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when He gives us rewards even for virtue itself, and rewards much greater than our labors, and given at a very opportune time? And why, he says, did He say: Call upon Me? Why does He wait to be called upon by us? Wishing to make our fellowship with Him greater, and our love for Him warmer, both by the giving, and by the being called upon, and by the receiving. For virtue endears us to God, and the recompense does the same; and prayer in turn strengthens this fellowship. For this reason He says: Give to Me, and I give to you. And in giving you receive; for He Himself is in need of none of these things. So whether you become kind, or moderate, or temperate, you have added nothing to God, but have made yourself radiant and better; but still, for these things, as if you were benefiting Him, He sets forth for you the greatest rewards and crowns. And even before those crowns, you enjoy no small pleasure, being nourished by a good conscience, and winged by good hopes. And here he speaks of a day of affliction, not that of calamities, nor that of tribulations, but that if sin makes war, or the devil lays siege, introducing wicked desires, you will enjoy much assistance. And I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me. Again here He says this not because He needs glory from us (for how could the God of glory?), but so that through the hymn of thanksgiving the memory of the good deed might come about, and a warmer disposition toward Him, and first of all to receive the greatest well-being. 6. But one will not err from what is fitting in saying that here He speaks of the day of affliction, and the day to come; for that affliction is without end. For here indeed death, when it comes, resolves calamities, and friends comforting, and an expected end, and often a hoped-for change of circumstances, and the length of time has softened the soul's suffering, and the misfortune of neighbors. For to have companions in painful things, and to see many such examples, has seemed to many to be a great comfort. But there, there is nothing of the sort; for there is no one present to comfort, but all are in a desert of friends. No length of time softens the pain (for how, with the flame pressing on continually?); there is no hope of release; for the punishment is eternal; there is no expectation of death; for the penalty is immortal, and the bodies being punished are immortal; nor even this, which seems to many to bring comfort, to see others in punishment. For first, it is not even possible to see those being punished, since the darkness overshadows their sight in place of any partition; then the excess of pain does not allow one to have a sense of this comfort. The rich man, at any rate, reaped no word of comfort from this, nor those gnashing their teeth. But to the sinner God said: Why do you declare my statutes? Have you seen the well-tuned lyre, the harmonious cithara, sounding one harmony with different notes? For this thought can be seen among the apostles, and is found among other prophets; and Paul indeed speaks somewhat thus, he also showing 55.250 that there is no benefit in teaching others, when one does not first take and teach himself. For since they were very proud, just as about their sacrifices, so also about having the law, and being called teachers of others, showing that they gain nothing great, when they themselves remain untaught, rebuking such people more sharply, he says: You then who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, through your breaking of the law do you dishonor God? For this reason he also said about himself: I am afraid, lest perhaps after preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified; taking down the arrogance of those who are proud of teaching the word, but are themselves destitute of virtue.

