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To say the same things is not tedious for me, but for you it is safe. But if Paul needed continuous teaching for his disciples, Paul who taught with the grace of the Spirit, and drove out enemies with a command, and removed the sufferings of all, Paul who was honored, whom all heard as an angel descending from heaven, or rather as Christ Himself; if, therefore, he needed to say the same things continuously, how much more so we who are of no account. For indeed it is safe for you to hear often about the same things, and not only about the same things, but also the same things about the same things. Let no one, then, be annoyed, nor think himself troubled 50.760 by us, if we are about to say the same things again concerning the same subject. For if one could be confident that after hearing once you put away the sickness of the soul, certainly it would not be right to stop even so, but it would be right to speak still about the same things, so as to make your health permanent and firm, and to make you hard to overcome so that you do not fall into the same deeds again. But since we suspect there are still some remnants of evil among our listeners, continuous exhortation from us concerning these things is necessary and reasonable. For today it is necessary to say how we might escape. How then might we escape? First, by prayers, and by communion with God, and second, by pious reasonings. For if you see what 50.761 the future things are, and what the present things are, and you cast the right vote concerning each, this evil will never touch your soul. Therefore when you see someone who is rich undeservedly, do not call him blessed, do not consider him enviable, do not condemn the providence of God, do not think that present affairs are carried on in vain and at random, because so-and-so is rich undeservedly. Remember Lazarus and the rich man, how the one had arrived at the extreme of wealth and luxury, being cruel and harsh and inhuman and wilder than the dogs themselves; since they pitied and tended to the poor man, not hesitating to touch with their tongue the sores all over his body, while he did not even share crumbs with him. Consider then how he himself had arrived at the extreme of wealth, while that poor man who was truly rich, who was truly wealthy, fell into the very extremity of poverty, and lacked even necessary food, struggling with constant sickness and hunger. And the one had less than he needed, while the other did not enjoy even moderation. But nevertheless he was not annoyed, he did not utter an impious word, he did not accuse God, he did not blame providence, he did not attribute what happened to fate, he did not say to anyone, nor even to himself: I, though having done no particular evil, pay so great a penalty, and endure the ultimate punishment, wasting away with hunger, consumed by a most grievous disease, being spent little by little and being disfigured; while this man is rich, and lives luxuriously, feasting on the misfortunes of others, he who revels in my evils; and God has made the inhuman, and merciless, and cruel and stony-hearted man master of so much wealth, but me, who have not provoked even with mere words, he has allowed to be worn out by so many toils. How are these things worthy of righteous judgment? How are these things worthy of providence and care for us? He said none of these things. How then is it not absurd, when those who are suffering evils themselves thus bless the Master in all things, but you who stand outside the struggles blaspheme God on account of these things, for which others are thankful? For the one who suffers terribly, even if he says some burdensome and offensive word, though he does not have as much as another, yet he partakes of at least some lesser forgiveness; but the one standing outside the terrible things, and destroying his own soul on account of others, of what forgiveness would he be worthy, blaspheming God for these things for which the one who suffered evil gives thanks, and always praising him does not

