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will be able, both to cast out every corrupt thought, and to cause one to have a right judgment concerning things that are), of things, therefore, some are good by nature, and others the opposite; and others are neither good nor evil, but hold a middle rank. Piety is good by nature, impiety is evil; virtue is good, wickedness is evil; but wealth and poverty in themselves are neither this 51.356 nor that; but according to the choice of those who use them, they become either this or that. For if you use wealth for philanthropy, the thing has become for you a foundation for good; but if for plunder and greed and insolence, you have turned its use to the opposite; but wealth is not the cause, but the one who used wealth for insolence. So also it is possible to speak concerning poverty; for if you bear it nobly, giving thanks to the Master, the thing has become for you an occasion and a foundation for crowns; but if because of this you blaspheme the one who made you, and accuse his providence, you have again used the thing for evil. But just as there wealth is not the cause of greed, but the one who used wealth badly; so also here we shall not blame poverty for the blasphemy, but the one who did not wish to bear the thing with self-control. For everywhere both praise and blame belong to our mind and our choice. Wealth is good, but not simply so, but for whom it is not a sin; and again, poverty is evil, but not simply so, but in the mouth of an impious man, because he is discontented, because he blasphemes, because he is indignant, because he accuses his Maker. 3. Therefore, let us not accuse wealth, nor disparage poverty simply, but those who are unwilling to use these things well; for the things themselves lie in the middle. But as I was saying (for it is good to return to the former subject), that both rich and poor enjoy the medicines here with the same security and boldness; and often the poor man with greater earnestness. For not only is this the special quality of the medicines, that they heal souls, that they are not destroyed by length of time, that they are not overcome by disease, that the benefit is offered freely, that the healing is for rich and poor alike; but it has something else as well, no less than these goods. What then is this? We do not make public those who come to this infirmary. For those who go to the physicians’ surgeries outside have many who see their wounds; and unless the physician first uncovers the wound, he does not apply the medicine; but here it is not so, but seeing countless people who are sick, we perform their cure secretly. For not by bringing the sinners into the midst do we thus make their sins public; but having set forth the teaching common to all, we leave it to the conscience of the listeners, so that each may draw from what is said the appropriate medicine for his own wound. For the word of teaching proceeds from the tongue of the speaker, containing an accusation of vice, praise of virtue, censure of licentiousness, an encomium of self-control, blame of folly, praise of reasonableness, like a varied and diverse medicine composed from all kinds of ingredients; but to take what is suitable and useful for oneself, is for each of the listeners to do. The word therefore goes forth openly, but settling in the conscience of each person, it provides its healing secretly, and often, before the sickness is made public, it has brought about health. 4. You heard yesterday, for example, how I praised the power of prayer, how I disparaged those who pray with negligence, 51.357 without making any of them public. So those who were conscious of their own earnestness received the encomium of prayer, and became more earnest by the praises; while those conscious of their own negligence again received the rebuke, and put aside their indifference. But we know neither these nor those; and this ignorance is useful for both. How, I shall say. The one who heard the encomiums of prayer, and was conscious of his own earnestness, if he had many witnesses of the encomiums, would have slipped into arrogance; but as it is

