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gladness, neither in slaves, nor in gold and silver, not in garments. not in a full table, nor in the greatness of power, nor in the size of a house. For this gladness is not of the heart, but of the eyes only. At any rate, many of those who possess these things consider life unlivable, and carry a furnace of despondency in their soul, being drenched by the multitude of cares, and oppressed by constant fears. But for me, he says, gladness is not in these things, but in the intellectual heart, in the incorporeal mind, which imagines incorporeal things. So if present things gladden you, and from these you learn the providence of God; much more learn it from the things to come, inasmuch as those things are better, and more lasting, and inalienable. For if being in wealth and prosperity persuades you of the providence of God; much more let being rich in heaven lead you to this conviction. But if you should say, And for what reason are these things laid up in hope and are unseen? I would say this, that we the faithful especially consider the things in hope to be more manifest than these manifest things; for such is the full assurance of faith. But if you should say again, For what reason do we not receive the rewards here? I would say this, that this is the time for the wrestling pits and the contests, but that is the time for the crowns and the prizes. And this too was a work of God's care, to allot the toils and the sweats to this short and mortal life, but to extend the prizes and the crowns to the immortal and ageless age. Besides, when many were in a weaker state, He also gave them these perceptible goods. At any rate, He led the people of the Jews through such a polity. For wealth flowed to them, and life was extended to old age, and every disease was out of the way; and the destruction of enemies, and deep peace, and trophies and victories, and goodly children and many children were present for those who obeyed God, and all such things. But when our Lord Jesus Christ came, calling us to heaven, and persuading us to despise the things here, and depositing in us a love for those things, and tearing us away from the things of this life; it is fitting that these things have been curtailed, while in those is all the wealth, since we have become perfect. Since even in the case of children, fathers provide such things to the younger ones, shoes and clothes, and gold ornaments, and bracelets; but when they have grown up, taking these things from them, they give other, greater things, renown at the tribunal, splendor in the city, confidence in the royal courts, offices and powers, leading them away from all childish ambition. Thus indeed God has also done; leading us away from those small and childish things, He has promised the things from the heavens. Therefore, be not dismayed at these flowing and passing things, nor be fainthearted. Nor has He left you without a share of these things. For since it was necessary that those who are clothed in flesh and live in a body should not be without these things either, He provides these things to us richly. For this reason, the Prophet, having moved that high and philosophical form of providence, 55.56 and having said, You have put gladness in my heart, adds this also, saying: From the fruit of their grain, and wine, and oil they were multiplied. And having said this, he moves no small part of His providence from this, that which also appears in visible things. For when he says, grain, and wine, and oil, and the abundance in these, he also speaks of rains, and mildness of seasons, and the flanks of the earth, and birth-pangs, and birth, and the pouring of the air, and the course of the sun, and the periods of the moon, and the dance of the stars, and summer, and winter, and autumn, and spring, and the art of agriculture, and the suitability of tools, and a swarm of other arts. For unless all these things run together, it is not possible for the fruits to be brought to perfection, nor for

