Suffering and Reward

Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον; νομοθετήσει αὐτῷ ἐν ὁδῷ ἦ ἠρετίσατο. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς αὐλισθήσεται, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ κληρονομήσει γῆν.  Ἀκουέτω, φησὶ πᾶς ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον, μίαν τε ὁδὸν ἤν ἄν ἒλοιτο διαπορευόμενος, τί αὐτὸν περιμένει. Νῦν μὲν κακοπαθήσει, οἴα εἰκὸς, ἐγγυμναζόμενος τοῖς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἄθλοις· ἔσται δὲ καιρὸς ὁπηνίκα ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς αὐλισθήσεται· ποίοις δὲ ἀγαθοῖς ἤ περὶ ὦν εἴρηται· Ἄ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἴδε, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς; Τό γε μὲν σπέρμα, ὅπερ κατεβάλετο ἐν τῇ γῇ καθ' ὄν ἐπολιτεύετο ἐπὶ γῆς χρόνον, πολλοὺς κληρονομήσει, σωτηρίας αἴτιον γινόμενον πολλοῖς. Σπερμα δὲ τί ἂν εἴποις ἢ τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰ συγγράμματα, ἤ τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν αὐτῷ γεννηθέντας καὶ μαθητευθέντας ἄνδρας; δι' ὦν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀναπαυσιν αῡτοῦ μυρίοι τῆς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ κληρονομίας τεύξονται, ἅτε ἀγαθῶν σπερμάτων τυχόντες καὶ ὠφελημένοι τὴν ἔνθεον καρποφορίαν. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους. ψαλμος ΚΔ'

Who is the man that fears the Lord? He shall establish the law in him in the way which he has chosen. His soul in good things shall dwell, and his seed shall inherit the earth. 1  Let him hear, he says, who fears the Lord, that there is one way which he has chosen for entry that these things shall come to be. And now indeed it seems he suffers troubles who is nearing the rewards of piety, but the time will come when his soul dwells in good things. And what may these good things be unless concerning which it is said, 'Which the eye has not seen,' and so on? 2 And the seed, which is thrown down on the earth during his time of struggle in the world, shall inherit much, for it will be a cause of salvation for many. And what would you say the seed is, unless teaching and words and writings by which men are born and educated according to God? Countless numbers established to inherit from God, after he achieves rest in good things, since from good seed rises the reward of those who bear Divine fruit. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 24 1 Ps 24.12-13 2 1 Cor 2.9