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Do not use your children as an excuse. Why do you set up a specious pretext for sin? He who made the child, also made you. He who provides the means for you, will also provide the ways of life for the child. Each one will give an account of his own life to the Lord. What do you know for whom you are storing up treasure? “He stores up treasure, and does not know for whom he will gather it.” Often the child is the reason for the treasures stored up. But what was gathered by you became either the plunder of a robber, or the waste of an informer, or the captivity of enemies, or what a plague set upon. For many are the destructions of life. Tell me: when you were asking God for children, when you wanted to become a father 31.1452 of children, what did you add to your prayer? Give me children, so that, having become greedy, I may be handed over to Gehenna on the pretext of my children? Give me children, so that I may not keep the commandments? Give me children, so that I may despise the Gospel? These were not the things you said then, but you sought children as helpers in life. You received helpers, partners in life; teach both by good words and by excellent examples, what sort of things are fitting toward God, such as you have often seen. For this is a wealth more precious than much money. This is a good inheritance, passed down from a father to his children. “And do not enter into the property of orphans.” And, “Do not dine with an envious man.” It has also been said concerning envy. But let it be added for greater guarding against evil, that envy is a particular passion of the devil. For the devil was not created a devil immediately, but having received the authority of an angel, he was ruined into the nature of a demon. And he became a wicked demon, characterized by this wickedness, and alienated from intimacy with God, having turned toward the side of apostasy, when he saw man, a small creature, yet more honored than all creation. Being older than man, he saw that all swimming creatures were created by a word. For “Let the waters,” he says, “bring forth creeping things with living souls.” By a word He made the sea monsters that live in the Atlantic sea.

By a word He made the land animals. By the command of God it was brought into being. By a command the sizes of elephants, those of camels, came to be; horses, and oxen, and as many animals as differ in size and strength, were created in herds by a single command; and what is even more wonderful, by a command the heaven, by a command the sun, by a command the vegetation, by a command the nature of the waters, both that which is spread above the heaven and the earth, and that poured out in the hollows, all by a command; but man was formed by hands. He saw the honor concerning man, the devil was envious. He saw that he was more honored than the sun. For the one came into being by a command; but the other was formed by the hands of God. And the one was created for man, but man for God; man, that God might be glorified; the sun, that it might serve men. He understood the honor concerning man. He saw that creation was first, and man last, because He had prepared for him, as for a householder, a house that was filled. For He did not make man first, so that he might not be created 31.1453 poor, but He made the heaven, creating a natural roof, He spread out the earth, preparing a strong ground for the feet of man. He made it to flourish with all kinds of produce of herbs and fruits. All things were prepared for man; the beasts of burden were prepared in herds; creation was created. The domestic animals were prepared; the wild ones for the exercise of the body. Some things are to be acquired by toil, that they might become beloved; others are readily present, so that he might be served immediately by creation. He saw that the earth spontaneously prepared its fruit for them. All creation was awaiting those who would enjoy it, and man was brought to a feast. He saw that the philanthropic God was not content with the enjoyment of the earth; but wanting man, His special dwelling, His own adornment, for Himself, He placed him there in paradise. The devil acted wickedly, seeing the great enjoyment surrounding the

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Μὴ προφασίζου τοὺς παῖδας. Τί ὑποτίθῃ ἀφορ μὴν εὐπρόσωπον εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν; Ὁ τὸν παῖδα ποιήσας, καὶ σὲ ἐποίησεν. Ὁ σοὶ τὰς ἀφορμὰς παρεχόμενος, καὶ τῷ παιδὶ παρέξει τὰς τοῦ βίου διεξαγωγάς. Ἕκαστος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς λόγον δώσει τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τί οἶδας τίνι θησαυρίζεις; «Θησαυρί ζει, καὶ οὐκ οἶδε τίνι συνάξει αὐτά.» Πολλάκις ὁ παῖς ἐστιν ὑπόθεσις τῶν θησαυριζομένων. Ἐγέ νετο δὲ ἢ λῃστοῦ διάρπαγμα, ἢ συκοφάντου παραν άλωμα, ἢ πολεμίων αἰχμαλώτευμα τὰ ὑπὸ σοῦ συν αχθέντα, ἢ λοιμοῦ ἐγκατασκήψαντος. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀφανισμοὶ τοῦ βίου. Εἰπέ μοι· ὅτε ᾔτεις παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς παῖδας, ὅτε ἐβούλου γενέσθαι τέκνων πα 31.1452 τὴρ, τί προσετίθεις τῇ εὐχῇ; ∆ός μοι παῖδας, ἵνα, πλεονέκτης γενόμενος, τῇ προφάσει τῶν παίδων τῇ γεέννῃ παραδοθῶ; ∆ός μοι παῖδας, ἵνα μὴ ποιήσω τὰς ἐντολάς; ∆ός μοι παῖδας, ἵνα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου κα ταφρονήσω; Οὐ ταῦτα ἦν ἃ τότε ἔλεγες, ἀλλὰ παῖδας ἐζήτεις συνεργοὺς τοῦ βίου. Ἔλαβες συνεργοὺς, κοινωνοὺς τοῦ βίου· δίδασκε καὶ λόγοις ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ ὑποδείγμασι χρηστοῖς, ὁποίους προσῆκεν εἶναι τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὁποίους πολλάκις εἶδες. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πλοῦτος πολλῶν χρημάτων τιμιώτερος. Αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία ἀγαθὴ, παρὰ πατρὸς εἰς παῖδας παραπεμπομένη. «Εἰς δὲ κτῆμα ὀρφανῶν μὴ εἰσ έλθῃς.» Καὶ, «Μὴ συνδείπνει ἀνδρὶ βασκάνῳ.» Εἴρη ται καὶ περὶ τῆς βασκανίας. Προσκείσθω δὲ εἰς πλείονα φυλακὴν τοῦ κακοῦ, ὅτι ἴδιόν τι πάθος ἐστὶ τοῦ διαβόλου ἡ βασκανία. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθὺς διάβολος ἐκτίσθη ὁ διάβολος, ἀλλ' ἀγγέλου ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν, κατεστράφη εἰς τὴν τοῦ δαίμονος φύσιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο πονηρὸς δαίμων ὁ ταύτῃ τῇ πονηρίᾳ χαρακτηρι σθεὶς, καὶ ἀπαλλοτριωθεὶς τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν οἰ κειότητος, ἀποστραφεὶς δὲ πρὸς τὸ μέρος τῆς ἀπο στασίας, ἐπειδὴ εἶδε τὸν ἄνθρωπον μικρὸν μὲν ζῶον, παρὰ πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν κτίσιν τιμιώτερον. Πρεσβύτερος ὢν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἶδεν, ὅτι τὰ νηκτὰ πάντα λόγῳ ἐδημιουργήθη. «Ἐξαγαγέτω» γὰρ, φησὶ, «τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν.» Λόγῳ ἐποίησε τὰ κήτη τὰ κατὰ τὸ πέλαγος τὸ Ἀτλαντικὸν ἐνδιαιτώμενα.

