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the kinship of the obols, and judging what is of the same nature as less honorable, and by their desire for gold, walling off the entrances of God to themselves, suffering a pitiable fall from what is better by their own hands; but those who wisely strive to unite the ruptures of nature, by their love for one another, and for the sake of cooperating with God through love, the identity of will of other men as far as it is in their power, despising all things on earth, as true advocates of God through their works. Which you, doing this, now and before have been revealed to be, beloved; in every word and way, and by a right-handed scattering of your possessions to all, eagerly distributing yourselves in both soul and body, and showing that your will is identical with nature in yourselves, being surpassed by nature in one thing only, that from it your will received and holds the seeds of created things; or rather, of God, from whom also the powers for good have been pre-established in nature.

Therefore, being magnificently irrigated from God with many outpourings of grace (412), you have lavishly poured out the mercy of philanthropy upon all, including the aforementioned most reverend men; having supported the weakness of nature already shaken by want, and having healed, as was fittingly possible, the misery worn upon them by poverty. Do not cease, then, doing good to the needy, so that by emptying you may have your fullness undiminished. But in cheerfulness of soul, confirming your faith and hope and love in God. Endure a bond and an appointment and a word of murmuring, as somewhere the divine oracle says; which is about the need to give, and not to deliberate. Which regret certainly follows; a matter, worse than not acting at all. For we all know, that concerning the unworthiness of acting or suffering, no one yet has in any way known precisely whom one ought to blame; whether those able to do good, or those needing to receive good; but this belongs to the age to come; in which what and how many are your deeds, and of what sort they may be, will be known. For God has wisely been pleased that the abyss of His judgments be hidden in the present. And knowing this, the wise Proverb-writer exhorted to cast bread even upon the water without calculation; as it would not be swept away nor be lost; but would later be met with greater fruit, by those who for the sake of the good have made their contribution in simplicity of heart, from Christ our God and Savior who receives to Himself all things done by us to one another, however they may happen to be. For if as the lover of mankind He condescended to suffer for us, what would He not willingly become for those who imitate His love for us?

(413) 4. Of the same to the same, concerning godly sorrow. I rejoice and am glad, finding in every letter my blessed Master grieving with a praiseworthy sorrow;

knowing that godly sorrow works repentance that leads to salvation without regret, for those who are strengthened by the fear of God with all their power; not allowing the soul, having turned away from the divine tribunals, to be disposed toward things that by nature are corruptible; through which, for those who make their way through the course of the present life neglectfully, the wicked confusion of the passions, taking up residence, prepares the wretched mind to be caught in the snares of the devil, and reasonably makes it a teacher of all evil; as one who has indeed subjected the natural energy, contrary to nature, to the disordered impulses of anger and desire. For a soul through deceit

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τῶν ὀβολῶν τό συγγενές, καί ὁμόφυλον ἀτιμότερον κρίνοντες, καί τῷ περί τόν χρυσόν ἱμέρῳ, τάς πρός ἑαυτούς τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσόδους ἀποτειχίσαντες, ἐλεεινόν αὐτοί πάσχοντες ὑφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν τῶν κρειττόνων τήν ἔκπτωσιν· ἐκεῖνα δέ ὅσοι τά τῆς φύσεως ῥήγματα ἑνῶσαι σοφῶς σπουδάζουσι, τῷ φιλαλλήλῳ τρόπῳ, καί τοῦ συνεργῆσαι Θεῷ χάριν διά τῆς ἀγάπης, τήν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ὅσον τό ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς κατά τήν γνώμην ταυτότητα, πάντων καταφρονοῦντες τῶν ἐπί γῆς, ὡς ἀληθεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ διά τῶν ἔργων συνήγοροι. Ὅπερ ποιοῦντες ὑμεῖς, νῦν τε καί πρότερον ἀπεφάνθητε, ἠγαπημένοι· παντί καί λόγῳ καί τρόπῳ, καί σκορπισμῷ δεξιῷ τῶν προσόντων πᾶσιν ἑαυτούς προθύμως καί ψυχῇ καί σώματι ἐπιμερίζοντες, καί ταυτόν οὖσαν δεικνύντες ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτούς τῇ φύσει τήν γνώμην, καθ᾿ ἕν μόνον πλεονεκτουμένην ὑπό τῆς φύσεως, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν λαβοῦσα ἔχει τῶν γενομένων τά σπέρματα· μᾶλλον δέ Θεοῦ, ἐξ οὗ καί τῇ φύσει τῶν καλῶν αἱ δυνάμεις προκαταβέβληνται.

