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squalls over submerged rocks. The afflictions roar like waves, the plots are hidden like underwater rocks, the enemies stand around gaping like dogs, the robbers lie in wait like pirates, old age approaches like winter, death stands over us like a shipwreck. You have seen the storm, steer your winter, watch how you sail, do not overload your own vessel, either with wealth from injustice, or with a cargo of passions; for this reason the blessed Paul just now cries out: Godliness is a great gain. Heavenly wealth, a treasure of mysteries, a sea of wisdom, knowledge of truth, worship of the uncreated Trinity, a mirror of the virginal mystery, a faith that is not inquisitive, a confession that flees investigation, a holy proclamation, offered through the tongue, entering through hearing, rooted in the soul, and bestowing the illumination of the Trinity. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

For nothing is richer than contentment, a simple life, a carefree rest, unplotted-against wealth, need with ease, a burden without affliction, a life without want, enjoyment without insolence. Those who practice contentment flee the storm of wealth. For the rich man fears all things: the days, as times for courts; the evenings, as opportunities for robbers; the nights, as scourges of cares; the dawns, as attacks of flatterers. And he dreads not only time, but also place. He shudders at the diggings of robbers, the plots of thieves, the slanders of violent men, the accusations of those who were violated, the plunderings of the more powerful, the mischief of the servants, the meddling of informers, the senselessness of those who exact payment, the thoughts of neighbors, the unsoundness of walls, the collapses of houses, the attacks of barbarians, the treacheries of citizens, the decisions of judges, 31.1720 after having, to lose, after possession, deprivation. Man, if the winter of possession is so great, where is the spring of enjoyment? Godliness with contentment is great gain. It is not confined to the present life, he says. For the possession is immortal, for it is not captured by wealth that is spent. Say, O Paul, We brought nothing into the world. The equality of our entrance is sufficient to drive out the inequality of the arrogance of our life. We brought nothing into the world; we came forth naked from our mother's womb. You entered having nothing, O covetous one; not gold; for it is mined from the earth; not silver; for it was not sown with you; not clothing; for it is the invention of the weaver's art; not possessions, which wealth has labored over, and hands have built; not rank, except only that according to the image; not power, which time corrupts, and death reaps. Naked you entered into the world, may you also depart from life naked of sins! We brought nothing into life, but neither can we carry anything out. And do we carry out nothing, O Paul, of the things of this life? Of the things of this life, nothing, unless only virtues, if we have practiced them. We carry out temperance, if we have flourished in it. We carry out almsgiving, if we have been rich in it. These are advocates for the soul, anchors of life.

Here wealth remains behind, gold is seized, silver is divided, possessions are sold, glory is forgotten, power ceases, fear is extinguished. For with the tent of life its form is dissolved. What then, Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. I flee the superfluous, as useless, and I seek the necessary, as irreproachable. The rich man stands there naked, if he has virtues, he is rich there also; but if he is naked of these, he is eternally poor. For nothing is richer than virtuous poverty. Peter was poor; but he plundered death. John was poor; but he straightened the feet of a lame man. Philip was poor; but he saw the Father in the Son. Matthew was poor; for he divested himself of wealth along with extortion. Thomas was poor; but he excavated an unfailing treasure, the side of the Lord. Paul was poor; but of the

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καταιγίδες σπιλάζουσαι. Αἱ θλίψεις ὡς κύματα ὠρύονται, αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ ὡς ὕφαλοι κρύπτονται πέτραι, οἱ ἐχθροὶ ὡς κύνες περικεχή νασιν, οἱ ἅρπαγες ὡς πειραταὶ ἐφεδρεύουσι, τὸ γῆρας ὡς χειμὼν ἐπέρχεται, ὁ θάνατος ὡς ναυάγιον ἐφίσταται. Εἶδες τὴν ζάλην, κυβέρνησόν σου τὸν χειμῶνα, βλέπε πῶς πλέεις, μὴ ὑπέραν τλον ποιήσῃς τὸ σαυτοῦ σκάφος, ἢ τῷ ἐξ ἀδι κίας πλούτῳ, ἢ τῷ ἐκ παθῶν φόρτῳ· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἀρτίως βοᾷ· Ἔστι πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια. Πλοῦτος οὐράνιος, θησαυρὸς μυστηρίων, σοφίας πέλαγος, γνῶσις ἀληθείας, προσκύνησις τῆς ἀκτίστου Τριάδος, ἔσοπτρον τοῦ παρθενικοῦ μυστηρίου, πίστις ἀπολυπραγμόνητος, ὁμολογία ἔρευναν φεύγουσα, κήρυγμα ὅσιον, διὰ γλώσσης προσφερόμενον, δι' ἀκοῆς εἰσδυόμενον, ἐν ψυχῇ ῥιζούμενον, καὶ Τριάδος ἔλλαμψιν χαριζόμε νον. Ἔστι πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐτ αρκείας.

Οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐταρκείας πλουσιώτερον, βίος ἀπέριττος, ἀνάπαυσις ἀφρόντιστος, πλοῦτος ἀνεπιβούλευτος, χρεία μετὰ ἀνέσεως, βάρος ἄνευ θλί ψεως, ζωὴ ἀνενδεὴς, ἀπόλαυσις ἀνύβριστος. Οἱ αὐτάρκειαν ἀσκοῦντες φεύγουσι τὴν τοῦ πλούτου ζάλην. Πάντα γὰρ φοβεῖται ὁ πλούσιος· τὰς ἡμέρας, ὡς δικαστηρίων καιρούς· τὰς ἑσπέρας, ὡς λῃστῶν εὐκαιρίας· τὰς νύκτας, ὡς φροντίδων μάστιγας· τοὺς ὄρθρους, ὡς κολάκων ἐφόδους. Καὶ οὐ μόνον καιρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τόπον δέδοικε. Φρίττει λῃστῶν διορυγὰς, κλεπτῶν ἐπιβουλὰς, βιαστῶν συκοφαντίας, τῶν βιασθέντων τὰς κατηγορίας, τῶν δυνατω τέρων τὰς διαρπαγὰς, τῶν οἰκετῶν τὰς κακουργίας, τῶν δηλατόρων τὰς περιεργίας, τῶν ἀναπρατ τόντων τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην, τῶν γειτόνων τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις, τῶν τοίχων τὴν σαθρότητα, τῶν οἰκιῶν τὰς καταπτώσεις, τῶν βαρβάρων τὰς ἐφόδους, τῶν πολιτῶν τοὺς δόλους, τῶν δικαζόντων τὰς ἀποφάσεις, 31.1720 τὸ μετὰ τὸ σχεῖν ἀπολέσαι, τὴν μετὰ τὴν κτῆσιν ἀφαίρεσιν. Ἄνθρωπε, εἰ τοσοῦτος ὁ χειμὼν τῆς κτήσεως, ποῦ τὸ ἔαρ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως; Ἔστι πορι σμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρκείας. Οὐ τῷ παρόντι συγκατακλείεται βίῳ, φησίν. Ἀθάνατος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ κτῆσις, πλούτῳ δαπανωμένῳ γὰρ οὐχ ἁλίσκεται. Εἰπὲ, ὦ Παῦλε, Οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ἀρκεῖ ἡ ἰσοτιμία τῆς εἰόδου διῶξαι τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τοῦ τύφου τῆς πολιτείας. Οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον· γυμνοὶ τῆς μητρῴας γαστρὸς ἐξήλθομεν. Οὐδὲν εἰσῆλθες ἔχων, πλεονέκτα· οὐ χρυσόν· ἐκ γῆς γὰρ μεταλλεύεται· οὐκ ἄργυρον· οὐ γὰρ συνεσπάρη· οὐκ ἐσθῆτα· τέχνης γὰρ ὑφαντικῆς ἐπίνοια· οὐ κτήματα, ἅπερ ἐφιλέργησε πλοῦτος, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν χεῖρες· οὐκ ἀξίωμα, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα· οὐ δυναστείαν, ἣν φθείρει χρόνος, καὶ θερίζει θάνατος. Γυμνὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθες, εἴθε καὶ γυμνὸς ἁμαρτημάτων ἐξέλθοις τοῦ βίου! Οὐδὲν εἰσ- ηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν βίον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα. Καὶ οὐδὲν, ὦ Παῦλε, τῶν τοῦ βίου ἐκφέρομεν; Τῶν τοῦ βίου οὐδὲν, εἰ μὴ μόνον ἀρετὰς, εἰ ἐπράξαμεν. Ἐκφέρομεν σωφροσύνην, εἰ ἠνθήσαμεν. Ἐκφέρομεν ἐλεημοσύνην, εἰ ἐπλουτή- σαμεν. Αὗται ψυχῇς συνήγοροι, βίου ἄγκιστρα.

Ἐνταῦθα πλοῦτος ἀπομένει, ἁρπάζεται χρυσὸς, μερίζεται ἄργυρος, πιπράσκεται κτήματα, ληθαργεῖται δόξα, παύεται δυναστεία, σβέννυται φόβος. Τῇ γὰρ σκηνῇ τοῦ βίου συνδιαλύεται τὸ σχῆμα. Τί οὖν, Ἔχοντες διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. Φεύγω τὸ περιττὸν, ὡς ἄχρηστον, καὶ ζητῶ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον, ὡς ἀκατηγόρητον. Ἕστηκεν ἐκεῖ γυμνὸς ὁ πλούσιος, εἰ μὲν ἔχει ἀρετὰς, κἀκεῖ πλούσιος· εἰ δὲ τούτων γυμνὸς, πένης αἰώνιος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τῆς ἐναρέτου πενίας πλουσιώτερον. Πέτρος πένης· ἀλλ' ἐσκύλευσε θάνατον. Ἰωάννης πένης· ἀλλὰ χωλοῦ ἀνώρθωσε πόδας. Φίλιππος πένης· ἀλλ' εἶδεν ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ τὸν Πατέρα. Ματθαῖος πένης· ἀπεδύσατο γὰρ μετὰ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς τὸν πλοῦτον. Θωμᾶς πένης· ἀλλ' ὤρυξε θησαυρὸν ἀνελλιπῆ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Παῦλος πένης· ἀλλὰ τοῦ