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made you his co-heir, and put an end to your inhumanity. For what defense will you have, not even making him a sharer with your children, He who made you a sharer of the heavens, and was slain for you? and yet everything that He did, He did not as paying a debt, but showing grace; but you, after so many benefactions, have become a debtor. But nevertheless, even with things being so, as receiving a favor, not as demanding a debt, so He crowns you, and this, when He is about to receive what is His own. 7. Give him, therefore, money that is henceforth useless to you, and of which you are not the master, and he will give you a kingdom that is useful to you forever, and with it He will also bestow the things here. For if He becomes a co-heir of the children, He lightens their orphanhood, He puts an end to insults, He repels plots, the mouths of slanderers are stopped; and even if they cannot stand by the testaments, He himself will stand by them, and will not allow them to be broken. And if He should allow this, 60.582 He fulfills from Himself all that is written with greater generosity, since He was honored by being written in once. Leave him, therefore, as an heir; for to him you are about to depart; He judges for you the case of all things that have happened here. But there are some so wretched and miserable, who, even having no children, do not endure to do this, but fa60.581 A chasm is between us and you; for the bridegroom has not yet come, that one should be afraid to share oil; you can still buy and store it up. And there is not yet one who says: "Lest there not be enough for both us and you;" but there are many sellers, the naked, the hungry, the sick, those who dwell in prison. Feed these, clothe those, visit the ones who are lying down, and the oil will come forth more than from springs. The day of accounting has not yet arrived. Make proper use of the time, and make cancellations of debts, and to the one who owes the hundred measures of oil say: "Take your bill, and make it fifty." And do likewise with money and with words and with all other things, imitating that steward; and advise these things both to yourself and to your kinsmen. For you are still master to say these things; you have not yet come to the necessity of asking another about these things, but you have authority to advise both yourself and others; but when you depart thither, you will be able to do neither of these things to any avail; naturally. For one who has received so much time, and has benefited neither yourself nor another, how then, having come under the hands of the judge, will you be able to obtain this grace? Therefore, gathering all these things together, let us hold fast to our salvation, and not betray the opportunity of the present life. For it is possible, it is possible even to the last breath to be well-pleasing to God; it is also possible to be well-regarded from a will, not indeed as much as while living; but it is possible nonetheless. How and in what manner? If you write him in with your heirs, and assign to him also a share of the whole inheritance. You did not feed him while living? Even when you depart, when you are no longer master, share yours with him; He is benevolent, He is not exacting with you. For it is of greater desire and of greater reward, for you to feed him while living; but if you have not done this, at least come to the second best; leave him as a co-heir with your children. But if you shrink from this also, consider that his Father made you his co-heir, and put an end to your inhumanity. For what defense will you have, not even making him a sharer with your children, He who made you a sharer of the heavens, and was slain for you? and yet everything that He did, He did not as paying a debt, but showing grace; but you, after so many benefactions, have become a debtor. But nevertheless, even with things being so, as receiving a favor, not as demanding a debt, so He crowns you, and this, when He is about to receive what is His own. 7. Give him, therefore, money that is henceforth useless to you, and of which you are not the master, and he will give you a kingdom that is useful to you forever, and with it also the things

