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in Scripture such things: "honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you and you may be long-lived upon the good land, which the Lord God gives you". If you take this about this earth and these parents at hand, it proves false. Concerning the present one it is not said "which he gives you". "Cease your tongue from evil". I call you to learn the fear of the Lord, so that having learned you may become holy, punctual198, lacking no virtue. Therefore come, that you may cease your tongue from evil. Let the tongue of the inner man no longer have evil. Then it becomes outside of everything, when it has and utters what is good. And it follows upon ceasing the tongue from evil that the lips no longer speak deceit, and it calms the acting of hypocrisy; for one is deceitful in order to do evil. "A wounding dart is their tongue, deceitful are the words of their mouth". These are the ones from the heresies, the leaders of godlessness. Therefore one can say in regard to the saying that: since at that time especially when we said this, all had run to evil, so that henceforth laments would be sung over them, he was speaking to such people: for he did not say "each of my brothers" or "each of our brothers," that is, of the saints, but of those who wished to have one father, those born of the devil through wanting to do his desires; for "you are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of the devil". Concerning such brothers, then, who have been born of the father and evil one, he says: "every brother will utterly supplant"; for their father is also such; by deceit he brought all under himself and brings those who follow him into wickedness. "and every" such "friend will stumble". He does not speak of true friends. Jesus says to the disciples that: "You are friends". And he has given the reason: "because I have made known to you all the things of the Father". None of these friends will stumble. For this reason they are free. The word, therefore, is to those who are such: "they will not speak truth". Concerning those who do not speak truth, the saying is that: "he has not stood in the truth". The one who did not stand in the truth was once in it. But we never say of someone that this man does not stand in a craft, unless he has had experience in a craft or many crafts and passes from some to others. If he had not been in the truth, not standing in it would bring him no blame. And indeed see the teaching: how "he desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"? If no one stands against his will, how is it that when he desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, some fall short, not to say, the majority? When he desires it, if we also desire it and a concurrence of the two wills takes place, salvation comes about; for no one is good unwillingly, no one is saved who does not want to be, no one who does not hasten to approach God and keep his law is able to know the truth. For this reason the Savior also says in the gospel: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". "If anyone wishes"; as far as it depends on the Savior, he wishes him to do this, but does not compel, he moves the will, he arouses the desire. "If anyone" therefore "wishes to come after me," "if anyone wishes to follow me" -for this is what "to come after me" means- , "let him take up his cross"; let him be crucified to the world, let him put to death "his members that are on the earth," let him become inactive toward the world. He who has been crucified has his feet prevented from walking where he wishes, his hands from doing what he wants. When therefore someone is crucified to the world and no longer walks according to it nor does its works, to him also the world is crucified who has been crucified to it, so that the world may also be inactive toward him, neither walking according to him nor doing the things that harm him. "If anyone" therefore "wishes to come after me"; not sometimes yes, and sometimes no; for the

