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For someone who has been wronged perhaps has been insolent, and you were provoked; but you insult the Lord, not having been wronged nor mistreated, but being blessed by Him each and every day. Consider, therefore, that if God should wish to examine with exactness the things done against Him, we would not survive for a single day. For if you, Lord, says the prophet, should mark iniquities, who shall stand? And to pass over all the other things, which the conscience of each sinner knows, and for which he has no human witnesses, but only God, if we should be required to give an account for these manifest and acknowledged sins, what excuse will we have in these things? If He should examine our laziness in prayers, and our negligence, and that while standing before God and beseeching Him, we do not show Him as much reverence and honor as slaves to their masters, as soldiers to their rulers, as friends to their friends? For when you converse with a friend, you do so with attention, but when you approach God for your sins, asking forgiveness for so many trespasses, and deeming it right for you to receive pardon, you are often lazy, and while your knees are on the ground, you allow your mind to wander in many places of the marketplace and the house, your mouth babbling rashly and in vain; and this we experience not once or twice, but often. If, therefore, God should wish to examine this alone, will we have an excuse? will we be able to make a defense? I think not. 2. What if He should bring into the open the slanders, which we speak evilly against one another each day, and the untimely judgments, in which we condemn our neighbor having no reason, but being fault-finding and censorious, what will we be able to say in our defense? And if He should examine our curious glances, and the wicked desires, which we have in our mind, often receiving shameful and impure thoughts from the unexamined wandering of our eyes, how great a penalty shall we undergo? And if He should require of us an account for reviling? For ‘whoever says to his brother, Fool,’ He says, ‘shall be in danger of the hell of fire.’ Shall we be able to open our mouth? or to gape at all, or to say anything small or great in response to this? And the vainglory, which we endure both when praying and fasting and giving alms, if we should examine it—I do not say God, but we ourselves who have sinned—will we be able to look up to heaven? And the deceits, which we devise against one another, now praising our brother when he is present, and speaking as to a friend, but accusing him when he is absent, will we endure the punishments for these things? What about oaths? What about falsehood? What about perjuries, unjust angers, the envy, with which we often envy those who are well-reputed, not only enemies, but also friends? and that we take pleasure when others suffer misfortune, and we consider the adversities of others a comfort for our own calamity? And if He should demand an account for our laziness in the assemblies, what would become of us? For you surely know this, that often when God Himself is speaking to all of us 49.200 through the prophet, we carry on many and long conversations with our neighbor about things that do not concern us at all. If, therefore, passing over all other things, He should wish to demand a penalty from us for this sin, what hope of salvation will we have? For do not suppose the offense to be small; but if you wish to see its magnitude, examine this very thing in the case of men, and then you will see the magnitude of the sin. Dare, while a ruler is speaking to you, or rather some friend who is a little more venerable, to leave him and converse with your own servant, and then you will see how great a thing you dare to do in the case of God. For if he is one of the more distinguished men, he will even demand satisfaction from you for the insult; but God, though being insulted with so many and more things than these each day, not by one, or two, or three people, but by almost all of us, endures and is long-suffering, and not only in these matters, but also in others far more grievous. For these are the

