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he would never be able to put forth the spiritual teaching with the same eagerness, although in this case the reward for his labors is not diminished for him by the indifference of his hearers. 6.3 For what one can see in the case of the earth does not also happen in the case of spiritual teaching. For there, when the earth fails, the farmer departs for home with empty hands, having been able to find no consolation for his labors; but here it is not so, but even if the disciples remain in the same indifference and even if no one profits from what is said, when the teacher neglects none of his duties, even so he receives the rewards for his labors with abundance, since the philanthropic God does not cut short the wages for his labors because of their indifference, but, whether they listen or do not listen, provides abundant rewards. 6.4 But since we do not consider only this, whether our wages and our rewards remain intact for us, but we also consider your gain and your benefit of great importance, judging your indifference our own loss, for this reason we also consider our pleasure to be maimed, and especially when we consider that this very thing becomes the cause of greater condemnation for those who, after so much exhortation, remain in the same indifference and are unwilling to gain anything from the constant teaching. 6.5 And what Christ said about the Jews: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin," it will be fitting for us now to say this about those who have preferred pastimes outside, and harmful associations, and the horse races, and the devil's spectacles, over the assembly here. If we had not beforehand made so much exhortation, sounding it forth at all times, exhorting like little children, thus each day through constant teaching urging them toward the path of virtue, showing the ruin of vice, stirring them up to the correction of those who have already stumbled—if, then, we had not done all these things beforehand, perhaps someone would have deemed them worthy of pardon. 6.6 But now what defense will they have? Who will grant them pardon, when not only do they themselves receive great harm from such great indifference, but also become a cause of scandal for others, and the old man neither takes into consideration the length of his age, the departure of death, the magnitude of the burden of his past sins, but each day increases his transgressions and becomes a teacher of indifference to the young in age? For when, tell me, will such a man be able to correct the indifference of his child and to discipline the disorderly young man, when he himself is not even disciplined by the length of his age and, though about to be held accountable not only for his own sins but also for those for whom he becomes a teacher of indifference, not even so does he abstain from this wicked habit. 6.7 For just as the one who pursues virtue not only awaits the rewards for his own labors but also reaps the reward of the benefit of others, leading many to zeal and imitation of his own virtue, in this same way also those who pursue vice are held to a greater account because they also become a cause of indifference for others. What then, finally, shall we accuse the young people of, when the old have inclined to such great indifference and do not even listen to the apostolic exhortation that says: "Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God." 6.8 Do you see the apostolic compassion, what sort of counsel he introduced, fearing and trembling greatly because of those who are harmed by our indifference and knowing that no small danger is laid up for those who increase the indifference of others? Wherefore also, exhorting others in all things to take thought for virtue, he would say: "Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Consider for me a most precise exhortation. All things, he says, which you handle and do, a root and a basis

