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helmsmen, that while the sea is raging, clouds are gathering, thunders are breaking forth, and all on the ship are in an uproar, they themselves sit at the rudders, without noise and confusion, attending to their own art, and considering how they may beat off the approaching storm? Imitate these men, you also, and taking hold of the sacred anchor, of hope in God, remain unshaken and steadfast. Everyone who hears these words of mine, He says, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was its fall. Do you see that it is folly to fall down beforehand and be overturned? Rather we have not even become like that foolish man, but have fallen down even more wretchedly than he. For his house fell after the rivers, after the rain had come down, after the winds had struck; but we, though no winds were borne, no rivers dashed against us, no blasts attacked us, were overturned by hearing alone before the experience of the terrible things, and have poured out everything we were philosophizing about. What do you think my mind is like now? how to veil myself? how to sink down? how to blush? If I had not endured much constraint from the fathers, I would not have risen, nor would I have spoken, being darkened by despondency over your faintheartedness; but not even now have I been able to return to myself; so much do anger and despondency besiege my soul. For who would not be indignant, who would not be displeased, when after so much teaching, you need teachers from the Greeks to be exhorted and persuaded to bear the present fear nobly? Pray, therefore, that speech may be given to us in the opening of our mouth, and that we may be able to shake off this despondency and to rise up a little. For the shame on account of your faintheartedness has greatly cast down our soul.

2. I formerly discoursed many things to your love both concerning the snares set for us on all sides, and concerning fear and despondency, and concerning grief and pleasure, and concerning the sickle flying upon the houses of those who swear; from all these many things, especially remember for me those things which were said about the flying sickle, and its lodging in the house of the one who swears, and digging up the stones and the timbers and consuming all. And along with this, observe that also, that it is the utmost folly, to take the Gospel and swear, and to make an oath of the very law which forbids swearing; and that it is better to suffer loss of money, than to impose an oath on our neighbors; that this becomes a sufficient honor to God. For when you say to God, that, "For Your sake I did not put so-and-so to an oath, who has stolen and done evil," in return for this honor, He will give you a great 49.164 reward both at present and hereafter. Say these things also to others, and observe them yourselves. I know that here we become more reverent, and we put away every evil habit; but this is the thing sought, that we should not philosophize here alone, but that we should also go away, having taken this reverence outside, where we need it most. For those who draw water do not have their vessels filled only at the spring, and then empty them after going home, but there especially they set them down with safety, so that they may not be overturned and their labor become futile. Let us also imitate these, and when we are at home, let us keep with exactness the things that have been said; for if you are filled here, but depart home empty, having the vessels of your mind destitute of what you have heard, there will be no benefit to you from the filling here. Do not show me the athlete in the wrestling school, but in the wrestling pit; not for me the reverence at the time of hearing, but at the time of action. You praise what is now being said; when it is necessary for you to swear, of all

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κυβερνήτας, ὅτι τῆς θαλάσσης μαινομένης, νεφῶν συντρεχόντων, βροντῶν καταῤῥηγνυμένων, πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ πλοίου θορυβουμένων, ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων αὐτοὶ κάθηνται, χωρὶς θορύβου καὶ ταραχῆς τῇ τέχνῃ τῇ ἑαυτῶν προσέχοντες, καὶ σκοποῦντες, ὅπως τὸν ἐπιόντα διακρούσωνται χειμῶνα; Τούτους καὶ σὺ μίμησαι, καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀγκύρας ἐπιλαβόμενος, τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδος, ἄσειστος μένε καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτος. Πᾶς ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ ποιεῖ αὐτοὺς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὑτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον, καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχὴ, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ, καὶ ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι, καὶ προσέῤῥηξαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ κατέπεσε, καὶ ἦν ἡ πτῶσις αὐτῆς μεγάλη. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀνοίας ἐστὶ τὸ προκαταπίπτειν καὶ περιτρέπεσθαι; Μᾶλλον δὲ ἡμεῖς οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν μωρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐγενόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνου ἀθλιώτερον κατεπέσομεν. Ἐκείνου μὲν γὰρ ἡ οἰκία μετὰ ποταμοὺς, μετὰ τὸ κατενεχθῆναι τὸν ὑετὸν, μετὰ τὸ προσπεσεῖν τοὺς ἀνέμους κατέπεσεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀνέμων ἐνεχθέντων, οὐ ποταμῶν προσρηξάντων, οὐ πνευμάτων προσβαλόντων, πρὸ τῆς πείρας τῶν δεινῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκοῆς μόνης περιετράπημεν, καὶ πάντα, ἅπερ ἐφιλοσοφοῦμεν, ἐξεχέαμεν. Ποίαν οἴεσθέ μοι τὴν διάνοιαν εἶναι νῦν; πῶς ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι; πῶς καταδύεσθαι; πῶς ἐρυθριᾷν; Εἰ μὴ πολλὴν παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ὑπέστην ἀνάγκην, οὐδ' ἂν ἀνέστην, οὐδ' ἂν διελέχθην ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας σκοτωθεὶς τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ μικροψυχίᾳ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νῦν δεδύνημαι εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἐπανελθεῖν· οὕτω μοι θυμὸς καὶ ἀθυμία πολιορκεῖ τὴν ψυχήν. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἀγανακτήσειε, τίς οὐκ ἂν δυσχεράνειεν, ὅταν μετὰ τοσαύτην διδασκαλίαν, Ἑλλήνων δέησθε διδασκάλων εἰς τὸ παρακληθῆναι καὶ πεισθῆναι γενναίως ἐνεγκεῖν τὸν παρόντα φόβον; Εὔξασθε τοίνυν δοθῆναι λόγον ἡμῖν ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν, δυνηθῆναί τε τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἡμᾶς ἀποτινάξασθαι ταύτην καὶ μικρὸν ἀναστῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα κατέβαλεν ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας μικροψυχίας αἰσχύνη.