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μέν που ἠδικημένος ἴσως ὕβρισε, καὶ παρωξύνθης· σὺ δὲ τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑβρίζεις, οὐκ ἠδικημένος οὐδὲ ἐπηρεαζόμενος, ἀλλ' εὐεργετούμενος καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἡμέραν. Ἐννόησον τοίνυν, ὅτι εἰ βουληθείη μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν γινόμενα ὁ Θεὸς ἐξετάζειν, οὐδὲ μίαν βιωσόμεθα τὴν ἡμέραν. Ἁμαρτίας γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, ἐὰν παρατηρήσῃς, Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; Καὶ ἵνα παρῶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἃ τὸ συνειδὸς ἑκάστου τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐπίσταται, καὶ ὧν οὐκ ἔχει μάρτυρας ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν μόνον, τῶν φανερῶν τούτων καὶ ὡμολογημένων ἂν ἀπαιτηθῶμεν λόγον, ποίαν ἐν τούτοις ἕξομεν συγγνώμην; Ἂν ἐξετάσῃ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἡμῶν τὴν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, καὶ τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν, καὶ ὅτι ἔμπροσθεν Θεοῦ ἑστῶτες καὶ παρακαλοῦντες αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ τοσαύτην αὐτῷ παρέχομεν αἰδῶ καὶ τιμὴν, ὅσην τοῖς δεσπόταις οἱ δοῦλοι, ὅσην τοῖς ἄρχουσιν οἱ στρατιῶται, ὅσην τοῖς φίλοις οἱ φίλοι; Φίλῳ μὲν γὰρ διαλεγόμενος μετὰ τοῦ προσέχειν τοῦτο ποιεῖς, Θεῷ δὲ ἐντυγχάνων ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων, ὑπὲρ πλημμελημάτων τοσούτων συγχώρησιν αἰτῶν, καὶ συγγνώμην ἀξιῶν σοι γενέσθαι, ῥᾳθυμεῖς πολλάκις, καὶ τῶν γονάτων σου χαμαὶ κειμένων, πολλαχοῦ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τῆς οἰκίας πλανᾶσθαί σου τὴν διάνοιαν ἐᾷς, τοῦ στόματός σου ληροῦντος εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην· καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἅπαξ οὐδὲ δὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις πάσχομεν. Ἂν τοίνυν τοῦτο μόνον ἐξετάσαι θελήσῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ἆρα ἕξομεν συγγνώμην; ἆρα δυνησόμεθα ἀπολογίας τυχεῖν; Οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι. βʹ. Τί δὲ, ἂν τὰς κακηγορίας, ἃς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀλλήλους λέγομεν κακῶς, εἰς μέσον παραγάγῃ, καὶ τὰς κρίσεις τὰς ἀκαίρους, ἐν αἷς κατακρίνομεν τὸν πλησίον οὐδὲν ἔχοντες πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ φιλαίτιοί τινες ὄντες καὶ μεμψίμοιροι, τί δυνησόμεθα ἀπολογήσασθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν; Ἂν δὲ τὰς περιέργους ἡμῶν ὄψεις ἐξετάσῃ, καὶ τὰς πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας, ἃς ἔχομεν ἐν διανοίᾳ, πολλάκις αἰσχροὺς καὶ ἀκαθάρτους ἀναδεχόμενοι λογισμοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνεξετάστου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν πλάνης, πόσην ὑποστησόμεθα δίκην; Τῆς δὲ λοιδορίας ἡμᾶς ἂν ἀπαιτήσῃ λόγον Ὃς γὰρ ἂν εἴπῃ, φησὶ, τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Μωρὲ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς, ἆρα δυνησόμεθα διᾶραι τὸ στόμα; ἢ χᾶναι μὲν ὅλως, ἢ μικρὸν ἣ μέγα τι πρὸς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν; Τὰς δὲ κενοδοξίας, ἃς ὑπομένομεν καὶ εὐχόμενοι καὶ νηστεύοντες καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην ποιοῦντες, ἂν ἐξετάσωμεν, οὐ λέγω ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ οἱ ἡμαρτηκότες, ἆρα δυνησόμεθα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβλέψαι; Τοὺς δὲ δόλους, οὓς κατ' ἀλλήλων ῥάπτομεν, νῦν μὲν παρόντα ἐπαινοῦντες τὸν ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ὡς φίλῳ διαλεγόμενοι, ἀπόντα δὲ κατηγοροῦντες, ἆρα ὑποστησόμεθα τὰς ὑπὲρ τούτων κολάσεις; Τί δὲ τοὺς ὅρκους; τί δὲ τὸ ψεῦδος; τί δὲ τὰς ἐπιορκίας, τοὺς ἀδίκους θυμοὺς, τὴν βασκανίαν, ἣν βασκαίνομεν πολλάκις εὐδοκιμοῦσιν, οὐκ ἐχθροῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φίλοις; καὶ ὅτι ἡδόμεθα πασχόντων ἑτέρων κακῶς, καὶ νομίζομεν παραμυθίαν τῆς οἰκείας συμφορᾶς τὰς ἀλλοτρίας δυσημερίας; Τῆς δὲ ἐν ταῖς συνάξεσι ῥᾳθυμίας ἂν ἀπαιτήσῃ τὰς εὐθύνας, τί ἂν πάθοιμεν; Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦτο, ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαλεγομένου πρὸς πάντας ἡμᾶς 49.200 διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ποιούμεθα λόγους περὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ἡμῖν προσηκόντων. Ἂν τοίνυν πάντα παρεὶς τὰ ἄλλα ταύτης τῆς ἁμαρτίας θελήσῃ δίκην ἀπαιτῆσαι ἡμᾶς, ποία σωτηρίας ἔσται ἡμῖν ἐλπίς; Μὴ γὰρ δὴ μικρὸν εἶναι νομίσῃς τὸ πλημμέλημα· ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ κατιδεῖν, ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξέτασον, καὶ τότε ὄψει τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ μέγεθος. Τόλμησον ἄρχοντος πρὸς σὲ φθεγγομένου, μᾶλλον δὲ φίλου τινὸς τῶν ὀλίγῳ σεμνοτέρων, ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν οἰκέτην διαλέγεσθαι τὸν σαυτοῦ, καὶ τότε ὄψει ἡλίκον τολμᾷς ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιῶν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ᾖ τις τῶν περιφανεστέρων ἐκεῖνος, καὶ δίκην σε ἀπαιτήσῃ τῆς ὕβρεως· ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς τοσαῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων καθ' ἑκάστην ὑβριζόμενος τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐ παρ' ἑνὸς, καὶ δύο, καὶ τριῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντων σχεδὸν ἡμῶν, ἀνέχεται καὶ μακροθυμεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέροις πολλῷ χαλεπωτέροις. Ταῦτα μὲν γάρ ἐστι τὰ