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γραφῇ τοιαῦτα· "τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀγαθῆς, ἧς κύριος ὁ θεὸς δίδωσίν σοι". ἐὰν περὶ τῆς γῆς ταύτης ἐκλάβῃς καὶ τούτων τῶν κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον γονέων, διαψεύδεται. περὶ τῆς παρούσης οὐ λέγεται "ἧς δίδωσίν σοι". "παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ". καλῶ σε μαθεῖν φόβον κυρίου, ἵνα μαθὼν ἅγιος γένῃ, ἀκαθυσ198 τέρητος, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀρετῆς λειπόμενος. τοίνυν ἐλθέ, ἵνα παύσῃς τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ. μηκέτι ἡ γλῶσσα τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου ἐχέτω τὸ κακόν. τότε δὲ ἔξω παντὸς γίνεται, ὅταν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἔχῃ καὶ προφέρῃ. ἕπεται δὲ τῷ παύσασθαι τὴν γλῶσσαν ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ τὸ τὰ χείλη μηκέτι δόλον λαλεῖν, ἠρεμᾷ δὲ καὶ τὸ ὑποκρίνασθαί τι· ἐστὶν μὲν γὰρ δολιευόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ κακὸν ποιῆσαι. "βολὶς τιτρώσκουσα ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν, δόλια τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν". οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων, οἱ προιστάμενοι τῆς ἀθεότητος. δύναταί τις οὖν εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν εἰπεῖν ὅτι· ἐπεὶ τότε μάλιστα ὅτε τοῦτ' ἔλεγομεν, πάντες ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν ἦσαν δραμόντες, ὡς λοιπὸν θρήνους ἐπ' αὐτῶν ᾄδεσθαι, πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἔλεγεν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ὅτι "ἕκαστος τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου" ἢ "ἕκαστος τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν", τουτέστιν τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ τῶν θελησάντων ἕνα πατέρα ἔχειν, τῶν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου γεγεννημένων διὰ τοῦ θέλειν αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ποιεῖν· "ὑμεῖς" γὰρ "ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ διαβόλου θέλετε ποιεῖν". περὶ τῶν τοιούτων οὖν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ πονηροῦ γεγεννημένων λέγει· "πᾶς ἀδελφὸς πτέρνᾳ πτερνιεῖ"· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν τοιοῦτός ἐστιν· δόλῳ πάντας ἐπήγαγεν ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὑπάγει τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτοῦ τῇ πονηρίᾳ. "καὶ πᾶς φίλος" τοιοῦτος "καταπταίξεται". οὐ περὶ τῶν ὄντως φίλων λέγει. Ἰησοῦς λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὅτι· "ὑμεῖς φίλοι ἐστέ". καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀποδέδωκεν· "ὅτι πάντα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν". οὐδεὶς τῶν φίλων τούτων καταπταίξει. διὰ τοῦτο ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν. πρὸς ἐκείνους οὖν ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν τοὺς ὄντας τοιούτους· "ἀλήθειαν οὐ μὴ λαλήσουσιν". περὶ τῶν μὴ λαλούντων ἀλήθειαν ὁ λόγος ὅτι· "ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐκ ἔστηκεν". ὁ μὴ στὰς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῇ ποτε. οὐδέποτε δὲ περί τινος λέγομεν ὅτι οὐχ ἵσταται οὗτος ἐν τέχνῃ, ἐὰν μὴ πειραθεὶς ᾖν ἐν τέχνῃ ἢ τεχνῶν πολλῶν καὶ μεταβαίνῃ ἐξ ἑτέρων εἰς ἑτέρας. εἰ μὴ ἦν γενόμενος ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, οὐκ ἔφερεν αὐτῷ ψόγον τὸ μὴ ἑστάναι ἐν αὐτῇ. καὶ ὅρα γε τὸ δόγμα· πῶς "θέλει πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν"; εἰ τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς ἀντιστήκει, πῶς θέλοντος αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν πάντας ὑστεροῦσίν τινες, ἵνα μὴ εἴπω, οἱ πλεῖστοι; θέλοντος αὐτοῦ ἐὰν θελήσωμεν καὶ συνδρομὴ τῶν δύο βουλημάτων γένηται, ἡ σωτηρία γίνεται· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἄκων ἀγαθός ἐστιν, οὐδεὶς μὴ θέλων σῴζεται, οὐδεὶς μὴ σπεύδων πρὸς τὸ προσελθεῖν τῷ θεῷ καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ τηρήσας οἷός τέ ἐστιν ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ λέγει· "εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι". "εἴ τις θέλει"· ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα, βούλεται αὐτὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀναγκάζει, προαίρεσιν κινεῖ, θέλησιν διεγείρει. "εἴ τις" οὖν "θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν", "εἴ τις θέλει ἀκολουθῆσαί μοι" -τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ "ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν"- , "ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν ἑαυτοῦ"· σταυρωθήτ̣ω̣ τῷ κόσμῳ, νεκρωσάτω "τὰ μέλη αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς", ἀνενέργητος γενέσθω πρὸς τὸν κόσμον. ὁ σταυρωθεὶς τοὺς πόδας ἔχει κωλυομένους βαδίζειν ὅποι βούλεται, τὰς χεῖρας πράττειν ὃ θέλει. ὅταν τοίνυν πρὸς τὸν κόσμον σταυρωθῇ τις οὐδὲ βαδίζῃ κατ' αὐτὸν ἔτι οὐδὲ ἐνεργῇ τὰ ἐκείνου, τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ κόσμος σταυροῦται τῷ σταυρωθέντι αὐτῷ, ἵνα καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἀνενέργητος ᾖ κατ' αὐτοῦ μηδὲ βαδίζων κατ' αὐτοῦ μηδὲ ἐνεργῶν τὰ ἐκεῖνον βλάπτοντα. "εἴ τις" οὖν "θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν"· μὴ ποτὲ μέν, ποτὲ δὲ μή· ἡ γὰρ