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villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. And not only did He not punish them for being insensible, but He did not even simply rebuke them; at once showing His meekness, and by this refuting their slander; at once wishing through the signs that followed to provide more 57.379 proof, and then to bring on the refutation from His words. He went about therefore both in cities, and in country places, and in their synagogues; teaching us to repay slanderers in this way, not with other slanders. but with greater benefactions. For if not for men's sake, but for God's sake you do good to your fellow-servants, whatever they may do, do not cease from doing good, so that the reward may be greater; as he who after being slandered refrains from beneficence, shows that it is for their praise, and not for God, that he undertakes such virtue. For this reason Christ, teaching us that He went to this out of goodness alone, not only did not wait for the sick to come to Him, but He Himself also hastened to them, bringing them two of the greatest goods; one, the Gospel of the kingdom; and the other, the cure of all diseases. And He did not overlook a city, nor pass by a village, but went to every place. And He does not stop at this, but also shows another form of providence. For seeing the multitudes, it says, He was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and scattered, as sheep having no shepherd. Then He says to His disciples; The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest. See again His freedom from vainglory. So that He might not draw all men to Himself, He sends forth the disciples. But not for this reason only, but also that He might train them, so that having practiced as in a wrestling school in Palestine, they might thus strip for the contests of the whole world. For this reason He also makes the training exercises greater than the contests, as far as it pertained to their own virtue, so that they might more easily take on the subsequent contests, like leading out some tender nestlings to fly already. And for the time being He makes them physicians of bodies, reserving for later the pre-eminent healing of the soul. And consider how He shows the matter to be easy and necessary. For what does He say? The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. For I am not sending you to the sowing, He says, but to the reaping. This is what He said in John; Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. And He said these things, both to check their pride, and to prepare them to be confident, and to show that the greater labor had gone before. And see here too how He begins from love for mankind, not from any kind of recompense. For He was moved with compassion, because they were harassed and scattered, as sheep having no shepherd. This is the accusation against the rulers of the Jews, that being shepherds, they showed the ways of wolves. For not only did they not correct the multitude, but they also ruined their progress. For when those were marveling, and saying, It was never so seen in Israel; these said the opposite, that He casts out demons by the prince of the demons. But what laborers does He mean here? The twelve disciples. What then? Having said, But the laborers are few, did He add to them? Not at all; but He sent them. For what reason then did He say, Pray the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest, and added no one to them? Because though they were twelve, He then made them many, not by adding to their number, but by bestowing power. 3. Then showing how great the gift is, He says, Pray the Lord of the harvest; and secretly reveals Himself as the one having the authority. For having said, Pray the 57.380 Lord of the harvest, when they had asked nothing, nor prayed, He Himself immediately ordains them, reminding them also of the words of John, and of the threshing floor, and of the winnowing fan, and of the chaff, and of the wheat. Whence it is clear, that He Himself is the husbandman, He Himself the Lord of the harvest, He Himself the Lord of the prophets

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κώμας, διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ κηρύσσων τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐκόλασεν ἀναισθητοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ἐπετίμησεν· ὁμοῦ τε τὴν πραότητα ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ ταύτῃ τὴν κακηγορίαν ἐλέγχων· ὁμοῦ τε βουλόμενος διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς σημείων πλείονα παρασχεῖν τὴν 57.379 ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ τότε καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ἔλεγχον ἐπαγαγεῖν. Περιῆγε τοίνυν καὶ ἐν πόλεσι, καὶ ἐν χώραις, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν· παιδεύων ἡμᾶς οὕτως ἀμείβεσθαι τοὺς κακηγόρους, οὐ κακηγορίαις ἑτέραις. ἀλλ' εὐεργεσίαις