17

There are many ways to be rich, some just, others unjust. So too for being poor; for either by being mistreated, or slandered, or taken advantage of, or by squandering, or by living in idleness, or by folly, or in some other way; for there are many ways to become poor. And for what reason, he says, does so-and-so, who supports prostitutes and parasites and flatterers, and insolently meddles in the 50.769 affairs of others, and lives this wanton and dissolute life, have money flowing in as if from springs; while another, living with reasonableness and self-control and justice and the other virtues, does not have even the necessary food? Is it because one is good and chooses the laborious life of virtue, while the other is evil and has undertaken the lax and dissolute path of wickedness? For what reason, then, is the evil man rich, while the good man is poor? So that this man may receive a greater crown, if he endures and bears it with patience, and that man a greater punishment and penalty, if he does not change and become better and acknowledge his Master. For the reliefs given by God weigh more heavily on those who remain evil; and the abundance from Him becomes an additional accusation for those who do not use it as they ought. Thus, then, the tribulations and hardships of good people are an addition of crowns, even if they should fall. There is at least some moderate excuse; for sins are not judged simply, but the rich man in one way, the poor man in another; the one with pardon, the other without pardon. For example, let there be a thief and an ambitious man, a rich man and a poor man; the one, although it is a weak excuse, still has some refuge, the necessity arising from poverty, while the other has not a single specious or reasonable refuge; so that just as the poor man is at a disadvantage in the present life, so much more does he have an advantage in the 50.770 future one in right actions, and the rich man in sins. Therefore, do not think that the poor man is wronged, nor that the rich man has an advantage. Just as also in the case of the wicked, as many as pay the penalty here, have either washed it all away, or they receive a lesser punishment there, as having undergone the penalty of great sufferings here; so also in the case of the good, those who enjoy honor here, while remaining wicked, have their honor as provisions for punishment. See, then, how God everywhere reproaches the wicked with the honors they have here; "I gave you all the things of your master"; and again to the priests in the time of Eli their honor; and elsewhere, "I gave you from your young men for prophets, and from your sons for a holy thing"; and He everywhere adds the things in the desert. So when you see a rich man doing wrong, being greedy, seizing things, for this reason especially groan for him, because being rich he does these things; for he receives a greater punishment. When you see a poor man taking much care for what is just, for this reason especially admire him, that in poverty he is such a person. If these things are accurately weighed by you, you will never be troubled at the things that happen, if you look to the things to come, if you consider present things to be nothing, if you always hope for those things, if you keep yourself from these things. And may it be that we all obtain the good things, by the grace of Christ. Amen.

CONCERNING FATE, OR AGAINST GLUTTONY.

HOMILY 6. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," were words that many among the Jews were saying in the time of the prophets. But that Jews should say these things, "whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame," is not at all surprising; but that after grace, and

