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The righteous man has ever done some small evil, and he receives it here, so that he may not be punished there. Again, if you see a sinner seizing, being greedy, prospering, doing countless evils, do not be troubled even so, 63.652 but say: This sinner who does countless evils, once did some good thing, and he receives his good things here, so that he may not demand a reward there. And this can also be seen in the case of Lazarus. Since it happened that he too had some sins, and the rich man in turn had some good thing, hear what Abraham says: You received your good things there, and Lazarus his evil things. What sort? Did you do some good? You received in exchange for it wealth, health, luxury, power, honor, and nothing is owed to you. What then of Lazarus? Did he sin in nothing? Yes; for this reason he says, And Lazarus his evil things; for when you were receiving your good things, then Lazarus also his evil things. So then, when you see a righteous man being punished, call him blessed and say: This righteous man has some sin, and receives it, and departs there clean; but if he is punished more than his sins, it is reckoned to him as an increase of righteousness. And attend to what I say: Job was righteous, blameless, true, God-fearing; and his body was punished here, so that he might demand a reward there. For God says to him: Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise, than that you might be shown to be righteous? Did then the counsel of his wife turn aside that holy Job? On the contrary, indeed, it did the opposite, and gave him greater wings, so as even to rebuke his wife. For he chose rather to be in pain and to suffer hardship, and to suffer countless terrible things, than with blasphemy to find some deliverance from so many evils. But the majority of men, whenever they fall into some illness, immediately blaspheme, and they endure the pain of the sickness, but they are deprived of the gain from it through patience. What are you doing, O man? Do you blaspheme the benefactor and savior and protector and guardian? Do you not perceive that you are being carried down a cliff, and throwing yourself into a pit of utter destruction? For this is why the devil brings on countless terrible things, so that he may bring you down 63.653 into that pit; and if he sees you blaspheming, he easily increases the pain and makes it greater, so that being goaded you may despair again; but if he sees you bearing it nobly, and the more the suffering is intensified, the more you give thanks to God, he departs immediately, as lying in wait from then on idly and in vain. For what reason are you vexed, O man, and do you blaspheme, if ever you should fall into any unexpected troubles? For if you blaspheme, do you make the suffering lighter? Indeed you intensify it, and make the pain much more grievous. But you are not able to be silent, being goaded by the pain? But instead of blasphemy give thanks, speak well, glorify God. For if you blaspheme, you have both rejected the alliance of God, and have made the devil more vehement against you; but if you give thanks, you have both repelled the plots of the wicked demon, and have drawn to yourself the healing of God the guardian. But from habit does the tongue often rush to utter that wicked word? But whenever it rushes, before you bring forth the word, bite it down vehemently with your teeth from all sides. It is better for it to bleed now, than on that day, desiring a drop, not to be able to obtain comfort, as in the case of the rich man; it is better for it to endure a temporary pain, than to be tormented then perpetually and immortally. When therefore you fall into a grievous sickness, and many come by compelling, some with incantations, others with amulets, and others with some other things to soothe the evil, but you for the fear of God bear nobly and unswervingly the pain from the sickness, and would choose to suffer all things rather than to submit to do any of such things; this brings you a crown of martyrdom. And do not doubt; for just as that one bears nobly the pains from tortures, so as not to worship the idol; so you too bear the pains from the sickness, so as to ask for nothing from him, nor to do

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ὁ δίκαιος μικρὸν πώποτε κακὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει ὧδε, ἵνα ἐκεῖ μὴ κολασθῇ. Πάλιν ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἁμαρτωλὸν ἁρπάζοντα, πλεονεκτοῦντα, εὐθηνούμενον, μυρία ποιοῦντα κακὰ, μηδὲ οὕτως θο 63.652 ρυβηθῇς, ἀλλ' εἰπέ· Οὗτος ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ μυρία κακὰ ποιῶν, ποτέ τι ἀγαθὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει ὧδε τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἵνα μὴ μισθὸν ἐκεῖ ἀπαιτήσῃ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ συνέβαινε καὶ αὐτὸν ἔχειν τινὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ τὸν πλούσιον πάλιν τι ἔχειν ἀγαθὸν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Ἀβραάμ· Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐκεῖ, καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ. Ὁποῖα; ἐποίησάς τι ἀγαθόν; ἀπέλαβες ἀντ' ἐκείνου τὸν πλοῦτον, τὴν ὑγίειαν, τὴν τρυφὴν, τὴν δυναστείαν, τὴν τιμὴν, καὶ οὐδέν σοι κεχρεώστηται. Τί οὖν ὁ Λάζαρος; οὐδὲν ἥμαρτε; Ναί· διὰ τοῦτο λέγει, Καὶ Λάζαρος τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ· ὅτε γὰρ σὺ τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἀπελάμβανες, τότε καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τὰ κακά. Ὥστε ὅταν ἴδῃς δίκαιον κολαζόμενον, μακάριζε αὐτὸν καὶ λέγε· Οὗτος ὁ δίκαιος ἁμαρτίαν τινὰ ἔχει, καὶ ἀπολαμβάνει αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀπέρχεται ἐκεῖ καθαρός· εἰ δὲ πλέον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων κολάζεται, προσθήκη δικαιοσύνης αὐτῷ λογίζεται. Καὶ πρόσεχε ᾧ λέγω· Ὁ Ἰὼβ δίκαιος ἦν, ἄμεμπτος, ἀληθινὸς, θεοσεβής· καὶ ἐκολάσθη αὐτῷ τὸ σῶμα ὧδε, ἵνα ἐκεῖ μισθὸν ἀπαιτήσῃ. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς αὐτόν· Οὐκ ἄλλως σοι οἴει με κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος; Ἆρα οὖν μήτι παρέτρεψε τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον Ἰὼβ ἡ τῆς γυναικὸς συμβουλή; τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν μᾶλλον ἐποίησε, καὶ ἐπτέρωσε μειζόνως αὐτὸν, ὡς καὶ ἐπιτιμῆσαι τῇ γυναικί. Ἡρεῖτο γὰρ μᾶλλον ὀδυνᾶσθαι καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι, καὶ μυρία πάσχειν δεινὰ, ἢ μετὰ βλασφημίας ἀπαλλαγήν τινα τῶν τοσούτων εὑρέσθαι κακῶν. Ἀλλ' οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπειδὰν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ τινὶ περιπέσωσι, βλασφημοῦσιν εὐθέως, καὶ τὸν μὲν πόνον ὑφίστανται τοῦ νοσήματος· τοῦ κέρδους δὲ τοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀποστεροῦνται. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; τὸν εὐεργέτην καὶ σωτῆρα καὶ προστάτην καὶ κηδεμόνα βλασφημεῖς; οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ κατὰ κρημνοῦ φερόμενος, καὶ εἰς βάραθρον σαυτὸν ἐμβάλλων ἀπωλείας ἐσχάτης; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ὁ διάβολος μυρία ἐπάγει δεινὰ, ἵνα εἰς ἐκεῖνό σε κατ 63.653 αγάγῃ τὸ βάραθρον· κἂν μὲν ἴδῃ βλασφημοῦντα, ῥᾳδίως αὔξει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα καὶ μείζονα ποιεῖ, ἵνα κεντούμενος ἀποδυσπετήσῃς πάλιν· ἂν δὲ ἴδῃ γενναίως φέροντα, καὶ ὅσῳ τὸ πάθος ἐπιτείνεται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστοῦντα τῷ Θεῷ, ἀφίσταται εὐθέως, ὡς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην παρεδρεύων λοιπόν. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν δυσχεραίνεις, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ βλασφημεῖς, καὶ εἴ τινι τῶν ἀδοκήτων περιπέσοις ποτέ; Μὴ γὰρ ἐὰν βλασφημήσῃς, κουφότερον τὸ πάθος ποιεῖς; ἐπιτείνεις μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ, καὶ χαλεπωτέραν ἐργάζῃ μάλιστα τὴν ὀδύνην. Ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασαι σιγᾷν, ὑπὸ τῆς ὀδύνης κεντούμενος; Ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τῆς βλασφημίας εὐχαρίστησον, εὐφήμησον, δόξασον τὸν Θεόν. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ βλασφημήσῃς, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν ἀπεκρούσω, καὶ σφοδρότερον εἰργάσω κατὰ σοῦ τὸν διάβολον· ἂν δὲ εὐχαριστήσῃς, τάς τε ἐπιβουλὰς ἀπεκρούσω τὰς τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος, καὶ τὴν τοῦ κηδεμόνος Θεοῦ θεραπείαν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπεσπάσω. Ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς συνηθείας ὁρμᾷ πολλάκις ἡ γλῶσσα τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο φθέγξασθαι ῥῆμα; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν ὁρμήσῃ, πρὶν ἢ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐξενεγκεῖν, κατάδακε τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτὴν πάντοθεν σφοδρῶς. Βέλτιον αὐτὴν αἷμα ῥέειν νῦν, ἢ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν σταγόνος ἐπιθυμοῦσαν, μὴ δυνηθῆναι τῆς παραμυθίας τυχεῖν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ πλουσίου· βέλτιον αὐτὴν πρόσκαιρον ὑπομεῖναι πόνον, ἢ διηνεκῆ καὶ ἀθάνατα τηγανίζεσθαι τότε. Ὅταν οὖν νόσῳ περιπέσῃς χαλεπῇ, καὶ πολλοὶ παραγίνωνται ἀναγκάζοντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπῳδαῖς, οἱ δὲ περιάμμασιν, οἱ δὲ ἑτέροις τισὶ παραμυθήσασθαι τὸ κακὸν, σὺ δὲ διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον ἐνέγκῃς γενναίως τὸν ἐκ τῆς νόσου πόνον καὶ ἀκλινῶς, καὶ πάντα ἂν ἕλῃ παθεῖν ἢ ὑποστῆναί τι τῶν τοιούτων πρᾶξαι· τοῦτό σοι μαρτυρίου στέφανον φέρει. Καὶ μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν βασάνων ὀδύνας φέρει γενναίως, ὥστε μὴ προσκυνῆσαι τὸ εἴδωλον· οὕτω καὶ σὺ τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου φέρεις ἀλγηδόνας, ὥστε μηδενὸς δεηθῆναι τῶν παρ' ἐκείνου, μηδὲ πρᾶξαι