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saying to thyself, “God hath promised me forgiveness, whenever I reform myself I am secure;
I read the divine Scripture, “In the day that the wicked man turneth away from his wicked-
ness, and doeth that which is lawful and right, I will forget all his iniquities.”2760 I am secure
then, whenever I reform myself, God will give me pardon for my evil deeds.” What can I
say to this? Shall I lift up my voice against God? Shall I say to God, Do not give him pardon?
Shall I say, This is not written, God hath not promised this? If I should say ought of this, I
should say falsely. Thou speakest well and truly; God hath promised pardon on thy
amendment, I cannot deny it; but tell me, I pray thee; see, I consent, I grant, I acknowledge
that God hath promised thee pardon, but who hath promised thee a to-morrow? Where
thou dost read to me that thou shalt receive pardon, if thou reform thyself; there read to me
how long thou hast to live. Thou dost confess, “I cannot read it there.” Thou knowest not
then how long thou hast to live. Reform thyself, and so be always ready. Be not afraid of the
last day, as a thief, who will break up thy house as thou sleepest; but awake and reform thyself
to-day. Why dost thou put it off till to-morrow? If thy life is to be a long one, let it be both
long and good. No one puts off a good dinner, because it is to be a long one, and dost thou
wish to have a long evil life? Surely if it is to be long, it will be all the better if it be good; if
it is to be short, it is well that its good be as long as possible.2761 But men neglect their life
to such a degree, as that they are unwilling to have anything bad except it. You buy a farm,
and you look out for a good one; you wish to marry a wife, you choose a good one; you wish
for the birth of children, and you long for good ones; you bargain for shoes, and you do not
wish for bad ones; and yet a bad life you2762 do love. How hath thy life offended thee, that
thou art willing to have it only bad; that amid all thy good things thou shouldest thyself
alone be evil?
15. So then, my Brethren, if I should wish to reprove any of you individually in secret,
perhaps he would listen to me. I reprove many of you now in public; all praise me; may
some give attentive heed to me! I have no love for him who praises me with his voice, and
with his heart despises me. For when thou dost praise, and not reform thyself, thou art a
witness against thyself. If thou art evil, and thou art pleased with what I say, be displeased
with thyself; because if thou art displeased with thyself as being evil, when thou dost reform,
thou wilt be well pleased with thyself, which if I mistake not I said the day before yesterday.
In all my words I set a mirror before you. Nor are they my words, but I speak at the bidding
of the Lord, by whose terrors I refrain from keeping silence. For who would not rather
choose to keep silence, and not to give account for you? But now I have undertaken the
burden, and I cannot, and I ought not to shake it off my shoulders. When the Epistle to the
2760 Ezek. xviii. 21, 22.
2761 Bene factum est, ut bona produceretur.
2762 Serm. xxii. (lxxii. Ben.) 5 (iv.).
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On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xviii. 15, ‘If thy brother sin against…