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Τὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Εἰ δὲ Παύλῳ συνεχοῦς ἔδει διδασκαλίας πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς, Παύλῳ τῷ μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος διδάσκοντι χάριτος, καὶ μετὰ ἐπιτάγματος ἐλαύνοντι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, καὶ πάντων ἀναιροῦντι τὰ παθήματα, Παύλῳ τῷ τιμωμένῳ, οὗ πάντες ἤκουον ὡς ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἀγγέλου καταβάντος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· εἰ τοίνυν ἐκείνῳ χρεία ἦν τοῦ συνεχῶς τὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν τοῖς οὐδενὸς ἀξίοις λόγου. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως ἀσφαλὲς τὸ πολλάκις ὑμῖν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀκούειν, καὶ οὐ μόνον τὸ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τὰ αὐτὰ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν. Μὴ δὴ δυσχεραινέτω τις, μηδὲ ἐνοχλεῖσθαι νο 50.760 μιζέτω παρ' ἡμῶν, εἰ περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως μέλλοιμεν τὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν πάλιν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν θαρσῆσαι, ὅτι ἅπαξ ἀκούσαντες ἀποτίθεσθε τὸ νόσημα τῆς ψυχῆς, μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀποστῆναι ἐχρῆν, ἀλλ' ἔτι περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν λέγειν ἐχρῆν, ὥστε μόνιμον ὑμῖν καὶ βεβαίαν ποιῆσαι τὴν ὑγίειαν, καὶ δυσχειρώτους πρὸς τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς μὴ περιπεσεῖν πάλιν ἔργοις. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑποπτεύομεν εἶναι ἔτι λείψανά τινα τοῦ κακοῦ παρὰ τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς, ἀναγκαία καὶ κατὰ λόγον ἡμῖν ἡ συνεχὴς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐστὶ παραίνεσις. Τήμερον γὰρ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν πῶς ἂν ἐκφύγοιμεν. Πῶς οὖν ἐκφύγοιμεν ἄν; Πρῶτον μὲν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁμιλίᾳ, δεύτερον δὲ, λογισμοῖς εὐσεβέσιν. Ἂν γὰρ ἴδῃς τίνα μὲν 50.761 τὰ μέλλοντα, τίνα δὲ τὰ παρόντα, καὶ τὴν ὀρθὴν περὶ ἑκατέρων ψῆφον ἐνέγκῃς, οὐδέποτέ σου τῆς ψυχῆς ἅψεται τοῦτο τὸ κακόν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς πλουτοῦντά τινα παρ' ἀξίαν, μὴ μακαρίσῃς, μὴ ζηλωτὸν νομίσῃς, μὴ καταγνῷς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, μὴ μάτην φέρεσθαι καὶ εἰκῇ τὰ παρόντα νόμιζε, ἐπειδὴ ὁ δεῖνα πλουτεῖ παρ' ἀξίαν. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ Λαζάρου καὶ τοῦ πλουσίου, πῶς ὁ μὲν πρὸς ἄκρον εὐπορίας ἐληλάκει καὶ τρυφῆς, ὠμὸς ὢν καὶ ἀπηνὴς καὶ ἀπάνθρωπος καὶ κυνῶν αὐτῶν ἀγριώτερος· εἴ γε οἱ μὲν τὸν πένητα ἠλέουν καὶ ἐθεράπευον, οὐκ ὀκνοῦντες τῇ γλώττῃ ἅψασθαι τῶν ἑλκῶν τῶν κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος, ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ ψιχίων αὐτῷ μετεδίδου. Ἐννόησον οὖν πῶς αὐτὸς μὲν πρὸς ἄκρον εὐπορίας ἐληλάκει, ὁ δὲ πένης ἐκεῖνος ὁ ὄντως πλούσιος, ὁ ὄντως εὔπορος, εἰς αὐτὸ τῆς πενίας τὸ ἔσχατον κατέπεσε, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀναγκαίας ἠπόρει τροφῆς, καὶ νόσῳ καὶ λιμῷ διηνεκεῖ παλαίων. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἥττω τῆς χρείας εἶχεν, ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ τῆς συμμετρίας ἀπήλαυεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐδυσχέραινεν, οὐκ ἐφθέγξατο ῥῆμα ἀσεβὲς, οὐ κατηγόρησε τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐμέμψατο τὴν πρόνοιαν, οὐκ ἀνέθηκεν εἱμαρμένῃ τὰ γεγενημένα, οὐκ εἶπε πρός τινα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πρὸς ἑαυτόν· ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν ποιήσας κακὸν εἰδικῶς, τοσαύτην τίνω δίκην, καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑπομένω τιμωρίαν, λιμῷ τηκόμενος, δαπανώμενος νόσῳ χαλεπωτάτῃ, κατὰ μικρὸν ἀναλισκόμενος καὶ ἀσχημονῶν· οὗτος δὲ πλουτεῖ, καὶ τρυφᾷ ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις ἐνδιαιτώμενος συμφοραῖς, ὁ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐμπαροινῶν κακοῖς· καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀπάνθρωπον, καὶ ἀνηλεῆ, καὶ ὠμὸν καὶ λίθινον τοσούτων ἐποίησε χρημάτων κύριον ὁ Θεὸς, ἐμὲ δὲ τὸν οὐδὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων ψιλῶν παροξύναντα ἀφῆκε κατατείνεσθαι πόνοις τοσούτοις. Ποῦ ταῦτα δικαιοκρισίας ἄξια; ποῦ ταῦτα προνοίας καὶ κηδεμονίας τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν; Οὐδὲν τούτων οὐκ εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, ὅταν αὐτοὶ μὲν οἱ πάσχοντες κακῶς οὕτω τὸν ∆εσπότην εὐλογῶσιν ἐν πᾶσι, σὺ δὲ ὁ τῶν παλαισμάτων ἑστηκὼς ἔξω, ὑπὲρ τούτων βλασφημῇς τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὲρ ὧν εὐχαρίστως ἕτεροι ἔχουσιν; Ὁ μὲν πάσχων δεινῶς, κἂν εἴπῃ τι ῥῆμα φορτικὸν καὶ ἐπαχθὲς, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοσαύτης ὅσης ἕτερος, ἀλλ' ὅμως γε καὶ ἐλάττονος μετέχει συγγνώμης· ὁ δὲ ἔξω τῶν δεινῶν ἑστὼς, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπολλὺς, ποίας ἂν εἴη συγγνώμης ἄξιος, ὑπὲρ τούτων βλασφημῶν τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ παθὼν κακῶς εὐχαριστεῖ, καὶ διὰ παντὸς αὐτὸν ἀνυμνῶν οὐκ