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συγκληρονόμον αὐτοῦ σε ἐποίησε, καὶ κατάλυσον τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν. Τίνα γὰρ ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν, μηδὲ τῶν παίδων τῶν σῶν κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν ποιῶν, τὸν κοινωνόν σε ποιήσαντα τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ σφαγέντα διὰ σέ; καίτοι γε αὐτὸς πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ὀφειλὴν ἀποδιδοὺς ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ χάριν ἐπιδεικνύμενος· σὺ δὲ μετὰ τοσαύτας εὐεργεσίας καὶ ὀφειλέτης κατέστης. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὡς χάριν λαμβάνων, οὐχ ὡς ὀφειλὴν ἀπαιτῶν, οὕτω σε στεφανοῖ, καὶ ταῦτα, τὰ αὑτοῦ μέλλων λαμβάνειν. ζʹ. ∆ὸς τοίνυν αὐτῷ χρήματα τά σοι λοιπὸν ἄχρηστα, καὶ ὧν οὐκ εἶ κύριος, καὶ δώσει σοι βασιλείαν τήν σοι χρησίμην διηνεκῶς, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνης καὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα χαριεῖται. Ἂν γὰρ γένηται συγκληρονόμος τῶν παίδων, ἐπικουφίζει τὴν ὀρφανίαν αὐτοῖς, λύει τὰς ἐπηρείας, ἀποκρούεται τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, ἐμφράττεται τὰ στόματα τῶν συκοφαντῶν· κἂν αὐτοὶ μὴ δύνωνται προστῆναι τῶν διαθηκῶν, αὐτὸς προστήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσει διαῤῥαγῆναι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο συγχωρήσει, 60.582 ἀναπληροῖ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα ἅπαντα μετὰ πλείονος τῆς φιλοτιμίας, ἐπειδὴ ἐτιμήθη τῷ ἐγγραφῆναι ἅπαξ. Ἄφες τοίνυν αὐτὸν κληρονόμον· πρὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀπιέναι μέλλεις· αὐτός σοι δικάζει τὴν δίκην τῶν ἐνταῦθα γεγενημένων ἁπάντων. Ἀλλὰ γάρ εἰσί τινες οὕτως ἄθλιοι καὶ ταλαίπωροι, οἳ μηδὲ παῖδας ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀνέχονται τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ πα60.581 Χάος ἐστὶ μεταξὺ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν· οὔπω γὰρ παρεγένετο ὁ νυμφίος ἵνα φοβηθῇ τις μεταδοῦναι ἐλαίου· ἔτι δύνασαι ἀγοράσαι καὶ ἀποθέσθαι. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδέπω ὁ λέγων· Μήποτε οὐ μὴ ἀρκέσῃ καὶ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' εἰσὶν οἱ πωλοῦντες πολλοὶ, οἱ γυμνοὶ, οἱ πεινῶντες, οἱ ἀῤῥωστοῦντες, οἱ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντες. Θρέψον τούτους, ἔνδυσον ἐκείνους, ἐπίσκεψαι τοὺς κειμένους, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς πηγὰς ἥξει τὸ ἔλαιον. Οὔπω τοῦ λογοθεσίου ἐφέστηκεν ἡ ἡμέρα. Χρῆσαι καὶ εἰς δέον τῷ καιρῷ, καὶ χρεῶν ἀποκοπὰς ποίησον, καὶ τῷ ὀφείλοντι τοὺς ἑκατὸν βάτους τοῦ ἐλαίου εἰπέ· ∆έξαι σου τὸ γραμματεῖον, καὶ ποίησον πεντήκοντα. Καὶ ἐπὶ χρημάτων καὶ ἐπὶ ῥημάτων καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ὁμοίως ποίει, τὸν οἰκονόμον ἐκεῖνον μιμούμενος· καὶ ταῦτα καὶ σεαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς συγγενέσι παραίνει. Ἔτι γὰρ εἶ κύριος τοῦ ταῦτα λέγειν· οὐδέπω κατέστης εἰς ἀνάγκην τοῦ παρακαλεῖν ἕτερον ὑπὲρ τούτων, ἀλλ' ἐξουσίαν ἔχεις καὶ σεαυτῷ καὶ ἑτέροις συμβουλεύειν· ὅταν δὲ ἀπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ, οὐδέτερον τούτων δυνήσῃ ποιεῖν εἰς δέον· εἰκότως. Ὁ γὰρ τοσαύτην λαβὼν προθεσμίαν, καὶ μήτε σαυτὸν μήτε ἕτερον ὠφελήσας, πῶς λοιπὸν ὑπὸ ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦ δικαστοῦ γενόμενος, δυνήσῃ ταύτης ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς χάριτος; Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα συλλέγοντες, ἐχώμεθα σφοδρῶς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ μὴ προδῶμεν τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ παρόντος βίου. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστι καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτας ἀναπνοὰς εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ Θεῷ· ἔστι καὶ ἀπὸ διαθήκης εὐδοκιμῆσαι, οὐχ οὕτω μὲν ὡς ζῶντα· ἔστι δὲ ὅμως. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἂν ἐγγράψῃς αὐτὸν μετὰ τῶν σῶν κληρονόμων, καὶ μοῖραν καὶ αὐτῷ τοῦ παντὸς ἀπονείμῃς κλήρου. Οὐκ ἔθρεψας αὐτὸν ζῶν; Κἂν ἀπελθὼν, ὅτε οὐκέτι κύριος εἶ, μετάδος αὐτῷ τῶν σῶν· φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀκριβολογεῖται πρὸς σέ. Μείζονος μὲν γὰρ πόθου καὶ πλείονος μισθοῦ, τὸ ζῶντά σε τρέφειν αὐτόν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο αὐτὸ μὴ πεποίηκας, κἂν ἐπὶ τὸ δεύτερον ἐλθέ· συγκληρονόμον αὐτὸν ἄφες τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς σοῖς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὀκνεῖς, ἐννόησον, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ συγκληρονόμον αὐτοῦ σε ἐποίησε, καὶ κατάλυσον τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν. Τίνα γὰρ ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν, μηδὲ τῶν παίδων τῶν σῶν κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν ποιῶν, τὸν κοινωνόν σε ποιήσαντα τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ σφαγέντα διὰ σέ; καίτοι γε αὐτὸς πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ὀφειλὴν ἀποδιδοὺς ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ χάριν ἐπιδεικνύμενος· σὺ δὲ μετὰ τοσαύτας εὐεργεσίας καὶ ὀφειλέτης κατέστης. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὡς χάριν λαμβάνων, οὐχ ὡς ὀφειλὴν ἀπαιτῶν, οὕτω σε στεφανοῖ, καὶ ταῦτα, τὰ αὑτοῦ μέλλων λαμβάνειν. ζʹ. ∆ὸς τοίνυν αὐτῷ χρήματα τά σοι λοιπὸν ἄχρηστα, καὶ ὧν οὐκ εἶ κύριος, καὶ δώσει σοι βασιλείαν τήν σοι χρησίμην διηνεκῶς, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνης καὶ τὰ