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for the sake of the hearers, so that first they may not be displeased with what happens, then, also knowing that it comes from God, they may not consider either chance or fate the cause of what happens. For since the misfortunes that befall men are varied, such that one is poor, another is changed from wealth to poverty, and these in different ways, and another is in different circumstances, and another in affliction, and not at all wicked people receiving experience of such things, but also the virtuous, examining the judgment, he asks, saying: "Why is light given to those in bitterness?" For even if he knows, yet wishing us also to be patient, he teaches that it is fitting to await instruction on these things from God. And he might be speaking also about those who are embittered 82 because of the injustices of men: "Why is light given to those in bitterness?" Jeremiah also said, hinting at something of this kind: "I sat alone, because I was filled with bitterness." And he was filled with bitterness because of seeing the inequalities and injustices concerning men. And these same men are also in pain. Or did not the blessed Paul have pain, saying: "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh," who, because of "turning away from the truth," were outside of it? Moreover, they also long for death, saying: "It is better to depart and be with Christ," just as if "digging up a treasure," this desire, so that one of the saints says: "Woe is me, for my sojourning has been prolonged," and Paul writes about similar things: "For they do not have here an abiding city, but they seek the one to come." Therefore, not being lovers of life, they are ready to die, so that 83 the blessed Paul says: "I die daily." For he wrote this in this way because of his readiness. But a lover of life would not say this. For the saints know that if they depart from this life, they will receive the divine rewards. Therefore, they are "just as if digging up a treasure," for even digging up happens with labor. Just as, therefore, the saints themselves expect to enter the kingdom through many labors—but hope lightens the labor—, so also those who contend in the contest labor much, looking to the crown. The following half-verse also befits the same saints, for it says: "and they were overjoyed, if they should attain it." None of the wicked, even if he is in tribulation and for this reason desires to depart from life, becomes overjoyed when he departs. For even if he has departed from the afflictions here, yet the punishments for what he has lived succeed them. And still, departing, they have going away with them also the impulses of the soul 84 or angers or savageries or other passions, which have been fixed in it here, having been strengthened. Because of the punishments that follow, they are not overjoyed. Therefore, it is consistent to understand this also concerning the saints: or are they not overjoyed, being escorted by angels and arriving in the bosom of Abraham and in the kingdom, receiving this in exchange for the tribulations which they have suffered outwardly and for the labors which they endured for the sake of virtue? And the blessed David, looking to those things, although being a king, considering life to be like a prison, sang to God: "Bring my soul out of prison." For he was not guarded in a perceptible prison. It is also possible to reckon from what follows that he longed for departure from here; for he says: "The righteous will wait for me, until you reward me." For it is equivalent to: "so that they would not be made perfect without us." whose heroic deeds are true, and the things of the promises. If this is so, how are the saints not overjoyed when they attain the end 85 of this life, after which the kingdom of heaven will succeed? "Death is rest for a man; for God has shut him in." If someone should wish to take this according to its plain meaning, he might be saying that for those in tribulation and labors, death is rest, since

