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is joined in peace through it and is united to the Lord. But having received the grace of the spirit and having been joined to the Lord and having become one spirit with him, not only does it easily accomplish the works of its own virtue, struggling not at all against the enemy by being superior to his plot, but what is greatest of all, it receives unto itself the 8,1.86 sufferings of the Savior and delights in these more than the lovers of this life do in honors and glories and powers from men.

For to a Christian who through a good life and the gift of the spirit has advanced to the measure of spiritual maturity of the grace given to him, it is glory and delight and an enjoyment greater than all pleasure to be hated for Christ's sake, to be persecuted, to endure every insult and shame for the sake of faith in God; for since the entire hope of such a one is in the resurrection and the good things to come, every insult and scourge and persecution and the rest of the sufferings up to the cross are <all> delight and rest and a pledge of the heavenly treasures; For blessed are you, he says, when all men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven. and the apostle: Not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; and elsewhere: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me; therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in prisons; for when I am weak, then am I strong; and again: As ministers of God, in much patience; for this grace of the holy spirit, having possessed the whole soul and filled its dwelling with gladness and power, makes the sufferings of the Lord sweet to the soul, taking away the sensation of present pain by the hope of things to come. 8,1.87 Since, therefore, you are about to ascend to such a high power and glory with the cooperation of the spirit, so live your lives, enduring every toil and struggle with joy, so as to appear worthy of the indwelling of the spirit in you and of the inheritance with Christ, being in no way puffed up nor weakened by sloth, so that you neither fall yourselves nor become a cause of sinning for others; but if any, not yet having the intensity of perfect prayer nor the zeal and power owed to the matter, fall short of this virtue, let them fulfill their obedience in other things according to their ability, ministering eagerly, working diligently, serving with pleasure, not for a reward of honor nor for the sake of human glory, nor giving in to toils because of softness or sloth, nor ministering as to alien bodies and souls, but as to slaves of Christ, as to our own bowels, so that your work may be shown pure and guileless to the Lord. Let no one make an excuse for not pursuing good works, as being unable to accomplish the things that save the soul; for God commands his slaves nothing impossible, but has shown the <love and> goodness of his own divinity to be so poured out and rich 8,1.88 towards all, as to grant to each according to his will the ability to do some good, and that no one who is zealous to be saved should fail of the ability; Whoever, he says, shall give to drink a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. What is more possible than this commandment? A heavenly reward follows a cup of cold water. and consider with me the immeasurable love for mankind: Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of these, he says, you have done it unto me. The commandment is small, but the profit of obedience is great and richly rewarded by God; so that he requires nothing beyond one's ability, but whether you do a small or a great thing, the reward follows you according to your intention. For if it is in the name and fear of God, the gift that has come is splendid and inalienable; but if for show <and the glory of men>, hear the Lord himself swearing: Verily 8,1.89

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εἰρήνην συνάπτεται δι' αὐτῆς καὶ προσκολλᾶται τῷ κυρίῳ. λαβοῦσα δὲ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος χάριν καὶ κολ-ληθεῖσα τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ εἰς ἓν πνεῦμα μετ' αὐτοῦ γενομένη οὐ μόνον τὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς ἔργα ῥᾳδίως ἐπιτελεῖ μηδὲν ἀγωνιζομένη πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρὸν τῷ κρείττων τῆς ἐκεί-νου τυγχάνειν ἐπιβουλῆς, ἀλλὰ τὸ πάντων μεῖζον, τὰ τοῦ 8,1.86 σωτῆρος εἰς ἑαυτὴν ἀναδέχεται πάθη καὶ ἐντρυφᾷ τούτοις πλέον ἢ οἱ ἐρασταὶ τοῦ βίου τούτου ταῖς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ-πων τιμαῖς καὶ δόξαις καὶ δυναστείαις.

