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happening. And yet the reward is greater, if you do not act in the hope of rewards; for one must do everything for Christ's sake, and not for the hope of a reward. For if God, having made us from the beginning, when no good thing had been previously done by us, immediately bestowed so many things upon us, to those who have toiled so much and struggled and endured for His sake, what will He not bestow? And we, for our own sake, barely scorn a little gold, but He for our sake has given even His Son. And for the sake of human friendship we often choose even to be in danger; but for the sake of God's love for mankind do we not even give up money? And how is it not a terrible thing, that while Christ laid down His life for us, and shed His precious blood for us, who were neither well-disposed nor good; we do not even pour out money for Him, but overlook Him who died for us when He is naked and a stranger? And who will rescue us from the coming punishment? For if not God, but we punished ourselves, would we not have cast the vote against ourselves? Would we not have condemned ourselves to the fire of Gehenna, 63.725 overlooking Him who laid down His life for us as He wasted away with hunger? And why do I say money? For if we had ten thousand lives, would it not be necessary to lay them all down for Him? If one of us were led to death, and then it were proposed that he be released by giving up all his possessions, he would have considered the matter a favor; but now, being led on the road to Gehenna, when it is possible to be set free by giving half, we choose both to be punished and to hold on to our things in vain, so as to give up our things? And what defense shall we have, what excuse, depriving ourselves of the things here and the things there, when it is possible to enjoy both with security? If for the sake of a worldly office someone has often given his whole substance, an office that is destined to remain here, and not even remain here for a long time; for many have been stripped of this authority long before their end, and others often their very life for its sake; but nevertheless, knowing this, they move everything for its sake; if, therefore, they do so much for this, for that which abides and cannot be taken away, what could be more wretched than us, not giving up even a few things, nor providing those things which a little later we will unwillingly leave here? Of what madness, then, would this not be a sign, that the very things which are taken from us unwillingly, when it is possible to give them willingly, and to take them with ourselves, we are unwilling to do so? But we put golden collars on our servants and mules and horses; but we overlook the Master wandering naked and living outdoors and stretching out his hand, and we often look upon him with a cruel eye. What could be worse than this madness? For when God sends the poor to us, commanding us to give to them from what is His, and we not only do not give, but also send them away having been insulted, consider how many thunderbolts, how many lightning strikes we do a thing worthy of. For if your servant, commanded by you to go to another servant who has your money to receive it, returned not only with empty hands, but also having been insulted; what would you not have done to the one who insulted him? What great justice would you not have demanded, since you yourself are then the one who was insulted? If this is so in the case of men, how much more so in the case of the Master of men and of all things? If you wish to give nothing to the poor man who asks, why do you also reproach and strike his soul? For surely, if he had expected to hear such things, he would not have come to you? But he is shameless, he says, and runs up shouting. What are you saying? How many times, when the table is set, have you called the servant who is waiting, so that he might walk more slowly, and you have overturned everything for the sake of just a small delay; although knowing very well that even if not immediately, yet a little later you will enjoy the pleasure; and you do not call yourself shameless when you are turned into a wild beast over nothing; but the poor man who is afraid and trembling for greater things (for his fear is not about delay, but about starvation entirely), this man you call forward and shameless? And how is this not the height of shamelessness? If you, seeing some small drop brought down from the roof, call both servants and craftsmen, and all