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εὐφροσύνη, οὔτε ἐν ἀνδραπόδοις, οὔτε ἐν χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ, οὐκ ἐν ἱματίοις. οὐκ ἐν τραπέζῃ πληθούσῃ, οὔτε ἐν δυναστείας μεγέθει, οὔτε ἐν οἰκίας μέτρῳ. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ εὐφροσύνη οὐ καρδίας, ἀλλ' ὀφθαλμῶν μόνων. Πολλοὶ γοῦν τῶν ταῦτα κεκτημένων ἀβίωτον τὸν βίον εἶναι νομίζουσι, καὶ κάμινον ἀθυμίας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ περιφέρουσιν, ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν φροντίδων περιαντλούμενοι, καὶ τοῖς συνεχέσι πιεζόμενοι φόβοις. Ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐν τούτοις ἡ εὐφροσύνη, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῇ νοερᾷ, ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ τῇ ἀσωμάτῳ, καὶ τὰ ἀσώματα φανταζομένῃ. Ὥστε εἰ τὰ παρόντα σε εὐφραίνει, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τὴν πρόνοιαν μανθάνεις τοῦ Θεοῦ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων καταμάνθανε, ὅσῳ καὶ ἀμείνω ἐκεῖνα, καὶ μονιμώτερα, καὶ ἀναφαίρετα. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐν πλούτῳ σε εἶναι καὶ εὐημερίᾳ πείθει εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ ἐν οὐρανῷ πλουτεῖν εἰς ταύτην σε ἐναγέτω τὴν πειθώ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐν ἐλπίσι ταῦτα ἀπόκειται καὶ ἔστιν ἀφανῆ; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι μάλιστα μὲν ἡμεῖς οἱ πιστοὶ τῶν φανερῶν τούτων φανερώτερα εἶναι νομίζομεν τὰ ἐν ἐλπίσι· τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς πίστεως ἡ πληροφορία. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις πάλιν, Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἀπολαμβάνομεν τὰς ἀμοιβάς; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι οὗτος μὲν ὁ τῶν σκαμμάτων καιρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῶν στεφάνων καὶ τῶν βραβείων. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίας ἔργον ἐγένετο, τὸ τοὺς μὲν πόνους καὶ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας τῷ βραχεῖ τούτῳ καὶ ἐπικήρῳ συγκληρῶσαι βίῳ, τὰ δὲ βραβεῖα καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους τῷ ἀθανάτῳ καὶ ἀγήρῳ παρεκτεῖναι αἰῶνι. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἡνίκα μὲν ἀσθενέστερον οἱ πολλοὶ διέκειντο, καὶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ταῦτα ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἀγαθά. Τῶν γοῦν Ἰουδαίων τὸν δῆμον διὰ τοιαύτης ἦγε πολιτείας. Καὶ γὰρ πλοῦτος αὐτοῖς ἐπέῤῥει, καὶ πρὸς γῆρας ἐξετείνετο ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ πᾶν νόσημα ἐκποδὼν ἦν· καὶ πολεμίων ἀναίρεσις, καὶ εἰρήνη βαθεῖα, καὶ τρόπαια καὶ νῖκαι, καὶ εὐπαιδία καὶ πολυπαιδία πειθομένοις τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα προσῆν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ παρεγένετο ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡμᾶς καλῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα πείθων καταφρονεῖν, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνων ἔρωτα ἐναποτιθέμενος, καὶ ἀποσχίζων ἡμᾶς τῶν βιωτικῶν· εἰκότως ταῦτα συνέσταλται, ἐν δὲ ἐκείνοις ἅπας ὁ πλοῦτος, ἅτε τελείων ἡμῶν γενομένων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παιδίων, τοῖς μὲν μικροτέροις ἔτι τοιαῦτα οἱ πατέρες παρέχουσιν, ὑποδήματα καὶ ἱμάτια, καὶ χρυσία, καὶ ψέλλια· ἐπειδὰν δὲ αὐξηθῶσι, ταῦτα ἀφελόντες αὐτῶν, ἕτερα μείζονα διδόασι, τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος εὐδοκίμησιν, τὴν ἐν τῇ πόλει λαμπρότητα, τὴν ἐν ταῖς βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς παῤῥησίαν, ἀρχὰς καὶ δυναστείας, πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀπάγοντες τῆς παιδικῆς φιλοτιμίας. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε· τῶν μικρῶν ἐκείνων καὶ παιδικῶν ἡμᾶς ἀπάγων, τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπηγγείλατο. Οὐκοῦν μὴ πρὸς ταῦτα ἐπτόησο τὰ ῥέοντα καὶ παρατρέχοντα, μηδὲ μικροψύχει. Οὐδὲ τούτων ἄμοιρόν σε ἀφῆκεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοὺς σάρκα περικειμένους, καὶ σώματι συστρεφομένους, οὐδὲ τούτων ἐκτὸς εἶναι ἔδει, καὶ ταῦτα πλουσίως ἡμῖν χορηγεῖ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Προφήτης κινήσας τῆς προνοίας ἐκεῖνο τὸ εἶδος 55.56 τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ φιλόσοφον, καὶ εἰπὼν, Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου, ἐπάγει καὶ τοῦτο, λέγων· Ἀπὸ καρποῦ σίτου, καὶ οἴνου, καὶ ἐλαίου αὐτῶν ἐπληθύνθησαν. Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν οὐ μικρὸν μέρος αὐτοῦ τῆς προνοίας ἐντεῦθεν κινεῖ, τῆς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις φαινομένης. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ, σῖτον, καὶ οἶνον, καὶ ἔλαιον, καὶ τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἀφθονίαν, καὶ ὑετοὺς λέγει, καὶ ὡρῶν εὐκρασίαν, καὶ γῆς λαγόνας, καὶ ὠδῖνας, καὶ τόκον, καὶ ἀέρος χύσιν, καὶ ἡλίου δρόμον, καὶ σελήνης περιόδους, καὶ ἄστρων χορείαν, καὶ θέρος, καὶ χειμῶνα, καὶ μετόπωρον, καὶ ἔαρ, καὶ γεωργικὴν τέχνην, καὶ ὀργάνων ἐπιτηδειότητα, καὶ ἑτέρων τεχνῶν ἐσμόν. Ἂν μὴ γὰρ ταῦτα ἅπαντα συνδράμῃ, οὐχ οἷόν τε τοὺς καρποὺς τελεσφορηθῆναι, οὔτε εἰς