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ἂν, ὅταν καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς μισθοὺς ἡμῖν διδῷ, καὶ μισθοὺς πολλῷ μείζονας τῶν πόνων, καὶ σφόδρα ἐν καιρῷ διδομένους; Καὶ διὰ τί, φησὶν, εἶπεν· Ἐπικάλεσαί με; διὰ τί ἀναμένει καλεῖσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν; Μείζονα τὴν οἰκείωσιν ἡμῖν ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος, καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν θερμοτέραν, καὶ τῷ δοῦναι, καὶ τῷ καλεῖσθαι, καὶ τῷ λαμβάνειν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκειοῖ, καὶ ἡ ἀντίδοσις τὸ αὐτὸ ἐργάζεται· καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ πάλιν ταύτην συγκροτεῖ τὴν οἰκείωσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· ∆ός μοι, καὶ δίδωμί σοι. Καὶ ἐν τῷ διδόναι δὲ σὺ λαμβάνεις· αὐτὸς γὰρ τούτων ἀνενδεής. Ὥστε κἂν ἐπιεικὴς γένῃ, κἂν μέτριος, κἂν σώφρων, οὐ τῷ Θεῷ τι προσέθηκας, ἀλλὰ σαυτὸν λαμπρὸν ἐποίησας καὶ ἀμείνω· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτων ὡς αὐτὸν ὠφελοῦντι μισθούς σοι καὶ στεφάνους ὁρίζει μεγίστους. Καὶ πρὸ τῶν στεφάνων δὲ ἐκείνων οὐ μικρᾶς ἀπολαύεις ἡδονῆς, ἀγαθῷ συντρεφόμενος συνειδότι, καὶ χρησταῖς πτερούμενος ἐλπίσιν. Ἡμέραν δὲ θλίψεως ἐνταῦθά φησιν, οὐ τὰς τῶν συμφορῶν, οὔτε τὰς τῶν περιστάσεων, ἀλλ' ὅτι κἂν ἁμαρτία πολεμῇ, κἂν διάβολος πολιορκῇ, ἐπιθυμίας εἰσάγων πονηρὰς, πολλῆς ἀπολαύσῃ τῆς συμμαχίας. Καὶ ἐξελοῦμαί σε, καὶ δοξάσεις με. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν δόξης δεόμενός φησι τοῦτο πῶς γὰρ ὁ τῆς δόξης Θεός;, ἀλλ' ὥστε διὰ τὸν τῆς εὐχαριστίας ὕμνον γίνεσθαι τῆς εὐεργεσίας τὴν μνήμην, καὶ θερμοτέραν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν διάθεσιν, καὶ πρώτως εὐζωΐαν μεγίστην λαμβάνειν. ςʹ. Οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται δὲ τοῦ πρέποντος εἰπών τις ἐνταῦθα ἡμέραν θλίψεως αὐτὸν λέγειν, καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν· ἡ γὰρ θλίψις ἐκείνη ἄπαυστος. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ καὶ θάνατος ἐπιὼν λύει τὰς συμφορὰς, καὶ φίλοι παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ τέλος προσδοκώμενον, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πραγμάτων μεταβολὴ ἐλπιζομένη, καὶ χρόνου μῆκος ἐμάλαξε τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ πάθος, καὶ ἡ τῶν πλησίων δυσημερία. Τὸ γὰρ ἔχειν κοινωνοὺς τῶν ὀδυνηρῶν, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ὁρᾷν ὑποδείγματα, μέγα πολλοῖς εἰς παραμυθίαν εἶναι ἔδοξεν. Ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οὔτε γάρ τις παρακαλῶν πάρεστιν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐρημίᾳ φίλων ἅπαντές εἰσιν. Οὐ χρόνου μῆκος μαλάσσει τὴν ὀδύνην πῶς γὰρ ἐπικειμένης τῆς φλογὸς δι' ὅλου;· οὐκ ἐλπὶς ἀπαλλαγῆς· αἰωνία γὰρ ἡ κόλασις· οὐ θανάτου προσδοκία· ἀθάνατος γὰρ ἡ τιμωρία, καὶ τὰ σώματα δὲ τὰ κολαζόμενα ἀθάνατα· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο ὃ δοκεῖ πολλοῖς παραμυθίαν φέρειν, τὸ ἑτέρους ὁρᾷν ἐν κολάσει. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν ἔστι κολαζομένους, τοῦ σκότους ἀντὶ παντὸς διαφράγματος ἐπισκιάζοντος τὰς ὄψεις· ἔπειτα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς ὀδύνης οὔτε ταύτης ἀφίησιν αἴσθησιν λαβεῖν τῆς παραμυθίας. Ὁ γοῦν πλούσιος οὐδὲν ἔνθεν εἰς παραμυθίας ἐκαρπώσατο λόγον, οὐδὲ οἱ τοὺς ὀδόντας βρύχοντες. Τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου; Εἶδες τὴν ἀπηρτισμένην λύραν, τὴν σύμφωνον κιθάραν, τὴν ἐν διαφόροις φθόγγοις μίαν ἁρμονίαν ἠχοῦσαν; Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ νόημα, καὶ παρὰ ἀποστόλοις ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ παρὰ προφήταις ἑτέροις κείμενον· καὶ Παῦλος μὲν οὕτω πώς φησι, δεικνὺς καὶ 55.250 αὐτὸς, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὄφελος τοῦ διδάσκειν ἑτέρους, ὅταν τις ἑαυτὸν πρότερον λαβὼν μὴ διδάσκῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέγα ἐφρόνουν ὥσπερ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ νόμον ἔχειν, καὶ διδάσκαλοι τῶν ἄλλων χρηματίζειν, δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐδὲν μέγα καρποῦνται, ὅταν ἀδίδακτοι μένωσιν αὐτοὶ, καθαπτόμενος σφοδρότερον τῶν τοιούτων, λέγει· Ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις; ὁ βδελυσσόμενος τὰ εἴδωλα, ἱεροσυλεῖς; ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἔλεγε· Φοβοῦμαι, μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι· καθαιρῶν τὸ φύσημα τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λόγου διδασκαλίᾳ μέγα φρονούντων, αὐτῶν δὲ ἐρήμων ὄντων τῆς ἀρετῆς.