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he says, to be self-sufficient. So the matter is one of teaching, and of exercise, and of practice. For it is not easily accomplished, but is exceedingly difficult and involves much labor. In whatever state I am, he says, to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: in everything and in all things I am instructed. That is, I know both how to use a few things, and how to bear hunger and want. Both to abound, and to be in need. Yes, he says; but this is not a matter of knowledge, just as it is not of virtue, to abound. And very much of virtue, no less than the other. How? Because just as want prepares one to do many evil things, so also does fullness. 2. For many, when they have come into abundance, have often become more slothful, and did not know how to bear their prosperity; many have often taken occasion to no longer work. But not so Paul; for even when receiving, he spent it on others, and poured it out for others. And this is to know how to make good use of what one has. He was not dissipated, nor did he rejoice in his abundance, but he was the same both in want and in fullness, neither being distressed by the one, nor puffed up by the other. And I know both how to be full, he says, and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. Many do not know how to be full, like the Israelites; for they ate, and kicked. But I remain in the same good order. He shows that he was neither pleased now, nor grieved before; and if he was grieved, it was not for his own sake, but for theirs; for he himself was in the same state. In everything, he says, and in all things I am instructed. That is, I have had experience of all things in this long time, and all these things have been achieved by me. But since the matter was a boast, see how quickly he corrects himself, and says: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, he says. The achievement is not mine, but His who has given the strength. But since again those who do good, when they see that the one receiving is not well disposed, but despises what is given, become more indifferent; for they themselves were disposed as doing a favor and giving rest; so that this might not happen, and lest anyone say, "Since Paul despises this rest, it is necessary for them to become more indifferent;" see how again he also heals this. For through what has been said he brought down their pride; but through what follows he makes their eagerness 62.290 live again, saying: Notwithstanding you have done well, that you shared in my affliction. Do you see both how he distanced himself, and how he united himself again? This is a mark of genuine and spiritual friendship. For do not, he says, since I am not in need, think that I do not need the thing; I need it for your sakes. How then did they share in his afflictions? Through this; which he also said when he was in bonds, You all being partakers of my grace. For it is a grace to suffer for Christ, as he himself somewhere says; Because to you it has been granted by God, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. For since those things, being said by themselves, were sufficient to grieve them, for this reason he heals and accepts and praises again, and this in a measured way. For he did not say, "Having given," but, "Having shared," showing that they also gained, if indeed they became partakers of the prizes. He did not say, "Having lightened my afflictions," but, "Having shared in my affliction," which was more dignified. Do you see the humility of Paul? do you see his nobility? When he showed that he needed nothing from them for his own sake, then finally he speaks humble words without fear, and what those who beg say, "As you are accustomed to give." For he refrains from neither doing nor saying anything, in order to achieve the one thing he wants. And what is this? Do not think, he says, that the words are a matter of shamelessness, the accusation, and the saying, "Now at length you have revived," and of being in need; for I do not say these things because I am in need, but what? From my great confidence in you; and of this you yourselves are the cause. Do you see how he heals them, and how he says,