17

πολλοὶ τοῦ πλουτεῖν τρόποι, οἱ μὲν δίκαιοι, οἱ δὲ ἄδικοι. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῦ πένεσθαι· ἢ γὰρ ἐπηρεασθεὶς, ἢ συκοφαντηθεὶς, ἢ πλεονεκτηθεὶς, ἢ καταφαγὼν, ἢ ἀργίᾳ συζῶν, ἢ ἀνοίᾳ, ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ· πολλοὶ γὰρ τοῦ γενέσθαι πένητα τρόποι. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶν, ὁ δεῖνα πόρνας τρέφων καὶ παρασίτους καὶ κόλακας, καὶ τοῖς 50.769 ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπηρεάζων πράγμασι, καὶ τὸν ὑγρὸν τοῦτον καὶ διαλελυμένον βίον ζῶν, καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἐπιῤῥέοντα ἔχει τὰ χρήματα· Ἕτερος ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις συζῶν ἀρεταῖς, οὐδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐπορεῖ τροφῆς; ὅτι ὁ μέν ἐστι καλὸς καὶ τὸν ἐπίπονον τῆς ἀρετῆς αἱρεῖται βίον, ὁ δὲ κακὸς καὶ τὴν διαῤῥέουσαν καὶ διαλελυμένην ἀνεδέξατο τῆς κακίας ὁδόν; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ὁ μὲν κακὸς πλουτεῖ, πένεται δὲ ὁ ἀγαθός; Ἵνα καὶ οὗτος μείζονα λάβῃ τὸν στέφανον, ἂν ὑπομείνῃ, καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν ἐνέγκῃ, κἀκεῖνος μείζω τὴν κόλασιν καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἂν μὴ μεταβάληται, καὶ γένηται βελτίων, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐπιγνῷ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ. Αἱ γὰρ ἀνέσεις αἱ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδόμεναι, μένοντας κακοὺς μᾶλλον βαροῦσι· καὶ ἡ ἀφθονία ἡ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς μὴ χρωμένοις εἰς δέον αὐτῇ, προσθήκη γίνεται κατηγορίας. Οὕτως οὖν αἱ θλίψεις καὶ αἱ στενοχωρίαι ἀγαθῶν, προσθήκη στεφάνων, κἂν παραπέσωσι. Ἔστι μετρία γοῦν τις συγγνώμη· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα κρίνεται, ἀλλ' ἑτέρως ὁ πλούσιος, ἑτέρως ὁ πένης· ὁ μὲν μετὰ συγγνώμης, ὁ δὲ χωρὶς συγγνώμης. Οἷον, ἔστω κλέπτης καὶ φιλότιμος, πλούσιος καὶ πένης, ὁ μὲν εἰ καὶ ψυχρὰν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔχει τινὰ καταφυγὴν, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πενίας ἀνάγκην, ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ μίαν εὐπρόσωπον ἢ εὔλογον ἔχει καταφυγήν· ὥστε ὅσον ἐλαττοῦται ὁ πένης κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον, τοσοῦτον πλεονεκτεῖ κατὰ τὸν μέλ 50.770 λοντα ἐν κατορθώμασι, καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ἐν ἁμαρτήμασι. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσῃς ἀδικεῖσθαι τὸν πένητα, μηδὲ πλέον ἔχειν τὸν πλούσιον. Καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κακῶν, ὅσοιπερ ἂν ἐνταῦθα δῶσι δίκην, ἢ τὸ πᾶν ἀπενίψαντο, ἢ ἐλάττονα διδόασιν ἐκεῖ τιμωρίαν, ὡς ἐνταῦθα μεγάλων κακοπαθειῶν δίκην ὑποστάντες· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, οἱ μὲν ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαύοντες τιμῆς, καὶ μένοντες πονηροὶ, ἐφόδιον κολάσεως ἔχουσι τὴν τιμήν. Ὅρα γ' οὖν ὁ Θεὸς πῶς πανταχοῦ τοῖς κακοῖς τὰς ἐνταῦθα ὀνειδίζει τιμάς· Ἔδωκά σοι πάντα τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου σου· καὶ πάλιν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἠλὶ τὴν τιμήν· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ, Ἔδωκα ὑμῖν ἐκ τῶν νεανίσκων ὑμῶν εἰς προφήτας, καὶ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν· καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου πανταχοῦ προστίθησιν. Ὥστε ὅταν ἴδῃς τὸν πλουτοῦντα ἀδικοῦντα, πλεονεκτοῦντα, ἁρπάζοντα, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν στέναξον, ἐπειδὴ πλούσιος ὢν ταῦτα ποιεῖ· μείζονα γὰρ δίδωσι τιμωρίαν. Ὅταν ἴδῃς πένητα πολλὴν τοῦ δικαίου ποιούμενον πρόνοιαν, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν θαύμασον, ὅτι μετὰ πενίας τοιοῦτός ἐστιν. Ἂν ταῦτα ᾖ παρὰ σοὶ διηκριβωμένα, οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ τοῖς γενομένοις ταραχθήσῃ πράγμασιν, ἂν πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα βλέπῃς, ἂν μηδὲν εἶναι νομίσῃς τὰ παρόντα, ἂν ἐκεῖνα ἐλπίσῃς ἀεὶ, ἂν τούτων σαυτὸν ἀποστήσῃς. Γένοιτο δὲ πάντων ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι Χριστοῦ. Ἀμήν.

ΠΕΡΙ ΕΙΜΑΡΜΕΝΗΣ Ἢ κατὰ γαστριμαργίας.

Λόγος ςʹ. Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν, αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν, ἐπὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἦσαν πολλοὶ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις λέγοντες. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν Ἰουδαίους ταῦτα λέγειν, Ὧνὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία, καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· τὸ δὲ μετὰ τὴν χάριν, καὶ