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τῶν ἀκουόντων ἕνεκα, ἵνα πρῶτον μὲν μὴ δυσαρεστῶνται τοῖς συμβαίνουσιν, ἔπειτα καὶ γιγνώσκοντες ὅτι παρὰ θεοῦ γίνεται, μήτε ταὐτόματον μήτε εἱμαρμένην αἰτίαν τῶν γιγνομένων λογίζωνται. ποικίλων γὰρ ὄντων τῶν ἀκολουθούντων ἀνθρώποις συμπτωμάτων ὡς τὸν μὲν πένεσθαι, τὸν δ' ἐκ πλούτου εἰς πενίαν μεθίστασθαι καὶ ταῦτα διαφόρως, τὸν δὲ ἐν περιστάσεσι διαφόροις καὶ ἄλλον ἐν κε κακώσει, καὶ οὐ πάντως φαύλων τοιούτων πεῖραν δεχομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπουδαίων, ἐξ̣ετάζων τὸ κρίμα ἐρωτᾷ λέγων· "ἱνατί γὰρ δέδοται τοῖς ἐν πικρίᾳ φῶς;" εἰ γὰρ καὶ οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ γοῦν ὑπομενητικοὺς καὶ ἡμᾶς εἶναι βουλόμενος παιδεύει, ὡς παρὰ θεοῦ τὴν τούτων ἀπεκδέχεσθαι διδασκαλίαν προσήκει. εἴη δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν πικραινομένων 82 διὰ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀδικίας λέγων· "ἱνατί γὰρ δέδοται τοῖς ἐν πικρίᾳ φῶς;" τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ Ἰερεμίας αἰνιττόμενος ἔφη· "κατὰ μόνας ἐκαθήμην, ὅτι πικρίας ἐνεπλήσθην." πικρίας δὲ ἐνεπίπλατο διὰ τὸ θεωρεῖν τὰς περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀνωμαλίας καὶ ἀδικίας. οἱ δ' αὐτοὶ οὗτοι καὶ ὀδυνῶνται. ἢ οὐκ ὀδύνην εἶχεν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγων· "λύπη μ̣οί ἐστιν μεγάλη καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου. εὐχόμην γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα", οἵτινες διὰ τὸ "ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν" ἐκτὸς αὐτῆς ἐτύγχανον; προσέτι δὲ καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ὁμείρονται λέγοντες· "κάλλιον ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι", καθάπερ "θησαυρὸν ἀνορύσσοντες" τὸν εἰς τοῦτο πόθον, ὡς λέγειν ἕνα τῶν ἁγίων· "οἴμμοι, ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη", καὶ Παῦλον περὶ τῶν ὁμοίων γράφειν̣· "οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιζητοῦσιν." διὸ οὐδὲ φιλόζωοι ὄντες ἕτοιμοι πρὸς τὸ ἀποθανεῖν εἰσιν, ὡς 83 λέγειν Παῦλον τὸν μακάριον· "καθ' ἡμέραν ἀποθνῄσκω." διὰ γὰρ τὴν ἑτοιμότητα τοῦτο οὕτως ἔγραφεν. φιλόζωος δ' οὐκ ἂν εἴποι τοῦτο. ἐπίστανται γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι, ὅτι ἂν ἐξέλθωσιν ἐκ τούτου τοῦ βίου, τὰς θείας ἀμοιβὰς ἀπολήμψονται. "ὥσπερ" οὖν "θησαυρὸν ἀνορύττοντες" οὕτως εἰσίν, εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀνορύττειν μετὰ καμάτου γίνεται. ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἅγιοι διὰ πολλῶν πόνων εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν προσδοκῶσιν εἰσέρχεσθαι-ἀλλ' ἡ ἐλπὶς κουφίζει τὸν πόνον-, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἐν ἀγῶνι ἀθλοῦντες πολλὰ κάμνουσι πρὸς τὸν στέφανον ἀποβλέποντες. τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἁγίοις ἁρμόζει καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς ἡμιστίχιον, εἰ γάρ φησιν· "περιχαρεῖς δὲ ἐγένοντο, ἐὰν κατατύχωσιν." οὐδεὶς τῶν φαύλων, εἰ καὶ ἐν περιστάσει ἐστὶν καὶ διὰ ταύτην ἐπιθυμεῖ τοῦ βίου ἐξελθεῖν, περιχαρὴς ἀπελθὼν γίγνεται. εἰ γὰρ και`̣ τῶν ἐνταῦθα θλιβηρῶν ἀπέστη, ἀλλά γε διαδέχονται αἱ διὰ τὰ βεβιωμένα κολάσεις. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀναχωροῦντες συναπερχομένας ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰς τῆς ψυ 84 χῆς ὁρμὰς ἢ θυμοὺς ἢ ἀγριότητας ἢ ἕτερα πάθη, ἅπερ παραπεπήγασιν αὐτῇ ἐνταῦθα κρατυνθέντα. διὰ ἑπομένων κολάσεων οὔκ εἰσι περιχαρεῖς. ἀκόλουθον οὖν καὶ τοῦτο περὶ τῶν ἁγίων νοῆσαι· ἢ οὐ περιχαρεῖς εἰσιν ὑπ' ἀγγέλων παραπεμπόμενοι καὶ εἰς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ἐν βασιλείᾳ καταντῶντες ἀντικαταλαττόμενοι ταύτην τῶν περιστάσεων ὧν ἔξωθεν πεπόνθασιν καὶ ὧν ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς † εἰσήνενκαν πόνων; καὶ α ∆αυὶδ ὁ μακάριος εἰς ἐκεῖνα βλέπων καίτοι βασιλεὺς ὢν τὸ ζῆν καθάπερ δεσμωτήριον εἶναι λογιζόμενος ἔψαλλεν πρὸς θεόν· "ἐξάγαγε ἐκ φυλακῆς τὴν ψυχήν μου." οὐδὲ γὰρ αἰσθητῇ φυλακῇ ἐφυλάττετο. ἔστιν καὶ η ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπιφερομένου λογίσασθαι, ὡς τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐπόθει· λέγει γάρ· "ἐμὲ ὑπομενοῦσιν δίκαιοι, ἕως οὗ ἀνταποδῷς μοι." καὶ γὰρ ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ· "ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν." ὧν ἀληθιναὶ αἱ ἀνδραγα θίαι, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, πῶς οὐ περιχαρεῖς οἱ ἅγιοι κατατυχόντες τοῦ τέλους 85 τοῦ ζῆν τούτου, μεθ' ὃ ἡ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία διαδέξεται; "θάνατος ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις· συνέκλεισεν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ." εἰ κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρόν τις ἐκλαβεῖν ἐθέλοι τοῦτο, εἴη ἂν λέγων, ὅτι τοῖς ἐν περιστάσει καὶ πόνοις ἀνάπαυσίς ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος, ἐπεὶ