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6 -I wished you to take a little breath from the works of injustice, and to give leisure to your own thoughts, so that you might consider to what end the zeal of your actions is directed. You have so many plethra of arable land, so many others of planted land, mountains, plains, glens, rivers, meadows. What then after these things? Do not three cubits await you, as they do everyone? Will not the weight of a few stones suffice for the protection of your wretched flesh? For what do you labor? for what do you transgress the law? Why do you gather fruitlessness with your hands? If only it were fruitlessness and not fuel for the eternal fire. Will you never be sober from this drunkenness? Will you not make your thoughts sound? Will you not come to your senses? Will you not set before your eyes the judgment seat of Christ? What defense will you make, when the ones you have wronged, standing around you, cry out against you before the just judge? What then will you do? what advocates will you hire? what witnesses will you present? how will you persuade the judge who cannot be deceived? There is no orator there; there is no persuasiveness of words, able to steal the truth from the judge; flatterers do not follow, nor money, nor the weight of office; destitute of friends, destitute of helpers, without an advocate, without a defense, shamed you will be taken, gloomy, downcast, isolated, without confidence. For wherever you may turn your eye, you will see vivid images of your evil deeds; on one side the orphan's tears, on another the widow's groan, on yet another the poor who were beaten by your fist; the servants whom you tore to pieces; the neighbors whom you provoked; all will rise up against you; an evil chorus of your evil deeds will surround you. For just as the shadow attends the body, so sins attend souls, vividly portraying the deeds. Because of this there is no denial there, but even the shameless mouth is stopped. For the very deeds of each person testify against them, not uttering a sound, but appearing just as they were fashioned by us. How can I bring the dreadful things before your sight? If then you will listen, if then you will yield, remember that day on which: Wrath is revealed from heaven; Remember the glorious coming of Christ, when they will rise again: Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment; Then eternal shame for sinners; And a zeal of fire about to consume the adversaries; Let those things grieve you, and let not the commandment grieve you. How shall I put you to shame? what shall I utter? Do you not desire the kingdom? Do you not fear gehenna? from where will a cure be found for your soul? For if the dreadful things do not terrify, and the bright things do not entice, we are speaking to a heart of stone.

7 -Look closely, O man, at the nature of wealth. Why are you so frantic about gold? Gold is a stone, silver is a stone, the pearl is a stone, each of the stones is a stone: chrysolite, and beryl, and agate, and jacinth, and amethyst, and jasper. These indeed are the flowers of wealth; of which you put some away, hiding them, and covering the transparent stones with darkness; and others you carry about, priding yourself on the gleam of the precious ones. Tell me, what benefit is it to you to turn your hand about, gleaming with stones? Do you not blush to crave little stones like women when they are pregnant? For they too nibble on little stones, and you are gluttonous for the flowers of the stones, seeking sardonyx, and jaspers, and amethysts. What dandy was able to add one day to his life? whom has death spared on account of wealth? from whom has sickness kept away on account of riches? How long gold, the noose of souls, the fishhook of death, the bait of sin? How long wealth, the cause of war, for which weapons are forged, for which swords are sharpened? Because of it relatives ignore nature, brothers look upon each other with murder in their eyes; because of wealth the deserts nourish murderers, the sea pirates, the cities sycophants. Who is the father of lies? who of forgery

