John Chrysostom, On "Having the same spirit"

noble and free children, having recognized their own worth, of their own accord went over to virtue without any fear and punishment; but all the rest of the Jews, since they inclined toward wickedness, needed the bridle of the law. When, for instance, they made the calf, and worshipped the graven image, then they heard: The Lord your God, the Lord is one; when they murdered, and corrupted the wives of their neighbors, then they heard, 51.287 You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, and all the other things likewise. 7. So it is not a charge against the law to bring on chastisement and punishment, and to discipline and correct them like thankless servants, but also a very great encomium, and no ordinary praise, that it was able through its own severity to deliver from their evil those who had fallen into such great wickedness, and to soften them and make them obedient to grace, and to lead them to the philosophy of the New. For the same Spirit ordered all things both in the Old and in the New, even if differently. For this reason Paul also said: But having the same Spirit of faith, according to what is written: I believed, therefore I spoke. But he did not say, The same Spirit, for this reason only, but also for another reason no less than the one mentioned, which I would wish to speak of now, but fearing lest you let slip what has been said, I will store this up for you for another discourse, for the time being exhorting you to remember all of this, and to keep it with exactness, and to add the virtue that comes from your conduct, and to weave it together with the purity of doctrines; So that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work; since there will be no profit for us from right doctrines, when our life is corrupt; just as there is no benefit from the best conduct, when faith is not sound. In order, therefore, that we may have the full benefit, let us secure ourselves on both sides, showing forth noble fruits in all other things, and among the others, almsgiving, about which I also previously spoke to you, performing it with much readiness and with much abundance. For he who sows sparingly, he says, will also reap sparingly; and he who sows in blessings, will also reap in blessings. What is, In blessings? With great abundance. Here then, in worldly matters, both the harvest and the sowing are of the same seeds; for he who sows puts down wheat or barley, or some other such thing, and he who reaps, reaps the same thing again; but in the case of almsgiving it is not so, but otherwise. For you put down silver, but you gather confidence before God; you give money, and you receive remission of sins; you provide bread and clothing, and in return for these the kingdom of heaven is prepared for you, and the countless good things, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man; indeed the chief of all good things, you become like God, according to human ability. For after speaking about almsgiving and loving-kindness, Christ added: That you may be like your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. You cannot make the sun rise, nor can you send showers, nor benefit so great a world; make use of the money you have for kindness, and you have become like him who makes the sun rise, as far as it is possible for a man to become like God. 8. Pay close attention to what has been said. On 51.288 the evil and the good, he says. You too, therefore, when you give alms, do not examine their life, nor demand an account of their conduct. For it is called almsgiving for this reason, that we may give also to the unworthy; for he who has mercy, has mercy not on the one who has done right, but on the one who has sinned; for the one who does right is worthy of praises and crowns; but the one who sins, of mercy and pardon. So that also

εὐγενεῖς παῖδες καὶ ἐλεύθεροι, τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιγνόντες ἀξίαν, χωρὶς φόβου τινὸς καὶ κολάσεως ηὐτομόλησαν πρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες Ἰουδαῖοι, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς κακίαν ἀπέκλιναν, τοῦ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἐδεήθησαν χαλινοῦ. Ὅτε γοῦν ἐποίησαν τὸν μόσχον, καὶ τὸ γλυπτὸν προσεκύνησαν, τότε ἤκουσαν· Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, Κύριος εἷς ἐστιν· ὅτε ἐφόνευσαν, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν πλησίον διέφθειραν, τότε ἤκουσαν, 51.287 Οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ πάντα ὁμοίως. ζʹ. Ὥστε οὐκ ἔγκλημα τοῦ νόμου τὸ κόλασιν ἐπάγειν καὶ τιμωρίαν, καὶ καθάπερ οἰκέτας ἀγνώμονας παιδεύειν καὶ σωφρονίζειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγκώμιον μέγιστον, καὶ οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν ἔπαινος, ὅτι τοὺς πρὸς τοσαύτην κατενεχθέντας κακίαν ἠδυνήθη διὰ τῆς οἰκείας σφοδρότητος ἀπαλλάξαι τῆς πονηρίας, μαλάξαι τε καὶ ποιῆσαι καταπειθεῖς τῇ χάριτι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς Καινῆς ὁδηγῆσαι φιλοσοφίαν. Τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ πάντα ᾠκονόμει, εἰ καὶ διαφόρως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἔλεγε, Τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἑτέραν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐλάττονα τῆς εἰρημένης, ἣν ἐβουλόμην μὲν νῦν εἰπεῖν, δεδοικὼς δὲ μὴ τὰ εἰρημένα ἐκβλύσητε, εἰς ἑτέραν ὑμῖν διάλεξιν ταύτην ταμιεύσομαι, τέως ταύτης μεμνῆσθαι πάσης παρακαλέσας ὑμᾶς, καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας φυλάττειν αὐτὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας ἀρετὴν προστιθέναι, καὶ τῇ τῶν δογμάτων συνυφαίνειν αὐτὴν καθαρότητι· Ἵνα ἄρτιος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος· ἐπεὶ κέρδος οὐδὲν ἔσται ἡμῖν τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων, ὅταν ὁ βίος διεφθαρμένος ᾖ· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ πολιτείας ἀρίστης ὄφελος, πίστεως οὐκ οὔσης ὑγιοῦς. Ἵνα οὖν ἀπηρτισμένην ἔχωμεν τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ἑκατέρωθεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀσφαλιζώμεθα, ἔν τε τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι καρποὺς ἐπιδεικνύμενοι γενναίους, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, περὶ ἧς καὶ πρώην ὑμῖν διελέχθην, μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν τῆς προθυμίας, μετὰ πολλῆς δὲ αὐτὴν ἐπιτελοῦντες τῆς δαψιλείας. Ὁ γὰρ σπείρων φειδομένως, φησὶ, φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει· καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις, ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπ' εὐλογίαις; Μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀφθονίας. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων καὶ ὁ ἀμητὸς καὶ ὁ σπόρος τῶν αὐτῶν ἐστι σπερμάτων· καὶ γὰρ ὁ σπείρων, πυρὸν ἢ κριθὰς καταβάλλει, ἢ καὶ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ ὁ θερίζων τὸ αὐτὸ θερίζει πάλιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ ἑτέρως. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ καταβάλλεις ἀργύριον, συλλέγεις δὲ παῤῥησίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· δίδως χρήματα, καὶ λαμβάνεις ἁμαρτημάτων λύσιν· παρέχεις ἄρτον καὶ ἱμάτιον, καὶ ἀντὶ τούτων σοι ἡ τῶν οὐρανῶν εὐτρεπίζεται βασιλεία, καὶ τὰ μυρία ἀγαθὰ, ἃ μήτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε, μήτε οὖς ἤκουσε, μήτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη· τὸ δὴ πάντων κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὅμοιος γίνῃ τῷ Θεῷ, κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην. Περὶ γὰρ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ φιλανθρωπίας διαλεχθεὶς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅπως γένησθε ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Οὐ δύνασαι ἀνατεῖλαι ἥλιον, οὐδὲ ὄμβρους ἀφεῖναι σὺ, οὐδὲ οἰκουμένην εὐεργετῆσαι τοσαύτην· τοῖς οὖσι χρήμασιν ἀπόχρησαι πρὸς τὴν φιλοφροσύνην, καὶ γέγονας ὅμοιος τῷ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντι, ὡς ἄνθρωπον ὅμοιον Θεῷ γενέσθαι δυνατόν. ηʹ. Προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοῖς εἰρημένοις. Ἐπὶ 51.288 πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, φησί. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅτε ἐλεημοσύνην ποιεῖς, μὴ βίον ἐξετάσῃς, μηδὲ τρόπων εὐθύνας ἀπαίτει. Ἐλεημοσύνη γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ἀναξίοις παρέχωμεν· ὁ γὰρ ἐλεῶν, οὐ τὸν κατωρθωκότα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα ἐλεεῖ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ κατορθῶν, ἐπαίνων ἄξιος καὶ στεφάνων ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ ἁμαρτάνων, ἐλέου καὶ συγγνώμης. Ὥστε καὶ