He that loves discipline loves also wisdom. He that offers sacrifice of the substance of the poor is like one who sacrifices the son in the sight of his father. He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination. The wicked man passes away like a tempest. The things you do not gather in youth, how shall you be able to have them in old age? He that is inclined to mercy shall be blessed. He that digs a pit for his brother shall himself fall into it. He that despises small things shall fall by little and little. He that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good? Whatsoever your hand is able to do, do it earnestly; for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom shall be in the grave, whither you hasten.
He that spares the rod hates his son. They that fear God will not be unbelieving to his word. He that is soft and dissolute in his work is the brother of him that wastes his own works. What the wicked man fears shall come upon him. As is the ruler of a city, such are its inhabitants. He that keeps his commandment keeps also his own soul. He that stops his ear at the cry of the poor shall himself also cry, and shall not be heard. He that teaches a fool is like one who glues together a potsherd. They that instruct many unto justice shall be as stars for perpetual eternities. He that offends in one thing loses many good things. The greater you are, humble yourself in all things. He that fears the frost, the snow shall come upon him.
They that run in the stadium all run indeed, but one receives the prize. Whosoever will be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God. He that thinks himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. He that causes a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall save his soul from death. He that eats not, let him not judge him that eats. He that has not care of his own, and especially of his household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. He that sees his brother suffering need and shuts up his bowels, how does the charity of God abide in him?
He that sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly. He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. The higher the step, the deeper the fall. What you do not wish to be done to you, do not do to another. He that is ignorant shall be ignored. The wolf coming in shows what kind of shepherd each is. What sort of man each one lies hidden within himself, an insult offered proves. What praise shall we earn for the pallor of fasting, if we are livid with envy? What virtue is there in not drinking wine, and being made drunk with wrath and hatred? What does it profit to thin the body by abstinence, if the mind swells with pride? He puts his goods into a bag with holes who does some good things and yet forsakes none of his accustomed studies of depravity.
He who remembers that he has perpetrated many unlawful things ought also, for penance, to abstain from lawful ones. Whosoever ponders what to vow to God, let him vow and render himself. How great a good health is, sickness shows. He who can succour one about to perish, if he does not succour him, shall be guilty of his death. He who can be corrected by gentle words ought not to be exasperated by rebuke. They who persevere chaste and as virgins are made equal to the angels of God. Whosoever continually strives to do some good things prays without ceasing. Whatsoever exceeds measure, the demons suggest. As much as anyone advances in humility and chastity, so much shall he draw near to God.
What it is wholly necessary to suffer, bear patiently. The things that are base to do are base also to speak of. The more the mind is divided among many works, the less it is for each one. As each one reads in what manner, so shall he have, whether good or bad; he shall always have them. As long as the evils done by himself do not displease a man, vices reign in him. He who has never learned to be subject can rightly rule over none. What is more unhappy than to be afflicted at the sight of the felicity of others? What each one has not experienced in himself, he believes with difficulty in another. Who is rich? He who covets nothing. And who is poor? The covetous. What is enough, to whom it falls, let him desire nothing more. What is the property of a fool?
To be unable yet willing to harm. What is the work of the prudent? When he is able, to be unwilling to harm. How near is the shore, yet in the heart of the sea a labyrinth! The more you are able, so much the more submit yourself to Christ. He who gives you much seeks the very same from you also. How good is the Lord to all that seek him! How dark is that love by which the Author of light is despised! R. Your kingdom, O Lord, is a kingdom of all ages. Praise becomes the upright. The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants, and none of them shall offend that trust in him. Reveal your way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it. Judge rightly, you sons of men.
The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away. Laughter is mingled with sorrow, and mourning takes hold of the end of joy. A soft answer breaks wrath. When the wicked reign there shall be the ruin of men. The king that sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his look. The king that judges the poor in truth, his throne shall be established for ever. A just king sets up the land, but a covetous man shall destroy it. A kingdom is transferred from nation to nation because of injustices. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and the holiness of truth. Religion clean and undefiled before God the Father is this:
to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation. Covetousness is the root of all evils. A religious man, if he is quickly angered, is also easily moved to penance. He cannot rightly judge the merits of others to whom the conscience of his own innocence affords no rule of judgment. Humble married folk more rightly follow the Lamb than proud virgins. Unless those strong of body devoutly serve God, from whom they have their strength, for this they shall suffer punishment. Whatever man has more than the beasts is to be ascribed to divine goodness. The kingdom of God is worth as much as you have. The ruin of the people is wicked priests.
Human reason earns as many heavenly crowns as the perverse thoughts it resists. The governance of souls is the art of arts. Plunderers of others' goods shall themselves one day be plundered unto destruction. Sudden fury admits nothing of reason. Those rebellious against divine goodness shall be handed over to diabolical power. Any obscure matter is to be explained by a comparison. Excessive remission and gentleness is reckoned before God as great cruelty. The reprobate are wearied in this world by their desires, and in the world to come by torments. The rustic tongue of a man who keeps a gentle heart is more pleasing to the Lord than the skilled tongue of the proud. Rare is the faith to be granted to a man, alas, to any!
