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In every way He spoke of the kingdom of heaven to you as a grain. And this grain is the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the garden is the heart of each person, where the one who receives the Spirit casts it within and hides it in the depths of his inward parts, so that no one sees it, and he guards it with all exactness, so that it may grow, so that it may become a tree and ascend to heaven. (121) If, then, you say: Not here, but after the end all who ardently love it will receive the kingdom, you overturn the words of our Savior and God. For if you do not receive the grain, the mustard seed, of which He spoke, if you do not cast it into your garden, you remain completely without seed. And if you should receive the seed and choke it with thorns or betray it to the birds and they snatch away the grain or through neglect you leave your garden unwatered and your seed does not grow, does not sprout, does not bear fruit, what benefit will the seed be to you, tell me? And when, if not here, would you at another time receive the seed? After death, you might say to me, but you are mistaken in what is likely: in what garden then will you hide it, I ask you, and with what labors will you tend it, that it might grow? Truly you are completely full of deceitful error, brother! For this time is for works, but the one to come is for crowns; (122) here you must receive the pledge, said the Master, here receive the seal.

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Πάντως βασιλείαν εἶπε τήν τῶν οὐρανῶν σοι κόκκον. Ὁ δέ κόκκος οὗτος ἔστι Θείου Πνεύματος ἡ χάρις, ὁ δέ κῆπος ἡ καρδία ἡ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἔνθα ὁ λαβών τό Πνεῦμα βάλλει ἔνδον τε καί κρύπτει ταῖς λαγόσι ταῖς τῶν σπλάγχνων, ὡς μηδένα τοῦτο βλέπειν, καί φυλάττει μετά πάσης ἀκριβείας, ὅπως φύῃ, ὅπως γένηται εἰς δένδρον καί εἰς οὐρανόν ἀνέλθῃ. (121) Εἰ οὖν λέγεις˙ Οὐχί ὧδε, ἀλλά μετά τέλος πάντες λήψονται τήν βασιλείαν, οἱ θερμῶς ταύτης ἐρῶντες, ἀνατρέπεις τοῦ Σωτῆρος καί Θεοῦ ἡμῶν τούς λόγους. Τόν γάρ κόκκον εἰ μή λάβῃς, τόν σινάπεως, ὅν εἶπεν, εἰ μή βάλῃς σου εἰς κῆπον, μένεις ὅλως δίχα σπόρου. Εἰ δέ καί τόν σπόρον λάβοις καί συμπνίξεις ταῖς ἀκάνθαις ἤ προδώσεις τοῖς ὀρνέοις καί ἁρπάσουσι τόν κόκκον ἤ ἀπότιστον ἐάσεις κῆπόν σου τῇ ἀμελείᾳ καί οὐ φύει σου ὁ σπόρος, οὐ βλαστήσει, οὐ καρπεύσει, τίς σοι ἐκ τοῦ σπόρου ἔσται ἡ ὠφέλεια, εἰπέ μοι; Πότε δέ, εἰ μή ἐνταῦθα, ἄλλοτε τόν σπόρον λάβοις; Μετά θάνατον, μοί εἴπῃς, ἀλλά σφάλλῃ τοῦ εἰκότος˙ ποίῳ κήπῳ τότε τοῦτον κατακρύψεις, ἐρωτῶ σε, ποίαις δέ ταῖς ἐργασίαις θεραπεύσεις, ἵνα φύῃ; Ὄντως ὅλος γέμεις πλάνῃς, ἀδελφέ, ἠπατημένης! Ὁ γάρ χρόνος οὗτος ἔργων, ὁ δέ μέλλων τῶν στεφάνων˙ (122) ὧδε σύ τούς ἀρραβῶνας λαβε, εἶπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὧδε δέξαι τήν σφραγίδα.