βʹ. Πολλὰ πρώην διελέχθην πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην καὶ περὶ παγίδων τῶν πανταχόθεν ἡμῖν κειμένων, καὶ περὶ φόβου καὶ ἀθυμίας, καὶ περὶ πένθους καὶ ἡδονῆς, καὶ περὶ τῆς δρεπάνης τῆς ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας τῶν ὀμνυόντων πετομένης· ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν δὴ μάλιστα τούτων ἁπάντων ἐκεῖνα διαμνημονεύσατέ μοι τὰ περὶ τῆς δρεπάνης εἰρημένα τῆς πετομένης, καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ὀμνύοντος καταλυούσης, καὶ τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ ξύλα κατασκαπτούσης καὶ δαπανώσης ἅπαντα. Καὶ μετὰ τούτου κἀκεῖνο φυλάττετε, ὅτι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἐστὶν, Εὐαγγέλιον λαμβάνοντας ὀμνύναι, καὶ τὸν νόμον τὸν κωλύοντα ὀμνύναι, τοῦτον ὅρκον ποιεῖσθαι· καὶ ὅτι βέλτιον ζημιοῦσθαι χρήματα, ἢ τοῖς πλησίον ὅρκον ἐπαγαγεῖν· ὅτι ἱκανὴ τοῦτο εἰς τὸν Θεὸν γίνεται τιμή. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃς τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ∆ιὰ σὲ οὐχ ὥρκωσα τὸν δεῖνα τὸν κεκλοφότα καὶ κακουργήσαντα, ἀντὶ ταύτης σοι τῆς τιμῆς πολλὴν καὶ κατὰ παρὸν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποδώσει τὴν 49.164 ἀμοιβήν. Ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους λέγετε, καὶ αὐτοὶ διαφυλάττετε. Οἶδα ὅτι ἐνταῦθα εὐλαβέστεροι γινόμεθα, καὶ πᾶσαν πονηρὰν συνήθειαν ἀποτιθέμεθα· ἀλλὰ τὸ ζητούμενον τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐνταῦθα φιλοσοφῶμεν μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἔξω τὴν εὐλάβειαν ταύτην λαβόντες ἀπέλθωμεν, ὅπου μάλιστα αὐτῆς δεόμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ ὑδρευόμενοι οὐ παρὰ τὴν κρήνην μόνον ἔχουσι πεπληρωμένα τὰ ἀγγεῖα, οἴκοι δὲ ἀπελθόντες κενοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μάλιστα αὐτὰ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἀποτίθενται, ὥστε μὴ περιτραπῆναι καὶ μάταιον γενέσθαι τὸν πόνον. Τούτους καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμησώμεθα, καὶ οἴκοι γενόμενοι τηρῶμεν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὰ εἰρημένα· ὡς ἐὰν ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἦτε πεπληρωμένοι, οἴκοι δὲ ἀναχωρῆτε κενοὶ, τὰ ἀγγεῖα τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν ἔρημα τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἔχοντες, οὐδὲν ἔσται ἐκ τῆς ἐνταῦθα πληρώσεως ὑμῖν ὄφελος. Μή μοι δείξῃς ἐν τῇ παλαίστρᾳ τὸν ἀθλητὴν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ σκάμματι· μή μοι τὴν εὐλάβειαν κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀκροάσεως, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς πράξεως. Ἐπαινεῖς τὰ λεγόμενα νῦν· ὅταν σε δέῃ ὀμόσαι, πάντων