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οὐκ ἄν ποτε δύναιτο μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς προθυμίας τὴν πνευματικὴν διδασκαλίαν προΐεσθαι, καίτοι γε ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲ τῆς ἀμοιβῆς τῶν πόνων αὐτῷ ἐλαττουμένης ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τῶν ἀκροατῶν. 6.3 Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅπερ ἔστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἰδεῖν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας συμβαίνει. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὅταν ἡ γῆ διαψεύσηται, κεναῖς οἴκαδε χερσὶν ὁ γηπόνος ἀναχωρεῖ, οὐδεμίαν τῶν πόνων παραμυθίαν εὑρεῖν δυνηθείς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ῥᾳθυμίας μένωσιν οἱ μαθητευόμενοι κἂν μηδεὶς ὠφελῆται ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων, ὅταν ὁ διδάσκαλος μηδὲν τῶν προσηκόντων εἰς αὐτὸν παραλίπῃ, καὶ οὕτω τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῶν πόνων μετὰ δαψιλείας κομίζεται, τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ οὐ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ῥᾳθυμίαν ὑποτεμνομένου τῶν πόνων τοὺς μισθούς, ἀλλὰ κἄν τε ἀκούωσι κἄν τε μὴ ἀκούωσι, δαψιλεῖς παρέχοντος τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. 6.4 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ τοῦτο σκοποῦμεν μόνον εἰ τὰ τῶν μισθῶν ἀκέραια ἡμῖν μένει καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀντιδόσεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑμέτερον κέρδος καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ὑμετέραν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμεθα, οἰκείαν ζημίαν κρίνοντες τὴν ὑμετέραν ῥᾳθυμίαν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀκρωτηριάζεσθαι ἡμῖν λογιζόμεθα τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἐννοήσωμεν ὅτι τοῦτο αὐτὸ πλείονος κατακρίσεως αἴτιον γίνεται τοῖς μετὰ τοσαύτην παραίνεσιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ῥᾳθυμίας μένουσι καὶ μηδὲν κερδαίνειν βουλομένοις ἀπὸ τῆς συνεχοῦς διδασκαλίας. 6.5 Ὅπερ δὲ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγε περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων· «Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν», τοῦτο καὶ ἡμῖν ἁρμόσει νῦν λέγειν περὶ τῶν προτιμησάντων τῆς ἐνταῦθα συνελεύσεως τὴν ἔξω διατριβὴν καὶ τὰς ἐπιβλαβεῖς συνουσίας καὶ τὰς ἱπποδρομίας καὶ τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου θέατρα. Εἰ μὴ προλαβόντες τοσαύτην ἐποιησάμεθα τὴν παραίνεσιν, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου ἐνηχοῦντες, παρακαλοῦντες καθάπερ τὰ παιδία τὰ μικρά, οὕτω καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς διδασκαλίας προτρεπόμενοι ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδόν, δεικνύντες τῆς κακίας τὴν λύμην, διεγείροντες πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἤδη ἐπταισμένων διόρθωσιν, εἰ μὴ τοίνυν προλαβόντες ταῦτα ἅπαντα πεποιήκαμεν, τάχα ἄν τις αὐτοὺς καὶ συγγνώμης ἠξίωσε. 6.6 Νυνὶ δὲ ποίαν ἕξουσιν ἀπολογίαν; Τίς αὐτοῖς συγγνώμης μεταδώσει, ὅταν μὴ μόνον αὐτοὶ πολλὴν ἐκ τῆς τοσαύτης ῥᾳθυμίας τὴν βλάβην δέχωνται ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις σκανδάλου ὑπόθεσις γίνωνται, καὶ μήτε ὁ γέρων εἰς ἔννοιαν λαμβάνῃ τῆς ἡλικίας τὸν χρόνον, τῆς τελευτῆς τὴν ἔξοδον, τοῦ φορτίου τῶν ἤδη ἡμαρτημένων τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν αὔξῃ τὰ πλημμελήματα καὶ τοῖς νέοις τὴν ἡλικίαν. διδάσκαλος ῥᾳθυμίας γίνηται; Πότε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ τοιοῦτος δυνήσεται τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν διορθῶσαι καὶ τὸν νέον ἀκοσμοῦντα σωφρονίσαι, αὐτὸς οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου τῆς ἡλικίας σωφρονιζόμενος καὶ μέλλων εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἑτέροις ῥᾳθυμίας διδάσκαλος γίνεται, μηδὲ οὕτως ἀπέχεται τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης συνηθείας. 6.7 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τὴν ἀρετὴν μετιὼν οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων πόνων ἀναμένει τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων ὠφελείας καρποῦται τὸν μισθόν, πολλοὺς εἰς ζῆλον καὶ μίμησιν ἄγων τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς, τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ οἱ τὴν κακίαν μετιόντες μείζους ὑπέχουσι τὰς εὐθύνας τῷ καὶ ἑτέροις ῥᾳθυμίας ὑπόθεσις γίνεσθαι. Τί οὖν λοιπὸν τοῖς νέοις ἐγκαλέσομεν, τῶν γεγηρακότων εἰς τοσαύτην ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀποκλινάντων καὶ μηδὲ τῆς παραινέσεως τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἀκουόντων τῆς λεγούσης· «Ἀπρόσκοποι γίνεσθε καὶ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» 6.8 Εἶδες σπλάγχνα ἀποστολικὰ οἵαν συμβουλὴν εἰσήγαγε, δεδοικὼς σφόδρα καὶ τρέμων διὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας ῥᾳθυμίας βλαπτομένους καὶ εἰδὼς ὡς οὐ μικρὸς κείσεται κίνδυνος τοῖς τὴν ἑτέρων ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐπιτείνουσι; ∆ιὸ καὶ ἑτέροις παραινῶν διὰ πάντων τῆς ἀρετῆς ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν ἔλεγεν· «Εἴτε ἐσθίετε, εἴτε πίνετε, εἴτε τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖτε.» Σκόπει μοι παραίνεσιν ἀκριβεστάτην. Πάντα, φησίν, ἅπερ μεταχειρίζῃ καὶ διαπράττῃ, ῥίζαν καὶ ὑπόθεσιν