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By this we shall imitate God, if we provide even for the wicked. For consider how many who inhabit the world are blasphemers, defiled, sorcerers, filled with all wickedness; but God feeds even these every day, teaching us to extend kindness to all. But we do the exact opposite; for we not only turn away from wicked or worthless men, but even if someone in good health approaches us, whether through reasonableness, or through liberality, or perhaps even through idleness (for I grant this too), living in poverty, heaping up reproaches, insults, countless jests against him, we send him away with empty hands, reproaching his health, bringing up his idleness, demanding an account. For were you commanded this, O man, to simply accuse and rebuke those in need? God commanded to have mercy and to correct their poverty, not to demand an account and to insult. But do you want to correct his character, and lead him away from idleness, and put the idle man to work? Give first, and then rebuke, so that you may not get a suspicion of cruelty, being accused of harshness, but a reputation for care. For the poor man turns away from, and is disgusted with, and cannot even bear to see the one who does not give, but only accuses; and quite reasonably so. For he believes the accusations are made not out of care, but from an unwillingness to give; which is indeed true. But he who accuses after giving makes the exhortation easy to accept; for he makes the rebuke not from inhumanity, but from care. Thus also Paul did; for having said, *If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat*, he adds, saying: *But you, do not grow weary in doing good*. And yet these commands seem to be contradictory. For if the idle ought not to eat, how do you command them to do good to these? But it is not a contradiction; far from it. For this reason, he says, I said, *If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat*, not that I might lead away those who are about to give from almsgiving, but that I might lead away those living in idleness from idleness. Therefore, to say, *Let him not eat*, rouses those to work, by the fear of the threat; but to say, *Do not grow weary in doing good*, stimulates these to almsgiving by the usefulness of the exhortation. For lest some, having heard the threat made against those people, should close their hands, he summons them to kindness, saying: *Do not grow weary in doing good*. So that even if you give to an idle person, you have done a good thing. 9. This he also made clear in what follows. For having said, *If anyone does not obey our word through this letter, take note of that person, and do not associate with him*; and having cut him off from the sacred fold, he again joins him in another way, reconciling and bringing together the minds of those who cut him off; ep 51.289 for he added, saying: *Do not*, he says, *regard him as an enemy, but as a brother*. Just as, therefore, having said, *If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat*, he commanded the masters to take much care of them again; so also here, having said, *Do not associate with him*, he did not remove the hearers from their care for him, but strongly urged them to take hold of him, adding and saying, *And do not regard him as an enemy, but as a brother*. You were separated from his company, but do not be separated from his care; you have cut him off from the assembly, do not cut him off from love. For I commanded this very thing to be done out of love, that by the separation he might become better, and return to the body for the future; since fathers also cast their children out of their own house, not that they may remain outside forever, but that by being cast out of the house they might become more sober-minded, and return to the house again. Therefore, what has been said is sufficient for those who accuse of idleness. But since there is also another argument, practiced by many for a defense, full of inhumanity and cruelty, it is necessary also

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κατὰ τοῦτο μιμησόμεθα τὸν Θεὸν, ἐὰν καὶ πονηροῖς παρέχωμεν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὅσοι τὴν οἰκουμένην οἰκοῦσι βλάσφημοι, μιαροὶ, γόητες, πάσης ἐμπεπλησμένοι κακίας· ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτους καθ' ἑκάστην τρέφει τὴν ἡμέραν ὁ Θεὸς, ἡμᾶς παιδεύων τὴν φιλοφροσύνην ἐπὶ πάντας ἐκτείνειν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἅπαν τοὐναντίον ποιοῦμεν· οὐ γὰρ πονηροὺς, οὐδὲ φαύλους ἀνθρώπους ἀποστρεφόμεθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ κἂν ὑγιαίνων τις ἡμῖν προσέλθῃ ἢ δι' ἐπιείκειαν, ἢ δι' ἐλευθερίαν, ἢ καὶ δι' ἀργίαν ἴσως (καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τίθημι), πενίᾳ συζῶν, λοιδορίας, ὕβρεις, μυρία κατ' αὐτοῦ συνείροντες σκώμματα, κεναῖς αὐτὸν ἀποπέμπομεν χερσὶ, τὴν ὑγείαν ὀνειδίζοντες, τὴν ἀργίαν προσφέροντες. εὐθύνας ἀπαιτοῦντες. Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο προσετάγης, ἄνθρωπε, ἐγκαλεῖν καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷν ἁπλῶς τοῖς δεομένοις; Ἐλεεῖν καὶ διορθοῦσθαι τὴν πενίαν αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκέλευσεν, οὐχὶ εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν καὶ ὑβρίζειν. Ἀλλὰ βούλει διορθῶσαι τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τῆς ἀργίας ἀπαγαγεῖν, καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐμβαλεῖν τὸν ἀργοῦντα; ∆ὸς πρότερον, καὶ τότε ἐπιτίμησον, ἵνα μὴ ὠμότητος ὑποψίαν, ἐγκληθεὶς βαρύτητα, ἀλλὰ κηδεμονίας δόξαν λάβῃς. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ μὴ δόντα, ἀλλ' ἐγκαλοῦντα μόνον ἀποστρέφεται, καὶ ἀηδίζει, καὶ οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν ἀνάσχοιτ' ἂν ὁ πένης· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ κηδεμονίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι δοῦναι νομίζει τὰ ἐγκλήματα γίνεσθαι· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν ἀληθές. Ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὸ δοῦναι ἐγκαλῶν, εὐπαράδεκτον ποιεῖ τὴν παραίνεσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀπανθρωπίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ κηδεμονίας ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίησεν· εἰπὼν γὰρ, Εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω, ἐπάγει λέγων· Ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸ καλὸν ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐκκακήσητε. Καίτοι δοκεῖ ταῦτα ἐναντία εἶναι τὰ προστάγματα. Εἰ γὰρ οὐ δεῖ τοὺς ἀργοῦντας ἐσθίειν, πῶς τούτοις κελεύεις τὸ καλὸν ποιεῖν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἐναντίον· μὴ γένοιτο. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο, φησὶν, εἶπον, ὅτι Εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω, οὐχ ἵνα τοὺς μέλλοντας διδόναι ἀπαγάγω τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς ἐν ἀργίᾳ ζῶντας ἀπαγάγω τῆς ἀργίας. Τὸ μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖν, Μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω, ἐκείνους διανίστησι πρὸς ἐργασίαν, τῷ φόβῳ τῆς ἀπειλῆς· τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν, Τὸ καλὸν ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐκκακεῖτε, τούτους διεγείρει πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην τῷ χρησίμῳ τῆς παραινέσεως. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ, ἀκούσαντες τῆς κατ' ἐκείνων γεγενημένης ἀπειλῆς, συστείλωσι τὰς χεῖράς τινες, ἐκκαλεῖται πρὸς φιλοφροσύνην αὐτοὺς, λέγων· Τὸ καλὸν ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐκκακεῖτε. Ὥστε καὶ ἀργοῦντι ἐὰν δῷς, καλὸν πεποίηκας. θʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δῆλον ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Εἴ τις οὐχ ὑπακούει τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, τοῦτον σημειοῦσθε, καὶ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐκκόψας αὐτὸν τῆς ἱερᾶς αὐλῆς, πάλιν αὐτὸν ἑτέρῳ συνάπτει τρόπῳ, τὰς τῶν ἐκτεμόντων διανοίας οἰκειῶν αὐτῷ καὶ συνάγων· ἐπ 51.289 ήγαγε γοῦν λέγων· Μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν, φησὶν, ἡγεῖσθε, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀδελφόν. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰπὼν, Εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω, τοῖς κυρίοις ἐκέλευσε πολλὴν αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν πάλιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰπὼν, Μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἀπέστησεν αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐπιμελείας τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα αὐτοῖς ἀντιλαβέσθαι παρεκελεύσατο, προσθεὶς καὶ εἰπὼν, Καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀδελφόν. Ἐχωρίσθης αὐτοῦ τῆς συνουσίας, ἀλλὰ μὴ χωρισθῇς τῆς κηδεμονίας· ἀπέκοψας αὐτὸν τῆς συνόδου, μὴ ἀποκόψῃς αὐτὸν τῆς ἀγάπης. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δι' ἀγάπην ἐκέλευσα γίνεσθαι, ἵνα τῷ χωρισμῷ γενόμενος βελτίων, πρὸς τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπανέλθῃ σῶμα· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ πατέρες τῆς οἰκίας τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐκβάλλουσι τοὺς παῖδας, οὐχ ἵνα ἔξω μένωσι διηνεκῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ τῆς οἰκίας ἐκπεσεῖν γενόμενοι σωφρονέστεροι, πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπανέλθωσι πάλιν. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἀργίαν ἐγκαλοῦντας ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἕτερός ἐστι πολλοῖς μεμελετημένος λόγος πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, ἀπανθρωπίας καὶ ὠμότητος γέμων, ἀνάγκη καὶ