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Do you shudder at making yourself a servant of a destructive demon, but welcome an evil, through which you will become an enemy of those who have done no wrong, and an enemy of God who is good and bountiful? Let us flee an unbearable evil.

It is the teaching of the serpent, the invention of demons, the sowing of the enemy, the pledge of punishment, an obstacle to piety, the way to Gehenna, the deprivation of the kingdom. And somehow the envious are manifest even in their very face. Their eye is dry and dull, their cheek downcast, their brow 31.381 fallen, their soul is confounded by the passion, not possessing the criterion of truth in matters. No deed done according to virtue is praised by them, no power of speech adorned with dignity and graces, nor anything else of the things that are enviable and admirable. Just as vultures are drawn to foul odors, flying over many meadows and many pleasant and fragrant places; and flies run past what is healthy, and rush towards a wound; so the envious do not even look upon the splendors of life and the greatness of accomplishments, but they fix upon what is rotten; and if some stumble should happen, as many things are in human affairs, they publicize this, and from these things they wish to make the men known; just as wicked painters delineate the forms of their subjects from a crooked nose, or from some scar or mutilation, occurring from nature or from suffering. They are clever at distorting what is praiseworthy to the worse, and slandering virtue by its neighboring vice. For they call the courageous man reckless, and the temperate man insensitive; the just man, harsh; the prudent man, malicious. And the magnificent man they slander as vulgar, and the generous man as profligate; again, the economical man as stingy. And in general, every form of virtue does not lack a name with them transferred from the opposite vice. What then? Shall we end our discourse with the accusation of the evil? But this is, as it were, half of the cure. For to show the sick person the magnitude of the disease, so as to instill in him a worthy concern for the evil, is not useless; but to leave it at this, without leading him by the hand to health, is nothing other than to abandon the sick person to the disease.

What then? How might we not suffer the disease from the beginning, or, having been afflicted, escape it? If, first, we should judge nothing of human affairs to be great or extraordinary; not the abundance that is among men; not the glory that fades; not the good condition of the body. For we do not define the good to be in things that pass away, but we have been called to the participation of eternal and true goods. Therefore the rich man is not yet to be envied for his riches; nor the ruler for the weight of his office, nor the strong man for the robustness of his body, nor the wise man for the abundance of his speech. For these are instruments of virtue for those who use them well, not possessing blessedness in and of themselves. So the one who uses them badly is pitiable, like one who with the sword he received for defense against enemies, willingly wounds himself with it; but if 31.384 he manages present things well and according to right reason, and is a steward of the things from God, and does not treasure them up for his own enjoyment, he is worthy to be praised and loved for the brotherly love and fellowship of his character. Again, someone excels in understanding, and has been honored with the word of God, and is an interpreter of sacred oracles; do not envy such a person, nor ever wish to silence the interpreter of sacred things, if by the grace of the Spirit some acceptance and praise from the listeners follows. For the good is yours, and the gift of teaching has been sent to you through the brother, if you are willing to receive it. Furthermore, no one blocks a gushing spring; and when the sun is shining no one covers his eyes, nor does he begrudge them, but prays for the enjoyment for himself; but of a spiritual word gushing forth in the Church, and of a pious heart from the charisms

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φρίσσεις ὑπηρέτην σεαυτὸν ποιῶν δαίμονος ὀλεθρίου, ἀλλ' ὑποδέχῃ κα κὸν, δι' οὗ ἐχθρὸς μὲν γενήσῃ τῶν μηδὲν ἀδικούν των, ἐχθρὸς δὲ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἀφθόνου; Φύγωμεν κακὸν ἀφόρητον.

