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of the Lord to Elijah, saying: See that [alt. how] Ahab was humbled [Six. You have seen how he was pierced with sorrow. Fr. you saw that] before my face. I will not bring evil in his days. And David says: I acknowledged my iniquity, and my sin I did not hide. I said, I will confess my iniquity against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. For this shall every holy one pray to you in an opportune time; and in a flood of many waters they will not come near him. And in the Gospel the Lord says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And when Peter asked, How many times in a day, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him; up to seven times? the one who is good by nature and incomparable in kindness answers him: I do not say to you seven times, but up to seventy times seven. What is equal to this goodness? What is comparable to this love for humanity?

(952) 41. Knowing, therefore, the fear of the Lord, and both his kindness and love for humanity from both the Old and the New Testament, let us return with our whole heart; and why should we perish, brothers? Let us cleanse our hands, you sinners; let us purify our hearts, you double-minded; let us be afflicted and mourn, and weep for our sins. Let us cease from our wickedness; let us trust in the mercies of the Lord; let us fear his threats, let us keep his commandments; let us love one another with our whole heart. Let us say, brothers, even to those who hate and detest us, that the name of the Lord may be glorified, and may be seen in his joy. Let us grant forgiveness to one another, being tempted by one another, as we are all warred against by a common enemy. Let us resist our thoughts, calling upon God as an ally; and let us drive away from ourselves the wicked and unclean spirits. Let us subject the flesh to the spirit, buffeting and enslaving it through every hardship; Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit. Let us stir one another up to a provocation of love and good works. Let us not envy one another, nor, when envied, become savage; but rather let us sympathize with one another, and through humility let us heal one another. Let us not speak evil of one another, nor mock one another; for we are members of one another. Let us cast away from ourselves negligence and sloth; and let us stand bravely, struggling against the spirits of wickedness; and we have an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous, with the Father; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and let us pray to him with a pure heart, with our whole soul, and he forgives us our sins; For the Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth. Therefore he says: Offer to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High. And I will deliver you, and you will glorify me. And Isaiah again: Loose every bond of wickedness, undo the knots of forced contracts, send the crushed away in remission, and tear up every unjust document. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house. If you see one naked, clothe him; and you will not overlook [Fr. you will not despise] the members of your own seed. Then your light will break forth early, and your healings will spring up quickly. And your righteousness will go before you; and the glory of the Lord will surround you. And what is upon these things? Then you will cry out, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, he will say, Behold, I am here. Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be as noonday. And God will be with you continually; and you will be filled as your soul desires. You see that in loosing every bond of wickedness from our heart, (953) and undoing every knot of forced contracts of malice; and in hastening to do good to our neighbor with all

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Κυρίου πρός Ἡλιοῦ, λέγων· Ἰδέ ὅτι [al. πῶς] ἐνετράπη [Six.Ἐώρακας ὡς κατενύγη. Fr. εἶδες ὅτι] Ἀχαάβ ἀπό προσώπου μου. Οὐκ ἐπάξω κακίαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δέ ∆αβίδ φησί· τήν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγνώρισα, καί τήν ἁμαρτίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα. Εἶπα, Ἐξαγόρευσα καί κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ τήν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ, καί σύ ἀφῆκας τήν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Ὑπέρ ταύτης προσεύξεται πρός σέ πᾶς ὅσιος ἐν καιρῷ εὐθέτῳ· καί ἐν κατακλυσμῷ ὑδάτων πολλῶν πρός αὐτόν οὐκ ἐγγιοῦσιν. Ἐν δέ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ Κύριος, Μετανοεῖτε, φησίν, ἤγγισε γάρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τοῦ δέ Πέτρου πυθομένου, Ποσάκις τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐάν ἁμάρτῃ εἰς ἐμέ ὁ ἀδελφός μου, ἀφήσω αὐτῷ· ἕως ἑπτάκις; ἀποκρίνεται αὐτῷ ὁ φύσει ἀγαθός καί ἀνείκαστος ἐν χρηστότητι· Οὐ λέγω σοι ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά. Τί ταύτης τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἰσόῤῥοπον; τί ταύτης τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐφάμιλλον;

(952) μα΄. Ἐγνωκότες οὖν τόν τοῦ Κυρίου φόβον, τήν τε χρηστότητα αὐτοῦ καί τήν φιλανθρωπίαν ἔκ τε τῆς Παλαιᾶς καί τῆς Καινῆς διαθήκης, ἐπιστρέψωμεν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν· καί ἵνα τί ἀπολλύμεθα, ἀδελφοί; Καθαρίσωμεν χεῖρας, οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· ἁγνίσωμεν τάς καρδίας ἡμῶν οἱ δίψυχοι· ταλαιπωρήσωμεν καί πενθήσωμεν, καί κλαύσωμεν διά τάς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Παυσώμεθα τῶν πονηριῶν ἡμῶν· πιστεύσωμεν ταῖς εὐσπλαχνίαις τοῦ Κυρίου· φοβηθῶμεν τάς ἀπειλάς αὐτοῦ, φυλάξωμεν τάς ἐντολάς αὐτοῦ· ἀγαπήσωμεν ἀλλήλους ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας. Εἴπωμεν, ἀδελφοί, καί τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἡμᾶς καί βδελυσσομένοις, ἵνα τό ὄνομα Κυρίου δοξασθῇ, καί ὀφθῇ ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνη αὐτοῦ. ∆ῶμεν συγγνώμην ἀλλήλοις, δι᾿ ἀλλήλων πειραζόμενοι, ὡς πάντες ὑπό κοινοῦ ἐχθροῦ πολεμούμενοι. Ἀντιστῶμεν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν, τόν Θεόν εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐπικαλούμενοι· καί φυγαδεύωμεν ἐξ ἡμῶν τά πονηρά καί ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα. Ὑποτάξωμεν τήν σάρκα τῷ πνεύματι, ὑπωπιάζοντες καί δουλαγωγοῦντες δι᾿ ἁπάσης κακοπαθείας· Καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτούς ἀπό παντός μολυσμοῦ σαρκός καί πνεύματος. ∆ιεγείρωμεν ἀλλήλους εἰς παροξυσμόν ἀγάπης καί καλῶν ἔργων. Μή φθονήσωμεν ἀλλήλοις, μηδέ φθονούμενοι ἀγριωθῶμεν· συμπαθήσωμεν δέ μᾶλλον ἀλλήλοις, καί διά ταπεινοφροσύνης ἀλλήλους ἰασώμεθα. Μή καταλαλῶμεν ἀλλήλων, μηδέ σκώψωμεν ἀλλήλους· ὅτι ἐσμέν ἀλλήλων μέλη. Ἀποβάλλωμεν ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν τήν ἀμέλειαν καί τήν ῥαθυμίαν· καί στῶμεν ἀνδρείως κατά τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας ἀγωνιζόμενοι· καί ἔχομεν παράκλητον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν δίκαιον πρός τόν Πατέρα· καί αὐτός ἱλασμός ἐστι περί τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν· καί δεηθῶμεν αὐτοῦ ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ, ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, καί ἀφίησιν ἡμῖν τάς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν· Ὅτι ἐγγύς Κύριος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. ∆ιό λέγει· Θῦσον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καί ἀπόδος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ τάς εὐχάς σου. Καί ἐξελοῦμαί σε, καί δοξάσεις με. Καί ὁ Ἡσαΐας δέ πάλιν· Λύε πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διάλυε στραγγαλιάς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ἀπόστελλε τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, καί πᾶσαν συγγραφήν ἄδικον διάσπα. ∆ιάθρυπτε πεινῶντι τόν ἄρτον σου, καί πτωχούς ἀστέγους εἰσάγαγε εἰς τόν οἶκόν σου. Ἐάν ἴδῃς γυμνόν, περίβαλε· καί ἀπό τῶν οἰκείων τοῦ σπέρματός σου οὐ παρόψει [Fr.οὐχ ὑπερόψει]. Τότε ῥαγήσεται πρώϊμον τό φῶς σου, καί τά ἰάματά σου ταχύ ἀνατελεῖ. Καί προπορεύσεται ἔμπροσθέν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου· καί δόξα Κυρίου περιστελεῖ σε. Καί τί τό ἐπί τούτοις; Τότε βοήσῃ, καί ὁ Θεός εἰσακούσεταί σου· ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου, ἐρεῖ, Ἰδού πάρειμι. Τότε ἀνατελεῖ ἐν τῷ σκότει τό φῶς σου, καί τό σκότος σου ὡς μεσημβρία. Καί ἔσται Θεός μετά σοῦ διαπαντός· καί ἐμπλησθήσῃ καθά ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐν τῷ λύειν πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, (953) καί διαλύειν πᾶσαν στραγγαλιάν βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων μνησικακίας· καί σπεύδειν εὐεργετεῖν τόν πλησίον ἐξ ὅλης