1.
But even if they cheapen and disparage us — strangers to the dialect of holy Scripture calling us impious or fools — let us remember that our hope 'in hope,' to be rendered us 'in a little while,' shall be rendered 'through contempt of lips, through another tongue.' And who would not expect 'affliction upon affliction,' to straightway expect 'hope upon hope' too — reckoning with Paul that 'the sufferings of this present time are not worthy' — by which we as it were buy blessedness — 'toward the coming glory to be revealed unto us' by God? Especially since 'the present light of our affliction' — 'light' to those weighed down by encompassing things, both being and called so — the more surpassingly it exceeds, works for us the greater, fuller weight of eternal glory: if, in the season of the afflicters, who wish as it were to press our souls, we turn our mind's eye from the toilsome sights, and look not at the present toils but at what, through endurance in them, lies stored for those who lawfully contended in Christ — by God's grace, who multiplies benefactions beyond the worth of the contender's labors, granting so much as befits the greatly-giving God to give — who does not haggle, and knowingly magnifies his own graces upon those who, with all power, by despising the earthen vessel, displayed whole-souled love toward him.
Greek (GCS)
ῖψιν͵ ἀλλ᾽ ὡς γενναῖος ἀϑλητὴς αὐτὴν “προσδεχόμενος εὐϑέως προσ- δέχεται καὶ ,ἐλπίδα ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι", ἧς μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ τῆς »ἐπὶ ϑλίψει" ϑλίψεως ἀπολαύσει' τοιοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ,͵ἔτε μικρὸν ἔτε μικρόν." 1. ᾿Αλλὰ καὶ εἰ φαυλίζοιεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξευτελίζοιεν ἤτοι ἀσεβεῖς 5 ἢ μωροὺς ἀποχαλοῦντες οἱ ἀλλότριοι τῆς κατὰ τὰς ἁγίας γραφὰς ς Kr «ς διαλέχτου, ὑπομιμνησκώμεϑα ὅτε ἡ „er ἐλπίδι" ἐλπὶς, ἡ ,ἔτε μικρὸν" ἀποδοϑησομένη ἡμῖν, ἀποδοϑησεται ,διὰ φαυλισμὸν χειλέων, διὰ γλώσσης ἑτέρας". καὶ τίς οὐχ ἂν προσδέχοιτο »ϑλῖψιν ἐπὶ ϑλίψει"ς, ἵνα εὐϑέως προσδέξηται καὶ ,ἐλπίδα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι", λογισάμενος μετὰ Παύλου (ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παϑήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ“, ὧν ὡσπερεὶ ὠνούίμεϑα τὴν μακαριότητα. «πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν" ἐποχα- λύπτεσϑαι εἰς ἡμᾶς“ ἀπὸ τοῦ ϑεοῦ᾽ καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεὶ «τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς ϑλίψεως ἡμῶν", ,ἐλαφρὸν" τοῖς μὲ βαρουμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν περιεστηχότων καὶ τυγχάνον καὶ λεγόμενον, ὁσῳ πλεῖον ὑπερ- βάλλον γίνεται, τοσούτῳ μεῖζον xal πλεῖον βάρος αἰωνίου δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν", εἰ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν ϑλιβόντων καὶ ὡσπερεὶ πιέζειν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἐθελόντων ἀποστρέψαντες τὸ ἢ; ἐμονικὸν ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιπόνων σκοποῖμεν οὐ τὰ ἐνεστηκότα ἐπίπονα ἀλλὰ τὰ διὰ τὴν ἐν τούτοις ὑπομονὴν τοῖς νομίμως" ἐν Χριστῷ ἀϑλη- σασι χάριτι ϑεοῦ ἀποκείμενα, πολλαπλασιάζοντος τὰς εὐεργεσίας καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν τοῦ ἀγωνισαμένου καμάτων τοσαῦτα δωρουμέ- γου, ὅσα ἂν πρέπῃ μὴ γλισχρολογουμένῳ διδόναι τῷ μεγαλοδώρῳ καὶ ἐπιστημόνως τὰς ἑαυτοῖ χάριτας μεγεϑύνοντι ϑεῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅση δύναμις διὰ τοῦ χαταπεφρονηχέναι τοῦ ὀστρακίνου σκεύους ἐπιδειξα- μένους τὴν ὅλῃ ψυχῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην.