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Consider with yourself, and say that this righteous man has at some time done some small evil, and receives it here, so that he may not be punished there. Again, if you see a sinner who is rapacious, covetous, doing countless evil things, even if he is called to account, consider that he has at some time done some good thing, and he receives the good things here, so that he may not demand his reward there. Thus, even if someone is righteous and suffers something terrible, for this reason he receives it here, so that here he may lay aside his sin, and go there pure; and even if someone is a sinner, full of evils, and suffering countless incurable diseases, rapacious, covetous, for this reason he enjoys prosperity here, so that he may not demand a reward there. Since, therefore, it happened that Lazarus had some sins, and the rich man had some good, for this reason Abraham says: Seek nothing here; you have received your good things there, and Lazarus his bad things. And that you may learn that I do not say these things simply, but that it is so, he says: You have received your good things. What things? Did you do something good? You received your wealth, health, luxury, pow48.1044er, honor; nothing is owed to you; you have received your good things. What then? Did Lazarus sin in nothing? Yes, and Lazarus his evil things. When you were receiving good things, then Lazarus also received bad things; for this reason now he is comforted, but you are in anguish. So when you see a righteous man being punished here, bless him and say: This righteous man either has a sin and is receiving it, and goes there pure, or he is punished more than his sins, and it is reckoned to him as an increase of righteousness. For an account is made there; and God says to the righteous man: You have this much from me; but perhaps He credits him with ten obols and makes an account with him of the ten obols. But if he spends sixty obols, God says to him: I reckon the ten obols to you as sin, and the fifty as righteousness. And so that you may learn that the remainder is reckoned to him as righteousness, Job was righteous, blameless, true, God-fearing, abstaining from every evil thing; his body was punished here, so that he might demand rewards there. For what does God say to him? Do you think I have dealt with you for any other reason than that you might be shown to be righteous? Therefore, having shown the same patience as the righteous, and having shown perseverance equal to their good way of life, let us receive the good things prepared for the saints who love God; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

To those who went to the hippodromes, and on the saying of the

Gospel: Enter by the narrow gate, because the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it; and at the end on the Rich Man and on

Lazarus. I. I wish to take up the usual teaching again, and the spiritual

to set a table before you; 48.1044 and I hesitate and shrink back, seeing that you bear no fruit from the continuous teaching; since a farmer too, 48.1045 when he has deposited the seeds with a lavish hand into the bosom of the earth, and does not see the growth becoming worthy of his labors, does not take up his farming with the same eagerness; for the hope of a harvest of fruits always lessens the burden of the labors. In this same way, we too would have lightly borne this great labor of teaching, if we had learned that something more was happening from our exhortation for your benefit. But now when we see that after our so many exhortations, after our so many admonitions and rebukes (for we have not ceased to continuously remind you of the fearful judgment-seat and of the accounts of

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ἐννόησον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ εἰπὲ, ὅτι οὗτος ὁ δίκαιος πώποτε μικρόν τι κακὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει ὧδε, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ κολασθῇ. Πάλιν, ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἁμαρτωλὸν ἁρπάζοντα, πλεονεκτοῦντα, μυρία ποιοῦντα κακὰ, κἂν εὐθυνῇ, ἐννόησον ὅτι ἐποίησέ ποτε ἀγαθόν τι, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει ὧδε τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ ἀπαιτήσῃ τὸν μισθόν. Οὕτω κἂν δίκαιος ᾖ τις καὶ πάσχῃ δεινόν τι, διὰ τοῦτο ἀπολαμβάνει ὧδε, ἵνα ὧδε ἀπόθηται τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἀπέλθῃ ἐκεῖ καθαρός· κἂν ἁμαρτωλός τις ᾖ, γέμων κακῶν, καὶ μυρία ἀνίατα νοσῶν, ἁρπάζων, πλεονεκτῶν, διὰ τοῦτο ἀπολαύει ἐνταῦθα εὐημερίας, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ ἀπαιτήσῃ μισθόν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν συνέβαινε καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ἔχειν τινὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ τὸν πλούσιον ἔχειν τι ἀγαθὸν, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ἀβραὰμ λέγει· Ὧδε μηδὲν ζήτει· ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐκεῖ, καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς λέγω ταῦτα, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐστὶ, λέγει· Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου. Ποῖα; ἐποίησάς τι ἀγαθόν; ἀπέλαβές σου τὸν πλοῦτον, τὴν ὑγείαν, τὴν τρυφὴν, τὴν δυνα48.1044 στείαν, τὴν τιμήν· οὐδέν σοι κεχρεώστηται· ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου. Τί οὖν; ὁ Λάζαρος οὐδὲν ἥμαρτε; Ναὶ, καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ. Ὅτε σὺ ἀπελάμβανες τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τότε καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακά· διὰ τοῦτο νῦν οὗτος παρακαλεῖται, σὺ δὲ ὀδυνᾶσαι. Ὥστε ὅταν ἴδῃς δίκαιον κολαζόμενον ὧδε, μακάριζε αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγε· Οὗτος ὁ δίκαιος ἢ ἁμαρτίαν ἔχει καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει αὐτήν, καὶ ἀπέρχεται ἐκεῖ καθαρὸς, ἢ πλέον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων κολάζεται, καὶ προσθήκη δικαιοσύνης αὐτῷ λογίζεται. Λόγος γὰρ γίνεται ἐκεῖ· καὶ λέγει ὁ Θεὸς τῷ δικαίῳ· Ἔχεις μου τόσον· τυχὸν δὲ πιστεύει αὐτῷ δέκα ὀβολοὺς καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτῷ λόγον τῶν δέκα ὀβολῶν. Ἐὰν δὲ δαπανήσῃ ἑξήκοντα ὀβολοὺς, λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός· Τοὺς δέκα ὀβολοὺς λογίζομαί σοι εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τοὺς πεντήκοντα εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς ὅτι τὸ λειπόμενον εἰς δικαιοσύνην αὐτῷ λογίζεται, Ἰὼβ δίκαιος ἦν, ἄμεμπτος, ἀληθινὸς, θεοσεβὴς, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος· ἐκολάσθη αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ὧδε, ἵνα ἐκεῖ μισθοὺς ἀπαιτήσῃ. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς αὐτόν; Ἄλλως οἴει με κεχρηματικέναι σοι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος; Τὴν αὐτὴν τοίνυν τοῖς δικαίοις ὑπομονὴν ἐπιδειξάμενοι, καὶ τῇ ἀγαθῇ αὐτῶν πολιτείᾳ τὴν καρτερίαν ἰσόῤῥοπον ἐπιδειξάμενοι, ἀπολάβωμεν τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ εὐτρεπισμένα τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεόν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Πρὸς τοὺς εἰς τὰς ἱπποδρομίας ἀπελθόντας, καὶ εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ

Εὐαγγελίου· Εἰσέλθετε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης, ὅτι πλατεῖα ἡ πύλη, καὶ εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ εἰσερχόμενοι δι' αὐτῆς· καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει εἰς Πλούσιον καὶ εἰς τὸν

Λάζαρον. αʹ. Βούλομαι τῆς συνήθους ἅψασθαι πάλιν διδασκαλίας, καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν

ὑμῖν παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν· 48.1044 καὶ ὀκνῶ καὶ ἀναδύομαι, ὁρῶν οὐδὲν καρπουμένους ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῆς συνεχοῦς διδασκαλίας· ἐπεὶ καὶ γηπόνος, 48.1045 ἐπειδὰν δαψιλεῖ τῇ χειρὶ τὰ σπέρματα τοῖς κόλποις τῆς γῆς παρακατάθηται, καὶ μὴ ἀξίαν τῶν πόνων ἴδῃ τὴν βλάστην γινομένην, οὐ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς προθυμίας τῆς γεωργίας ἅπτεται· ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς ἀεὶ τῆς τῶν καρπῶν φορᾶς ὑποτέμνεται τὸ βαρὺ τῶν πόνων. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν πολὺν τοῦτον πόνον τῆς διδασκαλίας κούφως ἂν ἠνέγκαμεν, εἰ ἐμάθομεν πλέον τι γινόμενον ἐκ τῆς παραινέσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰς ὠφέλειαν τὴν ὑμετέραν. Νυνὶ δὲ ὅταν θεασώμεθα, ὅτι μετὰ τὰς τοσαύτας ἡμῶν παραινέσεις, μετὰ τὰς τοσαύτας νουθεσίας καὶ ἐπιπλήξεις (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπαυσάμεθα συνεχῶς ὑμᾶς ὑπομιμνήσκοντες τοῦ φοβεροῦ δικαστηρίου καὶ τῶν εὐθυνῶν τῶν