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γινόμενον. Καίτοι μείζων ὁ μισθὸς, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι μισθῶν ποιῇς· δεῖ γὰρ πάντα διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ μὴ διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα ποιεῖν τοῦ μισθοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ ποιήσας ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οὐδενὸς παρ' ἡμῶν προϋπηργμένου καλοῦ, τοσαῦτα ἡμῖν εὐθέως ἐχαρίσατο, τοῖς τοσαῦτα πεπονηκόσι καὶ ἠθληκόσι καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ὑπομείνασι τί οὐ χαρίσεται; καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν μόλις ὀλίγου χρυσίου καταφρονοῦμεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ δέδωκε. Καὶ ὑπὲρ μὲν φιλίας ἀνθρώπων καὶ κινδυνεύειν πολλάκις αἱρούμεθα· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας οὐδὲ χρήματα προϊέμεθα; Καὶ πῶς οὐ δεινὸν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τὸ τίμιον ἐξέχεε δι' ἡμᾶς, τοὺς οὐκ εὔνους οὐδὲ ἀγαθοὺς γεγενημένους· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ χρήματα προχέομεν δι' αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ περιορῶμεν γυμνὸν καὶ ξένον τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανόντα; καὶ τίς ἡμᾶς τῆς μελλούσης ἐξαιρήσεται κολάσεως; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκολάζομεν, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐξηνέγκαμεν; ἆρα οὐκ ἂν τῷ τῆς γεέννης ἑαυτοὺς κατ 63.725 εδικάσαμεν πυρὶ, τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν θέντα λιμῷ τηκόμενον περιορῶντες; Καὶ τί λέγω χρήματα; εἰ γὰρ μυρίας εἴχομεν ψυχὰς, οὐχὶ ἁπάσας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ θεῖναι ἐχρῆν; Εἴ τις ἡμῶν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἤγετο, εἶτα προύκειτο πάντα τὰ ὄντα προέμενον ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ χάριν ἂν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμισε· νῦν δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ γεέννης ἀγομένους ὁδὸν, παρὸν τὰ ἡμίση διδόντας ἐλευθερωθῆναι, αἱρούμεθα καὶ κολάζεσθαι καὶ κατέχειν εἰκῆ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὥστε τὰ ἡμέτερα προέσθαι; καὶ ποίαν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, τίνα συγγνώμην, καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστεροῦντες, παρὸν ἀμφότερα μετὰ ἀδείας καρπώσασθαι; Εἰ ὑπὲρ ἀξιώματός τις βιωτικοῦ ὅλην πολλάκις τὴν οὐσίαν ἐπέδωκεν, ἀξιώματος τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐνταῦθα μένειν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα πολὺν παραμένοντος χρόνον· πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς τελευτῆς ταύτην ἀπεδύσαντο τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἕτεροι δὲ διὰ ταύτην καὶ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτὴν πολλάκις· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα εἰδότες πάντα κινοῦσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς· εἰ τοίνυν ὑπὲρ ταύτης τοσαῦτα ποιοῦσι, ὑπὲρ τῆς μενούσης ἐκείνης καὶ ἀναφαιρέτου τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμῶν ἀθλιώτερον, μηδὲ ὀλίγα προϊεμένων, μηδὲ ταῦτα παρεχόντων, ἃ καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἄκοντες ἐνταῦθα ἀφήσομεν; Ποίας οὖν ταῦτα οὐκ ἂν εἴη μανίας, ἅπερ ἄκοντες ἀφαιρούμεθα, ταῦτα παρὸν ἑκόντας δοῦναι, καὶ μεθ' ἑαυτῶν λαβεῖν, μὴ βουληθῆναι; Ἀλλὰ οἰκέταις μὲν καὶ ἡμιόνοις καὶ ἵπποις περιδέῤῥαια χρυσᾶ περιτίθεμεν· τὸν ∆εσπότην δὲ γυμνὸν περιιόντα καὶ θυραυλοῦντα καὶ χεῖρα ἐκτείνοντα περιορῶμεν, καὶ πολλάκις ἀπηνεῖ βλέπομεν ὀφθαλμῷ. Τί ταύτης τῆς μανίας χεῖρον γένοιτ' ἄν; Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀποστέλλῃ τοὺς πένητας, ἐκ τῶν ἐκείνου δοῦναι κελεύων αὐτοῖς, ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς τῷ μὴ δοῦναι καὶ ὑβρισθέντας ἐκπέμπωμεν, ἐννόησον πόσων σκηπτῶν, πόσων κεραυνῶν ἄξιον πρᾶγμα ποιοῦμεν. Εἰ γὰρ σὸς οἰκέτης, παρὰ σοῦ κελευσθεὶς εἰς ἕτερον ἀπελθεῖν οἰκέτην ἀργύριον ἔχοντα σὸν λαβεῖν, οὐ μόνον κεναῖς ἐπανῆλθε χερσὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑβρισθείς· τί οὐκ ἂν εἰργάσω τὸν ὑβρικότα; πόσην οὐκ ἂν δίκην ἀπῄτησας, ἅτε λοιπὸν αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ ὑβρισμένος; Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο, ἐπὶ τοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ∆εσπότου πόσῳ μᾶλλον; Εἰ μηδὲν βούλει δοῦναι αἰτοῦντι τῷ πένητι, τί καὶ ὀνειδίζων πλήττεις τὴν ἐκείνου ψυχήν; μὴ γὰρ, εἰ προσεδόκησε τοιαῦτα ἀκούσεσθαι, προσῆλθέ σοι ἄν; Ἀλλ' ἀναίσχυντός ἐστι, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπιτρέχων βοᾷ. Τί λέγεις; ποσάκις τραπέζης παρακειμένης τὸν ὑπηρετοῦντα οἰκέτην καλέσας, ἵνα σχολαιότερον βαδίσῃ, πάντα ἀνέτρεψας ὑπὲρ ἀναβολῆς μόνον μικρᾶς· καίτοι γε σφόδρα εἰδὼς, ὅτι κἂν μὴ εὐθέως, ἀλλὰ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀπολαύσῃ τῆς ἡδονῆς· καὶ σαυτὸν μὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἐκθηριούμενον, οὐ καλεῖς ἀναίσχυντον· τὸν δὲ πένητα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν μειζόνων δεδοικότα καὶ τρέμοντα (οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ μελλήσεως, ἀλλὰ περὶ λιμοῦ ἅπας ὁ φόβος αὐτῷ), τοῦτον ἰταμὸν καλεῖς καὶ ἀναίσχυντον; καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης τοῦτο ἀναισχυντίας; Εἰ σὺ μικράν τινα σταγόνα κατενεχθεῖσαν ὁρῶν ἀπὸ τῆς στέγης, καὶ οἰκέτας καλεῖς καὶ τεχνίτας, καὶ πάντα