A Prov. xxiv, 24. — « He who says the ungodly is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hated by nations. » Prov. ii, 14, 15. — « O you who rejoice in evils, and exult in perverse subversion; whose paths are crooked and the tracks of their wheels winding, to make you far from the straight way, and an alien from righteous judgment. » Prov. xvii, 19. — « A lover of sin delights in strifes. » Prov. xi, 27. — « He who seeks evils, they shall overtake him. » Prov. xv, 15. — « All the time the eyes of the evil look for evils. » Isa. iii, 9, 10. — « Woe to their soul, because they have taken evil counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the righteous, because he is useless to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works. » Isa. v, 20. — « Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil: who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put the bitter for sweet, and the sweet for bitter. » Eccli. xxxi, 14. — « Son, in good things do not give a blemish. » Eccli. x, 26. — « It is not right to despise a wise poor man, nor fitting to glorify a sinful man. » S. Basil. in psal. lxii. — It is a betrayal of truth, and a custom leading to destruction, to approve those who study wickedness. B There are many who applaud wicked actions, and call the jester pleasant and witty; him who uses obscene words, urban; the bitter and irascible man, who cannot bear to be slighted in the least, they call spirited; the grasping and stingy man, like one who knows how to provide for his household, they praise as economical; the spendthrift and profligate, as liberal; the unchaste and lustful, as one who enjoys pleasure well and indulges his nature; and, to encompass the matter in one word, they define every kind of vice by the opposite virtue. Such men bless with their mouth, but in their heart, they curse. For by applauding with words, they bring down every curse upon their own life, and make themselves subject to eternal judgment by the things they approve. C Let us take heed to ourselves most diligently, lest we ever approve some ungodly man or speech that happens to be in our favor, and by our assent join ourselves to him. S. Chrysost. — Even if someone should wish to reproach us, let us not be tormented on that account—that we are ill-spoken of—but only if we are justly condemned. For if we live in wickedness and impurity, even if no one attacks us with curses, we are still the most miserable of all. But if we strive after virtue, even if the whole world speaks ill of us, we shall then be the most enviable of all. D Not only to emulate vice, but also to praise those who live in vice, brings a certain punishment, and not an ordinary one to us; and, if I may say something wondrous,
A a punishment more grievous than that of those who live in wickedness. For to praise those who sin is a much greater cause for sentencing than to sin itself. And most reasonably so: this calculation reflects a corrupted mind and will, and a soul suffering from an incurable disease. For he who praises wickedness denies himself the remedy of repentance, so that Paul rightly legislated that this is more atrocious than the other. For this reason, not only those who commit vile deeds but also those who applaud them, share in the same, or even more grievous, punishment.
To revile the blameless is a sin against God.
An increase of wickedness is not only to sin oneself, but also to favor others who are sinning. B
TIT. III. — On grave and nefarious deeds.
Gen. xxxv, 21, 22. — « And it came to pass when Israel drew near in that land, Ruben went and committed fornication with Balla, his father's concubine. And Israel heard, and it seemed evil before him. »
Gen. xxxviii, 9, 10. — « And Aunan, knowing that the seed would not be his, and it came to pass that when he went in to his brother's wife, he spilled it upon the ground, that he might not give seed to his brother. »
Judic. ix, 4-6. — « And Abimelech hired for himself empty and cowardly men; and they followed after him. And he came into his father's house in Euphrata, and he slew his brothers, the sons of Hierobaal, seventy men, upon one stone. And Jothan, the son of Hierobaal, the younger, remained, for he was hidden. »
Judic. xix, 25-30; xx, 3-8. — « And the man took his concubine, and brought her forth to them outside; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until morning, and they sent her away; and dawn ascended, and the woman came at daybreak, and fell at the doors of the gateway of the house where her husband was, until it grew light. And her husband rose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way. And his concubine C was lying near the doors, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said to her: Arise, and let us go. And she did not answer, for she was dead. And he took her up upon the beast, and he rose, and went away to his place. And the men coming asked, where had this wickedness been done? And the Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered, and said: I came to Gabaa of Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And they rose against me upon the house by night, and they wished to kill me, and they humbled my concubine, and she died. And I held my concubine, and I cut her in pieces, and I sent her into every territory of the inheritance of the children of Israel. And behold, all you sons of Israel, give to yourselves a word and counsel. And all the people rose as one man, saying: There is not a man of us who shall go to his tent. » D
