211

of the devil, is that you not despair. If you have sins, do not despair. I will not cease constantly saying these things; even if you sin daily, repent daily. Just as we do with old houses; when they become dilapidated, we remove the dilapidated parts, and we make new repairs, and we never cease our constant care. If you grow old today from sin, renew yourself tomorrow by repentance. And is it possible, he says, for one who has repented to be saved? It is possible, and very much so. I have spent my whole life in sin, and if I repent, will I be saved? Very much so. How is this clear? From the loving-kindness of your Master. For am I to trust in your repentance? For does your repentance have the power to wipe away so many evils? If it were repentance alone, you would rightly be afraid; but since the loving-kindness of God is mixed with repentance, take courage; For there is no measure to the loving-kindness of God, nor can His goodness be interpreted by word. For your wickedness 63.834 has a measure, but the remedy has no measure; your wickedness, whatever it may be, is a human wickedness; but the loving-kindness of God is unspeakable. Take courage, for it overcomes your wickedness. Consider a spark falling into the sea, can it stand or be seen? As a spark is to the sea, so is wickedness to the loving-kindness of God; or rather, not so much, but much more. For the sea, even if it is great, has a measure; but the loving-kindness of God is limitless. I say these things, not to make you more careless, but to make you more diligent. I have often advised you not to go up to the theater; did you listen, were you not persuaded? Did you go up to the theater? Did you disobey my word? Do not be ashamed to come in again and listen. I listened, and I did not keep it, he says; how can I come in and listen? For now you know this very thing, that you did not keep it; for now you are ashamed, for now you blush, for now with no one reproving you, you wear the bridle, for now you have my word rooted in you, for now when I am not visible, my teaching pulls you down. You did not keep it? Did you condemn yourself? You have kept half of it, even if you did not keep it, but you say, "I did not keep it." For he who has condemned himself for not keeping it, is diligent to keep it. Did you watch the shows? Did you commit a transgression? Were you made captive by the prostitute? Did you come down from the theater? Did you remember again? Were you ashamed? Come forward. Were you grieved? Beseech God. But do not stop at this point. Woe is me, I heard, and I did not keep it; how shall I enter the church? how shall I listen again? Rather, enter, since you did not keep it, so that having listened again, you may keep it. If you apply a remedy to yourself, and it does not cleanse you, on the next day do you not apply it again? Let there be some oak 63.835 cutter; let him wish to cut an oak; he takes an axe, he strikes the root; if he gives one blow, and the tree does not fall, does he not give another blow? not a third? not a fourth? not a fifth? not a tenth? So you also must do. The prostitute is an oak, a fruitless tree, bearing acorns, the food of irrational swine. Over a long time she has been rooted in your mind, with the embrace of her branches she has cast down your conscience. My word is an axe; you have heard for one day. Does she who has been rooted for so long a time fall in one day? For if twice, if thrice, if a hundred times, it is not a wonder; only cut out an evil and strong thing and an evil habit. The Jews were eating manna, and they were seeking the onions in Egypt: It was well with us in Egypt. So strong a thing is habit, and most evil. For even if in ten days you succeed, if in twenty, if in thirty, do I not love you? do I not give thanks? do I not embrace you? only do not grow weary, but be ashamed and condemn yourself. Again I have spoken about love; you listened, you went away and plundered, did you not show the word through your deeds? do not be ashamed to enter the church again; be ashamed when you sin, do not be ashamed when you repent, but when you sin. Pay attention to what the devil has done to you. These two things exist, sin and repentance; sin is a wound, repentance is a remedy; in sin there is reproach, in sin there is laughter; in repentance there is boldness, in repentance there is freedom, in repentance

