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And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The hardworking farmer must be the first to receive a share of the crops. Consider what I say;

for the Lord give thee understanding in all things. 1. It brings much courage at sea to a pupil for the teacher to have been in a shipwreck and to have been saved; for he will no longer think that storms happen from his own inexperience, but from the nature of things; and this is no small comfort. And in wars, it brings encouragement to the commander to see the general wounded and then recover again. So also it brings some comfort to the faithful that the Apostle suffered many 62.618 terrible things, and was not weakened by any of them; for if this were not so, he would not have recounted his sufferings. For Timothy, hearing that one who was so powerful and who had prevailed over the whole world is in bonds and in afflictions, and is not vexed nor distressed at being abandoned by his own people, if he himself also suffered the same things, would not have thought the matter to be one of human weakness, nor because he was a disciple and less than Paul, since indeed the teacher also suffered these things, but that all these things had happened through the nature of the matter. For he himself also did these things, and for this reason he relates these things, that he might strengthen him and win him back. That he was doing this for this reason, then, after recounting his afflictions and trials, he added: Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What are you saying? You have shaken us with fear, you have said that you are bound, that you are in affliction, that all have turned away from you; and as if you had said that you have suffered nothing terrible, nor been abandoned by anyone, so 62.619 you add, Thou therefore, my son, be strong? Reasonably so; because these things strengthened you rather than him. For if I, Paul, suffer these things, you ought to bear these things much more; if the teacher, much more the disciple. And he offers the exhortation with great affection, calling him a child, and not simply, but, My son. If you are a son, he says, imitate your father; if you are a son, be strengthened by what I have said; or rather, not only from the narratives, but also from the grace of God; For be strong, he says, in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; that is, through the grace of Christ. That is, stand nobly, you know the battle-line. Since also elsewhere when he says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, he says it not to cast them down, but to rouse them. Therefore be sober, he says, be watchful, have the grace of the Lord fighting with you and contending alongside you, and with great eagerness and purpose contribute what is from yourself. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men. To faithful men, not inquisitive, not argumentative. Faithful; of what kind? Those who do not betray the preaching. What you have heard, not what you have debated; For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. What is, Among many witnesses? As if he had said, You did not hear in secret nor in hiding, but with many present, with boldness. He did not say, Tell, but, Commit, just as a treasure that is committed is deposited in safety. Again he puts the disciple in fear both from above and from below. But he does not say, Commit, to faithful men only; for what is the benefit, if one is faithful, but is not able to bring forth the teaching to others? when he himself does not betray the faith, but does not prepare others to be such? A teacher, therefore, must have two things, to be both faithful and able to teach. For this reason he says, Who shall be able to teach others also. You therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Oh, how great the dignity, to be a soldier of Christ! Consider the kings on earth, how those under them think it to be something great

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Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἀθλῇ τις, οὐ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλή σῃ. Τὸν κοπιῶντα γεωργὸν δεῖ πρῶτον τῶν καρπῶν μεταλαμβάνειν. Νόει ἃ λέγω·