II Reg. xi, 1-4. — « The men of Jabis said to Naas the Ammonite: Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Naas said to them: In this
covenant A will I make with you, that I may dig out your right eye, and put a reproach upon Israel. » They say to him: "Grant us seven days, and we will send messengers to every border of Israel: If there be no one to save us, we will come out to you." II Reg. xxii, 17. — « The king said to the couriers who stood by him: Come, and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing, and did not reveal it to my ear. » II Reg. xiii, 11-14. — « Amnon took hold of his sister, and said to her: Come, lie with me. And she said to him: Nay, my brother, do not commit this folly. But he did not listen to her, and he was stronger than she, and he humbled her and lay with her. And after this, Amnon hated her with a very great hatred. And Amnon said to her: Arise and go. And Thamar answered him: Nay, my B brother: for this injury, which you have done me by sending me away, is greater than the former. But Amnon would not listen to her voice. » Ibid. 27-29. — « Absalom made a feast, and charged his servants, saying: Observe, and when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and I say to you: Strike him, and kill him, do not fear. And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as he had commanded them. » Prov. xxx, 21, 22. — « For three things the earth is moved, and the fourth it cannot bear: If a servant reign, and a fool be filled with food, and a handmaid if she cast out her mistress, and an odious woman if she have obtained a good husband. C »
TIT. IV. — Of the Christian Religion, and the Church of the Gentiles.
Osee ii, 23. — « I will call them my people that were not my people, and her beloved that was not beloved. » Isa. xxxv, 1. — « Be glad, O thirsty desert; let the desert rejoice and flower as a lily. And they shall flower, and shall be adorned with trees. » Isa. xliii, 20. — « I have given water in the desert, and rivers in the dry ground; to give drink to my chosen race, my people whom I have acquired, that they may tell of my virtues. » Isa. lxv, 1, 2. — « I appeared to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. I said: Behold I am here, to a nation D that did not call upon my name. » Isa. liv, 1. — « Rejoice, thou barren that dost not bear; break forth and cry, thou that dost not travail: for many more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband. » Isa. lxv, 15. — « A new name shall be called upon those who serve me, by which they shall be blessed upon the earth. For they shall bless the true God. » Isa. xliii, 21. — « My people, whom I have acquired to tell of my virtues, shall praise me. » I Petr. ii, 9-11. — « But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, so that you may...
proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. You who once were not a people, but now are the people of God; who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. » A
I John iii, 2. — « Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. But we know that if He should be revealed, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. »
S. Ign. Epist. ad Polyc. — A Christian has no power over himself, but is at the disposal of God.
Irenae. (2) — The duty of a Christian is nothing else than to meditate on death.
S. Clem. Alex. lib. II Paedag. — The Christian is altogether a friend and familiar of quiet, tranquility, and peace. B
Evagrii. — Do not approve a Christian man by his habit, but by the disposition of his soul.
TIT. V. — That God is to be feared more than men.
Exod. i, 17. — « The midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, and they saved the male infants alive. »
Num. xxii, 18, 19. — « Balaam answered and said to the princes of Balac: If Balac were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord God, to do it small or great in my thoughts. » C
II Paral. xxv, 9, 10. — « Amasias said to the man of God: And what shall I do about the hundred talents which I gave to the army of Israel? And the man of God said: It is with the Lord to give you more than these. And Amasias separated the army that had come to him from Ephraim, that they might go to their own place. »
Schol. Since King Amasias had hired one hundred thousand of the Israelites at a price, and had given them one hundred talents of silver, the prophet of the Lord coming, said to him not to receive those hired for the alliance into war. And having disregarded the hundred talents, he obeyed God, and obedience brought him victory. D
Dan. xiii, 19-24. — « The elders said to Susanna: Behold, the doors of the garden are shut, and no one sees us, and we are in desire of you. Therefore, consent to us and lie with us. But if you will not, we will bear witness against you, that there was a young man with you, and for this reason you sent the maids away from you. And Susanna groaned and said: I am in straits on every side. For if I do this, it is death for me; but if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. It is better for me, without doing the deed, to fall into your hands, than to sin in the sight of the Lord. »
Dan. iii, 16, 17. — « The three youths answered the king, saying...