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Should I ask and not receive? He has built up the parable for you, again setting forth reasonings, and from human affairs leading you to have confidence in these things; showing through these things, that one must not only ask, but also ask for the things one ought. For what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? So if you do not receive, it is because you ask for a stone that you do not receive. For even if you are a son, this is not sufficient for 57.313 receiving; but rather this very thing prevents receiving, that being a son, you ask for things that are not expedient. Therefore, you should ask for nothing worldly, but everything spiritual, and you will surely receive. For Solomon too, since he asked for the things he ought to have asked for, see how quickly he received. Therefore, two things are necessary for the one who prays: both to ask fervently, and to ask for the things one ought; since you too, He says, even if you are fathers, wait for your sons to ask; and if they ask anything inexpedient from you, you prevent the giving; just as, if it is expedient, you consent and provide it. And you, considering these things, do not desist until you receive; until you find, do not depart; do not cease your effort until the door is opened. For if you approach with this mindset, and say, "If I do not receive, I will not depart," you will surely receive, if you ask for such things as are fitting for the one being asked to give, and expedient for you who are asking. And what are these things? To seek all things spiritual; to have forgiven those who have sinned, and so approach asking for forgiveness; to lift up holy hands without anger and disputes. If we ask in this way, we will receive. As it is now, our asking is a joke, like that of drunken men, or of sober men. What then, he says, when I ask for spiritual things, and do not receive? You certainly did not knock with diligence, or you made yourself unworthy to receive, or you quickly gave up. And for what reason, he says, did He not say what one ought to ask? And yet He said all things in the preceding parts, and showed for what things one ought to approach. Therefore, do not say, "I approached, and did not receive." For the failure to receive is in no way from God, who so loves as to surpass even fathers, and to surpass them by as much as goodness surpasses this wickedness. For if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Father. And He said these things, not slandering human nature, nor reviling the race; but for contrast with His own goodness, calling paternal affection wickedness; so great is the excess of His love for humanity. 5. Have you seen an ineffable reasoning, sufficient to raise even the one who has utterly despaired to good hopes? Here, then, He shows goodness from the example of fathers; but in the preceding parts, from the greater things He has given, from the soul, from the body; and nowhere does He set forth the chief of good things, nor bring His own presence into the midst; for He who was so eager to give up His Son for slaughter, how will He not graciously give us all things? For it had not yet come to pass. But Paul sets this forth, saying thus: He who did not spare His own Son, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? But He Himself still reasons with them from human examples. Then, showing that one must neither be confident in prayer while neglecting one's own affairs, nor, while being diligent, trust only in one's own diligence, but also seek help from above, and contribute one's own part, He continually sets forth both this and that. For after exhorting on many things, He also taught to pray, and having taught to pray, He came again to the exhortation of practical matters; then from that again to the necessity of praying continually, saying: Ask, and seek, and knock; and from there again to the necessity for them also to be diligent 57.314; For all things, He says, whatever you wish that men would do to you, you also do to them; summing up all things in brief, and showing that virtue is concise, and easy, and known to all. And He did not say simply, "All things whatever you wish"; but, "All things therefore whatever you wish." For He did not add this "therefore" simply, but hinting; If you wish, He says, to be heard, along with those things I have said, do these things also. What then are these things? Whatever

