Letter 637

To Eusignius the Satrap [a provincial governor]. "The sons of men are false in the balances, that they may do wrong" [Psalm 61:10, LXX]. In what balances? For surely not all men weigh things in scales? Surely not all are wool-merchants, or deal in gold or silver? Or are they at all occupied with those materials which merchants are accustomed to exchange by weights and measures? On the contrary, great is the class of manual laborers, who require no scale at all for their work; and many are those who sail the sea, and many those who busy themselves about the law courts and the public offices, among whom falsehood indeed exists, but the deceit that works through scales is not practiced. What, then, is it that he means, except that in each of us there is, in the hidden part, a balance constructed by the One who created us, upon which it is possible to discern the nature of things? False, therefore, are the sons of men, having the judgment-faculties of their soul corrupted, those whom the prophet also bewails, saying: "Woe to those who call the bitter sweet, and the sweet bitter, the crooked-lipped and twisted-souled, who pervert what is right and praise what is base" [Isaiah 5:20], and so on. "To me," one says, "belongs the present; but who knows the things to come?" You weigh badly, choosing the wicked things in preference to the good, preferring the vain and false [things ...] to the true, setting the temporary before the eternal, and continually choosing the passing thing instead of the unceasing joy. False, therefore, are the sons of men in the balances, that they may do wrong. And they do wrong first to themselves, and then also to those who come near them, becoming both wicked counselors to themselves in their actions, and being a corrupt example to others. It is not possible for you to say on the day of judgment, "I did not know the good." Your own scales lie before you, providing a sufficient discernment of good and evil. For the weights of the body we test by the inclinations upon the balance-beam, but the choices of life we discern by the free will of the soul, which is also named a "balance," because it is able to receive the inclination equally toward either side. Do not hope upon injustice, neither attach yourselves to wealth, nor choose vanity, nor carry about the corrupted judgment-faculty of the soul, knowing that God is both mighty and merciful. Fear, therefore, his strength, and do not stand away from his loving-kindness; for toward not doing wrong, fear is good, but toward the one who has slipped into sin, that he may not abandon himself through hopelessness, the hope of mercy is good. Then next, in the words of the Psalm also, the prophet says to God: "For you will repay to each according to his works" [Psalm 61:13, LXX]. "For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured back to you" [Matthew 7:2]. Have you struck your brother? Expect the same. Have you plundered the goods of those who were not weaker [than you], have you beaten down the poor, have you put men to shame with revilings, have you slandered, have you borne false witness, have you removed the boundary-stones, have you set upon the possessions of orphans, have you crushed [helping] hands, have you preferred the present pleasure to the good things held out in the promises? Expect the recompense of these things. For whatever each man sows, that also will he reap [Galatians 6:7]. And indeed, if any of the good things has been done by you, expect of those too the repayments many times over. For he himself will repay to each according to his works. Mindful of this verdict above all the affairs of life, you will be able to escape the multitude of sins. Having written these things to you from what was labored over before our time by the saints [in their writings], on account of your fellow-countryman Antonius who urges me to do this, I think I have reminded you of the things that are profitable.

« Ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι. » Ποίοις ζυγοῖς; μὴ γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι ζυγοστατοῦσι; μὴ πάντες ἐριοπωλαι, ἢ χρυσὸν, ἢ ἄργυρον διατίθενται; ἢ ὅλως περὶ ταύτας τὰς ὕλας τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχουσιν, ἃς ζυγοῖς, καὶ σταθμοῖς πεφύπασιν οἱ ἔμποροι διαμείβειν; Ἀλλὰ πολὺ μὲν τὸ τῶν βαναύσων γένος, ζυγοῦν οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν αὐτῶν προσδέμενον • πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ ναυτιλλόμενοι, πολλοὶ δὲ οἱ περὶ δικαστήρια καὶ τὰ ἀρχεῖα στρεφόμενοι, παρ' οἷς τὸ μὲν ψεῦδός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ διὰ τῶν ζυγοῦν δόλος οὐκ ἐπιτηδεύεται. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγει, ὅτι ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ζυγός ἐστι παρὰ τοῦ Κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς ἐγκατασκευασθείς, ἐφ' οὗ τὴν φύσιν τῶν πραγμάτων δυνατὸν διακρίνεσθαι; Ψευδεῖς οὖν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διεφθαρμένα ἔχοντες τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ κριτήρια, οὔστινας καὶ ὁ προφήτης ταλα νίζει λέγων • Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν, οἱ στρεβλόχειλοι, καὶ σκολιόψυχοι, οἱ τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφοντες, καὶ τὰ φαῦλα ἐπαινοῦντες, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐμοὶ, φησὶ, τὰ παρόντα, τίς δὲ οἶδε τὰ μέλλοντα; Κακῶς ζυγοστατεῖς, πονηρὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνθαιρούμενος, τὰ μάταια, καὶ ψευδῆ. α μενα τῶν ἀληθινῶν προτιμῶν, τὰ πρόσκαιρα τῶν αἰωνίων προτάσων, τὴν παρερχομένην ἀντὶ τῆς ἀπαύστου εὐφροσύνης, καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐκλεγόμενος. Ψευδεῖς τοίνυν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι. Ἀδικοῦσι δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἑαυτούς, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλησιάζοντας, αἱ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς πονηροὶ σύμβουλοι ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων γενόμενοι, καὶ ἑτέροις μοχθηρὸν ὑπόδειγμα ὄντες. Οὐκ ἔστι σοι εἰπεῖν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ὅτι Οὐκ ᾔδειν τὸ ἀγαθόν. Προαιρεταί σοι τὰ ἰδιά σου ζύγια, ἱκανὴν παρέχοντα τὴν διάκρισιν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος βάρη ταῖς ἐπὶ τῆς τρυτάνης βοπαῖς δοκιμάζομεν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ βίου ἐκλεκτὰ τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τῆς ψυχῆς διακρίνομεν, ὁ καὶ ζυγὸς ὠνόμασται, διὰ τὸ ἴσην δύνασθαι λαμβάνειν τὴν βοπὴν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα. Μὴ ζητῶν ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν, μήτε τῷ πλούτῳ πραστίθεσθε, μήτε αἱρεῖσθε τὴν ματαιότητα, μήτε τὸ, τῆς ψυχῆς κριτήριον διεφθαρμένον περιφέρετε, εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ κραταιός, καὶ ἐλεήμων ὑπάρχει. Φοβήθητε οὖν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ μὴ ἀπίχητε αὐτοῦ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας· πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν, ἀγαθὸς ὁ φόβος, πρὸς δὲ τὸν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ὤνθησάντα μὴ ἑαυτὸν προέσθαι διὰ τῆς ἀνελπιστίας, ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἐλπὶς τοῦ ἐλέους. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς καὶ εἰς τὰς τοῦ ψαλμοῦ φησὶν ὁ προφήτης πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· «Ὧν σὺ ἀποδώσεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.» Γὰρ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν. Πλήξας τὸν ἀδελφὸν; ἐκδέχου τὸ ἶσον. Ἥρπασας τὰ οὐχ ὑποδεεστέρων, κατεκονδύλησας πένητας, κατήσχυνας ἐν λοιδορίαις, ἐσυκοφάντησας, κατέψευσας, ὀριατέρων μετέθηκας, κτήμασιν ὀρφανῶν ἐπῆλθες, χεῖρας ἐξέθλιψας, τὴν παροῦσαν ἡδονὴν προετίμησας τῶν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἀγαθῶν· ἐκδέχου τούτων τὴν ἀντιμέτρησιν. Οἷα γὰρ σπείρει ἕκαστος, τοιαῦτα καὶ θερίσει. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ εἴ τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν πέπρακταί σοι, κἀκείνων ἐκδέχου πολλαπλασίους τὰς ἀποδόσεις. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ταύτης μεμνημένος παρὰ πάντα τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀποφάσεως, δυνήσῃ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διαφυγεῖν. Ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν ἤδη πρὸ ἡμῶν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐκδράσι πεπονημένων γράψας σοι διὰ τὸν προτρέποντα με πατριώτην σου Ἀντώνιον τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, νομίζω ὑπομεμνηκέναι σε τῶν συμφερόντων.