God, affected in this manner, neither confers salvation upon any adult nor prepared salvation for any of them except as justly repaid for merits acquired by his grace and his aid. Caesarius is an abundant witness to this truth when he weighs what Christ answered1 to the sons of Zebedee: τὸ καθίσαι—
—ἐκ δεξιῶν μου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸν δοῦναι, ἀλλ᾽ οἷς ἡτοίμασται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου, “to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” For he writes2:
He denied it, not as though it were not within his power to furnish it, but under a certain prudent pretext he recalls their pride to modesty and their elation against their fellow disciples; through them also chastising the rest, and by the terror of denial extinguishing in them the kindled and absurd love of primacy. For he does not say, “The Father grants this to you absolutely,” ἀλλ᾽ οἷς ἡτοίμασται πονοῦσιν, but, “It has been prepared for those who labor,” stimulating them to virtue and fortitude, that they might first demonstrate benevolence, gird themselves for contests, and persevere constantly for him even unto death… Equip yourselves for contests in the stadium; descend into the arena of the theater; proceed eagerly; remain unconquered; and as soon as the theater of the present age has been dissolved, I will immediately bestow those thrones upon you as prizes of the contest. But now I rightly reject you.
And after interposing a few things3:
It is not mine simply to give, but in turn to exact from you the recompense of contests and sweats. For I prefer to be indebted to you on account of benevolent eagerness rather than to accuse your sluggishness. It is not mine to give, nor is it my Father’s simply to give to those who ask; otherwise, if obscure men and adulterers and every flagitious and intemperate man should ask, they would sit with me. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμέτερον, τὸ δοῦναι εἰκῇ, καὶ παραχαράξαι τὸ δίκαιον· δικαιοκρίτου γὰρ τὸ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμειν, καὶ μὴ τοὺς ἱδρῶντας παριδεῖν, καὶ ῥᾳθύμοις παρασχεῖν. Εἰ τοίνυν τῶν θρόνων ἐρᾶτε, τοὺς ἀγῶνας οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε, πρὸς οὓς ὀφείλετε ἀποδύσασθαι· μὴ τῷ τρίβωνι καὶ τῇ ὑπήνῃ καὶ τῇ βακτηρίᾳ μόνοις ἐναβρυνόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πόνοις τοὺς θρόνους ἐξωνούμενοι, καὶ τὸ κριτήριον ἱλεούμενοι. It is not ours to give rashly and to corrupt what is just. For it belongs to a just judge to bestow upon each one according to the dignity of his merit, not to overlook those who labor and grant something to the idle. Therefore, if you love thrones, do not be ignorant of the contests for which you ought to be equipped—
—It is not fitting for you to glory delicately in the cloak, beard, and staff alone; but purchase thrones by labors and placate the judgment.
For since God did not will4 “that we should lead an idle and sluggish life, … nor that he should unworthily honor us who have merited no reward, ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ κατέλιπεν ἐξουσίᾳ ἐξομοιοῦσθαι αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν μιμήσεως, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν κατορθώσεως καὶ ἐπιδείξεως, ὅπως τῇ περὶ τὸν πέλας κηδεμονίᾳ ἐξομοιωθῶμεν αὐτῷ, καθόσον οἷόν τε τῇ βροτῶν φύσει πρὸς Θεὸν ἁμιλλᾶσθαι, he left it within our power to be made like to him through imitation directed toward him and through the achievement and display of the virtues, that by solicitude toward our neighbor we might be made like to him, insofar as it can be accomplished by mortal nature striving toward God.”
Therefore there can be no doubt concerning the rationale of the economy by which the human race, although infected with the contagion of sin and wounded with manifold wounds, is administered and ruled. For it is ruled a) by the economy of long-suffering mercy, which b) is followed by the economy of most equitable retribution.
It is ruled by the economy of long-suffering mercy because 1) God fashioned anew corrupted and depraved human nature; because 2) he conferred upon all and continually proceeds to confer upon them the safeguards of his grace; and because 3) he gave and gives to all the hope of salvation, which is not utterly cut off before this present life of ours has ended.
But this economy is followed by the economy of most equitable retribution because 1) God decreed that salvation should be conferred only upon those who have rightly employed the power granted to all; and because 2) he willed eternal felicity to be a gift in such a way that it should at the same time be believed to be a reward and crown acquired by merits and labors.
Now the state cohering with each economy neither can nor ought to seem other than a) the state of universal reparation, b) of common power, c) of most pleasant and solicitous hope, since d) it is owed no less to the first will and mercy than to the second will and justice. It is owed to the first will and mercy because from this font flowed universal reparation and the faculty of obtaining salvation made available to all—
—but it is owed to the second will and justice because no one will be crowned unless he has contended lawfully.