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6 -Ἐβουλόμην σε μικρὸν ἀναπνεῦσαι τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ δοῦναι σχολὴν τοῖς σεαυτοῦ λογισμοῖς, ὥστε ἐνθυμηθῆναι πρὸς ποῖον πέρας ἡ σπουδὴ τῶν γινομένων συντέταται. Ἔχεις γῆς ἀροσίμης πλέθρα τόσα καὶ τόσα, γῆς πεφυτευμένης τοσαῦτα ἕτερα, ὄρη, πεδία, νάπας, ποταμοὺς, λιβάδας. Τί οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα; Οὐχὶ τρεῖς σε πήχεις ἀναμένουσιν οἱ πάντες; Οὐχὶ λίθων ὀλίγων βάρος ἀρκέσει πρὸς φυλακὴν τῇ δυστήνῳ σαρκί; Ὑπὲρ τίνος μοχθεῖς; ὑπὲρ τίνος παρανομεῖς; Τί συνάγεις χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν; Εἴθε ἀκαρπίαν καὶ μὴ ὕλην τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρί. Οὐ νήψεις ποτὲ ἀπὸ τῆς μέθης ταύτης; Οὐχ ὑγιανεῖς τοὺς λογισμούς; Οὐ σεαυτοῦ γενήσῃ; Οὐ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν λήψῃ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δικαστήριον; Τί ἀπολογήσῃ, ἐπειδάν σε κύκλῳ περιστάντες οἱ ἠδικημένοι καταβοῶσί σου ἐπὶ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ; Τί οὖν ποιήσεις; ποίους συνηγόρους μισθώσῃ; ποίους μάρτυρας παραστήσῃ; πῶς παραπείσεις τὸν ἀπαραλόγιστον δικαστήν; Οὐκ ἔνι ῥήτωρ ἐκεῖ· οὐκ ἔνι πιθανότης ῥημάτων, κλέψαι δυναμένη τοῦ δικαστοῦ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· οὐκ ἀκολουθοῦσιν οἱ κόλακες, οὐ τὰ χρήματα, οὐχ ὁ ὄγκος τοῦ ἀξιώματος· ἔρημος φίλων, ἔρημος βοηθῶν, ἀσυνηγόρητος, ἀναπολόγητος, κατῃσχυμ μένος παραληφθήσῃ, σκυθρωπὸς, κατηφὴς, μεμονωμένος, ἀπαῤῥησίαστος. Ὅπου γὰρ ἂν περιαγάγῃς τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, ἐναργεῖς ὄψει τῶν κακῶν τὰς εἰκόνας· ἔνθεν τοῦ ὀρφανοῦ τὰ δάκρυα, ἐκεῖθεν τῆς χήρας τὸν στεναγμὸν, ἑτέρωθεν τοὺς κατακονδυλισθέντας ὑπό σου πένητας· τοὺς οἰκέτας, οὓς κατέξαινες· τοὺς γείτονας, οὓς παρώργιζες· πάντα σοι ἐπαναστήσεται· πονηρὸς χορὸς τῶν κακῶν σου πράξεων περιστοιχίσεταί σε. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ σκιὰ τῷ σώματι, οὕτω ταῖς ψυχαῖς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι παρέπονται, ἐναργῶς τὰς πράξεις ἐξεικονίζουσαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρνησις ἐκεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐμφράσσε ται στόμα καὶ τὸ ἀναίσχυντον. Αὐτὰ γὰρ ἑκάστου καταμαρτυρεῖ τὰ πράγ ματα, οὐ φωνὴν ἀφιέντα, ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα φαινόμενα οἷα ὑφ' ἡμῶν κατεσ κεύασται. Πῶς σοι δυνηθῶ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἀγαγεῖν τὰ φρικτά; Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσῃς, ἐὰν ἄρα ἐνδῷς, μνήσθητι τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐν ᾗ· Ἀποκαλύπ τεται ὀργὴ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ· Μνήσθητι τῆς ἐνδόξου τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ὅτε ἀναστήσονται· Οἱ μὲν τὰ ἀγαθὰ πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως· Τότε αἰσχύνη αἰώνιος τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς· Καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μέλλων τοὺς ὑπεναντίους· Ἐκεῖνα λυπείτω σε, καὶ μὴ λυπείτω ἡ ἐντολή. Πῶς σε δυσωπήσω; τί φθέγξομαι; Βασιλείας οὐκ ἐπιθυμεῖς; γέενναν οὐ φοβῇ; πόθεν εὑρεθῇ ἴασις τῇ ψυχῇ σου; Εἰ γὰρ τὰ φρικτὰ οὐ πτοεῖ, τὰ φαιδρὰ οὐ προτρέπεται, λιθίνῃ καρδίᾳ διαλεγόμεθα.

7 -∆ιάβλεψον, ἄνθρωπε, πρὸς τὴν φύσιν τοῦ πλούτου. Τί τοσοῦτον ἐπτόησαι περὶ τὸν χρυσόν; Λίθος ἐστὶν ὁ χρυσὸς, λίθος ὁ ἄργυρος, λίθος ὁ μαργαρίτης, λίθος τῶν λίθων ἕκαστος· χρυσόλιθον, καὶ βηρύλλιον, καὶ ἀχάτης, καὶ ὑάκινθος, καὶ ἀμέθυσος, καὶ ἴασπις. Ταῦτα δὴ τοῦ πλούτου τὰ ἄνθη· ὧν σὺ τὰ μὲν ἀποτίθεσαι κατακρύπτων, καὶ τοὺς διαφανεῖς τῶν λίθων σκότῳ κατακαλύπτων· τοὺς δὲ περιφέρεις, τῶν βαρυτίμων ἐναβρυνόμενος αὐτῶν τῇ αὐγῇ. Εἰπὲ, τί ὄφελός σοι λίθοις λαμπομένην περιστρέφειν τὴν χεῖρα; Οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷς λιθιδίων κισσῶν ὡς αἱ γυναῖκες, ὅταν κύωσιν; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι λιθίδια περιτρώγουσι, καὶ σὺ λίχνως ἔχεις περὶ τὰ ἄνθη τῶν λίθων, σαρδόνυχας, καὶ ἰάσπιδας, καὶ ἀμεθύσους ἐπιζητῶν. Τίς καλ λωπιστὴς μίαν ἡμέραν ἠδυνήθη τῷ βίῳ προσθεῖναι; τίνος ἐφείσατο θάνατος διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον; τίνος ἀπέσχετο νόσος διὰ τὰ χρήματα; Ἕως πότε χρυ σὸς, τῶν ψυχῶν ἡ ἀγχόνη, τὸ τοῦ θανάτου ἄγκιστρον, τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δέλεαρ; Ἕως πότε πλοῦτος, ἡ τοῦ πολέμου ὑπόθεσις, δι' ὃν χαλκεύεται ὅπλα, δι' ὃν ἀκονᾶται ξίφη; ∆ιὰ τοῦτον συγγενεῖς ἀγνοοῦσι τὴν φύσιν, ἀδελφοὶ κατ' ἀλλήλων φονικὸν βλέπουσι· διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον αἱ ἐρημίαι τοὺς φονευτὰς τρέφουσιν, ἡ θάλασσα τοὺς καταποντιστὰς, αἱ πόλεις τοὺς συκο φάντας. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ψεύδους πατήρ; τίς ὁ πλαστογραφίας