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inhabiting one world, let us so often visit one another, and each one, by easily sharing what he has with his neighbor, may he receive what is from him, and possessing a small part of the earth, as if 47.419 he were lord of all, he may enjoy the good things that happen everywhere; just as at a rich table it is possible for each of the guests, having given what was set before him to the one reclining far off, to receive in return what lies beside that one, merely by stretching out his hand. But if anyone should attempt to go through all the other things in his discourse, he will fall into an unspeakable length, and will not even touch upon a small part; for how can he, being a man, attempt to measure the infinite wisdom of God? For consider for a moment the differences of plants, of the fruit-bearing, of the barren, of those in deserts, of those throughout the world, of those in mountains, of those in plains; see the variety in seeds, in herbs, in flowers, in land animals, in amphibians, in swimming creatures; consider that all things seen are for us, heaven, earth, sea, all things in them. For just as someone having built for himself a splendid palace, glistening with much gold, and shining with the great gleam of stones, so God, having fashioned the world, brought in man to reign over all things in it. And what is much more wonderful, having constructed the roof of this house not from stones, but having put it together from another, more precious material, and having lit not the flame of a golden lamp, but from above He commanded the torches to run across the ceiling of this house, so that it might be not only useful, but also a great pleasure to us; and the floor He sent forth in place of a costly table. And these things He provided to him who had as yet shown nothing good. But nevertheless, after so great a gift, when he became ungrateful toward his benefactor, He did not even so deprive him of honor, but casting him out of paradise only, by this He punishes him, preventing his ingratitude from proceeding further, and checking his inclination toward what is worse. The Apostle, therefore, reasoning on all these things, and more than these, since he was moved by the divine Spirit, both the things from the beginning, and the things of each day, and the things done for each one, and the things done for all in common, both openly, and the things in secret being much more numerous than the open ones, and further the things concerning the economy of the only-begotten Son of God, and the good things to come, and simply looking around at all things, and from all sides gathering the unspeakable love of God, and understanding it, as if falling into a vast ocean, so he learned for how many and how great things he was responsible, and that he had not paid back even the smallest part. For this reason indeed he uttered these things, and he examined the small sins with much exactness, but his good deeds he consigned to oblivion. But not so we, who of our transgressions, though they be many and great, take neither account nor memory; but if we achieve some small good deed, this we turn over and over, and we do not cease exulting 47.420 and being puffed up, until we have emptied even that small thing through our arrogance. David also, considering these things, said: What is man, that you are mindful of him? And not only this, but also accusing him of his ingratitude, he says, Man, being in honor, did not understand; he is compared to the senseless beasts, and is like them.

6. This is characteristic of a grateful servant, to make his own the benefits done to the community, and as being a debtor for the whole, to be anxious and concerned. Which is what Paul also did—for it is good to mention him again—saying that the Lord had died for him: For what I now live, he says, in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