A devout and righteous king strives to be what he is called; for the name of king admonishes that what is committed to him be ruled well. In adversity, be not so shaken that you are left in ruin. S. Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice unto him with trembling. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit. Let the glory of the Lord endure unto the age of ages. Let the name of the Lord be blessed from this time forth and for evermore. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of tribulation. The Lord is gracious to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. The Spirit breathes where he wills, and you hear his voice, but you know not whence he comes or whither he goes.
God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. If your hand or your foot offends you, cut it off and cast it from you. For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. If your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone. The holy spirit of discipline flees from deceit, and withdraws itself from thoughts that are without understanding. The eyes of the wise are in his head. Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in simplicity of heart. A fool is not corrected by words.
A wise and discerning heart restrains itself from sins. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and the rod of discipline shall drive it away. A deceitful balance is an abomination before God, but a just weight is his delight. The wise man endures like the sun, but the fool changes like the moon. God speaks once, and does not repeat it a second time. The wise man searches out the wisdom of all the ancients. Hidden wisdom and an unseen treasure: what profit is in either? The wise man makes himself known by few words. Seven times the righteous falls, and rises again; but the wicked shall fall headlong into evil. A harsh word stirs up fury. Dreams exalt the imprudent. A secure mind is like a continual feast.
To conceal the secret of a king is good; but to reveal the great works of God is honourable. The fool lifts up his voice in laughter. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is made perfect in us. If anyone says that he loves God and hates his brother, he is a liar. The spiritual man judges all things, and is himself judged by no one. As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
Men are so to be loved that their errors are not loved. The Watcher stands above, who beholds us and our deeds every day. To know is to approve in God's sight; but not to know is to reject. The highest nobility before God is to be renowned for virtues. The faults of subordinates must sometimes be overlooked, yet afterward, because they were overlooked, they must be pointed out. To escape the snares of Satan is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Dissemblers and the crafty provoke the wrath of God. He seeks solitude who desires to live among the innocent. Likenesses drawn from various things must continually be set forth for our edification.
As a dog returns to its own vomit, so the imprudent man repeats his folly. As water extinguishes fire, so does almsgiving extinguish sin. To have the name of holiness without works profits no one. He is wise who teaches others more by deeds than by words. It is the salvation of the rich to relieve the needs of the poor. The strength of patience repels the arrows of insult. Those may be called scorpions who indeed do not resist the good to their face, but soon, when they have withdrawn, disparage them. He denies himself who, having put off the man of carnal life, puts on the spiritual and new man, that is, Christ. It is exceedingly foolish if we seek to please those whom we know not to please God.
It suffices for each one so to argue or to dictate that he be understood. Excess, both of words and of things, must be avoided. As honey is gathered from various flowers, so every virtue is to be gathered from various men. He who is intent upon secular letters cannot grasp the mysteries of sacred Scripture. He who reads sacred Scripture ought to attend to what is said mystically or according to the letter, what is said in part or for the whole. Meditation on sacred Scripture draws the mind back from harmful thought. As many foods avail nothing without salt, so all virtues avail nothing without love.
As a pipe gives back no sound without one breathing into it, so the heart of man receives no good without divine inspiration. As the course of any horse is tested in an open space, so the will of man is proven in the free choice given to him. As the eyes of all are in the head, so also in Christ ought all the intention of the faithful to rest. He deserves to be tormented without end who sets no end of sinning in his heart. The ministers of the supreme prince are to be provided for among the first. So forgive others as you desire them to forgive you when you sin. Blood touches blood when sins are added to sins. Pride alone corrupts all good things. Foolish vows must be broken.
Life without instruction is, as it were, the image of death. If you love to be called father and ruler, keep the name with honour and fulfill it by your conduct. The mighty pine is more often shaken by the winds, and lofty towers fall with a heavier crash. The same vigilance must be kept for those who stand and those who have fallen: for the former lest they fall back, for the latter that they rise up quickly. Speech is given to many, wisdom of soul to few. If you cannot care for many, at least care for yourself alone. If you have vowed anything to the Lord, delay not to render it. It is the Lord's alone to work good out of evil. The greedy man is always in want; no money fills him. If you wish to be saved, set nothing before this salvation. The spirit is life, the philosophy of the flesh is death. T.
Praise is fitting for you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall the vow be rendered in Jerusalem. The testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones. To you, O Lord, the poor man is left; you are the helper of the orphan. Fear the Lord, all you his saints, for there is no want to those who fear him. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth consumes, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. The fear of the Lord drives out sin. The fool brings forth his whole spirit at once, but the wise man defers it and reserves it for later. There is a time for every thing under heaven. The name of the Lord is a most strong tower; the righteous runs to it and shall be exalted.
