John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

often; but the temperate man is not merciful; one is named for this virtue, the other for that. Let someone be just; and often he is just, and has all good things, and he became arrogant on account of his justice, and arrogance ruined his justice for him. Was not the Pharisee just, fasting twice a week? And what does he say? I am not like the rest of men, robbers and greedy. And often someone came from a clean conscience into arrogance; and what sin did not harm him, arrogance harmed him. For it is not possible for a man to be so completely just as to be pure from sin, and again, it is not possible for any man to be so evil as not to have even some small good. This is what I mean: So-and-so robs and is greedy and does harm, but sometimes he gives alms, but sometimes he is temperate, but sometimes he has a kind word, but sometimes he helped even one man, but sometimes he wept, but sometimes he was grieved. Therefore, no one is just without sin, 48.1042 nor is any sinner completely devoid of good. Who was worse than Ahab? He robbed and he murdered; but yet, because he was grieved, God says to Elijah: Have you seen how Ahab was humbled, have you seen how in such a depth of evils some small good was found? What is worse than Judas the traitor, who was taken captive by the love of money? But yet even he did some small good thing after this. For I have sinned, he says, by betraying innocent blood. Therefore, as I was saying, wickedness is not by nature, for that would leave no room for virtue. The sheep can never become wild, for by nature it has gentleness; the wolf can never become tame, for by nature it has wildness. Therefore the laws of nature are not undone, nor are they shaken, but they remain unmoved. In my case this is not so, but I become wild when I wish, and tame when I want; for I am not bound by nature, but I am honored with freedom of choice. Therefore, as I said, no one is so good as not to have a small stain, nor is anyone so wicked as not to have even a small good. Since, therefore, there is a recompense for all things, and a reward for all things; for even if someone is a murderer, or wicked, or greedy, but does a good thing, the recompense for the good thing remains for him, and the good does not become unrewarded on account of the evil things he did. And again, even if someone does ten thousand good things, but does something vile, the recompense for the vile thing remains for him. Hold fast to these things, keep them firm and unmoved. No one is good without sin, nor is anyone evil without righteousness. For I say the same things again, that I may make it take root, that I may plant it, that I may place it deep down. For the devil casts certain cares into the soul, wishing to lead your mind astray, and to ruin the things said by me; for this reason I bring them deep down. For if you keep them safely here, even if you go outside, you cannot lose them. For just as, if I put gold into a purse, I tie it tight and seal it, so that even when I am absent the robber may not take it, so also I do in the case of your love; by the continuity of the teaching I tie it tight and place seals on it, and I make your mind secure, so that it may not be effaced by carelessness, but rather that, by preserving it, with the tranquility here I may ward off the outside turmoil. Therefore these things that are said are not of much-speaking, but of the care and tender affection and longing of the teacher, so that what is said may not slip away. For to say these things is not tedious for me, but for you it is safe; I wish to teach, not simply to make a display. Therefore there is no just person who does not have sin; and there is no sinner who does not have good; but since there is a recompense for each, see what happens: The sinner receives an equivalent recompense for his good things, if he has even some small good; and the just man receives the equivalent judgment for his sin, even if he does some small evil. What then happens, 48.1043 and what does God do? He has appointed sickness for sin, in this present life and in the age to come. If, then, someone is just, and does something vile, and gets sick here, and is given over to punishment, do not be disturbed, but

