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words. And for what reason did he not say Morning, but Evening? To me, it seems that this too was said indifferently. For if he had said morning, the curious person would have asked for what reason he did not say evening? But if someone should wish to hear without idle curiosity, that the morning awaits the evening; but the evening, having come, has fulfilled the sacred service, and the worship is no longer somehow incomplete for the rest of the day, but it has been perfected, and has received its end. But what does the stretching out of the hands in prayer mean? Since these are servants to many wickednesses, such as blows, murders, robberies, covetousness, for this very reason, therefore, we are commanded to raise them, so that the ministry of prayer may become a bond for them against wickedness, and a release from evil, so that when you are about to rob or be covetous or strike another, remembering that you are about to send these as advocates to God, and through these to send up that spiritual sacrifice, you may not disgrace them, and render them without confidence by the service of wicked work. Cleanse them, therefore, with almsgiving, with philanthropy, with protection of those in need, and so lead them to prayer. For if you do not permit them to be lifted in prayer unwashed, much more would you not be right to defile them with sins. If you fear the lesser, much more should you shudder at the greater. For to pray with unwashed hands is not so improper; but to present them defiled with countless sins, this brings great wrath. 4. Let us consider this also with regard to the mouth and tongue, and keeping it inaccessible to wickedness, thus 55.432 let us offer prayer. For if someone having a golden vessel would not choose to use it for a dishonorable service because of the preciousness of the material; much more we who have mouths more precious than gold and pearl would not be right to defile them with shameless obscenities, and revilings, and insults. You do not offer the censer at the altar in bronze, nor in gold, but in that which is more precious than these, in a spiritual temple. For in that case the material is lifeless; but in you God dwells, and you are a member of Christ and a body. Set, O Lord, a watch on my mouth. Having besought the Master that his prayer be heard and become acceptable, see what first request he offers, what supplication. For he did not say, Give me money, give me honors from men, give me victory over my enemies, give me children; none of these things, but having left all things to be cast upon the earth, he asks from God those things which it is right to ask from God. What then? Must one not, he says, ask for tangible things? One must, but with measure, as Jacob says: If the Lord will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on; as Christ commanded to pray, saying: Give us this day our daily bread; but before all things, spiritual things. Which he himself also does, saying: Set, O Lord, a watch on my mouth. Do you see understanding? do you see philosophy? from where does he begin the request? From the greatest of right actions, and that which is the cause of all evils, when neglected; just as of good things, when attended to. For the glibness of the tongue works countless evils, just as, therefore, security works good things. Just as therefore there is no benefit of a house, nor a city, nor walls, nor gates, nor doors, if there are not those who guard, and who know when it is necessary to close, and when to open; so there is no benefit of a tongue, nor of a mouth, if reason is not entrusted with the closing and the opening with precision and much knowledge, and knowing what it is necessary to utter, and what to keep within. For not so many, it says, have fallen by the sword, as by the tongue. And again Christ: Not that which enters into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth. And again another: Make for the

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ῥήματα. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εἶπεν Ἑωθινὴ, ἀλλ' Ἑσπερινή; Ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀδιαφόρωςεἰρῆσθαι καὶ τοῦτο δοκεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ εἶπεν ἑωθινὴν, ὁ περίεργος ἠρώτησεν ἂν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εἶπεν ἑσπερινήν; Εἰ δέ τις ἀπολυπραγμόνως βούλοιτο ἀκούειν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἑωθινὴ ἀναμένει τὴν ἑσπερινήν· ἡ δὲ ἑσπερινὴ γενομένη τὴν ἱερουργίαν ἐπλήρωσε, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀτελεστέρα πως ἔτι τῆς ἡμέρας λοιπὸν ἡ λατρεία, ἀλλὰ ἀπηρτίσθη, καὶ τέλος ἔλαβεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τί βούλεται καὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἡ ἔκτασις ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ; Ἐπειδὴ πολλαῖς πονηρίαις διακονοῦνται αὗται, οἷον πληγαῖς, φόνοις, ἁρπαγαῖς, πλεονεξίαις, δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο κελευόμεθα αὐτὰς ἀνατείνειν, ἵνα ἡ τῆς εὐχῆς διακονία δεσμὸς αὐταῖς γένηται τῆς κακίας, καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴ τῆς πονηρίας, ἵν' ὅταν μέλλῃς ἁρπάζειν ἢ πλεονεκτεῖν ἢ τύπτειν ἕτερον, ἀναμνησθεὶς ὅτι ταύτας μέλλεις ἀντὶ συνηγόρων πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν πέμπειν, καὶ διὰ τούτων τὴν θυσίαν ἀναπέμπειν ἐκείνην τὴν πνευματικὴν, μὴ καταισχύνῃς αὐτὰς, καὶ ἀπαῤῥησιάστους ἐργάσῃ τῇ διακονίᾳ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐργασίας. Κάθαιρε τοίνυν αὐτὰς ἐλεημοσύνῃ, φιλανθρωπίᾳ, προστασίᾳ δεομένων, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰς εἰς εὐχὴν ἄγε. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνίπτους αὐτὰς οὐκ ἐπιτρέπεις εἰς εὐχὴν ἐπαίρεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἁμαρτήμασιν οὐκ ἂν εἴης δίκαιος αὐτὰς μιαίνειν. Εἰ τὸ ἔλαττον δέδοικας, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μεῖζον φρῖξον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶ προσεύχεσθαι, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἄτοπον· τὸ δὲ καταῤῥυπωθείσας αὐτὰς μυρίοις ἁμαρτήμασι προσάγειν, τοῦτο πολλὴν φέρει τὴν ὀργήν. δʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ στόματος καὶ γλώττης λογιζώμεθα, καὶ ἄβατον αὐτὸ τῇ πονηρίᾳ τηροῦντες, οὕτω 55.432 τὴν προσευχὴν προσάγωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ χρυσοῦν τις σκεῦος ἔχων, οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιτο εἰς ἄτιμον αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι διακονίαν διὰ τὸ πολύτιμον τῆς ὕλης· πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ χρυσοῦ καὶ μαργαρίτου τιμιώτερα στόματα ἔχοντες, οὐκ ἂν εἴημεν δίκαιοι ταῖς ἀναισχύντοις αὐτὰ καταῤῥυπαίνειν αἰσχροῤῥημοσύναις, καὶ λοιδορίαις, καὶ ὕβρεσιν. Οὐκ ἐν χαλκῷ προσάγεις βωμῷ τὸ θυμιατήριον, οὐδὲ ἐν χρυσῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τούτου τιμιωτέρῳ, ἐν ναῷ πνευματικῷ. Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ ἄψυχος ἡ ὕλη· ἐν σοὶ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐνοικεῖ, καὶ μέλος εἶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ σῶμα. Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου. Παρακαλέσας τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀκουσθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον γενέσθαι, ὅρα ποίαν προσάγει πρώτην αἴτησιν, ποίαν ἱκετηρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, ∆ός μοι χρήματα, δός μοι τιμὰς παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, δός μοι κρατῆσαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν, δός μοι παιδία· οὐδὲν τούτων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀφεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐῤῥῖφθαι, αἰτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα ἃ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ αἰτεῖν δίκαιον. Τί οὖν; οὐ δεῖ, φησὶν, αἰσθητὰ αἰτεῖν; ∆εῖ μὲν, μετὰ μέτρου δὲ, ὡς ὁ Ἰακὼβ λέγων· Ἐὰνδῷ μοι Κύριος ἄρτον φαγεῖν, καὶ ἱμάτιον περιβαλέσθαι· ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσεν εὔχεσθαι λέγοντας· Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· πρὸ δὲ πάντων τὰ πνευματικά. Ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ λέγων· Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου. Εἶδες σύνεσιν; εἶδες φιλοσοφίαν; πόθεν ἄρχεται τῆς αἰτήσεως; Ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγίστου τῶν κατορθωμάτων, καὶ ὃ πάντων αἴτιόν ἐστι τῶν κακῶν, ἀμελούμενον· ὥσπερ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, σπουδαζόμενον. Τὰ γὰρ μυρία κακὰ τῆς γλώττης ἡ εὐκολία ἐργάζεται, ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἡ ἀσφάλεια. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲν ὄφελος οἰκίας, οὐ πόλεως, οὐ τειχῶν, οὐ πυλῶν, οὐ θυρῶν, ἂν μὴ ὦσιν οἱ φυλάττοντες, καὶ εἰδότες πότε μὲν δεῖ κλείειν, πότε δὲ ἀνοίγειν· οὕτως οὐδὲ γλώττης ὄφελος, οὐδὲ στόματος, ἂν μὴ λογισμὸς ᾖ τὴν κλεῖσιν καὶ τὴν ἄνοιξιν μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐπιτετραμμένος, καὶ εἰδὼς τίνα μὲν ἐκφέρειν δεῖ, τίνα δὲ ἔνδον κατέχειν. Οὐ τοσοῦτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔπεσον ἀπὸ μαχαίρας, ὅσοι ἀπὸ γλώττης. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός· Οὐ τὰ εἰσερχόμενα εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκπορευόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος. Καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος· Ποίησον τῷ