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For let nothing, he says, be the disciple's own, but all things common. For he receives greater things than he gives, and by so much greater, as heavenly things are better than earthly; which also he declared elsewhere, saying: If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? For this reason he also calls the matter "communion," showing that there is a recompense. From this, too, the things of love became much warmer and more steadfast. If, then, the teacher seeks self-sufficiency, he remains, even when receiving, in his own worthiness. For this also is a praise, to attend so to the word as to need others, and to be in great poverty, and to despise all worldly things. But if he exceeds the measure, he has destroyed his worthiness, not by receiving, but by its excess. Then, lest the wickedness of the teacher should make the disciple more sluggish in these matters, and often pass him by because of his manner though he be poor, he goes on to say: And let us not be weary in well-doing. But here he shows the mean between such a thing and generosity in worldly things, saying thus: Be not deceived; God is not mocked.

For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. For just as with seeds it is not possible for one who sows vetches to reap wheat—for the seed and the harvest must be of the same kind—so also in deeds, he who has cast into the flesh luxury, drunkenness, unseemly desire, will reap the things that come from these. And what are these? Punishment, vengeance, shame, derision, corruption. For of costly tables 61.677 and of seasonings there is no other end than corruption; for they themselves are corrupted, and corrupt the body with them. But the things of the Spirit are not such, but all are the opposite of these. Consider: You have sown alms, the treasures of heaven and eternal glory await you; you have sown temperance, honor and a prize and the praises from angels and the crowns from the judge of the contest. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. For lest anyone should think that one ought to take care of teachers and support them, but neglect others, he brings his argument to a general application, and opens the door of such generosity to all, and makes the extension so great as to command that we have mercy on Jews and Greeks, with due order, indeed, but still to have mercy. And what is the order? To show greater providence for the faithful. And what he does in his other Epistles, this he also works out here, discoursing not only about showing mercy, but also about doing so generously and continually; for the name of seed and the not being weary hint at this. Then, since he has demanded a great thing, he also places the prize at the doors, mentioning a new and strange kind of harvest.

3. For in the case of husbandmen, not only the sower, but also the reaper endures much labor, struggling with drought and dust and much hardship; but then, he says, there is none of these things; which he also indicated, saying: For in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. And from this he both exhorts and draws them on; and from another side he urges and presses them, saying: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good. For just as we are not always masters of the sowing, so neither are we of showing mercy. For when we are carried away from here, even if we should wish ten thousand times, we will accomplish nothing more. And the virgins bear witness to our word, who, though very zealous, because they did not depart having abundant alms, were shut out of the bridechamber; and he who Lazarus

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Μηδὲν γὰρ ἔστω τοῦ μαθητοῦ, φησὶν, ἴδιον, ἀλλὰ πάντα κοινά. Μείζονα γὰρ λαμβάνει ἢ δίδωσι, καὶ τοσούτῳ μείζω, ὅσῳ τῶν γηΐνων τὰ ἐπουράνια ἀμείνω· ὃ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα, εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ κοινωνίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ, δεικνὺς ἀντίδοσιν γινομένην. Ἐκ τούτου δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐγίνετο θερμότερα πολλῷ καὶ βεβαιότερα. Ἂν μὲν οὖν τὴν αὐτάρκειαν ὁ διδάσκαλος ζητεῖ, μένει καὶ λαμβάνων ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀξίας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἔπαινος τὸ οὕτω προσεδρεύειν τῷ λόγῳ, ὡς ἑτέρων δεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ μυρίᾳ εἶναι, καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν ὑπερορᾷν ἁπάντων. Ἂν δὲ ὑπερβαίνῃ τὸ μέτρον, ἐλυμήνατο τὴν ἀξίαν, οὐ τῷ λαμβάνειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀμέτρῳ. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ ἡ πονηρία τοῦ διδασκάλου ὀκνηρότερον περὶ ταῦτα ποιῇ τὸν μαθητὴν, καὶ πένητα ὄντα πολλάκις παρατρέχῃ διὰ τὸν τρόπον, προϊὸν μέν φησι· Τὸ δὲ καλὸν ποιοῦντες, μὴ ἐκκακῶμεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ μέσον τῆς τοιαύτης, καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς φιλοτιμίας δείκνυσιν, οὕτω λέγων. Μὴ πλανᾶσθε· Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται.

Ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει· ὅτι ὁ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα ἑαυτοῦ, ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ θερίσει φθοράν· ὁ δὲ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σπερμάτων οὐκ ἔνι σπείροντα ὀρόβους σῖτον ἀμῆσαι· δεῖ γὰρ τοῦ αὐτοῦ γένους καὶ τὸν σπόρον εἶναι καὶ τὸν ἀμητόν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις, ὁ καταβαλὼν εἰς τὴν σάρκα τρυφὴν, μέθην, ἐπιθυμίαν ἄτοπον, τὰ ἐκ τούτων ἀμήσει. Τίνα δέ ἐστι ταῦτα; Κόλασις, τιμωρία, αἰσχύνη, γέλως, φθορά. Τῶν γὰρ πολυτελῶν τραπε 61.677 ζῶν καὶ τῶν ἡδυσμάτων οὐδὲν ἕτερον τὸ τέλος, ἢ φθορά· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὰ φθείρεται, καὶ συμφθείρει τὸ σῶμα. Τὰ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος οὐ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλ' ἀπ' ἐναντίας ἅπαντα τούτοις. Σκόπει δέ· Ἔσπειρας ἐλεημοσύνην, ἀναμένουσί σε οἱ τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυροὶ καὶ δόξα αἰώνιος· ἔσπειρας σωφροσύνην, τιμὴ καὶ βραβεῖον καὶ αἱ παρ' ἀγγέλων εὐφημίαι καὶ οἱ παρὰ τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου στέφανοι. Τὸ δὲ καλὸν ποιοῦντες, μὴ ἐκκακῶμεν· καιρῷ γὰρ ἰδίῳ θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι. Ἄρ' οὖν, ὡς καιρὸν ἔχομεν, ἐργαζώμεθα τὸ καλὸν πρὸς πάντας, μάλιστα πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς πίστεως. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις νομίσῃ, ὅτι διδασκάλων μὲν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δεῖ καὶ τρέφειν αὐτοὺς, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἀμελεῖν, εἰς κοινὸν ἐξάγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ πᾶσι τὴν θύραν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀνοίγει φιλοτιμίας, καὶ τοσαύτην ποιεῖται τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, ὡς καὶ Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας ἐλεεῖν κελεύειν, μετὰ προσηκούσης μὲν τάξεως, ἐλεεῖν δ' ὅμως. Τίς δὲ ἡ τάξις; Τὸ πλείονα περὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐνδείκνυσθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν. Καὶ ὅπερ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις Ἐπιστολαῖς ποιεῖ, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐργάζεται, οὐ περὶ τοῦ ἐλεεῖν διαλεγόμενος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ φιλοτίμως καὶ διηνεκῶς· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ σπόρου ὄνομα καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἐκκακεῖν, τοῦτο αἰνίττεται. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἀπῄτησε, καὶ τὸ ἔπαθλον ἐπὶ θύραις τίθησιν, ἀμητοῦ μεμνημένος καινοῦ τινος καὶ παραδόξου.

γʹ. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν γηπόνων οὐχ ὁ σπείρων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ θερίζων πολὺν ὑπομένει τὸν πόνον, αὐχμῷ καὶ κονιορτῷ καὶ πολλῇ μαχόμενος ταλαιπωρίᾳ· τότε δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων ἔνι, φησίν· ἃ καὶ παραδηλῶν ἔλεγε· Καιρῷ γὰρ ἰδίῳ θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μὲν αὐτοὺς προτρέπει καὶ ἐφέλκεται· καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δὲ κατεπείγει καὶ συνωθεῖ, λέγων· Ἄρ' οὖν ὡς καιρὸν ἔχομεν, ἐργαζώμεθα τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἀεὶ τοῦ σπείρειν ἐσμὲν κύριοι, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοῦ ἐλεεῖν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπενεχθῶμεν, κἂν μυριάκις βουληθῶμεν, οὐδὲν περανοῦμεν πλέον. Καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν ἡμῖν αἱ παρθένοι τῷ λόγῳ, αἳ μυρία προθυμηθεῖσαι, ἐπειδὴ δαψιλῆ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην οὐκ ἀπῆλθον ἔχουσαι, ἀπεκλείσθησαν τοῦ νυμφῶνος· καὶ ὁ τὸν Λάζαρον