πολλάκις· ὁ δὲ σώφρων μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐλεήμων· ὁ μὲν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἀρετῇ ὀνομάζεται, ὁ δὲ ἐν ἐκείνῃ. Ἔστω τις δίκαιος· καὶ πολλάκις μὲν δίκαιός ἐστι, καὶ ἔχει πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ἔσχεν ἀπόνοιαν διὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐλυμήνατο αὐτῷ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἡ ἀπόνοια. Ὁ Φαρισαῖος οὐκ ἦν δίκαιος, νηστεύων δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου; καὶ τί φησιν; Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἅρπαγες καὶ πλεονέκται. Καὶ πολλάκις ἀπὸ καθαροῦ συνειδότος εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἦλθέ τις· καὶ ὅπερ οὐκ ἔβλαψεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἔβλαψεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἀπόνοια. Οὐκ ἔστι γοῦν ἄνθρωπον καθ' ὅλου οὕτως εἶναι δίκαιον, ὡς καθαρὸν εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ πάλιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον οὐδένα κακὸν εἶναι, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν τι κἂν μικρὸν ἀγαθόν. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁ δεῖνα ἁρπάζει καὶ πλεονεκτεῖ καὶ λυμαίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε ἐλεημοσύνην δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε σώφρων ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε λόγον ἔχει χρηστὸν, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε κἂν ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ ἐβοήθησεν, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε ἔκλαυσεν, ἀλλ' ἐνίοτε ἐστύγνασεν. Οὔτε οὖν δίκαιός ἐστι χωρὶς ἁμαρ48.1042 τίας, οὔτε ἐστὶν ἁμαρτωλὸς καθόλου ἔρημος ἀγαθοῦ. Τί τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ χαλεπώτερον; ἥρπασε καὶ ἐφόνευσεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ ἐστύγνασε, λέγει τῷ Ἠλίᾳ ὁ Θεός· Εἶδες πῶς κατενύγη Ἀχαὰβ, εἶδες ἐν τοσούτῳ βυθῷ κακῶν πῶς εὑρέθη τι μικρὸν ἀγαθόν; Τί Ἰούδα χεῖρον τοῦ προδότου, τοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντος ὑπὸ τῆς φιλαργυρίας; ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησε κἂν μικρόν τι μετὰ ταῦτα ἀγαθόν. Ἥμαρτον γὰρ, φησὶ, παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον· οὐ γάρ ἐστι φύσει ἡ κακία, ἵνα μὴ ἔχῃ χώραν ἡ ἀρετή. Τὸ πρόβατον οὐδέποτε δύναται γενέσθαι ἄγριον, φύσει γὰρ ἔχει τὸ ἥμερον· ὁ λύκος οὐδέποτε δύναται γενέσθαι ἥμερος, φύσει γὰρ ἔχει τὸ ἄγριον. Οὐ λύονται οὖν οἱ νόμοι τῆς φύσεως, οὐδὲ σαλεύονται, ἀλλὰ μένουσιν ἀκίνητοι. Ἐπὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔνι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγριος γίνομαι ὅταν βούλωμαι, καὶ ἥμερος ὅταν θέλω· οὐ γὰρ φύσει δέδεμαι, ἀλλ' ἐλευθερίᾳ προαιρέσεως τετίμημαι. Ὅπερ οὖν εἶπον, οὔτε ἀγαθός τις οὕτως ἐστὶν, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν μικρὰν κηλῖδα, οὔτε πονηρός τις οὕτως ἐστὶν, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν κἂν μικρὸν ἀγαθόν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πάντων ἀντίδοσίς ἐστι, καὶ πάντων ἐστὶν ἀμοιβή· κἂν γὰρ φονεὺς ᾖ τις, κἂν πονηρός τις ᾖ, κἂν πλεονέκτης, ποιήσῃ δὲ καλὸν, μένει αὐτῷ τοῦ καλοῦ ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις, καὶ οὐ διὰ τὰ κακὰ, ἃ ἐποίησεν, ἄμισθον γίνεται τὸ καλόν. Καὶ πάλιν, κἂν μυρία τις ἐργάζηται ἀγαθὰ, ποιήσῃ δέ τι φαῦλον, μένει αὐτῷ τοῦ φαύλου ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις. Κάτεχε ταῦτα, τήρει αὐτὰ ὀχυρὰ καὶ ἀκίνητα. Οὔτε ἀγαθός τίς ἐστι χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, οὔτε κακός τίς ἐστι χωρὶς δικαιοσύνης. Τὰ αὐτὰ γὰρ λέγω πάλιν, ἵνα ῥιζώσω, ἵνα φυτεύσω, ἵνα εἰς βάθος θήσω. Ἐμβάλλει γάρ τινας μερίμνας ὁ διάβολος εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν, βουλόμενος ἀποβουκολῆσαι ὑμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ λυμήνασθαι τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ λεγόμενα· διὰ τοῦτο εἰς βάθος αὐτὰ καταφέρω. Ἐὰν γὰρ ὧδε τηρήσῃς ἀσφαλῶς, κἂν ἔξω ἀπέλθῃς, ἀπολέσαι αὐτὰ οὐ δύνασαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, ἐὰν βάλω χρυσίον εἰς βαλάντιον, σφίγγω καὶ σφραγίζομαι, ἵνα καὶ ἐμοῦ ἀπόντος ὁ λῃστὴς μὴ λάβῃ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης ποιῶ· τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς διδασκαλίας σφίγγω καὶ σφραγῖδας ἐπιτίθημι, καὶ ἀσφαλίζομαι ὑμῶν τὴν γνώμην, ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἐξίτηλος τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἵνα τηρήσας μᾶλλον, τῇ ἐνταῦθα γαλήνῃ τὸν ἔξω θόρυβον ἀποκρούσωμαι. Οὐ τοίνυν ταῦτα πολυλογίας τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' ἐπιμελείας καὶ φιλοστοργίας καὶ πόθου τοῦ διδασκάλου, ἵνα μὴ ἀποῤῥυῇ τὰ λεγόμενα. Ταῦτα γὰρ λέγειν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές· διδάξαι βούλομαι, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπιδείξασθαι. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν τις δίκαιος, ὃς οὐκ ἔχει ἁμαρτίαν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τις ἁμαρτωλὸς ὃς οὐκ ἔχει ἀγαθόν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἑκάστων ἐστὶν ἀντίδοσις, βλέπε τί γίνεται· Ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀπολαμβάνει τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτοῦ ἰσόῤῥοπον τὴν ἀντίδοσιν, ἐάν τι ἔχῃ κἂν μικρὸν ἀγαθόν· καὶ ὁ δίκαιος ἀπολαμβάνει τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰσόῤῥοπον κρίσιν, κἂν μικρόν τι ποιήσῃ κακόν. Τί οὖν γίνεται, 48.1043 καὶ τί ποιεῖ ὁ Θεός; Ἀφώρισε νόσον τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, τὸν παρόντα βίον καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα. Ἐὰν οὖν ᾖ τις δίκαιος, καὶ ἐργάσηταί τι φαῦλον, καὶ νοσήσῃ ὧδε, καὶ τιμωρίᾳ παραδοθῇ, μὴ θορυβηθῇς, ἀλλ'