he draws him in. Another, In his drawing in. In his net he will humble him.

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ταῦτα τὰ βοηθήματα ἐκβαλὼν, καθάπερ πλοῖον ἀνερμάτιστον πονηροῖς ἐκδίδοται πνεύμασι καὶ κύμασιν ἀγρίοις, οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ παιδαγωγοῦντος αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. Εἶδες τὸν πονηρὸν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ κακίᾳ τὴν δίκην ὑπέχοντα; Τί γὰρ ἵππου ἀχαλινώτου, τί δὲ πλοίου ἀνερματίστου, τί δὲ ἀνθρώπου πεπηρωμένου χαλεπώτερον; ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ τούτων ἁπάντων ἀθλιώτερος ὁ ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶν, τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ φῶς σβέσας, καὶ αἰχμάλωτος ἐκδοθείς. Πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ κατακυριεύσει. Εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεὰν ἄνευ κακοῦ. Ἄλλος, Πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ἐκφυσᾷ, λέγων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐ περιτραπήσομαι εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔσομαι ἐν κακώσει. Εἶδες τὴν ἀπόνοιαν; εἶδες τὴν ἄφατον ἀπώλειαν; εἶδες τὸν κατὰ μικρὸν αὐξανόμενον ὄλεθρον; εἶδες τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις μακάρια, τὰ πολλῆς ἀθλιότητος γέμοντα, καὶ πῶς καταδύεται; Ἐπαινεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, εὐλογεῖται ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις. Πρῶτον βάραθρον τοῦτο, καὶ ἱκανὸν ἐκτραχηλίσαι τὸν μὴ προσέχοντα. ∆ιὸ δὴ μᾶλλον τοὺς αἰτιωμένους καὶ διορθουμένους ἀποδέχεσθαι χρὴ, ἢ τοὺς ἐπαινοῦντας καὶ ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ κολακεύοντας. Τοὺς γὰρ βλᾶκας οὗτοι διαφθείρουσι, καὶ πρὸς μείζονα ὠθοῦσι κακίαν· καθάπερ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐμφυσήσαντες, ἐπαιδοτρίβησαν εἰς ἄνοιαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος Κορινθίοις τοῦτο 55.137 αὐτὸ λέγει ἐπὶ τῷ πορνούσαντι· Καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστὲ, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε. Πολλὰ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα πενθεῖν, οὐκ ἐπαινεῖν δεῖ. Εἶδες διεστραμμένην κακίαν, ὅτι μὴ μόνον οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφημεῖται; Ἐντεῦθεν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἀνοίας καὶ τῶν ἐπαίνων ἐπέτεινε τὴν πονηρίαν, ἐπελάθετο τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν κριμάτων αὐτοῦ· ἐντεῦθεν ἐπελάθετο καὶ τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν κριμάτων ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἑαυτὸν λοιπὸν ἀγνοεῖ τῷ χρόνῳ. Ὅρα γοῦν οἷα λογίζεται· Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν, ἀλλ' ἔσομαι ἄνευ κακοῦ. Τί ταύτης ἀνοητότερον τῆς διανοίας, ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, καὶ ἐπίκηρον, καὶ τοῖς προσκαίροις συμπεπλεγμένον πράγμασι, καὶ μυρίαις μεταβολαῖς ὑποκείμενον, τοιαῦτα φαντάζεσθαι; Πόθεν δὲ τοῦτο γίνεται; Ἐκ τῆς ἀνοίας. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀνόητος ἀνὴρ πολλῆς ἀπολαύῃ τῆς εὐημερίας, καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κρατῇ, καὶ ἐπαινῆται καὶ θαυμάζηται, πάντων ἀθλιώτερος γίνεται. Τῷ γὰρ μὴ προσδοκᾷν μεταβολὴν, οὔτε τὰς εὐημερίας σωφρόνως φέρει, εἴς τε δυσημερίαν ἐμπεσὼν, ἀγύμναστος καὶ ἀμελέτητος ὢν, ταράττεται καὶ θορυβεῖται. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Ἰὼβ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐημερίᾳ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν δυσημερίαν ἤλπιζε· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Φόβος γὰρ, ὃν ἐφοβούμην, ἦλθέ μοι, καὶ ὃν ἐδεδοίκειν, συνήντησέ μοι. Οὔτε εἰρήνευσα, οὔτε ἡσύχασα, οὔτε ἀνεπαυσάμην· ἦλθε δέ μοι ὀργή. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἕτερος ἔλεγε· Μνήσθητι καιροῦ λιμοῦ ἐν καιρῷ πλησμονῆς, πτωχείας καὶ ἐνδείας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πλούτου. Ἀλλ' οὗτος καθάπαξ διαφθαρεὶς, οὐ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἐπισκέπτεται, ἀλλ' ἀκίνητα αὐτῷ εἶναι νομίζει διὰ τῆς εὐπραγίας· ὅπερ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας καὶ διαφθορᾶς ὑπόθεσις, καὶ ἐξωλείας ἐστὶν ἀφορμή. Μὴ δὴ μακάριζε τοὺς πλουτοῦντας, τοὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν περιγινομένους, τοὺς ἐπαινουμένους ἐπὶ τούτοις. Μεγάλα γὰρ ταῦτα βάραθρα καὶ κρημνοὶ τοῖς οὐ προσέχουσι, πρὸς αὐτὸν καταῤῥίπτοντα τῆς ἀσεβείας τὸν πυθμένα. Οὗ ἀρᾶς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ γέμει, καὶ πικρίας, καὶ δόλου. Ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ κόπος καὶ πόνος. Ἄλλος, Ἀνωφελές. Ἐγκάθηται ἐνέδρα μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῶον. Ἄλλος, Ἐνεδρεύων παρὰ τὰς αὐλάς. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν πένητα ἀποβλέπουσιν. Ἐνεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ ὡς λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ὡς ἐν τῷ περιφράγματι αὐτοῦ. Ἐνεδρεύει τοῦ ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν, ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν ἐν τῷ ἑλκύσαι αὐτόν. Ἄλλος, Ἐν ἑλκυσμῷ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὐτοῦ ταπεινώσει αὐτόν.