211

τοῦ διαβόλου, τὸ μὴ ἀπογινώσκειν ὑμᾶς. Ἂν ἔχῃς ἁμαρτήματα, μὴ ἀπογνῷς. Οὐ παύσομαι συνεχῶς ταῦτα λέγων· κἂν καθ' ἡμέραν ἁμαρτάνῃς, καθ' ἡμέραν μετανόει. Ὅπερ ἐν ταῖς παλαιαῖς ποιοῦμεν οἰκίαις· ὅταν σαθρωθῶσιν, ὑπεξαιρούμεθα τὰ σεσαθρωμένα, καὶ καινὰ ἐπισκευάζομεν, καὶ οὐδέποτε συνεχοῦς ἐπιμελείας ἀπολύομεν. Ἐὰν παλαιωθῇς σήμερον ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀνακαίνισον σεαυτὸν αὔριον ἀπὸ τῆς μετανοίας. Καὶ ἔνι, φησὶ, μετανοήσαντα σωθῆναι; Ἔνι, καὶ πάνυ ἔνι. Πάντα τὸν βίον ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ διέτριψα, καὶ ἐὰν μετανοήσω, σώζομαι; Πάνυ. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου φιλανθρωπίας. Μὴ γὰρ τῇ μετανοίᾳ σου θαῤῥῶ; μὴ γὰρ ἡ μετάνοιά σου ἰσχύει τοσαῦτα κακὰ ἀποσμήξασθαι; Εἰ μετάνοια μόνη ἦν, εἰκότως ἐφόβου· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῇ μετανοίᾳ κεράννυται Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία, θάῤῥει· Θεοῦ γὰρ φιλανθρωπίας μέτρον οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ λόγῳ ἑρμηνευθῆναι δύναται αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀγαθότης. Ἡ μὲν 63.834 γὰρ σὴ κακία μέτρον ἔχει, τὸ δὲ φάρμακον μέτρον οὐκ ἔχει· ἡ σὴ κακία, οἵα ἐὰν ᾖ, ἀνθρωπίνη ἐστὶ κακία· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἄφατος. Θάῤῥει, ὅτι περιγίνεταί σου τῆς κακίας. Ἐννόησον σπινθῆρα εἰς πέλαγος ἐμπεσόντα, μὴ δύναται στῆναι ἢ φανῆναι; Ὅσον σπινθὴρ πρὸς πέλαγος, τοσοῦτον κακία πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοσοῦτον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλέον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πέλαγος, κἂν μέγα ᾖ, μέτρον ἔχει· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἀπεριόριστος. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμᾶς ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἐργάσωμαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα σπουδαιοτέρους ἀπεργάσωμαι. Παρῄνεσα πολλάκις εἰς θέατρον μὴ ἀναβαίνειν· ἤκουσας, οὐκ ἐπείσθης; ἀνέβης εἰς τὸ θέατρον; παρήκουσάς μου τοῦ λόγου; μὴ αἰσχυνθῇς πάλιν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι. Ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἐτήρησα, φησί· πῶς δύναμαι εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι; Τέως αὐτὸ τοῦτο οἶδας, ὅτι οὐκ ἐτήρησας· τέως αἰσχύνῃ, τέως ἐρυθριᾷς, τέως μηδενὸς ἐλέγχοντος τὸν χαλινὸν περιφέρεις, τέως τὸν λόγον μου ἔχεις ἐῤῥιζωμένον, τέως μὴ φαινομένου μου, ἡ διδασκαλία μου καθαιρεῖ σε. Οὐκ ἐτήρησας; κατέγνως σαυτοῦ; εἰς τὸ ἥμισυ ἐτήρησας, κἂν μὴ τηρήσῃς, εἴπῃς δὲ, Οὐκ ἐτήρησα. Ὁ γὰρ καταγνοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ τηρῆσαι, ἐπὶ τὸ τηρῆσαι σπουδάζει. Ἐθεώρησας; εἰργάσω παρανομίαν; αἰχμάλωτος ἐγένου τῇ πόρνῃ; κατέβης ἀπὸ τοῦ θεάτρου; πάλιν ἐμνήσθης; ᾐσχύνθης; πρόσελθε. Ἐλυπήθης; παρακάλεσον τὸν Θεόν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ στῆθι μέχρι τούτου. Οὐαί μοι, ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἐτήρησα· πῶς εἰσέλθω εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν; πῶς πάλιν ἀκούσω; Μᾶλλον εἴσελθε, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐτήρησας, ἵνα πάλιν ἀκούσας τηρήσῃς. Φάρμακον ἐὰν ἐπιθῇ σοι, καὶ μὴ καθαρίσῃ σε, τῇ ἄλλῃ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἐπιτίθης αὐτὸ πάλιν; Ἔστω τις δρυ 63.835 τόμος· θελέτω τέμνειν δρῦν· λαμβάνει ἀξίνην, κόπτει τὴν ῥίζαν· ἐὰν δῷ μίαν πληγὴν, καὶ μὴ πέσῃ τὸ δένδρον, οὐ δίδωσιν ἄλλην πληγήν; οὐ τὴν τρίτην; οὐ τὴν τετάρτην; οὐ τὴν πέμπτην; οὐ τὴν δεκάτην; Οὕτω καὶ σὺ ποίει. ∆ρῦς ἐστιν ἡ πόρνη, ἄκαρπον δένδρον, βαλάνους ἐκφέρουσα, χοίρων ἀλόγων τροφήν. Ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ ἐῤῥιζώθη ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου, ἐν τῇ περιβολῇ τῶν κλάδων κατέβαλέ σου τὸ συνειδός. Ὁ λόγος μου ἀξίνη ἐστίν· ἤκουσας μίαν ἡμέραν. Πρὸς μίαν ἡμέραν πίπτει ἡ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ἐῤῥιζωμένη; Ἐὰν γὰρ δὶς, ἐὰν γὰρ τρὶς, ἐὰν γὰρ ἑκατοντάκις, οὐκ ἔστι θαυμαστόν· μόνον ἔκκοψον πρᾶγμα πονηρὸν καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ συνήθειαν πονηράν. Μάννα ἤσθιον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ κρόμμυα ἐζήτουν τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· Καλῶς ἦν ἡμῖν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν πρᾶγμα ἡ συνήθεια καὶ κάκιστον. Κἂν γὰρ εἰς δέκα ἡμέρας κατορθώσῃς, ἐὰν γὰρ εἰς εἴκοσιν, ἐὰν γὰρ εἰς τριάκοντα, οὐκ ἀγαπῶ; οὐ χάριν ἔχω; οὐ περιπτύσσομαί σε; μόνον μὴ ἀποκάμῃς, ἀλλ' αἰσχύνου καὶ καταγίνωσκε. Πάλιν διελέχθην περὶ ἀγάπης· ἤκουσας, ἀπῆλθες καὶ ἥρπασας, οὐκ ἐπεδείξω διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὸν λόγον; μὴ αἰσχυνθῇς πάλιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· αἰσχύνου ἁμαρτάνων, μὴ αἰσχύνου μετανοῶν, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτάνων. Πρόσεχε τί ἐποίησέ σοι ὁ διάβολος. ∆ύο ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἁμαρτία καὶ μετάνοια· ἁμαρτία τραῦμα, μετάνοια φάρμακον· ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὄνειδος, ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ γέλως· ἐν τῇ μετανοίᾳ παῤῥησία, ἐν τῇ μετανοίᾳ ἐλευθερία, ἐν τῇ μετανοίᾳ