Ὄφεώς ἐστι δίδαγμα, δαιμόνων εὕρημα, ἐχθροῦ ἐπισπορὰ, ἀῤῥαβὼν κο λάσεως, ἐμπόδιον εὐσεβείας, ὁδὸς ἐπὶ γέενναν, στέ ρησις βασιλείας. ∆ῆλοι δέ πως καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ προσ ώπῳ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ φθονοῦντες. Ὄμμα τούτοις ξηρὸν καὶ ἀλαμπὲς, παρειὰ κατηφὴς, ὁφρὺς συμπε 31.381 πτωκυῖα, ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ πάθει συγκεχυμένη, τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας κριτήριον ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκ ἔχουσα. Οὐ πρᾶξις κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπαινετὴ παρ' ἐκείνοις, οὐ λόγου δύναμις σεμνότητι κεκοσμημένη καὶ χάρισιν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν ζηλωτῶν καὶ περιβλέπτων οὐδέν. Ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ γῦπες πρὸς τὰ δυσώδη φέρονται, πολ λοὺς μὲν λειμῶνας, πολλοὺς δὲ ἡδεῖς καὶ εὐώδεις τόπους ὑπεριπτάμενοι· καὶ αἱ μυῖαι τὸ μὲν ὑγιαῖνον παρατρέχουσι, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἕλκος ἐπείγονται· οὕτως οἱ βάσκανοι τὰς μὲν τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητας καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν κατορθουμένων οὐδὲ προσβλέπουσι, τοῖς δὲ σαθροῖς ἐπιτίθενται· κἄν τι προσπταῖσαι συμβῇ, οἷα πολλὰ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, τοῦτο δημοσιεύουσι, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τοὺς ἄνδρας γνωρίζειν βούλονται· ὥσπερ οἱ πονηροὶ τῶν ζωγράφων ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνδια στρόφου ῥινὸς, ἢ ἀπό τινος οὐλῆς ἢ κολοβώματος, ἐκ φύσεως ἢ ἐκ πάθους ἐπισυμβάντος, τὰς μορφὰς τῶν γραφομένων ἀποσημαίνοντες. ∆εινοὶ δὲ ταῖς εἰς τὸ χεῖρον παρατροπαῖς τὸ ἐπαινετὸν διαπτύσαι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γείτονος κακίας τὴν ἀρετὴν διαβαλεῖν. Θρασὺν μὲν γὰρ λέγουσι τὸν ἀνδρεῖον, ἀνάλγητον δὲ τὸν σώ φρονα· τὸν δίκαιον ἀπηνῆ· κακοῦργον τὸν φρόνιμον. Καὶ τὸν μεγαλοπρεπῆ μὲν ὡς βάναυσον δια βάλλουσι, τὸν ἐλευθέριον δὲ ὡς ἄσωτον· πάλιν τὸν οἰκονομικὸν φειδωλόν. Καὶ ὅλως, πάντα τὰ τῆς ἀρε τῆς εἴδη οὐκ ἀπορεῖ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὀνόματος ἐκ τῆς ἀντικειμένης κακίας μετενεχθέντος. Τί οὖν; ἐν τῇ κατηγορίᾳ τοῦ κακοῦ τὸν λόγον στήσομεν; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ὥσπερ ἥμισύ τί ἐστι τῆς ἰατρείας. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ δεῖξαι τῷ κάμνοντι τῆς νόσου τὸ μέγε θος, ὥστε ἀξίαν ἐμποιῆσαι αὐτῷ τοῦ κακοῦ τὴν φροντίδα, οὐκ ἄχρηστον· τὸ δὲ ἄχρι τούτου καταλι πεῖν, μὴ πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν χειραγωγήσαντα, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ἔκδοτον ἀφεῖναι τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ τὸν κάμνοντα.

Τί οὖν; πῶς ἂν μὴ πάθοιμεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὴν νόσον, ἢ ὑπαχθέντες ἐκφύγοιμεν; Εἰ πρῶτον μὲν μηδὲν μέγα, μηδὲ ὑπερφυὲς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κρίνοιμεν· μὴ εὐπορίαν τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις· μὴ δόξαν τὴν ἀπανθοῦσαν· μὴ σώματος εὐεξίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς παρερχομένοις ὁριζόμεθα εἶναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἀληθινῶν μετ ουσίαν κεκλήμεθα. Ὥστε ὁ πλουτῶν οὔπω ζηλωτός ἐστι διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον· οὐχ ὁ δυνάστης διὰ τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ ἀξιώματος, οὐχ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς διὰ τὴν ῥώμην τοῦ σώματος, οὐχ ὁ σοφὸς διὰ τὴν τοῦ λόγου περιου σίαν. Ὄργανα γάρ ἐστι ταῦτα τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῖς κα λῶς κεχρημένοις, οὐκ αὐτὰ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχοντα τὸ μα κάριον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν κακῶς αὐτοῖς κεχρημένος, ἐλεει νὸς, ὡς ὁ τῷ ξίφει, ὃ ἔλαβε πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἄμυναν, τούτῳ ἑκουσίως ἑαυτὸν κατατιτρώσκων· εἰ 31.384 δὲ καλῶς καὶ κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον τὰ παρόντα με ταχειρίζεται, καὶ οἰκονόμος ἐστὶ τῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐχὶ δὲ πρὸς ἰδίαν ἀπόλαυσιν θησαυρίζει, ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ ἀγαπᾶσθαι δίκαιός ἐστι διὰ τὸ φιλάδελφον καὶ κοινωνικὸν τοῦ τρόπου. Πάλιν φρονήσει τις διαφέ ρει, καὶ λόγῳ Θεοῦ τετίμηται, καὶ ἐξηγητής ἐστιν ἱερῶν λογίων· μὴ φθονήσῃς τῷ τοιούτῳ, μηδὲ βουληθῇς ποτε σιωπῆσαι τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν ὑποφήτην, εἰ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτι ἀποδοχή τις καὶ ἔπαινος ἐκ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀκολουθεῖ. Σὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἀγα θὸν, καί σοι ἐπέμφθη διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τῆς διδασκα λίας τὸ δῶρον, ἐὰν ὑποδέξασθαι θέλῃς. Εἶτα, πηγὴν μὲν βρύουσαν οὐδεὶς ἐμφράσσει· καὶ ἡλίου λάμποντος οὐδεὶς τὰς ὄψεις ἐπικαλύπτει, οὐδὲ βασκαίνει ἐκείνοις, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῷ συνεύχεται τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν· λόγου δὲ πνευματικοῦ ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ βρύοντος, καὶ καρδίας εὐσεβοῦς ἐκ τῶν χαρισμάτων