δῴη γάρ σοι ὁ Κύριος σύνεσιν ἐν πᾶσι. αʹ. Φέρει μὲν ἐν θαλάσσῃ πολὺ τὸ θάρσος τῷ μαθητῇ τὸ τὸν διδάσκαλον ἐν ναυαγίῳ γενέσθαι καὶ διασωθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ ἡγήσεται λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἀμαθίας συμπίπτειν τοὺς χειμῶνας, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων φύσεως· τοῦτο δὲ εἰς ψυχαγωγίαν οὐ μικρόν. Φέρει δὲ καὶ ἐν πολέμοις τῷ ταξιάρχῃ προτροπὴν τὸ τὸν στρατηγὸν τρωθέντα ὁρᾷν, καὶ ἀνενεγκόντα πάλιν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῖς πιστοῖς φέρει τινὰ παραμυθίαν, τὸ τὸν Ἀπόστολον πολλὰ παθεῖν 62.618 δεινὰ, καὶ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς τούτων καταμαλακισθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τὰ αὐτοῦ πάθη διηγεῖτο. Ὁ γὰρ Τιμόθεος ἀκούων, ὅτι ὁ τοσαῦτα δυνάμενος καὶ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης κρατήσας, ἐν δεσμοῖς ἐστι καὶ ἐν θλίψεσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀσχάλλει οὐδὲ δυσχεραίνει ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ἐγκαταλειφθεὶς, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ ἔπαθεν, οὐκ ἂν ἡγήσατο ἀνθρωπίνης τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι ἀσθενείας, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ μαθητὴς εἶναι καὶ ἐλάττων τοῦ Παύλου, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος ταῦτα ἔπαθεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ πράγματος φύσιν ταῦτα πάντα συμβεβηκέναι. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτα εἰργάσατο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα διηγεῖται, ἵνα αὐτὸν ῥώσῃ καὶ ἀνακτήσηται. Ὅτι γοῦν τούτου ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ἐποίει, διηγησάμενος αὐτοῦ τὰς θλίψεις καὶ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, ἐπήγαγε· Σὺ οὖν τέκνον μου, ἐνδυναμοῦ ἐν τῇ χάριτι τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τί λέγεις; κατέσεισας ἡμᾶς τῷ φόβῳ, εἶπες ὅτι δέδεσαι, ὅτι ἐν θλίψει εἶ, ὅτι πάντες σε ἀπεστράφησαν· καὶ ὥσπερ εἰρηκὼς, ὅτι οὐδὲν πέπονθας δεινὸν, οὐδὲ ὑπό τινων ἐγκατελείφθης, οὕτως 62.619 ἐπάγεις, Σὺ οὖν, τέκνον μου, ἐνδυναμοῦ; Εἰκότως· ὅτι ταῦτα σὲ μᾶλλον ἐνεδυνάμωσεν, ἢ ἐκεῖνον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ Παῦλος ταῦτα πάσχω, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὺ ταῦτα φέρειν ὀφείλεις· εἰ ὁ διδάσκαλος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ μαθητής. Καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φιλοστοργίας τὴν παραίνεσιν προσάγει, τέκνον αὐτὸν καλῶν, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ, Τέκνον ἐμόν. Εἰ τέκνον εἶ, φησὶ, τὸν πατέρα μιμοῦ· εἰ τέκνον εἶ, ἐνδυναμοῦ οἷς εἶπον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν διηγημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἐνδυναμοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ χάριτι τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τουτέστι, διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τουτέστι, Στῆθι γενναίως, οἶδας τὴν παράταξιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγων, Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, οὐχὶ καταβάλλων αὐτοὺς λέγει, ἀλλὰ διεγείρων. Οὐκοῦν νῆφε, φησὶ, γρηγόρει, ἔχε τὴν χάριν τοῦ Κυρίου συμμαχοῦσαν καὶ συναγωνιζομένην, πολλῇ τῇ προθυμίᾳ καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει τὰ παρὰ σεαυτοῦ εἴσφερε. Καὶ ἃ ἤκουσας παρ' ἐμοῦ διὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων, ταῦτα παράθου πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Πιστοῖς, οὐ ζητητικοῖς, οὐ συλλογιστικοῖς. Πιστοῖς· ποίοις; Τοῖς μὴ προδιδοῦσι τὸ κήρυγμα. Ἃ ἤκουσας, οὐχ ἃ συνεζήτησας· Ἡ πίστις γὰρ ἐξ ἀκοῆς, ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ διὰ ῥήματος Θεοῦ. Τί ἐστι, ∆ιὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων; Ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν, Οὐ λάθρα ἤκουσας οὐδὲ κρυφῇ, ἀλλὰ πολλῶν παρόντων, μετὰ παῤῥησίας. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Εἰπὲ, ἀλλὰ, Παράθου, καθάπερ ἐπὶ θησαυροῦ τὸ παρατιθέμενον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ παρακατατίθεται. Πάλιν φοβεῖ τὸν μαθητὴν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄνω καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κάτω. Ἀλλ' οὐ πιστοῖς μόνον λέγει, Παράθου· τί γὰρ ὄφελος, ὅταν πιστὸς μὲν ᾖ, μὴ δύνηται δὲ εἰς ἑτέρους ἐξάγειν τὴν διδασκαλίαν; ὅταν αὐτὸς μὲν μὴ προδῷ τὴν πίστιν, ἑτέρους δὲ μὴ κατασκευάζῃ τοιούτους; ∆ύο τοίνυν ἔχειν χρὴ τὸν διδάσκαλον, καὶ πιστὸν εἶναι, καὶ διδακτικόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Οἵτινες ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται καὶ ἑτέρους διδάξαι. Σὺ οὖν κακοπάθησον ὡς καλὸς στρατιώτης Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Βαβαὶ, πόσον τὸ ἀξίωμα, στρατιώτην εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ! Τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐννόησον τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πῶς μέγα τι εἶναι νομίζουσιν οἱ ὑπ' αὐτοὺς