lesser sins be despised. Through narrow chinks in the ship the water oozes in,2073 the hold keeps filling, and if it be disregarded the ship is sunk. But the sailors are not idle; their hands are active,2074—active that the water may be drained off from day to day. So be thy hands active, that thou mayest pump from day to day. What is the meaning of “be thy hands active”? Let them give, do good works, so be thy hands engaged. “Break thy bread to the hungry, and bring the poor and houseless into thine house; if thou seest the naked, clothe him.”2075 Do all thou canst, do it with the means thou canst command, do it cheerfully, and so put up thy prayer with confidence. It will have two wings, a double alms. What is “a double alms”? “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto you.”2076 The one alms is that which is done from the heart, when thou forgivest thy brother his sin. The other alms is that which is done out of thy substance, when thou dealest bread to the poor. Offer both, lest without either wing thy prayer remain motionless. 11. Therefore when we have said, “Lead us not into temptation,” there follows, “But deliver us from evil.” Now whoso wishes to be delivered from evil, bears witness that he is 288 in evil. And thus saith the Apostle, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”2077 But who is there “that wisheth for life, and loveth to see good days”?2078 Seeing that all men in this flesh have only evil days; who doth not wish it? Do thou what follows, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips that they speak no guile: depart from evil, and do good, seek peace, and ensue it;”2079 and then thou hast got rid of evil days, and thy prayer, “deliver us from evil,” is fulfilled. 12. Therefore the three first petitions, “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth,” are for eternity. But the four following relate to this life, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Shall we ask day by day for daily bread, when we shall have come to that fulness of blessing? “Forgive us our debts.” Shall we say this in that kingdom, when we shall have no debts? “Lead us not into temptation.” Shall we be able to say this then, when there will be no temptation? “Deliver us from evil.” Shall we say this, when there shall be nothing from which to be delivered? Therefore these four are necessary, because of our daily life, but the three first in reference to the life eternal. But all things let us ask, with a view of attaining to that life, and let us pray here, that we be not separated from it. Every day must this prayer be said by you, when you are baptized. For the Lord’s 2073 Insudat aqua. 2074 Ambulant. 2075 Isa. lviii. 7, Sept. 2076 Luke vi. 37, 38. 2077 Eph. v. 16. 2078 Ps. xxxiv. 12. 2079 Ps. xxxiv. 13, 14. 610 Again on the Lord’s Prayer, Matt. vi. To the Competentes.