Χριστιανῷ γὰρ διὰ πολιτείας ἀγαθῆς καὶ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος δωρεᾶς εἰς τὸ τῆς νοητῆς ἡλικίας μέτρον τῆς δεδομένης αὐτῷ χάριτος προελθόντι δόξα καὶ τρυφὴ καὶ πάσης ἡδονῆς κρείττων ἀπόλαυσις τὸ μισεῖσθαι διὰ Χριστόν, τὸ ἐλαύνεσθαι, τὸ πᾶσαν ὕβριν καὶ αἰσχύνην ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς θεὸν πίστεως ὑπομένειν· τῆς γὰρ ἐλπίδος ὅλης οὔσης τῷ τοιούτῳ πρὸς τῇ ἀναστάσει καὶ τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀγαθοῖς ὕβρις πᾶσα καὶ μάστιγες καὶ διωγμοὶ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάθη μέχρι τοῦ σταυροῦ <πάντα> τρυφὴ καὶ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων ἐνέχυρα θησαυρῶν· Μακάριοι γὰρ ἐστέ, φησίν, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσι πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ· χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος· Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἥδιστα οὖν καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ· διὸ εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν ὕβρεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν φυλακαῖς· ὅταν γὰρ ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι· καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς θεοῦ διάκονοι ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὅλην κατασχοῦσα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ πληρώσασα τὸ οἰκητήριον εὐφροσύνης τε καὶ δυνάμεως γλυκέα ποιεῖ τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου παθή 8,1.87 ματα τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι τῆς παρούσης ὀδύνης ἀφαιροῦσα τὴν αἴσθησιν. Ὡς οὖν οὕτως ἐφ' ὑψηλὴν δύναμιν καὶ δόξαν μέλλοντες ἀνιέναι τῇ συνεργίᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος οὕτω πολιτεύεσθε πάντα πόνον καὶ ἀγῶνα μετὰ χαρᾶς ὑφιστάμενοι πρὸς τὸ ἄξιοι φανῆναι τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐπιδημίας τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ τῆς μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κληρονομίας, μηδαμοῦ χαυνούμενοι μηδὲ ἐκλυόμενοι ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας πρὸς τὸ μήτε αὐτοὶ πεσεῖν μήτε τοῖς ἄλλοις αἴτιοι τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν γενέσθαι· εἰ δέ τινες μήπω τὸν τῆς ἄκρας εὐχῆς ἔχοντες τόνον μηδὲ τὴν ὀφειλομέ-νην τῷ πράγματι σπουδήν τε καὶ δύναμιν ἀπολιμπάνονται ταύτης τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πληρούτωσαν τὴν ὑπακοὴν κατὰ δύναμιν, διακονοῦντες προθύμως, ἐργαζό-μενοι σπουδαίως, θεραπεύοντες μεθ' ἡδονῆς, μὴ ἐπὶ μισθῷ τιμῆς μηδὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης δόξης ἕνεκα μηδὲ ἐνδιδόντες ὑπὸ μαλακίας ἢ ῥᾳθυμίας τοῖς πόνοις μηδὲ ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις σώμασι καὶ ψυχαῖς ὑπηρετούμενοι, ἀλλ' ὡς Χριστοῦ δούλοις, ὡς ἡμετέροις σπλάγχοις, ἵνα καθαρὸν ὑμῶν τὸ ἔργον καὶ ἄδολον ἀποφανθῇ τῷ κυρίῳ. προφασιζέσθω δὲ μηδεὶς πρὸς καλῶν ἔργων σπουδὴν ὡς ἀδύνατος ἐπιτελεῖν τὰ σῴζοντα τὴν ψυχήν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἀδύνατον ἐπιτάττει τοῖς δούλοις ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐκκεχυμένην καὶ πλουσίαν 8,1.88 πρὸς ἅπαντας ἔδειξε τὴν <ἀγάπην καὶ> ἀγαθότητα τῆς θεότητος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα παρα-σχεῖν τὸ πράττειν τι δύνασθαι ἀγαθὸν καὶ μηδένα τῶν σπουδὴν ἐχόντων σωθῆναι διαμαρτεῖν τοῦ δύνασθαι· Ὃς ἄν, φησί, ποτίσῃ ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ. Τί τῆς ἐντολῆς ταύτης δυνατώτερον; ψυχρῷ ποτηρίῳ μισθὸς ἐπουράνιος ἕπεται. καί μοι σκόπει τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸ ἄμετρον· Ἐφ' ὅσον ἑνὶ τούτων ἐποιήσατέ φησιν, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. τὸ μὲν ἐπίταγμα μικρόν, τὸ δὲ τῆς ὑπακοῆς κέρδος πολὺ καὶ παρὰ θεῷ πλουσίως ἀνταποδιδόμενον· ὥστε οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλὰ κἂν μικρὸν κἂν μέγα ποιῇς, ἕπεταί σοι κατὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁ μισθός. ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ εἰς ὄνομα καὶ φόβον θεοῦ, λαμπρὰ καὶ ἀναφαί-ρετος ἦλθεν ἡ δωρεά· ἐὰν δὲ εἰς ἐπίδειξιν <καὶ δόξαν ἀνθρώπων>, ἄκουσον ὀμνύντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου· Ἀμὴν 8,1.89