A desirable treasure rests in the mouth of the wise. It shall go well at the last for him who fears God. A threefold cord is not easily broken. A false witness shall not go unpunished. Fear is not in love, but perfect love casts out fear. It is shameful that he who knows not how to hold the governance of his own life should become judge of another's. Each one judges of darkness the more subtly, the more truly the brightness of light illumines him. The ever-watchful tempter assails with sharper snares those whom he has chiefly seen to abstain from sins. The tenacious and the prodigal, both alike, run together into the one vice of excess. He is to be feared above all whose power is over all.
Minds that are too tender must be shaped by harsher pursuits. What is done in due measure is acceptable both to God and to men. The torments of some are profitable to others for their correction. Each one bears his neighbour just so much as he loves him. Vices are the worse the more they are concealed under the appearance of virtues. So long does one err in the faith, until he distrusts that all things are beheld and ruled by God. Hidden hatreds are worse than open ones. Such is the kind of vices that, unless the past be wiped out by swift repentance, others arise thereafter. Let us be inwardly such as we show ourselves outwardly. He who knows not how to be silent knows not how to speak either.
Those who keep silent are helped with difficulty, but those who confess the nature of their sickness more readily recover health. It is shameful for a teacher when fault reproves him. Then dread your own fall, when another collapses. He will never be safe who is plagued by suspicion. They are easily saddened whose hope rests in low things. The indignation of a king is a great tempest. A truthful witness remains fit for a true king. He who remains wholly everywhere is to be worshipped with all our strength. The fear of God and unceasing prayer make a man fly to heavenly things. We bear the evils of the world more tolerably if we fortify ourselves against them with the shield of foreknowledge. Lukewarmly living Christians are more difficultly corrected than pagans.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who seek his covenant and his testimonies. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. Every tree is known by its own fruit. Where there is pride, there shall also be reproach. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for profit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where there is charity and love, there is the congregation of saints. Each virtue is the less, the more the others are lacking. Where there is no fear of God, there is the reign of sin.
Whereby the good man profits, thereby the envious man wastes away. As kings will, so laws have force. Those are delicate beyond measure who wish to suffer no adversity. Love of usefulness quickly counsels what is to be done. Great usefulness lies hidden even in small things. Every man is like a stone, unless he be softly moved from on high. V. The face of the Lord is upon those who do evil, to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord shall require truth, and shall recompense abundantly those who act with pride. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all their power by the breath of his mouth. The voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tents of the righteous. Vain is the salvation of man.
Act manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all you who hope in the Lord. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. The man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth. Evils shall seize the unjust man unto destruction. Woe to you who tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have left the weightier matters, that is, mercy and judgment. Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. Watch at all times, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape the things that are to come. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails driven deep. Vain are all men in whom there is not the knowledge of God. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; there shall the strong man be in tribulation.
Wine makes even the wise to apostatize. Woe to the city whose king is a child, and whose princes eat in the morning. The wrathful man stirs up quarrels; but he who is patient calms those that have been stirred. Woe to him who is alone, for when he falls, he has none to lift him up. Woe to those who call good evil, and evil good. Anger slays the foolish man, and envy kills the little one. The way of the wicked is dark; they know not where they fall. The life of the flesh is soundness of heart; envy is rottenness of the bones. The way of life is for him who keeps discipline, but he who forsakes rebukes goes astray. The furnace proves the potter's vessels, and the trial of tribulation proves righteous men.
A sweet word multiplies friends and softens enemies. Strength is made perfect in weakness. A good word is above the best gift. A man double in soul is inconstant in all his ways. An undivided will to do good shall be reckoned by God as the work of a kindness. True discretion is acquired only by true humility. Every pleasure is after the manner of bees: where it has poured out pleasant honey, it strikes the heart with its sting. The fever of the soul is more vehement than that of the body. The wise man places the fruit of virtue in conscience, the less perfect places it in glory. He is watchful who keeps the eyes of the mind open to the sight of the true light. Conquered by any one vice, a man quickly slips into others.
Virtue is always exposed to envy. The pursuer of vainglory is likened to one who commits his seed to the wind to be scattered. He who is able to keep health, let him despise or mock no one's infirmity. Pride must be shunned, which deceived even the angels and destroys all virtues. Vices must first be uprooted in a man, and then virtues must be implanted. Let virgins and monks so temper their fasting that they may always be strong for the service of God. Pleasure has its punishment, and necessity brings forth a crown. Those given over to vices cannot be enriched with virtues. Very unskilled is the physician who knows how to give nothing but gentle remedies. He who casts off modesty has cast off all the virtues at once.
Scarcely does anyone pass into good except out of evil. Idleness gives a wavering mind. Silver is baser than gold, and gold than the virtues. If you know not how to live rightly, give place to those who are skilled. Various virtues can dwell together alike. It is a great virtue to bless in return for curses. Mighty is the strength of soul that is moved by no man's praise.