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δυνήσεται, καὶ πάντα διεφθαρμένον λογισμὸν ἐκβαλεῖν, καὶ ποιῆσαι περὶ τῶν ὄντων ὀρθὴν ἔχειν τὴν κρίσιν), τῶν τοίνυν πραγμάτων τὰ μέν ἐστι φύσει καλὰ, τὰ δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον· τὰ δὲ οὔτε καλὰ, οὔτε κακὰ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέσην τάξιν ἐπέχει. Καλὸν ἡ εὐσέβεια φύσει, κακὸν ἡ ἀσέβεια· καλὸν ἡ ἀρετὴ, κακὸν ἡ πονηρία· ὁ δὲ πλοῦτος καὶ ἡ πενία καθ' ἑαυτὰ μὲν οὔτε τοῦτό ἐστιν, 51.356 οὔτε ἐκεῖνο· παρὰ δὲ τὴν προαίρεσιν τῶν χρωμένων ἢ τοῦτο ἢ ἐκεῖνο γίνεται. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς φιλανθρωπίαν χρήσῃ τῷ πλούτῳ, γέγονέ σοι καλοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑπόθεσις· ἂν δὲ εἰς ἁρπαγὰς καὶ πλεονεξίας καὶ ὕβριν, πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον ἔτρεψας αὐτοῦ τὴν χρῆσιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ πλοῦτος αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὁ πρὸς ὕβριν τῷ πλούτῳ χρησάμενος. Οὕτω καὶ περὶ τῆς πενίας ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· ἂν μὲν γὰρ γενναίως αὐτὴν ἐνέγκῃς εὐχαριστῶν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, γέγονέ σοι στεφάνων τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀφορμὴ καὶ ὑπόθεσις· ἂν δὲ βλασφημῇς διὰ τοῦτο τὸν πεποιηκότα, καὶ κατηγορῇς αὐτοῦ τῆς προνοίας, ἐπὶ κακῷ πάλιν ἐχρήσω τῷ πράγματι. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τῆς πλεονεξίας οὐχ ὁ πλοῦτος αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὁ κακῶς τῷ πλούτῳ χρησάμενος· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῆς βλασφημίας οὐ τὴν πενίαν αἰτιασόμεθα, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὴ βουληθέντα σωφρόνως τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνεγκεῖν. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἔπαινος καὶ ὁ ψόγος τῆς γνώμης τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεώς ἐστιν. Ἀγαθὸς ὁ πλοῦτος, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ᾧ μή ἐστιν ἁμαρτία· καὶ πάλιν, πονηρὰ ἡ πενία, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐν στόματι ἀσεβοῦς, ἐπειδὴ δυσχεραίνει, ἐπειδὴ βλασφημεῖ, ἐπειδὴ ἀγανακτεῖ, ἐπειδὴ κατηγορεῖ τοῦ πεποιηκότος. γʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν κατηγορῶμεν πλούτου, μηδὲ κακίζωμεν πενίαν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐκ ἐθέλοντας τούτοις χρῆσθαι καλῶς· αὐτὰ γὰρ τὰ πράγματα ἐν μέσῳ κεῖται. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον (καλὸν γὰρ ἐπανελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ὑπόθεσιν), ὅτι καὶ πλούσιος καὶ πένης μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀδείας καὶ παῤῥησίας τῶν ἐνταῦθα φαρμάκων ἀπολαύουσι· πολλάκις δὲ μετὰ πλείονος σπουδῆς ὁ πένης. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ ἐξαίρετον τῶν φαρμάκων, ὅτι ψυχὰς θεραπεύει, ὅτι μήκει χρόνου οὐ διαφθείρεται, ὅτι ὑπὸ νοσήματος οὐχ ἡττᾶται, ὅτι δωρεὰν πρόκειται ἡ ὠφέλεια, ὅτι ἐξ ἴσου καὶ πλουσίοις καὶ πένησι τὸ τῆς θεραπείας· ἀλλ' ἔχει τι καὶ ἕτερον οὐκ ἔλαττον τούτων τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τοὺς ἐρχομένους εἰς τὸ ἰατρεῖον τοῦτο οὐ δημοσιεύομεν ἡμεῖς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὰ ἰατρεῖα τὸ ἔξωθεν ἀπιόντες, πολλοὺς ἔχουσι τοὺς τὰ τραύματα θεωροῦντας· κἂν μὴ ἀποκαλύψῃ πρότερον ὁ ἰατρὸς τὸ ἕλκος, τὸ φάρμακον οὐκ ἐπιτίθησιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ μυρίους ὁρῶντες κάμνοντας, λανθανόντως ποιούμεθα τὴν θεραπείαν αὐτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς μέσον ἄγοντες τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, οὕτω δημοσιεύομεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· ἀλλὰ κοινὴν ἅπασι προθέντες τὴν διδασκαλίαν, τῷ τῶν ἀκροωμένων συνειδότι καταλιμπάνομεν, ὥστε ἕκαστον τὸ κατάλληλον φάρμακον τῷ οἰκείῳ τραύματι ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων ἐπισπάσασθαι. Πρόεισι μὲν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀπὸ τῆς γλώττης τοῦ λέγοντος, ἔχων κατηγορίαν κακίας, ἔπαινον ἀρετῆς, μέμψιν ἀσελγείας, ἐγκώμιον σωφροσύνης, ψόγον ἀπονοίας, ἐπιεικείας ἔπαινον, καθάπερ ποικίλον καὶ παντοδαπὸν φάρμακον ἐξ ἁπάντων εἰδῶν συγκείμενον· τὸ δὲ πρόσφορον ἑαυτῷ καὶ χρήσιμον λαβεῖν, ἑκάστου τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐστί. Πρόεισι μὲν οὖν φανερῶς ὁ λόγος, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἑκάστου συνειδὸς ἐγκαθεζόμενος, λανθανόντως καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ θεραπείαν παρέχει, καὶ πρὶν ἢ δημοσιευθῆναι τὸ νόσημα, τὴν ὑγίειαν πολλάκις ἐπήγαγεν. δʹ. Ἠκούσατε γοῦν χθὲς, πῶς ἐπῄνεσα τῆς εὐχῆς τὴν δύναμιν, πῶς ἐκάκισα τοὺς μετὰ ῥᾳθυμίας εὐχομέ 51.357 νους, οὐδένα αὐτῶν δημοσιεύσας. Οἱ μὲν οὖν συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς σπουδὴν, ἐδέξαντο τὸ ἐγκώμιον τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ ἐγένοντο σπουδαιότεροι τοῖς ἐπαίνοις· οἱ δὲ συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς ῥᾳθυμίαν, ἐδέξαντο πάλιν τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, καὶ τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν ἀπέθεντο. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τούτους, οὔτε ἐκείνους ἴσμεν· ἡ δὲ ἄγνοια ἀμφοτέροις χρήσιμος αὕτη. Πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὁ τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἀκούσας τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ σπουδὴν, εἰ πολλοὺς εἶχε μάρτυρας τῶν ἐγκωμίων, πρὸς ἀπόνοιαν ἂν ἐξωλίσθησε· νυνὶ δὲ