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αἰτήσω καὶ μὴ λάβω; ἐπετείχισέ σοι τὴν παραβολὴν, λογισμοὺς πάλιν τιθεὶς, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων εἰς τὸ περὶ τούτων θαῤῥεῖν ἐνάγων· δεικνὺς διὰ τούτων, ὅτι οὐκ αἰτεῖν χρὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃ χρὴ αἰτεῖν. Τίς γάρ ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν πατὴρ, ὃν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ αἰτήσει ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Ὥστε ἂν μὴ λάβῃς, ἐπειδὴ λίθον αἰτεῖς, οὐ λαμβάνεις. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ υἱὸς εἶ, οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο εἰς 57.313 τὸ λαβεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο κωλύει τὸ λαβεῖν, τὸ υἱὸν ὄντα, ἃ μὴ συμφέρει, αἰτεῖν. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν μηδὲν αἰτήσῃς κοσμικὸν, ἀλλὰ πνευματικὰ πάντα, καὶ λήψῃ πάντως. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Σολομῶν, ἐπειδήπερ ᾔτησεν ἅπερ αἰτῆσαι ἐχρῆν, ὅρα πῶς ταχέως ἔλαβε. ∆ύο τοίνυν εἶναι χρὴ τῷ εὐχομένῳ, καὶ τὸ αἰτεῖν σφοδρῶς, καὶ τὸ ἃ χρὴ αἰτεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς, φησὶ, κἂν πατέρες ἦτε, μένετε αἰτῆσαι τοὺς υἱούς· κἂν ἀσύμφορόν τι παρ' ὑμῶν αἰτήσωσι, κωλύετε τὴν δόσιν· ὥσπερ οὖν ἐὰν συμφέρον, ἐπινεύετε καὶ παρέχετε. Καὶ σὺ ταῦτα ἐννοῶν, μὴ ἀποστῇς, ἕως ἂν λάβῃς· ἕως ἂν εὕρῃς, μὴ ἀναχωρήσῃς· μὴ καταλύσῃς τὴν σπουδὴν, ἕως ἂν ἀνοιχθῇ ἡ θύρα. Ἐὰν γὰρ μετὰ ταύτης προσέλθῃς τῆς διανοίας, καὶ εἴπῃς, Ἐὰν μὴ λάβω, οὐκ ἀπέρχομαι, λήψῃ πάντως, ἐὰν τοιαῦτα αἰτῇς, οἷα καὶ τῷ αἰτουμένῳ δοῦναι πρέπει, καί σοι τῷ αἰτοῦντι συμφέρει. Τίνα δέ ἐστι ταῦτα; Τὸ τὰ πνευματικὰ ζητεῖν ἅπαντα· τὸ ἀφέντα τοῖς πεπλημμεληκόσιν, οὕτω προσιέναι τὴν ἄφεσιν αἰτοῦντα· τὸ χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν χεῖρας ἐπαίρειν ὁσίους. Ἂν οὕτως αἰτῶμεν, ληψόμεθα. Ὡς νῦν γε γέλως ἐστὶν ἡ αἴτησις ἡμῶν, καὶ μεθυόντων ἀνθρώπων, ἢ νηφόντων. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὅταν καὶ πνευματικὰ αἰτήσω, καὶ μὴ λάβω; Οὐ μετὰ σπουδῆς ἔκρουσας πάντως, ἢ σαυτὸν ἀνάξιον παρεσκεύασας τοῦ λαβεῖν, ἢ ταχέως ἀπέστης. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, μὴ εἶπεν ἃ χρὴ αἰτεῖν; Καὶ μὴν εἶπεν ἅπαντα ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ ἔδειξεν ὑπὲρ τίνων χρὴ προσιέναι. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγε, ὅτι Προσῆλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβον. Οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ παρὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὸ μὴ λαβεῖν, τὸν οὕτω φιλοῦντα, ὡς καὶ πατέρας νικῆσαι, καὶ τοσοῦτον νικῆσαι, ὅσον τὴν πονηρίαν ταύτην ἡ ἀγαθότης. Εἰ γὰρ ὑμεῖς, πονηροὶ ὄντες, οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐ διαβάλλων τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, οὐδὲ κακίζων τὸ γένος· ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῆς ἀγαθότητος τῆς αὐτοῦ, τὴν φιλοστοργίαν τὴν πατρικὴν πονηρίαν καλῶν· τοσαύτη αὐτοῦ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἡ ὑπερβολή. εʹ. Εἶδες λογισμὸν ἀπόῤῥητον, ἱκανὸν καὶ τὸν σφόδρα ἀπεγνωκότα πρὸς χρηστὰς διαναστῆσαι ἐλπίδας; Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῶν πατέρων τὴν ἀγαθότητα δείκνυσιν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἀπὸ τῶν μειζόνων ὧν ἔδωκεν, ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν τίθησιν, οὐδὲ εἰς μέσον παράγει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίαν· ὁ γὰρ οὕτω τὸν Υἱὸν πρὸς σφαγὴν ἐκδοῦναι σπεύσας, πῶς οὐ πάντα ἡμῖν χαριεῖται; Οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν ἐκβεβηκός. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Παῦλος τοῦτο τίθησιν, οὕτω λέγων· Ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται; Αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων αὐτοῖς ἔτι διαλέγεται. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι οὔτε εὐχῇ δεῖ θαῤῥεῖν, ἀμελοῦντας τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς, οὔτε σπουδάζοντας τῇ οἰκείᾳ μόνον πιστεύειν σπουδῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιζητεῖν βοήθειαν, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν συνεισφέρειν, συνεχῶς τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο τίθησι. Καὶ γὰρ παραινέσας πολλὰ, καὶ εὔχεσθαι ἐδίδαξε, καὶ διδάξας εὔχεσθαι, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν τῶν πρακτέων ἦλθεν· εἶτα ἀπ' ἐκείνου πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖν εὔχεσθαι συνεχῶς, εἰπών· Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ ζητεῖτε, καὶ κρούετε· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖν καὶ αὐτοὺς σπουδαίους 57.314 εἶναι· Πάντα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅσα ἐὰν θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· ἐν βραχεῖ πάντα ἀνακεφαλαιούμενος, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι σύντομος ἡ ἀρετὴ, καὶ ῥᾳδία, καὶ πᾶσι γνώριμος. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Πάντα ὅσα ἂν θέλητε· ἀλλὰ, Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἂν θέλητε. Τὸ γὰρ οὖν τοῦτο, οὐχ ἁπλῶς προσέθηκεν, ἀλλ' αἰνιττόμενος· Εἰ βούλεσθε, φησὶν, ἀκούεσθαι, μετ' ἐκείνων ὧν εἶπον καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖτε. Ποῖα δὴ ταῦτα; Ὅσα ἂν