μείζοσιν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ δι' ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν εὐεργετεῖς τοὺς ὁμοδούλους, ὅσα ἂν ποιῶσι, μὴ ἀποστῇς εὐεργετῶν, ἵνα μείζων ὁ μισθὸς ᾖ· ὡς ὅ γε μετὰ τὴν κακηγορίαν ἀφιστάμενος τῆς εὐεργεσίας, δείκνυσιν ὅτι διὰ τὸν ἐκείνων ἔπαινον, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν, τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιλαμβάνεται ἀρετῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Χριστὸς παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἐξ ἀγαθότητος μόνης ἐπὶ τοῦτο ᾔει, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀνέμενε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν τοὺς κάμνοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς ἐκείνους ἠπείγετο, δύο τὰ μέγιστα αὐτοῖς κομίζων ἀγαθά· ἓν μὲν, τῆς βασιλείας τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· ἕτερον δὲ, τὴν πάντων τῶν νοσημάτων διόρθωσιν. Καὶ οὐδὲ πόλιν παρεώρα, οὐ κώμην παρέτρεχεν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐπῄει τόπον. Καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέραν πρόνοιαν ἐπιδείκνυται. Ἰδὼν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ὄχλους, ἐσπλαγχνίσθη περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι ἦσαν ἐσκυλμένοι καὶ ἐῤῥιμμένοι, ὡς πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα. Τότε λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. ∆εήθητε οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ὅπως ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα πάλιν τὸ ἀκενόδοξον. Ἵνα μὴ ἅπαντας πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπισύρηται, ἐκπέμπει τοὺς μαθητάς. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτοὺς καὶ παιδεύσῃ, καθάπερ ἔν τινι παλαίστρᾳ τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ μελετήσαντας, οὕτω πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀποδύσασθαι. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ μείζονα τὰ γυμνάσια τῶν ἀγώνων τίθησι, ὅσον εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν ἧκεν ἀρετὴν, ἵνα εὐκοπώτερον τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἀγώνων ἅψωνται, καθάπερ τινὰς νεοσσοὺς ἁπαλοὺς πρὸς τὸ πτῆναι προάγων ἤδη. Καὶ τέως αὐτοὺς ἰατροὺς σωμάτων ποιεῖ, ὕστερον ταμιευόμενος τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς διόρθωσιν τὴν προηγουμένην. Καὶ σκόπει πῶς εὔκολον τὸ πρᾶγμα δείκνυσι καὶ ἀναγκαῖον. Τί γάρ φησιν; Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν σπόρον ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν ἀμητὸν πέμπω. Ὅπερ ἐν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἔλεγεν· Ἄλλοι κεκοπιάκασι, καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν κόπον αὐτῶν εἰσεληλύθατε. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, καὶ τὸ φρόνημα αὐτῶν καταστέλλων, καὶ θαῤῥεῖν παρασκευάζων, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι ὁ μείζων προέλαβε πόνος. Θέα δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας ἀρχόμενον, οὐκ ἐξ ἀμοιβῆς τινος. Ἐσπλαγχνίσθη γὰρ, ὅτι ἦσαν ἐσκυλμένοι καὶ ἐῤῥιμμένοι, ὡς πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα. Αὕτη τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ κατηγορία, ὅτι ποιμένες ὄντες τὰ τῶν λύκων ἐπεδείκνυντο. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐ διώρθουν τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλυμαίνοντο αὐτῶν τὴν προκοπήν. Ἐκείνων γοῦν θαυμαζόντων, καὶ λεγόντων, Οὐδέποτε ἐφάνη οὕτως ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ· οὗτοι τὰ ἐναντία ἔλεγον, ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια. Ἀλλὰ τίνας ἐργάτας ἐνταῦθά φησι; Τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητάς. Τί οὖν; εἰπὼν, Οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι, προσέθηκεν αὐτοῖς; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψε. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἔλεγε, ∆εήθητε τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ἵνα ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδένα αὐτοῖς προσέθηκεν; Ὅτι καὶ δώδεκα ὄντας πολλοὺς ἐποίησε λοιπὸν, οὐχὶ τῷ ἀριθμῷ προσθεὶς, ἀλλὰ δύναμιν χαρισάμενος. γʹ. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ἡλίκον τὸ δῶρόν ἐστι, φησὶ, ∆εήθητε τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ· καὶ λανθανόντως ἑαυτὸν ἐμφαίνει τὸν τὸ κῦρος ἔχοντα. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ∆εήθητε τοῦ 57.380 Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, οὐδὲν δεηθέντων αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ εὐξαμένων, αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς εὐθέως χειροτονεῖ, ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς καὶ τῶν Ἰωάννου ῥημάτων, καὶ τῆς ἅλω, καὶ τοῦ λικμῶντος, καὶ τοῦ ἀχύρου, καὶ τοῦ σίτου. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ γεωργὸς, αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ θερισμοῦ Κύριος, αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν προφητῶν