Λόγῳ ἐποίησε τὰ χερσαῖα. Προστάγματι Θεοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. Προστάγματι γέγονε τὰ τῶν ἐλεφάντων μεγέθη, τὰ τῶν καμήλων· ἵπποι, καὶ βόες, καὶ ὅσα μεγέθει διαφέροντα καὶ ἰσχύϊ ζῶα, κατὰ ἀγέλας ἐκτίσθη ἑνὶ προστάγματι· καὶ τὸ ἔτι θαυμασιώτερον, προστάγματι οὐρανὸς, προστάγματι ἥλιος, προστάγματι βοτάνη, προστάγματι ἡ τῶν ὑδάτων φύσις, ἥ τε ὑπὲρ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐστορεσμένη, καὶ ταῖς κοιλότησιν ἐκκεχυμένη, πάντα προστάγματι· ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος χερσὶ διεπλάσθη. Εἶδε τὴν περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τιμὴν, ἐβάσκηνεν ὁ διάβολος. Εἶδεν, ὅτι ἡλίου προτιμότερος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ προστάγματι εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρῆλθεν· ὁ δὲ χερσὶ Θεοῦ διεπλάσθη. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκτίσθη διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἄνθρωπος δὲ διὰ Θεόν· ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα Θεὸς δοξασθῇ· ἥλιος, ἵνα ἀνθρώποις ὑπηρετῇ. Κατέμαθε τὴν περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τιμήν. Εἶδεν, ὅτι πρώτη ἡ κτίσις, τελευταῖος δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι παρεσκεύασεν αὐτῷ ὥσπερ οἰκοδεσπότῃ οἶκον πεπληρωμένον. Οὐ γὰρ πρῶτον ἐποίησεν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα μὴ πτωχὸς 31.1453 κτισθῇ ἀλλ' ἐποίησεν οὐρανὸν, σκέπην αὐτοφυῆ κτίσας, ὑπεστόρεσε τὴν γῆν, ἰσχυρὸν ἔδαφος τοῖς ποσὶ προετοιμάζων τοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Θάλλειν αὐτὴν ἐποίησε βοτανῶν καὶ καρπῶν παντοίαις φοραῖς. Πάντα εὐτρεπῆ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ· τὰ ὑποζύγια εὐτρεπίσθη κατὰ ἀγέλας· ἐκτίσθη ἡ κτίσις. Τὰ μὲν σύννομα παρεσκευάσθη· τὰ δὲ ἄγρια πρὸς γυμνασίαν τοῦ σώματος. Τὰ μὲν πόνῳ κτητὰ, ἵνα φιλητὰ γένηται· τὰ δὲ ἑτοίμως παρόντα, ἵνα αὐτόθεν τῇ κτίσει ὑπηρετῆται. Εἶδεν, ὅτι αὐτομάτως ἡ γῆ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύασε. Πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἐξεδέχετο τοὺς ἀπολαύοντας, καὶ εἰς ἑστίασιν παρήχθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Εἶδεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἠρκέσθη ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς τῇ τῆς γῆς ἀπολαύσει· ἀλλ' ἐξαίρετον ἐνδιαίτημα, τὸ ἴδιον ἐγκαλλώπισμα, τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἑαυ-τοῦ βουλόμενος, ἐκεῖ κατέστησεν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ἐπονηρεύσατο ὁ διάβολος ὁρῶν πολλὴν ἀπόλαυσιν περιῤῥέουσαν τῷ