4. O ye Christians, whose lives are good, ye sigh and groan as being few among many,
few among very many. The winter will pass away, the summer will come; lo! the harvest
will soon be here. The angels will come who can make the separation, and who cannot make
mistakes. We in this time present are like those servants of whom it was said, “Wilt Thou
that we go and gather them up?”2516 for we were wishing, if it might be so, that no evil ones
should remain among the good. But it has been told us, “Let both grow together until the
harvest.”2517 Why? For ye are such as may be deceived. Hear finally; “Lest while ye gather
up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.”2518 What good are ye doing? Will ye by
your eagerness make a waste of My harvest? The reapers will come, and who the reapers
are He hath explained, “And the reapers are the angels.”2519 We are but men, the reapers
are the angels. We too indeed, if we finish our course, shall be equal to the angels of God;
but now when we chafe against the wicked, we are as yet but men. And we ought now to
give ear to the words, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”2520
For do ye think, my Brethren, that these tares we read of do not get up into this2521 seat?2522
Think ye that they are all below, and none above up here? God grant we may not be so. “But
with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you.”2523 I tell you of a truth, my
Beloved, even in these high seats there is both wheat, and tares, and among the laity there
is wheat, and tares. Let the good tolerate the bad; let the bad change themselves, and imitate
the good. Let us all, if it may be so, attain to God; let us all through His mercy escape the
evil of this world. Let us seek after good days, for we are now in evil days; but in the evil
days let us not blaspheme, that so we may be able to arrive at the good days.
2516 Matt. xiii. 28.
2517 Matt. xiii. 30.
2518 Matt. xiii. 29.
2519 Matt. xiii. 39.
2520 1 Cor. x. 12.
2521 Apsidas.
2522 Apsis the higher semicircular or arched part of the chancel, where the bishop had his throne with the
presbyters. See Bing. Antiq. B. viii. c. vi. §§ 9, 10.
2523 1 Cor. iv. 3.
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On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xiii. 19, etc., where the Lord Jesus explaineth…