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of him, so that in doing something great, he may not think he is doing anything great. For when there is no friendship, we both reproach for our benefactions, and we exaggerate the small ones; but when there is friendship, we both hide them, and we wish to show the great ones as small, so that we may not seem to have the friend as a debtor, but to be ourselves debtors to him in having him as a debtor. I know that many do not even understand what is being said; and the reason is, I am speaking about a thing that now dwells in heaven. Just as, then, if I were to speak about some plant born in India, of which no one has had any experience, my speech would not have the power to represent it, even if I said a thousand things; so also now, whatever I say, I will speak in vain; for no one will be able to understand. This plant has been planted in heaven, having branches weighted not with pearls, but with a virtuous life, far sweeter than these. What pleasure do you wish to speak of? The shameful? The noble? But that of friendship surpasses them all, even if you speak of that of honey. For this becomes cloying; but a friend never does, as long as he is a friend, but rather the desire 62.406 increases, and such a pleasure never knows satiety. And a friend is sweeter than the present life; at any rate, many after the death of their friends have not wished to live any longer. With a friend one would gladly endure even exile, but without a friend one would not choose to live even in his own home; with a friend even poverty is bearable, but without him, both health and wealth are unbearable. Such a person has another self. I am choked because I am not able to speak by way of example; for truly I would have made known that what has been said is much less than what is needed. And these things are so here; but from God the reward for friendship is so great, that it cannot even be spoken of. He gives us a reward, that we may love one another; For "Love," he says, "and receive a reward," for a thing for which we owe a reward; "Pray," he says, "and receive a reward," for which we owe a reward, because we ask for good things; "For what you ask," he says, "receive a reward; fast, and receive a reward; become virtuous, and receive a reward," although you owe a reward; but just as fathers, when they have made their children virtuous, then also give them a reward; for they are debtors, because they have established them in pleasure; so also God says, "Receive a reward, if you become virtuous; for you gladden the father, and for this I owe you a reward; but if you are wicked, no longer; for you provoke the one who begot you." Let us not then provoke God, but gladden him, that we may attain the kingdom of heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, and what follows.

HOMILY 3. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for working night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the Gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and blameless and justly we behaved ourselves among you that believe, as you know, how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you should walk worthy of God, who has called you into his own kingdom and glory. a. A teacher should consider nothing burdensome of those things that contribute to the salvation of the disciples. For if the blessed Jacob was worn out night and day in guarding the flocks, much more must he who is entrusted with souls, whether the work be laborious or menial, do all things, looking to one thing only, the salvation of those being discipled, and the glory that comes from it to God. See, at any rate, how Paul, though a preacher and apostle of the world, and having undertaken so great an honor, worked with his hands so as not to be a burden to his disciples. For you remember,

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αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μέγα ποιῶν, μηδὲν μέγα δόξῃ ποιεῖν. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ μὴ ᾖ φιλία, καὶ ὀνειδίζομεν τὰς εὐεργεσίας, καὶ τὰς μικρὰς ἐπαίρομεν· ὅταν δὲ φιλία ᾖ, καὶ κρύπτομεν αὐτὰς, καὶ τὰς μεγάλας μικρὰς βουλόμεθα δεικνύναι, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν ὀφειλέτην ἔχειν τὸν φίλον, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ αὐτῷ ὀφειλέται εἶναι ἐν τῷ ὀφειλέτην ἔχειν αὐτόν. Οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲ συνιᾶσιν οἱ πολλοὶ τὸ λεγόμενον· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, περὶ πράγματος διαλέγομαι τὸν οὐρανὸν οἰκοῦντος νῦν. Ὥσπερ οὖν, εἰ περί τινος ἔλεγον φυτοῦ ἐν Ἰνδίᾳ τικτομένου, οὗ μηδεὶς μηδὲ πεῖραν ἔλαβεν, οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσεν ὁ λόγος παραστῆσαι, κἂν εἰ μυρία εἶπον· οὕτω καὶ νῦν ὅσα ἂν εἴπω, εἰκῆ ἐρῶ· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπιστῆναι δυνήσεται. Ἐν οὐρανῷ πεφύτευται τοῦτο τὸ φυτὸν, κλάδους ἔχον οὐ μαργαρίτας βριθομένους, ἀλλὰ βίον ἐνάρετον πολλῷ τούτων ἡδίω. Ποίαν βούλει εἰπεῖν ἡδονήν; τὴν αἰσχράν; τὴν σεμνήν; Ἀλλὰ πάσας ὑπερβάλλει ἡ τῆς φιλίας, κἂν τὴν τοῦ μέλιτος εἴπῃς. Τοῦτο γὰρ προσκορὲς γίνεται· φίλος δὲ οὐδέποτε, ἕως ἂν ᾖ φίλος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον αὔξεται ἡ ἐπιθυ 62.406 μία, καὶ κόρον οὐδέποτε ἡ τοιαύτη λαμβάνει ἡδονή. Καὶ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ὁ φίλος ἡδύτερος· πολλοὶ γοῦν μετὰ τὴν τῶν φίλων τελευτὴν οὐκ ηὔξαντο ζῆσαι λοιπόν. Μετὰ φίλου καὶ ὑπερορίαν τις ἡδέως ἂν ἐνέγκοι, χωρὶς δὲ φίλου οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ οἰκῆσαι ἕλοιτο ἄν· μετὰ φίλου καὶ πενία φορητὸν, τούτου δὲ ἄνευ, καὶ ὑγεία καὶ πλοῦτος ἀφόρητον. Ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄλλον ἑαυτὸν ἔχει. Ἀποπνίγομαι ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι ἐπὶ παραδείγματος εἰπεῖν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν ἐγνώρισα ὅτι πολλῷ ἐλάττονα τοῦ δέοντος τὰ εἰρημένα. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐνταῦθα· παρὰ δὲ Θεοῦ τοσοῦτος μισθὸς τῆς φιλίας, ὅσος οὐδὲ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Μισθὸν ἡμῖν δίδωσιν, ἵνα φιλῶμεν ἀλλήλους· Φίλει γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ λάβε μισθὸν, ὑπὲρ οὗ μισθὸν ὀφείλομεν πράγματος· Εὖξαι, φησὶ, καὶ λάβε μισθὸν, ὑπὲρ οὗ μισθὸν ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι αἰτοῦμεν τὰ ἀγαθά· Ὑπὲρ οὗ αἰτεῖς, φησὶ, λάβε μισθόν· νήστευσον, καὶ λάβε μισθόν· γενοῦ ἐνάρετος, καὶ λάβε μισθὸν, καίτοι μισθὸν ὀφείλων· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ πατέρες, ὅταν ἐναρέτους ποιήσωσι τοὺς παῖδας, τότε καὶ αὐτοῖς μισθὸν διδόασιν· ὀφειλέται γάρ εἰσιν, ὅτι αὐτοὺς ἐν ἡδονῇ κατέστησαν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, Μισθὸν, φησὶ, λάβε, ἂν ἐνάρετος γένῃ· εὐφραίνεις γὰρ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ τούτου σοι ὀφείλω μισθόν· ἂν δὲ κακὸς, οὐκέτι· παροξύνεις γὰρ τὸν γεννήσαντα. Μὴ δὴ παροξύνωμεν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' εὐφραίνωμεν, ἵνα τύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Γʹ. Μνημονεύετε γὰρ, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸν κόπον ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν μόχθον· νυκτὸς γὰρ καὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζό μενοι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαί τινα ὑμῶν, ἐκη ρύξαμεν εἰς ὑμᾶς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὑμεῖς μάρτυρες καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς ὁσίως καὶ ἀμέμπτως καὶ δικαίως ὑμῖν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐγενήθημεν, καθάπερ οἴδατε, ὡς ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν, ὡς πατὴρ τέκνα ἑαυτοῦ, παρακαλοῦντες ὑμᾶς καὶ παραμυθούμενοι, καὶ μαρτυρόμενοι εἰς τὸ περιπατῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν καὶ δόξαν. αʹ. Τὸν διδάσκαλον οὐδὲν ἐπαχθὲς χρὴ λογίζεσθαι τῶν εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν μαθητῶν συντεινόντων. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Ἰακὼβ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας κατεκόπτετο εἰς τὴν τῶν ποιμνίων φυλακὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν τὰς ψυχὰς ἐμπεπιστευμένον, κἂν ἐπίμοχθον ἔργον ᾖ, κἂν εὐτελὲς, πάντα δεῖ ποιεῖν, πρὸς ἓν ὁρῶντα μόνον, τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν μαθητευομένων, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν δόξαν γινομένην τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς καὶ ὁ Παῦλος κῆρυξ καὶ ἀπόστολος ὢν τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ τοιαύτην τιμὴν ἐπανῃρημένος, εἰργάζετο ταῖς χερσὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαι τοὺς μαθητευομένους. Μνημονεύετε γὰρ,