Neither, then, should we be troubled at the brief delay of what we hope for, but give diligence that we may not be cast out from the object of our hopes; for just as though, if one were to tell some inexperienced person beforehand, "the gathering of the crops will take place in the season of summer, and the stores will be filled, and the table abundantly supplied with food at the time of plenty," it would be a foolish man who should seek to hurry on the coming of the fruit-time, when he ought to be sowing seeds and preparing the crops for himself by diligent care; for the fruit-time will surely come, whether he wishes or not, at the appointed time; and it will be looked on differently by him who has secured for himself beforehand abundance of crops, and by him who is found by the fruit-time destitute of all preparation. Even so I think it is one's duty, as the proclamation is clearly made to all that the time of change will come, not to trouble himself about times (for He said that "it is not for us to know the times and the seasons"), nor to pursue calculations by which he will be sure to sap the hope of the resurrection in the soul; but to make his confidence in the things expected as a prop to lean on, and to purchase for himself, by good conversation, the grace that is to come.

Οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς στενοχωρεῖσθαι χρὴ περὶ τῆς ἐν βραχεῖ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἀναβολῆς͵ ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν μὴ ἀπόβλητοι τῶν ἐλπιζομένων γενοίμεθα τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχειν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις προείποι τινὶ τῶν ἀπειροτέρων͵ ὅτι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ θέρους ἡ τῶν καρπῶν γενήσεται συλλογὴ καὶ πλήρεις μὲν αἱ ἀποθῆκαι͵ μεστὴ δὲ τῶν ἐδωδίμων ἡ τράπεζα τῷ τῆς εὐθηνίας ἔσται καιρῷ, μάταιος ἂν εἴη ὁ ἐπισπεύδων τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν παρουσίαν͵ [209] δέον σπέρματα καταβάλλειν καὶ δι' ἐπιμελείας ἑαυτῷ τοὺς καρποὺς ἑτοιμάζεσθαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ καιρὸς καὶ βουλομένου καὶ μή͵ πάντως κατὰ τὸν τεταγμένον ἐπιστήσεται χρόνον. Οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ αὐτὸν ὄψονται͵ ὅ τε προετοιμάσας ἑαυτῷ τὴν τῶν καρπῶν ἀφθονίαν καὶ ὁ πάσης παρασκευῆς ἔρημος καταλειφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ὥρας. Οὕτως οἶμαι δεῖν͵ προδήλου πᾶσι διὰ τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος ὄντος͵ ὅτι ἐνστήσεται τῆς ἐναλλαγῆς ὁ καιρός͵ μὴ χρόνους πολυπραγμονεῖν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμῶν εἶπεν εἶναι τὸ καιροὺς γνῶναι καὶ χρόνους)͵ μηδὲ λογισμούς τινας ἀναζητεῖν͵ δι' ὧν σαθρώσει τις τὴν ψυχὴν περὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει τῶν προσδοκωμένων ἐπερειδόμενον͵ διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας τὴν μέλλουσαν χάριν προεμπορεύεσθαι.