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φησὶν, αὐτάρκης εἶναι. Ἄρα διδασκαλίας ἐστὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ γυμνασίας καὶ μελέτης. Οὐ γὰρ εὐκατόρθωτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα δύσκολον καὶ πόνον ἔχον πολύν. Ἐν οἷς εἰμι, φησὶν, αὐτάρκης εἶναι. Οἶδα καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι, οἶδα καὶ περισσεύειν· ἐν παντὶ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι μεμύημαι. Τουτέστι, Καὶ ὀλίγοις κεχρῆσθαι οἶδα, καὶ λιμὸν φέρειν καὶ ἔνδειαν. Καὶ περισσεύειν, καὶ ὑστερεῖσθαι. Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιστήμης, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἀρετῆς, τὸ περισσεύειν. Καὶ σφόδρα ἀρετῆς, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ ἐκεῖνο. Πῶς; Ὅτι ὥσπερ ἡ στενοχωρία πολλὰ παρασκευάζει κακὰ ποιεῖν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ πλησμονή. βʹ. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ γενόμενοι, ῥᾳθυμότεροι ἐγένοντο, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν εὐπραγίαν· πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἀφορμὴν ἔλαβον τοῦ μηκέτι ἐργάζεσθαι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Παῦλος· καὶ γὰρ λαμβάνων εἰς ἄλλους ἀνήλισκε, καὶ εἰς ἄλλους ἐκένου. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν εἰδέναι καλῶς κεχρῆσθαι τῷ ἔχειν. Οὐχὶ διεχεῖτο, οὐδὲ ἔχαιρεν ἐπὶ τῇ περισσείᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἴσος ἦν ἔν τε ἐνδείᾳ, ἔν τε πλησμονῇ, οὔτε ἐκεῖθεν πιεζόμενος, οὔτε ἐντεῦθεν χαυνούμενος. Καὶ χορτάζεσθαι, φησὶν, οἶδα καὶ πεινᾷν, καὶ περισσεύειν καὶ ὑστερεῖσθαι. Πολλοὶ οὐκ ἴσασι χορτάζεσθαι, οἷον οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἔφαγον, καὶ ἀπελάκτισαν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐταξίας ἐγὼ μένω. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι οὔτε νῦν ἥσθη, οὔτε πρότερον ἐλυπεῖτο· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐλυπεῖτο, οὐκ αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁμοίως διέκειτο. Ἐν παντὶ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι μεμύημαι. Τουτέστι, Πεῖραν ἔλαβον ἐν τῷ μακρῷ τούτῳ χρόνῳ πάντων, καὶ ταῦτά μοι πάντα κατώρθωται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μεγαληγορία τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν, ὅρα πῶς ἐπιλαμβάνεται ταχέως, καί φησι· Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ, φησίν. Οὐκ ἐμὸν τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν δεδωκότος ἐστίν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάλιν οἱ εὖ ποιοῦντες, ὅταν ἴδωσιν οὐ διατιθέμενον εὖ τὸν λαμβάνοντα, ἀλλὰ καταφρονοῦντα τῶν διδομένων, ῥᾳθυμότεροι γίνονται· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὡς χαριζόμενοι διέκειντο καὶ ἀναπαύοντες· ἵνα οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, μηδέ τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι Ἐπεὶ καταφρονεῖ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως Παῦλος, ἀνάγκη τούτους ῥᾳθυμοτέρους γενέσθαι· ὅρα πῶς πάλιν καὶ τοῦτο ἰᾶται. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ φρόνημα αὐτῶν κατέσπασε· διὰ δὲ τῶν ἑξῆς τὴν προθυμίαν 62.290 αὐτῶν ἀναζῇν ποιεῖ, λέγων· Πλὴν καλῶς ἐποιήσατε συγκοινωνήσαντές μου τῇ θλίψει. Ὁρᾷς καὶ πῶς ἀπέστησεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ πῶς πάλιν ἥνωσε; Τοῦτο γνησίας φιλίας ἐστὶ καὶ πνευματικῆς. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ, φησὶν, ἐν χρείᾳ οὐ καθέστηκα, νομίσητε μὴ δεῖσθαί με τοῦ πράγματος· δέομαι δι' ὑμᾶς. Πῶς οὖν ἐκοινώνησαν αὐτῷ τῶν θλίψεων; ∆ιὰ τούτου· ὅπερ καὶ δεσμούμενος ἔλεγε, Συγκοινωνούς μου τῆς χάριτος πάντας ὑμᾶς. Χάρις γάρ ἐστι τὸ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὥς που καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ὅτι ὑμῖν ἐχαρίσθη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνα καταμόνας λεγόμενα ἀλγῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἱκανὰ ἦν, διὰ τοῦτο θεραπεύει καὶ ἀποδέχεται καὶ ἐπαινεῖ πάλιν, καὶ τοῦτο μεμετρημένως. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, ∆όντες, ἀλλὰ, Συγκοινωνήσαντες, δεικνὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ κερδάναντας, εἴ γε τῶν ἄθλων ἐγένοντο κοινωνοί. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐπικουφίσαντές μου τὰς θλίψεις, ἀλλὰ, Συγκοινωνήσαντές μου τῇ θλίψει, ὅπερ ἦν σεμνότερον. Ὁρᾷς τὸ ταπεινὸν Παύλου; ὁρᾷς τὸ εὐγενές; Ὅτε ἔδειξεν οὐδὲν δεόμενον τῶν παρ' ἐκείνων αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν, τότε λοιπὸν ἀδεῶς καὶ ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται ῥήματα, καὶ ἅπερ οἱ προσαιτοῦντες λέγουσιν, Ὡς ἔθος ἔχεις διδόναι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ παραιτεῖται οὔτε ποιεῖν, οὔτε λέγειν, πρὸς τὸ μόνον, ὃ βούλεται, κατορθῶσαι. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι; Μὴ νομίσητε, φησὶν, ἀναισχυντίας εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα, τὸ ἐγκαλεῖν, καὶ λέγειν, Ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνεθάλετε, καὶ τοῦ ἐν χρείᾳ εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ δεόμενος ταῦτα λέγω, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐκ τοῦ σφόδρα θαῤῥεῖν ὑμῖν· καὶ τούτου δὲ ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς αὐτοὺς θεραπεύει, καὶ πῶς φησιν,