∆ιό πολλοῖς χαρίτων χεύμασι μεγαλοφυῶς θεόθεν (412) ἀρδευόμενοι, δαψιλῶς μετά πάντων καί τοῖς προειρημένοις εὐλαβεστάτοις ἀνδράσι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τόν ἔλεον ἐπεστάξατε· ὑπερείσαντες σαλευόμενον ἤδη ἐξ ἀπορίας τῆς φύσεως τό ἀσθενές, καί τήν ἐκ πτωχείας ἀπιτριβεῖσαν αὐτοῖς κακευχίαν ἐνδεχομένως ὡς ἐνῆν ἰασάμενοι. Μή παύσησθε οὖν εὖ ποιοῦντες ἐνδεέσιν, ἵνα τῇ κενώσει τό πλήσμιον ἀμείωτον ἔχητε. Ἐν ἱλαρότητι δέ ψυχῆς, τήν εἰς Θεόν πίστιν τε καί ἐλπίδα καί ἀγάπην πιστούμενοι· Ἀνέχετε σύνδεσμον καί χειροτονίαν καί ῥῆμα γογγυσμοῦ, καθά που τό θεῖόν φησι λόγιον· ὅπερ ἐστί περί τοῦ δεῖν διδόναι, καί μή διασκέπτεσθαι. Ὧ τό μεταμελεῖσθαι πάντως παρέπεται· πρᾶγμα, τοῦ μηδόλως ποιεῖν ὑπάρχον βαρύτερον. Ἴσμεν γάρ ἅπαντες, ὅτι τῆς τοῦ ποιεῖν ἤ πάσχειν ἀναξιότητος, οὔπω ἀκριβῶς οὐδείς οὐδαμῶς ἔγνω τίνας αἰτιᾶσθαι χρή· εἴτε τούς εὖ ποιεῖν δυναμένους, εἴτε τούς εὖ παθεῖν δεομένους· ἀλλά καιροῦ τοῦτο εἶναι τοῦ μέλλοντος· καθ᾿ ὅ ποῖά τε καί ὅσα τά ὑμέτερα, καί ὅπως ἔχοντα τύχοι, γνωσθήσεται. Οὕτω τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφῶς εὐδοκήσαντος ἐν τῷ παρόντι καλυφθῆναι τῶν αὐτοῦ κριμάτων τήν ἄβυσσον. Καί τοῦτο εἰδώς ὁ σοφός Παροιμιαστής, ἀσυλλογίστως τόν ἄρτον καί καθ᾿ ὕδατος ῥίπτειν παρεκελεύσατο· ὡς οὐ παρασυρησόμενον οὐδέ ἀπολλύμενον· ἀλλ᾿ ἐς ὕστερον ὑπαντήσοντα μετά πλείονος τῆς ἐπικαρπίας, τοῖς ἕνεκα τοῦ καλοῦ ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας τήν μετάδοσιν κεκτημένοις, παρά τοῦ εἰς ἑαυτόν πάντα τά παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀλλήλοις γινόμενα, ὡς δ᾿ ἄν ὄντα τύχωσιν, ἀναδεχομένου Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ. Εἰ γάρ παθεῖν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, ὡς φιλάνθρωπος κατεδέξατο, τί οὐκ ἄν γένοιτο ἑκών τοῖς τήν αὐτοῦ περί ἡμᾶς μιμουμένοις φιλανθρωπίαν ;

(413) ∆´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός τόν αὐτόν, περί τῆς κατά Θεόν λύπης. Χαίρω καί εὐφραίνομαι, διά πάσης ἐπιστολῆς τήν ἐπαινετήν λύπην λυπούμενον

εὑρίσκων τόν εὐλογημένον μου ∆εσπότην· γινώσκων, ὡς ἡ κατά Θεόν λύπη μετάνοιαν ἀμεταμέλητον εἰς σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεται, τοῖς τῷ Θείῳ φόβῳ καθ᾿ ὅλην αὐτῶν ἐνισχημένοις τήν δύναμιν· μή συγχωροῦσα τήν ψυχήν τῶν θείων ἀπονεύσασαν δικαιωτηρίων, πρός τά φθειρόμενα κατά φύσιν διατεθῆναι · δι᾿ ὧν τοῖς ἠμελημένως τόν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς δρόμον ποιουμένοις, ἡ πονηρά τῶν παθῶν εἰσοικιζομένη σύγχυσις, ταῖς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίσιν ἁλῶναι παρασκευάζει τόν ἄθλιον νοῦν, καί πάσης κακίας αὐτόν καθίστησιν εἰκότως διδάσκαλον· οἷα δή τήν κατά φύσιν ἐνέργειαν, παρά φύσιν ταῖς τοῦ θυμοῦ καί τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀτάκτοις ὁρμαῖς ὑποζεύξαντα.Ψυχή γάρ ἡ δι᾿ ἀπάτης