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ἕνα τὴν οἰκουμένην οἰκοῦντες, οὕτω θαμινὰ παρ' ἀλλήλους βαδίζωμεν, καὶ τῶν παρ' ἑαυτῷ ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον μεταδιδοὺς εὐκόλως, ἀντιλαμβάνῃ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνου, καὶ μικρὸν τῆς γῆς μέρος κατέχων, ὥσπερ 47.419 ἁπάσης κύριος ὢν, τῶν πανταχοῦ γινομένων ἀπολαύῃ καλῶν· καθάπερ ἐπὶ τραπέζης πλουσίας ἑκάστῳ τῶν δαιτυμόνων τὸ παρατεθειμένον αὐτῷ δόντι τῷ πόῤῥωθεν κατακειμένῳ, τὸ παρ' ἐκείνῳ κείμενον ἀντιλαβεῖν ἔξεστι τὴν χεῖρα μόνον ἐκτείναντα. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἐπελθεῖν ἐπιχειρήσειε τῷ λόγῳ, εἰς ἄφατον ἐκπεσεῖται μῆκος, καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἐπελεύσεται μέρος· πῶς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ὢν καὶ τὴν ἄπειρον τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἀναμετρεῖν ἐπιχειρῶν; Ἐννόησον γὰρ τέως τὰς τῶν φυτῶν διαφορὰς, τῶν καρποφόρων, τῶν ἀκάρπων, τῶν ἐν ἐρήμοις, τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην, τῶν ἐν ὄρεσι, τῶν ἐν πεδίοις· ἴδε τὴν ἐν τοῖς σπέρμασι ποικιλίαν, τὴν ἐν ταῖς βοτάναις, τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἄνθεσι, τὴν ἐν τοῖς ζώοις τοῖς χερσαίοις, τοῖς ἀμφιβίοις, τοῖς νηκτοῖς· ἐννόησον ὅτι τὰ ὁρώμενα ἅπαντα δι' ἡμᾶς, οὐρανὸς, γῆ, θάλασσα, τὰ ἐν τούτοις ἅπαντα. Καθάπερ γάρ τις βασίλεια ἑαυτῷ λαμπρὰ κατασκευάσας, πολλῷ μὲν ἀποστίλβοντα τῷ χρυσῷ, πολλῇ δὲ λάμποντα τῇ τῶν λίθων αἴγλῃ, οὕτω τὸν κόσμον τεκτηνάμενος ὁ Θεὸς ἤγαγε τὸν ἄνθρωπον βασιλεύοντα πάντων τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ. Καὶ τὸ πολλῷ θαυμασιώτερον, τούτου τοῦ οἴκου οὐκ ἀπὸ λίθων κατασκευάσας τὸν ὄροφον, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτέρας ὕλης τιμιωτέρας αὐτὸν συμπηξάμενος, οὐδὲ λυχνίας χρυσῆς φλόγα ἀνάψας, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν τὰς λαμπάδας ἀφεὶς διατρέχειν τούτου τοῦ οἴκου τὴν στέγην ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς μὴ χρήσιμον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν ἡμῖν εἶναι τὴν ἡδονήν· τὸ δὲ ἔδαφος ἀντὶ τραπέζης ἀνῆκε πολυτελοῦς. Καὶ ταῦτα παρέσχε τῷ μηδὲν οὐδέπω ἐπιδειξαμένῳ καλόν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην δωρεὰν ἀγνώμονα περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γενόμενον, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐστέρησε τῆς τιμῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκβαλὼν μόνον τοῦ παραδείσου, τούτῳ κολάζει, περαιτέρω προβῆναι τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην κωλύων, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀναστέλλων ῥοπήν. Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα ἀναλογιζόμενος ὁ Ἀπόστολος, καὶ τούτων πλείονα, ἅτε Πνεύματι θείῳ κινούμενος, τά τε ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τά τε καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, τά τε εἰς ἕνα ἕκαστον, τά τε εἰς ἅπαντα κοινῇ γινόμενα, καὶ τὰ φανερῶς. καὶ τὰ λάθρα πολλῷ πλείονα ὄντα τῶν φανερῶν, καὶ ἔτι τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ἀγαθὰ, καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς περισκοπῶν, καὶ πανταχόθεν συλλέγων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἄφραστον ἀγάπην, καὶ ἐννοήσας, ὥσπερ εἰς πέλαγος ἐμπεσὼν ἀχανὲς, οὕτως ἐμάνθανεν ὅσων καὶ ἡλίκων ὑπεύθυνος ἦν, οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν ἀποδεδώκει μέρος. ∆ιὸ δὴ ταῦτα ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ τὰ μὲν μικρὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μετὰ πολλῆς ἐξήταζε τῆς ἀκριβείας, τὰ δὲ κατορθώματα λήθῃ παρέπεμπεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμεῖς, οἳ τῶν μὲν πλημμελημάτων, καὶ πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μεγάλων, οὔτε λόγον, οὔτε μνήμην ποιούμεθα· ἂν δέ τι μικρὸν κατορθώσωμεν, τοῦτο ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρέφομεν, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀφιστάμεθα γαυρούμενοι 47.420 καὶ φυσώμενοι, ἕως ἂν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ μικρὸν διὰ τῆς ἀλαζονείας κενώσωμεν. Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ σκοπῶν ἔλεγε· Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ; Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης αὐτοῦ κατηγορῶν, Ἄνθρωπος, φησὶν, ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς.

ςʹ. Τοῦτο οἰκέτου εὐγνώμονος, τὰς εἰς τὸ κοινὸν εὐεργεσίας ἰδιοποιεῖσθαι, καὶ ὡς τοῦ παντὸς ὀφειλέτην ὄντα, φροντίζειν καὶ μεριμνᾷν. Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐποίησε καλὸν γὰρ πάλιν αὐτοῦ μνημονεῦσαι, δι' αὐτὸν λέγων τεθνηκέναι τὸν Κύριον· Ὃ γὰρ νῦν ζῶ, φησὶν, ἐν σαρκὶ, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.