dost thou not sin with the ear? for thou hearest something that is bad with pleasure? How
great sins doth the deadly tongue commit! Yea, sometimes sins of such a nature, that a man
is separated from the altar for them. To the tongue pertains the whole matter of blasphemies,
and many idle words again are spoken, which are not convenient. But let the hand do
nothing wrong, let the feet run not to any evil, nor the eye be directed to immodesty; let not
the ear be open with pleasure to filthy talk; nor the tongue move to indecent speech; yet tell
me, who can restrain the thoughts? How often do we pray, my brethren, and our thoughts
are elsewhere, as though we forgot before whom we are standing, or before whom we are
prostrating ourselves! If all these things be collected together against us, will they not
therefore not overwhelm us, because they are small faults? What matter is it whether lead
or sand overwhelm us? The lead is all one mass, the sand is small grains, but by their great
number they overwhelm thee. So thy sins are small. Seest thou not how the rivers are filled,
and the lands are wasted by small drops? They are small, but they are many.
13. Let us therefore say every day; and say it in sincerity of heart, and do what we say,
“Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” It is an engagement, a covenant, an
agreement that we make with God. The Lord thy God saith to thee, Forgive, and I will forgive.
Thou hast not forgiven; thou retainest thy sins against thyself, not I. I pray thee, my dearly
beloved children, since I know what is expedient for you in the Lord’s Prayer, and most of
all in that sentence of it, “Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors;” hear me. Ye
are about to be baptized, forgive everything; whatsoever any man have in his heart against
any other, let him from his heart forgive it. So enter in, and be sure, that all your sins which
ye have contracted, whether from your birth of your parents after Adam with original sin,
for which sins’ sake ye run with babes to the Saviour’s grace, or whatever after sins ye have
contracted in your lives, by word, or deed, or thought, all are forgiven; and you will go out
of the water as from before the presence of your Lord, with the sure discharge of all debts.
14. Now because by reason of those daily sins of which I have spoken, it is necessary for
you to say, in that1997 daily prayer of cleansing as it were, “Forgive us our debts, as we also
forgive our debtors;” what will ye do? Ye have enemies. For who can live on this earth without
them? Take heed to yourselves, love them. In no way can thine enemy so hurt thee by his
violence, as thou dost hurt thyself if thou love him not. For he may injure thy estate, or
flocks, or house, or thy man-servant, or thy maid-servant, or thy son, or thy wife; or at most,
if such power be given him, thy body. But can he injure thy soul, as thou canst thyself? Reach
forward, dearly beloved, I beseech you, to this perfection. But have I given you this power?
He only hath given it to whom ye say, “Thy will be done as in heaven so in earth. Yet let it
not seem impossible to you. I know, I have known by experience, that there are Christian
men who do love their enemies. If it seem to you impossible, ye will not do it. Believe then
1997 Velut quotidiana mundatione istâ.
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On the Lord’s Prayer in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Chap. vi. 9, etc. to the …