similis est? Dies autem ipsi properantes transeunt: quia hodiernus dies hesternum exclusit: crastinus ideo nascitur, ut excludat hodiernum. Ipsi dies non stant: tu quare cum illis vis stare? Desiderium ergo vestrum, quo vultis vitam et dies bonos, non solum non reprimo, sed etiam vehementius accendo. Prorsus quaerite vitam, quaerite dies bonos: sed ubi possunt inveniri, ibi quaerantur.
like death? But the days themselves pass away in their hurry: for today has shut out yesterday; tomorrow is born for this, to shut out today. The days themselves do not stand still: why do you want to stand still with them? Your desire, then, by which you want life and good days, I not only do not repress, but I even kindle it more vehemently. By all means seek life, seek good days: but let them be sought where they can be found.
CAPUT VI.—6. Quid agendum ut obtineantur dies boni. Vita, et dies boni. Vultis enim audire mecum consilium ejus, qui novit ubi sint dies boni, et ubi sit vita? Audite non a me, sed mecum simul. Ait enim nobis quidam: Venite, filii, audite me. Et concurramus, et stemus, et aures arrigamus, et corde intelligamus Patrem qui dixit, Venite, filii, audite me; timorem, inquit, Domini docebo vos. Et quam rem vult docere, et cui rei utilis est timor Domini, sequitur: Quis est homo qui vult vitam, et diligit videre dies bonos? Respondemus omnes, Nos volumus. Quod sequitur audiamus. Cohibe linguam tuam a malo, et labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Modo dic, Ego. Jamdudum quando dicebam, Quis est homo qui vult vitam, et diligit videre dies bonos? omnes respondebamus, Ego. Eia respondeat mihi aliquis, Ego. Ergo, Cohibe linguam tuam a malo, et labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Dic modo, Ego. Ergo dies bonos et vitam vis, cohibere linguam tuam a malo non vis, et labia tua ne loquantur dolum? Ad mercedem alacer, ad opus piger. Et cui non operanti redditur merces? Utinam in domo tua vel operanti mercedem reddas. Nam scio quia non operanti non reddis. Quare? Quia nihil operanti nihil debes. Et Deus proposuit mercedem. Quam mercedem? Vitam et dies bonos, quam omnes desideramus, et ad quos dies omnes venire conamur. Promissam mercedem daturus est. Quam mercedem? Vitam et dies bonos. Et qui sunt dies boni? Vita sine fine, requies sine labore.
Chapter VI.—6. What must be done that good days may be obtained. Life, and good days. For do you want to hear with me the counsel of him who knows where the good days are, and where life is? Listen, not from me, but together with me. For a certain one says to us: Come, children, hear me. Let us both run together, and stand, and prick up our ears, and understand with the heart the Father who said, Come, children, hear me; the fear, he says, of the Lord I will teach you. And what thing he wants to teach, and for what thing the fear of the Lord is useful, follows: Who is the man who wants life, and loves to see good days? We all answer, We want [it]. Let us hear what follows. Restrain your tongue from evil, and let your lips not speak deceit. Now say, I. A little while ago, when I was saying, Who is the man who wants life, and loves to see good days? we were all answering, I. Come, let someone answer me, I. Then: Restrain your tongue from evil, and let your lips not speak deceit. Say now, I. So you want good days and life, [yet] you do not want to restrain your tongue from evil, and [to see to it] that your lips do not speak deceit? Eager for the wage, sluggish for the work. And to whom is a wage paid when he does not work? Would that in your own house you paid a wage at least to one who works. For I know that to one who does not work you do not pay it. Why? Because to one who does nothing you owe nothing. And God has set forth a wage. What wage? Life and good days, which we all desire, and to which days we all strive to come. He is going to give the promised wage. What wage? Life and good days. And what are good days? Life without end, rest without labour.
CAPUT VII.—7. Lingua cohibenda. Magnam mercedem proposuit: in tanta proposita mercede, videamus quid jussit. Jam enim mercede tantae pollicitationis et amore mercedis accensi, paremus jussioni ejus vires nostras, latera, lacertos. Quasi jussurus est onera grandia nos portare, forte aliquid fodere, forte aliquam machinam erigere? Non tibi jussit rem laboriosam, sed membrum quod inter omnia membra cito moves, ipsum tibi praecepit cohibere: Cohibe linguam tuam a malo. Non est labor erigere fabricam; et labor est tenere linguam? Cohibe linguam tuam a malo. Noli loqui mendacium, noli loqui criminationes, noli loqui calumnias, noli loqui falsa testimonia, noli loqui blasphemias: Cohibe linguam tuam a malo. Vide quomodo irasceris, si quis de te male loquatur. Quomodo irasceris alteri, quando de te male loquitur: sic irascere tibi, quando de altero male loqueris. Labia tua ne loquantur dolum. Quod est intus in corde tuo, hoc dicatur foris. Non aliud pectus tegat, et aliud lingua proferat. Declina a malo, et fac bonum. Nam quomodo dicturus sum ei, Vesti nudum, qui adhuc vult spoliare vestitum? Nam qui premit civem suum, quomodo
Chapter VII.—7. The tongue must be restrained. He has set forth a great wage: with so great a wage set forth, let us see what He has commanded. For already, kindled by the wage of so great a promise and by love of the wage, let us make ready for His command our strength, our sides, our arms. As if He were going to command us to carry great burdens, perhaps to dig something, perhaps to erect some machine? He has not commanded you a laborious thing, but the member which among all the members you move quickly, that very one He has instructed you to restrain: Restrain your tongue from evil. It is no labour to erect a building; and is it a labour to hold the tongue? Restrain your tongue from evil. Do not speak a lie, do not speak accusations, do not speak calumnies, do not speak false testimonies, do not speak blasphemies: Restrain your tongue from evil. See how you grow angry if anyone speaks ill of you. Just as you grow angry with another when he speaks ill of you, so be angry with yourself when you speak ill of another. Let your lips not speak deceit. What is within, in your heart, let that be spoken outside. Let not the breast hide one thing and the tongue bring forth another. Turn aside from evil, and do good. For how am I to say to him, Clothe the naked, who still wants to strip the clothed? For he who oppresses his fellow citizen, how